Teachers in South Korean schools have begun to pay attention to the importance of multicultural education as Korea transforms into a multicultural society from a historically mono culture society. Because of Koreans' pride in the homogeneity of their race, language, and culture, multiculturalism is an idea that is hard for many to accept. Education needs to play a key role in fostering and retaining the value of diversity. Studies suggest that teachers' positive beliefs about diversity play a significant role to develop their multicultural competence and eventually to practice better multicultural education. The problem is little evidence exists in the literature about Korean teachers' beliefs about diversity. The purpose of this study was to examine South Korean teachers' beliefs about diversity, the factors that influence those beliefs, and the impact of those beliefs on their practice of multicultural education teaching. I used a mixed methods research approach which included surveys among a group of elementary teachers in South Korea and interviews with six teachers to examine their beliefs about diversity in more depth. Results indicated that for teachers in this study: (a) intercultural experiences positively influenced Korean teachers' beliefs about diversity; and (b) teachers' beliefs about diversity had a significant impact on their practice of multicultural teaching. Based on the findings, I suggest that teacher education programs provide meaningful intercultural experiences and support teachers to develop positive beliefs about diversity, and eventually, to practice better multicultural education in South Korea.

While Canada is often called a pluralist state, there are no sustained studies by political scientists in which aboriginal self-government is discussed specifically in terms of the analytical tradition of pluralist thought. Aboriginal self-government is usually discussed as an issue of cultural preservation or national self-determination. Aboriginal identity is framed in terms of cultural and national traits that are unique to an aboriginal community and selfgovernment is taken to represent the aboriginal communal desire to protect and preserve those traits. Is such an understanding of what motivates aboriginal self-government accurate, or does it yield an incomplete understanding of the complex phenomenon that aboriginal selfgovernment in Canada represents? The political tradition of pluralism allows for analysis of aboriginal self-government that addresses questions left unattended by the cultural and nationalist frameworks. Pluralism is often viewed as a public arrangement in which distinct groups are given room to live side by side, characterized by mutual recognition and affirmation. At the same time, there are different faces of pluralist theory and each addresses questions about the recognition and affirmation of aboriginal self-government in different ways. Those three contemporary faces can be distinguished by the labels communitarian, individualist, and relational. The major hypothesis advanced is that aboriginal self-government is better understood if an "identification" perspective on aboriginal identity is adopted as opposed to a "cultural" or "national" one and if that perspective is linked to a relational theory of pluralism as opposed to a communitarian or individualist one. The identification approach examines aboriginal identity not in terms of cultural and political traits, but in terms of identification with, and political commitment to, an aboriginal community. Relational pluralism in turn, examines the challenge of aboriginal self-government in terms of power differences within aboriginal communities and between aboriginal and Canadian governments. Applying these approaches to aboriginal politics in Canada confirms their suitability. Contrary to what previous scholarship has assumed, aboriginal self-government should not be seen primarily as a tool to preserve cultural and national differences as goods in and of themselves. The politics of aboriginal self-government should be seen as involving demands to equalize current imbalances in power so that aboriginal communities and the individuals within them can construct aboriginal identities according to their own design. / Arts, Faculty of / Political Science, Department of / Graduate

This study investigated Taiwanese preschool teachers' awareness of cultural diversity of new immigrant children and how this awareness influences their educational practices. In particular, this study focused on the cultural awareness of preschool teachers who work with young Taiwanese children whose mothers are immigrants from Southeast Asia. This study used quantitative and qualitative methods. One hundred seventy-two Taiwanese preschool teachers from the different geographic areas of Taiwan participated in the study. Data were collected through the use of the Cultural Diversity Awareness Inventory (CDAI) survey and participant interviews. Research results of the study revealed: (a) most Taiwanese preschool teachers had an awareness of cultural diversity, but their perceptions of how to create a multicultural environment need to be improved; (b) Taiwanese preschool teachers' personal experiences with children from different cultures were more associated with their cultural awareness than their ages and educational levels; (c) Geographic location was the factor affecting preschool teachers' awareness of cultural diversity and educational practices. This study is informative to the understanding of Taiwanese preschool teachers' awareness of cultural diversity and the implications of this awareness for classroom practice. In addition, multicultural perspectives of the Taiwan society toward immigrant families and children can benefit from the findings of this study. Future research should include the cultural needs of new immigrant children and the implementation of practices for educating new immigrant children.

