Future Primary School Teachers Attitudes toward Intercultural and Bilingual Education in Primary Schools

Abstract

This article analyses the attitudes of future primary school teachers, who, are currently students of the elementary education programme, toward intercultural and bilingual education. The problem is examined from three different aspects, the opinion of the students concerning the applicability of intercultural and bilingual education, advantages and disadvantages of intercultural and bilingual education and, lastly the knowledge of intercultural and bilingual education in bilingual primary schools. Interculturalism is a current topic in society today and can be presented as an ethnic-political project that aims at solving problems of co-existing in multi-ethnic societies. Intercultural education is therefore an opportunity and a reason to change educational approaches. A key element for providing lessons that include elements of intercultural education is bilingual education as well as a highly qualified primary school teacher. The research shows that the future primary school teachers believe to have good knowledge of intercultural and bilingual education and believe this way of educating to be the most appropriate and useful for the children of minorities to learn a foreign language. The participating future teachers stated students’ ability to speak more languages and gaining multi- and intercultural experiences as the advantages of intercultural and bilingual education. Half of participating future teachers do not recognize any disadvantages of intercultural and bilingual education, while others recognize additional teachers’ obligations and possible specific students’ learning problems as a potential disadvantage.