Towards equity literacy: exploratory enquiry with Finnish student teachers

Abstract

Equity-centred teacher education recognises the dual challenge of preparing teachers to support the learning of all students while encouraging future teachers to recognise and challenge societal systems reproducing inequity. The paper focuses on analysing Finnish student teachers' perceptions of teachers' skills related to diversity and equity. The data are drawn from written individual and group assignments completed during three master's level courses in home economics teacher education. A qualitative content analysis of students' assignments present student teachers' collaboratively produced understanding of teachers' diversity skills. Their self-assessment of both professional strengths and areas of development are evaluated against Paul Gorski's equity literacy framework. The findings are suggestive of a relatively strong cultural selfawareness and response-ability related to learner diversity. More attention should be given to unfolding structural inequities to enable future teachers to develop the equity literacy necessary to create and sustain equitable learning environments.

Teacher Cognition and Practice of Educational Equity in English as a Foreign Language Teaching

“…Although teacher cognition and practices have been a recurring theme in the EFL context, only a few researchers have attempted to investigate the interrelations between teachers’ cognition and practice that are pertinent to educational equity. A small-scale case study by Posti-Ahokas and Janhonen-Abruquah (2021) reported that equity-centered practices could only occur if teachers were aware of the causes of inequities and the impact of inequities on teacher positionality. That is, teachers’ equity-bound cognition is a prerequisite that can guarantee equitable practices.…”