mainstreaming respect for diversity and ... respect for diversity and multiculturalism in early...

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MAINSTREAMING RESPECT FOR DIVERSITY AND MULTICULTURALISM IN EARLY CHILDHOOD DEVELOPMENTON THE UNDERSTANDING, PRACTICES AND ATTITUDES OF PARENTS AND EDUCATORS IN TERMS OF DIVERSITY AND THE NEED FOR MULTICULTURAL PRESCHOOL EDUCATION

BASELINE

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Authors:• Nadica Janeva • Biljana A. Stojanoska

External consultant on research methodology: • Violeta Petroska Beska

Statistical analysis: • Beti Lameva

Field researchers:• Atinula Nicovska • Sanja Aleksovska • Simona Palcevska • Valentina Zindl

Field assistants:• Ane Ancevska

• Blagorodna Grujoska

Acknowledgements:

The study on the understanding, practices and attitudes of parents and educators in terms of diver-sity and the need for multicultural preschool education was carried out between 26.02-10.03.2014. ECD-CoR expresses great gratitude to the management, expert teams as well as the education and caregiver teams in the public kindergartens which participated in the research. Great gratitude to the parents who participated in the research.

The British Embassy in Skopje supported the preparation of this publication, within the project “Mainstreaming diversity and Mul-ticulturalism in early childhood development in Macedonia”. The content of this publication does not necessarily reflect the posi-tion or the opinions of the British Embassy in Skopje.

The statements in this report are the views of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the policies or the views of UNICEF. The text has not been edited to UNICEF editing standards.

CIP - Каталогизација во публикација Национална и универзитетска библиотека “Св. Климент Охридски”, Скопје

373.2.016:316.723(497.7)(047.31)

RESPECT for diversity and multiculturalism in early childhood development : study on the un-derstanding, practices and attitudes of parents and educatorsin terms of diversity and the need for multicultural preschool education (baseline) / [authors Nadica Janeva... и др.]. - Скопје : Канцеларија на УНИЦЕФ, 2014. - 28 стр. : табели ; 23 см

Автори: Nadica Janeva, Biljana Stojanoska, Violeta Petroska Beshka, Beti Lameva, Atinula Nicho-vska, Sanja Aleksovska, Simona Palchevska, Valentina Zindl. - Библиографија: стр. 28

ISBN 978-9989-116-64-3

а) Предучулишно образование - Ставови за различностите - Македонија - Истражувања COBISS.MK-ID 97519114

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“No one is born hating another person because of the colour of his skin, or his background, or his religion. People must learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love, for love comes more naturally to the human heart than it’s opposite.”

Statement of NelsonMandela at his Inauguration as President of South Africa 1994

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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY1. The study was conducted as part of „Introduction of respect for diversity and

multiculturalism in Early Childhood Development“Project implemented by the Ministry of Labour and Social Policy with the support of UNICEF and the British Embassy. The aim was to assess the current understanding, practices and atti-tudes of parents and educators related to diversity and the need for multicultural preschool education.

2. The kindergartens from municipalities of Bitola, Kumanovo, Kichevo, Kochani, Ohrid, Tetovo, Gostivar, Skopje – Chair, Skopje – Aerodrom, Skopje – Gazi - Baba were included in the study. The study was conducted on a sample of 1,220 respon-dents (198 educators and 1,022 parents of children attending kindergartens).

3. The survey instrument (questionnaire) used to collect data included a set of statements about children’s learning and behaviour in kindergartens related to respect for diversity. The respondents (educators and parents) ranked these statements from 1 to 4 according to their own perception about the current and the desired state in the kindergarten.

4. The average estimate of the attitudes of all respondents on the extent to which children are introduced to the culture, tradition, customs and language of the minority communities in the kindergarten, on a scale from 1 (the least favour-able state) to 4 (the most favourable state), ranged from 2.16 (language) to 2.59 (holidays). The respondents wish for this situation to improve in the future (av-erage estimate above 3) in all aspects, except for the children’s exposure to the language of the minority communities which was at the average estimate of 2.86.

5. The respondents-parents, assessed the situation with regards to children’s learn-ing in kindergartens less favourably, except for the exposure to the language of the minority communities. With reference to the language, the respondents-ed-ucators (1.9) assessed the current state less favourably compared to the parents (2.21). The parents’ expectations about the children’s exposure to the languages of the minority communities in the future was higher (2.88) compared to the educators’ expectations (2.74).

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6. The average estimate given by the respondents about how children behave in the kindergarten on a Likert scale from 1 (most acceptable behaviour) to 4 (least acceptable behaviour), ranged from 1.16 (underestimate other children) to 1.35 (prejudice of other children). The use of offensive words towards the different minority ethnic community, was assessed at the average of 1.2. The respondents’ greatest wish for the future is for the children in kindergartens not to ridicule children with mental or physical disabilities (1.16) and not to underestimate children from poorer families (1.15).

