Human Diversity as a Basic Understanding for a Positive Diversity Climate in Schools

• In Event: Thursday Roundtable Session 10:50 am
  In Roundtable Session: Collective Approaches to Confronting Disproportionality and Leading for Equity (Table 13)

Abstract

By asking educational stakeholders (teachers, students, administrators) in five countries (Finland, Norway, Germany, England, and the US) what diversity means to them and how they incorporate or experience diversity in the classroom, this study seeks a better understanding of how human diversity is perceived across varying cultural, linguistic, and political contexts. Further, this study documents which dimensions of difference are considered when thinking about diversity and how this understanding of diversity might influence a positive diversity climate in schools and classrooms. Findings suggest a limited perception of disability as diversity with most attention paid to race, culture, and gender. Implications include an opportunity to expand notions of diversity internationally to include disability and other typical forms of human difference.

Authors

• Svenja Hammer, Norwegian University of Science and Technology

• Kara Mitchell Viesca, University of Nebraska - Lincoln

• Svenja Lemmrich, Leuphana University - Lueneburg

• Jenni Alisaari, Stockholm University

• Naomi Flynn, University of Reading

• Sara Routarinne, University of Turku

• Wen-Chia Claire Chang, National Institute of Education - Nanyang Technological University

• Annela Teemant, Indiana University - Indianapolis