An investigation of the perceived multicultural competence among teachers in the Maltese education system

Abstract

Increasingly more students from different cultures are entering the education system in Malta heightening the need for all education professionals to be culturally competent, especially teachers. Specifically, teachers and transcultural counsellors who possess multicultural competence (awareness, knowledge and skills) can collaborate together to enhance the wellbeing of all students. The purpose of the study was to explore the perceived multicultural competence of teachers in state primary and secondary schools in Malta and Gozo. The research questions were: What is the perception of multicultural competence among state primary and secondary school teachers in Malta and Gozo? What is the relationship between perception of multicultural competence and teachers’ demographic factors? Based on the findings, how can transcultural counsellors and teachers collaborate together for the wellbeing of students? This study surveyed 191 teachers from state primary and secondary schools across colleges in Malta and Gozo. Findings reveal that teachers scored highest on Awareness and least in Skills. Teachers who attended a multicultural course scored significantly higher in their cultural competence than those who did not. The study sheds light on issues related to ethnorelativism, ethnocentrism and inclusion. Based on the findings, it is recommended that teachers actively work to increase their cultural competence and engage in dialogue and intentional collaborations with counsellors to meet the needs of students from diverse backgrounds.