Preparing Primary School Teachers for Multicultural Classrooms: Constructing Professional Identity for Inclusion
Keywords:
Professional identity, Multiculturalism, Reflexivity, Primary teacher education, InclusionAbstract
According to the 2025 TALIS report by OECD, the percentage of immigrant students or with migrant background has increased by 10 percentage points on average in OECD countries since 2018. In Italy, 38% of teachers work in schools where Italian is not the first language for more than 10% of students, and 38% teach in schools where at least 1% of students are refugees. This underscores the urgency of initial teacher education that equips future teachers to address diverse learning needs and adopt inclusive teaching practices. Teacher identity, defined as a complex and dynamic process shaped by values, experiences, and educational practices, represents an essential dimension. This exploratory study examines the extent to which primary teacher education courses integrate these dimensions to prepare future teachers for multicultural classrooms. Data were collected through an analysis of the course programme of a five-year degree in Primary Education in Italy. Results reveal notable patterns regarding the alignment between course content and the competences required in today’s school contexts but also highlights that current provision is not yet sufficient to fully prepare future teachers for multicultural classrooms. The article concludes by offering suggestions to provide more responsive teacher education programmes.
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