Preparing Preservice Teachers for Culturally Responsive Teaching: Readiness, Pedagogies, and Research Gaps

Abstract

As P–12 classrooms grow increasingly culturally and linguistically diverse, teacher education programs face mounting pressure to prepare preservice teachers for equitable and culturally responsive practice. However, the literature continues to show a persistent gap between preservice teachers’ general openness to diversity and their pedagogical readiness to enact culturally responsive teaching effectively. This narrative literature review synthesizes recent empirical scholarship to examine how teacher preparation programs address that gap, clarify competing perspectives on effective preparation, and identify methodological and contextual limitations in the current evidence base. Drawing on 12 peer-reviewed empirical studies published between 2020 and 2025, the review integrates qualitative, quantitative, and mixed-methods research on culturally responsive teaching, cultural competence, multicultural efficacy, and preparation for culturally and linguistically diverse learners. The findings indicate that preservice teachers often begin with only moderate levels of multicultural efficacy, and several studies reveal a clear disconnect between personal commitment to diversity and professional self-efficacy. At the same time, structured interventions, including mixed-reality simulations, scaffolded case-based instruction, and reflective experiential learning, appear to strengthen pedagogical readiness. One study reported a 90.5% increase in affective responsiveness, while others found stronger culturally responsive teaching implementation and self-efficacy when theory, practice, and feedback were intentionally aligned. Future research should prioritize longitudinal, multi-institutional, and practice-based designs to determine whether gains in cultural competence are sustained over time and translated into improved outcomes for culturally and linguistically diverse learners.