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The Value of Ethnic Diversity in the Teaching Profession: A New Zealand Case Study
Article Number: SIS031927AI201222
20th December, 2022
Author(s):
Jocelyn Margaret Howard
Abstract:
Changing demographics in many contemporary Western countries have resulted in
multiethnic societies with teaching workforces that have not kept pace with the increased
diversity of student populations. International research indicates that teachers from minority
language and cultural backgrounds can impact positively on minority students’ self-esteem
and academic performance, and that all students can benefit from a diverse teaching
workforce. This paper reviews the literature on race-matched teaching and the impact of
diversity in the teaching profession, and then reports on a case study which explores these
issues specifically in the New Zealand context. The generation 1.5 Asian New Zealand and
third-generation Anglo-European New Zealand student participants and their parents reported
both challenges and benefits associated with strictly race- or ethnicity-matched teacher
assignment and also with increased teacher diversity. Participants also highlighted the need
for all teachers to be trained to work effectively with diverse student populations. The paper
concludes by discussing the role of teacher education programmes in developing a culturally
responsive teaching workforce for a future New Zealand where minority ethnicity students
will outnumber the present Anglo-European majority. This paper has relevance for many
other educational contexts with large multiracial, multiethnic populations.