Cultural and Linguistic Differences

Cultural and linguistic differences refer to differences among various cultural groups who speak a variety of languages and dialects. Cultural and linguistic differences sometimes are identified and used as two separate terms for different purposes in different settings. Cultural and linguistic differences are often identified in reference to English as the dominant language and to the cultural traditions and practices associated with the English language as the mainstream culture. Hence, the [Page 163]notion of cultural and linguistic differences is often associated with cultural groups who do not speak English as the first language and who have beliefs, social practices, family values, and ways of knowing and doing that are different from mainstream culture. However, a dominant culture and language in one country may be a minority in another country. For example, Chinese, with the largest number of speakers in the world, is dominant in China, but is a minority language in North America. English is a minority language in China. So the importance of this for curriculum is that cultural and linguistic differences among children need to be treated as curricular resources rather than as curriculum deficits.

When the notion of cultural and linguistic differences is discussed in curriculum studies, it refers to the differences between ethnically, linguistically, and culturally diverse families and mainstream schools in immigrant countries such as the United States and Canada. A diverse cluster of topics is discussed: expectations and values in children's education and academic achievement, attitudes, and approaches to discipline and homework; parental involvement; the role of parents; the role of teachers; the role of schools; English language acquisition and literacy development; home and heritage language and culture maintenance; antiracist education and multicultural education; and other topics. There are calls for culturally sensitive curriculum. Culturally responsive teaching has become both a topic in educational studies and a target in teacher education programs. Special programs and projects are developed for English literacy and language development, such as immersion programs in bilingual education, dual language, and multiliteracies.

In curriculum, cultural and linguistic differences, as a term, is inevitably associated with linguistic and cultural diversity. Different people approach and interpret these terms from different points of view. Some emphasize differences and perceive cultural and linguistic differences as a challenging complex issue for school curriculum. Some call for culturally sensitive curriculum and develop well-intended programs to accommodate diverse needs of the learners from different cultural and linguistic groups to help them adapt to and succeed in the mainstream society. Some call for redesigning and reconceptualizing curriculum to address issues and concerns that affect students of different cultural and linguistic groups. Others emphasize diversity over differences in an attempt to celebrate linguistic and cultural diversities as resources for the mainstream schools rather than perceiving cultural and linguistic differences as challenges.

Many believe that the most important issue facing curriculum is cultural and linguistic differences among students and among their homes and school communities. Many communities are composed of multicultural and multilingual groups, and major urban centers such as Toronto and New York have more than half of the students coming from homes where English is not the first language. Local culturally and linguistically diverse communities often gather in such a way that many schools have a student population where White students are in the minority. Cultural and linguistic differences from community to community, from school to school, and from classroom to classroom within schools, drive much curriculum policy making and local practices.

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