Creation of culturally responsive classrooms: teachers’ conceptualization of a new rationale for cultural responsiveness and management of diversity in Hong Kong secondary schools

Presently, there are a growing number of ethnic minority students in Hong Kong schools. This article examines teachers’ views of the cross-cultural experience of ethnic minority students, their influence on the performance of these students, and how the diverse learning needs of these students are being addressed. Qualitative data were collected from semi-structured interviews with 32 teachers from three secondary schools. This study shows that teachers struggle to conceptualize a new rationale for responding to cultural diversity. They develop a sense of intercultural sensitivity, promote cultural responsiveness to diversity, and strengthen the home–school connection. This article argues that, like students, teachers simultaneously engage in a cross-cultural process through which they learn the culture of ethnic minority students, relearn their own culture and reexamine the relevant rationale underlying cultural responsiveness. Finally, a framework for the creation of culturally responsive classrooms, based upon the teachers’ new rationale of cultural responsiveness, is proposed.     

Multi-ethnic school environment from the school leader’s perspective: challenges and approaches to improve multi-cultural competency among teachers in Malaysia

This study aims to identify the challenges and approaches to improve a multicultural competency among teachers in multi-ethnic schools environment based on school leaders’ perspective. Data collection method used in this study is qualitative method. A total of nine school leaders from the states of Kedah, Penang, and Perak were included in the interview session. The results of this study show that the challenges faced by teachers in practicing the multicultural competency are lack of experience toward cultural diversity. A late exposure to cultural diversity makes it difficult for teachers to accept and adapt in a multi-ethnic school environment. The approaches suggested by school leaders to improve the multicultural competency are as follows: (1) Courses on cultural diversity should be organized to enhance the knowledge about cultural diversity; (2) the development of more open and better policy for education system in Malaysia in order to prepare teachers with a higher multicultural competency for teaching students from diverse ethnic and cultural groups; (3) an early exposure to cultural diversity in order to increase the multicultural competency, especially during teaching practicum.     

‘Situative cognition’: barrier to teaching across cultures

In an unsettled world, the migration of significant numbers of individuals across national and even continental boundaries has changed the demographics of many nations with profound effects on their schools. Frequently, teachers are confronted with classes characterized by ethnic and cultural diversity for which they are either underprepared or totally unprepared. Despite their dedication, teachers have been shaped by their own cultural upbringing, and there may be a disconnect between their cultural values and identities and those of the children in their transformed classrooms. This disconnect has been called ‘situative cognition’. The challenge for teacher educators, particularly in western nations, is to enable prospective teachers to understand the complexity of educational dynamics in diverse classrooms, to examine their own experiences with diverse groups especially regarding culture, race, ethnicity and social class, and to develop strategies for working proactively with students in their own increasingly diverse communities.     

Teachers’ Page

Encouraging elementary students to become aware of place and the role it plays in shaping their lives can provide them with a clearer sense of self and a greater appreciation for diversity. To support this premise, this article explores using six National Council for the Social Studies Notable Trade Books to assist primary students in their understanding of place. By using realistic fiction and nonfiction picture books that focus on children's lives in diverse locations, the suggested activities enable teachers to address the five themes of geography and promote cultural awareness to elementary students in meaningful ways. The author provides a summary of each book and describes student-centered activities to develop concepts related to the NCSS thematic strands of culture; people, places, and environments; and individual development and identity.     

Immigrant students and their teachers – exploring various constellations of acculturation orientations and their impact on school adjustment

ABSTRACT

The present study examined what impact various constellations of acculturation orientations of immigrant students and their teachers have on the students’ school adjustment. For this purpose, the study analysed the acculturation orientations of 1106 5th graders and their class teachers in Switzerland. Using multiple regression analysis, we found that immigrant students were more satisfied at school if their teachers had similar attitudes about cultural assimilation and cultural diversity and could, thus, be said to have congruent acculturation orientations. With respect to students’ academic self-concept, immigrant students with a minority orientation whose teachers value cultural diversity including the heritage culture of their students showed a lower academic self-concept despite matching acculturation orientations. We interpret this result as a dilemma of teachers between the endeavour to develop culturally sensitive attitudes and behaviours and the risk to create stereotype threat and its negative effects through addressing cultural differences. Furthermore, a mismatch between the students’ (bi-)national identification at school and the teacher’s perception of the student as an immigrant or a native-born student could be shown to have adverse effects on the academic self-concept in the group of students with older teachers (50+ years).     

