Constraints and Possibilities for Intercultural Peace Curricula: A Critical Case Study of Teacher Involvement in Multicultural Change at a U.S. Midwestern High School

Abstract

The study of the education of minority and majority groups in pluralistic societies is important for understanding the processes of social and cultural change that are occurring in a culturally, economically, politically, and environmentally interdependent world. A small and unique window, this study provides a view of how a particular intercultural peace curricula effort at a U.S. Midwestern high school facilitated modest social change in a local context. This critical qualitative study engaged seven teacher inquirers in a curricula change effort. Specifically, this ethnographic action research project clarified the attitudinal and structural factors that impeded and/or facilitated an intercultural peace curricula development project--a project that responded to the current multicultural needs of a traditionally mono-cultural Indiana high school. This study ascertained the constraints and possibilities of intercultural peacebuilding opportunities within layers of educational policy contexts, organizational culture/s, and cultural meanings ascribed by both individuals and groups from diverse backgrounds at Junction High School.

The findings indicate that constraints on teacher time, on teacher energy, on school resources, and dominant Euro-American in-group norms were encountered during the curricula development process. Short-term, additive curricula units were developed and the following long term ideas were suggested but not initiated by teacher inquirers: cultural awareness education that permeates the school curriculum; a diversity course; diversity graduation requirements; and/or a school wide reading. Teacher inquirers reported changes from their involvement in the intercultural peace curricula development process: increased levels of cultural awareness; changes in their feelings toward newcomers and their classroom behaviors in relation to newcomers; and positive changes that they saw in newcomer student attitudes and behaviors. This case study provides a practice-oriented, conceptual, and theoretical braiding of peace education, of intercultural education, and of multicultural education.