7. The analysis of the focus groups discussions conducted among 4 to 6 years-old children in selected kindergartens showed that many children are not aware about the existence of other ethnic communities, nor they have any significant knowledge about them. The results of the analysis, show that there was substan-tial level of gender stereotypes and unfavourable perception towards children from poor families. There is greater awareness about the existence of other eth-nic communities among the children who attend kindergartens in mixed groups or together with children from other ethnic communities.

8. The survey results may help in identifying the need for information, education and communication of the key actors in the kindergartens (parents and educa-tors) that are key in developing children’s positive attitudes related to multicul-turalism, respect for all types of diversity and developing multicultural compe-tences.

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INTRODUCTION Early childhood (from 0 to 8 years) is a significant period in the child’s life. During this period, the child achieves key developmental outcomes which also include awareness about diversity in relation to other children.

For young children, preschools are places where the transition from the family as a small and immediate environment to the community as a wider social environment happens. More specifically, in preschools, young children are facing the complexity and the diver-sity of the community for the first time and they get an idea about how the community respects or ignores diversity. Here, children may experience, for the first time, the feeling of exclusion or discrimination. (Keulen 2004 b: 3).

When different aspects of diversity are not identified in early childhood, this creates barriers in learning both in childhood and later in adulthood, or difficulties appear in children’s development on a daily basis, but also there are long-term effects on the devel-opment (O’Doherty, A.M., Colette (2001)).

The European year for equal opportunities for all, programmes and policies (European Commission 2006), defines diversity in terms of several aspects, as religion or belief, ethnic origin, disability, age, gender, sexual orientation. However, with reference to the different aspects of diversity that could appear in heterogeneous groups, most often diversity is referred to ethnic origin.

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OBJECTIVES OF THE SURVEYThe survey was conducted as part of the „Introduction of respect for diversity and multicul-turalism in early childhood development“ Project implemented by the Ministry of Labour and Social Policy with the support of UNICEF and the British Embassy. It aimed at assess-ing the understanding, the practices and the attitudes of parents and educators in terms of diversity and the need for multicultural preschool education.

The specific objective of the survey was to assess educators’ and parents’ perception about children’s learning and behaviour in kindergartens with regards to respect for di-versity in the different aspects of kindergarten life. The survey results will help in identi-fying the need for information, education and communication of the key stakeholders for the creation of positive attitudes and competencies of children in early childhood with regards to multiculturalism).

SURVEY METHODOLOGYThe conceptual framework of this study includes an assessment of educators’ and parents’ attitudes and practices in certain aspects of kindergarten life, as well as the degree of interaction and interpersonal communication among children in the educational groups with regards to respecting and accepting and diversity.

The objective of this quantitative method for data collection was to obtain reference data as a baseline to be used later to measure the influence and the impact of the project activities introduced to change the practices and the attitudes with regards to multicul-turalism in early childhood development.

The sample selection was made based on several criteria:

1) Selection of municipalities from every statistical region with a kindergarten with children from more ethnic communities, and

2) Random selection of educators and parents by using the principle of a sample proportional to the representation of the ethnic groups in the entire population.

The data were collected via direct interviews by using semi-structured questionnaires, which were previously tested in the field.

The following municipalities were included in the sample: Bitola, Kumanovo, Kichevo, Kochani, Ohrid, Tetovo, Gostivar, Skopje – Chair, Skopje – Aerodrom, Skopje – Gazi-Baba.

The study was conducted on a sample of 1.220 respondents (198 educators and 1.022 par-ents of children attending kindergartens included in the study). The division of respon-dents, according to ethnic origin, is shown in table 1, and the division of respondents, according to the language of instruction of educational activities in the kindergarten, is shown in table 2. Only 4.9% of children are included in bilingual educational groups, while other parents reported that their children attend educational groups separated based on language.

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The survey instrument (questionnaire) used for the study included a set of statements related to different aspects of kindergarten life and the communication among children. The respondents (the educators and the parents) ranked these statements with regards to diversity from 1 to 4 according to their own perception about the current and the desired state. The level of the current perception of the parents and educators, as well as the desired state with regards to diversity and multiculturalism in the different aspects of the kindergarten life was assessed by using the Likert scale from 1 to 4.

The analysis of the result is systematized in the report, as an overview of what children are learning and how children behave in kindergartens based on the statements of the respondents.

Specific comparative analyses were made for the two most represented ethnic communi-ties (Macedonians and Albanians), both for parents and educators, given the fact that the other ethnic communities were not adequately represented in the sample.

The survey was complemented with an assessment of children’s attitudes from selected kindergartens included in the sample. Children’s attitudes and opinions were assessed through focus groups during which children had the opportunity to express themselves with regards to respecting and accepting diversity.

Table 1: Ethnic origin of the respondents

143

27

4

0

24

198 1.022

643

234

43

30

72

72.2%

13.6%

2.2%

0%

12.1%

100% 100%

62.9%

22.9%

4.2%

2.9%

7.0%

Educators ParENts

Macedonians

Albanians

Roma

Turks

Others and unknown

Total

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Table 2: Language of instruction in the group

154

21

1

8

14

198 1.022

707

207

16

50

42

77.8%

10.6%

0.5%

4.0%

7.1%

100% 100%

69.2%

20.2%

1.6%

4.9%

4.1%

Educators ParENts

Macedonian

Albanian

Turkish

Bilingual

Unknown

Total

RESULTS ON CHILDREN’S LEARNING IN KINDERGARTENS

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The ranking of the results on children’s learning in kindergartens according to the Likert scale, in this section of the analysis, is from 1 (as least favourable and least desirable state) to 4 (as most favourable and most desirable state).

