Preparing future teachers against racism: A training experience at the University of Almería

Abstract

The arrival of a large number of immigrants at Spanish schools has turned classrooms into multicultural spaces. This is the reason why prospective teachers must receive appropriate training in cultural diversity. This paper presents a detailed study of the concept of racism as perceived by a group of prospective teachers who took the course on “Education and Socio-cultural Diversity”, and this concept’s influence to promote a change in their views and attitudes in topics associated with racism. The results show how students dealt with this concept and acknowledged some of their main prejudices. This research demands the inclusion of subjects related to cultural diversity in tertiary education, particularly at the initial stage of teacher-training studies.

Keywords

• Teacher Training
• Multiculturality
• Racism
• Ethnography