Intercultural education for multicultural societies: Critical issues

Abstract

This article presents evidence for the need for intercultural education in multicultural societies. Pupils who are culturally different from the majority need it to learn to function effectively in their own culture as well as in the majority culture. Since an important objective of education is to prepare individuals to function effectively in their environment, all children in multicultural societies could profit from exposure to effective intercultural education. Our research with American teachers and their Latin American or Hispanic pupils suggests that teachers also need to learn about the patterns of perceptions, values, and behaviors of culturally different pupils. Objections to intercultural education are listed and refuted. Advantages and disadvantages of three new approaches to intercultural education are discussed. Special attention is given to the attributional approach, an informational approach which is particularly well suited for use in educational settings. Research bearing on the effectiveness of this approach is presented.