Culturally Inclusive Practices in International Schools: An Ecological Mixed-Methods Study

Abstract

This study examines how teachers in international schools understand and enact culturally inclusive practices (CIP), and the institutional conditions shaping their work. Framed by Bronfenbrenner's Ecological Systems Theory, CIP is conceptualised as an ecological phenomenon emerging from interactions between teacher beliefs, classroom practice, and institutional structures.

An explanatory sequential mixed-methods design was employed. Survey data from 53 teachers in Singapore and Malaysia identified patterns in understanding, enactment, perceived barriers, and institutional support. Follow-up interviews with six teachers explored how these patterns were experienced in practice.

Findings indicate strong conceptual commitment to CIP, but uneven enactment. A recurring commitment–capacity gap emerged, with implementation strongest in flexible classroom practices and weaker in structurally constrained domains such as assessment and instructional adaptation. Key constraints included time, access to culturally diverse resources, and variability in professional learning and institutional coherence.

The study reframes culturally inclusive practice as a systemically enabled endeavour and highlights the importance of alignment between teacher commitment and institutional conditions in sustaining inclusive pedagogy in international school contexts.