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Teachers' pluralistic and assimilative attitudes towards multiculturalism
Abstract
Introduction: The increase in migration has made education in multicultural contexts one of the key challenges facing contemporary schools. The presence of a significant number of students with migration experience makes work in culturally diverse environments a daily reality for many teachers. Teachers’ assimilative and pluralistic attitudes toward multiculturalism determine their instructional and educational decisions and shape a climate that is either conducive or detrimental to integrating with migration experience.
Research Aim: The aim of this study was to determine the level of assimilative and pluralistic attitudes toward multiculturalism among teachers who work with foreign students, to identify which of these attitudes predominates, and to examine whether the level of these attitudes varies depending on teachers’ demographic characteristics.
Method: To identify teachers’ attitudes toward multiculturalism, a modified version of the Multicultural Ideology Scale developed by Berry, Kalin, and Taylor (1977) was employed. The scale is designed to examine attitudes toward cultural diversity in ethnically and culturally diverse societies.
Results: The results suggest slight predominance of assimilative attitudes over pluralistic attitudes. No significant demographic differences were identified. Item-level analyses showed strong support for statements emphasising integration and those promoting intercultural awareness.
Conclusions: The findings reveal the complexity of teachers’ attitudes toward multiculturalism and highlight the importance of the institutional context for school practice. A slight but statistically significant predominance of assimilative attitudes was identified, alongside a persistently high level of acceptance of pluralistic attitudes. Absence of significant differences between demographic groups and parallel presence of both types of attitudes point to the need for systemic measures aimed at strengthening teachers’ intercultural competences.
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DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.17951/lrp.2026.45.2.145-156
Date of publication: 2026-06-30 15:05:40
Date of submission: 2025-12-12 19:22:46
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