Abstract:
This research study explored how teachers differ in their views of cultural and linguistic
diversity and the role of language learning in diverse classrooms. Beliefs about cultural
diversity impact the strategies used to tackle language learning and how teachers from specific
language-teaching classrooms understand language as a tool for integration for teaching.
Researchers collected data from 183 teachers using surveys, interviews and videos with
purposefully selected teachers from a mixture of schools in Pretoria (n=79) and New York City
(n=104). This study's findings highlight the challenges schoolteachers face in diverse linguistic
classrooms and show how multiculturalism can be used to enhance such classrooms. This study
reflects the crucial roles that language and culture play in a global society of understanding
diversity and supporting culturally and linguistically diverse learners in multilingual
communities.
