Abstract:

One very pertinent and recurring theme in education across the globe today is the issue of addressing diversity among learners. Diversity has many elements and in this paper the focus is on cultural differences. The importance of nurturing a positive perspective towards others who are ethnically and culturally different right from the early years cannot be overstated. As in most other areas of education the teacher has the most important role to play in the classrooms to ensure the success of any curricular innovation. Hence for multicultural education to be effectively incorporated in the learning experiences of preschoolers, it is crucial that not only the teachers themselves have a clear understanding of what it entails, but more importantly, have the conviction and commitment that it is something that is desirable. This paper reports some initial findings of a study that investigates the beliefs, attitudes and concepts held by preschool teachers in Malaysia. The study employed both quantitative and qualitative methods. Based on the findings, the implications for teacher development and recruitment will also be discussed.

Keywords:

Beliefs, attitudes, preschool teachers, multicultural education.