Theses and Dissertations

Date of Award

8-2025

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Education (EdD)

Department

Educational Leadership

First Advisor

Federico Guerra

Second Advisor

Albert Irlas

Third Advisor

Israel Aguilar

Abstract

This phenomenological investigation examined occupational therapy faculty preparedness for teaching culturally responsive care to entry-level doctorate students in Texas. Despite Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE) mandates requiring cultural competence education, significant gaps persist between regulatory requirements and faculty readiness to deliver such instruction effectively. The study explored three interrelated dimensions: (1) faculty perceptions of their preparedness to teach cultural competence, (2) institutional training and support mechanisms, and (3) pedagogical integration strategies for culturally responsive content.

Employing interpretive phenomenology grounded in Freire's critical pedagogy and Iwama's Kawa Model, this investigation utilized a two-phase data collection methodology with eleven faculty participants across seven Texas institutions. Reflective journaling preceded semi-structured interviews, generating rich qualitative data analyzed through systematic phenomenological reduction procedures.

Findings revealed preparedness as fundamentally paradoxical: faculty expressed deep commitment to culturally responsive education while simultaneously acknowledging profound inadequacy in their preparation. Personal cultural journeys provided more crucial preparation than formal institutional training, which proved largely absent despite rhetorical commitment to diversity initiatives. Faculty developed innovative pedagogical strategies through trial-and-error processes while managing exceptional emotional labor. Political pressures within contemporary educational contexts created self-censorship patterns, with the majority of participants modifying content to avoid controversy. Transformative moments emerged through peer learning networks and critical self-reflection processes.

This research reconceptualizes preparedness as an ongoing developmental journey rather than an achievable competency endpoint, requiring personal transformation, sustained institutional investment, and political courage. Implications encompass comprehensive faculty development initiatives, institutional policy reform addressing systemic support deficits, and clearer professional standards delineating cultural competence education requirements. Recommendations include longitudinal research tracking faculty development trajectories, multi-stakeholder investigations incorporating student perspectives, and intervention studies evaluating professional development efficacy. This investigation provides an empirical foundation for transforming current models relying on individual educator heroism into systematic institutional support for navigating complex, emotionally demanding, and politically contested cultural competence education.

Comments

Copyright 2025 Jack Ruelas. All Rights Reserved.

https://proquest.com/docview/3247759846

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