Multicultural classroom interactions

Influence of multiculturalism on the behaviour of students during classroom interactions

Students from different cultural backgrounds react and behave in different ways as for the level of interaction during classroom work. This means that our cultural and social identity can affect our manner and degree of participation. In case of a multicultural class, students from different cultures bring different cultural knowledge and attitude which may not always be compatible with each other.

Interactions play an important role in second language acquisition. It improves critical thinking and helps students react suitably in real life situations. However, when different cultures meet students may feel anxious about participation. They might fear that what they say or the way they contribute to the discussions during classes may offend others coming from distinct cultures. It is often hard to avoid misunderstandings. As they were brought up in various cultures following different behavioural patterns they will be more likely to approach the same tasks in different manners. They will have different attitudes towards group work, problem solving and expressing their views and opinions.

As Legutke and Thomas (1991) recorded, problems with communication were common in multicultural classes. There were breakdowns in participation between Swiss and Brazilian students who had different views on learning conduction and strategies. One teacher reported that an Arab male did not want to collaborate when a Portuguese woman got the leading role because of his conception about the roles of women and learning. As cited in Chaudron (1988), in 1982 Sato found that non-Asian students took more self-selected turns than their Asian classmates. Asian students were more patterned to the traditional form of turn-taking instead of simply speaking out. This is all due to the distinct types of their education that they earlier received. These are extreme examples showing how cultural differences can affect our learning and work. All these factors hider the development of classroom dynamics and the number of interactions. As students’ anxiety grows because they feel uncomfortable in the unfamiliar environment, they are more likely to choose to stay silent instead of interacting. This tension is created by multiculturalism. The biggest differences may occur when students from Western (print) cultures and from Non-Western (oral) cultures (Reyhner, Martin, Lockard, 2000) are told to cooperate. The authors wrote about a case study where teachers were comparing Navajo students and their learning styles with that of American students. As they come from different types of education that concentrate on different subjects matters and approach the same tasks and problems in different ways, they may face some difficulties in communication. Western cultures tend to focus on the details; we are highly competitive and prefer individual work. People from oral cultures prefer to look at everything as a whole, like a picture. They are better in group work and share information more easily. Also, they are more likely to interact without any difficulties than their group mates. What teachers can do is to try and make mixed groups of students so they may get to know each other better. Understanding their peers from other cultures can help students resolve and feel their selves more comfortable. They need to learn to appreciate diversity.

In case of young children there is an opportunity to teach them to be more open and cooperative when they grow up. Children are more flexible and open towards other people and new things; they often show interest in meeting and understanding other cultures. They do not care about any differences concerning skin colour and in some cases they do not even realize if there are cultural differences. Multicultural classroom dynamics often work better with children. They can be educated more easily in a multicultural environment. The Child Care Education Institute wrote an article in its December Newsletter (2008) about Creating a Multicultural Classroom Environment. Amongst their main goals they are assisting children in recognizing differences and similarities between people. This might help them to understand that people from different cultures can share common traits. This can increase students’ acceptance and eliminate racism and prejudice. They are also aiming to encourage cooperative social skills. As children learn more about different cultures they will be able to work together more effectively. They will see other’s viewpoint as individuality rather than a possibility for offensiveness and hostility.

  The best thing in multicultural classes is probably that both teachers and students can acquire new learning strategies from each other. Unfortunately, as soon as students are out of their comfort zone their level of interaction decreases. The teachers’ role in case of multicultural classes is to eliminate prejudices and make students know each other’s culture better. If they understand each other’s background they are more likely to accept other opinions. It is important for them to see cultural differences as new opportunities to learn and to explore rather than an inconvenience.

References:

Chaudron, C. (1988). Second Language Classrooms. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge UP.

ChildCare Education Institute. (2008). Creating a Multicultural Classroom Environment. Teacher Enrichment Training Solutions, 3. Retrieved from http://www.cceionline.com/newsletters/December_08.html/

Legutke, M., & Thomas, H. (1991). Process and Experience in the Language Classroom. New York, NY: Longman Group.

Reyhner, J., Martin, J., Lockard, L., & Gilbert, S.W. (2000). Learn in Beauty: Indigenous Education for a new Century. Flagstaff, AZ: Northern Arizona University.