Exploring Ways to Cultivate Multicultural Acceptability Based on the Relational Concept of Place

This study aims to explore an instructional approach to cultivating multicultural acceptability based on the relational concept of place and to examine its educational effectiveness. A teaching–learning program grounded in this concept was developed for high school students, and its effectiveness in cultivating multicultural acceptability was assessed. Descriptive statistical analysis showed positive changes in all subdomains of multicultural acceptability—diversity, relationality, universality—after program participation. Analysis of student outcomes revealed that, in terms of diversity, students developed an open sense of place; in relationality, they recognized broader networks between actors and places; and in universality, they critically understood place as a socially constructed concept. These findings suggest that students formed connections with the world through an open sense of place, engaged in critical interpretations of culture, and developed inclusive attitudes toward other cultures by transforming their prior notions of place. The study empirically confirms that place-based learning grounded in the relational concept of place positively contributes to the cultivation of multicultural acceptability among high school students and identifies the relationship between the two. As short-term interventions cannot be expected to bring about lasting change in adolescents’ multicultural acceptability, a long-term educational approach appears warranted. Despite this limitation, this study is meaningful in that it explores way to cultivate multicultural acceptability among high school students through place-based learning grounded in the relational concept of place within the context of regular classroom instruction.