Examination of views and attitudes about multicultural education of class teachers who have Syrian students in their class

The aim of this study is to examine the views and attitudes of classroom teachers who have Syrian students in their classrooms towards multicultural education. The research was prepared by using the convergent parallel design, which is one of the mixed method designs. The universe of the research consisted of classroom teachers who worked in the official primary schools of Gaziantep province central districts in 2021-2022 and had Syrian students in their classes. In the quantitative part of the study, the sample consists of 501 primary school teachers. Quantitative data of the research are collected with the "Teachers' Multicultural Education Attitude Scale". In the qualitative part of the study, the data were determined according to the criterion sampling method and were collected through interviews with 16 primary school teachers who had Syrian students in their class. As a result of the research, it was determined that the classroom teachers' attitudes towards multicultural education were partially high. Attitudes of classroom teachers who have Syrian students in their classrooms towards multicultural education; age, marital status, education level, professional seniority, having individuals with different ethnic origins from the family and speaking any foreign language variables showed significant differences. On the other hand, the fact that teachers see different cultural elements as a wealth, empathize with them, recognize or try to understand different cultures, and approach different cultures with respect and tolerance positively affects their attitudes towards multicultural education. The fact that teachers experience communication problems with students from different cultures and their parents, that they do not receive enough in return for the education they provide, conflicts and problems between students from different cultures negatively affect teachers' attitudes towards multicultural education. In line with the results obtained, it can be suggested that teachers conduct research on multicultural education and obtain information about what multicultural education can add to themselves and their students in terms of improving their attitudes on this issue in a positive way. At the same time, directing teachers to postgraduate education on this subject can provide them with theoretical and practical information on the subject.