An international perspective: Teachers’ understanding of cultural competence and use of culturally and linguistically responsive teaching strategies with deaf and hard of hearing multilingual learners

Understanding and acknowledging cultural diversity in healthcare is essential in providing culturally competent care. Higher education institutions are critical to providing students with the necessary knowledge, attitudes, and skills to respond to cultural diversity in various contexts. Cultural competence teaching in ophthalmic dispensing education has emerged as an essential concept that needs to be included in the curriculum. This study explored ophthalmic dispensing lecturers' understandings, experiences, and attitudes in teaching cultural competence. This study used a qualitative approach within an interpretivist paradigm by conducting semi-structured interviews with lecturers (n = 7) in the ophthalmic dispensing program. Braun and Clarke's framework for thematic analysis was utilized. The research was conducted at an ophthalmic dispensing department at a South African university. The analysis of the semi-structured interviews indicated three main themes of importance regarding factors influencing cultural competence education in the ophthalmic dispensing curriculum: the interplay between experiences and understandings of cultural competence, cross-cultural exposure and teaching practices, and inclusion of cultural competence into the curriculum. The participants recognized that cultural competence was not explicitly included in the curriculum. Including culture in education was rather unsystematic and, in most cases, unplanned. Further training of lecturers on cultural competence skills and evidence-based teaching and assessment strategies are required to assist in developing curricula that include cultural competence.

Introduction Cultural competence in healthcare embraces the principles of equal access and nondiscriminatory services in healthcare delivery. Dentists as significant healthcare professionals should definitely have the skills needed to diagnose and treat patients' conditions, but it is crucial to also address nontechnical skills such as cross-cultural communication, the ability to empathize, and inclusive-mindedness. Globally, cultural competency training has been included in healthcare educational programs; however, national practices reportedly have revolved around patients' clinical competencies and thus entailed overlooking the cultural dimensions of dental education that include diverse sociocultural factors that influence how dental practices are taught, learned, and delivered. These dimensions encompass elements such as language, communication styles, attitudes toward healthcare, and culturally specific oral health beliefs and behaviors. Therefore, the aim of this study is to explore the experiences and perspectives of dentists practicing in South Punjab regarding cultural competency. Methodology The study employed a qualitative phenomenological approach. Data was collected through purposive sampling techniques utilizing semistructured interview guides. The participants recruited were licensed dentists practicing in dental institutions in South Punjab, Pakistan. A total of 18 dentists were recruited in the study. The interviews were focused on the different aspects of cultural competency by exploring the perspectives of dentists. Thematic analysis was carried out utilizing the Bran and Clarkes framework to categorize data into key themes and subthemes utilizing inductive coding. Results The study revealed that dentists lack awareness and understanding of cultural competency; they also faced significant problems due to limited cultural proficiency while dealing with diverse patients. Major challenges included inadequate training, communication barriers, and cultural bias in dentists while dealing with such diverse populations. Patients recognized the benefits of cultural competency and highlighted facilitators like institution support, peer support, mentorship support, and patient trust.Participants suggested incorporating cultural competency in dentistry curricula, continuous professional development, and community outreach programs for the development of cultural competency among dentists. Conclusions The study highlighted perspectives and experiences of dentists regarding cultural competency. The findings demonstrated key problems due to limited or lack of cultural proficiency that included communication and language barriers and unconscious cultural bias among dentists. The study also highlighted facilitators of cultural competency like institutional facilitation, mentoring opportunities from peers and seniors, and patient trust. Facilitating cultural competency among dentists may result in improved patient satisfaction, enhanced patient care, and an increase in compliance, hence overall enhancing the quality of care.

Occupational therapy relies primarily on communication between the therapist and client for effective intervention. Adequate communication may be influenced by language and cultural differences between the therapist and client. Cultural competence in relation to language and culture is thus a vital part in practice. Limited research exists on cultural competence in occupational therapy students. This study thus aimed to explore the cultural competence of final year students and their perceptions of their own cultural competence, with respect to language and culture in their practice as students. An explorative qualitative study design was utilised with a nonprobability purposeful sample of 21 final year undergraduate students at a tertiary institute in South Africa. Three focus groups were conducted, comprising between 6 and 8 students in each group. Thematic analysis using inductive reasoning was undertaken in order to analyse the students' experiences and understanding of cultural competence. Findings of the study suggest that cultural competence, in relation to language and culture, influences the occupational therapy intervention process. It was shown to both positively and negatively influence intervention through supporting or hindering rapport building, client centeredness, and effective intervention.

