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J Educ Health Promot
J Educ Health Promot
JEHP
J Edu Health Promot
Journal of Education and Health Promotion
2277-9531
2319-6440
Wolters Kluwer - Medknow India

JEHP-13-204
10.4103/jehp.jehp_1206_23
Original Article
Internalization of multicultural education in improving students’ multicultural competence
Mardhiah Mardhiah 1
Ginting Dafid 2
Mumfangati Titi 3
Meisuri Meisuri 4
Fatmawati Endang 5
Jannah Misbahul 6
Siyono Siyono 7
Haris Muhammad 8
Saputra Nanda 9
1 UIN Alaudin Makassar
2 Politeknik Adiguna Maritim Indonesia Medan
3 Badan Riset dan Inovasi Nasional
4 Universitas Negeri Medan
5 Universitas Diponegoro
6 UIN Ar-Raniry
7 Universitas Islam Negeri Salatiga
8 Institut Pesantren Sunan Drajat Lamongan
9 Sekolah Tinggi Ilmu Tarbiyah Al-Hilal Sigli
Address for correspondence: Dr. Mardhiah Mardhiah, Department of Health Study and Medicine, UIN Alauddin Makassar, Indonesia. E-mail: mardhiah.hasan@uin-alauddin.ac.id
2024
05 7 2024
13 20409 8 2023
22 10 2023
Copyright: © 2024 Journal of Education and Health Promotion
2024
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/ This is an open access journal, and articles are distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 License, which allows others to remix, tweak, and build upon the work non-commercially, as long as appropriate credit is given and the new creations are licensed under the identical terms.
BACKGROUND:

This article aims to describe multicultural education in improving students’ multicultural competence. It is very important to teach multicultural values in the school environment to help students understand the importance of mutual respect. Multicultural education is very significant for its application in Indonesia, in the midst of racial, religious, cultural, and customs diversity.

MATERIALS AND METHODS:

This study uses a qualitative research approach with the Meta-Synthesis method to map research results from several kinds of literatures. The number of articles studied in this research was 27 articles. School is the most effective place in developing students’ multicultural competence; therefore, schools must implement learning that prioritizes multicultural principles without discriminating against cultural, racial, linguistic, and cultural backgrounds of students.

RESULT:

The results of this study indicate that 1). The concept of multicultural education applied in schools is able to increase students’ multicultural competence and 2). Students are more open to dealing with existing differences. As for the results of research in an elementary school education environment which is the object of research, this is based on the importance of multicultural education being implemented from an early age.

CONCLUSION:

Multicultural education is very important to increase awareness and tolerance among students. By internalizing multicultural education, students can interpret differences as a matter of course and make students more open to others both in the school environment and in the community environment.

Competence
education
multicultural
student
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pmcIntroduction

Multiculturalism is the history of a pluralistic society. America, Australia, and Canada are countries that pay serious attention to developing the principles and concepts of multiculturalism in the world of education. The country has succeeded in developing multicultural principles and concepts which are its national identity. In its history, according to Melani Budianta, multiculturalism basically started from the melting pot theory which was often discussed by J. Hector, an immigrant from Normandy. In his theory, Hector emphasized that the process of assimilation or cultural assimilation would harass the original culture so that all American immigrant communities only had one new culture, namely American culture. Indonesia is a plural country with cultural bodies that are spread from Sabang to Merauke. Indonesian people are people rich in culture, language, and customs that reflect the identity of the Indonesian nation.[1,2] The Indonesian state motto “Unity in Diversity” has a philosophical meaning of “different but still one”; this is a way of dealing with the differences that exist both in terms of religion, ethnicity, language, culture, and customs. Indonesia is one of the largest multicultural countries in the world. This can be seen from the socio-cultural and geographical conditions that are so diverse and widespread throughout Indonesia. Indonesia’s pluralism can be seen from social differences in terms of religion, ethnicity, language, culture, and customs. Suryana and Difference is a necessity that is unique and interesting but on the other hand it can lead to conflict when one is unable to appreciate the differences that exist. This is what happened in the country of Indonesia in the midst of various differences with cultural backgrounds, and there are different customs which sometimes lead to conflicts and divisions that give rise to intercultural disintegration.[3] The importance of instilling multicultural values in dealing with existing differences is the responsibility of the government, society, and educational institutions, in this case, schools. School is a formal institution that is very effective in imparting multicultural education to students. Multicultural education in schools where students are taught to respect and respect each other without discriminating against race, religion, language, culture, and student customs.[4]

