PRE-SERVICE TEACHERS' PERCEPTIONS OF POVERTY: A PHENOMENOLOGICAL APPROACH

This paper presents preservice teachers' perceptions and ideological underpinnings regarding children and families from poverty. Using a phenomenological approach, thirteen undergraduate preservice teachers from a small, liberal arts university in Northeast US were interviewed. Participants' perceptions of indigent children and families revealed five themes. Perceptions were multifaceted, with intimate connections to their own experiences. This paper aims to generate scholarly interest in exploring preservice teachers' perceptions about indigent children and families that live in poverty. Exploring preservice teachers' instructional ideologies may help in designing teacher preparation programs that result in improved classroom instruction and a decrease in in-service teacher attrition from high-poverty schools.