CURRICULUM INCLUSIVENESS CHALLENGE: RESPONDING TO MULTICULTURALISM AMONG WORKFORCE EDUCATION AND DEVELOPMENT (WED) GRADUATE STUDENTS - A MIXED METHODS STUDY

Abstract

The U.S. society is generally promoted as a "melting pot" of peoples and cultures. But to what extent is such multiculturalism reflected in its curriculum content for a graduate workforce education and development (WED) program at a Mid-Western university? This descriptive study used a mixed methods design to examine graduate students’ perceptions of curriculum inclusiveness for the WED program’s course content. Study findings revealed that U.S. minority and international student groups (Mdn = 4.0) found that WED content was quite often aligned to the interests of the dominant group (U.S. Caucasians), while the dominant group found this phenomenon occurred sometimes (Mdn = 3.0). Responding to multiculturalism among WED graduate students appeared to present a challenge for a Midwestern university, and by extension, subjected students to much cultural and intellectual bondage. Students' suggestions for improving multiculturalism responsiveness included diversifying/internationalizing WED curriculum content, which is in keeping with multicultural education.