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Multicultural Education in a Pluralistic Society
8th Edition
Chapter 1
Foundations of Multicultural Education
Donna M. Gollnick and Philip C. Chinn
Merrill/Prentice Hall (2009)
Gollnick & Chinn
Multicultural Education in a Pluralistic Society
8th Edition
ISBN: 0136154743
Copyright ©2009 by Pearson Education, Inc.
Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458
All rights reserved.
2
Diversity in the Classroom
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Students of color now comprise approximately 40% of all
students in PreK-12th grade public schools in the United
States.
85 percent of teachers are white; 75 percent are female.
By 2020, students of color will account for nearly one-half
of elementary and secondary school populations.
In Arizona, California, the District of Columbia, Hawaii,
Mississippi, New Mexico, New York, and Texas, students of
color already represent more than 50% of school
populations.
Gollnick & Chinn
Multicultural Education in a Pluralistic Society
8th Edition
Copyright ©2009 by Pearson Education, Inc.
Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458
All rights reserved.
3
Religious Diversity
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Not only are schools ethnically and racially
diverse, but they are increasingly religiously
diverse.
There are many more types of faiths and
adherents to those faiths than ever before in
the United States.
Gollnick & Chinn
Multicultural Education in a Pluralistic Society
8th Edition
Copyright ©2009 by Pearson Education, Inc.
Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458
All rights reserved.
4
New Challenges for Educators
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With the arrival of each new group, new challenges await
educators who seek to work collaboratively with families
to respect holidays, rituals, and customs.
A goal is to help students affirm their cultural differences,
while realizing that their fellow students have many
similarities.
Working collaboratively with parents and communities is
becoming more critical in providing equitable education
to all students.
Gollnick & Chinn
Multicultural Education in a Pluralistic Society
8th Edition
Copyright ©2009 by Pearson Education, Inc.
Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458
All rights reserved.
5
Multicultural Education
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Fundamental beliefs of multicultural education include
the following:
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Cultural differences have strength and value.
Schools should be models for human rights and respect for
differences.
Social justice and equality for all should be of paramount
importance in curricula.
Schooling can provide the knowledge, skills, and
dispositions to help students from diverse groups learn.
Attitudes and values necessary for the continuation of a
democratic society can be promoted in schools.
Gollnick & Chinn
Multicultural Education in a Pluralistic Society
8th Edition
Copyright ©2009 by Pearson Education, Inc.
Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458
All rights reserved.
6
Multicultural Education: History
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Multicultural education has its roots in the early work of
African American scholars, intercultural education, and
ethnic studies.
The civil rights movement brought a renewed interest in
ethnic studies, discrimination, and intergroup relations.
Families were, and are, often erroneously blamed for not
providing their children with the cultural capital needed to
succeed in schools.
Schools are now held accountable for providing equitable
learning environments that help all students succeed.
Gollnick & Chinn
Multicultural Education in a Pluralistic Society
8th Edition
Copyright ©2009 by Pearson Education, Inc.
Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458
All rights reserved.
7
Multicultural Education: Today
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Today, multicultural education examines the
relationships and interactions of various cultural groups
and how the cultural backgrounds of the individual
students affect the behavior of each.
Multicultural education examines racism, sexism,
handicapism, prejudice, discrimination, and oppression.
Multicultural education examines and encourages
schools that emphasize equality and social justice.
Teacher certification standards are increasingly
addressing multicultural proficiencies necessary for
licensure.
Gollnick & Chinn
Multicultural Education in a Pluralistic Society
8th Edition
Copyright ©2009 by Pearson Education, Inc.
Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458
All rights reserved.
8
Culture
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Culture is a blueprint that determines how we think,
feel, and behave in society.
Culture provides accepted and patterned ways of
behavior necessary for people to live together.
Culture imposes order and meaning on our
experiences.
Culture allows us to predict how others will behave
in certain situations.
Within each culture are individuals, who are unique
expressions of many cultures and subcultures.
Gollnick & Chinn
Multicultural Education in a Pluralistic Society
8th Edition
Copyright ©2009 by Pearson Education, Inc.
Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458
All rights reserved.
9
Characteristics of Culture
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It is learned.
It is shared.
It is an adaptation.
It is dynamic.
Gollnick & Chinn
Multicultural Education in a Pluralistic Society
8th Edition
Copyright ©2009 by Pearson Education, Inc.
Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458
All rights reserved.
10
Enculturation and Socialization
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Both processes work together as the individual learns how
to act in a particular society.
Enculturation: The process of acquiring the characteristics
of a given culture and becoming competent in its language
and ways of behaving and knowing.
Socialization: The general process of learning the social
norms of the culture—e.g., what is expected in social roles,
such as mother, husband, student, and child, and in
occupational roles.
Gollnick & Chinn
Multicultural Education in a Pluralistic Society
8th Edition
Copyright ©2009 by Pearson Education, Inc.
Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458
All rights reserved.
11
Manifestations of Culture
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Culture is manifested in an infinite number of
ways through social institutions, lived
experiences, and the individual’s fulfillment of
psychological and basic needs.
