Themes and papers
The themes to
be explored during the 1st Annual Online Symposium are:
• Internationalisation and multiculturalism in Maltese society
• Internationalisation and multiculturalism in schools
• Working in international and multicultural schools
• Effective international and multicultural practices in schools
and society
The following papers have been selected for
presentation during the 1st Annual Online Symposium. You can also
download the full book of abstracts and programme here.
Internationalisation and multiculturalism in Maltese society
Educators’ constructions
of Maltese society
Dr Louise Chircop
In
the span of a few decades, Maltese society witnessed rapid social, cultural and
political changes transforming itself from a primarily monocultural society
into a multicultural one. The introduction of progressive civil rights
legislation brought forth new understandings of gender, gender identity and
family constructs. The Catholic Church is slowly losing its potential to
influence its followers. These changes might be seen as a threat to the moral
fiber of Maltese society, or an opportunity to see beyond the insularity of an
island state. The aim of this paper is to explore the yet largely uncharted
waters of how Maltese educators construct Maltese society and social diversity,
which ultimately influence their practices in school. The study draws on social
constructionism as a theoretical framework. I argue that teachers’
constructions of, and attitudes towards social diversity in Maltese society
cannot be taken out of the context in which these have been socialised,
nurtured, and perhaps sustained or otherwise challenged. In-depth
semi-structured interviews were held with 19 participants hailing from State,
Church and Independent schools. Critical Discourse Analysis was applied to
analyse the data gathered. Educators’ constructions of Maltese society and the
social diversity within it reflected their location as citizens of an island
nation, with some of the participants seeking to preserve their visions and
traditions of an imagined community while others looking outward and embracing
change as something positive. They provided multiple constructions of Maltese
society and social diversity, reflecting the geopolitics, history, religion and
size of the island.
Keywords: educators, Maltese society, social diversity, constructions
Dr. Louise Chircop was a primary class teacher for 20 years. She is currently an
Ethics support teacher and a teacher educator at the University of Malta, where
she teaches at undergraduate and Master’s Level. Her main research areas
include, social diversity, teacher identity, the experiences of Muslim students
in schools and teachers' practices in a socially diverse setting.
Internationalisation of Maltese society and education
Ms Christine Fenech and Dr Anita Seguna
Malta has witnessed
a stark increase in immigration in recent years. The European Commission’s
Country Report for Malta 2019 (European Commission 2019)
suggests that labour and skills shortages may be a pull-factor for
international labour to Malta. However, push and pull-factors for migration
have become more complex in the 20th century including aspects such as safety
from wars, and political or economic crises (Arar et al 2019, 2020a, 2020b; IOM
2020). Moreover, the profile of migrants has changed from targeted recruitment
of guest workers in the post-war period to substantial diversity of countries
of origin, languages, religions or migration channels (Massey 1990; Vertovec
2007, 2018). This diversification can also be witnessed in Maltese society and
education and is posing challenges for schools to provide inclusive education
suited to the learning needs of a diversifying student population (Bezzina
& Vassallo 2019). However, while some qualitative research, through
isolated snapshots of the numbers of international students in compulsory
education exist, detailed data and analysis of its development over time are
lacking.
This research,
therefore, investigates data collected in recent years, in Maltese society and
compulsory education. By studying the change in figures, of international
residents and students in compulsory education (public, church and private
schools), the article provides evidence of the rate at which diversification
has been witnessed. It focuses upon diversification by sector and evaluates
geographical differences witnessed within this diversification. Moreover, it
investigates differences in the profile of international students enrolled in
different educational institutions to demonstrate the extent to which
‘super-diversity’ is encountered within Maltese schools.
Keywords: immigration, internationalisation,
Malta, education, perception, policy
Christine Fenech is the Senior Manager
Research and Development at the Institute for Education, which aims at
supporting teachers, parents and students to address challenges they face
through evidence-based guidelines. Previously she worked as Manager Research
and Policy at the National Commission for Further and Higher Education. She
holds an MA in History of Art, Political Science and Philosophy from the Free
University of Berlin and a Master in Comparative Euro-Mediterranean Education
Studies from the University of Malta.
