Multicultural Education - Essay Example

Christian Gordon Prof. Ramirez English102 May 6, Multicultural Education Evaluation of Text: Can Multicultural Education Improve Engagement and Attachment? Part I The text hypothesises that since researchers have linked the achievement gap among diverse cultures to attention and engagement, a multicultural education will likely close the achievement gap. In support of this hypothesis, the text goes on to define multicultural education and to provide an analysis of the various theories of multicultural education. The main issue is attention and engagement and its impact on achievement. Married to this issue is the causes and cures of attention and engagement which invariably explain the achievement gap. The achievement gap is not only an important issue for educators, but it is also an important issue for policy-makers. The text therefore provides an analysis of multicultural education as a curative measure for closing the achievement gap by proposing that a multicultural education has the potential to secure student attention and engagement, the catalyst for the achievement gap. There are unstated assumptions behind the argument that a multicultural education has the potential to gain the pupil’s attention and engagement. The first obvious unstated argument is that educators and policy-makers have not set forth definitive strategies for closing the achievement gap and are continuing to look for an answer. Another unstated assumption is that multicultural education strategies have not be used to close the achievement gap and have not been effectively incorporated into the national curriculum. It therefore makes sense that the target audience is educators and policy-makers. In this regard the text is formally structured. It first introduces the hypothesis, the rationale for the text, a definition of multicultural education and it identifies the questions addressed in the text. Multicultural education is explored as well as engagement and attention. The reasoning strategy is to make a case for the effectiveness of a multicultural education in obtaining the student’s attention and engagement and thus closing the achievement gap. Part II The argument in the text is logical. Essentially, if the diverse cultures are being outperformed by the dominant culture in terms of achievement, and that achievement gap is attributed to attention and engagement, it is logical to look to multicultural education as method of closing the achievement gap. The strengths of the text is found in the fact that there is theoretical discussions about how a multicultural education can not only engage the student’s attention but also close the achievement gap in the process. The weakness however is founded on the absence of empirical research studies proving that a multicultural education can close the achievement gap by engaging multicultural students and gain their attention. In fact, the literature on multicultural education is based on theoretical assumptions with no supporting empirical evidence to support it. However, the theoretical assumptions in the literature are persuasive and are worth trying, considering that thus far, educators and researchers have not been able to close the achievement gap. The only clear claim is that there is an achievement gap and that it underperformance is prevalent among diverse cultures. Educators and researchers have linked this underperformance to attention and engagement. This claim is not clearly stated as it is not supported in the text. It merely reflects in general terms that researchers have come to that conclusion without clearly stating how and why. Nor are any of the researchers and their research methods and findings identified. Nevertheless the argument is persuasive as it clearly explains the merits of a multicultural education and relies on the fact that we are living in a multicultural world and multicultural education is being seriously considered by educators as a means of building responsible citizenship. It therefore follows that if a multicultural education will produce critical and responsible thinkers for the future, it will obviously arrest pupil attention and engagement. These arguments are presented by reference to world renown education theorists such as Banks and will reach the intended audience. The presumption is that education theorists such as Banks are respected among educators and will arguments supported by these theorist will at least be considered and not dismissed outright. Part III In revising this text, I would conduct further research and look for empirical evidence to support the contention that the achievement gap among diverse cultures are linked to attention and engagement. The arguments presented in this text would have been more persuasive if researchers, their research methodologies and findings had been presented to support this statement. Attempts would have also been made to find empirical evidence of the claim that a multicultural education can engage and gain the attention of pupils and thus close the achievement gap. Certainly there must be some evidence of this outcome somewhere in the literature. In conducting further research, I would revise the paper to identify possible areas of further research in the area of attention and engagement and how a multicultural education might have a positive outcome on the achievement gap. If I find nothing of value in the literature, I would revise the paper to reflect that the hypothesis has not been satisfactorily tested in the literature. A third and final revision would be the removal of direct quotes. These quotes would be removed and replaced by a synopsis of the quoted text instead. I would also revise the text to reflect more critical arguments rather than a regurgitation of the theories and assumptions espoused in the literature. Read More