Interculturally trained Finnish teachers' conceptions of diversity and intercultural competence

As schools become increasingly multicultural, teachers need special sensitivity to recognize differences and intercultural competences to be able to support the personal and academic growth of diverse students. This paper introduces newly qualified teachers' conceptions of diversity and intercultural competence in a Finnish context. The teachers in the study graduated from a Masters of Education International Teacher Education Programme, which focuses on intercultural aspects of education and teachers' work. Data for this research were collected and analysed qualitatively by applying a phenomenographical research approach. On the basis of the data interpretation, three different diversity categories were formed: visible and invisible group level differences and individual differences. Conceptions of intercultural competence in educational contexts also formed three qualitatively different categories (1) an ethical orientation including values, interpersonal characteristics and basic orientation towards other people and the world; (2) efficiency orientation including organizational skills and ability to act in various roles and situations; and (3) pedagogical orientation including intercultural pedagogical competences.     

Inclusive schooling: fostering citizenship among immigrant students in Europe

Growing ethnic and cultural diversity within Europe has brought increased attention to the impact and inclusion of immigrant populations and has also presented societies with valuable opportunities for intercultural learning between diverse groups. Using the International Civic and Citizenship Study data from 24 European education systems, in this paper we explore whether fostering an atmosphere of inclusion in schools relates to select attitudes and behaviours typically associated with an inclusive society, particularly among immigrant students. Our study is able to tease out some of the differences related to social class among immigrant students, opening up important avenues for discussion and future research. According to our findings, first generation immigrant students from higher socio-economic status backgrounds tended to have significantly more negative attitudes toward their resident country. Findings also collectively suggest that local-level practices, such as improving immigrant student participation in schools and positive relations between immigrant students and teachers, could be significant factors in fostering an inclusive society. Based on these results, we describe several education policies and practices that can promote greater inclusion, such as encouraging increased civic participation within the school and community, and providing a forum where students can contribute to school governance.     

Teachers’ multicultural attitudes and perceptions of school policy and school climate in relation to burnout

ABSTRACT

There is a growing number of ethnically and culturally diverse students in Dutch junior vocational high schools. This article examines teachers’ multicultural attitudes, their perceptions of cultural diversity related to school policy and school climate, and the chance of general and diversity-related burnout. The present research also characterises teachers in terms of their multicultural attitudes and perceptions of school policy and climate through cluster analysis. Results are based on questionnaire data of 120 teachers, working at five locations of a multicultural junior vocational high school in a highly urbanised part of the Netherlands. Correlational, regression, and variance analyses indicated that the highest levels of general and diversity-related burnout were found among teachers categorised as assimilationist in attitude and who perceived their school as pluralistic. Teachers could be divided into three types of profiles: (1) relative assimilative attitude, (2) no pronounced assimilative attitude, and (3) moderate assimilative attitude. Teachers with the second profile showed the highest chance for burnout.     

Developing elementary school students’ intercultural competence through teacher-led tutoring action plans on intercultural education

The increasing cultural diversity in the current Spanish educational system has had dramatic consequences for school population demography and relationships between students in culturally diverse classrooms. In this context, the development of students’ intercultural competence can contribute to strengthening communication, as well as preventing misunderstandings and coexistence problems. In this study, the effects of a teacher-led intercultural tutoring action programme (TAP) on elementary students’ intercultural competence (IC) were assessed as a function of treatment condition and grade level. Participants were 187 third- to sixth-grade pupils (84% Spaniards and 16% immigrants) who were assigned randomly to treatment conditions (TAP versus comparison). After 20 weeks of programme implementation, the findings revealed that the TAP was successful. Conceptual intercultural competence was better achieved by fifth- to sixth-grade students, while IC skills and attitudes were significantly better developed by third- to fourth-grade students. Implications for teachers and counsellors/schools psychologists are discussed.     

