The Roles of Elementary Teachers in Addressing Cultural Indifferences in the Classroom

Cultural indifferences among students are rampant, especially in a multicultural classroom. Thus, the teachers become the front liners in addressing these differences inside the classroom. This study aimed to determine the roles of the teachers in solving cultural indifferences inside the classroom. Using the Transcendental phenomenological approach in research, the researchers explored the experiences of eight teachers in Malangas Special Education Center, Poblacion, Malangas, Zamboanga Sibugay, Philippines. These teachers have personally experienced solving cultural indifferences inside their classroom due to having students from diverse tribes. The researchers explored their experiences through one-to-one interviews during their free time in their respective classrooms. Employing the Phenomenological data analysis of Kleiman (2004), the teachers played the roles of adviser, peacemaker, listener, and guidance counselor. These roles helped them address cultural discrimination inside the classroom and establish a peaceful learning environment to facilitate learning effectively and efficiently.