Please join Tang Heng (Assistant Professor at the National Institute of Education, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore) on April 18th (CDT) for her lecture, "Diversity : A Socioculturally-Constructed Concept." In-Person (Room 4-G Education) and on Zoom.
Description: “Diversity” or “diverse” are often spoken in the same vein with words such as gender, culture, and class, amongst others, in the U.S. context. Yet, to what extent do these associated words and meanings apply to contexts beyond the U.S.? When we use the term “diverse,” what exactly are we trying to convey and what does it imply about the assumptions behind the word? This lecture will present a study of teachers' perspectives of student differences in Singapore to problematize how the words “diversity” and “diverse” are used indifferent contexts as well as illuminate how the terms are socioculturally constructed.
By studying what happens when people and ideas circulate across borders, she explores issues related to diversity and education through a comparative and international education lens. Her work with preschool immigrant families, international students, and teachers have been published in journals such as Teachers College Record and Journal of Diversity in Higher Education. Tang is the recipient of the 2021 NAFSA Innovative Research in International Education Award.