Social cohesion in socioeconomically and ethnically diverse classrooms

• In Event: European Challenges of Social-Cultural Diversity in Education

Abstract

In 2015, the Dutch government provided its citizens with the opportunity to formulate relevant research questions for the so-called Dutch National Research Agenda (NWA). One strand of questions was related to social cohesion in a multicultural society and in education specifically: ‘What pedagogical and educational interventions offer an effective means of promoting social cohesion, so that diversity is a positive rather than an obstructive factor in communities, schools and cities?’.
The underlying concern stems from the Dutch early tracked educational system, which causes, relative to other countries, strong segregation in secondary schools between social economic classes and cultural-ethnic backgrounds. However, multicultural schools that offer multiple tracks within their schools do exist and these may function as sites for the exploration of social cohesion in diverse settings. Moreover, social cohesion is understood in various ways in educational research, policy and practice. The concept refers to intra-personal feelings of belonging, peer relations in classrooms and engagement of members with the school community. This paper aims gain more insight into social cohesion in multicultural educational contexts.
We will present results from our study in two multicultural schools that offer multiple tracks. We will show different configurations of social cohesion in diverse classrooms and schools with a sequential mixed-method design, starting with a quantitative exploration and followed by qualitative elaboration. We will reflect on what we can learn about social cohesion based on a questionnaire, interviews with students and teachers and observations in classrooms and schools. Finally, we will discuss the implications of our study for promoting social cohesion in socioeconomically and ethnically diverse schools and society as a whole.

Authors

• Gert-Jan Veerman, Radboud University Nijmegen

• Eddie Denessen, Radboud University Nijmegen

• Sabine Severiens, Erasmus University Rotterdam, the Netherlands