Intercultural Learning: Teachers' Perspectives on the Influence of Intercultural Education on Students' Competence
Keywords:
intercultural learning, intercultural education, intercultural competence
Abstract
Intercultural education is an important dimension for both teachers and students in their personal and professional development. This research explored the primary school teachers’ views on how intercultural education shapes students' intercultural competence. A 12-item scale from Bedeković’s (2011) Survey Questionnaire (SQ) was administered to 217 primary school teachers in the Republic of North Macedonia. Statistical analyses using T-tests and ANOVA revealed significant differences in teachers' perceptions based on school structure, gender, teaching experience, prior intercultural education and education level. Based on these findings, intercultural education should be further integrated into curricula to enhance students' intercultural competence and better equip teachers for diverse classrooms.
References
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Adili, B., Zenki-Dalipi, A., & Ameti, M. (2024). Examining the Impact of Intercultural Education on the Levels of Intercultural Sensitivity of Primary School Teachers: Evidences From North Macedonia. Pedagogika, 155(3), 50-67. https://doi.org/10.15823/p.2024.155.3
Adili, B., Zenki-Dalipi, A., & Ameti, M. (2024). Exploring Intercultural Communication Competence Among Primary School Teachers in North Macedonia: A Survey Analysis. Journal of Positive Psychology and Wellbeing, 8(2), 151-162. https://journalppw.com/index.php/jppw/article/view/18400
Agirdag, O., Merry, M. S., & Van Houtte, M. (2016). Teachers’ understanding of multicultural education and the correlates of multicultural content integration in Flanders. Education and Urban Society, 48(6), 556-582. https://doi.org/10.1177/0013124514536610
Álvarez Valdivia, I. M., & González Montoto, I. (2018). Teachers’ intercultural competence: A requirement or an option in a culturally diverse classroom?. International Journal of Inclusive Education, 22(5), 510-526. https://doi.org/10.1080/13603116.2017.1377298
Arasaratnam, L. A. (2016). Intercultural competence. In Oxford research encyclopedia of communication. https://doi.org/10.1093/acrefore/9780190228613.013.68
Arneback, E., & Jämte, J. (2022). How to counteract racism in education–A typology of teachers’ anti-racist actions. Race ethnicity and education, 25(2), 192-211. https://doi.org/10.1080/13613324.2021.1890566
Banks, J. A. (2015). Cultural diversity and education: Foundations, curriculum, and teaching. Routledge.
Barili, A., & Byram, M. (2021). Teaching intercultural citizenship through intercultural service learning in world language education. Foreign language annals, 54(3), 776-799. https://doi.org/10.1111/flan.12526
Barrett, M. (2018). How schools can promote the intercultural competence of young people. European Psychologist. https://doi.org/10.1027/1016-9040/a000308
Barrett, M. (2018). How schools can promote the intercultural competence of young people. European Psychologist. https://doi.org/10.1027/1016-9040/a000308
Becirovic, S., & Brdarevic-Celjo, A. (2018). Exploring and Assessing Cross-Cultural Sensitivity in Bosnian Tertiary Education: Is There a Real Promise of Harmonious Coexistence?. European Journal of Contemporary Education, 7(2), 244-256. DOI: 10.13187/ejced.2018.2.244
Bedeković, V. (2011). Interkulturalne kompetencije nastavnika [Intercultural competence of teachers] (Doctoral dissertation). University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia.
Bennett, M. J., & Hammer, M. (2017). Developmental model of intercultural sensitivity. The international encyclopedia of intercultural communication, 1(10).
