Posudek
Autor: Barbora FIALOVÁ
Diplomová práce: “The Multicultural Learning Environment in the USA and the UK”
Vedoucí práce: PhDr. Matthew Sweney
Rok dokončení: 2011
Oponent: PhDr. Sabina Pazderová

Analysis:
Ms. Fialová has set out to describe the problems with multicultural learning in general, and the USA and UK in specific by examining a high school in Los Angeles, and a primary school in Newcastle upon Tyne.

The topic is contemporary and evolving constantly and rapidly. This is an excellent subject for study, and a field which will require specialists. 

In general the thesis seems to me a work which better belongs in the Pedagogical Faculty rather than the Philosophical Faculty, even though the case can be argued that the thesis addresses Cultural Studies. 

While it is true that there are probably more differences than similarities between a high school in the USA and a primary school in the UK, the material here is hands-on practice, and Ms. Fialová should be commended for having taken the time to observe classrooms in both countries, as well as the preparations and permissions she must have gone through in order to do this.

I wish there had been more material in the Conclusions section; I would like to hear from the candidate about how her findings from Britain and the USA could be applied specifically in her native country. I am glad to see though her linguistic observation that emphasis on the Czech “cizinec,” rather than “přištěhovalec” or “imigrant,” is both indicative of—and contributes to—the problem in this country.

One interesting part of the thesis are the interviews in the Appendices with the teachers themselves. This really helped me to better understand some of the aspects of teaching in a multicultural setting. 

Overall the quality of written English in the thesis is quite readable, and above average at the M.A. level. The “multicultural” mix of British and American English here does not bother me. 

The sources are up-to-date and adequate for the topic; authors have been properly cited and the bibliography is sufficient and pertinent.

Background: Parts 1 and 2—“Immigration and multicultural societies” and “Multicultural education”—are decent overviews on the situation and its history. On rereading this, I do feel that there might be a need for discussion of the “monocultural” learning environment—see Question 4, below.

Study: Parts 3 and 4—“USA: John Marshall High School, Los Angeles, California” and “UK: Westgate Hill Primary School and Nursery, Newcastle upon Tyne”—are interesting and original looks at real-life English-speaking multicultural classrooms on two continents. The author proves her intelligence here: there is much thoughtful observation and analysis. 

Conclusions: This is the weakest part of the thesis, just a mere five pages. This is a real pity, because I am sure that the author has more to say on the subject. I can only guess that it was due to lack of time.

Nonetheless, the multi-cultural classroom is a subject which I believe has not been given enough attention in the Czech Republic at present, and I commend Ms. Fialová for her initiative, and the time and care involved in the monitoring processes in both countries (and on two continents!). Her enthusiasm for the subject is obvious, and I would like to suggest that should she persevere with her studies, she could continue focusing her attention on the subject in more depth—perhaps as a Doctoral dissertation in Pedagogy. And if she chooses to continue in the teaching profession in this field, I would like to wish her extra patience and understanding in her choice of a difficult environment in which to teach.

Questions:
1) What does the candidate think about the quality of textbooks/studies on the subject? In the conclusions the author states that there is “enough” theoretical work on the subject: this would seem to indicate a positive evaluation of the studies. If this is the case, why is the theory not implemented in praxis? 

2) I would like to ask the candidate to apply what she has learned from her observations to the Czech milieu. Obviously, part of the job of the primary teacher is to get the students accustomed to the classroom setting. How would one do this multiculturally in the Czech environment?
And similarly, in the high school environment, is it already too late for incoming students to adjust to a different society’s rules of classroom etiquette? How can one re-train teenagers without making them rebel?

3) Application: finally, what are the author’s feelings about the multicultural learning environment in the Czech Republic? What have you learned that might contribute to a better understanding or implementation in this country?

4) And to play devil’s advocate, in the US there is also a tradition of the “monocultural” learning environment: girls-only schools, black-only colleges, even universities where the learning programme is based on a single religious creed. Studies have proven that the “monocultural” environment can be very effective in eliminating social distractions for students, forcing them to concentrate on their studies only. What does the candidate think of this opposite pole?

I recommend this thesis for defense. 

Matthew Sweney                             v Olomouci, dne 25.8.2011