The CATESOL Journal

As the world is becoming increasingly flat (Ang, Van Dyne, Koh, Templer, & Chandrasekar, 2007; Darling-Hammond, 2010; Friedman, 2005), the classroom has become a mirror that often reflects this phenomenon at a microcosmic level. As such, teacher-preparation programs are continuing to emphasize the importance of understanding and valuing student cultures to inform teaching practice. This study sought to examine how 10 in-service teachers in the San Diego area understand the role of culture in their daily work with their culturally and linguistically diverse students using the cultural intelligence framework (Earley & Ang, 2003). While the cultural intelligence framework provided some insight into how teachers understood certain aspects of culture in relation to their students, it also brought to light the complexity of defining and assessing cultural competence. In fact, teachers challenged the elevated emphasis on culture in the literature, and instead, highlighted additional competencies of value to them in this work.