The authors present findings from their study of how preservice teachers (PSTs) experienced and conceptualized social justice during two study abroad (SA) programs to Honduras and Tanzania. This study examined instructor intentionality (II), the purposefulness on the part of instructors in designing the goals and objectives of study abroad through a selection of context, curriculum, and community engagement. Intentional programming that sought to unfossilize prejudices by providing non-Western-centric curricula was emphasized. In this case study, authors analyzed and interpreted data using a framework for social justice rooted in three components: redistribution, recognition, and representation. The themes discussed in this chapter address (1) the influence of partnerships with community members in the development of social justice curricula; (2) differences across SA programs indicative of multiple approaches to social justice; and (3) various contexts, experiences, and curricula in cultivating social justice-minded educators.

Studies over the years emphasize the need to foster critical cultural awareness among teachers in U.S. classrooms. Using a critical theoretical approach, we examined the critical cultural awareness of practicing teachers and educators' experiences with English Learners (ELs) and their preparedness to meet the needs of ELs through actionable plans from a professional development (PD) module. We argue that PD courses on critical theoretical perspectives on ELs are essential not just for EL professionals but for all educators who work with ELs in one way or the other. Sixty‐eight educators (teachers and school directors) in a midwestern community participated in the PD modular course, where they were exposed to various critical theories. The data include discussion responses and educators' critical theoretical reflections on ELs. In this article, we iterate the need to include critical theoretical EL education in teacher training preparation and professional development programs to support pre‐service teachers, in‐service teachers, and principals. The findings show that the impact of such critical awareness transforms teachers' and educators' perceptions about their respective roles in effectively educating ELs.

No abstract

The authors present an overview of narrative research and focus primarily on narrative inquiry, highlighting what distinguishes this approach from other research methods. Narrative inquiry allows scholars to go beyond positivism and explore how research can be conducted based on participants' stories, rather than using a purely scientific methodological approach. This research method acknowledges and honors narrative truths and provides a scholarly framework that makes space for voices often marginalized or excluded when dominant narratives and/or data hold a prominent place in a research agenda. As such, narrative inquiry can be used in academic research to challenge the status quo, thus harnessing research to stretch beyond hegemonic ways of being and knowing. The authors provide a robust overview and conceptualization of this approach, along with foundational concepts and exemplars that comprise this method of research.

No abstract