Parents’ Assumptions and Beliefs about the Impact of Cultural Diversity on Children (original) (raw)
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Family Engagement in Children’s Cultural Education: Teaching Diversity
10.5593/sgemsocial2018/6.2, 2020
"Diversity" is a complex concept that combines both uniqueness and recognition of differences. A child's interactions with family members can inevitably shape its perception and judgment of the self and others. Being children's first and most important teachers, families are developing the younger generation's cultural sensitivity, awareness and appreciation of diverse beliefs and cultures. The research is aimed at examining how interactions and value-and belief-sharing among family members influence young people's receptiveness to heterogeneity. The study focuses on the impact of family as an informal channel of transmission of knowledge on young people' perception of belonging, inclusion and diversity. Family lifestyle, traditions and cultural orientation (monoculturalism vs. multiculturalism) are analysed to determine young people's attitudes towards racial, ethnic, religious, and cultural diversity and the ways of creating more inclusive identities. In-depth semi-structured interviews were conducted with representatives of three (in exceptional cases-two) generations from 10 families in the period from September 2019 until January 2020, covering 34 individual family members (12 young people; 11 people from the middle generation; and 11 people from the older generation). The research took place in the southeastern region of Latvia-Latgale. Families represent geographical differences (urban, rural, semi-urban), various degrees of openness to inter-group communication, and heterogeneous socio-demographic variability. The case study demonstrates that a family as an environment and context for intercultural communication ensures that the forms and dynamics of inter-generational communication function as a factor in young people's cultural knowledge, socialisation, and cultural literacy. Young people perceive the family as an environment, in which understanding of universal human and Christian values and the sense of belonging to the cultural space of Latvia, Europe and the world have been accumulated over the years. The majority of the interviewees believe that the cultures and languages of other nations expand an individual's worldview and are to be respected based on the universal human rights and values such as freedom, equality, and peace. The representatives of mixed families are more open towards inclusiveness; a higher level of receptiveness, especially of racial and religious diversity, is observed among the younger generation. The interview data reveal that a peaceful coexistence of people living in the multinational and multi-religious border-zone of Latvia is highlighted. The research has been carried out in the framework of the project "Cultural Heritage and Identities of Europe's Future (CHIEF) supported by the EU.
Northwest Journal of Teacher Education, 2005
This study examined parental involvement in early childhood programs through a combined lens of anthropology, sociology, and pedagogy seeking to understand the intentional and unintentional behaviors of teachers that may create barriers for parental involvement. The study gave voice to parents from culturally diverse backgrounds that are often overlooked. The study recognized the disparity and disconnectedness that seems to exist in communication between the child's most important caregivers, their parents and their teachers. The findings lead to an understanding that over the popular belief that parents are not involved in the education of their children, the lack of participation in the schools' attempts to bridge a gap, the miscommunication occurs across the two cultures, the schools and the families. We teach our son to be good and listen to the teachers. We want our son to speak Spanish, English and Cajumbal, and we also want our son to maintain the culture that is us. We want him to dress in traditional Guatemalan clothing as well as to appreciate all the nationalities that make up the people of this paradise The voice of a parent (2001)
Mapping cultural diversity through children's voices: From confusion to clear understandings
British Educational Research Journal, 2017
This research examines children's conceptualisations of cultural diversity. In particular, this project examines the following two research questions: how do children define and understand the concept of cultural diversity; and what do they perceive as the implications of cultural diversity on their daily lives? To this end, interviews were carried out with 40 (immigrant and native) students, aged 11 to 12, at five primary schools in Cyprus, which presented high concentrations of immigrants. On the basis of our analysis of the data, the participant children appeared to perceive cultural diversity in terms of two contrasting perspectives. On the one hand, they viewed cultural diversity in terms of the cultural-deficiency perspective. Such perceptions stemmed from the model of monoculturalism implying the need to assimilate the culturally 'different' in order to counteract the negative consequences of cultural diversity. On the other hand, the same children also perceived cultural diversity in terms of cultural celebration. To this end, some children drew upon the model of multiculturalism to define cultural diversity as a culture-enriching and culture-celebrating process, pointing to folkloristic activities including traditional music, dance and food. Nonetheless, few of the participant children-both Cypriot and immigrant-defined cultural diversity in terms of the model of interculturalism, pointing to the intercultural exchange that stems from 'real' friendship development between natives and immigrants, equality of rights and inclusion. As the participant children appeared to confuse the meanings and languages of cultural diversity, this paper concludes with suggestions on teacher practices to 'crystallise' children's views.
