Preparing for Cultural and Linguistic Diversity in Norwegian Compulsory Schools: Student Teachers’ Encounters With Multicultural Education

Although the concepts of multicultural education and critical multiculturalism are well-known in Western societies, including Norway, research indicates that teachers often lack the necessary support and guidance to put these ideas into practice effectively. Through analysing individual interviews with twelve Norwegian student teachers, this paper explores their encounters with multicultural education in compulsory school settings. It aims to identify the ways in which the participating student teachers adjust their pedagogical strategies to integrate children’s diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds into their education. The theoretical framework of the study includes multicultural education and critical multiculturalism, which are utilised to critically discuss the pedagogical strategies described by the student teachers. In summary, the findings reveal a complex interplay between the student teachers’ theoretical aspirations and the practical realities they meet during on-site schoolteacher training in Norwegian compulsory schools. While this study’s participants recognise the importance of embracing children’s diverse linguistic and cultural backgrounds, their capacity to implement their visions is often hindered by a lack of necessary support to develop knowledge about addressing complex issues, including power, inequality and social (in)justice.