Critical perspectives on perceptions and practices of diversity in education

Abstract

The term diversity has been a topic of discussion in educational research and has received increased atten-tion in recent years. Often, the focus has been on the use of the term at policy level. In this article, teacher educators’ and school teachers’ perceptions of diversity in education and self-perceived practices of work with diversity are explored. Five teacher educators and 87 school teachers participated in the study. Inter-views and questionnaires were used to collect data. The findings indicate that teacher educators and school teachersdiscuss and reflect on diversity at different levels of operationalization, that they rarely associate socioeconomic and structural issues withthe topic of diversity, and that they hardlymention national mi-norities and the Norwegian indigenous people as part of their understanding and work with diversity. This study suggests stable and long-term arenas for discussion and reflection for both teacher educators and school teachers.Further, the need fora more critical perspective on diversity in education, and an emphasis on learning from historicalexperiences with education and minoritiesis needed.

Critical perspectives on perceptions and practices of diversity in education