Intercultural education for multicultural societies
International Journal of Intercultural Relations, 1985
A BSTRA CT: This articlepresents evidence for the need for intercuhuraleducation in multicultural societies. Pupils who are culturally different from the majority need it to learn to function effectively in their own culture as well as in the majority culture. Since an important objective of education is to prepare individuals to function effectively in their environment, all children in multicultural societies could profit from exposure to effective intercultural education. Our research with American teachers and their Latin American or Hispanic pupils suggests that teachers also need to learn about the patterns of perceptions, values, and behaviors of culturally different pupils. Objections to intercultural education are listed and refuted Advantages and disadvantages of three new approaches to intercultural education are discussed. Special attention is given to the attributional approach, an informational approach which is particularly well suited for use in educational settings. Research bearing on the effectiveness of this approach is presented This article focuses on the need for intercultural education in multicultural societies. In the first section, we begin by presenting evidence for the notion that individuals from a given cultural group develop behavior patterns and subjective cultures (Triandis, 1972) that are functional for their particular environment. We then indicate that when, due to such factors as immigration, colonization, etc., such individuals are forced to function in a different cultural environment, they are likely to experience stress, alienation, and other negative consequences.
Multiculturality and interculturality in the educational system
2020
The structured elaboration of a personal system of values, in line with the culture to which we belong, represents a lasting process, parallel to development, which involves completions and restructurings, adaptations and modifications of the cognitive, attitudinal, affective and axiological system. The conditions of the modern world, oriented towards globalization, no longer allow the isolation of cultures, and the mobility of people creates favorable conditions for the intersection and mutual influence of cultures. For this reason, the development of the capacity to decode cultural meanings and to rationally select multicultural elements that lead to the flexible and creative reorganization of values different from those of the culture of origin, is a desideratum of the education and training of individuals.
Parents and schools as partners in a multicultural, multireligious society
2007
Abstract: In recent years Dutch society has had to deal with an influx of large and highly divergent migrant groups. Dutch education faces the task of accommodating these differences. Parental involvement and participation are increasingly seen as important elements in the interplay of upbringing and informal and formal education. In this respect it appears that immigrant parents' involvement and participation lag behind that of Dutch parents.
School and cultural diversity: from culture blind perspectives to responsive education
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How schools can promote the intercultural competence of young people
European Psychologist, 2018
This paper reviews existing evidence on how the intercultural competence of young people can be promoted by schools. It begins by examining the concept of intercultural competence, and the values, attitudes, skills, knowledge, and understanding that together comprise this competence. The various actions that can be taken by schools to promote the intercultural competence of young people are then reviewed. These actions include: encouraging intercultural friendships; organizing periods of study abroad; arranging for students to have Internet-based intercultural contact; setting up school-community links and partnerships; encouraging and supporting students’ critical reflection on their intercultural experiences and on their own cultural affiliations; using pedagogical approaches such as cooperative learning and project-based learning; using pedagogical activities that enhance the development of some of the specific components of intercultural competence (such as role plays and simulations, the analysis of texts, films, and plays, and ethnographic tasks); using a culturally inclusive curriculum; and adopting a whole school approach to valuing diversity and human rights. It is argued that, while there is evidence for the effectiveness of all these various actions, further evaluation studies using more robust methods are still required. Additional research is also required to identify the circumstances under which each form of action is most effective and the subgroups of young people who benefit the most from each action.
2007
Parents from different cultural backgrounds may often lack information on helping their multicultural children to develop healthy cultural identities. The views and strategies of twenty parents regarding the cultural identities communicated to their children are presented in this interview-based case-study in the greater Tokyo area of Japan. Seventeen respondents are non-Japanese with children to Japanese partners; two are non-Japanese with a non-Japanese partner with a different cultural background; and one is Japanese married to a non-Japanese partner. Six respondents chose to identify their children as Japanese; another six chose a Combined identity; and eight chose a Global identity. Six major factors in the development of a healthy cultural identity emerged: language, visits to parents ' home countries, schooling and/or peer groups, religious and/or cultural activities, names, and physical appearance. Suggestions are made to parents of multicultural children to develop linguistic abilities, to facilitate immersion in target cultures, to develop awareness of relevant cultural activities, and to provide culturally-appropriate names. Parents are encouraged to combine different cultural aspects in different areas of their children's lives, to teach their children about their own cultures, and to remember that each child is unique. In addition, the iceberg metaphor of culture presented by Ting-Toomey and Chung (2005) has been adapted to illustrate multicultural identities. This study has confirmed the need for further qualitative and quantitative studies on the development of cultural identities in multicultural children.