Attitudes toward multiculturalism and cultural diversity: the effects of multicultural training

Abstract

The schools in the United States are becoming increasingly diverse. This diversity makes it necessary for teachers to recognize the importance of students' heritage and the influence of this heritage on participation in school. A preservice class on multiculturalism can give future teachers knowledge about different cultures. This knowledge, combined with the use of multicultural techniques in the classroom, and positive attitudes may make them more effective teachers. Therefore, it is important to evaluate the effects a multiculturalism class has on preservice teachers’ attitudes toward multiculturalism. The current study is a continuation of previous research conducted by this author (Olson, 2001). The purpose of both studies was to examine preservice teachers’ attitudes toward multiculturalism and the change that occurred in these attitudes after completion of multicultural training. It was hypothesized that the preservice teachers would have a more positive attitude toward multiculturalism and cultural diversity at the end of the multiculturalism class than at the beginning of the class. In addition, the current research compared attitudes of students who took the semester long multiculturalism course versus students who took the course in a condensed format. It was hypothesized that students who were enrolled in the semester-long course would have more positive attitudes than those who were enrolled in a condensed version of the course. The current research also compared attitudes of students who had completed or were currently completing the cross-cultural field experience versus those who had not yet completed this requirement. It was hypothesized that individuals who gained experience working with diverse populations through the cross-cultural field experience would have a more positive attitude toward multiculturalism than those who had not completed the field experience. In order to examine preservice teachers’ attitudes toward multiculturalism the Multicultural Attitude Questionnaire was administered in the Multiculturalism: Issues and Perspectives courses at the University of Wisconsin – Stout in spring 2002. A total of 157 students, most of who were education majors, participated in the study. Results indicate that students had a more positive attitude toward multiculturalism after completing multicultural training than they did prior to completing the training. However, there were very few attitude differences between the attitudes of students who took the semester length course and those who completed the course in a condensed format. Lastly, the completion of the cross-cultural field experience appeared to have no effect on the multicultural attitudes of students.