Contents
Introduction 1
Literature Review 1
Measurement of Cultural Inclusivity 2
Tools for the Measurement of Inclusivity 3
References 5
Introduction
Cultural inclusivity is a term that is defined as the ability to detect, understand and adapt to the cultural behaviors and actions within a particular culture. Different terms and explanatory phrases are used to best describe the cultural inclusivity by the different scholars (Huffer, 2017). The National Health and Medical Research Council has demonstrated the cultural inclusivity as the parameters like the ability to understand the cultural competence, responsibility and the behaviors in order to be able to convey your message and mission in the environment of the cross cultural communication. The understanding of the cultural inclusivity enables the individuals or the representatives of any culture to better understand and negotiate with the people in the cross culture communication. In short, it is the ability and skill of an individual to preferably understand and evaluate the values and customs of any culture in order to seek and understand the communication modification and amendments to convey and transfer the message across the cross culture in a unique and better way. Cultural inclusivity is a skeptical and skillful approach and strategy that is mostly used for the understanding the values of a culture and respect its marked deviation and variability in the community and hence adapt a learner or a teacher to this variability in order to be able to convey your message and teachings in an effective and significant way. This approach enables a teacher to check and evaluate the needs, values and trends of different cultures that are present in the class so that he can convey the message according to the cultural trends and values of the cultural represented by the students of different regions. The awareness of this cultural variability in the class room will enable the teacher to teach with respect to the preferences and cultural adaptability of the students so that they can find it easy and comfortable to learn the novel and creative things in their native and familiar cultural language.
Literature Review
Australia is a multi-cultural state which has a collage of the people from the different cultures and a lot of people with the different value systems and language systems. It is the region where the people from the different parts of the world are colonized and have different origins of their customs and value systems. These people have different styles and methods of the cultural communication and thus different ways of living and learning in their own contexts. Moreover, there is a great need of understanding and adapting the different teaching styles here by taking into account different cultural values and geographical distribution (Eddy, 2017). The basic aim of this study or report is to provide the necessary and crucial methods and parameters that help in providing the assisting tools and steps to the educators and teachers to deliver the knowledge and information in a unique and efficient way. The cultural knowledge and the awareness about the students provides an edge to the teachers to know about the basic trends and priorities about the students. The cultural background of the students represents the values, priorities, and the methods and parameters of the learning criteria. Moreover, there is a great impact on the personality of the students of the cultural guidelines and learning habits of the students. If the students see a different learning style at home while another one in the school or the institution, then they would be confused and double minded and will not be able to understand the knowledge and information in a balanced and appropriate way because they will see a marked difference in the culture a methodology in the school and at home. This will lead to the both teacher and student unable to understand each other and convey the problems and solutions to each other (Reddie, 2012). That is why it is very crucial and mandatory in this age to adapt the educators specially to become familiar and adaptive to the cultural inclusivity in order to be capable to handle and manage the variations and differences in the different cultures of the different individuals. If the teacher is able to understand the difference in the cultural background for a student in the class, he will be able to convey his message according to the needs and cultural background of that student so that he can absorb the information in the familiar and convenient way.
Measurement of Cultural Inclusivity
The students in Australia are belonging from the different cultures of the world. They are nourished and grown up under the supervision of the parents who come up from the different regions and pedagogical backgrounds. In turn, they are responsible for generating and shaping different qualities and habits in the children. As human is a social animal and he learns from the society. The first learning source for the human is observation and analysis. He starts learning and practicing things by observing the actions and activities of the society and family members after he comes to this world. The most important individuals during this learning through observation are the parents. They are the most evident and facing individuals to the children during the growth and development of the habits. We can say that the cultural values that are inculcated in the children are mostly embedded in due to the pedagogical background and the teachings of the parents to the children. The culture of the parents is the native culture and value system for the children. The basic and major aim of the culture inclusivity is to make the educators and teachers able to understand and evaluate the cultural background of the children in the class that is provided by the parents to the children. If the children find the familiarity of the culture system in the school with that one provided and taught them at home, then they would feel and find it very easy and convenient to learn and acquire the new skills and knowledge in a profitable and unique way. In this way, we can make the quality of education better by first understanding the variability of the different cultures and then adapting to the needs and priorities of these cultures (Chan & Siu, 2014). For the teachers, in order to fill the cultural gap between the students and themselves, there is a need of the moment to seek understanding for the cultural backgrounds and different value systems. The most important thing here is to see the different pedagogies in the culture of the children. These pedagogical series and arrangements will help us enough to understand and evaluate the best possible solutions that can lead to the possible results and outcomes that are actually desired and wanted by our educational institutions and education system. If we have to keep the learners interested in the class, then we have to be able to feel them engaged in the class and environment. The best and effective way to keep them engaged in the learning process is to feel them the similarity and familiarity with the culture system and values that are used in our educational institutes with that one which is the native and local for the students. It should be kept in mind that the students in the class are from the different backgrounds and are not eligible to understand and absorb all the knowledge with the same method or the practice (Sabatello, 2018). Different students are adaptive to the different situations and culture systems, thus they need different learning approaches and techniques in order to be contented and fulfilled with the knowledge and deliverance of this era. Developing different methods for the measurement of the inclusivity by the educators and teachers in an institution will help and assist enough to understand and evaluate the needs and the priorities of the students that are from the different pedagogical backgrounds and seek the different and creative approaches at every different situation and circumstance. In this context, different tools and methodologies have been developed and adopted by the different institutes in order to find the possible and effective solution to this problem and challenge. These tools are the basic methods or the techniques that are viable and applicable in different situations and circumstances in order to evaluate the pedagogical differences of the cultural values and customs as well as the learning styles and the habits that are developed by the students in order to be a stable and unique learners to develop and achieve the new and creative skills and techniques in an efficient and convenient way. This report is specially aimed at the measurement of the inclusivity of the different cultures and find the best possible tools for the measurement of the cultural inclusivity (McLoughlin, 2001).
