The Continuing Appeal of Disadvantage as Deficit: A Canadian Study in a Rural Context
Keywords:
educational disadvantage, deficit theory, teacher perceptions, rural education, language disadvantage, sociolinguistics, teacher educationAbstract
Teachers in a rural Canadian setting were surveyed about their perceptions of the characteristics of disadvantage. While they correctly attributed disadvantage to features of varying home backgrounds, they also indicated an allegiance to an environmental-deficit philosophy which has been increasingly rejected in the literature. Teachers continued to see disadvantaged children as environmentally deficient children. Particular attention was paid here to language matters, since language has traditionally been a focal point for disadvantage. The implications of the teachers’ views are discussed and some
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