Action Research on Managing Cultural Diversity in Classroom

This action research focuses on managing cultural diversity in the classroom. It aims to study cultural diversity, identify factors for promoting diversity and equity, and analyze effective teaching methods. The research explores the importance of cultural diversity and provides recommendations for improving teaching in multicultural classrooms.

Action Research

Table of Contents

Topic of the research – The topic of this research is “ To manage students in a
very diverse class room”.
INTRODUCTION
Each and every country is becoming increasingly more diverse. There are different
people from various backgrounds, cultures, religions and beliefs who are going to same
universities or schools or colleges. When an individual is coming to school then some students
sometimes ignore values and fail to capitalise on strengths that they posses and this undermine
the relationship with their families (Banks, 2015). Culture is an important aspect while
considering different students in a classroom. Different classroom practices are influenced by
cultural values and beliefs.
Aim of the action research
The aim of this action research is to “ To manage students in a very diverse class room”.
Research Objectives
 To study cultural diversity within classrooms
 To identify various factors for promoting diversity and equity in classroom
 To analyze the ways by which effective teaching can be done in diverse classroom
Research Questions
 What do you understand by cultural diversity within classroom?
 What are the different factors for promoting diversity and equality in the classroom?
 What are the various ways of effective teaching in diverse classroom?
TASK 1
Literature review
Cultural diversity within classroom
According to the viewpoint of Bhopal, and Rhamie, (2014), Cultural diversity is defined
as the quality of different cultures such as monoculture, global culture or homogenisation of
cultures. In simple words, cultural difference is defined as the language that one speaks, food
preferences, holiday preferences, etc. In context of cultural diversity, cultural difference is

considered that have been ignored. The teachers or faculties must must ignore major aspect of
identity of student and environment has to foster an environment in which differences are
analysed. Each and every student is unique and they share different identities and beliefs. In case
of cultural awareness, it is important to consider various aspects of culture that affects attitude,
perception, behaviour of students. Some common cultural difference consists of race, ethnicity,
religion, economic, language, etc. There are various ways of fostering cultural awareness and
sensitivity within classroom. The first thing that can be done is expressing interest in diversity
which means one can go a long way towards fostering a culturally inclusive classroom by
demonstrating own desire for becoming culturally aware. It is important for management of
school to remain sensitive to various culture of students. It is essential to analyse and evaluate
behaviour and value of every student.
Various factors for promoting diversity and equality in the classroom
According to the thoughts of Crisp, and Et. Al., (2016) , there are different factors or
elements for promoting equity and diversity in the classroom. These factors include self
awareness, culturally relevant teaching purposeful planning, class norms, and community
involvement. The main focus of diverse and equality in classroom is self awareness. The other
essential part of promoting equity and diversity is setting norms in classroom which helps in
promoting openness and inclusion. The school teaching must include restorative practices for
promoting self awareness, self management, relationship skills and effective decision making.
The teaching in school must be culturally relevant and it should focus academic excellence,
cultural competence, political and social activism. Another factor i.e. purposeful planning is an
important part of promoting equity and diversity. The teachers must create respectful ways for
students to have diverse experiences which helps in adding value to the learning experience for
all students.
Different ways of effective teaching in diverse classroom
As per the thoughts of Forrest, Lean, and Dunn, (2016) , there are different ways of
effective teaching in diverse classroom as this will help to manage students in an effective and
appropriate manner. The factors which are helpful in cultural diversity in classroom are learning
and respecting different cultures, beliefs and languages. The traits of student's linguistic traits are
studied and pattern of communication are analysed. The educators have started using
multicultural literature for honouring culture of students and fostering cross cultural

