ABSTRACT

The purpose of this hermeneutic phenomenological study, conducted in southernVirginia, United States, was to understand six teachers' own images through the experiencesteaching preschoolers from diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds. Semistructuredinterviews were conducted with six teachers from two day care anddevelopment centers. Observations of classroom teaching added vital information tothe data collected through interviews. Other tools for data collection included fieldnotes and a researcher's reflective journal. Strategies for examining the data in thisstudy were thematic and constant comparative analysis. Five major themes ofteachers' self-images emerged from their reflection on the roles in multicultural classroomswere: ( 1) Teachers are advocators for promoting social justice, (2) Teachersare learners of cultural diversity, (3) Teachers are transformers through caring, (4)Teachers are supporters for children's emotional and social needs, and (5) Teachersare facilitators of social reciprocity. The findings also suggested recommendations forfuture research and practice in the field of early childhood education.

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