Cultural competency has been described as the ability to provide care to patients with various behaviours, beliefs, and values. In essence, creating a working culture and practices that recognise, respect, value and harness differences for the benefit of the organisation and individuals (Nayar, 2013). However, this is just one of the many definitions present; there is currently no widely accepted definition of cultural competency used for the healthcare sector. This lack of a clear explanation is both a reason and a contributing factor to the increasing research into cultural competency.The research method used in this study was an explorative semi-structured focus-group. It involved pharmacy students studying at the University of Huddersfield. Students were interviewed in a focus group style setting and data was transcribed and then coded into themes, which were then further coded into sub-themes utilising a system of semantic thematic analysis. Students showed a holistic understanding of cultural competency and could define it in-line with standard definitions. However, findings showed there was still a gap as to how to apply it in practice especially when dealing with patients of a different ethnicity. The results highlight the positive and negative attributes of student and patient ethnicity towards patient care. The majority of students showed confidence when serving patients of the same ethnicity as them. When dealing with some patients of different ethnicities, students indicated that they knew little about other cultures and therefore struggled to overcome cultural barriers.

Background: Professional development for nurse educators is essential to ensure that nursing students receive high-quality education and can provide effective patient care. However, nurse educators in Saudi Arabia encounter numerous challenges, emphasizing the need for tailored career development opportunities. Objective: This study aimed to identify the professional development needs of nurse educators within Saudi university nursing programs. Methods: A quantitative cross-sectional survey was employed in April 2023, involving 121 nurse educators selected through convenience sampling. The study consisted of nursing colleges and departments at 15 government-operated Saudi universities. Data were collected on April 2023 through questionnaires and analyzed using descriptive statistics and correlational analysis. Results: Among participants, 45 (37.2%) had 6 to 10 years of teaching experience. Evaluating learning (76.9%) was the most frequently identified Professional Faculty Development Need in teaching skills. Writing articles and abstracts (73.6%) were commonly identified in scholarly development, while presentation software for teaching (79.3%) dominated technology use development. The most preferred method for taking a development program was 1–2-hour sessions (81%). Significant differences in professional needs based on years of academic experience and academic rank were observed (p <0.05). Conclusion: The study identified various terms related to nurse educators’ perceived development needs. Educator development and educational specialists must consider both overlapping and unique requirements of different health science schools in planning professional development. Crucial skills highlighted in the study include cross-cultural teaching strategies, course design, large group teaching, conflict management, negotiation, and team-building for administrative work and career development.

THE NATIONAL CENTER on Low-Incidence Disabilities conducted a needs assessment of the research and training needs in the field of deaf education. A total of 331 professionals, parents, administrators, and university faculty responded to the survey. Overall, respondents indicated that the number-one priority was to educate administrators about services that are appropriate for students who are deaf or hard of hearing. The second most important concern was how to work within the education system to change it. The third priority was teaching reading strategies. Additional priorities are reported for all respondents, as well as comparisons among the different respondent groups. Implications of the results are presented.

While multilingual programmes have been implemented in early childhood education in several countries, professionals have shown to be unsure of how to deal with language diversity and promote home languages. Therefore, there is a need for professional development. The present article discusses the outcomes of a professional course on multilingual education in early childhood delivered to 46 early-years practitioners in Luxembourg. Using a questionnaire administered prior to and after the course as well as interviews, we examined the influence of the training on attitudes to multilingual education and activities to develop Luxembourgish and home languages. The analysis drew on content analysis, paired samples t-test and correlational analysis. The findings show that the course positively influenced the professionals’ knowledge about multilingualism and language learning, their attitudes towards home languages, their interest in organising activities in the children’s home languages and the implementation of these activities. The results shed light on special interest areas such as the quality of input that future professional development courses could focus on.

This entry provides insights into the conceptualization of multilingualism as a pedagogical framework. It starts with definitions of multilingualism and continues by outlining multilingual development from a complexity dynamics systems theoretical perspective as presented in the most comprehensive model to date, that is, the Dynamic Model of Multilingualism (DMM). In the next section, the application of DMM to teaching is presented as one of the first international perspectives on multilingual approaches. At the center of such a holistic DMM view, we find metalinguistic awareness as a driving force in self‐reflective teaching activities and strategy training in order to increase understanding of the nature of multilingualism in both teachers and learners. Subsequently, multilingual education is defined and discussed in relation to the growing role of English as the most widely learned second or third language in Europe and many countries worldwide. Multilingualism can be achieved through various instructional methods and approaches, such as immersion programs with Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) as probably the best‐known form of bi‐ and multilingual instruction form. Finally, the dominance of European research on bilingual education and second language acquisition (SLA) over multilingual education and third language acquisition (TLA) in the school context is highlighted with a clear vision to expand research into other multilingual contexts. Future multilingual teaching will have to be deal with challenges such as multilingual norms and the role of English in multilingual education.

