Introduction
Diversity is a concept that can have various meanings. It entails an understanding that every person is unique. It is essential to mention that diversity is all about understanding one another irrespective of our race, culture, sexual orientation, physical ability, gender, social class, or ethnicity, and embracing tolerance to our individual differences. Diversity is primarily a good thing as it allows for both variety and richness and increases innovation which, in turn, facilitates the economic growth of a country. Diversity is fundamentally an opportunity because the society, which learns to coexist with it has high chances of attaining faster rates of social development as well as economic growth than a society that does not learn to coexist with it. Diversity in education primarily encompasses the students and instructors from different socioeconomic backgrounds, cultures, races, religions, and genders. It also includes the students and instructors who speak different languages. In education, diversity matters a great deal. Our differences as students give us unparalleled perspectives that enrich our learning. Consequently, the present paper delves into the topic of diversity in education. In particular, the paper elucidates the significance of diversity in education.
Diversity continues becoming the norm in most educational contexts as communities continue becoming more and more globalized. Various educational institutions have enhanced their efforts in promoting diversity in the face of some challenges. In fact, Hulstrand (56) reports that the comprehensive efforts by San Francisco State University to increase diversity have resulted in impressive outcomes. Nevertheless, the promotion of diversity in some higher institutions of learning is a complex issue. In fact, some educational institutions complain of dropping in their world rankings due to the pressure on them to admit more students from the underprivileged groups, that is, those groups, which are the target of discrimination, prejudice, and negative stereotypes. Besides, a significant number of the learners from these stigmatized groups still face barriers to education as a result of their minority status. Thus, apart from representing an opportunity for education, diversity also poses a challenge. In particular, diversity in education is a challenge as educationalists, as well as policymakers, are called upon to respond to the allegations of the underprivileged minorities.
The significance of diversity in education cannot be underestimated. In fact, a variety of institutions of learning now understands the value of diversity in education. The majority of the stakeholders in the education sector perceive diversity as an imperative resource for improving both learning and teaching. It is worth mentioning that diversity has a positive effect on all the students regardless of their race, culture, sexual orientation, physical ability, gender, social class, or ethnicity. Diversity fosters critical thinking among the students. As a matter of fact, the out-of-class and in-class interactions of the students with their diverse peers nurtures critical thinking. The more the students from different backgrounds interact, the more they enhance their critical thinking skills. Besides, students’ intellectual curiosity improves more as they interact with diverse peers. As a result, this helps in enhancing their critical thinking skills. Diversity also facilitates the improvement in other cognitive skills such as problem-solving among the students. The exposure of the learners to the learners who are different from them helps in enhancing their problem-solving skills. In particular, this exposure brings new challenges and ideas that facilitate the enhancement of students’ problem-solving skills.
Diversity also helps the students develop and improve their leadership abilities. As a matter of fact, the students who interact with ethnically and racially diverse peers quickly develop and enhance leadership skills. It is essential to mention that the students who are exposed to various cultures are likely to have a greater ability for leadership compared to those who are not exposed to diverse cultures. In fact, these students learn how to interact with people who are different from them. They also learn the importance of embracing individual differences. These students develop the traits of inclusive leadership such as treating individuals and groups justly. In other words, the students who are exposed to diverse cultures are more likely to treat their peers fairly. In essence, diversity helps these students treat their diverse peers on the basis of their unique characteristics as opposed to stereotypes. Consequently, the institutional policies, which foster diversity of the school community have a positive impact on the students’ leadership abilities.
Additionally, diversity encourages the students to grow primarily outside their boundaries and learn one or two things about the cultures of their peers. In other words, the students who interact with ethnically and racially diverse peers in the classrooms and outside the classrooms develop the ability to think outside the box. As a result, they learn about other cultures and this in one way or another facilitates tolerance to individual differences. Apart from developing the ability to think outside the box and becoming tolerant towards one another, diversity also enlightens the students about other things, which take place around them. Diversity also helps the students understand different points of view. In essence, the students who interact with ethnically as well as racially diverse peers understand different points of view. They also learn how to coexist with their fellow peers.
Diversity in education also enhances teaching and studying in the educational institutions and, as a consequence, this facilitates the quality of teaching that the students get. According to National Education Association (9), diversity is one of the fundamental factors to enhancing the quality of the teaching force in America. A diverse teaching staff is more innovative, creative, and productive compared to a homogenous teaching staff. As a matter of fact, diversity in education also entails having a teaching force, which represents a country’s linguistic, racial, and ethnic cultures. Such a staff is beneficial to the students’ academic performance. In essence, both the minority and majority students benefit a great deal from a teaching staff that is racially, linguistically, and ethnically diverse. A diverse faculty benefits the entire student body by raising their exposure to a variety of learning experiences. Besides, this type of teaching staff infuses a variety of cultural perspectives into the learning institutions.
Recruiting more teachers from the underprivileged groups helps in reducing the students’ achievement gap. Besides, having more teachers from the minority groups offers an excellent opportunity for all the students to learn about cultural, racial, and ethnic diversity. In fact, these teachers enrich diverse students’ learning as a result of shared cultural, ethnic, and racial identities (National Education Association 6). It is worth to note that the students from the underprivileged groups tend to have greater social, personal, and academic performance when the teachers from underprivileged groups teach them. Consequently, diversity plays a significant role in the social, personal, and academic performance of the minority students. Diversity helps both the minority and majority students learn from each other’s unique beliefs, perspectives, and experiences. What is more, diversity helps students learn the way to communicate effectively with individuals from diverse backgrounds.