What children are learning in kindergartens refers to several aspects of multiculturalism and respect for diversity such as: respecting and recognizing the customs and the tradi-tions, the language and the opportunities to accomplish effective contacts with children from the different ethnic communities, as well as other diversities (sexes, social back-ground, developmental outcomes and disability).

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COMPARISON BETWEEN THE CURRENT AND THE DESIRED STATE REGARDING CHILDREN’S LEARNING IN KINDERGARTENS

The perception of respondents for the current opportunities for children in kindergar-tens to learn and TO be introduced to the culture (food, customs, holidays and dances) of the other minority ethnic communities on a scale from 1 to 4 was assessed from 2.27 for food to 2.59 for holidays, with the desire this situation to improve in the future in all aspects above 3. The difference in the perception of the current state and the desired change is biggest for the food of the other ethnic communities (from 2.27 to 3.06).

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With regards to the exposure of children to the language of the minority communities, the respondents assessed the current state with an average estimate of 2.16 which is the lowest estimate in the Likert scale from 1 to 4. The desired state for the exposure of children in kindergartens to the language of the other ethnic communities, by all respon-dents, is smaller compared to the other aspects or 2.86.

The current state regarding the quality of the contacts among children from different social and ethnic origin, as well as gender, developmental outcomes in kindergartens are assessed by all respondents with a higher estimate compared to the previous parameters, and the desired state is almost 4 for the children with disabilities and gender equality (Table 3 and Chart 1).

Chart 1: Average value of the perception of all respondents with regards to the current and the desired state of children’s learning in kindergartens

social status

gender equality

helping children with disabilities

joint performances

joint play activities

contacts

language

dances and music

customs

holidays

food

DESIRED STATE CURRENT STATE

1.5 2 2.5 3 3.5 41

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Table 3: Average value of the perception of all respondents with regards to the current and the desired state of children’s learning in kindergartens

CURRENT STATE

DESIRED STATE

Introduction to the food that is consumed by the other ethnic communities

2.27 3.06

Introduction to the holidays of the other ethnic communities 2.59 3.23

Introduction to the customs of the other ethnic communities 2.47 3.17

Introduction to the music and dances of the other ethnic communities

2.49 3.21

Exposure to the language spoken by the other ethnic communities

2.16 2.86

Contacts with children from other ethnic communities 2.73 3.31

Joint play activities with children from the other ethnic communities

2.73 3.34

Joint performances with children from other ethnic communities

2.82 3.42

Readiness to assist the children with disabilities and children with special needs

2.98 3.64

Gender equality in play activities and use of toys 3.5 3.72

Grouping children according to social status 3.27 3.43

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COMPARISON BETWEEN EDUCATORS AND PARENTS

The comparative analysis of the differences in perception between parents and educators about what children are currently learning in kindergartens and the desired state showed that educators assess the current state more favourably with regards to what and the extent to which children are learning about the culture of the other ethnic communities. There is a similar situation about the future expectations, i.e. the educators desire this state to improve in the future, i.e. close to the maximum estimate of 4. Moreover, the parents want improvement in what children are learning about the culture of the other ethnic communities, but their expectation is lower compared to educators.

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With reference to the exposure to the language of the other ethnic communities, educa-tors assess the current state with an average of 1.9 (out of maximum 4), while the per-ception of parents is that their children are more exposed to the languages of the other communities in the kindergarten (2.21).

With regards to other diversities, educators and parents report that the current state is very favourable ( 3) with no significant differences between them (Table 4 and charts 2 and 3).

Table 4: Average value of the perception of parents and educators with regards to the current and the desired state of children’s learning in kindergartens

CHILDREN’S LEARNING IN KINDERGARTENS

CURRENT STATE DESIRED STATE

PARENTS EDUCATORS PARENTS EDUCATORS

Food 2.28 2.21 3.05 3.12

Holidays 2.55 2.79 3.21 3.37

Customs 2.43 2.65 3.14 3.32

Dances and music 2.45 2.7 3.18 3.36

Language 2.21 1.9 2.88 2.74

Contacts 2.74 2.69 3.31 3.31

Joint play activities 2.73 2.73 3.33 3.39

Joint performances 2.8 2.89 3.41 3.74

Helping children with disabilities

2.98 3 3.65 3.59

Gender equality 3.46 3.69 3.75 3.78

Social status 3.24 3.41 3.41 3.53

U

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Chart 2: Average value of the perception of the parents and the educators with regards to the current state of children’s learning in kindergartens

Chart 3: Average value of the perception of the parents and the educators with regards to the desired state of children’s learning in kindergartens in the future

EDUCATORS PARENTS

social status

gender equality


joint performances

joint playing activities

contacts

language

dances and music

customs

holidays

food

social status

gender equality


joint performances


contacts

language

dances and music

customs

holidays

food

1.5 2 2.5 3 3.5 4

1.5 2 2.5 3 3.5 4

1

1

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COMPARISON BETWEEN THE MACEDONIANS AND THE ALBANIANS FROM MIXED KINDERGARTENS WITH EDUCATIONAL GROUPS IN BOTH MACEDONIAN AND ALBANIAN

Ten kindergartens were included in the survey, of which five have separate educational groups based on the language of instruction, either in Macedonian or in Albanian lan-guage (mixed kindergartens), while in the other five, the educational process is carried out only in groups in Macedonian language (Macedonian kindergartens). In the “mixed kindergartens” 714 respondents (parents and educators) were included in the survey, and 506 respondents were in the second group.

