Abstract:

In today's world, societies are becoming increasingly globalized and the interaction between various cultures is increasing. In this case, it becomes important for teachers to have a multicultural perspective and to provide an education that is compatible with cultural diversity. At this point, the relationship between multicultural personality traits and intercultural sensitivity comes to the fore. When the literature is examined, it is seen that there are a limited number of studies examining the relationship between multicultural personality traits and intercultural sensitivity of preservice teachers. The aim of this study is to examine the relationship between multicultural personality traits and intercultural sensitivity among preservice teachers. The population of the study consists of all students studying in different departments of Amasya University Faculty of Education. The study's sample was made up of 446 students from four different departments of this faculty, chosen through convenience sampling. Of the participants, 112 (25.1%) were male and 334 (74.9%) were female. The age range of the preservice teachers varied between 18 and 30, with an average age of 21.08 (SD=1.72). The data was collected using Personal Information Form, Intercultural Sensitivity Scale and Multicultural Personality Questionnaire. Pearson Product Moment Correlation Analysis, multiple linear regression analysis, and descriptive statistics were used to analyze the data. As a result of the correlation analysis, it was found that intercultural sensitivity scores of preservice teachers were positively correlated with flexibility at low level, with emotional stability and social initiative at medium level, and with open-mindedness and cultural empathy at high level. The results of regression analysis showed that preservice teachers who exhibited high levels of open-mindedness, social initiative, emotional stability, and cultural empathy multicultural personality traits had high levels of intercultural sensitivity. The results of the study can help to determine the factors related to intercultural sensitivity in multicultural societies such as Turkey, which examines the relationship between intercultural sensitivity and multicultural personality traits. In addition, the results of the research may contribute to the development of programs to improve intercultural sensitivity among preservice teachers.

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