Intercultural Education in Australian Primary Schools: A Research Proposal
This research proposal examines how intercultural approaches to teaching and learning can contribute to new models of education for 21st-century primary schools in Australia. Drawing on UNESCO guidelines, the ABC's of Cultural Understanding and Communication model developed by Schmidt (1998), and the cooperative intercultural framework proposed by Finkbeiner and Koplin (2002), the paper outlines a qualitative, longitudinal research design intended to identify effective instructional techniques for culturally diverse classrooms. The proposal reviews key literature on multicultural and intercultural education, defines core terminology, and articulates a five-step research methodology. It concludes by emphasizing the urgent need for schools—particularly those facing sudden demographic shifts due to consolidation—to develop evidence-based intercultural competencies.
- Introduction and Rationale: Study goals and scope for Australian primary schools
- Key Terms and Aims: Definitions of multicultural, intercultural, and study aims
- Background: UNESCO and Intercultural Education: UNESCO guidelines and two traditional education approaches
- Research Methodology and the ABC's Model: Qualitative design and five-step ABC's research method
- Literature Review: Frameworks for Intercultural Learning: Finkbeiner, Koplin, and Verstraete on intercultural frameworks
- Analysis and Discussion: Diversity policy requirements and longitudinal study design
- Conclusion and Proposed Timeline: Urgency of intercultural research and proposed study timeline
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What makes this paper effective
- The proposal clearly situates its research within an established theoretical tradition, drawing on UNESCO policy documents, Finkbeiner and Koplin's cooperative model, and Lather's critique of positivist social science to justify a qualitative approach.
- Definitions are provided upfront and systematically, grounding subsequent arguments in agreed terminology before moving to methodology.
- The paper grounds its urgency in a concrete real-world example — school consolidations in Alabama — which effectively bridges abstract policy discussion and practical classroom need.
Key academic technique demonstrated
The paper demonstrates effective use of multi-source literature synthesis to build a methodological rationale. Rather than simply listing sources, it layers them — using Lather to challenge positivist assumptions, Wagner to reframe the purpose of educational research, and Schmidt's ABC's model to translate that epistemological stance into a concrete five-step research procedure. This technique shows how theoretical and methodological choices are interconnected.
Structure breakdown
The proposal follows a conventional research proposal structure: rationale → definitions → aims → background → significance → methodology → research methods → literature review → analysis → discussion → timeline → conclusion. Each section builds on the last, moving from conceptual framing through methodological design to practical application. The literature review is positioned after the methodology section, which is an intentional choice that allows the method to drive the selection of relevant scholarship rather than the reverse.
Introduction and Rationale
This work seeks to examine how intercultural approaches to teaching and learning might contribute to new models of education for the 21st century in primary schools in Australia. Additionally, this study intends to examine the role of education in improving relations between people across diversity and in advancing equality, justice, and freedom. Consideration is also given to how intercultural education might be practically applied, and possible links between intercultural education and other school-based approaches are explored.
Key Terms and Aims
Two foundational concepts inform this study and are defined as follows:
Multicultural — A term used to describe the culturally diverse nature of human society. It refers not only to elements of ethnic or national culture but also includes linguistic, religious, and socio-economic diversity.
Intercultural — A dynamic concept that refers to evolving relations between cultural groups. It has been defined as "the existence and equitable interaction of diverse cultures and the possibility of shared cultural expressions through dialogue and mutual respect."
The primary aim of this study is to identify specific instructional techniques that are effective for the intercultural classroom. Intercultural instruction speaks to the relations of cultural groups and how those relations evolve over time. In this study, the focus is specifically on diverse cultures and their interaction within the classroom and instructional environment — particularly with regard to cultural expressions shared in an atmosphere of mutual respect and through dialogue.
Background: UNESCO and Intercultural Education
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) published its Guidelines on Intercultural Education in 2006 with the stated purpose of contributing to broader understanding of intercultural education issues. According to UNESCO, "cultural vitality is closely linked to the social and economic status of minority communities. This is because the cultural features of different communities, such as practices, beliefs, or lifestyles, are 'valued' and hierarchized. And while some prevail, others are marginalized." (UNESCO, 2006)
UNESCO further relates that education systems must be "responsive to the specific educational needs of all minorities, including migrants and indigenous peoples." Among the issues to be considered is how to foster the cultural, social, and economic vitality of such communities through effective educational programs that are based on the cultural perspectives and orientations of learners, while at the same time providing for the acquisition of knowledge and skills that enable full participation in the larger society (UNESCO, 2006).
UNESCO additionally states that education systems "need to take into account the multicultural character of society, and aim at actively contributing to peaceful coexistence and positive interaction between different cultural groups." (2006) Two traditional approaches are identified:
(1) multicultural education; and
(2) intercultural education.
Intercultural education is stated to have the aim of going "beyond passive coexistence, to achieve a developing and sustainable way of living together in multicultural societies through the creation of understanding of, respect for and dialogue between the different cultural groups." (UNESCO, 2006)
The significance of this study lies in the knowledge it will add to the existing body of research in this area, as well as the practical information it will generate for application in educational settings.
Bibliography
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Lather, Patti (1992). Critical frames in educational research: Feminist and post-structural perspectives. Theory Into Practice, 31(2).
McTaggart, Robin (1991). Appraising reports of enquiry. In Getting Started in Arts Education Research. Geelong: Arts Ed Press.
Eisner, Elliot (1992). Curriculum Inquiry, 22(1), 9–15. Published by Wiley-Blackwell on behalf of the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education.
Smith, Robert (1993). Potentials for empowerment in critical education research. Australian Educational Researcher, 20(2).
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Verstraete, Eva (2007). Flemish teaching resources under the magnifying glass: In search of intercultural content. Centre for Diversity & Learning.
UNESCO (2006). Guidelines on Intercultural Education. United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization.
Finkbeiner, C., & Koplin, C. (2002, October). A cooperative approach for facilitating intercultural education. Reading Online, 6(3).
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