Anita Seguna has worked in the
educational field since 1993 performing various roles: teacher, Head of School,
Head of Curriculum Design and Professional Learning, mentor, tutor and lecturer.
She is a part-time lecturer at the Institute for Education, Malta and the
Friedrich-Alexander University of Erlangen-Nürnberg. She believes in the
importance of andragogy and a hands-on approach in the professional development
of teachers. She is also the author of several books in Maltese for children
and teenagers. Anita Seguna holds a Ph.D. from Friedrich-Alexander University
of Erlangen-Nürnberg. In her thesis, she investigated internationalisation in
secondary schools in Malta. She ascertains that internationalisation is a
process that integrates a global perspective into the schools’ development.
Internationalisation
and multiculturalism in schools
The Experience of Multiculturalism in Schools in Malta: A
qualitative exploration
Ms Mariella Debono
This paper focuses
on the experience of multiculturalism in schools in Malta from a sociological
perspective. The various connotations of the term ‘multiculturalism’ are
discussed, also within the Maltese context. Drawing on a number of scholarly
works such as those of Kymlicka (2010) and Parekh (2006) multiculturalism is
seen as a political endeavour engaged first and foremost in developing new
models of democratic citizenship. The role of education in this endeavour is
concerned with humanisation not just socialisation. The increase in pupils with
different nationalities and ethnicities in schools in Malta is analysed within
the increasing “fluidity and hybridity” of identity as presented by Cantle
(2012) and by Sen’s (2006) “plural identities” as opposed to the “solitarist
approach” to identity. This complexity gives rise to “liquid fear”, fear of the
strange (Bauman, 2000) and a situation of uncertainty in keeping balance
between change and retaining identity (Modood, 2013). Within this theoretical
framework the research set out to explore, by means of a case study of a State
Secondary school in Malta, the question ‘How, if at all, does multiculturalism
impact the experience of pupils and teachers at school?’ Two expert interviews
were also carried out and the relevant statistics were consulted to put the
case study in a wider national and international context. The results show that
the situation is one of a mixture of assimilation and indifference towards
multicultural differences, with the Maltese language and the Catholic religion
still having a stronghold on the schooling experience despite the increase in
multilingualism and religious pluralism.
Keywords: multiculturalism, diversity,
identity, integration, citizenship, qualitative research, case study,
interviews
Mariella Debono graduated with a BA
(Hons), a P.G.C.E. and a Masters in Sociology from the University of Malta,
specialising in the area of ‘multiculturalism’. She is a lecturer in Sociology
at a State Sixth Form and at the University of Malta, and a freelance
sociologist providing services also to the Institute for Education, Malta. She is co-founder and currently
vice-chairperson of the Malta Sociological Association.
Keeping the student at the focus – character education in a
multicultural and internationalised context
Fr Mark Ellul
This paper will
explore the effects of a multicultural society and social interaction on the
formation of character and a values system in children. It will discuss how the
school community can create a culture that supports every individual to explore
one’s values hierarchy, whilst helping students to develop their character and flourish.
It will argue that schools can help to foster a culture of inclusion where all
can feel safe, valued and enabled to bloom. Schools that are firmly committed
to developing the whole child give importance to character education. Character
education is a systematic approach that helps students improve their moral
judgment and thinking. It helps students to acquire basic human values.
Character education becomes even more important in a multicultural context, it
provides the basic tools that help one to be inclusive and integrate different
beliefs. Humans are social beings and interact with others, this interaction
helps individuals to change their attitudes to integrate within the group. The
family, peers and schools provide groups of interactions that influence the
children’s character formation. They can provide groups of belonging where one
can feel safe and widen one’s belief system. The sense of trust created within
groups of belonging provides a positive experience where one can examine one’s
beliefs and develops them. The role of the media and virtual groups should not
be underestimated; in today’s culture, they play an important role on values
and character development.