It is primarily manifested through
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our values,
our nonverbal communication, and
our language.
Gollnick & Chinn
Multicultural Education in a Pluralistic Society
8th Edition
Copyright ©2009 by Pearson Education, Inc.
Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458
All rights reserved.
12
Ethnocentrism
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Ethnocentrism is the inability to view other cultures
as equally viable alternatives for organizing reality.
Ethnocentric individuals see their own traits as
natural, correct, and superior to others.
Ethnocentric individuals view other cultures as
strange, inferior, or wrong.
By overcoming one’s ethnocentric view of the world,
one can begin to respect other cultures and learn to
function in multiple cultural groups.
Gollnick & Chinn
Multicultural Education in a Pluralistic Society
8th Edition
Copyright ©2009 by Pearson Education, Inc.
Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458
All rights reserved.
13
Cultural Relativism
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Cultural relativism is an attempt to understand other
cultural systems in their own terms in the context of their
own cultural beliefs.
An old Native American proverb best describes cultural
relativism: “Never judge another man until you have
walked a mile in his moccasins.”
Understanding another culture first begins by clearly
understanding one’s own culture.
Gollnick & Chinn
Multicultural Education in a Pluralistic Society
8th Edition
Copyright ©2009 by Pearson Education, Inc.
Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458
All rights reserved.
14
Cultural Identity
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Our identities in any single group are influenced by our
historical and lived experiences and membership in other
groups.
The United States is particularly rich in the many distinct
groups that make up the population.
Group identity is based on traits and values learned as
part of our ethnicity, religion, gender, sexual orientation,
age, class, native language, geographic region, place of
residence, and abilities or exceptionalities.
Gollnick & Chinn
Multicultural Education in a Pluralistic Society
8th Edition
Copyright ©2009 by Pearson Education, Inc.
Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458
All rights reserved.
15
Individual Cultural Identity
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Individuals sharing membership in one cultural group may
not share membership in other groups.
Conversely, individuals may share membership in multiple
groups, influencing the characteristics and values of
membership in other groups.
 e.g., membership in religious groups influences gender
roles (culture of gender)
The interaction of these various group memberships within
society begins to determine an individual’s cultural identity.
Identity is fluid, not fixed, shifting across time through
experiences.
Gollnick & Chinn
Multicultural Education in a Pluralistic Society
8th Edition
Copyright ©2009 by Pearson Education, Inc.
Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458
All rights reserved.
16
Biculturalism and Multiculturalism
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Individuals who have competencies in two or more
different cultures and can function proficiently in
them are considered bicultural or multicultural.
Some individuals are forced to become bicultural,
living in their own ethnic community and working in
another cultural community where they must
develop proficiency.
Gollnick & Chinn
Multicultural Education in a Pluralistic Society
8th Edition
Copyright ©2009 by Pearson Education, Inc.
Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458
All rights reserved.
17
Dominant Culture
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The dominant culture in the United States has
received most of its influence from Western
European traditions.
Our language has its origins in England.
Our legal system is derived from English common
law.
Our middle class value system is European
influenced.
Gollnick & Chinn
Multicultural Education in a Pluralistic Society
8th Edition
Copyright ©2009 by Pearson Education, Inc.
Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458
All rights reserved.
18
WASP Influence
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Our formal institutions, government, schools, social
welfare, banks, and businesses have all had a
strong Anglo-Saxon influence.
Strong religious influences came from the early
Protestant immigrants.
We therefore refer to our country’s roots as being
white, Anglo-Saxon, and Protestant, or WASP.
Gollnick & Chinn
Multicultural Education in a Pluralistic Society
8th Edition
Copyright ©2009 by Pearson Education, Inc.
Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458
All rights reserved.
19
Individualism
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The overpowering value of the dominant group is
“individualism.”
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It is characterized by the belief that every individual is his
or her own master, with a goal of self-actualization.
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Individualism is grounded in the Western worldview that
individuals can control both nature and their destiny.
Gollnick & Chinn
Multicultural Education in a Pluralistic Society
8th Edition
Copyright ©2009 by Pearson Education, Inc.
Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458
All rights reserved.
20
Freedom
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Freedom is another core value of the dominant
group.
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Freedom is viewed as not having others determine
our values, ideas, or behaviors because we are free
to choose these as we please.
Gollnick & Chinn
Multicultural Education in a Pluralistic Society
8th Edition
Copyright ©2009 by Pearson Education, Inc.
Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458
All rights reserved.
21
Privilege
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Most male members of the dominant group do not view
themselves as privileged in our society and do not see
themselves as oppressors of others.
Most schools and teachers are unable to see the
inequities, racism, and powerlessness that many
students outside the dominant group face.
Most members of the dominant group have not had the
opportunity to explore their own European ethnicity and
privileged position in society.
Gollnick & Chinn
Multicultural Education in a Pluralistic Society
8th Edition
Copyright ©2009 by Pearson Education, Inc.
Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458
All rights reserved.
22
Acculturation
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Acculturation is, in essence, adopting or taking on
the culture of a new group.
This usually involves immigrants taking the culture
of the dominant group as their own.
