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As human beings, we live in a culturally diverse world, where, on a daily basis, many of us have the opportunity to interact with people who hold different values, belief systems and societal expectations to our own.
In a myriad of ways, cultural diversity is something to be treasured and celebrated, both in the workplace and beyond. When we live with and work alongside people from a wide range of backgrounds, we can broaden our horizons, respect each other’s differences, and learn valuable lessons from each other. We can recognise the importance of individual contribution towards shared goals and can harness the innate power of combining diverse perspectives.
Despite the tangible benefits of cultural diversity, however, there can sometimes be a tension between cultures across and within various strands of our school community, including students, staff and families. And where there is tension, there is also the potential for inconsistency, disagreement, misunderstanding and conflict. This is sometimes referred to as ‘cultural dissonance’.
To better understand how to create cultural harmony rooted in shared understanding, we need to understand what is meant by cultural dissonance, how it can affect our educational environment – in particular, our approach to behaviour support – and what practical steps we can take to overcome it.
Cultural dissonance refers to the uncomfortable tension that can sometimes arise when individuals, organisations, or society more broadly encounter conflicting beliefs, values and norms that differ from and challenge their own.
It is underpinned by a lack of understanding or acceptance of diversity, and can often be exacerbated by sudden, unexpected changes to an environment.
In the context of education, cultural dissonance can sometimes exist in various parts of our schools, leading to inconsistent approaches across a number of areas, including behaviour.
If our staffing body comprises of individuals from diverse backgrounds, there is a chance that disparate cultural norms and values may influence attitudes towards behaviour support.
Where the behaviour identity of a school has not been clearly communicated or deeply embedded, some staff may struggle to present a united front and could find it difficult to approach behaviour support in a consistent, coherent way.
Cultural dissonance among students can result in conflict and tension between groups of children and young people, and with staff. Left unchecked, this can potentially lead to an increase in behaviour incidents and could be detrimental to the creation and maintenance of a healthy, safe and positive learning environment.
Furthermore, if there is a sizeable difference between home and school regarding behaviour attitudes, some students may find it difficult to adhere to our in-school expectations.
Many schools serve communities where there is a high degree of cultural diversity. For some parents and carers, their views on behaviour might be substantially different to the school’s approaches. Messages can sometimes get lost in translation, and misunderstandings can arise as a result.
Such instances can lead to a disconnect between school and home, creating a sense of ‘them and us’ and alienating some families. This can make it challenging to foster strong partnerships, promote positive engagement, and create strong home-school partnerships around behaviour.
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