Multicultural Literacy, Multicultural Efficacy, and Multicultural Education in ELT Teacher Preparation: An Integrative Literature Review
Objective: This integrative literature review aimed to synthesize existing knowledge regarding multicultural literacy, multicultural efficacy, and multicultural education in English Language Teaching (ELT) teacher preparation and to develop a conceptual framework explaining their potential relationships.
Methods and Materials: Following Torraco’s (2016) methodology for integrative literature reviews, this study analyzed peer-reviewed research published between 2015 and 2025. Literature searches were conducted in Scopus, Web of Science, ERIC, and Google Scholar. After screening 312 records and removing duplicates and ineligible studies, 25 articles were included in the final synthesis. Studies were coded according to publication characteristics, theoretical foundations, research methods, participants, findings, and implications. Two researchers independently coded the studies, achieving inter-rater agreement above 85%.
Findings: The synthesis revealed three relatively distinct but interconnected research traditions. Multicultural literacy was primarily associated with intercultural awareness, cultural knowledge, and the ability to interpret cultural and linguistic diversity. Multicultural efficacy reflected teachers’ confidence in implementing culturally responsive teaching practices, while multicultural education represented the curricular and institutional structures supporting multicultural preparation. The reviewed evidence suggested that structured multicultural education programs may contribute to both literacy and efficacy development; however, direct empirical investigations examining all three constructs simultaneously remain limited. The review also identified insufficient ELT-specific assessment tools, dominance of self-report measures, and limited longitudinal research. Based on the synthesis, an integrative framework was proposed in which curriculum design, reflective practicum, and classroom experience serve as mechanisms connecting multicultural knowledge and confidence to enacted teaching practices.
Conclusion: Multicultural teacher preparation in ELT requires an integrated approach combining knowledge, efficacy, and institutional support. Future research should empirically test the proposed framework using longitudinal, mixed-method, and classroom-based designs.
Downloads
Akcaoğlu, M. Ö., & Arsal, Z. (2022). The Effect of Multicultural Education on Preservice Teachers’ Attitude and Efficacy: Testing Bank’s Content Integration Dimension. Participatory Educational Research, 9(2), 343–357. https://doi.org/10.17275/per.22.44.9.2
Altan, M. Z. (2018). Intercultural Sensitivity A Study of Pre-service English Language Teachers. Journal of Intercultural Communication, 18(1), 1–18. https://doi.org/10.36923/jicc.v18i1.750
Bakır, S. (2020). The multicultural experiences, attitudes and efficacy perceptions among prospective teachers. International Journal of Evaluation and Research in Education (IJERE), 9(1), 212. https://doi.org/10.11591/ijere.v9i1.20412
Banks, J. A. (2012). Multicultural Education, Dimensions of. Encyclopedia of Diversity in Education, 1539–1547. https://doi.org/10.4135/9781452218533
Banks, J. A. , Ed., & Banks, C. A. M. Ed. (2019). Multicultural Education: Issues and Perspectives. 10th Edition. John Wiley & Sons, Inc, 356.
Byram, M. (2020). Teaching and assessing intercultural communicative competence: Revisited. https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=S6MJEAAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PT11&ots=kiaZZ5jMHk&sig=BikgFeVU3GijcTDVkhE12MCmsoU
Cancino, M., & Nuñez, I. (2023). EFL Teachers’ Perceptions Towards Multicultural Classrooms: The Role of Intercultural Sensitivity in Developing Intercultural Communicative Competence. REFLections, 30(3), 621–646. https://doi.org/10.61508/REFL.V30I3.267833
Chahar Mahali, S., & Sevigny, P. R. (2022). Multicultural Classrooms: Culturally Responsive Teaching Self-Efficacy among A Sample of Canadian Preservice Teachers. Education and Urban Society, 54(8), 946–968. https://doi.org/10.1177/00131245211062526
Chen, G.-M., & Starosta, W. J. (1996). Intercultural Communication Competence: A Synthesis. Annals of the International Communication Association, 19(1), 353–383. https://doi.org/10.1080/23808985.1996.11678935
Cherng, H. Y. S., & Davis, L. A. (2017). Multicultural Matters: An Investigation of Key Assumptions of Multicultural Education Reform in Teacher Education. Https://Doi.Org/10.1177/0022487117742884, 70(3), 219–236. https://doi.org/10.1177/0022487117742884
Cho, S., Lee, H. J., & Herner-Patnode, L. (2020). Factors Influencing Preservice Teachers’ Self-Efficacy in Addressing Cultural and Linguistic Needs of Diverse Learners. Teacher Educator, 55(4), 411–429. https://doi.org/10.1080/08878730.2020.1805835
Cruz, R. A., Manchanda, S., Firestone, A. R., & Rodl, J. E. (2020). An Examination of Teachers’ Culturally Responsive Teaching Self-Efficacy. Teacher Education and Special Education, 43(3), 197–214. https://doi.org/10.1177/0888406419875194