Multicultural education is very important to be implemented in Indonesia amidst the diversity of races, religions, cultures and customs. This diversity is a gift from God Almighty and is a wealth of the Indonesian nation that must be safeguarded. Multicultural education is a process of internalizing students’ attitudes and behavior toward multicultural values, the internalization process takes place during the learning process in the classroom, where the teacher does not discriminate between students from racial, religious, cultural, and cultural backgrounds. It is very important to instill multicultural values in the school environment to provide students with an understanding of the importance of mutual respect and respect for one another.[5]

The purpose of this article is to describe multicultural education in increasing students’ multicultural competence. It is very important to teach multicultural education to students to increase awareness and tolerance among students in the school environment. Schools are the most effective place in developing students’ multicultural competence; thus, schools must implement learning that prioritizes multicultural principles without discriminating against students’ cultural background, race, language, and customs.

The novelty of this research shows that the concept of multicultural education applied in schools can increase students’ multicultural competence, and students are more open to facing existing differences.

Materials and Methods

Research design

This study uses a qualitative research approach with the Meta-Synthesis method to map research results from several literature by searching several related literatures and screening several appropriate articles, then analyzing and synthesizing the qualitative findings.

Data collection

In this research, the data collection technique was by reviewing research articles or journals related to the research title. The number of articles reviewed in this research was 27 articles. After all the data has been collected, an in-depth analysis is then carried out regarding the data obtained from several articles or journals resulting from excellent research, which are studied to provide new ideas to support the research results.[6]

Results

Several reference articles show that the reality that occurs in Indonesian education, especially in the school environment, is that multicultural education has not become an independent scientific discipline, but the inculcation of multicultural values is a shared responsibility of government, society, and schools. It can be interpreted that the Indonesian education curriculum has not made multicultural education a stand-alone subject that has been taught in educational institutions, multicultural education basically has to be taught to students from an early age. In Indonesian education, multicultural education is only taught on the sub-themes of lessons taught by educators at educational institutions.[7]

Discourses on multicultural education from several related literature are still being debated by education experts on independent scientific disciplines. Does multicultural education need to be made into a stand-alone scientific field (stand-alone subject)? How important is multicultural education in maintaining the integrity of Indonesian society in the midst of existing differences? These data require holistic in-depth analysis and study to protect the Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia (NKRI), namely by instilling the values of multicultural education from an early age in the school environment. The findings of the data above show the importance of internalizing multicultural education in education in Indonesia.

Discussion

Basically, the word multiculturalism was etymologically used around the 1950s in Canada. The term multiculturalism is rooted in the term multiculturalism. Before discussing more about multicultural education, we first discuss the meaning of the concept of “multicultural”, so that it can make it easier for us to understand multicultural education. The multicultural concept in Indonesia is basically used as the country’s motto, namely “bhineka Tunggal Ika” which has different meanings but is still one; this is based on the background of a pluralistic Indonesian society with a variety of races, religions, cultures, and customs spread from Sabang to Merauke. Indonesian society is also called a multicultural society. But basically, the multicultural concept has a different concept from the concept of diversity.

