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99 ERC SES 08 C: Building Bridges of Belonging: Inclusion and Diversity in Contemporary Schools
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99. Emerging Researchers' Group (for presentation at Emerging Researchers' Conference)
Paper How Peer Group Norms Shape Bystander Responses to Intergroup Exclusion in Diverse School Contexts 1: Ministry of Education in Turkiye, Turkiye; 2: University of Exeter Presenting Author:Increasing migration and forced displacement have transformed the demographic composition of schools across Europe, intensifying challenges related to social justice, inclusion, and intercultural relations. Newcomer students, particularly those from marginalised or stigmatised migrant groups, are at heightened risk of bias-based bullying and peer exclusion. Such exclusion undermines not only individual well-being but also schools’ commitments to inclusive education and democratic participation. Within this context, understanding how students respond as bystanders to intergroup exclusion is critical for developing educational strategies that promote social justice in diverse school settings. This study addresses the following research question: How do descriptive peer group norms shape children’s and adolescents’ bystander responses to the intergroup exclusion of migrant peers, and how do these processes vary by age and different migrant groups? Specifically, the research examines exclusion involving Syrian and Ukrainian peers, two groups that have occupied distinct social, political, and media positions within European societies in recent years. By focusing on these groups, the study foregrounds the role of broader societal discourses in shaping peer dynamics within schools. This study contributes to emerging research on bystander processes in diverse school contexts by experimentally examining how peer norms interact with the social status of different migrant groups. The study is grounded in a social–developmental and intercultural education framework, drawing particularly on the developmental intergroup perspective. This perspective conceptualises exclusion as a moral and social phenomenon shaped by group membership, power relations, and perceived norms within peer groups. From this viewpoint, bystander behaviour is not solely an individual choice but a socially negotiated action influenced by peer expectations, school norms, and wider societal narratives about inclusion and belonging. As children develop into adolescence, they become increasingly sensitive to group norms and social hierarchies, which may constrain their willingness to challenge injustice even when inclusive norms are present. Peer group norms are central to social justice and inclusive education because they regulate what is perceived as acceptable or risky behaviour within peer cultures. Descriptive norms, beliefs about what most peers do, can either legitimise exclusion or support inclusive action. However, these norms may not operate uniformly across contexts or target groups. In societies marked by unequal power relations between migrant groups, inclusive norms may be interpreted differently depending on the perceived status of the excluded peer. Although this study is based in the United Kingdom, its contribution is explicitly European and international in scope. Schools across Europe face comparable challenges related to migration, forced displacement, and the integration of diverse student populations. The findings therefore speak to broader debates within European educational research on social justice, intercultural education, and inclusive schooling. By linking peer norms, developmental processes, and group-based inequalities, the study contributes knowledge that is relevant for educators, policymakers, and researchers seeking to translate principles of social justice into everyday school practices. Methodology, Methods, Research Instruments or Sources Used The study employed a preregistered experimental design involving British children (n = 299, Mage = 9.48, aged 8–10) and adolescents (n = 291, Mage = 14.28, aged 13–15) recruited from schools in the South West of England. Participants were presented with a hypothetical school-based scenario designed to reflect common peer interaction contexts within European schools. Participants were asked to imagine belonging to a peer group that had formed a school club. They then read that a newcomer student, identified as either Syrian or Ukrainian, was excluded from the club by ingroup peers. Descriptive peer group norms were experimentally manipulated across three conditions: (1) help condition (most peers helped the excluded student), (2) no help condition (most peers did not help), and (3) no-information condition (no information about peer responses). After reading the scenario, participants reported their likelihood of engaging in active bystander behaviours (e.g., challenging the exclusion, encouraging inclusion) and passive bystander behaviours (e.g., ignoring the incident). Responses were measured using age-appropriate Likert-type