Multicultural Education Professional Development: A Review of the Literature

Abstract

When their teachers are well equipped to foster inclusive and equitable classrooms, students from marginalized communities show higher rates of academic achievement, motivation, self-confidence, and self-efficacy. However, many teachers complete preparation programs feeling underprepared to work in culturally diverse classrooms, making high-quality professional development (PD) in this area crucial. We undertook a meta-ethnographic, systematic literature review of 40 studies of multicultural education–focused PD programs in order to better understand the forms and features of such programs that contribute to teachers’ self-efficacy and success in working with culturally diverse students. We found a small literature base with too much variation across types of programs studied and outcomes analyzed to draw conclusions about the factors that contribute to effectiveness. However, the extant literature does point to important questions and considerations for both providers and researchers of multicultural education PD. One area for future research is how PD providers navigate tensions or challenges arising from resistance to discussions of diversity and equity. Another is locating the balance between providing specific knowledge about students’ cultures and guarding against promoting stereotypes or broad generalizations. Researchers and PD developers should also pay close attention to their underlying theories related to both teacher learning and multicultural education.

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

“…Notably, the findings from both countries further reveal that the effectiveness of PDME on TSMC is not exclusive to specific regional boundaries but also holds in different educational contexts. Given the limited data sources, translatable finding contexts (Urrieta & Noblit, 2018) can further our understanding of the contributions of PDME and TSMC in education (Parkhouse et al, 2019).…”

“…Our study, therefore, proposes a mechanism through which PDME contributes to enhancing school climate via TSMC given that the objectives of PDME include the various components of school climate as well as of TSMC (Parkhouse et al, 2019) and that teacher self-efficacy is constructed while interacting with the school context in which they are situated (Bandura, 1986(Bandura, , 1993. Various literature supported this mechanism of the relationship between PDME, TSMC, and school climate (e.g., Brown-Jeffy & Cooper, 2011;Collie et al, 2012;Thapa et al, 2013).…”

“…Second, as we mentioned above, the survey item of PDME was a dichotomous variable, indicating whether teachers had participated in PDME. Because PDME may vary by its contents, duration, and formats (Parkhouse et al, 2019) and the differences in professional development may lead to a varying effect on teachers' learning (Garet et al, 2001), there might exist a heterogeneous effect of PDME on TSMC and school climate as well. In addition to the suggestion above, we suggest incorporating the different features of PDME into surveys to allow researchers to explore what makes PDME more effective or ineffective.…”

“…In order to better prepare teachers for teaching in diverse classrooms, professional development in multicultural education (PDME) is a useful and viable approach among educational leaders (Irvine, 2003; Molle, 2013). In other words, in light of the increasing awareness of the diversity of students, cultural and ethnic gaps between students and teachers, and goals of instructional practices (Banks et al, 2001; Ladson-Billings, 1995), PDME has been used to help teachers reflect upon their teaching, grasp the cultural diversity of their students, synthesize the connection between teaching and learning, and promote inclusive learning environments among diverse students (Banks et al, 2001; Parkhouse et al, 2019). Although the features of these programs vary, PDME is designed to help to develop teacher self-efficacy in multicultural classrooms (TSMC; Grimberg & Gummer, 2013; Voltz et al, 2003).…”

Educational Trilingualism As A Lingvoeducational Environment Of Universities In Russia

“…As a response to these trends, a special term has appeared in linvgodidactic sciencemulticultural education, which is a process of education and upbringing that involves cultivating a system of diverse and interacting cultural values in students (Brevetti, 2017;du Plessis & Marais, 2017;Parkhouse et al, 2019). The result of multicultural education is the formation of a person capable of appropriate https: //doi.org/10.15405/epsbs.2020.11.03.62 Corresponding Author: Oksana A. Malykh Selection and peer-review under (Tareva & Mametova, 2014).…”