Enriching the Group and Investigation in the Intercultural Classroom

Cooperative learning requires teachers to change their traditional role as transmitters of information and take on the role of guides and facilitators in the cooperative learning process. As they gain confidence in this role teachers adopt more diverse and complex cooperative procedures. When they feel that their students are used to working together to achieve academic goals, they can introduce Group Investigation as an additional cooperative learning method. Investigating in groups calls for students to apply basic cooperative learning skills to the planning of what they want to study and how they want to study. Students cooperate in carrying out their investigation, in planning how to integrate and present their findings, and, together with the teacher, collaborate in evaluating their academic and interpersonal effort.

Group Investigation places much of the responsibility for learning on the students, but the teacher must know how to prepare for the investigation project, how to prepare the students, and how to facilitate the project as it unfolds. Because the content of a Group Investigation project is determined by the diversity of the students’ interests, experiences and prior knowledge, it is the cooperative learning strategy most suited for interdisciplinary studies in an intercultural classroom.     

When community becomes an agent of educational support: communicative research on Learning Communities in Catalonia

Educational support is a key component of any inclusive school. However, many traditional forms of support have been proven ineffective and even exclusionary for the most vulnerable students and their families. This article presents the results of a study conducted over four years by a diverse research team of university professors, PhD students, teachers and head teachers of schools operating as Learning Communities in Catalonia, Spain. The communicative and dialogic approach of these schools offers an alternative understanding of educational support, which is influenced to a great extent by the creation of networks that include participation by diverse agents. The current article provides a theoretical grounding for this approach to support. The article describes the role of different agents from the community and analyses the main effects of this approach and students’ experiences. Finally, a proposal for a dialogic orientation for educational support is discussed.     

Social dynamics of the multicultural classroom

Instruction and learning are socially determined activities, where social forces such as classroom atmosphere, social feelings, cultural sentiments, prejudice and stereotyping, interpersonal relations and expectations, as well as the reflection of social reality in subject matter all have a significant influence on the effectiveness of teaching and learning. The effective "multicultural" teacher has to be concerned about each individual student, and also be sensitive to the group and cultural affiliations of each of his or her students. Intercultural relations in the classroom may be a source of knowledge and mutual enrichment between culturally diverse learners if managed proactively by teachers. Frustration, misapprehensions and intercultural conflict are a more likely outcome if teachers do not deal with diversity in a sensitive manner.     

Becoming a Race-Conscious Social Studies Teacher: The Influence of Personal and Professional Experiences

In this interpretive case study the researchers examined the beliefs of 13 self-identifying race-conscious secondary social studies teachers from diverse racial or ethnic, gender, and school-context backgrounds. The researchers found that the teachers' beliefs and views of practice were generally aligned with the main assertions of critical race theory. The teachers described their personal and professional experiences as a major influence on their race-conscious beliefs and views of practice. Moreover, teachers in diverse contexts described having to learn how to navigate the different racial experiences of the students in their classrooms, while teachers in racially segregated contexts (predominately White, Black, or Latino) emphasized the importance of teaching their students about others. Finally, despite the teachers' regular integration of race-related issues into their required and elective courses, they expressed a desire to have more opportunities to teach about race.     

