Abstract
One of the main purposes of multicultural education is to approach all individuals at an equal distance in educational environments, provide a sense of belonging by ensuring unity and integrity, and eliminate the gap in academic achievement among diverse groups by ensuring equal opportunities for all. In this regard, the present study intends to contribute to the existing research by providing a rich amount of evidence as to the challenges posed by linguistic and cultural diversity, and the strategies employed by the instructors to effectively overcome those challenges. The data of the study were collected through video-stimulated interviews with four instructors and semi-structured interviews with 20 lecturers. The study revealed that the EFL instructors most frequently experienced challenges in regards to language and communication, and they developed numerous strategies to overcome these challenges. Considering the research process and its results, the current research study provided various pedagogical implications and suggestions for the main stakeholders of education.
TopIntroduction
Based on the standards found in the Council of Europe’s Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (2001), scholars underline the fact that teachers need to be equipped with the necessary skills to create an environment of curiosity and inquiry and guide learners toward building a multicultural mindset due to the ever-changing nature and force of culture (Byram, Gribkova, & Starkey, 2002). Attitudes toward linguistic and cultural diversity need to be considered in the classroom context and teachers have a leading role in the transformation of this context. Concerning the changing landscape of educational institutions, there is ample unanimity among numerous scholars that it has been essential for teaching professionals to acquire the necessary skills and competencies to address the needs of diverse populations effectively (e.g. Ameny-Dixon, 2004; Kucuktas, 2016; Marina, 2004; Miranda, 2002; Pratt-Johnson, 2006; Yang & Montgomery, 2011).
Due to the political and social instability beyond its borders, the population of immigrants and refugees in Turkey has reached a vast number. The United Nations International Migrant Stock report indicates that this number reached around 6 million by 2019, and it has been increasing constantly. According to the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA) report, the rate of refugee population growth in the world has exceeded the general population growth. The report further indicates that the number of migrants and refugees, which was 221 million in 2010, reached 272 million in 2019. On the other hand, while international immigrants comprised only 2.2% of the total share of the population in 1990 in Turkey, it rose to 7% by 2019. The cultural and linguistic mobility within the populations of the countries around the world is bound to sustain henceforward.
Figure 1. The number of international students in tertiary education in Turkey (2013-2019)
Deeming the population structure and the distribution of international populations in Turkey, a radical change has been monitored in the last decade (Republic of Turkey Ministry of Interior Directorate General of Migration Management, 2017). Accordingly, there has been a significant rise in the number of international students both in the earlier levels of National Education and in higher education institutions (the Council of Higher Education, 2019; Ministry of National Education, 2019). The number of students by nationality report submitted by the Council of Higher Education indicates a considerable rise in the population of international students in tertiary education in Turkey. The report illustrates that the diversity in tertiary education has tripled from about 50 thousand to over 150 thousand from 2013 to 2019 (see Chart 1). Due to the vast change in their populations and already-existing nationwide diversity, higher education institutions are bound to be reorganized and adapted to the doctrines of multicultural education.
Key Terms in this Chapter
Culturally Responsive Teaching: It can be defined as the multicultural competence of a teacher to hold the necessary awareness, knowledge, attitudes, and skills so as to teach learners from diverse backgrounds efficiently (Gay, 2010).
Multicultural Education: It is an educational reform that enables all students to benefit from education equally, regardless of differences such as religion, language, race, gender, age, social class, economic level, and so forth (Banks, 2008).
Dimension of Awareness: It is comprised of those values, attitudes, and assumptions of self- and others that are crucial to working with students who are culturally different from a particular professional” (Pope, Annandale, & Morrison-Saunders, 2004).
Dimension of Attitude: It refers to the behavioural or emotional reactions that an individual creates based on his past experiences of other people, concepts, and events (Inceoglu, 2010, p. 13).
Diverse Students: Learners that come from diverse linguistic and cultural backgrounds. Diverse students, and linguistically and culturally diverse students are used interchangeably throughout the thesis.
Cultural Diversity: It refers to a number of differences among groups of people from diverse cultural backgrounds (Arredondo, Toporek, Brown, Jones, Locke, Sanchez & Stadler, 1996).
Culture: It can broadly be defined as an organized set of thoughts, beliefs, and norms for interaction and communication among people, which may influence perceptions, attitudes, and behaviors (Ingraham & Meyers, 2000).
Dimension of Skills: The capabilities of teachers to (a) generate, use, and assess strategies that promote learners’ personal development and academic achievement, (b) implement culture-sensitive classroom management strategies, and (c) contribute to the school’s policy in regards to cultural responsiveness (Spanierman et al., 2011).
Diversity: It indicates to the groups represented in schools who are from various cultural, ethnic, and linguistic backgrounds, from different genders, and with special needs (Banks, 2014).
Dimension of Knowledge: It refers to teachers’ recognition of teaching in linguistically and culturally diverse environments, and teaching approaches in regards to diverse groups (Spanierman, Oh, Heppner, Neville, Mobley, Wright, Dillon, & Navarro, 2011).
Multicultural Teaching Competency: It is a key term that defines a continuous process that teachers go through in order to (a) reflect on their own beliefs and attitudes toward diversity in their classrooms, (b) construct and raise their knowledge of learners from diverse backgrounds, (c) investigate the effect of this awareness and knowledge on the way and the content they teach, and the effects of these on interactions (Spanierman et al., 2011). The terms multicultural teaching competency and multicultural teaching competence are used interchangeably throughout the thesis.