Preparing educators for diversity: a mixed-methods analysis of teacher education curricula in Flanders

Teacher education programmes increasingly face the challenge of preparing future educators for diverse, multilingual, and inequitable classrooms. Yet, how these programmes conceptualise and embed equity, social justice, and diversity remains unexplored. This mixed-methods study examines the intended curriculum of six teacher education programmes in Flanders, Belgium, through analysis of mission statements, course descriptions, and internship guidelines. Rather than assessing enacted practice, the study shows how official curricular texts frame the knowledge, values, and pedagogical orientations considered relevant for preparing preservice teachers for diverse classrooms. The findings reveal a continuum of orientations in the documents: some programmes present diversity through a more critical and pluralistic lens, while others reflect more liberal or colour-blind perspectives. These orientations shape how preservice teachers are prepared to engage with diversity in practice. We argue for moving beyond superficial references to equity and social justice towards more coherent and holistic curricular integration.