This Master’s thesis examines whether there is consistency between the declaratory level (i.e. laws), which is based on immigrant integration policy and thus includes the objectives of intercultural pedagogy, and the implementation level (i.e. curricula, teaching materials) in elementary schools. In such case, the curricula should comprise the objectives of intercultural education, in particular the development of intercultural competences, while textbooks should contain topics that would enable to meet the objective of intercultural education.
The purpose of the thesis is to demonstrate the presence of intercultural pedagogy objectives at the declaratory level, i.e. in the acts relating to elementary school where, in view of the integrative nature thereof, these objectives are indeed expected.
Moreover, the purpose of the thesis is to determine the existence or absence of intercultural education objectives that can be considered as operational, namely the objectives that strengthen intercultural competences. The author looks for such at the implementation level, in the curricula of social science subjects for the first and second educational periods of elementary school.
At the implementation level, the author also investigates the existence of topics that contribute to the development of intercultural competences among the pupils, which is the main objective of intercultural education. Such topics are sought in textbooks and workbooks for the same social science subjects.
The main finding of the thesis is that there is no full compliance between the declaratory and implementation levels and/or that there can be compliance provided that the curricula and teaching materials contain explicit objectives and topics which would guide the teachers to develop and enhance pupils’ intercultural competences. Moreover, teachers must be interculturally empathic, informed and trained, in order to be able to enhance and develop intercultural competences even based on indirect objectives and topics, thus providing for intercultural education. The conclusion proposes possible solutions based on the research.
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