Learners' Behaviors in the Multicultural English Program: Focused on Elementary School Students

This study investigates how multicultural students from different cultural and ethnic backgrounds participate in the multicultural English program. The investigation was conducted in two Korean public elementary schools. Nineteen multicultural students participated in a culture- related English program once a week over twelve weeks. Data were mainly collected by questionnaires, observation, and interviews with students and teachers. By means of quantitative and qualitative research methods, this paper (a) analysed the problems that the multicultural students have with their intercultural communicative competence, (b) examined the reasons for the students' failures in intercultural communication and (c) explored how intercultural knowledge should be taught in the English classroom The results of this study indicate that the students from multicultural families were positively affected by the enhanced learning environment. The conclusion section details guidelines for professionals and researchers to develop more balanced multicultural English programs.