Social Justice through the Lens of Pre-Service Teachers: A Grounded Theory Analysis in the Context of NEP 2020’s Vision of Inclusion and Diversity

Abstract

Aim: The study aims to explore how four pre-service teachers perceive social justice and examine how their understanding influences their educational practices, particularly in fostering inclusive and diverse classrooms. Study Design: This is a qualitative study based on the constructivist grounded theory design. Place and Duration of the Study: The study was conducted at Teacher Education College, in Mumbai, between June and September 2023. Methodology: The present study employs constructivist grounded theory given by Charmaz, K. (2006) approach was utilised wherein open coding, focused coding and constant comparative methods were used to analyse the data. Recurring patterns and categories were coded inductively, leading to the development of emergent themes. Results: Two core themes emerged out of the constant comparison of data with data, codes with codes, forming focused codes and categories to map the student teachers perception of social justice. The analysis revealed a breach between the participants’ perceptions of social justice and the existing social justice literature. Their limited hold on the conceptual understanding of social justice, equality, equity, inclusion and diversity, gaps between the social justice principles and their instructional choices, and the influence of embedded institutionalised discrimination on the implementation of their pedagogical practices. The use of the grounded theory analysis techniques enabled validation of these findings and strengthened the reflective inquiry during the research process. Conclusion: The study highlights the importance of critical reflection with contextual understanding to make a bridge between theory and practice. It empowers the pre-service teachers to continually examine the inequalities and diversity around them and thereby transform them to inclusive and equitable practices in their classrooms. This inturn synchronises with NEP 2020’s vision of creating inclusive, safe, and transformative educational classrooms that promote subject expertise, cooperative learning and all round learner development.