2025/06/20 by Shuling Yang, Natalia A. Ward
Arts and Humanities · Social Sciences · #Art Education and Development #Literacy, Media, and Education #Teacher Education and Leadership Studies
paper · doi:10.1080/00220272.2025.2522456
crossref issued 2025/06/20 · crossref published 2025/06/20 · crossref published-online 2025/06/20 · openalex publication_date 2025/06/20 · crossref created 2025/06/20 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · crossref published-print 2026/07/04 · crossref deposited 2026/07/24 · crossref indexed 2026/07/24 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/25
This study examines how preservice teachers (PSTs) at a predominantly white, rural institution in the southeastern United States interpret and plan to implement an adopted elementary English Language Arts (ELA) curriculum. Grounded in culturally sustaining pedagogy and inquiry as a stance, the research analyzes PSTs’ survey responses to a curriculum analysis assignment. Findings indicate that while PSTs generally viewed the curriculum as a useful foundation for teaching, many expressed concerns about its limited representation of diverse voices and cultural perspectives. They emphasized the need to support all students through more inclusive texts and culturally responsive teaching approaches. The study also found that mentor teachers during field placements played a significant role in shaping PSTs’ perceptions of curriculum use. These findings underscore the importance of preparing PSTs to critically analyze curriculum and focus on reflexivity in their curriculum decisions. Implications for teacher education include fostering deeper curriculum engagement and assisting PSTs in developing pedagogical agency within standardized educational settings.