If school walls could talk: A mixed-method study of physical space marking in promoting multiculturalism

Abstract

Combining two qualitative and a quantitative method, we explored whether school’s physical environment promotes multicultural values or reflects intergroup climate in two multiethnic communities in Croatia. Croatia offers unique context for this study because minority youth from two ethnic groups use their right on minority language education and hence attend separate minority schools. Results show that the representation of ethnic symbols in schools is a reflection of inter-ethnic relations in the specific intergroup context. Specifically, ethnic symbols are overrepresented in the post-conflict context compared to the more harmonious multi-ethnic community. In harmonious intergroup context, multiculturality is promoted by emphasizing common identity, and by giving space to symbols of both minority and majority group. However, in the conflicted intergroup setting we found overrepresentation of symbols emphasizing intergroup differences. Results of focus groups as well as of the quantitative survey confirm that schools physical environment reflects intergroup relations in each community.