understanding. The management of school must collaborate with parents and caregivers on
literacy development of children. The different steps involved in teaching multicultural classes
are acknowledging the difference, understanding the importance of culture, and understanding
different cultures of students. There are students from different cultures who are going to similar
schools, universities, etc. Different people have different tastes, families, histories, needs, beliefs,
etc. it is important for university or school to respect all cultures. Sharing of culture is important
for understanding it. Students sometimes are not able to fit into culture and this creates problem
for them. All students are not common and thus it is important to manage them by indulging
students in similar activities and tasks. Understanding of culture is an important part of class and
learning process. Steps are taken for motivating, challenging and making students feel engaged
in classroom culture. Understanding of different cultures provides students a big advantage. This
enables in communicating at various level and it gives an outlook and set of different skills.
Purpose of research
This research is done for evaluating the importance of cultural diversity within
classroom. The understanding of culture will help students to become more stronger in forming
social point of view and be able to compete with new global economy. Students who have had
contact with diverse culture have more language and negotiating skills. This research will help to
know about ways for thinking and creative solutions to hard problems.
Key features of action research
The key features of this action plan are listed below -
 There is a clearly defined objective and aim
 This plan is important for student's past experience related to culture and it focuses on
future plantings for making people know what is affect of cultural diversity and equality
in classroom.
 The timescale of this research are realistic and this research is for planning for
implementing an intervention strategy for managing cultural diversity within classroom.
Implications of model of action research
The model of research action used in this project is Susman model of action research.
According to Gerald Susman, there are five phases which are conducted within every research
cycle. The first step includes identifying the problem of research and collection of data for the

detailed diagnosis. This is followed by providing various possible solutions for the problem and
providing a single action plan and implementing it (Gruenewald, 2014). Identification of cultural
diversity and making effective solution for this problem are made for research. The steps of this
model are given in following diagram.
TASK 2
Justify own choice of an area of practise for action research
The main advantage of conducting an action research for managing cultural diversity
within classroom is that it will help in developing and improving teaching in multicultural
classroom. An action research will provide recommendations and conclusions on how students
coming from different cultures can be motivated for improving their efficiency.
Illustration 1: Susman model of action research, 2019

Plan a intervention strategy
The intervention strategy applied in school management for controlling and managing
cultural diversity needs consideration of activities that can be done by teachers. The different
school factors which affects success of culturally diverse students such as atmosphere of school ,
involvement of community and culturally responsive curriculum (Hessari, and Hill, 2017). The
first step is to analyse the problem and this resulted in decline in performance of students that
face cultural difference. The steps taken by teachers in developing effective culture at school
are listed below -
Identify the problem - This is the first step of intervention strategy. The survey will
provide information about problems and issues faced by students due to difference in culture at
school or universities.
Develop strategies and plans to overcome problem – After the identifying the problem,
researcher will be having evidences that will prove students are having problem with cultural
difference in classroom. There are various solutions that can be applied for managing culture
problem at school.
Implementation of problem - Teaching at multi culture classroom and involving
students in activities that will help in developing students to engage within classroom and focus
on studies. Teachers can use multi-cultural videos and presentation in classrooms to involve
students.
Monitoring of problem – This process will start by setting a process which will begin
with formulating a standard on the basis of past records. This will be used for measuring the
effectiveness of such videos in the classrooms. Furthermore, feedbacks from the students will be
taken to know their opinions about such classes. This will help in analysing the variance by
which corrective steps can be taken for increasing the quality of such activities.
Justify the choice and timescale of intervention strategy
The time taken for completing the action research is 6 months and Gantt chart is prepared
for analysing the intervention strategy effectively. The different activities of above strategy will
be completed and implemented in classroom for successful cultural environment.

