Abstract
Culture has become an important component that is addressed in a variety of contexts from the teaching of a language (Baker, 2003), educational equality (Gay, 1997; 2000), to politics and cultural identities (Llosa, 2008; Muller, 2008; Goshgarian, 1998). Empirical and theoretical research shows that students perform better and are more academically and socially successful when their culture is recognized, portrayed favorably in the school curriculum, and used as a fundamental source of information (Nieto, 1996; Diamond and Moore, 1995; Au, 1993; Geyhle, 1983). This paper examines the importance of inclusion and recognition of cultures in school curriculums and presents research that suggests that despite the importance given to this issue in political and social discourse, inclusion of cultures in many curriculums has yet to be fully realized.
Highlights
What happens when someone with the authority of teacher describes the society that the student is in and you [the student] are not in it? (Rich as cited in Takaki, 1993, p. l4)
Theoretical research suggests that when authority figures, such as teachers, exclude certain cultural groups from the curriculum, it has devastating effects on the students who belong to those cultures
Cultural identity plays an important role in the nature and outcome of the intergroup comparisons that the group makes, which in turn may lead to the way the group comes to evaluate itself (Ferdman, 1987; Montero, 1987 in Ferdman, 1990; Tajfel & Turner, 1986)
Summary
Whether it is described as a term that was “commonly used as a synonym for Western civilization” in the 19th century (Jandt, 2007, p. 6), or as “one of the most contentious concepts in academia” in the second half of the 20th century, culture is still “very much a burning issue at the beginning of the 21st century” (Atkinson, 2004, p. 279) and will continue to be a “burning issue” because culture is very important to those who identify with it. Theoretical research suggests that when authority figures, such as teachers, exclude certain cultural groups from the curriculum, it has devastating effects on the students who belong to those cultures. They assert the intrinsic and cultural values of the different languages, as well as legitimate their heritage in the eyes of others This legitimization, according to Seller (1992), “perpetuates” ethnic identity among children and is “potential in giving tone to the individualization of youth”, and increases the children’s respect for their parents From a social psychological perspective, it gives people a sense of belonging to group membership (Ferdman, 1990) It answers the important question ‘Who am 1?’ (Gordon and Browne, 1996), and legitimates one’s existence in the eyes of others. These students have “learned that at the core of American schools functions an either/or proposition: either students must discard their indigenous cultures, or they will be excluded” (p. 3)
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