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Assessment of multiculturalism: Life experience, personal attitudes, personal behavior, and professional behavior of teachers in one school district
Abstract
The primary focus of this study was to measure current levels of multiculturalism among educators in one school district and to examine whether there were differences between the levels of teachers who have completed mandated human relations training and the levels of teachers who have not yet met that requirement. Subjects included all teachers employed by one Nebraska school district (N = 304). The Personal Multicultural Assessment was administered during a faculty meeting at each building location. Data analysis included descriptive statistics, t-tests, correlational analysis (Pearson's r), and analysis of variance (ANOVA). Results indicated that these teachers are functioning at varying levels of multiculturalism. Scores were lowest on the Life Experience subscale, with small increases on the Personal Attitudes, the Personal Behavior, and the Professional Behavior subscales, in that order. The majority of subjects have reached the level where they are personally seeking out contact with and information about people of different ethnic backgrounds and are finding positive images and benefits in learning about other cultures. A smaller percentage have moved into the level of integration and acceptance of different cultures. Statistically significant relationships were found between scores on the Life Experience subscale and size of hometown, and between the size of the school and the scores on the Professional Behavior subscale. The number of countries and continents visited by subjects were positively related to the scores on three subscales: Life Experience, Personal Behavior, and Professional Behavior. The more time spent in international travel, the higher the score on the Life Experience subscale. Seventy-six percent have completed the mandated training (LB 250, 1989). There were no significant differences between the multicultural levels assessed of those teachers who had completed the training and those who had not yet completed the training. A comparison of this district's results and the competencies mandated showed that only 17 percent of these teachers have reached the level of multiculturalism necessary to exhibit the knowledge and skills required. This finding has implications for teacher training, and for evaluation of the current methods used in that training.
Subject Area
Bilingual education|Multicultural education|Teacher education
Recommended Citation
Moore, Tami James, "Assessment of multiculturalism: Life experience, personal attitudes, personal behavior, and professional behavior of teachers in one school district" (1995). ETD collection for University of Nebraska-Lincoln. AAI9604426.
https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/dissertations/AAI9604426