Multicultural concepts as viewed by principals, teachers, and librarians in rural Tennessee school settings
Abstract
The growing phenomenon of the culturally diverse classroom and its implications for education is an issue of growing interest within the educational community. The implementation of multicultural programs in the schools has been mandated at the national, state, and local levels, in a large part because of this growing diversity. The effort made by educators in rural school systems, of addressing multicultural education as a mandated task, has become an increasingly important issue. This study was conducted in order to determine the extent to which different groups of educators associated with rural school districts in Tennessee have different or common views about multicultural issues faced within the schools. The research additionally provided data determining the differences between what the educators understood the multicultural program to be about in their schools and also revealed additional information about the subject of multicultural education in general. Two questionnaires were utilized in order to complete the investigation. One questionnaire, "Multicultural Needs Assessment Survey for Educators," was administered to principals and teachers in ten rural school districts. Another questionnaire, "Multicultural Needs Assessment Survey for Librarians/Media Specialists," was given to librarians associated with the same school districts. Several conclusions were drawn from five null hypotheses. The chi square test of significance was used for the basis of statistical comparison. No significant difference was found among principals, teachers, and librarians in their overall knowledge levels of multicultural concepts. Furthermore, no significant difference was found in the identification of nonsexist and ethnic materials among the given groups as being adequate. However, significant differences were revealed in the availability and usage of self-concept materials as identified by the principals, teachers, and librarians. There were also significant differences determined between subject areas identified to utilize multicultural programs and descriptions of the climate among multicultural groups in the schools as identified by the individual groups of educators. The research conducted reflected an overall need for extensive professional development in the area of multicultural education within the curriculum. Additionally, recommendations were given for improving the status of multicultural education within the rural school community.
Subject Area
Bilingual education|Multicultural education
Recommended Citation
Tandy Martin Taylor,
"Multicultural concepts as viewed by principals, teachers, and librarians in rural Tennessee school settings"
(1987).
ETD Collection for Tennessee State University.
Paper AAI9017213.
https://digitalscholarship.tnstate.edu/dissertations/AAI9017213