Non-Maltese students attending local schools need higher levels of support to feel more psychologically safe in their classrooms. This is especially relevant in state and Church schools, where non-Maltese pupils do not perceive the classroom environment as a positive one as the Maltese students do.
In the light of these findings, which emerge from a study - Classroom Climate As Perceived By Maltese And Non-Maltese Pupils In Malta - carried out among 1,460 students attending Year 6 classes in state, Church and independent schools, educational stakeholders are urged to restudy the National Minimum Curriculum to include diverse perspectives for all subjects within the regular curriculum.
Researcher Brian Vassallo, a teacher and former support coordinator in Church schools, says that local schools are not tapping the possible enrichment of having increasing numbers of non-Maltese pupils, and are also not providing an equally supportive learning climate for these students.
The findings and recommendations, aimed at analysing whether the students felt a difference in climate in classrooms attended by Maltese and non-Maltese students, were published recently in the Malta Review of Educational Research, formerly the Journal for Maltese Educational Research (JMER).
The study showed that Maltese students in state and Church schools had a higher perception of a positive classroom climate, especially when it comes to classroom fairness and equality, clarity of what to expect from the daily routine at school, and safety. On the other hand, non-Maltese students perceived a slightly better climate in independent schools when it comes to class participation, school environment, ways in which the students can be engaged more in school through their personal interests and backgrounds, school and teacher standards, and support.
The relevance of such an issue has surfaced because of a convergence in local schools of children from different cultures through mixed marriages, foreign adoption and illegal immigration.
"From a practical angle, the ensuing changes in the social and ethnic composition of student populations have far-reaching implications for educational leaders," the researcher says.
Mr Vassallo says that although there have been various attempts to improve the quality of Maltese education through the introduction of various instruments, such as school development plans and inclusive education initiatives, the reforms have not yet given due importance to the issue of increasing multiculturalism in local schools and classes.
While the researcher recommends teachers to be more sensitive to the cultural capital present in the classroom to ensure fairness and equality, he also reiterates the need for teachers and school managers to be offered opportunities to develop higher multicultural competences.
"Teachers can play a pivotal role in the process. But, for this role, teachers have to be trained and adequately equipped during pre-service and ongoing in-service training programmes."
Among the recommendations, Mr Vassallo says that the classroom environment needs to be inclusive of the multicultural "weight" present in the classroom. He also states that certain elements of classroom instruction need to be modified to reach out to non-Maltese pupils better.
Other recommendations and strategies suggested by the author include the promotion of mutual respect and understanding regardless of culture, religion, racial and linguistic background, as well as the diversity and cultural heritage of all pupils; ensuring that curriculum programmes and resources incorporate multicultural perspectives; friendliness with all students and consistency across all pupils and cultures; and the tuning into other cultures, experiences and customs through sharing of experiences, multilingual signs around the school premises, books with multicultural content, and guest speakers from various ethnic communities.