Keywords: Character education; Values
Education; Values Formation; Schools and Values
Fr. Mark Ellul is the Headmaster of the
Archbishop’s Seminary. Observing the development of students and how they form
a specific valued hierarchy to effectively integrate within society and being
the headteacher of one of the Catholic schools in Malta led the author to link
his philosophical and theological background with his educational training. His
field of research is character and values education and is reading for a PhD in
Educational Leadership at University College London.
The language of the future: The motivation of adults in Malta to
study Mandarin Chinese as a foreign language
Ms Christiana Gauci Sciberras
China’s economic
growth and opening up to the western world have led many people in the West to
study Mandarin Chinese as a second or as an additional foreign language. Due to
the rise of China, many people in the West are seeking to learn Mandarin
Chinese in order to be able to communicate better with the endless
opportunities that such a great culture and economy bring with it. As Hu Jintao
said in his address to the Australian Parliament on the 24th of October 2003;
The Chinese culture belongs not only to the Chinese but also to the whole
world, suggesting that the Chinese actually welcome foreigners to learn their
language and culture. In fact, many adults in the Western world are choosing to
learn Mandarin Chinese as a foreign language for a number of different reasons;
among which to improve their future career prospects. The current study aims to
find out what motivates adult learners to choose to attend courses in basic
Mandarin Chinese language and culture in Malta.
Keywords: Teaching Chinese as a Foreign
Language, non-native teachers of Chinese, adult education, foreign language
teaching
Christiana Gauci Sciberras teaches
Chinese Mandarin to year 7 students at St. Margaret College (Cospicua) and to
adult learners at the Directorate for Lifelong Learning. She has also taught
study units in Chinese culture at the University of Malta. Christiana is a PhD
candidate in the area of Teaching Chinese as a Foreign Language at the
University of Southampton (UK). Her main research interests are Teaching
Chinese as a Foreign Language, teacher identity, development of teaching
resources, multilingual education, and modern Chinese language and cultural
studies.
How is the Learning Outcomes Framework responding to an
internationalised school culture in primary schools in Malta?
Mr Heathcliff Schembri
The Maltese
education system is currently experiencing a revolutionary reform in the way
the teaching and learning process is designed in classrooms at all levels,
including primary schooling. As of September 2018, the island has started
shifting from a content-based to an outcomes-based teaching and learning and
the move is referred to as the introduction, or better the enactment, of the
Learning Outcomes Framework (LOF, 2015). The LOF is being promoted as a way to
decentralize teaching and give schools the autonomy to develop their own
learning programmes according to the diverse abilities and needs of the
learners in a particular school or College (i.e. a cluster of schools within a
catchment area). This LOF structure is in line and has been assembled to
support the National Curriculum Framework (NCF, 2012). Since the LOF is the
first curriculum framework to be introduced in Malta since its membership in
the EU in 2004, it is also devised in a way to reflect other important policy
documents issued by the EU Commission such as the Key Competences for Lifelong
Learning - A European Reference Framework (2006) and Europe 2020 - A strategy
for smart sustainable and inclusive growth (2010). The former discusses key
competences such as multilingualism, active citizenship and cultural
awareness/expression while the latter includes migration, educational provision
and educational structures as part of the strategy. This paper explains how the
LOF reflects such EU policy documents and determines ways how the LOF is
responding to internationalisation present in primary schools in Malta. A
literature review of the current field scenario is presented. This is followed
by an in-depth analysis of recent local policy developments and current
practices which reflect how the enactment of the LOF in Malta is contributing
to multicultural climates in primary schools. The results indicate that
although objectives are set, many are still not understanding why the enactment
of the LOF and how this is promoting internationalisation of schools in Malta.
Further provision of professional training to educators and other stakeholders
in primary schools, further support to schools and proper engagement of all
students in the field are needed to clarify and reach the set objectives.
Keywords: primary education,
outcomes-based education, multicultural education, internationalisation, Malta
Heathcliff Schembri is
Head of Department (Curriculum) at the Migrant Learners’ Unit within MEDE. He
holds a B.Ed in Primary Education and an M.A. from the University of Malta and
is a PhD candidate at the University of East Anglia focusing on curriculum
changes in Maltese primary schools. Previously he worked for 11 years as a
Support Teacher and Classroom Teacher in primary schools in Malta. Heathcliff
is the Malta Ambassador for the Europeana project by European Schoolnet and the
President of the local NGO Right2Smile. He is a visiting lecturer at the
Institute for Education, University of Malta and MCAST.
