Teacher interpersonal competence for Dutch secondary multicultural classrooms

In the Netherlands, as in many European countries, classrooms display a growing cultural diversity. There is only very limited empirically supported data on the interpersonal competence teachers need in Dutch classrooms and studies from other countries cannot be generalized because of differences in the composition of the student population. This paper reports on an exploratory study in two schools on teachers' experiences in multicultural classes followed by an in-depth case study of one expert teacher. We use this study to answer the question to what degree this teacher displays interpersonal competence (teaching behaviours, knowledge and attitudes) specific for teaching in multicultural classrooms by comparing this teacher's competence with generic interpersonal teaching competence. The teacher studied seems to be aware of special needs of students from different cultures and to use this knowledge to apply specific teaching strategies and interpersonal cues to create a positive classroom atmosphere and to cater for needs of diverse students. Further, the results indicate that many elements of this teacher's interpersonal competence in teaching a multicultural class can be considered aspects of generic teaching competence. It seems that the multicultural classroom puts heavier demands on this competence than a less diverse classroom. 2 Teacher interpersonal competence for Dutch secondary multicultural classrooms " I'm very much involved in the relationship with these students, because a conflict with one student can disturb the relationship with the whole class. " […] " If it happens that I send someone out of the classroom, which seldom happens, then I will go to the others in the group to show that the relationship with them is still good. " […] " It is always and constantly about the relationships. " 1. Introduction According to the Central Bureau for Statistics (http://www.cbs.nl), the Dutch population in 2002 mounted up to about 16 million. Of these, 3 million were either not born in the Netherlands or had parents born outside the Netherlands. About 1.6 million persons have their roots in non-western countries and live primarily in less prosperous areas of major Dutch cities like Amsterdam, Rotterdam, The Hague and Utrecht. Many schools in these cities have classrooms with 50 up to 100% of students from varying non-western backgrounds. Most of these students originate from Morocco, Turkey, Surinam and the Dutch Antilles, and smaller groups from countries in Africa (e.g. Nigeria, Ethiopia), Asia (e.g. China, Afghanistan) and former Yugoslavia, often as refugees. Teachers in these …