The Relationship Between Multicultural Education and Academic Engagement in University Students

چکیده

  Objective: Interaction with classmates is a vital element that contributes to completing tasks and acquiring social skills in education. On the other hand, education, learning, and development are closely and reciprocally linked with culture in every society. Given Iran’s multicultural and multiethnic context, multicultural education can help reduce discrimination and enhance students' engagement and in-group interaction. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between multicultural education and academic engagement among students at Hakim Sabzevari University. Methods: The research method was descriptive-correlational. The statistical population included 8,199 students at Hakim Sabzevari University. Using random sampling and Morgan’s table, 390 students were selected as the sample. The Multicultural Education Questionnaire and the Academic Engagement Scale (AES) were administered. Data were analyzed using correlation methods and SPSS version 27 at a significance level of 0.05. Results: Findings indicated a significant relationship between multicultural education and academic engagement (p = 0.05). Conclusion: The results suggested that applying cooperative and participatory teaching methods and emphasizing social justice in multicultural education leads students to be more inclined toward group work, ultimately fostering educational and cultural development.