Working in international and multicultural schools
Migrant Learners' Unit: Scaffolding a learning culture without silos
Ms Jane Farrugia Buhagiar and Ms Lara Sammut
The aim of this
paper is to give an insight on the work of the Migrant Learners’ Unit (MLU)
within the Ministry for Education and Employment (MEDE), an initiative with a
commitment that goes beyond academic achievement. This paper will explain in
detail the rationale of the Unit, explaining how it operates at organisational
and at education provision levels. Furthermore, it will expound on how the MLU
works with various stakeholders to build an understanding of various factors
which enable the migrant learner to achieve a socially just educational experience.
It will give a brief recount of the events that have influenced this area of
education in the recent years and specifically look at the setting up of the
MLU. It will also illustrate how various policies have influenced the setting
up and the work done by the MLU.
Keywords: internationalisation,
multiculturalism, diversity, social inclusion, social wellbeing, equity
Jane Farrugia Buhagiar taught for more
than sixteen years in various schools. She worked as a teacher trainer and
participated in the Summer Institute at the National Writing Project (NWP) site
at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte.
In 2009 she was
appointed an Education Officer. She was part of the consultative working group
on migrant learners in schools in 2013 and was involved in the setting up of
the provision of language induction processes for newcomer learners.
Since 2011, Jane has
been involved in the coordination and management of five EU co-funded projects
which focused on the training of teachers, the provision of language teaching
and parental support for the integration of newcomer learner.
Jane is currently an
education officer within the Migrant Learners’ Unit.
Lara Sammut is a professionally trained
teacher specialising in the teaching of foreign languages. She is passionate
about continuous professional development and the teaching of foreign
languages. She has participated in various fora involving migration and the
coordination of EU funded social cohesion projects. She covers the duties
of Education Officer at the Migrant Learners’ Unit within the Ministry for
Education and Employment, in Malta.
Preventing Radicalisation
in Maltese schools: Learning from the UK’s Prevent duty experience
Ms Daniela Scerri
The
concept of radicalization became a popular concept after the London bombings of
2005, and when official and media discourses proliferated this term become a
fixture in terrorism and counter -terrorism debates.
Since
2005, the UK government has been at the forefront and a global actor in
developing a policy to counter violent extremism, and at the moment countries
like Malta are currently looking at the UK to see how such policies are working.
In 2015, the UK became the first country to introduce a statutory obligation
known as ‘Prevent duty’ or ‘the duty’ on schools and universities to “prevent
young people from being drawn to terrorism”. (DfE 2015, p.3) Over the years the
policy has raised a number of ethical dilemmas in the education sector. Drawing
on empirical research conducted on the impact the duty (DfE 2015) on schools in
England and Wales, I shall put forward some reflections as to pitfalls Maltese
authorities need to watch out for when developing a tailor-made policy for
Malta to counter violent extremism in schools.
Ms Daniela Scerri is a former English and PSD secondary school teacher from Malta,
currently working at the European Commission in Brussels. In 2011 and 2014,
respectively, she pursued two Master’s Degrees one in International Security
Studies at the University of Leicester, UK and another in Terrorism and
Political Violence at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland. She is
currently in her fourth year (part-time) of her PhD studies in Criminology at
Royal Holloway University, London focusing on how education can help counter violent
radicalisation of young people.
Social and Academic Preferences of Migrant Students in a Secondary
School: The View from Within
Ms Antoinette Schembri
This paper studies
perceptions of migrant students from one particular cohort attending a Maltese
state school. The students, whose parents are both migrants, come from
different backgrounds and cultures. Informal conversations were held, and data
gathered was collated with participant observation. The results show that when
migrant students are small in number, irrespective of whether they had been
born in Malta or abroad, they did not find difficulties to integrate with their
peers. Such integration depended also on the work carried out by the teachers
and learning support educators. Their work is indispensable to make them feel
academically integrated. Sports is a good medium to socially integrate these
students, irrespective of gender. National policies are important, but success
finally lies in the individual approach taken by the school.