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Table 5: Total number of respondents according to the languages of instruction in the educational groups (Macedonian and mixed – Macedonian and Albanian educational groups)

The analysis was conducted with the aim of assessing whether the existence of mixed groups in one kindergarten presumes some kind of influence on the differences in the perception both of the parents and the educators regarding children’s learning in kinder-gartens (Table 6 and Chart 4).

In general, the respondents from the Albanian ethnic community assessed the current state more favourably with regards to what the children are learning in the mixed kin-dergartens, with a slightly lower median value of the perception related to the gender differences, social status and children with disabilities.

With reference to the exposure to the language of the other ethnic community, the Al-banian respondents believe that their children are more exposed to Macedonian lan-guage (2.58) compared to the Macedonian respondents (2.06) regarding the Albanian language. The difference between the Macedonian and Albanian respondents regarding this state is transposed in the future expectations for its improvement with differences that have been observed in the perception of the current state (Table 6 and Chart 5).

114

84

600

1.022198

714

506422

Educators

Educators

ParENts

ParENts

Mixed kindergartens

With Macedonian groups only

Total

Total

Total

Total

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Table 6: Average value of the perception of all respondents (Macedonian and Albanian) with regards to the current and the desired state of children’s learning in mixed kindergartens

WHAT THE CHILDREN ARE LEARNING


MACEDONIANS ALBANIANS MACEDONIANS ALBANIANS

Food 2.13 2.49 2.87 3.21

Holidays 2.47 2.74 3.10 3.33

Customs 2.35 2.51 3.83 3.22

Dances and music 2.33 2.61 3.02 3.34

Language 2.06 2.58 2.67 3.33

Contacts 2.52 2.91 3.05 3.56




2.87 3.11 3.53 3.69


Social status 3.28 2.97 3.48 2.96

Chart 4: Average value of the perception of the current state of all respondents – Macedonians and Albanians with regards to children’s learning in mixed kindergartens

ALBANIANS MACEDONIANS

social status

gender equality


joint performances


contacts

language

dances and music

customs

holidays

food

1.5 2 2.5 3 3.5 41

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Chart 5: Average value of the desired state of all respondents – Macedonians and Albanians with regards to children’s learning in mixed kindergartens

In addition, the analysis of the perception of the current state with regards to what the children are learning in mixed kindergartens, by categories of respondents (parents/edu-cators) shows differences by ethnic origin. With reference to the language, the Albanian parents believe that their children are much more exposed to Macedonian language in the kindergarten (2.63) compared to the Macedonian parents (2.04). This difference is insignificant among the educators (2.14 against 2.17) (Table 7).

Even though only 24 Roma parents were part of the sample, it is interesting to mention that the analysis of their replies about the current state of what the children are learning is with a higher medium estimate (above 3) compared to the Macedonian and Albanian parents. As an exception we have the perception of the Roma parents who believe that the children are not much prepared to help the children with disabilities or special needs in the kindergarten (2.67) compared to the Macedonian parents (2.90) and Albanians (3.12) (Chart 6).

ALBANIANS MACEDONIANS

social status

gender equality


joint performances


contacts

language

dances and music

customs

holidays

food

1.5 2 2.5 3 3.5 41

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Table 7: Average value of the perception of the parents and the educators (Macedonians and Albanians) with regards to the current state of children’s learning in mixed kindergartens


PARENTS EDUCATORS


Food 2.88 2.55 2.32 1.96

Holidays 2.39 2.72 2.76 2.87

Customs 2.29 2.51 2.59 2.5

Dances and music 2.24 2.62 2.68 2.54

Language 2.04 2.63 2.14 2.17

Contacts 2.5 2.92 2.6 2.83




2.9 3.12 2.76 3.04


Social status 3.22 2.99 3.48 2.79

Chart 6: Average evaluation of the Macedonian, Albanian and Roma parents regarding the current state of whether children are prepared to help children with disabilities in kindergartens

2.5 2.6 2.7 2.8 2.9 3 3.1 3.22.4

2.67

2.9

3.12

roMa

albaNiaNs

MacEdoNiaNs

Helping children with

disabilities

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The analysis of the results about how parents and educators, according to their ethnic origin (Macedonians and Albanians), view the future state showed differences regarding all three areas of children’s learning (culture, language and interaction of the children) in terms of diversity.

