Rethinking Multiculturalism /Reassessing Multicultural Education (RMRME) is a three-year Australian Research Council (ARC) Linkage project conducted jointly by the Institute for Culture and Society (ICS) at the University of Western Sydney, the New South Wales (NSW) Department of Education and Communities (DEC) and the NSW Institute of Teachers. The project aims to shed light on the challenges posed by increasing cultural complexity in schools and their communities. It is examining approaches to multiculturalism in NSW government schools in urban and rural areas and how these link to the role of education in promoting social inclusion. The Project explores the relation between perceptions of difference that shape teaching practice and the rationales of multicultural programs through: an analysis of policy discourse, a statewide survey of teachers and focus groups with teachers, parents and students. These will then inform professional learning for teachers and action research projects in schools developing innovative approaches to meeting the needs of culturally diverse communities and improving teacher knowledge.
RMRME Research Team
- Associate Professor Megan Watkins, University of Western Sydney, Institute for Culture and Society
- Professor Greg Noble, University of Western Sydney, Institute for Culture and Society
- Professor Kevin Dunn, University of Western Sydney, School of Social Sciences
- Lucy Hopkins, University of Western Sydney, Institute for Culture and Society
- Neroli Colvin, PhD Candidate, University of Western Sydney, Institute for Culture and Society
- Amanda Bourke, Equity and Multicultural Education Team, NSW Department of Education and Communities
- Nell Lynes, Equity and Multicultural Education Team, NSW Department of Education and Communities
- Eveline Mouglalis, Equity and Multicultural Education Team, NSW Department of Education and Communities
- Robyn Mamouney, NSW Institute of Teachers
Project updates
Cultural Diversity in Rural Schools
Neroli Colvin spoke to the Regional Voices radio program about the different ways regional communities face and embrace a changing cultural mix as regional communities and schools continue to evolve.
Regular project updates are posted here.
New releases
- Project Report 3: Knowledge Translation and Action Research, Watkins, M. and Noble, G.
- Project Report 2: Perspectives on Multicultural Education, Noble, G. and Watkins, M.
- Project Report 1: Surveying NSW Public School Teachers, Watkins, M., Lean, G., Noble, G. and Dunn, K.
This report details findings of NSW Public School Teachers’ experiences and understandings of multiculturalism and multicultural education. - Disposed to Learn: Schooling, Ethnicity and Scholarly Habitus, Watkins, M. and Noble, G.
Disposed to Learn explores the relationship between ethnicity and dispositions towards learning with a focus on primary school students of Chinese, Pasfika and Anglo Australian backgrounds.
