Rethinking Multiculturalism/Reassessing Multicultural Education

A group of young children in school uniforms standing together.

Researchers: Dr Megan Watkins , Associate Professor Greg Noble, Kevin Dunn, Nell Lynes, Amanda Bourke, Robyn Mamouney
Funding: Australian Research Council (opens in a new window), Linkage Project
Period: 2011-2013
Website: Rethinking Multiculturalism/Reassessing Multicultural Education (opens in a new window)
» Fact sheet (opens in a new window) (PDF, 94KB)

This project aims to shed light on the challenges posed by increasing cultural complexity in schools and their communities. It is examining approaches to multiculturalism in NSW government schools in urban and rural areas and how these link to the role of education in promoting social inclusion. The project explores the relation between perceptions of difference that shape teaching practice and the rationales of multicultural programs through an analysis of policy discourse, a statewide survey of teachers and focus groups with teachers, parents and students. These will then inform professional learning for teachers and action research projects in schools developing innovative approaches to meeting the needs of culturally diverse communities and improving teacher knowledge.

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The Institute for Culture and Society is located in Parramatta, “the place where the eel sets down” in Dharug language,
along the north bank of the Parramatta River. It sits on the traditional lands and waters of the Burramattagal people of the Dharug Nation,
who have been stewards and caretakers of these territories since time immemorial, in what today is referred to as Greater Western Sydney,
one of the most diverse cultural communities in the world and home to the largest number of Indigenous Australians in the country.
The Institute for Culture and Society acknowledges the Dharug, Eora, Dharawal (also referred to as Tharawal)
and Wiradjuri peoples as traditional custodians and Indigenous knowledge-holders, whose storytelling serve
as historical record, a form of teaching and learning, a way to care for Country,
and an expression of Indigenous culture and identity.