A
Changing Society
Diversity Matters
EDUC 2301: Introduction to Special Populations
Spring Creek Campus, I-111
Dr. Nita Thomason
“Students who feel their culture is valued and
understood by the school and the larger community
tend to do better in school than those who feel it is
rejected.”
It is important that educators understand, respect,
value, and embrace diverse cultural perspectives and
ways of being in the world (Ashworth, 1992, p. 14).
Culture
©2012 Cengage Learning.
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Define culture.
Culture, as the term is used in this text,
refers to: “characteristic[(s)] of ([an)]
individual’s society, or some subgroups
within the society . . . ([it]) includes,
values, beliefs, notions about acceptable
and unacceptable behavior, and other
socially constructed ideas that members
of the culture are taught are true.
©2012 Cengage Learning.
All Rights Reserved.
The Reality of Social Change
Two major social changes affecting
education are taking place:
– Changes in demographics
– Changes in social institutions
4
Form Homogeneous Group of 6 based
on one of the following characteristics
•
•
•
•
•
•
Race
Social Class
Sex/Gender
Disability
Religious Affiliation
Immigrant
For Reflection and Discussion
What messages have you received
about:
– ways different facial groups are treated
– what sexual orientations are acceptable
– what it means to be male and female
– the importance of amassing wealth
– how disabilities are viewed
– what “making it” means
– how religious affiliation impacts respect
©2012 Cengage Learning.
All Rights Reserved.
Demographics in Transition
Three factors resulting in changing
demographics:
– High immigration rates
– High birthrates among some segments of
the population
– Aging population
7
Institutions in Transition
A social institution is a formal,
recognized, established, and stabilized
way of pursuing some important activity
in society.
Social institutions provide rules, or social
norms, that become internalized in
individuals.
When institutions change, so do the
norms they provide.
8
Changes in Institutions
In today’s world, all social institutions are
experiencing fundamental change:
– Economics—globalization
– Politics—new alignments of nations
– Family—new forms of family life
– Religion—confusion and controversy
surrounding the role of religion in public
education and in the public square
9
Changes in Economics and Politics
Economically, there has been a shift
from:
– Loyalty to a single company to loyalty to
one’s own self-interest
– A national to a global focus
Politically, there has been a shift from:
– Political interest within our own borders to
interest in political events around the world
10
Changes in the Family
More women are in the workforce.
The divorce rate is high.
More families are in poverty.
New family “forms” are becoming
common (e.g., single-parent families,
blended families).
More intermarriage between ethnic and
religious groups.
11
Changes in Religious Organizations
 Immigrants are bringing unfamiliar religions and
religious ideas to the society.
 Various “new age” religious affiliations are emerging.
 There is a rise in fundamentalist religious groups in
all major religions.
 Religious groups are becoming important “players” in
the political arena, both in the US and globally.
 Gaps of understanding of religion are evident
between younger generation and the older
generation, as well as between various religious
groups
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Schools as a Reflection of Social Change
Changing demographics among students
– Increasing number of children of color
– Increasing numbers of children whose first
language is not English
– Increasing inclusion of children with
disabilities in classrooms
– Increasing attention to differential treatment
of boys and girls in classrooms
– Increasing religious diversity within
communities
13
Define race.
Race is thought to be a concept used to
classify people according to physical
characteristics, such as skin and eye
pigmentation, facial features, shape of
head, and texture of body hair
(Hernandez, 1989).
Yet in reality race is first and
foremost a social construction.
©2012 Cengage Learning.
All Rights Reserved.
Race
Race is a social construct with social
relevance that is used to elevate a
dominant group while oppressing others.
©2012 Cengage Learning.
All Rights Reserved.
What is Racial Identity Development?
• Racial identity development is the extent
one understands racial disparity in
society and the extent to which one is
comfortable with her/his own and other
racial groups.
• Identify qualities that characterize the
stages of white and minority racial
identity development.
©2012 Cengage Learning.
All Rights Reserved.
What is SES?
• Social class or socioeconomic status
(SES) is the term used to distinguish a
person’s position in society relative to
others within that society.
• Parental occupation, education level,
political power, and income serve as the
basis for a student’s SES.
©2012 Cengage Learning.
All Rights Reserved.
What are SES effects?
Class distinctions determine:
• the location, safety, comfort, and
convenience of homes and
neighborhoods in which we live;
• the quality of the healthcare and
schooling we receive;
• the worldviews we hold; and
• how we relate to others in society.
©2012 Cengage Learning.
All Rights Reserved.
Are males and females treated differently
in the U.S.?
• Are feminine and masculine
characteristics and behaviors valued
differently in the United States.
• When people adhere to traits such as
emotionality, nurturance, and delicacy,
are they devalued and systematically
disadvantaged in society.
©2012 Cengage Learning.
All Rights Reserved.
In what ways does sexism exist in schools and
affect achievement according to Spradlin?
Even successful female students have:
• less confidence in their abilities,
• higher expectations of failure,
• habits of dependency,
• negative attribution styles,
• weakened leadership skills, and
• more modest occupational aspirations than boys do.
Girls are less likely, therefore, to reach their potential than
boys.
©2012 Cengage Learning.
All Rights Reserved.
Another Perspective – Raising Cain: Boys
in Focus/ Thompson Documentary
• American Boys Are in Trouble.
– Unable to express emotions
– Doing worse in the classroom than
previously
• Who is Responsible
• How can we guide boys on the path to
becoming responsible and caring men?
What is sexual identity and sexual
orientation?
• Sexual identity is the degree to which we
identify with the social and biological
aspects of being a man or a woman.
• Sexual orientation is an integral part of
sexual identity and is defined by who we
are emotionally and/or to whom we are
physically attracted.
©2012 Cengage Learning.
All Rights Reserved.
Define disability.
• The medical model definition focuses on
individuals’ functional limitations (impairments)
and identifies impairments as the cause of
disadvantages experienced.
• The social model, in contrast, identifies
disabling social, environmental, and attitudinal
barriers rather than individuals’ so called “lack
of ability” as the cause of disadvantages
experienced.
©2012 Cengage Learning.
All Rights Reserved.
Marginalization and Privilege
1. What is marginalization?
- Acculturation
- Assimilation
2. What are the effects of privilege in
schools?
3. How is marginalization evidence in
schools?
- Ethnocentrism
- Prejudice
- Oppression
©2012 Cengage Learning.
All Rights Reserved.
Identify four types of racism.
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•
•
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Individual racism
Institutional racism
Cultural racism
Aversive racism
©2012 Cengage Learning.
All Rights Reserved.
Affirmative Action
Federal contractors are required to take
affirmative action to ensure that all applicants,
without regard to their race, color, religion, sex,
or national origin, were hired and treated fairly
in their employment and to use every effort
necessary to implement strategies that would
result in equal employment opportunities for
historically disadvantaged groups.
©2012 Cengage Learning.
All Rights Reserved.