Explain ethical and political considerations and issues of confidentiality in practise
Ethical and political considerations develops an important component of action research.
In context of the present research, it is seen that researcher follows all ethical rules and
regulations while accomplishing project activities and tasks (Powell, and Powell, 2015). On the
other hand, there are some countries where political problems are there regarding race, gender
and culture , in such countries it is difficult to manage cultural diversity in classroom.
TASK 3
Evaluate methods for action research
The different methods of action research are listed below - Positivist approach to action research – This is also known as classical action research
and it is social experiment. In this approach, hypothesis is accepted as a method for
testing hypothesis. Interpretive action research – It is also known as contemporary action research and this
focuses on specifications of organisational and local factors while accomplishing action
research.
 Critical action research – This is a particular type of action research which adopts this
approach for improving aims and processes of business.
Evaluate methods of collecting qualitative and quantitative data
The qualitative approach - A qualitative research is a multi method that emphasises n
understanding and analysing social reality of individuals, groups and cultures. Such kind of

researches are generally exploratory. These emphasises on specific behaviour of an individual.
The methods of collecting qualitative data are diary accounts, participant observation,
ethnography, open ended questions, etc.
The quantitative approach - Quantitative research has an aim for establishing laws of
behaviour. There are different methods used for obtaining quantitative data such as
experiments, questionnaire, etc. The statistics obtained by this method is used for summarising
data, describing relationships, patters and connections.
Review ways in which data is collected
The way chosen for collecting data is questionnaire which is defined as the printed paper
that consists of set of questions related to research topic. The various types of questionnaire like
computer questionnaire where respondents give answers through mails. This is generally used
by investigators as this is a pocket friendly way of collecting data and it also utilises less time.
The major limitation of collecting data through computer questionnaire is that there are few
respondents who ignore mails and this can lead to a problem in research process (Schachner,
And Et. Al. , 2016).
In the following research, 20 respondents are chosen who are a group of students and
teachers of school.
Questionnaire Frequency
Q 1) Are you aware about the concept of cultural diversity?
a) Yes 14
b) No 6
Q 2) Are you aware about any case of cultural problem?
a) Yes 16
b) No 4
Q 3) Do you think an effective and strong strategy is required to
establish for improving cultural equality among students?
a) Agree 17

b) Disagree 3
Q 4) According to you, what are the different ways of implementing
cultural diversity within classroom ?
a) Understanding culture of different students of class 12
b) Organising cultural activities for students 4
c) Using multi culture books while teaching 4
Q 5) Are students able to fit in different culture and background of
school or classroom?
a) Yes 12
b) No 8
Q 6) According to you, what teachers can do for promoting cultural
equality and diversity ?
a) Knowing about some and school relationships of students 2
b) Understanding about culture of different students 4
c) All of the above 14
Q 7) Does cultural diversity affects efficiency of students?
a) Yes 15
b) No 5
Q 8 ) Any recommendation for effective strategy for improving
cultural diversity......
TASK 4
Data analysis and Findings

Q 1) Are you aware about the concept of cultural diversity?
a) Yes 14
b) No 6
Interpretation – It is analysed from above pie chart that only 6 respondents do not have
knowledge about cultural diversity. Rest of the 14 respondents know what is cultural diversity
and what is it's importance in school or university.
Q 2) Are you aware about any case of cultural problem?
a) Yes 16
b) No 4
14
6
a) Yes
b) No
16
4
a) Yes
b) No

Interpretation – Out of 20 respondents, there are 16 respondents who have faced cultural
issue in schools or they know people who are facing such problems. On the other hand, only 4
respondents are there who do not know about cultural diversity cases.
Q 3) Do you think an effective and strong strategy is required to
establish for improving cultural equality among students?
a) Agree 17
b) Disagree 3
Interpretation – It can be concluded from above diagram that out of 20 respondents, only
17 students are there who think an defective strategy is required for improving cultural equality
and diversity in classroom. Also other 3 students think it cannot be solved by any planning or
strategy.
Q 4) According to you, what are the different ways of implementing
cultural diversity within classroom ?
a) Understanding culture of different students of class 12
b) Organising cultural activities for students 4
17
3
a) Agree
b) Disagree

c) Using multi culture books while teaching 4
Interpretation – From the above report it is concluded that out of 20 respondents, there
are 12 students who think cultural diversity can be improved by increasing understanding of
culture of various students. On the other hand, 4 respondents think that organising cultural
activities will help in increasing cultural diversity and other 4 respondents think that using multi
culture books while teaching is effective for improving cultural diversity and equality.
Q 5) Are students able to fit in different culture and background of
school or classroom?
a) Yes 12
b) No 8
12 4
4
a) Understanding culture
of different students of
class
b) Organising cultural
activities for students
c) Using multi culture
books while teaching

