A new Omani study says that in today’s diverse classrooms, students’ different cultural and social backgrounds affect how they learn.
The study, titled “Strategies for Attention to Diverse Education in Omani Society: Perceptions of Secondary School Students”, says that “diversity within the Omani education system can be enhanced by comparing the beliefs and experiences of students in diverse classrooms.”
Such comparisons give teachers a better understanding of diverse students’ learning needs and an avenue for adapting their teaching methods and the learning media they use.
Student diversity, as defined in the study, might involve gender, age, nationality, language or disability. The report said eliminating prejudice against people of different cultures and abilities, and promoting equality among all social groups, was one of the primary goals of diversity in education and other areas of society.
Perceptions of Teaching and Learning
The survey was based on survey responses from 283 11th and 12th graders at international high schools in Muscat, Oman.
Ali Al Musawi, a professor of instructional and learning technologies in the College of Education at Sultan Qaboos University, is one of the study’s authors. He told Al-Fanar Media that the research focused on whether the students’ gender, nationality, and socio-economic status made them react differently to teaching methods, assessment techniques, curriculum design, and practical skills.
The survey questionnaire gathered data on the participants’ perceptions of their learning experiences in five subjects: mathematics, English, science, information and communications technology, and Arabic.
The researchers found that across all five subjects, non-Arab students tended to grade more highly than Omani and Arab students did.
Al Musawi, who holds a Ph.D. in teaching techniques from the United Kingdom’s University of Southampton, said the study was an attempt to contribute to the literature on diversity by presenting data on whether students’ differences in terms of gender, nationality, and social and economic conditions were reflected in their responses to teaching methods and other variables.
He said he believes that the study offers insights that can help government institutions, universities and schools better address diversity and create a more efficient and inclusive education system.
The study recommended harnessing students’ perceptions and experiences of diversity so teachers and school administrators can make lessons more successful.
Diversity in University Classrooms