Teaching multicultural students: Case studies of schools in Northern Thailand

Information from the abstract

The study investigates how three public schools in Northern Thailand implement multicultural education within linguistically and culturally diverse classroom contexts. It specifically examines how schools manage curriculum design and instructional practices to support students from multiple ethnic backgrounds. A qualitative multiple-case study design was employed. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with school administrators and teachers, as well as classroom and school-based field observations. The findings indicate that schools adopt three main strategies to operationalize multicultural education: (1) integration of multicultural content into existing subjects through curriculum enrichment and transformation, including the development of locally relevant courses and bilingual instructional models, (2) inclusion of schools that implement supplementary activities promoting intercultural understanding and positive intergroup relations among students, and (3) enhancement of teachers' multicultural competencies through professional development, policy support, and community engagement. Overall, the study shows that multicultural education in the selected schools is implemented through incremental adaptation rather than full curricular restructuring. These practices are supported by national policy frameworks, local educational authorities, school leadership, and community stakeholders. The study contributes to existing literature by providing empirical evidence from Thailand on how multicultural and multilingual education can be jointly operationalized within a national curriculum system while maintaining local cultural responsiveness.

Why this record is monitored

This record has an Impact Signal of 89/100 based on recency, source, collaboration, and bibliographic signals. It prioritizes monitoring and is not a judgment of research quality.

Related topics: Multilingual Education and Policy · Global Education and Multiculturalism · Southeast Asian Sociopolitical Studies