Teaching refugee students: the role of teachers' attitudes towards cultural diversity

This article focuses on the role of teachers' attitudes towards cultural diversity in teaching refugee students in Germany. We examine which patterns of attitudes towards cultural diversity are common among teachers, how these depend on their professional experience and how they correlate with the perceptions of problems in teaching refugee students. Using data from the project 'Changing schools in a post-migrant society: School culture(s) in the current context of forced migration', the results of cluster analysis show that there is a dividing line between teachers who support pluralistic approaches (i.e. multiculturalism, egalitarianism and anti-racism) and those who reject them. Overall, we identified four clusters: 'pluralism sceptics', 'pluralism opponents', 'pluralism supporters', and 'pragmatists' (who approved of all concepts). The 'pluralism rejecters' (clusters 1 and 2 combined) were the least experienced in teaching refugee children. The 'pluralism supporters' saw the fewest problems in teaching refugee students, while the 'pragmatists' had an above-average perception of problems. The 'pluralism rejecters' occupied a middle position in this regard, with one notable exception: they were particularly likely to perceive cultural differences as a problem in teaching refugee students.