Review article

Intercultural Dimension of the Civic Education Curriculum and Democratisation of Education

Olivera Gajić ; Filozofski fakultet Univerziteta u Novom Sadu, Srbija Odsjek za pedagogiju

Abstract

Th is paper is based on the premise that intercultural education is key to understanding and acceptance of human rights and cultural diversity in contemporary societies. Th e author aims to elucidate the intercultural dimension of the Civic education curriculum from the perspective of aims and tasks that support the development of democratic values and culture of democracy in the most general sense. The theoretically-informed research is focused on examining teachers’ perception of the teleological dimension of the Civic education curriculum that manifestly refl ects interculturalism founded on democratic principles. The method used in the research was the descriptive method, whilst interviewing was used as the research technique, and the Questionnaire for evaluating the Civic education curriculum served as the research instrument. Th e sample included 241 secondary school teachers from the Republic of Serbia and the collected data was processed by means of descriptive statistics and canonical discriminant analysis. Th e research results have shown that the discriminant function of aims and tasks of the Civic education curriculum is significant considering the profile of the teachers in terms of the school’s locale, and that the achievement of these aims and tasks is differently ranked and perceived by the teachers. Th e building of tolerance towards differences of other cultures and nations and understanding of one’s own national culture were emphasized as the most important aims. Th e concept of interculturalism in the Civic education curriculum implies a dynamic and interactive construct in which diff erences continually establish dialectic relationships, resulting in respect and tolerance on several levels. In conclusion, the key role in intercultural education that aims towards individual and collective action, tolerance, protection of own identity and self-respect, belongs to the teacher, so the teacher’s professional growth must be directed towards developing a sensibility for the recognition of intercultural dialogue dynamics and development of democracy.

Keywords

intercultural dialogue; tolerance; civic education; teacher; pluralism; difference

Hrčak ID:

118082

URI

https://hrcak.srce.hr/118082

Publication date:

23.5.2011.

Article data in other languages: croatian german

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