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Summary PDF: What are the effects of multiculturalism in the PK–12 classroom?

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   Child and Family Services
  • Subtopic(s)
   Youth Education
  • Population(s)

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What are the effects of multiculturalism in the PK–12 classroom?

Evidence suggests that multicultural student teams and friend groups are better problem-solvers and produce better academic outcomes inside the classroom.

  • Multicultural student teams may yield more creative solutions to problems they face in the classroom.
  • Students who engage with people who are different from them may be more likely to have higher grades and better in-school social outcomes.

 

Multicultural friendships may increase perceived safety and decrease perceived victimization in schools.

  • Students who attend multicultural schools are more likely to state they feel safe at school and are more likely to perceive fewer threats than students who attend racially homogenous schools.

 

Multicultural classrooms may produce better teacher-student relationships.

  • Students who attend multicultural schools may have more supportive relationships and fewer strained relationships with their teachers. Students who perceive their schools to have higher equality may also comply more with school rules.

Post TitleStrength of EvidenceType of StudyDirection of Evidence
How diversity approaches affect ethnic minority and majority adolescents: Teacher-student relationship trajectories and school outcomesSuggestiveSuggestive evidencePositive impact
Psychosocial benefits of cross-ethnic friendships in urban middle schoolsSuggestiveSuggestive evidencePositive impact
Early adolescents’ peer experiences with ethnic diversity in middle school: Implications for academic outcomesSuggestiveSuggestive evidencePositive impact
Beyond individual creativity: The superadditive benefits of multicultural experience for collective creativity in culturally diverse teamsSuggestiveSuggestive evidencePositive impact

Studies included in the database focused on high-income or upper middle-income countries, including but not limited to the United States. Studies included must have been published since 2012. To identify evidence, we searched the following websites and databases using the following population, methodology, and target outcome terms: 

Websites and Databases  Population Terms  Methodology Terms  Target Outcome Terms 
ProQuest 

 

EBSCO 

 

APA PsycNet  

 

Social Service Abstracts  

 

SocIndex  

 

ERIC 

 

 

 

 refugee 

OR 

immigrant 

OR 

“unaccompanied minor” 

OR 

asylee 

OR 

“temporary protected status” 

OR 

 “victims of traffick*”  

OR 

“traffick* victims” 

OR 

T-Visa 

OR 

U-Visa 

OR 

Cuban 

OR  

Haitian 

OR 

Amerasian 

 

 evaluation  

OR  

impact 

OR 

program  

OR  

intervention  

OR 

policy  

OR  

project 

OR 

train* 

OR 

therapy 

OR 

treatment 

OR 

counseling 

OR  

workshop 

OR 

review  

OR 

meta-analysis 

OR 

synthesis 

 “diversity in school” 

OR 

“diversity in classroom” 

OR  

“multiculturalism in school” 

OR  

“multiculturalism in classroom” 

OR  

“elementary school” 

OR  

“high school” 

OR 

belonging 

OR  

safety
OR  

“student-teacher relationships” 

 

For databases or websites that permitted only basic searches, free-text terms and limited-term combinations were selected out of the lists above, and all resultant studies were reviewed for relevance. Conversely, for databases or websites with advanced search capability, we made use of relevant available filters. All search terms were searched in the title and abstract fields only in order to exclude studies that made only passing mention of the topic under consideration.  

After initial screening, Switchboard evidence mapping is prioritized as follows: First priority is given to meta-analyses and systematic reviews, followed by individual impact evaluations when no meta-analyses or systematic reviews are available. Evaluations that are rated as impact evidence are considered before those rated as suggestive, with the latter only being included for outcomes where no evidence is available from the former.