Multicultural attitudes among adolescents: The role of ethnic diversity in the classroom

In this study predictors of multiculturalism at the individual and classroom level are tested in a multilevel model. Previous studies attempting to find predictors of multiculturalism focused only on the individual level, possibly risking an attribution error. Multiculturalism is presented in this s...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Group processes & intergroup relations 2011-07, Vol.14 (4), p.549-558
Main Authors: van Geel, Mitch, Vedder, Paul
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adolescents
Attitudes
Attribution
Classroom discussion
Classrooms
Cultural diversity
Cultural Pluralism
Cultures and civilizations
Discrimination
Equal opportunities
Equal Opportunity
Ethnic relations. Racism
Ethnicity
Group dynamics
Intergroup contact
Intergroup Relations
Multiculturalism
Multiculturalism & pluralism
Racial discrimination
Schools
Social Contact
Social integration. Social relations. Social participation
Social organization. Social system. Social structure
Sociology
Studies
Teenagers
Vocational Education
Citations: Items that this one cites
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:In this study predictors of multiculturalism at the individual and classroom level are tested in a multilevel model. Previous studies attempting to find predictors of multiculturalism focused only on the individual level, possibly risking an attribution error. Multiculturalism is presented in this study as a notion stressing equal opportunities and minimizing discrimination as well as the conviction that the access to other cultures enriches ones own life. Using a sample of 448 adolescents from junior vocational education it was found that more ethnic diversity at the classroom level is positively related to adolescents’ support for multiculturalism. As such, this study supports the intergroup contact theory.
ISSN:1368-4302
1461-7188
DOI:10.1177/1368430210379007