Developing participatory teaching materials to promote multicultural learning for primary school classroom

Abstract

The aim of this research is to enhance multicultural learning and improve the skills of primary school students and teachers in visual media production. This is achieved through the implementation of participatory media production processes. The study incorporates three key concepts: tolerance (Sonia Nieto, 1993), communication action (Habermas, 1981), and the use of visual media. It takes place in a diverse primary school, encompassing various aspects of diversity such as ethnicity, race, language, gender, and socio-economic backgrounds. The participants involved in the study include primary school students, teachers, school committees, local cultural experts, and the school principal. Both qualitative and quantitative data were collected using a participatory action research methodology. Qualitative data collection methods involved conducting semi-structured interviews, participant and non-participant observations, and analyzing students' work. Quantitative data were gathered through the use of scales to measure multicultural competence and visual media production competence. The findings highlight three main steps in the implementation of participatory media production processes for promoting multicultural learning: comprehensive knowledge preparation in multicultural education, engaging in actions by creating storybooks and visual media centered on multicultural issues, and utilizing these resources for multicultural learning. These steps are guided by four principles: creating a safe space for expressing opinions, ensuring equal power dynamics among students, teachers, and participants, and selecting relevant stories or issues that resonate with students' lives, interests, and diversity. The study reveals moderate developments in multicultural competence and visual media production competency among students, while teachers exhibit a moderate development in multicultural competence and a high level of development in visual media production competency. The research emphasizes the importance of supportive factors such as positive attitudes from school administrators and the interest of teachers and students in multicultural education for the effective implementation of participatory media production processes. However, the study also acknowledges challenges related to teacher workload, students' readiness, and time constraints. By addressing these challenges and leveraging the supportive factors, the study suggests that the implementation of participatory media production processes can lead to significant advancements in multicultural learning and visual media production skills for both students and teachers.

Keywords: Multicultural learning, multicultural education, media production, participatory process, multicultural competence