DEVELOPING MULTICULTURAL EDUCATION MODELS IN MULTI-ETHNIC SCHOOLS THROUGH SOCIAL STUDIES LEARNING

Abstract

Indonesia is a pluralistic society consisting of various ethnicities and religions. Respect for diversity is considered essential in a pluralistic society. In this context, multicultural education in schools is one of government’s initiatives to increase the understanding of the diversity of society in Indonesia through education. This can reduce some common conflicts, such as ethnic, racial, and religious conflicts. Multicultural education can teach students from the start how to respect differences and diversity. This study investigated the implementation of a multicultural education model in a multi-ethnic school, the Sultan Iskandar Muda Foundation School, Medan, through social studies learning to improve multicultural attitudes among junior high school students. The participants in this study were school students, social studies teachers, school principals, and civil servants belonging to different ethnic groups. This study used qualitative research with an ethnographic approach in the classroom. The results of this study reveal that multicultural education aims to provide equality for all students. In particular, multicultural education is an approach to school (educational) reform designed to achieve educational equality for students from diverse racial, ethnic, cultural, social, and linguistic groups with learning innovations in them.