The parents belonging to the Albanian ethnic community wish for their children to learn more about every aspect of diversity in the kindergarten, in the future, with the estimate between 3.20 and 3.73, and among the parents from the Macedonian ethnic community these estimates range from 2.85 to 3.67.

As for the future, the educators from the Albanian ethnic community wish for the chil-dren to learn aspects of diversity to a higher degree compared with the Macedonian educators, and there is a very evident difference in the desired state about the opportu-nity for the children in the future to have more frequent joint play activities (Albanians 3.67, Macedonians 3.19). With reference to the acceptance of diversity in terms of the social status, the Albanian educators show lesser optimism that it will be respected in the future, with the perception that the grouping of children according to the social sta-tus, during socialization, will be even more noticeable in the future (Macedonians 3.45, Albanians 2.88) (Table 8).

Table 8: Average value of the perception of the parents and educators (Macedonians and Albanians) with regards the desired state about what the children should learn in the future in the mixed kindergartens


PARENTS EDUCATORS


Food 2.85 3.20 2.96 3.33

Holidays 3.04 3.33 3.28 3.38

Customs 2.98 3.21 3.19 3.29

Dances and music 2.96 3.34 3.24 3.33

Language 2.64 3.33 2.80 3.29

Contacts 3.04 3.56 3.07 3.58




3.56 3.70 3.42 3.61


Social status 3.45 2.96 3.59 2.88

RESULTS - CHILDREN’S BEHAVIOUR IN KINDERGARTEN

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The results about children’s behaviour in the kindergarten cover the aspects of mutual interaction of children based on specific types of diversity (ethnic origin, physical ap-pearance in terms of disabilities, gender and social differences). The attitudes of the ed-ucators and the parents about the unwanted behaviour of children in kindergarten as for example insults, ridicule were assessed using the scale from 1 to 4, i.e. the most desirable positive behaviour is 1, and the least desirable negative behaviour is 4.

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COMPARISON BETWEEN THE CURRENT AND THE DESIRED STATE – CHILDREN’S BEHAVIOUR IN KINDERGARTENS

The study also assessed the level of the current perception and the desired state among the educators and the parents regarding children’s behaviour in communication based on diversity (using offensive words, refusing to participate in play, ridicule, underestimate, etc.) using Likert scale (1-4), where the most favourable state is 1, and least favourable is 4.

The results from the analysis showed that the perception of all respondents about the current state is on a scale between 1.16 and 1.35, with the lowest mid estimate showing that underestimate of children from poorer families (1.16) and the use of offensive words (1.2) are not the common standard of children’s behaviour in the kindergartens.

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The future expectations of the respondents is that this state of good communication and acceptable social behaviour between the children will remain unchanged, i.e. the desired quality will be maintained with a small tendency for further improvement particularly with regard to gender stereotypes ( Table 9 and Chart 7).

Table 9: Average value about the perception of all respondents with regards to the current and the desired state of children’s behaviour in kindergartens

CHILDREN’S BEHAVIOUR IN THE KINDERGARTENCURRENT

STATEDESIRED

STATE

Use of offensive words towards members of other ethnic communities

1.2 1.17

Refusing to play with children, members of other ethnic communities

1.29 1.27

Exclusion of children with special needs or physical disabilities during the joint play activities

1.34 1.3

Ridiculing the children with physical or other type of disabilities

1.26 1.16

Prejudice towards peers who behave in a non-stereotypical manner regarding gender diversity

1.35 1.22

Understimate other children who come from poorer families 1.16 1.15

Chart 7: Average value of the perception of all respondents regarding the current and the desired state of children’s behaviour in kindergartens

DESIRED STATE CURRENT STATE

understimate

prejudice

ridicule

exclusion of children

refusing contacts

offensive words

1.1 1.15 1.2 1.25 1.3 1.35 1.41.05

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COMPARISON BETWEEN THE EDUCATORS AND THE PARENTS ABOUT CHILDREN’S BEHAVIOUR IN KINDERGARTENS

In general, the perception of the parents about how children behave in kindergarten is more favourable for all types of behaviour compared to the perceptions of the educators, and there is the greatest difference with regards to judging peers when they display non-stereotypical gender behaviour. The desired state about how children should behave in the kindergarten in the future, both for the educators and for the parents is close to 1, but the parents have greater expectations for improving the state in the future.

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Table 10: Average value of the perception of all respondents (parents and educators) regarding the current and the desired state of children’s behaviour in kindergartens

CHILDREN’S BEHAVIOUR


PARENTS EDUCATORS PARENTS EDUCATORS

Use of offensive words towards the members of other ethnic communities

1.19 1.24 1.17 1.16

Refusing to play with members of other ethnic communities

1.28 1.31 1.27 1.26

Exclusion of children with special needs or physical disabilities during the joint play activities

1.34 1.38 1.3 1.28

Ridiculing children with physical or other type of developmental disabilities

1.24 1.29 1.15 1.18

Prejudice towards peers who behave in a non-stereotypical manner regarding gender diversity

1.34 1.42 1.21 1.25

Underestimate other children who come from poorer families

1.16 1.15 1.15 1.18

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Chart 8: Average value of the perception of the parents and the educators regarding the current state of children’s behaviour in kindergartens