Keywords: migrant students, secondary
schools, integration
Antoinette Schembri has worked in the
education sector for the past 23 years as a teacher in secondary schools and
currently holds the post of assistant head of school. She holds two Master’s
degrees, one in History and another one in Educational Leadership. Currently,
she is reading for a Ph.D at the University of Warwick, specialising in
alternative education, early school leaving and absenteeism, and migrant
students. Antoinette Schembri has presented her work in various conferences in
the UK and Europe and her papers have appeared in a number of different
journals.
How can intercultural diversity be understood? The lecturers'
response
Dr. Damian Spiteri and Dr. Anita Seguna
Education set-ups
across different age cohorts and countries often pride themselves in having
students from various nations. The objective of this paper is to understand
how, within a Maltese context, lecturers at sixth form level understand and
consider intercultural diversity when implementing the curriculum. It also
studies how lecturers’ personal experiences with race and culture inform their
thinking on a meta-reflective level. Previous research has shown the importance
of the use of reflection in teacher education (Davis 2006) and the use of
portfolios for learning and assessment (Chetcuti et al. 2006) but little
research has been carried out on teachers’ perspectives of teaching
intercultural classes at a sixth form level. The study aims to fill in this
lacuna in the literature by exploring what lecturers believe influences their
ideas and practices of intercultural education in the classes they teach. There
are clear implications of this study for policy, particularly showing that good
will and having the best of intentions need to be augmented by a curriculum
that is flexible enough to accommodate for students from different cultural
groups if student learning is to be optimised across the board.
Keywords: teaching pedagogy;
race/culture; power and influence; student-centred or curriculum-centred teaching;
inter/multiculturalism
Damian Spiteri has been active in the
education field for the past 25 years and has worked as a school social worker,
teacher, guidance teacher, and lecturer. He is a senior lecturer in health and
social care at MCAST and has also lectured in social work at the University of
Malta, University of Strathclyde and the University of York. He has a keen
interest in the area of multicultural education and has presented widely on the
topic in various university settings in Europe, America and Asia. He is also
the author of a book on multicultural education that was published by Palgrave
Macmillan and is now working on his second book on Migrant Education that will
be published later this year.
Anita Seguna has worked in the
educational field since 1993 performing various roles: Teacher, Head of School,
Head of Curriculum Design and Professional Learning, Mentor, Tutor and
Lecturer. She is a part-time lecturer at the Institute for Education, Malta and
at the Friedrich-Alexander University of Erlangen-Nürnberg. She believes in the
importance of andragogy and a hands-on approach in the professional development
of teachers. She is also the author of several books in Maltese for children
and teenagers. Anita Seguna holds a Ph.D. from Friedrich-Alexander University
of Erlangen-Nürnberg. In her thesis, she investigated internationalisation in
secondary schools in Malta. She ascertains that internationalisation is a
process that integrates a global perspective into the schools’ development.
Tracking Conceptual
Development in Multicultural Education: A mixed-methods approach
Mr
Brian Vassallo
The plurality of cultural
differences permeating the walls of Maltese classrooms has offered researchers
in Multicultural Education an opportunity to use various research tools in
their quest to access progress in teacher education programs. Programs purporting to impart or somehow
develop the skills of educators to embrace multiculturalism in classrooms have
been devoid of effective tracking methods to determine their effectivity. The
paper examines the variations in beliefs and concepts of 29 teachers attending
a 20 hr course on multicultural education focusing on knowledge, understanding,
competences and critical abilities needed to teach students from culturally
diverse backgrounds. Teachers attending training were exposed to a range of
pedagogical practices including the use of micro groups, case study
illustrations, videos from YoutubeTM, whole group activities and connecting
experiences. The course participants were asked to draw concept maps
highlighting their understanding on Multicultural Education before and after the
sessions. Besides, participants were asked to write reflective journals during
and at the end of the course. Evidence suggests that after being exposed to
training in Multicultural Education, participants are more willing to engage in
critical self-reflections and to adopt changes in teaching strategies so as to
include all students under their care, irrespective of cultural background. The
research also asserts that there were substantial changes in concept formation
in all categories under study which were highly beneficial to participants as
they progressed through the sessions as evidenced by both concept maps and
reflective journal analysis.
