Eureka! Institutional Repository

In today’s Greek multicultural society, the design of a new educational policy that ensures the inclusion of all students has become a priority. To this end, teachers play a fundamental role by setting their goals in the educational process. The present study aims at exploring the intercultural readiness of educators in a richly intercultural area and its multicultural school units. Specifically, the focus of the examination is the beliefs and attitudes of teachers towards their multicultural students and the methods applied to exploit the benefits of diversity in the prefecture of Xanthi. 203 secondary teachers working in this prefecture participated in the study. Following the theoretical bibliographical overview, the study employed a quantitative research model via the administration of a questionnaire survey with random sampling. The questionnaire included closed-ended multiple-choice questions along with short-answer open-ended ones. The quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistic analysis. The questionnaire’s variables explored the teachers’ opinions on intercultural education, on the readiness of the Greek educational system and society, on the results of inclusive education, on the different ways of teaching as well as on the exploitation of student diversity. The results showed that teachers appear to be familiarized with and respectful of the students’ cultural diversity. They seem to applaud inclusion, not integration, but they also place great emphasis on the Greek language and a common national culture. They do not believe that the Greek educational system provides equal opportunities and pursue better cooperation between social organizations and families. Even though interesting intercultural techniques have been highlighted, there seems to be a deficit in the teachers’ intercultural readiness and education, hence their desire for in-service training. This study intends to contribute to the adoption, on the part of educators, of innovative practices that promote the inclusion of all students in multicultural classes. Moreover, it is hoped that the present study will be of help to any administrative considerations necessary for the practical and moral support of teachers in their new role in the modern multicultural school.