Chart 9: Average value of the perception of the parents and the educators regarding the desired state of children’s behaviour in kindergartens

EDUCATORS PARENTS

understimate

prejudice

ridicule


refusing contacts

offensive words

1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.51

understimate

prejudice

ridicule


refusing contacts

offensive words

1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.51

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COMPARISON BETWEEN MACEDONIANS AND ALBANIANS ABOUT CHILDREN’S BEHAVIOUR IN MIXED KINDERGARTENS

In the mixed kindergartens, the comparison of the results from respondents from the Macedonian and Albanian ethnic community showed that both the current and desired state is assessed by the respondents from the respondents from the Macedonian ethnic community as more favourable, compared to the respondents from the Albanian ethnic community. The Macedonian respondents rated children’s behaviour to exclude children with special needs from play as lowest (1.39), and the Albanian respondents rated lowest the refusal to play together with children from the other ethnic community (1.52).

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With reference to the expectations about how the children should behave in the future, the Macedonian respondents wish for the children not to use offensive words towards the other ethnic community (1.13), and the Albanian respondents expect that in the future children will not underestimate other children coming from poorer families (1.12) (Table 11).

Table 11: Average value of the perception regarding the current and the desired state of the Macedonian and Albanian respondents regarding children’s behaviour in mixed kindergartens

CHILDREN’S BEHAVIOUR



Use of offensive words towards the members of other ethnic communities

1.2 1.28 1.13 1.18

Refusing to play with members of other ethnic communities

1.28 1.52 1.25 1.42

Exclusion of children with special needs or physical disabilities during joint play activities

1.39 1.44 1.31 1.37

Ridiculing the children with physical or other type of developmental disabilities

1.30 1.23 1.18 1.21

Prejudice towards the peers who behave in a non-stereotypical manner regarding gender diversity

1.38 1.39 1.22 1.38

Underestimate of other children who come from poorer backgrounds

1.19 1.27 1.16 1.12

The analysis of the results about how parents and educators view the current state and future expectations, based on ethnic origin (Macedonians and Albanians) showed that the parents, in general, better assess the current behaviour of children, compared to the educators, and this can be noticed in the both ethnic communities.

Unlike the parents, the educators wish for the children’s behaviour in the kindergartens to significantly improve in the future (tables 12 and 13).

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Table 12: Assessment of parents and educators from the mixed kindergartens – Macedonians and Albanians about the current state of the children’s behaviour

CHILDREN’S BEHAVIOURPARENTS

MACEDONIANSPARENTS

ALBANIANSEDUCATORS

MACEDONIANSEDUCATORS ALBANIANS

Offensive words 1.18 1.29 1.3 1.29

Refusing contacts 1.26 1.52 1.38 1.65

Exclusion of children 1.36 1.48 1.56 1.37

Ridicule 1.29 1.25 1.35 1.25

Prejudice 1.36 1.41 1.45 1.67

Underestimate 1.19 1.3 1.28 1.13

Table 13: Average value of the desired state of the parents and educators – Macedonians and Albanians from the mixed kindergartens, about the children’s behaviour in the future

CHILDREN’S BEHAVIOURPARENTS

MACEDONIANSPARENTS

ALBANIANSEDUCATORS

MACEDONIANSEDUCATORS ALBANIANS

Offensive words 1.09 1.17 1.27 1.04

Refusing contacts 1.22 1.4 1.35 1.48

Exclusion of children 1.25 1.37 1.53 1

Ridicule 1.13 1.21 1.35 1

Prejudice 1.14 1.35 1.39 1.25

Underestimate 1.12 1.11 1.2 1

RESULTS FROM THE CHILDREN’S FOCUS GROUPS IN THE KINDERGARTENS INCLUDED IN THE SURVEY

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The focus groups were conducted with 4 to 6 years-old children (i.e. children who attend older groups) in the kindergarten “Srnichka”, Aerodrom municipality (with four groups of children in Macedonian language), in the kindergarten “Fidani”, Chair municipality (with groups of children in Albanian language) and in the kindergarten “Detska Radost”, Gostivar municipality (with groups of children both in Macedonian and Albanian lan-guage).

Table 14: Children per kindergarten and municipalities included in the focus groups

LEARNING ABOUT THE CULTURE OF THE “OTHERS”

The children from the group in Macedonian language in the monolingual kindergarten do not know that Albanians live in the country, and only the children in the groups that have Roma children (from the group in Macedonian language from the mixed kindergarten) can identify the Roma as a separate ethnic community.

The children from all focus groups do not remember discussing about holidays, music, instruments and dances that are typical for the culture of the “others”. Only in one group from the mixed kindergarten, the children remember discussing about the food of the “others”, even though they do not always have the correct information: ...since they are Albanians, they do not eat meat [Macedonian boy]

Regarding the question whether they would like to learn more about the “others”, the children stated different opinions. The children in the Macedonian groups, regardless of the type of kindergarten (with one or more languages of instruction), do not express a desire to learn more about the Albanians (Because they speak in Albanian language [Macedonian boy], Because I’m not an Albanian [Macedonian girl]). The children from the kindergarten in Albanian language express readiness to learn more about the Mace-donians, which is not the case with the children from the Albanian group in the kinder-garten with more languages of instruction, but in both cases there is no explanation for such preference.