Byram, M., & Wagner, M. (2018). Making a difference: Language teaching for intercultural and international dialogue. Foreign Language Annals, 51(1), 140-151. https://doi.org/10.1111/flan.12319
Cantle, T. (2016). The case for interculturalism, plural identities and cohesion. Multiculturalism and interculturalism: Debating the dividing lines, 133-157. https://doi.org/10.1515/9781474407106-008
Casinader, N. (2016). A lost conduit for intercultural education: school geography and the potential for transformation in the Australian Curriculum. Intercultural Education, 27(3), 257-273. https://doi.org/10.1080/14675986.2016.1150650
Cherng, H. Y. S., & Davis, L. A. (2019). Multicultural matters: An investigation of key assumptions of multicultural education reform in teacher education. Journal of Teacher Education, 70(3), 219-236. https://doi.org/10.1177/0022487117742884
Collier, M. J. (2015). Intercultural communication competence: Continuing challenges and critical directions. International Journal of Intercultural Relations, 48, 9-11. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijintrel.2015.03.003
Council of Europe (2016). Three fundamental and complementary tools for the implementation of plurilingual education. https://rm.coe.int/CoERMPublicCommonSearchServices/DisplayDCTMContent?documentId=09000016806ae621
Cummins, J. (2017). Teaching minoritized students: Are additive approaches legitimate?. Harvard Educational Review, 87(3), 404-425. https://doi.org/10.17763/1943-5045-87.3.404
Deardorff, D. K. (2006). Identification and assessment of intercultural competence as a student outcome of internationalization. Journal of studies in international education, 10(3), 241-266. https://doi.org/10.1177/1028315306287002
Deardorff, D. K. (2015). How to assess intercultural competence. Research methods in intercultural communication: A practical guide, 120-134. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781119166283.ch8
Gay, G. (2018). Culturally responsive teaching: Theory, research, and practice. Teachers College Press.
Glock, S., Kovacs, C., & Pit‐ten Cate, I. (2019). Teachers’ attitudes towards ethnic minority students: Effects of schools’ cultural diversity. British Journal of Educational Psychology, 89(4), 616-634. https://doi.org/10.1111/bjep.12248
Golub, A. Š. (2014). Effects of German Language Teacher Professional Development on Pupils' Learning Outcomes in Intercultural Competence. Center for Educational Policy Studies Journal, 4(4), 75-98. https://doi.org/10.26529/cepsj.186
Goodwin, A. L. (2020). Learning to teach diverse learners: Teachers and teacher preparation in the United States. In Oxford research encyclopedia of education. https://doi.org/10.1093/acrefore/9780190264093.013.913
Gorski, P. C. (2009). What we're teaching teachers: An analysis of multicultural teacher education coursework syllabi. Teaching and teacher education, 25(2), 309-318. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2008.07.008
Hammarén, N., & Lunneblad, J. (2022). A home culture pedagogy? Problematising and developing the concept of intercultural education. Nordisk tidsskrift for pedagogikk og kritikk, 8.
Holm, G., & Zilliacus, H. (2009). Multicultural education and intercultural education: Is there a difference. In M. Talib, J. Loima, H. Paavola & S Patrikainen (Eds.) (2009), Dialogues on Diversity and Global Education, pp. 11-28. Berlin: Peter Lang.
Jurgilė, V. (2019). Understanding Otherness: Student’s Learning Experiences in Intercultural Groups. Literacy information and computer education journal. London: Infonomics Society, 2019, Vol. 10, iss. 2. https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12259/103026
Klyukanov, I. E. (2020). Principles of intercultural communication. Routledge.
Lehman, C. L. (2017). Multicultural competence: A literature review supporting focused training for preservice teachers teaching diverse students. Journal of Education and Practice, 8(10), 109-116. https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ1139702
Leung, K., Ang, S., & Tan, M. L. (2014). Intercultural competence. Annu. Rev. Organ. Psychol. Organ. Behav., 1(1), 489-519. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-orgpsych-031413-091229
Murrell Jr, P. C. (2017). Race, culture, and schooling: Identities of achievement in multicultural urban schools. Routledge.