scales. Data were analysed using factorial analyses examining main and interaction effects of age group, victim group membership, and peer group norm condition on bystander responses. This design allowed for the systematic examination of how peer group norms and victim identity interact to shape inclusive or exclusionary responses in school contexts. Conclusions, Expected Outcomes or Findings The analyses revealed clear developmental differences in bystander responses to intergroup exclusion. Children were more likely than adolescents to report active bystander reactions and less likely to endorse passive responses, indicating that willingness to intervene decreases with age. This pattern suggests that adolescents may experience greater sensitivity to social risks associated with challenging peers. Peer group norms interacted with victim group membership among adolescents. In the help condition, adolescents were less likely to report active bystander reactions and more likely to report passive reactions when the excluded peer was Syrian compared to when the excluded peer was Ukrainian. Furthermore, when the victim was Syrian, adolescents were more likely to remain passive in the help condition than in both the no-help and no-information conditions. In contrast, when the victim was Ukrainian, adolescents were more likely to report passive bystander reactions in the no-information condition than in the help condition. These findings indicate that descriptive peer group norms do not operate uniformly across contexts. While helping norms were associated with reduced passivity toward Ukrainian peers, they were less effective in promoting active intervention when the excluded peer was Syrian. This suggests that adolescents may interpret peer norms in relation to broader social meanings attached to different groups, rather than applying inclusive norms consistently. Overall, the results highlight the importance of considering developmental stage, group norms and group membership when examining bystander responses to intergroup exclusion. They suggest that as children move into adolescence, peer group norms and perceived social hierarchies play an increasingly influential role in shaping responses to bias-based exclusion. The findings underline the need for educational approaches that recognise how peer norms and group status jointly influence students’ willingness to challenge exclusion in school settings. These findings point to the value of further research examining how school-based norm-setting practices may impact students from diverse migrant backgrounds. References Abrams, D., Rutland, A., Pelletier, J., & Ferrell, J. M. (2009). Children's group nous: Understanding and applying peer exclusion within and between groups. Child development, 80(1), 224-243. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8624.2008.01256.x Gönültaş, S., & Mulvey, K. L. (2020). The role of immigration background, intergroup processes, and social‐cognitive skills in bystanders’ responses to bias‐based bullying toward immigrants during adolescence. Child development, 92(3), 296-316. https://doi.org/10.1111/cdev.13476 Killen, M., & Rutland, A. (2011). Children and social exclusion: Morality, prejudice, and group identity. John Wiley & Sons. McGuire, L., Rutland, A., & Nesdale, D. (2015). Peer group norms and accountability moderate the effect of school norms on children's intergroup attitudes. Child development, 86(4), 1290-1297. https://doi.org/10.1111/cdev.12388 Mulvey, K. L., Palmer, S. B., & Abrams, D. (2016). Race-based humor and peer group dynamics in adolescence: Bystander intervention and social exclusion. Child development, 87(5), 1379-1391. https://doi.org/10.1111/cdev.12600 Palmer, S. B., & Abbott, N. (2018). Bystander responses to bias‐based bullying in schools: A developmental intergroup approach. Child Development Perspectives. https://doi.org/10.1111/cdep.12253 Gönültaş, S., Argyri, E. K., Yüksel, A. Ş., McGuire, L., Palmer, S. B., Killen, M., & Rutland, A. (2024). Peer group norms affect adolescents’ bystander social cognitions. Peace and Conflict: Journal of Peace Psychology, 30(3), 372–386. https://doi.org/10.1037/pac0000731 Rutland, A, Palmer, S. B., Yüksel, A. Ş., & Grutter J., (2022). Social exclusion: The Interplay between morality and group processes. In M. Killen & J. G. Smetana (Eds.), Handbook of moral development (3rd ed.). Psychology Press. Yüksel, A. Ş., Palmer, S. B., & Rutland A. (2021), Developmental differences in bystander behaviour toward intergroup and intragroup exclusion. Developmental Psychology, 57(8). 1342-1349. https://doi.org/10.1037/dev0001202 99. Emerging Researchers' Group (for presentation at Emerging Researchers' Conference)
