Conditions of Success in Intercultural School Development: Group Discussions About the Requirements of and Attitudes Toward Intercultural School Development

Abstract

In this study we investigate how intercultural school development can succeed, taking into account the perspective of teachers, principals, and mentors to teacher trainees. The large number of immigrant children and youth results in pressures on schools and school systems to act on their behalf. In the framework of investigative group discussions, teachers, principals, and mentors identified organizational structures, measures, cooperation, and attitudes which are important for an intercultural school development process. These requirements were grouped into categories using content analysis according to MAYRING (2010). From the findings, conditions for a successful school development process were derived. These conditions affect the organizational, personal and social levels. Schools must reach out to immigrant parents and encourage them to participate in school life as well as involving external support systems such as youth welfare services, therapeutic and medical institutions. Moreover, schools need to initiate counseling for both students and teachers, to strengthen teamwork and to reflect on attitudes towards diversity. Without providing further resources and further training, intercultural school development cannot be realized. Language barriers between teachers, students, and parents require structural changes as well as support for individual schools.

URN: http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:0114-fqs170281