The purpose of this study was to investigate the awareness on multicultural education of university students and its process, to provide base materials to be used in revitalizing an efficient multicultural education. Subjects were 750 univerty student...
The purpose of this study was to investigate the awareness on multicultural education of university students and its process, to provide base materials to be used in revitalizing an efficient multicultural education. Subjects were 750 univerty students located in jeollabukdo province. In this statistical analysis, SPSS 12.0 program to conduct frequency analysis, factorial analysis, credibility analysis, x2-test, t-test, one-way ANOVA, and Duncan’s multiple comparison.
The results of this study were as follows.
First, the paper sought to gauge awareness of multiculturalism in order to examine college students’ awareness about multicultural education. Three dimensions of multiculturalism were derived by factor analysis: ability to accept other culture, ability to view different cultures as equals, and ethnic identity. As for their awareness about multiculturalism, it was in the order of ability to accept other culture, followed by ethnic identity, and ability to view different cultures as equals.
The groups were significantly different in regard to multiculturalism according to demongnaphic variables. As for the ability to view different cultures as equals, male students had higher awareness. Furthermore, looking at differences in responses among different year levels, students in the upper years had higher awareness of multiculturalism, and they also had higher awareness of ethnic identity about multiculturalism. Looking at differences in responses among different majors, as for the ability to accept other culture and to view different cultures as equals, education students had higher scores; and as for ethnic identity, non-education-major students scored higher. As for the ability to view different cultures as equals, education students had higher awareness; and as for ethnic identity, non-education-major students had higher awareness.
Second, based on the college students’ awareness of multiculturalism, the paper classified the necessity of multicultural education into four categories, namely, experience in learning about multiculturalism, opportunity in learning about multiculturalism, understanding on multicultural education, and necessity; the paper analyzed them and examined demographical differences. First, as for experience in learning about multiculturalism, there were slightly more people who have experienced multiculturalism education; and higher scores on experience in learning about multiculturalism were observed in female students, rather than male students, and in education-major students, rather than non-education-major students. Based on this, the paper discovered that college students usually experience multiculturalism education through school or mass media. Most of the students know about multiculturalism education, and their understanding was higher in female than male students, and in education-major students than non-education-major students.
The college students who participated in the survey responded that multiculturalism education is necessary. In general, the felt necessity of having multiculturalism education was higher in students in their fourth year than those in their first, second, or third year, and in education-major students than non-education-major students. As for the reasons for needing multiculturalism education, 38.9% responded that we need it for “cultivating global talent who are flexible and open;” as for the reasons for not needing multiculturalism education, 45.0% responded that “emphasizing multiculturalism would only bring about confusion.”
Third, the paper classified the college students’ awareness multicultural educational curriculum into educational goal, contents, methodology, subject, problems, and revitalization; and examined demographical differences.
As for the educational goal of multiculturalism education, most people responded it to be “to positively experience cultural diversity and commonality.” As for the methodology, the paper found that there were two elements, namely, consolidation form and specific form; there were no differences between responses given by different genders, but differences were observed among different year levels and majors. In other words, as for teaching multiculturalism education in specific subject area, students in higher year level had higher scores; and as for teaching multiculturalism education in consolidated manner, students in the second, third, and fourth year had higher scores than those in first year. As for teaching multiculturalism education in specific subject area, education-major students were more highly aware of that fact than non-education-major students. Looking at the contents of multiculturalism education, emphasis was given to the equality of different cultures. Multiculturalism education was taught most frequently in Home Economics, Social Studies, History and English with decreasing order of frequency.
As for problems with multiculturalism education, most responded them to be “having a preconceptions and stereotypes about certain ethnic groups, race, or their culture;” and as for ways to revitalize multiculturalism education, most responded with “supporting various cultural experience activities in order to resolve cultural bias”, “developing and disseminating multiculturalism education programs for the benefit of multicultural families”, and “striving to change the way we view about multiculturalism education.” Therefore, in order to have more systematic and efficient multiculturalism education, a systematic teacher education training that enhances teachers’ awareness appears necessary.
In conclusion, by focusing on university students, the paper looked at the awareness of multiculturalism, the necessity of multiculturalism education, and the awareness of multiculturalism education process. The paper recommends that future studies would focus on developing a yardstick whose validity and reliability are proved, and comparing other variables of multiculturalism education from different angles. Above all, in terms of home education, there must be more systematic studies on school field education and related educational programs in order to revitalize multiculturalism education.