Navarro, S., Zervas, P., Gesa, R., & Sampson, D. (2016). Developing teachers' competences for designing inclusive learning experiences. Educational Technology and Society, 19(1), 17-27. http://www.jstor.org/stable/jeductechsoci.19.1.17
Ohi, S., O’Mara, J., Arber, R., Hartung, C., Shaw, G., & Halse, C. (2019). Interrogating the promise of a whole-school approach to intercultural education: An Australian investigation. European educational research journal, 18(2), 234-247. https://doi.org/10.1177/1474904118796908
Popova-Koskarova, R. (2015). Developing Interethnic and Intercultural Competencies. Academicus International Scientific Journal, 6(12), 260-269. https://www.ceeol.com/search/article-detail?id=289516
Portera, A. (2019). Intercultural competence in education to foster European identity. Revista de Științe ale Educației, 40(2), 14-27. https://iris.univr.it/handle/11562/1010663
Roiha, A., & Sommier, M. (2021). Exploring teachers’ perceptions and practices of intercultural education in an international school. Intercultural Education, 32(4), 446-463. https://doi.org/10.1080/14675986.2021.1893986
Romijn, B. R., Slot, P. L., & Leseman, P. P. (2021). Increasing teachers’ intercultural competences in teacher preparation programs and through professional development: A review. Teaching and teacher education, 98, 103236. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2020.103236
Salazar, M. G., & Agüero, M. F. (2016). Intercultural competence in teaching: Defining the intercultural profile of student teachers. Bellaterra Journal of Teaching & Learning Language & Literature, 9(4), 41-58. https://doi.org/10.5565/rev/jtl3.670
Ting-Toomey, S., & Dorjee, T. (2015). Intercultural and intergroup communication competence: Toward an integrative perspective. Communication competence, 20, 503-538. https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110317459-021
United Nations. (2015). Transforming our world: The 2030 agenda for sustainable development. https://sdgs.un.org/2030agenda
van Middelkoop, D., Ballafkih, H., & Meerman, M. (2017). Understanding diversity: A Dutch case study on teachers’ attitudes towards their diverse student population. Empirical Research in Vocational Education and Training, 9, 1-19. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40461-016-0045-9
Xhambazi, G. (2021). Problem-Based Learning as a Model in a Creative Learning. Journal of Educational Research, 3(5-6), 24-29. https://www.ceeol.com/search/article-detail?id=985136
Yemini, M., Tibbitts, F., & Goren, H. (2019). Trends and caveats: Review of literature on global citizenship education in teacher training. Teaching and Teacher Education, 77, 77-89. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2018.09.014
Zeller, R. A. (2005). Measurement error, issues and solutions. Encyclopedia of social measurement, 665-676. https://doi.org/10.1016/B0-12-369398-5/00109-2
Zenki-Dalipi, A., Xhambazi, G., & CEKA, A. (2024). Socio-Emotional Learners–The Importance of Teacher Competence Development. EDUCATION Journal of Educational Research, 6(11-12), 188-197. https://eprints.unite.edu.mk/1810/
Adili, B., Zenki-Dalipi, A., & Ameti, M. (2024). Examining the Impact of Intercultural Education on the Levels of Intercultural Sensitivity of Primary School Teachers: Evidences From North Macedonia. Pedagogika, 155(3), 50-67. https://doi.org/10.15823/p.2024.155.3
Adili, B., Zenki-Dalipi, A., & Ameti, M. (2024). Exploring Intercultural Communication Competence Among Primary School Teachers in North Macedonia: A Survey Analysis. Journal of Positive Psychology and Wellbeing, 8(2), 151-162. https://journalppw.com/index.php/jppw/article/view/18400
Agirdag, O., Merry, M. S., & Van Houtte, M. (2016). Teachers’ understanding of multicultural education and the correlates of multicultural content integration in Flanders. Education and Urban Society, 48(6), 556-582. https://doi.org/10.1177/0013124514536610
Álvarez Valdivia, I. M., & González Montoto, I. (2018). Teachers’ intercultural competence: A requirement or an option in a culturally diverse classroom?. International Journal of Inclusive Education, 22(5), 510-526. https://doi.org/10.1080/13603116.2017.1377298
Arasaratnam, L. A. (2016). Intercultural competence. In Oxford research encyclopedia of communication. https://doi.org/10.1093/acrefore/9780190228613.013.68
Arneback, E., & Jämte, J. (2022). How to counteract racism in education–A typology of teachers’ anti-racist actions. Race ethnicity and education, 25(2), 192-211. https://doi.org/10.1080/13613324.2021.1890566
Banks, J. A. (2015). Cultural diversity and education: Foundations, curriculum, and teaching. Routledge.
