The undergraduate students' perception on multicultural education and democracy in Turkey

One of the significant factors that humanity has developed; democracy is in need of education to exist as a value in people that form the society. All developed and developing societies have high expectations from education. In societies that intend to introduce democratic values and respect in different cultures as a value to its people, education needs to study systematically to achieve this aim. Therefore, educators must know about the target population's perceptions, ideas, and attitudes concerning the subject matter. This quantitative study aimed to determine individuals' perceptions of multicultural education and democracy and analyze them in the context of diverse variables. The target population was undergraduate students. Data were collected through "the multicultural education and democracy perception scale" from 424 undergraduate students of different class levels studying at two state universities in the Central Anatolian and Marmara Regions. The data were analyzed in terms of gender, marital status, age, school, class level, ethnicity, and having a friend of different ethnic origin. The findings of the study showed that undergraduate students had positive perceptions of multicultural education and democracy. While females had a more positive perception than males, gender did not make a difference in perception. While married participants had a more positive perception, single participants had a more negative one. Participants over the age of 24 had a more positive perception; those under the age of 24 indicated a more negative perception. In the university of Marmara region while students had a more positive perception, in the one in Central Anatolia students had a more negative perception. As the class level increased, positive perception increased. Turkish and Cherkes students had a higher negative perception level. Kurdish and Zaza students had a positive perception. Having a friend of different ethnic origin did not make a difference in multicultural education and democracy perception. Keywords: Multiculturalism, Multicultural Education, Democracy, Undergraduate Students' Perceptions