The children from the kindergarten in Macedonian language of instruction have never been exposed to the Albanian language, and the children from the group in Macedonian

20 11 19 13

Macedonian MacedonianAlbanian Albanian

FidaNi

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cvEtovi

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cvEtovi

Gostivar

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language from the kindergarten with more languages of instruction had the opportunity to hear both children and educators speak and sing in Albanian language. Therefore, the children in the group are divided in terms of their feelings about these situations. Many of them have stated that they close their ears when they hear the children singing in Albanian, but there are children who claim that they like the Albanian language (We are wondering..., we close our ears so we don’t hear them anymore! [Macedonian girl], I like it when I hear someone singing in Albanian. [Macedonian boy]).

Unlike the children from the monolingual kindergarten in Albanian language, who have a rare opportunity to hear the cleaning lady speaking Macedonian in the kindergarten (We don’t talk to her... Because we’re sleeping [Albanian boy], the children from the group in Albanian language from the multilingual kindergarten can hear, from time to time, the Macedonian educators speaking Macedonian.

The children from both groups have never heard Roma language, not a word.

Many children from the groups in Macedonian language do not want to learn some words in Albanian or Roma, and at the same time they give some irrational explanations: Then I’ll forget the Macedonian language [Macedonian girl]; We don’t understand and we don’t want to [Macedonian girl]. Only a small number agree to learn how to say “hello” in Alba-nian language ...in order to greet each another [Macedonian boy]. At the same time, many children from the groups in Albanian language are decisive not to learn Macedonian or Roma words (Because I don’t want to do it at all [Albanian boy]. Several children from the Albanian groups are an exception and they indicated the following explanations: So we could talk to the Roma children [Albanian boy], i.e. Because I don’t speak Macedonian [Albanian girl].

ACCEPTING THE „OTHERS”

In general, the communication with children from the other ethnic communities is less desired among children participants in the focus groups. Many children in the group from the monolingual kindergarten in Macedonian language believe that it is only possible if they understand their language, particularly when asked whether they would like to socialize and play with Albanians (their language is difficult, they have difficult names [Macedonian girl]). Around half of the children in this group would like to learn some-thing more about the Roma.

The children from the groups in Albanian language ignore the existence of “others”, but they would like to socialize. Part of those who do not want to socialize, identified the language as a barrier: Because we don’t speak Macedonian [Albanian girl].

To the question whether they would like to socialize more with the Albanians in the future, in the mixed groups in Macedonian language (where there are Roma and Macedo-nian children), the opinions of the children show that it is not desired as well: ... because they don’t speak Albanian [Macedonian boy], They tell us to socialize, but we don’t want to [Macedonian girl].

At the same time, almost all children from the group in Albanian language do not wish to socialize with Macedonians and Roma: I don’t want to, because I don’t speak Macedonian [Albanian boy], I don’t want to play with the Roma, because they play with their friends, and I’m not their friend [Albanian boy].

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ACCEPTING DIVERSITY

In general, in all focus groups, children’s attitude towards children who are different from them, with regards to some kind of disability (deaf, blind, with limited mobility) is not repulsiveness, but there is an impression that because those children are not represented in the kindergartens, they are invisible. Most children believe that those children cannot participate in their games: When we’re calling her, she can’t hear us [Albanian boy], When we’re running, he will fall [Albanian boy].

From the statements of the children in the focus groups, it seems that the children are more aware about the existence of the social differences even though they can’t see those differences in the kindergarten. They associate the poor children with the chil-dren who beg for money on the streets and if that child is part of the group, then they wouldn’t play with him/her, but without a concrete explanation why. A very small number of children have identified the reason why they wouldn’t socialize with those children: My mother doesn’t let me [Albanian girl], Because he asks for money [Albanian boy].

GENDER STEREOTYPES

General conclusion is that the gender stereotypes are present among children, which is visible in the strongly expressed division of the toys and the games for boys and for girls. The children from all focus groups define the gender roles in an entirely stereotypical way: The girls play with the toys for girls, the boys with the toys for boys [Macedonian boy], Girls should not play with cars [Albanian boy]. From the statements of some children, it could be concluded that the family has some influence in forming of these gender ste-reotypes: My mother told me that the boys play either with trucks or with cars, and the girls play with dolls [Macedonian girl].

FINAL OBSERVATIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS FOR INTERVENTIONS DIRECTED TOWARDS IMPROVEMENT OF THE STATE

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CONCLUSIONS1. The results from the focus groups with the children do not support the findings

of the quantitative analysis. For example, both the educators and the parents say that the children learn about the culture of the others, even though the children say that they don’t know anything about the food and the music, nor about the holidays and the customs of the others. It can be concluded that many children are not even aware that they live in a multicultural society, even though the adults (both parents and educators) claim that they have contacts with children from other ethnic communities.