Erdem, D. (2020). Multicultural Competence Scale for Prospective Teachers: Development, Validation and Measurement Invariance. Eurasian Journal of Educational Research, 20(87), 1–28. https://doi.org/10.14689/ejer.2020.87.1
Gorski, P. C., & Parekh, G. (2020). Supporting Critical Multicultural Teacher Educators: Transformative teaching, social justice education, and perceptions of institutional support. Intercultural Education, 31(3), 265–285. https://doi.org/10.1080/14675986.2020.1728497
He, Y., Lundgren, K., & Pynes, P. (2017). Impact of short-term study abroad program: Inservice teachers’ development of intercultural competence and pedagogical beliefs. Teaching and Teacher Education, 66, 147–157. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.TATE.2017.04.012
Ji, J. S., Yip, S. Y., & Saito, E. (2025). Preparing future teachers for multicultural classrooms: the state of play in Australia. Journal for Multicultural Education, 19(2–3), 255–269. https://doi.org/10.1108/JME-11-2024-0150
Kırcalı, M., & Cesur, K. (2024). Development and Validation of a Cultural and Linguistic Diversity Scale to Measure Pre-service EFL Teachers’ Self-Efficacy Beliefs. SAGE Open, 14(1). https://doi.org/10.1177/21582440241236589
Kolano, L., & Sanczyk, A. (2022). Transforming Preservice Teacher Perceptions of Immigrant Communities Through Digital Storytelling. Journal of Experiential Education, 45(1), 32–50. https://doi.org/10.1177/1053825920988738
Malo-Juvera, V., Correll, P., & Cantrell, S. (2018). A mixed methods investigation of teachers’ self-efficacy for culturally responsive instruction. Teaching and Teacher Education, 74, 146–156. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0742051X17315627
Matsumura, S., & Tatsuyama, T. (2024). Enhancing pre-service EFL teachers’ self-efficacy through the use of ELF in a multilingual world. Education Sciences, 14(4), 434. https://www.mdpi.com/2227-7102/14/4/434
Medina, A., Hathaway, J., & Pilonieta, P. (2015). How Preservice Teachers’ Study Abroad Experiences Lead to Changes in Their Perceptions of English Language Learners. Frontiers: The Interdisciplinary Journal of Study Abroad, 25(1), 73–91. https://doi.org/10.36366/FRONTIERS.V25I1.346
Pevec-Zimmer, S., Juang, L. P., & Schachner, M. K. (2024). Promoting Awareness and Self-Efficacy for Culturally Responsive Teaching of Pre-Service Teachers Through the Identity Project – a Mixed Methods Study. International Journal of Multilingualism, 24(4), 288–306. https://doi.org/10.1080/15283488.2024.2344086
Phongsirikul, M., & Thongrin, S. (2019). Developing intercultural awareness in ELT: Students’ attitudes toward their intercultural learning experience. REFLections, 26(1), 78–114. https://so05.tci-thaijo.org/index.php/reflections/article/view/203947
Porto, M., & Byram, M. (2015). Developing intercultural citizenship education in the language classroom and beyond. Argentinian Journal of Applied Linguistics - ISSN 2314-3576, 3(2), 9–29. https://ajal.faapi.org.ar/ojs-3.3.0-5/index.php/AJAL/article/view/177
Ruales, S. T. P., Agirdag, O., & Van Petegem, W. (2020). Development and validation of the multicultural sensitivity scale for pre-service teachers. Multicultural Education Review, 12(3), 177–194. https://doi.org/10.1080/2005615X.2020.1808926
Senyshyn, R. M. (2018). Teaching for transformation: converting the intercultural experience of preservice teachers into intercultural learning. Intercultural Education, 29(2), 163–184. https://doi.org/10.1080/14675986.2018.1429791
Smits, T., Education, P. J. Q. S. in, & 2020, undefined. (2020). Multicultural teacher education: a cross-case exploration of pre-service language teachers’ approach to ethnic diversity. Taylor & Francis, 33(4), 421–445. https://doi.org/10.1080/09518398.2019.1681536
Smits, T. F. H., & Janssenswillen, P. (2020). Multicultural teacher education: a cross-case exploration of pre-service language teachers’ approach to ethnic diversity. International Journal of Qualitative Studies in Education, 33(4), 421–445. https://doi.org/10.1080/09518398.2019.1681536
Soo, R. S., & Goh, H. S. (2017). Pre-service English Teachers’ Reticent Beliefs Towards Oral Participation in EAP Classrooms. Asia-Pacific Education Researcher, 26(3–4), 155–162. https://doi.org/10.1007/S40299-017-0336-3
Torraco, R. J. (2016). Writing Integrative Literature Reviews: Using the Past and Present to Explore the Future. Human Resource Development Review, 15(4), 404–428. https://doi.org/10.1177/1534484316671606
Tsang, A., Aubrey, S., & Yuan, R. (2024). Multiculturalism and multilingualism in higher education: intercultural activity participation and opportunities for language learning. International Journal of Multilingualism, 21(3), 1332–1348. https://doi.org/10.1080/14790718.2022.2164769
Yada, A., Björn, P. M., Savolainen, P., Kyttälä, M., Aro, M., & Savolainen, H. (2021). Pre-service teachers’ self-efficacy in implementing inclusive practices and resilience in Finland. Teaching and Teacher Education, 105. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.TATE.2021.103398
Yılmaz, F. (2016). Multiculturalism and multicultural education: A case study of teacher candidates’ perceptions. Cogent Education, 3(1), 1172394. https://doi.org/10.1080/2331186X.2016.1172394
Copyright (c) 2025 International Journal of Body, Mind and Culture
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