The progressive increase in youth use of social media can have implications for health. This study explores how school professionals working with health promotion (HP) position their practices at the intersection between the challenges and potential opportunities posed by social media. Empirical data were produced from seventeen semi-structured interviews with various school professionals from state-funded and private schools in Sweden where HP is a shared responsibility among many professionals including nurses, psychologists, special educators, principals and teachers. Data were analysed using reflexive thematic analysis. The analysis was informed by practice theory. Three themes were generated: (i) navigating an ambiguous terrain of professional practice; (ii) reconfiguring HP practice in relation to student social media use and (iii) social media as resources for HP. The findings indicate that school professionals are reconfiguring HP practice around the increased challenges invoked by students' social media use but are also aware that social media can be fruitfully operationalized in school HP. Professional attempts at harnessing the health-promoting potential of social media are limited to individual initiatives, possibly in relation to a lack of clear policy directives that inform actions and assign responsibilities where social media are concerned. School professionals recognize a need for professional learning to keep abreast of students' highly dynamic use of social media. The study underscores the need for professional development but argues that this development needs to be grounded in a comparable institutional one, for example by reformulating and updating policies to be more professionally supportive.

This study explored the teaching strategies employed by elementary teachers in the Third Congressional District of Tarlac, aiming to develop a basis for a Differentiated Instruction Workshop. It examined the demographic characteristics of teachers, their teaching strategies, and the relationships between these factors. A total of 150 teachers participated in the study, focusing on age, gender, years of experience, and educational level. The findings revealed that teachers predominantly used Culturally Responsive Teaching, Collaborative Learning, and Classroom Management strategies. In contrast, more advanced strategies such as Differentiated Instruction and Project-Based Learning were used to a lesser extent. Significant positive correlations were found between age and gender with the use of varied teaching strategies, while years of experience and education level had no significant impact on teaching methods. Based on these findings, it is recommended that a Differentiated Instruction Workshop be designed to enhance the teaching skills of elementary teachers, focusing on more innovative and inclusive strategies. This workshop aims to empower teachers with the knowledge and tools to meet diverse learner needs effectively, thereby improving teaching outcomes across the district.

The Alternative Learning System (ALS) of the Philippines is essential for the provision of educational opportunities to adults and adolescents who are not enrolled in school. This study assessed ALS teachers' competencies and professional development needs in Makati City's Schools Division Office, examining their teaching strategies, challenges, and engagement methods. Using a mixed-methods approach, the study surveyed 53 ALS teachers through Google Forms to gather data on self-perceived competencies and professional development needs. Results revealed that while teachers rated their competencies as satisfactory to substantial, significant variations existed across instructional areas. Differentiated instruction emerged as the most substantial competency (4.1/5.0), while assessment and evaluation techniques needed the most improvement (3.6/5.0). Teachers reported using diverse engagement strategies, with collaborative learning (28%) and multimedia resources (26%) being the most effective. Key challenges included learner engagement, managing diverse backgrounds, and resource constraints. The study found that self-perceived competencies increased with teaching experience, highlighting the need for experience-based professional development. Based on these findings, recommendations include implementing tiered professional development systems, enhancing technology integration, developing learner diversity and engagement strategies, creating ALS-specific resources, fostering collaborative learning environments, and revising policies to better support ALS teachers. Future studies should explore learner perspectives and conduct comparative analyses across regions to identify best practices.

In Ireland, hospital schools comprise a very small component of the overall primary and post-primary education system. Indeed, there are only seven hospital schools employing a total of 21 teachers nationally. Given the size and uniqueness of this education setting, opportunities for teacher continuous professional development are limited. This qualitative research study examined Irish hospital teachers' perceptions of their continuing professional development needs using a case study approach. The research captured the perspectives of 19 teachers currently teaching in seven hospital schools in Ireland. Data consisted of responses to an anonymous online questionnaire and two focus groups designed to examine and interpret the questionnaire data. Thematic analysis was conducted on all data collected. The findings revealed that Irish hospital teachers have a clear shared perception of the professional development needs both for newly hired and currently practising hospital teachers. Hospital schools are a very small, but a very important component of education in Ireland, and the professional needs identified are specific to this unique context. Teachers working in this context must be supported so that they can provide the education that the pupils, who must access this service, deserve.