Paper Building Resilient Schools in the Nordic Countries: How Teaching Practices and School Climate Support Disadvantaged Students’ Success University of Oslo, Norway Presenting Author:Educational inequity remains a persistent challenge even in high-performing and equity-oriented education systems such as those in the Nordic countries. Socioeconomic status continues to be one of the strongest predictors of student achievement, including in mathematics (Sirin, 2005; OECD, 2024). However, some disadvantaged students demonstrate high levels of academic achievement despite structural constraints, a phenomenon conceptualised as academic resilience (Masten, 2001; Rutter, 2012) Previous research indicates that both teaching practices and school climate play crucial roles in shaping students’ learning opportunities and outcomes. Teaching practices that emphasise cognitive activation, feedback, and structured instruction have been associated with improved achievement and equity (OECD, 2019). Similarly, positive school climates characterised by supportive relationships, safety, and a sense of belonging are linked to higher academic engagement and performance (Thapa et al., 2013; Wang & Degol, 2016). Despite growing evidence, less is known about how teaching practices and school climate jointly support disadvantaged students in Nordic contexts, particularly in mathematics. Using PISA 2022 data, this study addresses this gap by examining how pedagogical and institutional factors contribute to the academic resilience of disadvantaged students in Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden. The study aims to identify key pedagogical and school-level factors that support disadvantaged students’ academic success. Specifically, it seeks to analyse patterns of teaching practices and school climate in Nordic schools, examine their relationships with disadvantaged students’ achievement in mathematics, and compare cross-national similarities and differences. By doing so, the study contributes to ongoing discussions on educational equity and resilience in comparative education. The research questions of the study are as follows: (1) How are mathematics teacher behaviours in mathematics and science associated with the achievement of disadvantaged students in Nordic countries? (2) How does school climate relate to academic resilience among disadvantaged students? (3) How do mathematics teacher behaviours and school climate interact in supporting disadvantaged students across Nordic education systems? Methodology, Methods, Research Instruments or Sources Used The study uses quantitative secondary analysis of PISA 2022 data from Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden. PISA provides internationally comparable measures of student achievement in mathematics, as well as contextual information on mathematics teacher behaviours and school climate (OECD, 2023). Disadvantaged students are identified using the PISA index of economic, social, and cultural status (ESCS), operationalised as students in the lowest quartile of the national ESCS distribution. Student achievement in mathematics serves as the primary outcome variable; high performance is defined as students in the highest quartile of mathematics performance. Academically resilient students in mathematics refer to disadvantaged students who are high performers. Independent variables include indices of mathematics teacher behaviours and school culture and climate derived from student questionnaires. Mathematics teacher behaviours are measured through indices such as student perceived quality of mathematics instruction, disciplinary climate in mathematics, and cognitive activation in mathematics. School culture and climate are operationalised through measures of teacher-student relationships, mathematics teacher support, student sense of belonging to school, being bullied, feeling safe and school safety risks. The analytical strategy consists of three stages. First, descriptive analyses are conducted to examine patterns of disadvantage, mathematics teacher behaviours, and school climate across Nordic countries. Second, multilevel regression models are applied to investigate relationships between mathematics teacher behaviours, school climate, and disadvantaged students’ achievement, controlling for student- and school-level variables. Third, interaction effects are tested to explore whether the influence of mathematics teacher behaviours varies depending on school climate conditions. All analyses will take PISA sampling weights and plausible values into consideration to ensure robust estimates (OECD, 2023). This approach enables both cross-national comparison and a deeper understanding of the mechanisms supporting academic resilience among disadvantaged students. Conclusions, Expected Outcomes or Findings The study is expected to demonstrate that mathematics teacher behaviours and school climate are significant predictors of disadvantaged students’ achievement in mathematics and science in Nordic countries. Consistent with prior research, cognitively activating mathematics teacher behaviours and structured instructional approaches are found to be positively associated with academic performance and resilience (OECD, 2019). Furthermore, supportive school climates characterised by strong teacher support, positive disciplinary environments, and a sense of belonging are expected to be linked to higher levels of academic resilience among disadvantaged students (Thapa et al., 2013; Wang & Degol, 2016). Cross-national analyses are likely to reveal both shared patterns and contextual differences across Nordic education systems, reflecting variations in pedagogical traditions and institutional arrangements. The interaction analysis is expected to show that the effectiveness of mathematics teacher behaviours is enhanced in schools with positive climates, suggesting that pedagogical and institutional factors operate synergistically. These findings will extend resilience theory by demonstrating how school-level and classroom-level factors jointly mitigate socioeconomic disadvantage (Rutter, 2012; Zimmerman, 2013). The study will contribute to comparative education research by providing empirical evidence from Nordic contexts, which are often regarded as models of equity. Practically, the findings will offer insights for policymakers, school leaders, and teachers seeking to design more inclusive learning environments and strengthen support for disadvantaged students in mathematics and science. References OECD. (2019). PISA 2018 results (Volume II): Where all students can succeed. OECD Publishing. OECD. (2023). PISA 2023 assessment and analytical framework. OECD Publishing. OECD. (2024). PISA 2023 results (Volume I): Student performance and equity in education. OECD Publishing. Masten, A. S. (2001). Ordinary magic: Resilience processes in development. American Psychologist, 56(3), 227–238. https://doi.org/10.1037/0003-066X.56.3.227 Rutter, M. (2012). Resilience as a dynamic concept. Development and Psychopathology, 24(2), 335–344. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0954579412000028 Thapa, A., Cohen, J., Guffey, S., & Higgins-D’Alessandro, A. (2013). A Review of School Climate Research. Review of Educational Research, 83(3), 357–385. https://doi.org/10.3102/0034654313483907 Wang, M.-T., & Degol, J. L. (2016). School Climate: A Review of the Construct, Measurement, and Impact on Student Outcomes. Educational Psychology Review, 28(2), 315–352. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-015-9319-1 99. Emerging Researchers' Group (for presentation at Emerging Researchers' Conference)
Paper Snapshots of In-between Belonging and Identity: School Cross-Cultural Transitional Care in Lithuania Vytautas Magnus University, Lithuania Presenting Author:Cross-Cultural Kids (CCKs) (Van Reken, 2002) is not a new concept when it comes to the effects of migration upon youth development, including some well-recognised, life-long lasting side effects (Crossman & Wells, 2022). Yet, only since 2017 have Lithuanian schools have experienced a sustained increase in the enrolment of, including returning Lithuanian students following Brexit or the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as refugee children arriving amid recent political conflicts in the neighbouring European political landscape. Despite the growing presence of these students, whose educational pathways and personal lives have been profoundly shaped by transnational mobility, the Lithuanian education system has yet to establish a coherent framework to support their integration. Existing institutional responses remain fragmented and tend to prioritise linguistic assimilation over broader psychosocial, cultural, and identity-related dimensions of schooling. Urgency to conceptualise cross-cultural diversity as an educational asset rather than a deficit in the Lithuanian context not only goes along Culturally Responsive Teaching (Gay, 2018), but emphasis the need to adopt a humanistic and ethical pedagogical approach (Forrester et al., 2020) to promote inclusive education for all students. As school populations become increasingly diverse, there is an urgent need to develop and examine forms of cross-cultural transitional care (CCTC) that address the complex linguistic, cultural, and identity-related challenges faced by CCKs (Mahoney & Barron, 2020). As part of a wider research project, this paper presents results from observations and informal conversations recorded during the process of conducting interventions with the narrative tool of “TARMAC” at school with CCKs of Lithuania. While not being the original intention of the research design, and is seen as serendipitous findings, "happy accidents" or chance discoveries (Robson & McCartan, 2016) where unexpected but beneficial discoveries that occur while searching for something else. Methodology, Methods, Research Instruments or Sources Used Set in a public gymnasium which was established after Lithuania’s regaining of independence in 1990 with the specific mission to accelerate Lithuanian language learning and integrate students of Lithuanian descent back into the national social and cultural life (Ruškus, 2008). Observations were conducted over a semester alongside the intervention part of the wider study. Twenty-five episodes of storied fieldnotes were documented using redesigned fieldnote template (Hoey, 2014) which emphases separation between description and analysis, and embeds reflexivity and methodological flexibility, balances insider insight with outsider analysis (Darling, 2016). The recorded