The multicultural concept explains the problems that occur with diversity which cause conflict due to ethnocentrism by assuming their ethnicity is superior to other people’s ethnicity, thus giving rise to inter-ethnic conflict. Multiculturalism is a concept of mutual understanding, respect, and respect among others in social life. Basically, every society has a culture that is different from the culture of other people, to overcome the differences that exist in society so that conflicts do not occur, namely by instilling multicultural values in the community.[8]

Multicultural education

Humans and education are two things that cannot be separated like two sides of a coin. The two of them can only be separated theoretically and analytically because humans throughout their lives always carry out education. In fact, one often hears a saying that says ‘Education lasts from the cradle to the grave.’ Education is a process of humanizing humans, on the one hand. On the other hand, a process in order to influence students so that they can adapt as best as possible to their environment and thus will cause changes in themselves that allow them to function adequately in community life.[9] Where the teacher has a very important and broad role in educating students so that they have changed for the better.

Education is a conscious and planned effort to instill understanding in students about the importance of character culture.[10] Character education is a teaching and learning process carried out to understand, respect, and respect each other in this case also called multicultural education. Multicultural education is sometimes also interpreted as education for cultural diversity in society, in the sense that multicultural education is not only prescribed in schools but multicultural education is applied and implemented in the community through patterns of intercultural interaction.[11]

Several education experts who explained the definition of multicultural education, namely Sleeper and Grant, emphasized that multicultural education contains four meanings, namely (1) teaching about cultural diversity, (2) teaching about various approaches in social relations, (3) teaching to advance pluralism without distinguishing social strata in society, and (4) teaching about reflecting on diversity to increase pluralism and equality.

Meanwhile, according to Mania (2010) argues that multicultural education is all ethnic and cultural groups that exist in society in Indonesia have the same right to obtain quality education and to achieve the best achievements.[12]

Multicultural education can be interpreted as education about cultivating cultural diversity by prioritizing mutual respect and respect for other cultures. Understanding of multicultural education can be applied in the community, both at the descriptive and normative levels in describing the problems that occur in the world of education related to multicultural society. Multicultural education highly upholds equality and justice in society, so it is used as a set of beliefs about the importance of cultural diversity and customs in society.[13]

The urgent issue of multicultural education in Indonesia is based on two reasons, as follows: First, Indonesia is a country that has problems with diversity in terms of race, religion, culture and customs. The problem occurs because the meaning of multicultural values is not applied in everyday life. Second, there is a lack of understanding of the meaning of Indonesia’s national motto, namely “unity in diversity” which has different meanings but is still one, this is a big problem faced by a multicultural society when it is unable to appreciate and respect differences. These problems can be anticipated by internalizing multicultural education in social life.[14]

Implementation of multicultural education

Every country is different in implementing multicultural education. We can see this as an example in America, as quoted by Tilaar from the results of Banks’ research, the implementation of multicultural education in America includes various dimensions as follows: 1). The dimension of the curriculum, where the inculcation of multicultural values is integrated with subjects and with clear competencies. 2). The scientific dimension, conducting historical research from the experiences of several figures who fight for multicultural values and formulating knowledge about norms and culture that exist in society. 3). Fair learning treatment, teaching and learning processes that are implemented in schools where teachers do not discriminate against students from racial, religious, or cultural so that all students have the same treatment during the learning process takes place. 4). Empowerment of school culture, the school environment is the center of planting multicultural values by developing and coaching students and teachers about the importance of multicultural education in appreciating and respecting differences.[15]

Multicultural education is very urgent to be implemented in social life amidst the many problems that arise regarding diversity in terms of religion, culture, and community customs. Diversity is a gift from God Almighty which must be maintained by instilling multicultural values in everyday life. In a multicultural society, sometimes it creates several differences which then give birth to conflicts, conflicts that occur are based on misunderstandings about people’s culture and consider their own culture to be superior to other cultures. The problems that occur greatly deviate from the multicultural principle of respecting existing differences, and differences should be used as lessons in social life so that integrity can be increased amidst existing differences.[16]

Therefore, in implementing the paradigm of multicultural education in society in general, the following principles must be adhered to: 1. Multicultural education must be able to offer an educational curriculum in an effort to deal with diversity. 2. Basically, multicultural education is not an assumption about the interpretation of historical truth. 3. The curriculum offered is able to analyze diversity in terms of religion, culture, and customs in society. 4. Multicultural education must prioritize the principle of equality in difference so that each culture has the same position in society.

