Teacher interpersonal competence for multicultural classrooms

Abstract

In the Netherlands, as in many European countries, classrooms become more and more cultural diverse. There is only very limited empirically supported data on the interpersonal competence teachers need in Dutch classrooms and studies from other countries cannot straight forward be generalized because of differences in the composition of the student population. This paper reports on an explorative study in two schools on teachers Eexperiences in multicultural classes followed by an in-depth case study of one expert teacher in a multicultural classroom. We use this study to answer the question to what degree this teacher displays interpersonal competencies (teaching behaviours, knowledge and attitudes) specific for teaching in multicultural classrooms by comparing this teacher s competence with generic interpersonal teaching competence. The teacher studied seems to be aware of special needs of students from different cultures and to use this knowledge to apply specific teaching strategies and interpersonal cues to create a positive classroom atmosphere and to cater for needs of diverse students. Further, the results indicate that many of this teacher s interpersonal competencies in teaching a multicultural class can be considered aspects of generic teaching competence. It seems that the multicultural classroom puts heavier demands on this competence than a less diverse classroom.