critical moments were presented as storied ‘episodes’ of interactions between CCKs and their counterpart non-CCK classmates within both formal and non-informal learning situations, as means to contextualise the investigation of identity curation and a sense of belonging in school. Aligning with the overall narrative inquiring nature of the project, knowledge is not seen as objective ‘facts’ to be captured during data collection, but are seen as constructed, situated, and interpreted during the research process (Clandinin & Connelly, 2000). Therefore, observations in narrative inquiry are not passive seeing and recording but are a selective and interpretive process that is heavily dependent and shaped by the researcher's positionality. Conclusions, Expected Outcomes or Findings Results revealed how everyday encounters—whether in classrooms, corridors, playgrounds, or public spaces—become critical sites for identity negotiation, belonging, and intercultural dialogue. The findings affirm that CCKs’ identity narratives are deeply entangled with the social, linguistic, and cultural ecologies of their schools. Regarding CCKs’ identity narratives on self, belonging, and place in the context of Lithuania, the observed episodes highlighted that CCKs narrate identity through both disclosure and concealment, often using humour, selective explanation, or coded performance to negotiate how much of themselves to reveal (Riessman, 2008). Challenges of living “in-between” were highlighted, alongside the resources mobilised by CCKs to adapt, resist, and create belonging on their own terms. Tensions persist due to a lack of careful consideration of sociopolitical contexts when addressing school inclusion, especially when it concerns diversity in consideration of the sociopolitical contexts in addressing school inclusion, especially when concerning diversity relating to language, religion, and student well-being, in creating identity-safe learning environments (Cohn-Vargas & Steele, 2016). Implications demonstrate that when everyday exchanges are taken seriously as pedagogical moments, they can scaffold intercultural understanding and support identity curation. Noticing and framing “small stories” opens gateways to broader discussions on identity and belonging in personal, institutional, and societal spheres. This leaves space for discussions within the scope of teacher training, especially during the current ongoing educational reform, which is moving Lithuania from a multi-track system to an inclusive system. When school diversity moves beyond focusing on differences within the student body, the advancement of cross-cultural transitional care can naturally be considered alongside overall inclusive practices in Lithuanian classrooms. References Clandinin, J. & Connelly, M. (2000). Narrative Inquiry: Experience and Story in Qualitative Research. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass Publishers. Cohn-Vargas, B., & Steele, D. M. (2016). Creating identity safe classroom environments. Illinois Reading Council Journal, 44(3), 23–32. Crossman, T., & Wells, L. (2022). Caution and Hope: The Prevalence of Adverse Childhood Experiences in Globally Mobile Third Culture Kids. Retrieved from https://www.tcktraining.com/research/caution-and-hope-white-paper Darling, F. (2016). Emic and etic analysis in qualitative research. Forum Qualitative Sozialforschung / Forum: Qualitative Social Research, 17(2), Article 8. https://doi.org/10.17169/fqs-17.2.2538 Forrester, G., Kurth, J., Vincent, P., & Oliver, M. (2020). Schools as community assets: An exploration of the merits of an asset-based community development (ABCD) approach. Educational Review, 72(4), 443-458. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00131911.2018.1529655 Hoey, B. (2014). A template for writing fieldnotes. Anthropod. https://anthropod.net/2013/08/14/a-template-for-writing-fieldnotes/ Mahoney, E., & Barron, J. (2020). Surveying the landscape: Common Practices, Challenges and Opportunities in International School Transitions-Care. The 2020 Report. SeaChange and Globally Grounded. Retrieved from https://seachangementoring.com/transition-support/ Riessman C. K. (2008). Narrative Methods for the Human Sciences. Sage. Robson, C., & McCartan, K. (2016). Real World Research (4th ed.). Wiley Ruškus, J. (2008). Į Lietuvą atvykusių lietuvių kilmės moksleivių patirtis:„Lietuvių namų “mokyklos atvejis. Oikos: Lithuanian Migration & Diaspora Studies, 2008(6): 443-458. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00131911.2018.1529655 Van Reken, R. (2002). Third Culture Kids: Prototypes for understanding other cross-cultural kids. Cross-Cultural Kids. https://www.crossculturalkid.org/who-are-cross-cultural-kids/ 99. Emerging Researchers' Group (for presentation at Emerging Researchers' Conference)
