Abstract:

Teachers are very often viewed as ‘cultural brokers’ who can build the linkages across various cultures in their daily practice. Their attitudes are perceived as an intangible factor which can influence students have equal participation in their schooling process. In this sense, teachers’ cultural awareness may help ethnic minority students to develop a sense of local belonging which serves as the basis of enhancing the sustainability of the society through maintaining social harmony between minority and dominant groups. Teachers’ views on and their understanding of multicultural education are closely related to the implementation and success of developing a culturally responsive learning environment for ethnic minority students. However, teachers’ lack of cultural sensitivity makes them being passively accepted rather than activity engaged in multicultural education. In view of this, knowing teachers’ views on multiculturalism and their cultural competency in teaching ethnic minority students will be the starting point to help the development of culturally responsive classrooms for students to learn within.

Hong Kong has no exception. Providing a conducive and equal learning opportunity for ethnic minority students has been an issue in education since the early 2000s. Hong Kong’s education policy on diversity was found to lean towards a monocultural approach, such as the areas of curriculum design and medium of instruction, even though there has been a move from segregation towards integration approach. Teachers in normal schools generally lack cultural sensitivity and a sense of diversity have been an obstacles to foster culturally responsive learning environments for ethnic minority students. More importantly, teachers in Hong Kong has their own distinct Chinese identity that may confine themselves to move beyond their comfort zone and simply transforming themselves to be culturally responsive.

In view of this, this government funded project (RGC Ref. 14613518) aims to respond challenges and difficulties of teachers in Hong Kong who work closely with ethnic minority students. This presentation will address two questions:
(1) What are teachers views on multicultural education for ethnic minority students?" and
(2) What are the professional needs of teachers when they teach ethnic minority students? Their views on ways to enhance their roles to perform as culturally responsive teachers may be further addressed with the theoretical lens of professional capital (Hargreaves and Fullan, 2012).

This study applies a mixed method approach in order to explore teachers’ views on multicultural education and their professional needs when they teach ethnic minority students. It is anticipated that answers to these two questions will help us to have a clear sense of level of cultural integration of schools and to identify professional needs of teachers who teach ethnic minority students by closely the gap between their views and practice and ways to improve their quality of practice in reference to the view of professional capital.

Keywords:

Culturally responsive teachers, multicultural education, professional needs of teachers, professional capital.