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Inclusive and Intercultural Competencies and Teachers’ Professional Development in the Croatian Educational Context: Toward a Theoretical Framework

The aim of this paper is to provide a hypothetical theoretical framework of teachers’ intercultural and inclusive competencies and professional development in the Croatian educational context by analyzing theoretical concepts and key educational documents to gain a better understanding of their relationship. The role of teachers in providing quality learning environments for all students that respect their different social and cultural backgrounds as well as needs and abilities is crucial. It is, therefore, of vital importance that teachers, as the direct liaison between the educational policies and their implementation in practice, be equipped with the appropriate competencies to meet the challenges of increasing classroom diversity. In the contemporary education system, teachers’ competencies to understand and adequately respond to learner diversity are baseline in the organization of the teaching and learning process. The implementation of inclusive and intercultural education policies, both of which seek to combat discriminatory attitudes and foster equality, mutual understanding, and respect, in regular classrooms presumes that teachers already possess the required teaching skills to meet the diverse learners’ needs.Taking into consideration the three dominant models of teachers’ professional development: the competency-based approach (Christie, & O'Brien, 2005), (2) the holistic and reflective practice approach (e.g., Golby, & Viant, 2007), and (3) the integrated approach (Creemers, Kyriakides, & Antoniou, 2013), relevant questions concerning inclusive and intercultural education are addressed. Furthermore, the possibilities of developing teachers’ intercultural and inclusive competencies are examined within the Croatian educational context from the perspective of their presence in national documents. The main findings reveal the presence of inclusive and intercultural values in Croatian educational policy, highlight the observed strengths and weaknesses, and point to the necessary conditions for acquiring teacher competencies in order to apply personal and professional development strategies for intercultural and inclusive competencies. In the development of these competencies, it is crucial to encourage (self)reflection and awareness of interculturality in educational practice, on the basis of which it is possible to develop competencies for fostering truly intercultural and inclusive learning environments.

intercultural education, inclusive education, professional development, elementary classroom teachers, values, competencies

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