Abstract
The presence of interculturality in the university curriculum is a relevant and topical pedagogical issue, which leads to the need for future education professionals to be properly prepared to face it with guarantees of success, linking the intercultural phenomenon with the approaches emanating from inclusive education. The objective of this chapter is to take stock of the discourses, theories, and pedagogical practices in the initial formation of intercultural education in the last 20 years in the Autonomous Community of Andalusia (Spain). Based on a thorough review of scientific literature, university plans in education sciences of Andalusian universities, as well as regulatory references on interculturality, the authors will proceed to carry out a critical pedagogical analysis to understand the trajectory and evolution of intercultural training in recent decades, projecting new lines of development for improvement, transformation, and impact of new intercultural training in university training spaces.
TopIntroduction
Education today is part of a social reality characterized by the large influx of migratory movements, which has turned educational spaces into highly heterogeneous places, making intercultural and inclusive education a priority and a challenge for education professionals. Universities of the 21st century must commit to developing pedagogical proposals aimed at facilitating the acquisition of intercultural competences, in order to strengthen a consistent and appropriate scale of values to address a wide diversity of social experiences (Hahl & Löfström, 2016), comprehensive development and personality formation.
Providing an intercultural and inclusive education is today a responsibility of the centers of Higher Education, which must focus their efforts on generating equitable, inclusive, supportive and quality educational actions that will enable the assessment of cultural difference from acceptance, tolerance, commitment and mutual enrichment in educational contexts (Holmes et al., 2015; Llorent & Álamo, 2019). In the university setting, numerous studies have been conducted that stress the importance of promoting an updated and coherent initial training of future education professionals that responds to the diversity of students and integrates interculturality in the teaching space of the various subjects (Cernadas et al., 2019; Dervin, 2015; Escarbajal & Leiva, 2017; Essomba et al., 2019; Guilherme & Díetz, 2015; Leiva, 2012; Martínez-Chicón, 2015; Rubio et al., 2019).
In the scientific community, it is accepted that the curricular and didactic treatment of intercultural education requires an interdisciplinary approach that allows the acquisition of those intercultural competences with which to construct a professional identity in contexts marked by multiculturalism (Deppeler & Ainscow, 2016; Escarbajal et al., 2019).
The perceptions, beliefs and attitudes of teachers are considered key aspects during their training process, mainly with respect to cultural diversity (Hinojosa & López, 2018). It is necessary to assume an intercultural approach in the training of education professionals, to make cultures visible and to design pedagogical proposals that strengthen solidarity and competition as opposed to competition and individualism.
In addition, it is relevant to promote intercultural learning situations through the use of innovative methodologies to promote learning committed to cultural diversity (Biasutti et al., 2019; Figueredo et al., 2020). It is equally essential that university teachers assume a change in their pedagogical role and are able to adapt instruction to the needs of an inclusive and intercultural society, equipped with the key competences that enable them to respond to the current educational reality.
The objective of this chapter is to evaluate the discourses, theories and pedagogical practices involved in initial training in intercultural education over the last 20 years in the Autonomous Community of Andalusia (Spain). From a comprehensive review of the scientific literature, the curricula in Educational Sciences of the Andalusian universities, as well as the normative references in the field of interculturality, a critical pedagogical analysis is carried out to understand the trajectory and evolution of this training in recent decades, planning new lines of development and action for the improvement, transformation and impact of an updated intercultural training in the educational spaces of the universities.
Key Terms in this Chapter
Initial Teacher Training: Training to offer future education professionals general and specific knowledge and the scientific and psycho-pedagogical principles necessary to develop good professional practices.
In-Service Teacher Training: This training complements and enhances the initial training offered to teachers for the purpose of adapting training to new social demands and requirements.
Pedagogical-Didactic Training in Interculturality: Training designed to provide future professionals with the conceptual and methodological bases with which to address the phenomenon of interculturality throughout their professional careers.
Intercultural Competences: Skills that enable one to act appropriately and flexibly in response to actions and expectations involving people from other countries and cultures.
Educational Inclusion: This educational philosophy seeks to guarantee the right to an education of excellence and quality for all, recognizing the value of difference as something enriching.
Intercultural Education: A pedagogical approach focused on respect and appreciation of cultural pluralism. Its main objective is to educate in values and skills to understand and respect cultural diversity.
Interculturality: Process of interaction between people or groups with different cultural identities that tries to promote dialogue, encounters, coexistence, and mutual enrichment.