Barili, A., & Byram, M. (2021). Teaching intercultural citizenship through intercultural service learning in world language education. Foreign language annals, 54(3), 776-799. https://doi.org/10.1111/flan.12526
Barrett, M. (2018). How schools can promote the intercultural competence of young people. European Psychologist. https://doi.org/10.1027/1016-9040/a000308
Barrett, M. (2018). How schools can promote the intercultural competence of young people. European Psychologist. https://doi.org/10.1027/1016-9040/a000308
Becirovic, S., & Brdarevic-Celjo, A. (2018). Exploring and Assessing Cross-Cultural Sensitivity in Bosnian Tertiary Education: Is There a Real Promise of Harmonious Coexistence?. European Journal of Contemporary Education, 7(2), 244-256. DOI: 10.13187/ejced.2018.2.244
Bedeković, V. (2011). Interkulturalne kompetencije nastavnika [Intercultural competence of teachers] (Doctoral dissertation). University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia.
Bennett, M. J., & Hammer, M. (2017). Developmental model of intercultural sensitivity. The international encyclopedia of intercultural communication, 1(10).
Byram, M., & Wagner, M. (2018). Making a difference: Language teaching for intercultural and international dialogue. Foreign Language Annals, 51(1), 140-151. https://doi.org/10.1111/flan.12319
Cantle, T. (2016). The case for interculturalism, plural identities and cohesion. Multiculturalism and interculturalism: Debating the dividing lines, 133-157. https://doi.org/10.1515/9781474407106-008
Casinader, N. (2016). A lost conduit for intercultural education: school geography and the potential for transformation in the Australian Curriculum. Intercultural Education, 27(3), 257-273. https://doi.org/10.1080/14675986.2016.1150650
Cherng, H. Y. S., & Davis, L. A. (2019). Multicultural matters: An investigation of key assumptions of multicultural education reform in teacher education. Journal of Teacher Education, 70(3), 219-236. https://doi.org/10.1177/0022487117742884
Collier, M. J. (2015). Intercultural communication competence: Continuing challenges and critical directions. International Journal of Intercultural Relations, 48, 9-11. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijintrel.2015.03.003
Council of Europe (2016). Three fundamental and complementary tools for the implementation of plurilingual education. https://rm.coe.int/CoERMPublicCommonSearchServices/DisplayDCTMContent?documentId=09000016806ae621
Cummins, J. (2017). Teaching minoritized students: Are additive approaches legitimate?. Harvard Educational Review, 87(3), 404-425. https://doi.org/10.17763/1943-5045-87.3.404
Deardorff, D. K. (2006). Identification and assessment of intercultural competence as a student outcome of internationalization. Journal of studies in international education, 10(3), 241-266. https://doi.org/10.1177/1028315306287002
Deardorff, D. K. (2015). How to assess intercultural competence. Research methods in intercultural communication: A practical guide, 120-134. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781119166283.ch8
Gay, G. (2018). Culturally responsive teaching: Theory, research, and practice. Teachers College Press.
Glock, S., Kovacs, C., & Pit‐ten Cate, I. (2019). Teachers’ attitudes towards ethnic minority students: Effects of schools’ cultural diversity. British Journal of Educational Psychology, 89(4), 616-634. https://doi.org/10.1111/bjep.12248
Golub, A. Š. (2014). Effects of German Language Teacher Professional Development on Pupils' Learning Outcomes in Intercultural Competence. Center for Educational Policy Studies Journal, 4(4), 75-98. https://doi.org/10.26529/cepsj.186
Goodwin, A. L. (2020). Learning to teach diverse learners: Teachers and teacher preparation in the United States. In Oxford research encyclopedia of education. https://doi.org/10.1093/acrefore/9780190264093.013.913
Gorski, P. C. (2009). What we're teaching teachers: An analysis of multicultural teacher education coursework syllabi. Teaching and teacher education, 25(2), 309-318. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2008.07.008
Hammarén, N., & Lunneblad, J. (2022). A home culture pedagogy? Problematising and developing the concept of intercultural education. Nordisk tidsskrift for pedagogikk og kritikk, 8.
Holm, G., & Zilliacus, H. (2009). Multicultural education and intercultural education: Is there a difference. In M. Talib, J. Loima, H. Paavola & S Patrikainen (Eds.) (2009), Dialogues on Diversity and Global Education, pp. 11-28. Berlin: Peter Lang.
