Approaches to Social Justice Teacher Education: An Examination of Four Doctoral Student Teacher Educators’ Social Justice Conceptions and Teaching Practices

Abstract

The purpose of this dissertation is to examine how four doctoral student teacher educators (DSTEs) approached social justice teacher education (SJTE). I used a multiple case study methodology to examine DSTEs’ conceptions of social justice, how they developed those conceptions, and whether their conceptions were enacted in their teaching. Drawing on the social theory of learning (Wenger, 1998) and a typology of multicultural and social justice education (Gorski, 2009), I used surveys, interviews, observations, and artifact analysis to investigate how DSTEs engaged with SJTE. The following research questions guided my dissertation: How do four DSTEs describe their conceptions of social justice within the context of teacher education? What experiences contribute to the development of the four DSTEs’ conceptions of social justice? How are the conceptions of social justice held by the four DSTEs enacted in their teaching? Many teacher education programs have adopted social justice as a core mission. This focus on social justice, or social justice teacher education (SJTE) involves preparing teachers to recognize and address systemic injustices both within schools and in broader society. While SJTE is widely promoted, its implementation varies, with many programs focusing on ‘ticking the boxes’ of coursework content rather than how teacher educators enact SJTE (Zeichner, 2009). The ambiguity of "social justice" and challenges in fostering social justice dispositions further complicate this work (Gorski, 2009). Findings indicate that the four DSTE participants in this study possessed critical conceptions of social justice (Gorski, 2009). Their conceptions differed based on how explicitly they discussed resistance and advocacy. These conceptions were shaped by personal experiences with injustices, critical theories, social participation in communities of practice, and institutional tensions. The conceptions that the DSTEs held were enacted in varied and personalized ways, often rooted in their own prior personal and teaching experiences. However, the DSTEs tended to teach their conceptions of social justice from a more theoretical stance, with less emphasis on translating those ideas into concrete classroom practices for preservice teachers. Institutional structures at the university, such as rigid program curricula, inconsistent faculty support, and a lack of formalized SJTE guidance, frequently constrained DSTEs’ ability to fully enact their conceptions in practice. Based on the finding that DSTEs navigate tensions between their social justice commitments and the institutional contexts in which they work, this study highlights the need for teacher education programs to provide more explicit, ongoing, and practice-oriented support for DSTEs. By examining how DSTEs conceptualize and apply social justice, this research offers actionable insights into how programs can prepare future teacher educators to advance social justice in teacher education.