Enhancing interethnic tolerance in masters of education in Ukrainian multiethnic primary school

Abstract

Interethnic tolerance is a determining part of professional competence of Masters of Education (Primary Teaching) in Ukraine. It is seen both as a social order for the modern education system, as a personal-professional quality formed on the basis of humanistic worldview, allowing to perform professional duties effectively. The paper’s aim is to introduce education of Masters of Education into the context of interethnic tolerance formation to perform professional duties in the multiethnic educational environment of primary school. The paper examines the experience of 199 Masters of Education (Primary Teaching) who graduated with the learning strategy to improve the level of interethnic tolerance formed. We used a combination of research methods: analysis of normative documents and curricula, observation of students’ performance, questionnaire, testing, pedagogical experiment, quantitative and qualitative analysis of experimental data. To improve the level of interethnic tolerance formed we developed and introduced methodical support for the effective organisation of extra / curriculum, independent work and pedagogical practice. The developed learning procedure, implemented in the experimental group, gave positive results in the formation of interethnic tolerance by motivational-value, cognitive, activity-behavioural, and reflexive-creative components. The number of students in the experimental group with high level of interethnic tolerance formed increased by 23.48%; with sufficient level − increased by 14.54%; with average and low level − decreased by 16.07% and 21.94%, respectively. The research findings are relevant for other educational programs.