The paper touches
upon the role of various stakeholders in education to provide professional
training in Multicultural Education for all educators. It also advocates for
human and financial capital to reaffirm our nation’s commitment towards an
educational system that promotes a level playing field for every child thus
ensuring fair opportunities for fuller participation in an increasingly diverse
society.
Keywords: Multicultural Education;
Concept maps; Reflective journals, Training programs
Mr Brian Vassallo B. Psy (gen), Dip Inc
Ed, MSc (UK) is a graduate in Psychology and in Inclusive Education from the
University of Malta and also a Master’s graduate in Educational Leadership from
the University of Leicester (UK). He is a visiting lecturer at the University
of Malta where he contributes within the Faculty of Education and the Faculty
of Laws. He is the author of numerous research papers published locally and in
renowned international journals. His research interests include Multicultural
Educational Leadership, and Cultural and Disability Inclusion. Mr Vassallo is
also a program development expert within the Institute for Education.
Effective international and multicultural practices in
schools and society
Expanding Borders - A study on Cultural Intelligence and Leadership
Styles in a Maltese Primary School
Ms Janice Darmanin
This short study
titled ‘expanding borders’ seeks to find the key to effectively create
educational communities in the ever-growing multicultural settings which we, as
educational leaders, are facing. It explores the main research question chosen:
Is Cultural Intelligence affecting the Leadership Styles in a Maltese Primary
School. Other issues were involved such as: • Does having a variety of
different cultures in a school affect the leadership styles of the School
Leader? How does this happen? • Do leaders shape culture, or are they shaped by
it? How should leadership styles be adapted in the education sector? The
research being carried out in this small-scale project is based on Theoretical
Research. It is aimed at giving a picture of how a leader needs to use cultural
intelligence in a multicultural school setting. Both quantitative and
qualitative methods of inquiry have been used in this project. These include online
surveys, unstructured questionnaires and interviews. This small-scale project showed that cultural
intelligence should have a very important role in the leadership styles used in
a multicultural setting. It is evident that there is a positive relationship
between having cultural intelligence, knowing how to use it and leadership
styles which need to be adopted to enhance all this and reap the benefits. This
study recommends that empowering and transformative leadership styles should be
adopted to create a positive impact on learning and outcomes, and furthermore
to sustain a positive and powerful learning community in our schools. This is
particularly crucial as nationwide changes will persist and different cultures
continue to intertwine.
Keywords: multiculturalism,
multicultural school, cultural intelligence, leadership styles, empowerment,
transformative leadership, positive learning community
Janice Darmanin born in 1978, in Sydney
Australia had her primary education in an Australian multicultural Church School.
She continued her education in Malta and graduated from the University of Malta
with a Bachelor’s Degree in Maltese and Early & Middle Years. Her career as
a primary school teacher involves 11 years of teaching Personal and Social
Development in around 12 different schools. In 2011 she was appointed Assistant
Head of a Primary School which faces various challenges due to socio-economic
reasons, apart from it becoming a multicultural school. She is currently
reading her Master’s Degree in Applied Educational Leadership with the
Institute of Education.
