The power of an intersectionality framework in teacher education
Journal for Multicultural Education
ISSN: 2053-535X
Article publication date: 4 March 2020
Issue publication date: 7 April 2020
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to describe the use of an intersectionality framework to analyze and incorporate teachers’ lived experiences into critical professional development.
Design/methodology/approach
Researchers used qualitative coding based on the matrix of oppression and privilege (Ferber and O’Reilly Herrera, 2013) to analyze teachers’ multicultural autobiographies. Connections between multicultural autobiographies were then made between other course reflections and lesson plans that were developed throughout the 150 h of professional development.
Findings
Findings evidence the multiple sites of oppression and privilege, the importance of spaces and relationships in locating ourselves and others on the matrix and the possibilities for transferring knowledge to professional practice.
Research limitations/implications
The authors do recognize the limitations of their study. Although the participants were from differing educational contexts and backgrounds, the sample size was small. Additional studies of this nature can expand our understanding of privilege, oppression and the impact of critical professional development for educators. Our society, and therefore the education system, continues to become more culturally and linguistically diverse, and it is incumbent upon us as educators and researchers to identify effective approaches for preparing both teachers and students for a changing world.
Practical implications
The power of the matrix framework in pedagogical settings is that it facilitates the recognition and analysis of individual social locations and their relationships to various systems of inequality. Most importantly, analyzing both privilege and oppression allows individuals and instructors to reflect on their own experiences and initiate conversations that reduce the animosity toward those who have different experiences.
Originality/value
This study is significant, in that it offers a framework that addresses the perceived disconnect between teachers and their increasingly culturally and linguistically diverse student population (Banks and Banks, 2013; Darling-Hammond and Bransford, 2005).
Keywords
Citation
Leckie, A. and Buser De, M. (2020), "The power of an intersectionality framework in teacher education", Journal for Multicultural Education, Vol. 14 No. 1, pp. 117-127. https://doi.org/10.1108/JME-07-2019-0059
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
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