Pedagogical multicultural communities in teacher preparation

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.