2. Compared to the children, the adults give a more unrealistic picture of what is happening in the kindergartens. This situation could be considered as a conse-quence of the fact that: 1) they are aware of the need to respect diversity and multiculturalism (because they provide answers in a socially acceptable manner) or 2) they are not aware that what happens in the kindergartens does not pro-mote these values. For example, both the parents and the educators claim that gender stereotypes are not reinforced through play and toys, while at the same time the children make a very clear distinction between games and toys for boys and girls.

3. The current state does not correspond to the desired, which is mainly more favourable, and it is another indication that the adults perceive the need for change of the current state when talking about what the children are learning in the kindergartens. Major changes are not desired in certain areas, because the current state is assessed as satisfactory (as the case with gender non-ste-reotypical games/toys and grouping of children according to the social status). Therefore, for many of the other indicators, there is a visible difference between the perceived and desired state.

4. Both the educators and the parents believe that the weakest point is the expo-sure to the language of the others. Even though they all wish the situation to improve, still, the exposure to the language of the others is the lowest assessed desired indicator of multiculturalism. There is a visible difference between the Macedonian and the Albanian respondents regarding this indicator – the Alba-nians do not only claim that “their” children learn more about the culture of the others, but they believe that they are more exposed to the language of the others (mainly as a result of the perception of the parents), but they should be even more exposed, without expectations to achieve the maximum. However, these claims of the adults are not confirmed by the replies of the children in the focus groups – many Albanian children (as well as Macedonian children) say that they have not learnt anything about the food, music, holidays, customs of the others and at the same time, they have not been exposed to the other language, even though they wish to know the language so they could understand the others more easily.

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5. The adults idealize the image about how children behave in the kindergarten, when it is about respecting diversity on any grounds. The conclusion is valid both for the Macedonians and the Albanians. However, considering the findings from the focus groups with children who state that they do not have any im-mediate experiences with children with special needs, as well as with children from poorer families, it is difficult to evaluate how children in the kindergarten behave towards these children.

6. The adults desire improvement when dealing with ridiculing children with disabil-ities and prejudice towards gender non-stereotypical behaviour of children, which comes from the fact that for almost all other indicators the current state is con-sidered to be ideal. Changes are not expected only when it is about exclusion of the children with special needs from the joint playing activities, as well as for refusing to play with the children from other ethnic communities.

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RECOMMENDATIONS1. Considering the fact that children in the preschools are divided in groups based

on the language of instruction, it is necessary to provide a multicultural ap-proach in the education or opportunities for children from one ethnic commu-nity to learn about the culture of the other ethnic communities in the country.

2. Every possibility to establish significant interethnic contacts should be used to the maximum extent, which is easier to accomplish in the kindergartens with more languages/children from more ethnic groups.

3. Considering the fact that the educator represents a role- model of behaviour for children in the kindergarten, it is necessary to strengthen their competences in this area by: 1) developing awareness about the need to educate children for respecting diversity and multiculturalism from earliest age, 2) developing sensitivity to detect and react to situations in the kindergarten that contribute to the creation of stereotypes and biases and encourage discrimination and 3) development of skills to teach children to respect diversity and to live in a mul-ticultural society.

4. Considering the lack of capacity of the educators to create materials for work-ing with children, it is recommended to offer different didactic materials and handbooks with specific activities that the educators will realize as part of the early learning and development programme in order to provide explicit method of teaching children about the characteristics of other cultures and about the diversity on all basis.

5. In order to provide an environment for respecting diversity and multiculturalism and to influence the attitudes and the behaviour of children, it is necessary to introduce changes in all areas of kindergarten life (policies and practices, coop-eration with the parents, resources and kindergarten settings).

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REFERENCES• Bennett, C. (1990). Comprehensive multicultural education: Theory and practice.

Boston: Allyn and Bacon.

• Brown, B. (1999) Unlearning discrimination in the early years .Staffordshire: Trentham Books.

• Banks, J. A. (2010). Multicultural education: Characteristics and goals. In J. A. Banks, & C. A. M. Banks, Eds., Multicultural education: Issues and perspectives, (7th Ed., pp.3-26). Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

• Castagno, A. (2009). Making sense of multicultural education: A synthesis of the various typologies found in literature. Multicultural Perspective, 11 (1), 43-48.

• Europe, C.i. (2008) ‘Young Children and their services: developing a European approach - A Children in Europe Policy Paper’, Children in Europe.

• European Commission, D.-G.f.E., Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities Unit G.4 (2006) ‘European handbook on equality data’. Belgium.

• Keulen, A.v. (2004b) Young children aren’t biased, are they? How to handle diver-sity in early childhood education and school. The Hague: SWP Publishers.

• Kagan, S.L., & E. Garcia. 1991. Education of culturally and linguistically diverse pre-schoolers: Moving the agenda. Early Child¬hood Survey Quarterly 6: 427–43.

• O’Doherty, A.M., Colette. (2001) ‘Respecting diversity in early childhood care, education and training’, ‘Eist’.

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SKOPJE, 2014

mainstreaming respect for diversity and ... respect for diversity and multiculturalism in early...

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