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.
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.
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.
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.
The methodology of this study is qualitative and interpretive in nature. It will be conducted through an extensive review of literature in the area of intercultural studies, specifically as related to education and classroom instruction methods.
Lather (1992) states that modern science began "as an anti-authoritarian democratic impulse," but that the emancipatory potential of science "was rather quickly reduced to its method." In the social sciences, "a method is supposedly a transhistorical, culture-free, disinterested, replicable, testable, empirical substantiation of theory." Yet science is "in crisis in both the natural and the human sciences." (Lather, 1992) Lather argues that the time has come for "the confrontation of the lust for absolutes, for certainty in our ways of knowing," making the present an "exciting" time in which to conduct social inquiry. She further notes that research is currently moving "out of the cultural values spawned by the Age of Reason, the scientific revolution of the 16th and 17th centuries and the Enlightenment and its material base, the industrial Revolution." She also observes that educational research has, "since its inception, been defined largely as a species of educational psychology," which in turn has been "influenced largely by behaviorism." (Lather, 1992)
Wagner (1993) argues that the best starting place for discovering truth and assessing educational research is that of "ignorance," in contrast to the popular belief that research is simply the "pursuit of truth." Wagner holds that when a research project is judged "solely on the apparent truthfulness of its parts," its general purpose is neglected. That general purpose, according to Wagner, is the generation of "new knowledge about education and schooling. To understand when research is likely to achieve this purpose, educational researchers must begin with ignorance, not truth." (Wagner, 1993) The research conducted in this proposed study is cooperative in nature; the methods and techniques described below clarify this further.
The method of research utilized in this study is the ABC's of Cultural Understanding and Communication model, developed by Schmidt (1998). This model is grounded in the belief that intercultural learning requires individuals to become aware of the concepts they hold about themselves and about others with different cultural backgrounds. The five steps of the process are as follows:
1. Autobiography — Each participant writes an autobiography inclusive of key events in their life, including those involving education, family, religious tradition, and recreation. This assists students in building awareness of the personal beliefs and attitudes that form the traditions and values of their own culture.
2. Biography — Following several audio-taped, in-depth interviews (which may be either unstructured or semi-structured), students construct a biography of key events in the life of the person interviewed. This contributes to the discovery of knowledge relating to the cultural sensitivity needs of students.
3. Cross-cultural analysis and appreciation of differences — Students study the autobiographies and biographies produced in the first two steps and compile a list of similarities and differences.
4. Cultural self-analysis of differences — Participants examine the chart developed in step three and use it to write an analysis of cultural differences.
"Finkbeiner, Koplin, and Verstraete on intercultural frameworks"
"Diversity policy requirements and longitudinal study design"
Eisner, Elliot (1992). Curriculum Inquiry, 22(1), 9–15. Published by Wiley-Blackwell on behalf of the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education.
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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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