‘Crossing lines of difference’: how college students analyse diversity

Contemporary American college students confront increased diversity during their college years—in race, class, nationality, religion, ethnicity, language, sexual orientation, age, and disability. Yet, how do students conceptualize this diversity, evaluate the options it provides, and assess its limitations? Furthermore, how do those researching diversity develop approaches that are flexible and open enough to reflect emerging student ways of thinking about diversity? Based on work at a diverse US public university—especially a pilot project on free‐form student essays—this paper examines how students conceptually navigate an environment that both encourages and inhibits interaction across difference. These students indicate scepticism about the marketing of diversity and frustration at the limited interaction across difference on campus, yet also an appreciation of the opportunities that diversity provides.     

The influence of a multicultural teacher education program on teachers’ multicultural practices

This study examined the multicultural classroom practices of two novice secondary English teachers employed by the same US school district that serves a diverse student population. Findings indicated a high level of consistency between the teachers’ intended multicultural practices and their implemented practices. Based on classroom observations, both teachers implemented the general multicultural practices of critical pedagogy, real life application, student choice, multicultural literature, individual student attention, cultural physical adaptation, active learning and cooperative grouping. The factors supporting multicultural infusion were the teachers’ previous experiences with diverse populations, the teachers’ own previous meaningful high school experiences and the teachers’ backgrounds that were similar to their students. The impeding factors were the structure of the school, time constraints, racism and tracking.     

Latinos’ Changing Ethnic Group Representation From Elementary to Middle School: Perceived Belonging and Academic Achievement

This study examined the association between change in ethnic group representation from elementary to middle school and Latino students’ school belonging and achievement. The ethnic diversity of students’ middle school was examined as a moderator. Participants were 1,825 Latino sixth graders from 26 ethnically diverse urban middle schools. Hierarchical regression analyses showed that a change in ethnic representation toward fewer Latinos in middle school than elementary school was related to less perceived belonging and lower achievement in schools with low ethnic diversity. There were no mean differences as a function of declining representation in more diverse middle schools, suggesting that greater school diversity was protective. Findings highlight the importance of examining school ethnic context, especially across the middle school transition.     

Cultural constructivism: the confluence of cognition,knowledge creation,multiculturalism, and teaching

Knowledge is created in the crucible of culture, and is mediated by the nature of nature. In the teaching of diverse students, teachers need to understand the process by which cultural paradigms, juxtaposed to the process of knowledge construction, may potentially create multiple realities for different students. When teaching diverse students, therefore, teachers need the heightened awareness by which they can more effectively decipher student knowledge. This will enhance their ability to direct their teaching towards their intended learning outcomes. In this paper, some activities are shared to illustrate the process by which culture may serve as a context for knowledge construction, and its implications for teaching.     

Teaching economics across cultures: challenges and lessons learned in Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan

Nine years of experience teaching economics in the Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan provides knowledge on the nuances and challenges of teaching economics across cultures. Particular categories and difficulties are presented with some examples of how to address them. Conclusions and findings are used to form general guiding principles for teaching economics in the increasingly diverse US classroom. The principles offered in the paper are valuable to English speakers providing economic teaching and training in post-Soviet nations and, more broadly, to anyone teaching economics across cultures. Finally, suggestions based these principles are offered to encourage all professors of economics to carefully consider language, illustrations, diversity of views regarding economics and the multi-cultural nature of university classrooms to better relate to students and be more effective teachers.     

Crossing borders: reflections on the professional journey of a teacher educator in diaspora

Teacher education programs endeavor to prepare pre‐service teachers to teach in culturally diverse classrooms. These days, the canon of the teacher education field includes more than cursory attention to cultural diversity: the aspiration of sensitizing the awareness of neophytes to the variegated dimensions of diversity which define their prospective students is constantly featured as one of the central themes in the mission statements of many colleges of education. Infusing cultural diversity in teacher education can be informed by the experiences of foreign‐born scholars in the field: the way these scholars have shaped their academic communities and how the scholars themselves have been shaped by those communities. In this self‐exploratory paper, a foreign‐born and bred teacher educator reflects on her pathway to academia in the USA, the cultural principles and intellectual tools that prepared her to cross literal and metaphoric borders, the bumps and triumphs along the way, and the symbiotic impact of her border‐crossing.