|
Multicultural education: The understandings of preschool teachers in Singapore |
|
|
|
|
Multicultural education:
The understandings of preschool teachers in Singapore
Nirmala Karuppiah
Nanyang Technological University
Donna Berthelsen
University of Technology
FOR MULTICULTURAL EDUCATION TO be effective, it must be introduced in the early years and reinforced throughout the school years. It is important for teachers of young children to be equipped with the appropriate knowledge, skills and positive attitudes to promote multiculturalism in their classrooms. This paper reports on a survey involving preschool teachers in Singapore who were participating in an in-service training course. The teachers completed a questionnaire to indicate their understandings of multicultural education and their perceptions of its importance in early childhood education. The findings indicated that the teachers endorsed the need for multicultural education in preschools and the importance of children learning tolerance and understanding of other cultures in the Singaporean context. However, while preschool teachers held positive attitudes towards multicultural education, there was limited understanding of the challenges in implementing an anti-bias teaching and curriculum approach. The implications of these findings for preschool teacher education programs in Singapore and in other countries focus on supporting teachers in developing more critical and deeper understandings of multiculturalism.
Australasian Journal of Early Childhood – Volume 36 No 4 December 2011
Don't forget, Australasian Journal of Early Childhood is tax deductible for early childhood professionals
You can purchase this issue of the Australasian Journal of Early Childhood now.
|
|
Last Updated ( Tuesday, 21 February 2012 )
|
