Enhancing Teacher Self-Efficacy in Multicultural Classrooms and School Climate: The Role of Professional Development in Multicultural Education in the United States and South Korea

Abstract

The modern classroom is becoming increasingly diverse, with many countries seeking to develop teacher self-efficacy in multicultural classrooms (TSMC) to effectively teach diverse students by offering professional development in multicultural education (PDME). Using the Teaching and Learning International Survey 2018, we examine whether the teachers’ experience in PDME improves TSMC, as well as whether TSMC mediates the relationship between PDME and teachers’ perceptions of school climate in secondary schools in the United States and South Korea. We find a significant positive relationship between PDME and TSMC and that TSMC plays a mediating role between PDME and school climate. The findings suggest that PDME not only plays a key role in enhancing TSMC but also promotes a positive school climate.

Teacher Professional Development: Experiences in an International Project on Intercultural Education

“…), teachers recognized the value of the social dimension and the need to establish a positive relationship while working with migrants; these factors emerged in many categories, especially in communication with students and professional development categories. These findings are in agreement with Choi & Lee [2], who reported that professional development in multicultural education promoted a positive school climate. A teacher-centered approach was considered fundamental, and aspects such as the teacher-student relationship, becoming more supportive, and developing intercultural communication were identified as core elements.…”

“…European countries such as Italy, Greece, and Turkey are under intense pressure because the number of migrants they receive is increasing. European schools are rapidly becoming multicultural, and teachers need to develop specific skills to manage their classrooms [2]. Developing intercultural education competencies is a complex job that must be based on specific abilities [3].…”

“…One of the key skills for working in multicultural contexts is teacher self-efficacy, which could be developed by offering professional development in multicultural education [2]. In-service or trainee teachers would also benefit from opportunities to work with academic research groups involved in intercultural education research projects [6,11].…”

“…Recently, teachers have been driven to look for opportunities for professional development to face several critical events unfolding in today's world [1]. One such phenomenon is the migratory flows that have consequences in many institutional dimensions, including education [2]. Schools are becoming more multicultural by the day, and teachers are under pressure to find effective strategies to manage their changing classes [3].…”

Öğretmenlerin Çokkültürlü Eğitime Yönelik Tutumları ile Kapsayıcı Eğitimde Sınıf İçi Uygulamaları Arasındaki İlişki

“…Eğitim sisteminde temel paydaşlardan biri olan öğretmenlerin çağın ihtiyaç duyduğu bilgi ve yeterliklere sahip olmaları önem taşımaktadır (Kozikoğlu ve Kayan, 2018;Memduhoğlu ve Kayan, 2017). Bu doğrultuda, gittikçe artan bir çeşitlilik gösteren modern sınıf ortamları için birçok ülke, farklı öğrencilere etkili bir şekilde öğretim yapabilmek için çokkültürlü eğitimde profesyonel gelişim sunarak çokkültürlü sınıflarda öğretmen öz-yeterliğini geliştirmenin yollarını aramaktadır (Choi ve Lee, 2020). Kültürel değerlere duyarlı öğretim, farklı etnik kökenlerden gelen öğrencileri kültürel olarak bütüncül bir yaklaşım ile bireysel becerilerini ve akademik başarılarını geliştirir, aynı zamanda bu öğrenciler topluma ve okula aidiyet geliştirirler, onları teşvik eder, bağımsızlaştırır ve güçlendirir (Gay, 2014).…”