This may include taking on the new language, the
new set of core values, the dress, the customs, the
foods, and so forth.
The immigrant family or individual usually decides
the degree to which acculturation will take place.
Gollnick & Chinn
Multicultural Education in a Pluralistic Society
8th Edition
Copyright ©2009 by Pearson Education, Inc.
Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458
All rights reserved.
23
Types of Acculturation
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Rambaut & Portes (2001) cite three types of
acculturation patterns:
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Consonant acculturation – Parents and children learn the
language and culture of the community in which they live at
approximately the same time.
Dissonant acculturation – Children learn the new language
and the new culture, while parents retain the native
language and culture, leading to conflict and decreased
parental authority.
Selective acculturation – Children learn the dominant
culture and language but retain significant elements of the
native culture.
Gollnick & Chinn
Multicultural Education in a Pluralistic Society
8th Edition
Copyright ©2009 by Pearson Education, Inc.
Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458
All rights reserved.
24
Assimilation
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During assimilation, a group’s distinctive cultural patterns
can become a part of the dominant culture or they can
disappear as the group adopts the dominant culture.
Structural assimilation occurs when the dominant group
shares primary group relationships with the second group
(for example, membership in same social clubs).
Policies to force children to adopt the dominant culture are
often reflected in the informal curricula of schools.
Gollnick & Chinn
Multicultural Education in a Pluralistic Society
8th Edition
Copyright ©2009 by Pearson Education, Inc.
Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458
All rights reserved.
25
Cultural Pluralism
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Cultural pluralism is the result of groups refusing or
not being permitted to assimilate into the dominant
American culture.
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Many immigrant groups have maintained their own
unique ethnic groups or enclaves (for example,
Chinatown in New York City, Korea Town, Los
Angeles, Little Saigon, and Orange County, CA).
Gollnick & Chinn
Multicultural Education in a Pluralistic Society
8th Edition
Copyright ©2009 by Pearson Education, Inc.
Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458
All rights reserved.
26
Equality and Social Justice
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The concepts of equality and individualism are
fundamental and core values in this country.
They sometimes oppose each other; we speak for
equality for all and yet demand the right for
individualism and the ability to achieve one’s own
happiness and pursue personal resources.
The privileged have so much of the resources but
are reluctant to share or give any up for the sake of
equality.
Gollnick & Chinn
Multicultural Education in a Pluralistic Society
8th Edition
Copyright ©2009 by Pearson Education, Inc.
Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458
All rights reserved.
27
Individualism and Meritocracy
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Those who support the concepts of meritocracy
believe that inequalities are the natural outcome of
individual differences.
Oppressed groups are seen as inferior and their
hardships are due to their own characteristics.
Meritocracy ensures that the ablest, most
meritorious, hardworking, and talented acquire the
most, achieve the most, and become the leaders.
Gollnick & Chinn
Multicultural Education in a Pluralistic Society
8th Edition
Copyright ©2009 by Pearson Education, Inc.
Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458
All rights reserved.
28
Equality
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Those who believe in equality care about people who
have fewer resources and develop policies that allow
more people to share in the nation’s wealth.
They believe that patterns of inequality are not the
product of corrupt individuals, but rather are a reflection
of how resources and political power, and cultural and
social dominance are built into the entire politicaleconomic system.
Equality suggests fairness in the distribution of the
conditions and goods that affect the well-being of all
children and families.
Gollnick & Chinn
Multicultural Education in a Pluralistic Society
8th Edition
Copyright ©2009 by Pearson Education, Inc.
Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458
All rights reserved.
29
Social Justice
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Social justice means that every citizen is treated
justly and fairly and with dignity.
Social justice demands that students be educated
on a level playing field.
Schools in poor areas must have the same
resources and the same quality of teachers as the
public schools in the affluent areas.
Gollnick & Chinn
Multicultural Education in a Pluralistic Society
8th Edition
Copyright ©2009 by Pearson Education, Inc.
Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458
All rights reserved.
30
Obstacles to Social Justice
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Prejudice is the aversion to members of certain
cultural groups. It manifests itself in fear, anger,
hatred, and distrust.
Research has shown that many white teachers
possess prejudiced attitudes toward students of
color, believing them to lack ability and motivation.
Many of these students have enough disadvantages
working against them without the biased attitudes of
their teachers.
Gollnick & Chinn
Multicultural Education in a Pluralistic Society
8th Edition
Copyright ©2009 by Pearson Education, Inc.
Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458
All rights reserved.
31
More Obstacles to Social Justice
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While prejudice focuses on attitudes, discrimination focuses
on behaviors.
When the schools in which students of color predominate
the student population are also where the least
experienced teacher is sent, the repairs are neglected, and
the resources are less than in the affluent communities
where the parents are influential, then discrimination is a
major obstacle.
Classroom and school interactions, resources, activities,
and practices must be evaluated to ensure that
discrimination does not occur.
Gollnick & Chinn
Multicultural Education in a Pluralistic Society
8th Edition
Copyright ©2009 by Pearson Education, Inc.
Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458
All rights reserved.