Multicultural contacts in education: a case study of an exchange project between different ethnic groups

One important aim of citizenship education is learning to deal with cultural diversity. To this end, schools organise exchange projects to bring students into contact with different social and cultural groups. The aim of this study is to investigate the effects of intergroup contact in educational settings and to understand what the most favourable conditions are. The paper discusses a case study on an exchange between 10th-grade students of Surinamese and Dutch-Antillean backgrounds from an Amsterdam suburb with native Dutch students from rural Netherlands. The study included interviews with teachers and students and pre- and post-tests of intergroup attitudes. The results indicate that students become more aware of their own preconceived ideas. The results show that interaction on the individual level is important. Getting students to work together on common goals is an effective way of stimulating interaction.