Changes in culture represent the fundamental trait of humankind, which leads to a dynamic and quickly evolving era. Global dynamism has been characterized by continuous changes in technology, the breaking down of boundaries for international travel, the expansion of economic and political institutions, growing demographic diversity, as well as increasing density of the population (Samovar et al., 2017). Such changes result in regular interactions between people of varied cultural backgrounds, which also influence culture and enable further transformations in different areas of life, including education.
In a society characterized by globalized culture, education has undergone some changes. They include the increased cultural diversity in the educational system. The globalization of education as a system has raised the number of international students in higher education institutions. At schools, diverse classrooms pose new challenges associated with language use, different learning styles, attitudes toward education, and student-teacher relationships. This results in the increased responsibility of educators and policymakers at different levels to ensure that students can participate in the ever-changing community (Samovar et al., 2017). As a consequence, it is needed to expand the knowledge of the role of culture in the classroom.
Due to the interplay between culture and education, the latter inevitably influences society. The expansion of knowledge utilizing diverse perspectives brought from different cultures can increase the efficiency of society, allowing it to tackle problems from a logical perspective. When there are large portions of the population that are highly educated and skilled, society can see an influx of new job opportunities, with people putting their shares in uplifting the economy. With a stable economy comes more investment in healthcare, cultural life, social issues, education, research and development, and other areas of social life.
Culture is vital in education because it influences how people see the world, the communities that surround them, and how they communicate with each other. Being a part of a culture impacts people’s processes of learning, retaining relevant information, behaving, and communicating. Therefore, culture will inevitably determine to a significant degree the learning and teaching styles within educational systems (Giorgetti, Campbell, & Arslan, 2017). Besides, in the context of increased diversity in education, culture influences the teaching of values, beliefs, and traditions inherent to different groups and shapes multifaceted means of communication. Culturally-responsible educators are challenged with recognizing the diverse perspectives of students to ensure that all of them are involved in the educational process, and no one is left out.
In the Dominican Republic, the interplay between culture and education is illustrated in the dedication of educational institutions to create an environment that responds to students’ diverse educational needs. Due to social and cultural reasons, different students may face barriers in their learning processes, with the policymakers of the Dominican Republic recognizing such challenges and enhancing the educational process to address them. Besides, under the guide of UNESCO, the Inclusive Schools Development Process was developed to focus on underserved schools and facilitate various improvements in teacher training, community support, and resourcing (UNESCO, 2021). Therefore, the shifting social and cultural climates in the country are associated with active steps of the government and organizations with which it cooperates to enhance educational capabilities and ensure that they meet the diverse needs of students.
References
Giorgetti, F. M., Campbell, C., & Arslan, A. (2017). Culture and education: Looking back to culture through education. International Journal of the History of Education, 53(1-2), 1-6. Web.
Samovar, L. A., Porter, R. E., McDaniel, E. R., & Roy, C. S. (2017). Communication between cultures (9th ed.). Cengage Learning.
UNESCO. (2021). Dominical Republic. Inclusion. Web.