New immigrants. An incentive for intercultural education?

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Abstract

This study was inspired by an inclusive intercultural perspective on education, and developed empirical knowledge concerning the intercultural professional development of in-service teachers. The study was conducted during the first year of a newly-designed master’s programme that focused on “education for refugees”. In the Netherlands master’s programmes in education qualify in-service teachers to contribute to school development, together with giving them a specialisation in a specific topic. The findings were based on the teachers’ written work, and interviews with the teacher educators. They show that the intercultural professional identity of the teachers was developed by a combination of pedagogical approaches. These include the following: new knowledge from an inclusive intercultural perspective, critical socio-cultural self-examination, real encounters with newly-arrived refugees, and a reflective, intervention-based approach to professional learning and curriculum renewal. The intervention-based approach turned out to be the most important for the teachers’ agency in intercultural school development. The challenges experienced concern mono-cultural practices in mainstream education for refugees, together with the dominance of an instrumentalist approach to teaching and learning.

Citation

Relevant Evidence Summaries

The evidence was reviewed and included in the following summaries: 

What Professional Development Activities Will Help PK–12 Teachers Create Culturally Responsive Learning Environments?

While evidence is limited, suggestive studies describe multiple potential strategies that may help teachers build culturally responsive learning environments. Teacher professional development programs that offer concrete tasks of teaching, assessment, observation, and reflection may produce higher student test scores. Professional learning communities may help achieve the goals of creating more equitable and culturally responsive classrooms. […]

About this study

AGE: Adults

DIRECTION OF EVIDENCE: Positive impact

FULL TEXT AVAILABILITY: Free

GENDER: All

HOST COUNTRY: United States

HOST COUNTRY INCOME: High

INTERVENTION DURATION: 2 years

INTERVENTION: Teacher professional development

OUTCOME AREA: Education

REGION OF ORIGIN OF PARTICIPANT(S): North America

STRENGTH OF EVIDENCE: Suggestive

TYPE OF STUDY: Suggestive evidence

YEAR PUBLISHED: 2019

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