Paper What Does Multiculturalism Look Like? Metaphorical Perspectives of Teacher Education Stakeholders Fırat Üniversitesi, Turkey (Türkiye) Presenting Author:Today's education systems have transformed into a dynamic structure where different cultural identities, languages, beliefs and life practices coexist. Multiculturalism, at the heart of this transformation, is no longer merely a policy or programme concept, but has become an ontological component of education. However, the multi-layered nature of the concept makes it difficult to agree on a common definition. Academic definitions often fail to adequately reflect individuals' perceptions, concerns, and expectations. At this point, metaphors offer a powerful and direct tool for understanding how people perceive the world. In individuals' processes of understanding and making sense of abstract and complex phenomena, metaphors are not merely ordinary tools of comparison but serve a fundamental cognitive function. As Lakoff and Johnson (1980) state in their theoretical framework, metaphors are not just figures of speech that embellish our language but are cognitive maps that structure our ways of thinking, our perceptions, and even our actions. In this context, metaphors serve as analytical mirrors that reveal the "implicit beliefs" that lie deep within educational stakeholders, beliefs that may not be directly expressible in words. Increasing metaphorical studies in educational sciences have shown their effectiveness in revealing individuals’ conceptual frameworks regarding a concept. Understanding how a concept with sociological and pedagogical dimensions, such as multiculturalism, is interpreted in the context of teacher education is of critical importance. This is because the image of multiculturalism in the minds of teachers and teacher educators is indicative of the attitude they will adopt towards differences in the classroom, the level of empathy they will develop, and the inclusive educational practices they will implement. If an educator imagines this concept as "chaos," they will try to manage diversity in the classroom as a crisis; if they see it as a "mosaic," they will argue that each piece is a value that must be preserved. Multiculturalism is an indispensable understanding for social harmony, based on accepting individual differences such as age, gender, belief, language, race, and sexual orientation as riches and living in harmony within the same geography (APA, 2002; Banks, 2008). This approach is particularly vital in educational processes because the cognitive and personality development of students from different cultural backgrounds is directly influenced by their unique identities. As Kağıtçıbaşı and Cemalcılar (2017) emphasize, individuals' behaviors in communication processes are a reflection of their own cultural values. Therefore, adopting a multicultural structure is an academic and social necessity for achieving social peace and making education inclusive. A review of the literature reveals that studies on multiculturalism include the analysis of teaching staff's conceptual perceptions through metaphors (Aydın and Tonbuloğlu, 2016), the integration of multicultural education into the curriculum (Babayiğit et al., 2025), and the collection of in-depth views on the subject (Hong, 2017; Suri and Chandra, 2021), and determining stakeholder attitudes (Kimzan and Arıkan, 2018; Solehuddin and Budiman, 2019; Djonko-Moore et al., 2018). Based on the existing theoretical framework, this study aims to discover how teacher candidates and teacher educators, who are the most fundamental stakeholders in the teacher education ecosystem, conceptualize multiculturalism through mental images. The main originality of the study lies in bringing both groups together on the same analytical plane to offer a comparative perspective on multiculturalism, thereby deciphering the conceptual harmony between the mindsets of those who design the program and the candidates who are shaped by it. This approach, which also aligns with the goals of inclusivity and democratic competence in the European Education Area (EEA), makes the link between theoretical idealism and practical reality visible, thereby providing a multi-layered and original contribution to global teacher education discussions. Methodology, Methods, Research Instruments or Sources Used Designed within the qualitative research paradigm, this study is built on a basic qualitative pattern. Such studies focus on explaining how individuals make sense of certain phenomena, how they construct the world, and the meanings distilled from their experiences (Merriam, 2023). Metaphors, frequently used in educational research, are effective tools within the qualitative tradition for exploring participants' perceptual worlds (Kılcan, 2021). Since the study aimed to reflect the subjective perspectives of teacher candidates and faculty members on the concept of multiculturalism, this methodological approach was considered the most appropriate. The study group consisted of teacher candidates studying at education faculties in different geographical regions of Turkey and faculty members working at the same institutions. To increase the diversity and representativeness of the sample, a maximum diversity sampling strategy was adopted in determining the participants. This allowed for the analysis of stakeholders' perceptions of