Retrospects and Prospects of Multicultural Teacher Education in the Higher Education Institutions of Ethiopia: Adama University in Focus

Abstract

The objective of this research was to assess the retrospects and
prospects of multicultural teacher education in Ethiopia in general and in Adama
University in particular. A descriptive survey research method was used in the
study. The subjects of the study include officials working at the various positions of
the university, students of the university, and 150 teachers. The subjects were
selected using purposive, stratified and simple random sampling techniques. To
collect the data, questionnaire, interview, and focused-group discussions were
employed. The data were analyzed using quantitative and qualitative approaches.
Results of the study revealed that except addressing gender issues, Adama
University did not practise multicultural teacher education. To help the University
exercise multicultural teacher education, recommendations like arranging adequate
short and long term trainings to raise the awareness of the instructors about
multicultural teacher education, revising the current curricula and integrating them
with multicultural education, developing a guideline for multicultural teacher
education, giving multicultural teacher education as a course across departments in
higher learning institutions, etc. are suggested.