CVEK

According to several analyses conducted in Slovakia, education system is still relatively ethnocentric. Integration of autochtonous as well as of the so-called new minorities is so far failing also due to non-effective school system. School curricula do not reflect cultural diversity of Slovakia, school-texts are practically free of information on national and new minorities. This is clearly influencing both chances of integration of other ethnic groups and processes of majority population attitudes formation. Integration into the society is not possible without acceptation of minorities by the majority.

Multicultural education as a topic incorporating issues of cultural diversity into the educational system might be an effective tool for the integration of these minorities. Effective incorporation of the multicultural education into the school system depends, however, on numerous factors that have to be met. One of the most important ones is good knowledge of young people attitudes toward different ethnic and religious groups. Identification of prejudices and stereotypes can help to identify proper form of the multicultural education in order to implement it effectively. 

Most important aims of the research have been identification of spheres that multicultural education should be focused on and recommendation of practical steps how to implement it into the educational system. The task of researchers has been to answer research question: “Which spheres should be multicultural education focused on within educational system in order to reflect changed needs of society in relation toward different types of minorities?” Quantitative analyses of attitudes and prejudices of elementary schools students is a result of the study that reflects regional and stratification differences.  

Publication with results of the research was presented in the OSF Gallery in Bratislava on April 21, 2009.