Jurgilė, V. (2019). Understanding Otherness: Student’s Learning Experiences in Intercultural Groups. Literacy information and computer education journal. London: Infonomics Society, 2019, Vol. 10, iss. 2. https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12259/103026
Klyukanov, I. E. (2020). Principles of intercultural communication. Routledge.
Lehman, C. L. (2017). Multicultural competence: A literature review supporting focused training for preservice teachers teaching diverse students. Journal of Education and Practice, 8(10), 109-116. https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ1139702
Leung, K., Ang, S., & Tan, M. L. (2014). Intercultural competence. Annu. Rev. Organ. Psychol. Organ. Behav., 1(1), 489-519. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-orgpsych-031413-091229
Murrell Jr, P. C. (2017). Race, culture, and schooling: Identities of achievement in multicultural urban schools. Routledge.
Navarro, S., Zervas, P., Gesa, R., & Sampson, D. (2016). Developing teachers' competences for designing inclusive learning experiences. Educational Technology and Society, 19(1), 17-27. http://www.jstor.org/stable/jeductechsoci.19.1.17
Ohi, S., O’Mara, J., Arber, R., Hartung, C., Shaw, G., & Halse, C. (2019). Interrogating the promise of a whole-school approach to intercultural education: An Australian investigation. European educational research journal, 18(2), 234-247. https://doi.org/10.1177/1474904118796908
Popova-Koskarova, R. (2015). Developing Interethnic and Intercultural Competencies. Academicus International Scientific Journal, 6(12), 260-269. https://www.ceeol.com/search/article-detail?id=289516
Portera, A. (2019). Intercultural competence in education to foster European identity. Revista de Științe ale Educației, 40(2), 14-27. https://iris.univr.it/handle/11562/1010663
Roiha, A., & Sommier, M. (2021). Exploring teachers’ perceptions and practices of intercultural education in an international school. Intercultural Education, 32(4), 446-463. https://doi.org/10.1080/14675986.2021.1893986
Romijn, B. R., Slot, P. L., & Leseman, P. P. (2021). Increasing teachers’ intercultural competences in teacher preparation programs and through professional development: A review. Teaching and teacher education, 98, 103236. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2020.103236
Salazar, M. G., & Agüero, M. F. (2016). Intercultural competence in teaching: Defining the intercultural profile of student teachers. Bellaterra Journal of Teaching & Learning Language & Literature, 9(4), 41-58. https://doi.org/10.5565/rev/jtl3.670
Ting-Toomey, S., & Dorjee, T. (2015). Intercultural and intergroup communication competence: Toward an integrative perspective. Communication competence, 20, 503-538. https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110317459-021
United Nations. (2015). Transforming our world: The 2030 agenda for sustainable development. https://sdgs.un.org/2030agenda
van Middelkoop, D., Ballafkih, H., & Meerman, M. (2017). Understanding diversity: A Dutch case study on teachers’ attitudes towards their diverse student population. Empirical Research in Vocational Education and Training, 9, 1-19. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40461-016-0045-9
Xhambazi, G. (2021). Problem-Based Learning as a Model in a Creative Learning. Journal of Educational Research, 3(5-6), 24-29. https://www.ceeol.com/search/article-detail?id=985136
Yemini, M., Tibbitts, F., & Goren, H. (2019). Trends and caveats: Review of literature on global citizenship education in teacher training. Teaching and Teacher Education, 77, 77-89. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2018.09.014
Zeller, R. A. (2005). Measurement error, issues and solutions. Encyclopedia of social measurement, 665-676. https://doi.org/10.1016/B0-12-369398-5/00109-2
Zenki-Dalipi, A., Xhambazi, G., & CEKA, A. (2024). Socio-Emotional Learners–The Importance of Teacher Competence Development. EDUCATION Journal of Educational Research, 6(11-12), 188-197. https://eprints.unite.edu.mk/1810/
Published
2024-12-21
How to Cite
Adili, B., Ameti, M., Zenki-Dalipi, A., & Agai, A. (2024). Intercultural Learning: Teachers’ Perspectives on the Influence of Intercultural Education on Students’ Competence. Dinamika Ilmu, 24(2), 275-289. https://doi.org/10.21093/di.v24i2.9284
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