As the multicultural population grows, schools with high concentrations of students from diverse backgrounds are becoming more prevalent. Notably, the rising proportion of international migrant students (those who entered the country mid-way through t...
As the multicultural population grows, schools with high concentrations of students from diverse backgrounds are becoming more prevalent. Notably, the rising proportion of international migrant students (those who entered the country mid-way through their schooling) and children from foreign-national families necessitates a paradigm shift from conventional multicultural education models.
The purpose of this study is to identify differences in elementary school teachers’ perceptions of multicultural education goals based on the concentration of multicultural students and to investigate how individual background factors and school contextual factors—such as student composition—shape these orientations. By doing so, the study seeks to facilitate proactive responses to changing school environments, support students’ holistic development, and contribute to the cultivation of a healthy multicultural society.
Teachers’ approaches to multicultural education goals were categorized into three perspectives: conservative, liberal, and critical. The study empirically examined the impact of student concentration on goal setting through two research questions: (1) whether teachers’ perspectives differ according to the level of multicultural student concentration, and (2) how individual variables (gender, interest in multicultural education, teaching experience, overseas residency, and experience in high-concentration schools) and student composition interact with concentration levels to influence these goals. To verify this, the following hypotheses were formulated.
■ Hypothesis 1: Teachers’ perspectives on multicultural education goals will differ significantly based on the level of multicultural student concentration.
· Sub-hypothesis 1-1: Teachers in schools with a high concentration of multicultural students will place relatively greater emphasis on conservative multicultural education goals.
· Sub-hypothesis 1-2: Teachers in schools with a low concentration of multicultural students will place relatively greater emphasis on critical multicultural education goals.
■ Hypothesis 2: Teachers’ individual background variables (gender, interest in multicultural education, teaching experience, overseas residency, and experience in high-concentration schools) and the composition of the multicultural student body will significantly influence teachers’ multicultural education goal orientations.
■ Hypothesis 3: Multicultural student concentration will interact with teachers’ individual background variables and student composition, producing moderating effects on teachers’ multicultural education goal orientations.
A survey was conducted among elementary school teachers in Gyeonggi-do to rank twelve multicultural education goals. Data were analyzed using hierarchical regression, while in-depth interviews with four teachers from diverse school contexts were performed to capture qualitative nuances that quantitative measures might overlook.
The results revealed significant differences in teachers’ perceptions of multicultural education goals according to the concentration of multicultural students. Teachers in high-concentration schools placed relatively greater emphasis on conservative goals, focusing on maintaining unified norms and facilitating basic adaptation to Korean school culture. In contrast, teachers in low-concentration schools tended to prioritize critical goals, addressing social inequality and discrimination. Accordingly, the main hypothesis 1 of Research Question was supported.
In the analysis addressing Research Question 2, after controlling for individual background variables, teachers’ gender (being female) and higher levels of interest in multicultural education showed significant direct effects in mitigating conservative goal orientations, while other individual background variables yielded no significant effects. Thus, the corresponding main hypothesis 2 was partially supported. Furthermore, the composition of the multicultural student body and prior experience in high-concentration schools interacted with the current level of student concentration, exhibiting partial moderating effects that reinforced conservative multicultural education goal orientations. Interestingly, at the individual level, the high-concentration environment itself also functioned as a moderating factor that strengthened critical approaches. However, as no additional moderating effects were identified for other individual background variables, the related hypothesis 3 was partially supported.
The findings for Research Question 1 indicate that the concentration of multicultural students is a primary factor directly influencing the formation of teachers’ multicultural education perspectives. The results for Research Question 2 demonstrate that teachers’ goals are not determined unilaterally by individual values or competencies; rather, they are shaped in a multilayered manner within contextual conditions, including student composition and the specific educational environments teachers navigate.
Taken together, the findings from Research Questions 1 and 2 are complementary. At the aggregate (group) level, student concentration acts as an independent factor that reinforces conservative orientations in high-concentration contexts. However, at the individual level—after controlling for personal characteristics and student composition—a high-concentration environment interacts with individual backgrounds and may operate to strengthen either conservative or critical goal orientations. Consequently, multicultural student concentration functions both as an independent environmental variable and as an interactive contextual factor, revealing its dual role in shaping teachers’ multicultural education goals.
The findings demonstrate that multicultural student concentration is a primary factor directly shaping teachers' educational perspectives. Moreover, teachers’ goals are not merely products of individual values but are multilayered constructs shaped by contextual conditions, including student composition and the educational environment. These results suggest that multicultural education policy should move beyond linear frameworks toward complex, context-sensitive approaches. The study underscores the necessity of systemic and differentiated support strategies tailored to both the concentration and the specific demographic composition of the student body.