Immigrant Pupils and Intercultural Teaching Competencies

Abstract

Over recent years, the existence of foreign pupils in Spain has generated new multicultural spaces in classrooms and an education system, which must provide equality and fairness to all pupils. In Andalusia, the number of foreign pupils registered for the academic year 2015–2016 was 89.893. In this sense, the aim is to know the perceptions of secondary school teachers in Andalusia regarding what additional competencies teachers of immigrant pupils should have. Thus, we use a descriptive research model, where the approach for the collection and analysis of data is mixed, that is, qualitative (in-depth interviews) and quantitative (questionnaires) techniques are used. To validate the content, the “Expert Judgement” technique was used, using a process of selection, named “K coefficient.” The results show that these teachers have a high level of awareness and strong attitudinal skills. However, they are clearly limited in terms of knowledge, which leads to a greater lack of abilities and skills.