CULTURAL PLURALISM AND DIVERSITY: ISSUES IMPORTANT TO FAMILY AND CONSUMER SCIENCES EDUCATION

Abstract

Student populations within family and consumer sciences education classrooms, like our nation, continue to grow increasingly diverse. Teachers’ attitudes are critical to planning and implementing educational programs which meet the needs of learners from diverse backgrounds. This study used the Pluralism and Diversity Attitude Assessment (PADAA) to investigate family and consumer sciences teachers’ attitudes toward issues related to multicultural education. The PADAA used four subscales (Appreciate Cultural Pluralism, Value Cultural Pluralism, Implement Cultural Pluralism, and Uncomfortable with Cultural Pluralism) to describe respondents’ attitudes toward cultural pluralism and diversity. Family and consumer sciences teachers tended to reflect positive attitudes about the issues examined. However, they did express resistance toward classroom implementation of cultural pluralism as well as uncomfortable feelings about diversity. Results from this study will be useful to preservice and inservice career and technical educators, teacher educators, and school administrators attempting to understand and expand multicultural perspectives within career and technical education.