The other educational value of diversity is that it has enhanced literacy levels as well as learning among the students and continues to do so. The promotion of diversity in education has significantly helped in reducing the illiteracy levels in different parts of the world. It is vital to mention that diversity in education has allowed the people from diverse backgrounds access education and learn a variety subjects and disciplines. As a result, this has helped in reducing the illiteracy levels. The educational diversity consists of a range of learning preferences. Indeed, diversity in education has facilitated the discovery of a range of learning methods that have in one way or another improved the students’ learning experience. It is worth noting that diversity in education has helped the learners engage in numerous fields. In fact, numerous students participate in various fields because diversity has enhanced learning.
Moreover, diversity has a positive impact on the performance of all the students regardless of their race, culture, gender, sexual orientation, physical ability, social class, or ethnicity. The learners study well in a diverse environment. In fact, studying with the students from various backgrounds promotes teamwork and nurtures innovation. Consequently, this benefits all the students by enhancing their performance. Besides, a diverse environment improves the concentration of most of the learners and, as a consequence, this promotes creativity and innovation. The overall impact of diversity in education is the improvement in the performance of both the minority and majority students.
Diversity in education also helps the students be ready to face intellectual challenges. Besides, the students who study in an educational environment that embrace diversity show greater intellectual engagement as well as motivation compared to those who do not study in an educational setting that does not embrace diversity. In other words, the students who interact with their racially and ethnically diverse peers demonstrate superior critical thinking and academic engagement than the students who only interact with the peers from similar cultural and racial backgrounds. The ethnically and racially diverse classes improve educational results by stimulating students’ critical thinking, broadening their views, and developing their cognitive as well as personal growth and development (Shaw 4). It is worth noting that the students from racially and ethnically diverse classes show increased understanding of science and technology and are confident in themselves. In fact, they believe in themselves and do not fear trying new things every time.
The other significance of diversity in education is that its results in a sense of safety among the students. When the students are educated in a diverse environment, they tend to feel safe. In particular, they learn about the backgrounds and cultures of their diverse peers and, as a consequence, feel a sense of comfort. In other words, the students who interact with ethnically and racially diverse peers learn how to respect each other differences as well as how to tolerate one another. Consequently, this increases their sense of comfort and eventually leads to a sense of safety. These students coexist in harmony and help one another in various ways.
Another significance of diversity in education is that it creates several disciplines. The number of disciplines continues rising as institutions and individuals continue promoting diversity in education. In essence, the students can essentially engage in a range of disciplines thanks to educational diversity. Notably, diversity in education has resulted in subject diversification. The contemporary learners have more disciplines compared to the past learners due to the diversity in education. Different learning institutions provide the learners from various backgrounds and cultures with a variety of disciplines. Ethnic and racial diversity raise the educational possibilities of the schoolroom environment (Shaw 4). Ideally, the overall impact of diversity in education has been the improvement in the literacy levels. In fact, more and more individuals have enrolled in the various disciplines, which have been created by educational diversity and, as a consequence, this has substantially reduced the illiteracy levels in different parts of the world.
Furthermore, diversity helps the students enhance their social development. Diversity in education facilitates the interaction of the students with their racially and ethnically diverse peers. In essence, these interactions help the students broaden their social circles. In other words, diversity increases understanding among the students and, as a consequence expands the pool of individuals with whom they can associate with as well as establish relationships. These relationships help the students even in their future lives. In particular, diversity helps the students learn how to live together while still in learning as well as when they become citizens. Diversity, therefore, helps in reducing the conflicts in the society. Diversity also makes the students more aware of the social problems. It also helps the students relate well to the individuals of diverse religions, social classes, nationalities, and races. Those students who interact with people from diverse cultural and racial backgrounds are known to be more aware of the social problems than those students who only interact with the peers from similar cultural and racial backgrounds. Besides, these students coexist well with the individuals from diverse backgrounds.
Diversity in education also prepares the learners for work in the international society. According to a study described by Shaw (3), students maintained that they had a greater comprehension of other groups’ backgrounds, felt ready to work in the job locations with the individuals who are from different backgrounds, and that their experiences in schools would assist them work with as well as understand better the individuals from groups other than theirs. In essence, diversity in education helps the students develop interpersonal skills that help them interact with their coworkers, employers, partners, and employees in the future. Diversity helps the students understand the importance of embracing tolerance to the people from the other cultures as well as respecting the unique differences of the people from diverse backgrounds while they are still learning. After completing their studies, the students now apply what they learned regarding diversity when interacting with individuals from diverse backgrounds. Without a doubt, diversity lays the ground for the students to feel comfortable when interrelating as well as working with people from different parts of the world after completing their studies.
Apart from preparing the learners for work in the international society, diversity also prepares the students for upcoming career success. Diversity in education makes the students sensitive to the unique differences in people from diverse backgrounds. Besides, it teaches them how to relate to the individuals from diverse cultural and racial backgrounds. Specifically, the students learn how they will relate to their diverse peers in the future while pursuing their career goals. For this reason, diversity helps the students succeed in attaining their career goals.
In conclusion, embracing diversity in the learning institutions helps the students develop emotional intelligence and at the same time reinforces their openness to inventiveness and innovation, which, in turn, facilitate the enhancement in personal connections as well as success. Besides, diversity in education facilitates respect for the unique differences among students and tolerance. Diversity also helps in improving the social, personal, and academic performance of the students.
Works Cited
Hulstrand, Janet. "Increasing Diversity in Education Abroad." International Educator 25.3 (2016): 56.
National Education Association. "Assessment of diversity in America’s teaching force: A call to action." National Collaborative on Diversity in the Teaching Force. (2004)
Shaw, Emily J. "Researching the Educational Benefits of Diversity. Research Report No. 2005-4." College Board (2005).
