"My assumptions were wrong": Exploring teachers' constructions of self and biases towards diverse families

Abstract

Family engagement in young children’s education is widely touted as valuable, but challenging, particularly for teachers in high need, highly diverse schools. Professional development efforts in this area often fall short, in part due to the difficulty inherent in changing teachers’ attitudes and beliefs. This study uses Kegan’s (1982) Constructive Developmental theory as a framework for understanding teachers’ belief changes as the result of course designed to improve family-school engagement.