Factual background related to the challenges encountered by secondary school teachers in managing multicultural classes.
Factual Background
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Chapter 2: Diversity in the Classrooms (Results of IHR Survey)
2.1. The Approach Adopted in the Questionnaires
During the first transnational meeting of the project, it was decided a same questionnaire would be conducted in all six countries. A first set of questions were submitted by the project scientific coordinator, the University of Siena, to be discussed, adapted, and eventually approved by all project partners. To make their analysis easier, questions are mostly close-ended (yes or no, multiple choice, sorting, rating…). Open-ended questions are kept for topics such as languages, origins and education.
The questionnaires are divided in three main parts:
- Personal details
Both questionnaires are anonymous; the name of the schools is not asked either. This section collects data such as gender, age, origin, knowledge of languages, education, experience (for teachers), acquaintance with foreigners… The student questionnaire also includes a section regarding family background (origin and nationality of the parents, their education…).
- Intercultural skills
Section about students’ and teachers’ knowledge and attitude regarding diversity and multicultural issues. Do they spend time with people of foreign origin? In what context? Do they get on well? How do they feel about the presence of immigrants? Do they discuss racism at school? On the Internet?
- Rights
Questions regarding their knowledge of the Convention on the Rights of Children, school violence and bullying, children’s vulnerability (particularly, but only, at school), how students feel at school…
The six partners contacted schools and education operators in their country to explain the purpose of the questionnaire. To make it available to as large an audience as possible, the questionnaires were submitted as Word documents, and online as Google Form. The analysis of their results by every partner was made through Google Form. It was intended for the questionnaires to be completed by 500 students and 150 teachers (and school staff) in each country.
Online Resources
- Human Rights and Intercultural issues in Partners’ CountriesTransnational report based on the six national reports produced by the IHR partnership (Belgium, France, Greece, Italy, Lithuania and Portugal).
- Human Rights and Intercultural issues in BelgiumReport by Inforef on the involvement of Belgian schools in the IHR project, case studies and best practices in Belgium in the area of multiculturalism, and the results of the survey among Belgian students and teachers.
- Human Rights and Intercultural issues in FranceReport by RenaSup on the involvement of French schools in the IHR project, case studies and best practices in France in the area of multiculturalism, and the results of the survey among French students and teachers.
- Human Rights and Intercultural issues in GreeceReport by Aristotle University of Thessaloniki on the involvement of Greek schools in the IHR project, case studies and best practices in Greece in the area of multiculturalism, and the results of the survey among Greek students and teachers.
- Human Rights and Intercultural issues in ItalyReport by the University of Siena on the involvement of Italian schools in the IHR project, case studies and best practices in Italy in the area of multiculturalism, and the results of the survey among Italian students and teachers.
- Human Rights and Intercultural issues in LithuaniaReport by Klaipèda University on the involvement of Lithuanian schools in the IHR project, case studies and best practices in Lithuania in the area of multiculturalism, and the results of the survey among Lithuanian students and teachers.
- Human Rights and Intercultural issues in PortugalReport by Ius Gentium Conimbrigae on the involvement of Portuguese schools in the IHR project, case studies and best practices in Portugal in the area of multiculturalism, and the results of the survey among Portuguese students and teachers.
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