Tools for the Measurement of Inclusivity
For the sake of the measurement of the cultural inclusivity, several different approaches and techniques have been used in the educational curriculum. The contributions of Nelson and Bustamante are considerable and emphatic in this regard. A check list was prepared and formulated by them in order to check the school teacher leadership and observation. In this approach, there is a scale that is devised from the check list and is considered to be arranged from 1 to 5. This checklist is to be filled and fabricated with the help of the comments and the data that is taken from the measurement. The check list consists of many questions to be evaluated that are further divided and categorized into many sections (Eisner, 2018). This consists of various criteria like the methods of teaching and teaching practices, leadership and conflict resolution in the teachers and students, and the values and fundamentals of the cultural evidences within a variety of the students from different cultural backgrounds and areas (Haggis & Mulholland, 2013). However, there is a limitation of this approach as it does not seek feedback from the individuals whom the method or approach is directly influencing or impacting. It consists of only the questions and sub questions that are evaluated and researched in the measurement of the cultural inclusivity, but there is no method or step in the approach that directly addresses the individuals who are being impacted and influenced by the approach. This point or postulate goes to the limiting factor of the check list of this approach. The main influenced and impacted individuals from this approach are the students that are from the different parts of the region having different cultural guidelines and backgrounds. The reason is that this approach is actually designed and practiced in order to make better and quality options for the deliverance and transmission of knowledge from the educators to the students in the academic activities in a better and efficient way. The feedback from the students will significantly help in improving the methods and mending the steps and technical procedures that require the improvements and amendments (McLoughlin & Oliver, 2000). Culturally Responsive Teaching Self-Efficacy Scale (CRTSE) is method and scale that was devised by an analyst and observer named Soweto. This approach was designed on the basis of the opportunity and skills for the teachers to adapt themselves for the cultural variations and diversity with the proper awareness and change in the methodological development and tools fabrication (Tsarwe, 2018). This approach specifically emphasized on the self-efficacy of the teachers in order to be more capable to deal with the cultural variations. The self-efficacy is demonstrated as the personal capability of the individual to deal with and handle the amendments and improvements in the system with reference to the cultural vision. It is focused on the activities and tasks that are managed and done by an individual or the teacher working with the quality making activities within an institute for the development purposes. It is marked by the amount of efforts that are made and put by the educators in an effect to make the approach appropriate and successful (Popyk & Khumarova, 2020). The more efforts will lead to the more motivation and thus more satisfactory outcomes will be obtained (Kozleski & Choi, 2018). It shows the willingness of the individual to do the tasks and make the efforts in this regard. This approach consists of the forty questions that are used for the evaluation of the performance of the individuals and formulation of the scale on which the individuals are listed and checked. There are three basic aims and purposes of this approach that are listed here:
• The first and important purpose of this approach is to increase and enhance the self-efficacy of the teachers and their perspective in accordance with the cultural inclusivity and the pedagogical knowledge. It will accelerate and motivate the teachers that their capabilities and abilities are more appropriate and directive in this regard. It also provides the outcomes and corollaries of the methods and steps used in this approach. The benefit here is that the process will enable the teachers to make the possible techniques and amendments and also take into account their possible outcomes and end points that might affect the students and the educational wellness and corollaries of the cultural point of view.
• As a second parameter, this approach provides the starting point for the formulation of the data and material that is important and crucial for the scale devising process and the check list formation for the teachers and educators.
