Embracing the Rainbow:Enhancing Cultural Identity with Multicultural Children’s Literature in Canadian Classrooms

This qualitative research focuses on the potential of multicultural children’s literature in enhancing students’ cultural identity and creating an inclusive learning environment. Two major implications arise from the analysis of two semi-structured interviews. On one hand, teachers need to view students as cultural beings and provide opportunities for them to validate their cultural identity. To do so, teachers should first examine their own identity and be aware of how their personal culture influences instructional decision makings. On the other hand, the successful use of multicultural literature to enhance cultural identity relies on both the quality of multicultural book selection as well as the effectiveness of instructional approaches. Teachers should constantly work on these two aspects to create a meaningful culturally responsive classroom