Analysis of the Degree of Integration of Multicultural Education Contents into Ethiopian Primary Teacher Education Curricula

Abstract

Addressing issues of diversity in the teacher education system of multicultural countries is high on the agenda worldwide because of the growing connectedness due to globalization. This suggests the importance of integrating issues of diversity in the teacher preparation programs of particularly multicultural states. It is in light of the above notion that this study investigates the extent to which issues of multicultural education are effectively incorporated into the primary teacher education curricula of Ethiopia in order to enhance the learning outcomes of students through addressing their cultures. The contents of five sample primary teacher education curricula were analyzed based on Banks’ (2001, 2010, 2014) four approaches to the integration of issues of multicultural education into teacher education curricula. To that end, in order to conduct the content analysis, a clear and valid coding sheet was prepared. Ten coders were selected and adequate trainings were given to them in order to help them effectively code the sample teacher education curricula. As such, the sample teacher education curricula were critically analyzed by two anonymous coders separately and then inter-rater reliability was calculated based on Sarantakos’ (2005) 80% standard. Results of the study revealed that basic elements of multicultural education are mostly missing in the current Ethiopian primary teacher education curricula. Conclusions and implications were drawn based on the findings of the study.

Keywords: analysis, curriculum, multicultural education, primary teacher education, learning outcomes

DOI: 10.7176/JPCR/50-03

Publication date:August 31st 2020