Engaging With Issues of Cultural Diversity and Discrimination Through Critical Emotional Reflexivity in Online Learning

Abstract

The purposes of this article are to describe the adult learners' emotional experiences as a result of engaging with issues of cultural diversity and discrimination, and to interrogate the ways in which critical emotional reflexivity emerges in the online format. The analysis is done in the context of an online course on diversity, inequality, and multicultural education; this course is part of a distance education master's level program in Educational Studies and the participants are primary and secondary school teachers. The findings provide evidence of (a) how adult learners respond and constantly negotiate their learning practices and the ways they feel about cultural diversity and discrimination, and highlight the different ways in which they reflect critically on their understanding of cultural/ethnic/social differences; (b) how online learning, contrary to popular belief, can be a useful medium to express difficult emotions related to racism, prejudice, and discrimination.