Methodological and personnel support for multicultural and multilingual education of primary school children in China

Abstract

This study is devoted to a comprehensive analysis of the system of methodological and personnel support for multicultural and multilingual education in primary schools in China. The relevance of the topic is due to the intensification of migration processes, the formation of new multiethnic educational spaces and the transformation of the PRC's language policy in the context of the strategy of «dual teaching» (Putonghua and ethnic languages). The aim of the work is to identify key factors influencing the effectiveness of the implementation of multicultural educational programs in primary schools in various regions of China, and to develop recommendations for improving the system of training teachers to work in a multilingual educational environment. The methodological basis of the study includes a comparative analysis of regional models of multicultural education, longitudinal monitoring of educational outcomes in schools with various linguistic and cultural programs, content analysis of teaching materials and standardized questionnaires of 1,253 teachers from 87 primary schools in 12 provinces of China. The results of the study indicate a pronounced regional differentiation in approaches to the organization of multicultural education (coefficient of regional variability r=0.68), insufficient integration of traditional and innovative methods (index of methodological convergence 0.41), a shortage of specialized personnel (69,3% of schools) and significant differences in the effectiveness of educational programs depending on institutional support (p<0.001). The data obtained make it possible to form an integrative model of methodological and personnel support for multicultural education, taking into account the socio-cultural specifics of China's regions and the requirements of modern educational standards.