Teaching multicultural character education in the classroom: a five-stage teaching strategy

Abstract

This article addresses a critical gap in the current literature on teaching character education: its relative silence on the multicultural sensitivities required for culturally diverse classrooms. The authors argue that current frameworks do not provide a clear strategy for teachers to conduct character education in a multicultural context. To resolve this, the paper proposes a five-stage teaching strategy grounded in two models: the ‘Multifaceted Identification Model’ and the ‘Contextual Virtue Identification Model’. This framework guides students from early habituation–supported by teachers modelling multicultural competence–to the cultivation of phronesis through critical reflection on moral dilemmas. By integrating culturally responsive teaching into neo-Aristotelian character education, for example, the strategy seeks to develop independent moral agents’ multicultural competence and relevant virtue components. Overall, the article provides a practical roadmap for educators to foster ethical growth that respects individual identity and cultural diversity in globalised multicultural societies.