Between Self and State: Singapore Social Studies Teachers' Perspectives of Diversity

This qualitative study investigates three Singapore teachers' conceptions of diversity and discrimination, as well as their perceptions of inequality and social structures. The results suggest that Singaporean teachers' perceptions are not only reflective of multicultural principles culled from personal dispositions or experiences, but are also mediated by state policies and societal narratives. This finding indicates that for multicultural teacher education to be more effective, it is important for teacher educators to take into account systemic and policy issues, in addition to other dispositional and experiential factors that influence teacher beliefs.