Sustainability is a complex system of interaction between a hospital, individual, community, and environmental factors that is required to work in harmony to keep a patient healthy. With the complexities that exist within healthcare, the nurse leader is required to ensure that the care environment, processes and the safety behaviours required from nurses to provide safe healthcare is in place and sustained to contribute to the enhancement of patient safety, whilst in the care of the diverse nursing workforce. The aim of the study is to develop an action plan to sustain best safety culture practices for improved patient outcomes in hospitals with a culturally diverse nursing workforce. Methodology: A multiple method design was utilised to study the safety culture and positive work environment (hospital climate) that exists among culturally diverse nurses and how it is managed by the nurse managers in order to identify and describe actions that can be included in an action plan to sustain best safety culture practices for improved patient outcomes. Purposeful and convenience sampling methods were used in the study. Two hospitals, with a very diverse nursing workforce were purposefully selected to participate in the study. Pretesting of the questionnaire and e-Delphi embedded assessment validation instrument were done by participants not part of sample groups. Phase 1: The Hospitals outcomes data for nursing admission assessment within 24-hours, falls and hospital acquired pressure ulcer incidences and hand hygiene rates were collected on a checklist. Phase 2: Two questionnaires (1) nurses capturing: biographical data and culture, patient safety (nursing admission assessment within 24-hours, falls and HAPU and hand hygiene), and safety culture and positive work environment (hospital climate); (2) nurse managers capturing: biographical data and culture, patient safety (nursing admission assessment within 24- hours, falls and HAPU and hand hygiene), safety culture and Positive Work Environment (hospital climate) and just culture practices. Phase 3: the Draft e-Delphi action plan with embedded assessment validation instrument was developed. Phase 4: The panel experts selected to validate the e-Delphi draft action plan with embedded assessment validation instrument in pre-determined rounds. Data analysis: Phase 1: The outcomes data was displayed in bar graphs and illustrated that (1) the nursing admission assessment within 24 hour period not been sustained over time for the medical, surgical, paediatric and critical care areas; (2) a hundred and sixty two fall incidence; (3) ninety six HAPU incidences and (4) hand hygiene rate of between 80-94% being reported. Phase 2: A participation rate of 46.33% by nurses and 73.91% by nurse managers were achieved. The data for the 2 questionnaires indicated the need to include 54 action statement to address the culture, patient safety, hospital climate (PWE), safety culture and just culture gaps identified. Phase 3: the e-Delphi draft action plan developed based on literature review and data from phase 1 and phase 2. Phase 4: 100% participation rate was achieved. Consensus was reached within two rounds that the 54 action statements are essential and important for patient safety and identified the responsible persons required enacting on action statement and timeframe required to complete action. Recommendation: The Action Plan to enhance a sustainable Culture of Safety to improve patient outcomes were decided by panel experts. Plan to disseminate the plan among the CNO for implementation. / Health Studies / D. Litt. et Phil. (Health Studies)

When the filmed version of The Last Temptation of Christ was released in the United States, it met with significant protests from conservative Christians who felt it was blasphemous. Using the controversy surrounding the film and its reception in Austin, Texas, this is a case study in censorship as a social process and in the cultural conflict it signifies. Certain societal factors must converge to create an art controversy. Through an examination of the film, the groups involved in the protest, and the social and political climate at the time, some of these factors are described. Imbedded in this controversy are the underlying tensions that permeate many modern cultural debates: shifting ideas of the sacred and the profane and definitions of moral authority.

At a Midwestern university, White novice teachers struggled to be prepared to implement culturally responsive pedagogy. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore White novice teachers' perceptions about how their higher education classroom experiences had equipped them for teaching a culturally diverse population of students. The theoretical/conceptual frameworks of this study were White identity development theory, a multicultural education framework, culturally relevant pedagogy, and the motivational framework for culturally responsive teaching. Data were collected by interviewing 8 White novice teachers to convey their perceptions of teaching culturally diverse classrooms and how these perceptions influenced their behaviors. Data were organized by organizational, substantive, and theoretical categories. The themes that emerged from the data were the need for additional cultural knowledge, the implementation of supportive measures, barriers to supporting cultural diversity in classrooms, and the importance of cultural interpersonal skills. This study may lead to positive social change for teacher educators, novice teachers, as well as school districts by developing their understanding of how to support White novice teachers with strategies for teaching culturally diverse students.

