Dissertation Title: THE IMPACT OF INTERCULTURAL PEDAGOGY MODELS ON DEVELOPING INTERCULTURAL COMPETENCE IN THE SCHOOL CONTEXT

Authors: Edlira Bejko

• Institution: University of Tirana,  Faculty of Social Sciences, Department of Pedagogy and Psychology

• Field of study: Education

• Online publication date: 21.05.2026

• The dissertation is published in Albanian.

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Published by the University of Tirana
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ABSTRACT

 

In a multicultural, increasingly interconnected and globalized world, intercultural education and intercultural competence have become essential issues of personal, academic and professional development in the 21st century. The discussion on intercultural education and competence is dynamic and multifaceted, reflecting broader societal changes. The integration of intercultural education and the development of intercultural competence in pre-university education remains complex. In such a context, research on intercultural education and competence is very important. However, in the context of Albania, which has undergone fundamental changes in the last 35 years and has faced the challenges of migration, emigration, immigration, remigration and integration into the European Union, the study of intercultural education and the development of intercultural competence is a necessity.

The research undertaken aims to examine the impact of intercultural pedagogy models on intercultural education and the development of intercultural competence in the school context, to determine the most effective policies and practices for integrating intercultural education into the lower secondary education curriculum and for developing this competence in students and teachers.

The study is built on three main objectives: 1) to explore the perception of students, teachers, school leaders and education experts on cultural diversity and the role of intercultural education in school; 2) to explore the perception of students, teachers, school leaders and education experts on the dimensions and constituent elements of intercultural competence; 3) to analyze models of intercultural pedagogy and educational policies for the development of intercultural education and intercultural competence in school.

The research was conducted with a mixed methodology, using quantitative and qualitative methods and more specifically: survey, interview and content analysis. The research sample consists of 620 subjects (503 lower secondary school students, 100 lower secondary school teachers, 12 principals of 9-year schools and 5 education experts).

The research has found that: there is a positive consensus for the integration of intercultural education in the school curriculum, but implementation is insufficient; intercultural education is not treated as a proper subject, but is indirectly included in several subjects of the school curriculum, with a main focus on the subject of Citizenship; elements of intercultural competence are integrated into the school curriculum, although they do not appear with a proper name; intercultural education in Albania is implemented in a superficial, sporadic manner; the Albanian education system demonstrates the lack of a proper, unified national strategy for intercultural education; in Albania, a single or borrowed pedagogical model for intercultural education and competence is not followed.

Based on the analysis and discussion of the findings, the study has reached several conclusions, such as: the integration of intercultural education and the development of intercultural competence in school is a current need of the education system in Albania; the lack of a national strategy for intercultural education and competence is reflected in the unclear, ineffective way of providing intercultural education, which is not based on models of intercultural pedagogy, is not sufficiently supported by an effective teacher training system and with diverse resource materials in the field to facilitate effective teaching; the development of intercultural education and intercultural competence will have to overcome a number of political, administrative, curricular and pedagogical challenges.

The research presents a series of recommendations, the most important of which are: drafting a national strategy for intercultural education; preparing a protocol for the integration of immigrant, emigrant, remigrant students and other cultural groups; reviewing the lower secondary education curriculum to integrate intercultural education more directly and effectively; adapting Anglo-Saxon, Greek, German and Italian models for intercultural education policy; building a framework for the intercultural competence of students and teachers based on the models of Deardorff, Dimitrov, UNESCO, and the Council of Europe; using the pedagogical approach of integrated intercultural education as the most appropriate model for the formation of students' intercultural competence; improving teacher training and professional development programs to better equip them for intercultural education.

Keywords: intercultural pedagogy, models of intercultural pedagogy, intercultural education, intercultural competence, models of intercultural competence

 

 

ABSTRACT

 

In a multicultural, increasingly interconnected, and globalized society, intercultural education and intercultural competence have emerged as vital components of personal, academic and professional development in the 21st century. The discussion on intercultural education and competence is dynamic and multifaceted, reflecting broader societal changes. The integration of intercultural education and the development of intercultural competence in pre-university education remains a complex endeavor. In this context, the exploration of intercultural education and competence is highly significant. Specifically, in the context of Albania, which in the last 35 years has undergone fundamental changes and has faced the challenges of migration, emigration, immigration, remigration, and integration into the European Union, the study of intercultural education and the development of intercultural competence is a necessity.

The undertaken research aims to examine the impact of intercultural pedagogy models on intercultural education and the development of intercultural competence within the school context in order to identify the most effective policies and practices for integrating intercultural education into the curriculum of lower secondary education and for fostering this competence among students and teachers.

The study is structured around three main objectives: 1) to explore the perception of students, teachers, school leaders and education experts regarding cultural diversity and the role of intercultural education in schools; 2) to investigate the perception of students, teachers, school leaders and education experts on the dimensions and constituent elements of intercultural competence; 3) to analyze intercultural pedagogy models and educational policies aimed at fostering intercultural education and intercultural competence in schools.

The research was conducted using a mixed methodology, using both quantitative and qualitative methods and more specifically: survey, interview and content analysis. The research sample consists of 620 subjects (503 lower secondary education students, 100 lower secondary education teachers, 12 principals of 9-year schools and 5 education experts).

The research found that: there is a positive consensus for the integration of intercultural education in the school curriculum, but the implementation is insufficient; intercultural education is not treated as a distinct subject, but is indirectly included in several subjects of the school curriculum, primarily focusing on the subject of Citizenship; elements of intercultural competence are integrated into the school curriculum, although not explicitly named; intercultural education in Albania is conducted superficially, sporadically; the Albanian education system demonstrates a lack of a comprehensive, unified national strategy for intercultural education; Albania does not follow a single or borrowed pedagogical model for intercultural education and competence.

Based on the analysis and discussion of these findings, several conclusions have emerged, including: integrating intercultural education and fostering intercultural competence within schools is a current necessity for Albania's educational reform; the lack of a national strategy for intercultural education is reflected in a vague and ineffective approach to providing intercultural education, which is not grounded in intercultural pedagogical models, is insufficiently supported by a teacher training system, and lacks diverse, field-specific resource materials to facilitate effective teaching; overcoming political, administrative, curricular, and pedagogical challenges is essential for meaningful progress in this domain.

The research presents several actionable recommendations, among which the most important are: developing a national intercultural education strategy; establishing protocols for integrating immigrant, immigrant, re-migrant students, and other cultural groups into the educational system; revising the curriculum of lower secondary education to explicitly and effectively incorporate intercultural education; adapting successful intercultural education Anglo-Saxon, Greek, German, and Italian models for intercultural education policy; developing a framework for intercultural competence of students and teachers based on models of Deardorff, Dimitrov, UNESCO, and the Council of Europe; implementing the pedagogical approach of integrated intercultural education as the most suitable model for fostering students' intercultural competence; enhancing teacher training and professional development programs to better equip them for delivering intercultural education.

 

Keywords: intercultural pedagogy, models of intercultural pedagogy, intercultural education, intercultural competence, models of intercultural competence