Interpretation – From the above diagram, it is concluded that 12 students think that
students have problem while studying in diverse classroom. On the other hand, there are 8
students who think that students are not facing problem while attending classes of students from
different cultures.
Q 6) According to you, what teachers can do for promoting cultural
equality and diversity ?
a) Knowing about school relationships and background of students 2
b) Understanding about culture of different students 4
c) All of the above 14
12
8
a) Yes
b) No

Interpretation – From the above diagram, it is concluded that out of 20 students, there
are 4 respondents who think that teachers can promote cultural diversity in classroom by
understanding culture of different students and other 2 respondents think that this is possible by
knowing about school relationships and background of students. The rest 14 respondents think
that both these factors help teachers to promote cultural diversity.
Q 7) Does cultural diversity affects efficiency of students?
a) Yes 15
b) No 5
2
4
14
a) Knowing about some
and school relationships
of students
b) Understanding about
culture of different
students
c) All of the above

Interpretation – From the above diagram, it is concluded that 15 students think that
cultural diversity affects efficiency of students and other 5 students think that cultural difference
has no impact on performance and efficiency of students.
TASK 5
Conclusions
From the above research it has been concluded that cultural diversity among students is
important as it provides a positive environment at schools and universities. This is done by
implementing and evaluating understanding of culture and religion of different people and
respecting them. If students are not suffering from cultural difference then their performance and
efficiency will increase.
TASK 6
Analyse the effectiveness of own practise in relation to action research
According to me, I have accomplished goals and objectives of research effectively. While
doing this project, I get to know about how cultural diversity affects performance of students. I
developed various skills and knowledge while doing this action research. The data collected
through questionnaire method helped to know more about students and teachers who are facing
cultural issues.
15
5
a) Yes
b) No

Identify strength for improvement in relation to action research
Strength Improvement
My biggest strength is that I have good
communication skills and this has helped me a
lot in filling of questionnaire from students and
teachers about cultural diversity.
I need to improve my research skills as it will
help in making more better result for the
research.

REFERENCES
Books and journals
Banks, J. A., 2015. Cultural diversity and education: Foundations, curriculum, and teaching.
Routledge.
Bhopal, K. and Rhamie, J., 2014. Initial teacher training: understanding ‘race,’diversity and
inclusion. Race Ethnicity and Education, 17(3), pp.304-325.
Crisp, T. and Et. Al., 2016. What's on our bookshelves? The diversity of children's literature in
early childhood classroom libraries. Journal of Children's Literature, 42(2), p.29.
Forrest, J., Lean, G. and Dunn, K., 2016. Challenging racism through schools: teacher attitudes
to cultural diversity and multicultural education in Sydney, Australia. Race Ethnicity
and Education, 19(3), pp.618-638.
Gruenewald, D. A., 2014. Place-based education: Grounding culturally responsive teaching in
geographical diversity. In Place-based education in the global age (pp. 161-178).
Routledge.
Hessari, R. and Hill, D., 2017. Practical ideas for multi-cultural learning and teaching in the
primary classroom. Routledge.
Powell, R. G. and Powell, D .L., 2015. Classroom communication and diversity: Enhancing
instructional practice. Routledge.
Schachner, M. K. And Et. Al. , 2016. Cultural diversity climate and psychological adjustment at
school—Equality and inclusion versus cultural pluralism. Child development, 87(4),
pp.1175-1191.
Online
Susman model of action research, 2019. [Online] Available
through<https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Susman-Action-Research
Model16_fig2_220882474>