multiculturalism across a wide range of faculties with different socio-cultural and regional dynamics. During the data collection phase of the study, researchers plan to use a form designed by them, consisting of two main components. To validate the form's content and face validity, the opinions of two academics specializing in educational sciences will be sought, and the draft will be finalized based on the critical feedback received. The first section of the form will include a personal information section to determine participants' demographic characteristics such as gender, branch, and class level. In the second section, an open-ended prompt consisting of the statement "Multiculturalism is like …………………. because ………………………….." will be presented to analyze participants' mental representations . To establish a cognitive framework, the concept of metaphor will be defined for participants prior to the application, and a concrete example will be provided using the image of a "teacher." Through this process, teacher candidates will be able to express their unique perceptions of multiculturalism in a coherent image and logical reasoning. Conclusions, Expected Outcomes or Findings The findings obtained from the research are expected to clarify the conceptual maps of stakeholders in different layers of the teacher education ecosystem regarding the concept of multiculturalism. The study will identify a meaningful level of differentiation or overlap between the mental images produced by teacher educators and teacher candidates in terms of theoretical depth and application-orientedness. This will reveal the extent to which the current discourse on multiculturalism in education faculties influences candidates' professional identity construction and how it is reflected at the level of mental representations. Most importantly, this research will lay bare the extent to which such a vital and concrete phenomenon as multiculturalism has found a place in the climate of education faculties, the level to which it exists as a reality, and how it is interpreted by stakeholders. The thematic categories obtained will be open to discussion as to whether they approach multicultural education as merely a methodological necessity or as a philosophical adoption. Ultimately, this research aims to analyze the link between the "theoretical outputs" of teacher training programs and the "tacit beliefs" of stakeholders, thereby offering a theoretical projection for a more holistic, inclusive teacher education policy centered on social harmony. References American Psychological Association [APA]. 2002. “Guidelines on multicultural education, training, research, practice, and organizational change for psychologists.” Washington, DC: American Psychological Association. Aydın, H., & Tonbuloğlu, B. (2015). Graduate students' perceptions of multicultural education: a qualitative case study. Eurasian Journal of Educational Research (57), 29-50. https://doi.org/10.14689/ejer.2014.57.3 Babayiğit, B., Sever, D., Çam Aktaş, B., Kip Kayabaş, B., Aysın Şenel, E., & Güven, M. (2025). Professional Development for Multicultural Education: Lessons from a Blended In-Service Teacher Training Programme. Teaching and Teacher Education, 165(105151). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2025.105151 Banks, J. A. 2008. “An introduction to multicultural education.” Boston, MA: Pearson Publication. Djonko-Moore, C., Jiang, S., & Gibson, K. 2018. “Multicultural teacher education and diversity practices in early childhood. Journal for Multicultural Education” 12 (4), 298-313. https://dx.doi.org/10.1108/JME-07-2017-0041 Hong, Y. 2017. “Facing diversity in early childhood education: Teachers’ perceptions, beliefs, and teaching practices of anti-bias education in Korea” [Unpublished master's thesis, Missouri State University, Missouri]. Kağıtçıbaşı, Ç., Cemalcılar, Z. 2016. From yesterday to today: An introduction to social psychology. (27th Edition), city: Evrim Yayınları. Kılcan, B. (2021). The use of metaphors as a data collection tool in educational sciences: A case study. (ed. B. Kılcan). A practical guide to metaphor and metaphorical studies in education. (pp.89-111). Pegem Akademi. Kimzan, İ. & Arıkan, A. 2018. "An examination of early childhood teacher candidates' attitudes towards multicultural education." Inönü University Faculty of Education Journal, 19(3), 670-686. https://doi.org/10.17679/inuefd.426978 Lakoff, G., & Johnson, M. (1980). Metaphors we live by. University of Chicago Press Merriam, S. B. (2023). A guide to qualitative research design and application. (Trans. ed. S. Turan). Nobel Publishing. Solehuddin, M. & Budiman, N. 2019. “Multicultural competence of prospective preschool teachers in predominantly Muslim countries.” Jurnal Cakrawala Pendidikan, 38(3), 438-451. https://doi:10.21831/cp.v38i3.25033 Suri, D., & Chandra, D. 2021. “Teachers' strategies for implementing multiculturalism education based on local cultural values and character building for early childhood education” Journal of Ethnic and Cultural Studies, 8(4), 271-285. https://dx.doi.org/10.29333/ejecs/937 | ||