A Qualitative Study on the Process of Changing Multicultural Perceptions of College Students Participating in Role-playing Oriented Liberal Arts Classes

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to explore the process of changing multicultural perceptions of college students who participated in liberal arts classes using role-playing, and to present multicultural education measures in higher education institutions. To this end, in-depth interviews were conducted with five college students who participated in liberal arts classes, and these were analyzed using phenomenological research methods. As a result, first, the participants stated that they were “indifferent” or had “uncomfortable feelings” about multiculturalism due to a lack of direct experience with migrants. Second, college students came to understand and respect others through the multicultural role-playing process. Third, research participants came to think about the attitudes they should have in a multicultural society in the future during their liberal arts class. This has led to changes in the perceptions of all people interacting in a multicultural society, regarding both their perceptions and attitudes.Based on these results, this study presented future multicultural education plans as follows. First, multicultural education should begin with content that can lead to “various levels of cultural curiosity” among the learners. This plays a role in relieving the indifferent or uncomfortable emotions that learners have. Second, before the role-playing activities, education that can help students better understand other cultures should be prioritized. This can reduce the difficulties students face when it comes to ‘cultural differences’ and ‘language barriers’ (communication) when learners write their role play scripts. Finally, multicultural education should be developed as a long-term curriculum rather than a one-off, and should be conducted to improve mutual cultural capabilities by engaging in “cultural exchange activities,” including the involvement of the migrants' language, culture, experiences, and values. This can help students internalize their necessary multicultural awareness on a long-term basis. It can also be a way for them to understand their foreign counterparts more deeply by providing opportunities for mutual cultural communication with them. Through this study, we looked at the process of changing college students' multicultural perception. It is hoped that this study will serve as useful basic data for the progress of multicultural education that can promote multicultural awareness for college students as well as for other learners.