Abstract

The situative perspective, as applied to rural teacher education, provides a promising framework from which to understand the situated knowledge that rural preservice teachers bring to their preparation programs regarding diversity and strategiesfor creating authentic learning experiences that challenge this knowledge. The purpose ofthis study was to examine how situative knowledge, as embedded in rural preservice teachers' autobiographies, influenced their views of race, class, and culture. Seventeen post-baccalaureate preservice teachers participated in this study; JJ were from rural and remote locations in West Texas. Using grounded theory and the constant comparison method ofdata analysis, interview transcripts from each participant were analyzed. Four themes emerged from data analysis: situative cognition in rural contexts; being together, existing apart; understanding similarities and differences; and teaching in a small rural.

How to Cite:

Powell, R. R., Sobel, D., Hess, R. S. & Verdi, M., (2001) “The Relationships Between Situated Cognition and Rural Preservice Teachers' Knowledge and Understanding of Diversity”, Journal of Research in Rural Education 17(2), 71–83.

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