Over the past four decades, researchers have been focusing on the question - why do some people thrive in the face of adversity while others struggle? Research has substantiated students' needs to feel valued and successful (Garmezy, Masten & Coatsworth, 1998; Masten & Tellegen, 1984; Park, Crocker & Kiefer, 2007; Vanderbilt-Adriance & Shaw, 2008) Educational institutions can play an important role in fostering resilience (Benard, 1998; Garmezy, 1991; Werner, 1996). Yet, some students still graduate from schools without reaching a satisfying level of success. Are teachers doing enough to promote the resilient spirit of students? To respond to this question, it is important to evaluate the development of educators' understandings and perceptions of resilience. The purpose of this mixed methods study was to determine the effect of professional development on teachers' perceptions of their ability to foster resilience. Secondary questions investigated the effects of school level (elementary grades and middle school) and socioeconomic status. An exploratory multi-site case study was designed to compare the perceptions of educators from two elementary schools and one middle school from two separate school districts, one district that had presented professional development in resilience and one that had not. Thirty-six educators were asked to complete an electronic questionnaire, and twelve teachers participated in individual interviews. Additionally, a focus group interview was held in each school district. Three themes emerged from the findings: (a) understanding resilience, (b) understanding the role of the teacher and (c) understanding school environments. Narratives were presented for each of the six cases, combining quantitative and qualitative data. Analysis of data did show differences in teachers' perceptions between school levels but did not reflect a significant difference between school districts or between school environments of different socioeconomic status. The concept of fostering resilience proved to be an abstract idea accompanied by misunderstandings and embedded in unique school environments. Interpretation of the results focused on cross-case interpretations, resilience in nested systems and overcoming translational gaps. The first conclusion of the study highlighted the need for professional development in resilience to extend longer than one school year. Secondly, the study showed a need to reach deep levels of understanding. Finally, the interactions of multiple systems in each unique school environment must be considered in planning professional development in fostering resilience. Three recommendations are proposed from these conclusions. The data from the study support the critical need for professional development in resilience, with attention to the level of understanding needed to facilitate translational practices. Professional development for fostering resilience should be designed to draw on the strengths of the school and the surrounding community to meet the needs of the students. Lastly, ongoing and multi-faceted evaluations are needed to refine training for most effective results. The results of this study show the need for intricate and thoughtful planning when providing effective professional development that translates to daily practice. Training must be inclusive, multi-layered, long-term and targeted to the needs of the school.

ABSTRACTAgainst the backdrop of the Belt and Road Initiative, the study reports on the ideological construction of multilingualism in higher education in mainland China. Through a new methodological approach combining intertextual discourse analysis and thematic analysis, this paper concentrates on the interplay of ideologies towards multilingualism between the macro-(national/provincial) and meso-(institutional) levels. We examine 22 political texts issued by agents of different levels, and sixteen paratexts containing language issues discussed by educational administrators and language education experts. The analysis of the texts reveals that there is a gap between the two levels in terms of the variety and connotation of terms related to foreign languages. The analysis of the paratexts identifies three categories of recurring values of languages and four categories of benefits from foreign language (education), among which the pragmatic value of foreign languages for national development is the most significant. Moreover, institutional agents mentioned the instrumental value of languages for personal development and their global cultural value. The multiple perspectives on multilingual education in the Chinese context demonstrate the complexities of the ideological construction of multilingualism in this early phase of diversifying multilingual higher education, which generate important implications for policy makers in China and other countries.

The objective of this study was to explore the professional development needs of educators in special education. This qualitative research employed a phenomenological approach to understand the lived experiences of 17 special education teachers. Participants were selected based on their diverse experiences and willingness to participate. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews, lasting between 45 to 60 minutes, either face-to-face or via video conferencing. The interviews were transcribed verbatim and analyzed using thematic analysis to identify key themes and subthemes related to the professional development needs of special education teachers. The data collection continued until theoretical saturation was reached. The study identified four main themes regarding professional development needs: Teaching Strategies, Emotional and Social Support, Professional Knowledge, and Collaboration and Advocacy. Under Teaching Strategies, educators highlighted the importance of individualized instruction, effective classroom management, differentiated learning approaches, technology integration, and collaboration with support staff. Emotional and Social Support needs included social skills training, emotional regulation, building relationships, fostering inclusion, crisis intervention, family engagement, and self-care for educators. Professional Knowledge emphasized understanding special education law and policy, disability awareness, evidence-based practices, assessment techniques, ongoing professional development, and curriculum adaptation. Collaboration and Advocacy focused on interdisciplinary teams, student advocacy, community partnerships, professional learning communities, and policy development. The findings underscore the multifaceted professional development needs of special education teachers, highlighting the necessity for tailored training programs that address specific instructional, emotional, social, and collaborative aspects.