• The last but not least, this approach is able to compare the self-efficacy of the teachers with the techniques and their possible results and outcomes expectancy. The possible results that might occur and impact the situation are characterized and compared with the performance of the teachers in order to equate and make them parallel with the desired results and outcomes.
The modified form of the Siwato scale was developed in 2015 by making the amendments and improvements by Putman in this devised scale. The improvements led to the more concise and holistic scale that was more specific and focused. This scale was termed as Culturally Responsive Classroom Management Self-Efficacy Scale (CRCMSE). It was modified to the 35 question contracting from the 40 that were included in the Siwato scale. Here, again questions were divided in the sub groups and categories that were based on the five important factors. These important factors were the identification of the capabilities of the teachers, the social and economic conditions of the culture that has been under consideration, the cultural and social backgrounds of the students upon which the scale is being applied and checked, the willingness and proactivity by the teachers to take initiative in the cultural inclusiveness in the class room, and the efforts of the teachers to making the better and verified class environment. The questions that are devised in this approach was developed on the basis on the cultural development and diversity of the activities and actions of the teachers and students. This scale is a basic functional array that is possible measure of the cultural tracking and estimation of the pedagogical events in the different cultures of the students and the teachers (Vaccaro & Camba-Kelsay, 2018). The positive point and the advantageous edge of this scale is that it provides the feedback of the students about the activities and actions that are done by the teachers in this regard. As the students are the main influencers and are directly impacted by the method and approach, they will provide the accurate and more evaluative comments and feedback. The feedback from the students will affect and impact the process in the positive way and will be more effective in the formation of the pedagogical changes and evaluative steps in the approach. That is why this modified scale of Siwato and Putman is considered to be more accurate tool and measurement in the cultural inclusivity. It is found to be more data collecting and providing greater raw facts in the cultural inclusion. As the students provide feedback, they can provide a tuft of information in the context of the steps and procedures that are practiced by the teachers. They can be a source of great help and assistance in providing the more aligned and applicable approaches and techniques in this regard. In this context, the Culturally Responsive Classroom Management Self-Efficacy Scale (CRCMSE) has devised the set of questions that are inquired and asked by the students in order to get the realistic and useful information from students for the better and useful aspects and data for the application of the more realistic methods and approaches. These questions are based on the three aims and purposes. These purposes are the belongings and relative details of the students with respect to the school, the teachers and tutors support and possible impacts of the assistance on the learning process of the students, and the demographics of the institute that is being given to the students in this regard. This will help in the indication of the needs and priorities of the students that are sought and required in the institutes for the best cultural activites and steps to inculcate the inclusivity. This summarized the tools for the inclusion of the culture in the academic structure in an effective way.
References
Huffer, I. (2017). Social inclusivity, cultural diversity and online film consumption. Cultural Trends, 26(2), 138-154.
Vaccaro, A., & Camba-Kelsay, M. (2018). Cultural Competence and Inclusivity in Mentoring, Coaching, and Advising. New Directions For Student Leadership, 2018(158), 87-97.
Kozleski, E., & Choi, J. (2018). Leadership for Equity and Inclusivity in Schools: The Cultural Work of Inclusive Schools. Inclusion, 6(1), 33-44.
Popyk, O., & Khumarova, N. (2020). CULTURAL DETERMINANT IN METHODOLOGY OF THE INCLUSIVITY LEVEL MEASUREMENT. Ekonomika Ta Derzhava, (4), 25.
Chan, M., & Siu, K. (2014). Inclusivity: A Study of Hong Kong Museum Environments. The International Journal Of Critical Cultural Studies, 11(1), 45-61.
Eisner, D. (2018). President’s View: Committing to inclusivity. Physiology News, (Spring 2018), 6-6.
Reddie, A. (2012). The Quest for Liberation and Inclusivity. The Ecumenical Review, 64(4), 530-545.
Eddy, P. (2017). Looking Forward-Strategies for Inclusivity. New Directions For Community Colleges, 2017(179), 101-112.
McLoughlin, C. (2001). Inclusivity and alignment: Principles of pedagogy, task and assessment design for effective cross‐cultural online learning. Distance Education, 22(1), 7-29.
Haggis, J., & Mulholland, M. (2013). Rethinking difference and sex education: from cultural inclusivity to normative diversity. Sex Education, 14(1), 57-66.
McLoughlin, C., & Oliver, R. (2000). Designing learning environments for cultural inclusivity: A case study of indigenous online learning at tertiary level. Australasian Journal Of Educational Technology, 16(1)
Sabatello, M. (2018). Cultivating inclusivity in precision medicine research: disability, diversity, and cultural competence. Journal Of Community Genetics, 10(3), 363-373
Tsarwe, S. (2018). Mobile phones and a million chatter: performed inclusivity and silenced voices in Zimbabwean talk radio. Journal Of African Cultural Studies, 32(2), 161-177