Common Goals, Local and Global

Teachers’ Global Perceptions and Views, Practices and Needs in Multicultural Settings by Zoe Karanikola, Glykeria Katsiouli and Nektaria Palaiologou
‍Education Sciences, April 13, 2022

Many researchers have defined intercultural competence as focusing on the individual’s acquisition of skills, attitudes, knowledge and ways of thinking that could help them to avoid thinking that their own customs or cultures are superior to others and to move towards understanding and valuing many different cultures and customs. Recent research by Karanikola, Katsiouli, and Palaiologou further highlights the importance of intercultural and global competencies being taught in schools. Such competencies aid in the development of individuals who are respectful of themselves and others and can work collaboratively to reach common goals in local and global communities. Additionally, having teachers who are properly trained and motivated to support students from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds can positively impact these students. The results of the researchers’ semi-structured interviews revealed that teachers did not fully understand the differences between intercultural and global competencies, but they were able to identify some aspects of both and their general importance for students’ development. Some key practices for implementing these competencies are project-based teaching and learning, role-playing, and different dialogue and discussion techniques. Schools around the world can use this research to understand the importance of implementing relevant training to help foster students who are empathetic global citizens, are informed, and use social justice to enact change.