Psychological prerequisites for intercultural education in childhood and adolescence in a multicultural environment

Abstract

This paper reviews theoretical and empirical studies by a number of authors and presents the outcomes of our own long-term cross-cultural comparative studies of children and adolescents, their parents and teachers, representatives of various ethnic and cultural groups. Among many alarming trends that can be observed in present-day Bulgaria, one of the most disturbing is emigration. Statistics show that since the 1990s around two million Bulgarian citizens left their homeland, and that 56 % of those emigrants were aged 20–39 years, in the prime of their employment and reproductive age. A number of psychological questionnaires enabled the researchers to establish the emigrants’ views and attitudes to the educational environment, their relationships and subjective evaluation of their own well-being, which allowed the authors to make a number of conclusions. The authors state that it is necessary to seek consensus between the various philosophical and methodological views of liberalism, conservatism, multiculturalism, etc. in socio-educational practices. The practices should have a systemic character and common goals based on real psychological prerequisites for the education of children and youngsters living in a multicultural environment. The authors suggest that it is necessary to apply the “spiral” principle to the construction of the educational content in both school subjects and schooling years; to involve and encourage pupils to actively apply their cultural knowledge in order to form and further enhance their abilities for intercultural interaction and cooperation; to teach teenagers and youngsters mutual respect, critical, objective, and independent thinking, and acceptance of ethno-cultural diversity as a personal and social value and as a responsibility. And it is vital that all these are supported by personal involvement of all who are involved in the system: teachers and students, parents and other relatives. Students should understand that all cultures are equally interesting and valuable despite their differences, so that they can accept the cultural and ethnic diversity around them as something objective, natural and beneficial for all.