Abstract
The purpose of this study is to explore effects and challenges of promoting multicultural education in the context of an international student community. It is a case study on policies and practices of multicultural education in Red Cross Nordic United World College (RCNUWC) of Norway, which aims to understand and interpret the policies on multicultural education and to investigate what a school committed to multicultural education is doing in practice.
Theories related to multicultural education, especially the ones used to examine an entire school system, are applied in this study to help understand why and how different school factors are at work. The main research methods are document analyses, semi-structured interviews, self-completion questionnaires and observations. A quantitative analysis of a questionnaire from the Teacher Multicultural Attitude Survey is also conducted. The study investigates the life and educational experiences of RCNUWC students, the college and teachers’ interactions concerning multicultural education, as well as with the college's local communities.
The findings indicate that though there is no policy specifically titled to promote multicultural education in the college, the ideas embedded in its mission, values, and principles are in accord with the purpose of multicultural education, which is to help students develop the knowledge, attitudes, and skills needed to function within the global community (Banks, 2010, p.25). Issues such as efficient teacher training, accessibility for students with disabilities, fund raising, should be taken into account as well in the context of RCNUWC.