Addressing Societal Polarisation in Maltese Schools through Experimental
Laboratories
Dr. Aitana Radu and
Ms. Giulia De Vita
Maltese society is
experiencing an increase in its diversity due to a booming economy and the
position of the country in the Mediterranean, which are bringing different
waves of migration to the island. Difficulties in the integration of these
communities with the local community and tensions among them are some of the
consequences of this phenomenon. Schools are in particular an important
environment in which these tensions manifest themselves, and children from
different backgrounds are increasingly polarized. Moreover, Malta, similar to
the rest of Europe is also increasingly exposed to more radical ideologies of
various types, which are contributing to social polarisation. Furthermore,
young people are often made more vulnerable and at risk of being exposed to
these ideologies because of their intense use of social media. As part of the
ARMOUR project, we have carried out qualitative research with first-line
practitioners working with children and young people, including teachers,
social workers, youth workers and police. The findings showed that
practitioners are not prepared for this change and often are lacking the skills
for properly addressing the ever increasing polarisation. Teachers in particular
called for increased training on how to address societal polarisation and
encourage integration and inclusion in schools. Following the approach promoted
by RAN EDU (Radicalisation Awareness Network, 2016) the ARMOUR projects has
developed a series of exercises that – when used by first-line practitioners –
can empower children and young people, making them less vulnerable to extreme
ideologies, through the development and strengthening of critical thinking, as
well as basic life skills and social competencies that are essential for active
citizenship.
Keywords: social polarisation,
radicalisation, violent extremism, prevention, children, young people,
first-line practitioners, education
Dr. Aitana Radu is the Security Research
Coordinator within the Department of Information Policy & Governance. Her
research focuses on different aspects of security science, from violent
radicalisation to intelligence oversight. Since 2013, Dr Radu has worked on
several European-funded projects in both the design and implementation phases,
focusing mostly on radicalization in the ARMOUR and JP-COOPS projects, law
enforcement practices (CITYCoP and MIRROR), the implementation of the European
Investigation Order (SAT-LAW and PRE-RIGHTS), disaster management (CARISMAND)
and developing security science (ESSENTIAL).
Giulia De Vita is a Research Support
Officer within the Department of Information Policy & Governance at the
University of Malta. She joined the department in March 2019, after working in
the field of migration both in Brussels and Malta. Since joining the
department, she has been contributing to the research activities in the ARMOUR
project, on the prevention of radicalization in young people, and in the MIRROR
project, on mass migration and border-management. Giulia holds an M.A. in
Social Policy and Economics from the University of Edinburgh and an M.A. in
International Relations from the University of Groningen.
Facing the Challenge of Preparing Maltese Schools and Students for a
Multicultural Society: An Opportunity to Redefine Identity in the Light of
“Otherness”
Mr Edward Wright
Collaboration
between the SfCE and the production house CPI in organizing multiculturalism
seminars for Year 10 students in all Maltese schools has the main objective of
providing opportunities for discussion, sharing of and reflection upon own
experience and perspectives on multiculturalism, as well as listen to
experiences of people coming from diverse cultures. This paper will report the
results of a qualitative research study that has been carried out over these
past three years to assess and evaluate the effectiveness of such an
educational project and understand how its design can be improved. Interviews
with students and teachers during and after the seminars, small group discussions
during the event, and a couple of focus groups organized after, were all
transcribed and analyzed narratively and thematically. The results point
towards the students’ need to learn what multiculturalism really means, the
beautiful and enriching challenges it offers, how these can be dealt with in
ways that nurture self-growth in the light of the “other”, and fruitful
dialogue that enhances holistic identity. These results also highlight the need
for students’ voices to be heard with respect to their experiences of
multiculturalism, a first step toward the reduction of their prejudices and
stereotypes. These voices could lead to increased acceptance of and greater
respect for the “other”, realization that conviviality of diverse cultures is
both inevitable and necessary for holistic identity and well-being in today’s
demographic landscape. The paper’s narrative literature review evaluates
different models of multicultural education that adopt inclusive and democratic
approaches, and are based on principles of democracy, equality and impartial
justice. Such educational projects can increase students’ open-mindedness and
open-heartedness towards people from other cultures, facilitating the path
towards responsible citizenship as students seek to use their positive energy
and virtues for the common good of our multicultural society.
Keywords: Multiculturalism education,
personal identity, collective identity, otherness, critical reflection,
qualitative research.
Edward
Wright is
a doctoral student at Bournemouth University and a Visiting Lecturer at the
Faculties of Education and Theology at the University of Malta, as well as at
the Institute for Education. He also works at the Maltese Secretariat for
Catholic Education as the Head of Department for Media Literacy Education, PSCD
and Religious Education.