In this study, I examine the existing literature and carry out a qualitative exploration in order to formulate a better understanding of the dynamics that influence the lives of 2nd generation Italian Muslims. Although monumental social and political challenges remain in confronting integration of the Muslim population and for achieving greater acceptance of Islam within the Italian public sphere, the evidence suggests that the process for integration has slowly begun. Additionally, this study examines the intellectual framework of the existing literature which addresses the issues impacting Muslim integration in Northern Italy. This issue has induced new debates within Italy on multiculturalism, national identity, human rights, while more importantly raising the question--"to what extent do we allow Muslim integration into Italian society and the further insertion of Islam into Italy's spiritual geography?" This study argues that the convergence of contemporary international affairs with religion calls for a new lens for interaction. In Italy the events following 9/11, combined with a resurgence of Islamophobia and the impact of the Global War on Terror, have drawn the issue of Muslim immigrants into a negative spotlight. Mainstream attitudes in Europe, following 9/11, have generated a rift in Muslim-West relations and have caused confusion and anxiety among Muslims and non-Muslims alike. The research hypothesis for this thesis suggests that there are multiple factors impeding the efforts for Muslims to achieve equal footing within the Italian religious landscape and inclusion within Italian society. Among these are divisions found within the Muslim community itself, a growing mistrust of Islam in mainstream Italian society, sponsored by negative media stereotyping and xenophobic political movements, and underlying everything else, the privileged position of the Catholic Church and its unwillingness to accommodate Islamic identity within the social framework. The chosen methodology employed in this study is qualitative, theoretical contextual analysis combined with interviews plus questionnaires used to construct a case study were applied. Beyond engaging in seven interviews with the 2nd generation Italian Muslims, this study was informed by the relevant academic literature from the fields of conflict resolution, history, sociology, cultural studies, Islamic studies and political science. Finally this study contextualized the dynamics generating this conflict and examined the discontinuities this situation has created in the lives of Muslims in Italy. The exclusion of the Muslim population, coupled with the complex relationship between this cultural group and state, has led to the exploration within Italy of different models for integration. The findings of this study indicate that inequalities exist for the Muslim population of Northern Italy in their relation with the host nation and society. This further hampers the process of integration and generates further exclusion. Only profound rethinking of the Italian approach to integration will serve to adequately meet the needs of this marginalized population and fully incorporate them within Italian society.

Multicultural youth ministry is increasingly becoming an important reality concerning ministering to adolescents within a Christian community. A holistic focus was used to analyse the practices concerning ministering to diverse adolescents within a local youth ministry context. The study was exploratory in nature and made use of a qualitative case study approach using semi-structured interviews and focus group interviews via Skype. The data was analysed within a descriptive-interpretive framework using content analysis. Findings mainly related to five themes that emerged during the research, namely: multicultural understanding, purposeful program, relationship centeredness, transforming spirituality, and the youth leader’s realm. The data also reflected underlining contextual ministry realities namely, authenticity, inclusiveness, intentionality and limited diversity. This research provides meaningful insight within the practical theological realm as the current South African literature regarding multicultural youth ministry is limited. Similarly, this study is focused on the theological conversation within a culturally diverse youth ministry context. / Philosophy, Practical and Systematic Theology / M. Th. (Practical Theology)

This dissertation argues that Gyekye, in his idea of communitarianism, has a contribution to make towards the understanding of the socio-political structures of multicultural communities in Africa. Gyekye's construct of metanationality, in relation to his communitarian ethics, addresses the socio-political and cultural problems confronting multicultural communities, with particular reference to Nigeria. In an attempt to achieve his idea of a "metanational state", Gyekye claims that: (1) "personhood" is partially defined by a communal structure; (2) equal moral attention should be given both to individual interests and community interests; (3) it is necessary to integrate the "ethic of responsibility" with "rights"; (4) members of the nation-state should be considered equal; (5) in order to achieve nationhood in a multicultural community, it is essential to move beyond "ethnicity" and (6) in an attempt to form a national culture, attention should be drawn to "the elegant" aspects of cultures of various ethno-cultural communities. / Philosophy / M.A. (Philosophy)

There has been a growing understanding in recent years of the links between conflict emergence and horizontal inequalities and increased focus on the role which development policies can play in both ameliorating and exacerbating the root causes of violent conflict. This study tests the empirical relationship between horizontal inequalities and conflict causation using the Sri Lankan ethnic conflict as a case study. The analysis shows robust support for the empirical relationship between horizontal inequality (which encompasses political, economic, social and cultural dimensions) and the emergence of violent conflict in Sri Lanka. In this context of inequality, Tamil leaders, who faced political exclusion, and their followers, who themselves experienced inequitable access to employment, education opportunities, assets, were inspired to mobilise and engage in armed violence. Thus, the ethnic conflict stemmed from the disillusionment, frustration and increasing radicalisation of Tamils in their attitude towards the Sri Lankan state, rejecting what they perceived as exclusionary policies. The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) emerged as a key protagonist in the conflict, with an expressed view to establish a Tamil homeland in Sri Lanka. While most post war development policies are strongly aligned to government objectives, there are very little steps taken towards the design and adoption of policies to ameliorate horizontal inequalities. Instead, the government has identified security issues and economic growth as the cornerstone in the post war development process, and they are given greater emphasis in policies compared to underlying causes of violent conflict: inequalities in access to political power, economic resources and/or cultural status. Most Sri Lankan state actors are either not mandated to address equality issues or prefer conflict sensitive approaches to post war development. In general, there is a weak approach to conflict sensitivity in early post war development and reconstruction strategies (from 2009 to 2013). Likewise, there is relatively little attention paid to other conflict sensitive causes and dynamics such as the nature of the political system ii and problems of human rights. The failure to address fundamental issues relating to minority Tamil grievances has the potential to re-ignite the conflict. / Development Studies / D. Litt. et Phil. (Development Studies)