Multicultural competence of students

Education Multiculturalism is very important to be taught to students from an early age, the process of multicultural education is very urgent to be implemented in the school environment, where school is the main activity of students in studying. This is in accordance with what was stated by[17] that in developing students’ abilities, especially in interpreting diverse lives regarding cultural differences that exist in society, an evaluation of the learning process in basic education must be carried out by organizing multicultural-based education, the purpose of the evaluation is as follows: 1. Optimizing the function and role of schools in raising awareness to students about the diversity that exists in society. 2. Fostering an open attitude to fellow students who have different backgrounds in terms of religion, culture, and customs. 3. Increase student awareness in making decisions by considering the risks that occur. 4. Instill a good cooperative attitude between students with different backgrounds.[18]

As for the results of research in an elementary school education environment which is the object of research, this is based on the importance of multicultural education being implemented from an early age. Multicultural education that is implemented from an early age greatly influences the values of togetherness and how to respect and value each other amidst the differences that exist. The multicultural principle is a basic principle that must be taught to students, and it is important to internalize it in the school environment so that students are required to know and learn about the importance of being open in the midst of differences both in terms of religion, culture, and customs. In the learning process carried out between teachers and students about the importance of multicultural values in dealing with differences, teachers are required to provide students with an understanding of how to deal with differences in society so that conflicts do not occur. The principle of multicultural education is expected to be able to shape the character and identity of students in facing the various realities of life so that they are able to understand and appreciate the differences that exist in society.[19,20]

Students who have different backgrounds, in terms of religion, culture, and customs, gather in the school environment. It is in this school that students meet friends who have different backgrounds, so it is important that students are taught about multicultural education from an early age. Multicultural education is able to shape the character and personality of students in dealing with differences so as to minimize the occurrence of problems or conflicts due to cultural differences. In shaping students’ personalities, teachers are responsible for instilling and internalizing multicultural values in their students. Data from a national survey conducted by the Center for Islamic and Community Studies in 2018.

Multicultural education in schools

According to James A Banks, multicultural education is a conscious effort that is carried out in a comprehensive manner in interpreting the differences that exist in terms of religion, race, and culture that exist in society,[21,22,23,24]on the other hand, multicultural education is also considered capable of providing evaluation in the world of education, especially in the school environment which is a the main activity of students, where the teacher is responsible for giving students an understanding of the importance of being open and respecting others.[20] The process of internalizing multicultural education in schools is implemented on the basis of the diversity and pluralism of Indonesian society. School is a place for the socialization of multicultural education which is very effective in instilling multicultural values in students. The many problems that occur regarding intercultural conflict are problems faced by society, where schools which are educational institutions have not been able to foster students’ multicultural awareness in dealing with the reality of the plurality of Indonesian society.[21,25] We can see this based on concrete examples of problems faced by students in schools, namely fights between students, this happens because multicultural values are not used as a guide in action. Multicultural education must be taught in the school[23,26] environment, from elementary schools to tertiary institutions, where multicultural education is still a subject discussed in the subthemes of the lesson. This should be the concern of the government and schools in implementing multicultural education that stands alone so that it becomes a subject taught to students because in multicultural education there are many discussions that must be understood by students as the next generation of the nation. The many focuses of discussion in multicultural education allow it to become a stand-alone subject.[23,27]

Conclusion

Multicultural education is very important to be implemented for students to improve students’ multicultural competence. Multicultural education must be a concern for the government and society by making multicultural education a stand-alone subject in schools. Multicultural education is very important to be taught to students in increasing awareness and tolerance among students in the school environment because in a school environment where students have different backgrounds, such as differences in religion, ethnicity, culture, and customs so that by internalizing multicultural education students can interpret differences as a matter of course and make students more open to others both in the school environment and in the community environment.

Authors’ contribution

All the authors equally contributed significantly in this research.

Financial support and sponsorship

Nil.

Conflicts of interest

There are no conflicts of interest.
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