Multicultural Education Practice among Teachers in National Secondary Schools: A Case Study in Kedah

Abstract

Multicultural education is the structuring of educational priorities, commitments, and processes to reflect the reality of cultural pluralism in a multicultural society as Malaysia. Educational priorities must focus on developing and maintaining an awareness of cultural diversity as reflected by individuals, groups, and communities. It requires the commitment of educators to the basic concept of diversity as it is expressed through dimensional aspects of ethnicity and cultural group lifestyle. The need for multiculturalism in education is multidimensional. It concerns itself with relationships between pupils and teachers, parents and teacher, teacher and community, and a host of interpersonal and intrapersonal relationships that are central to the educational process. This article will discuss teachers multicultural practices in the classroom. A research was conducted in four national secondary schools in Kedah with teachers as samples. The findings show that teachers are not practising multicultural education practices in schools. Five reasons were stated by teachers as to why they are not practising multicultural education practices in schools.

Pendidikan pelbagai budaya ialah penstrukturan keutamaan pendidikan, komitmen dan proses refleksi tentang masyarakat pelbagai budaya seperti di Malaysia. Keutamaan pendidikan selalunya memberi fokus kepada pembangunan dan memelihara kesedaran tentang pelbagai budaya seperti yang direfleksikan oleh individu, kumpulan dan komuniti. Pendidik perlu peka dan komited dalam memahami konsep perbezaan budaya seperti yang dipersepsikan melalui etnik dan kehidupan kumpulan pelbagai budaya. Keperluan pelbagai budaya dalam pendidikan dilihat daripada dimensi yang pelbagai, iaitu perhubungan antara murid, guru, komuniti dan ibu bapa, dan perhubungan interpersonal dan intrapersonal yang berpusat kepada proses pendidikan. Artikel ini membincangkan praktik guru dalam bilik darjah. Satu kajian telah dijalankan di empat buah sekolah menengah kebangsaan di Kedah. Sampel kajian ialah guru. Dapatan kajian menunjukkan guru kurang mempraktikkan pendidikan pelbagai budaya di sekolah. Sebanyak lima perkara diutarakan oleh guru mengapa mereka kurang mempraktikkan pendidikan pelbagai budaya di sekolah.