Abstract

This research project takes a comprehensive look at the intricate issue of multicultural instruction within the field of instructional design, and challenges faced by instructional designers on meeting the needs of learners who come from cultures different from their own. The study explores issues of cultural differences that are most likely to impact instructional situations and indirectly influence future instructional designer’s work. The implication that, instructional designers who are unaware of cultural differences and the impact it might have on learners and their beliefs regarding cultural issues, highlights the importance of examining the experiences of professionals who have been involved with such efforts. In order to gain a better understanding of the ways in which issues of culture persist in our education system, a qualitative applied approach emphasizing critical pedagogy is used to evaluate how inequitable power relations are perpetuated and how instructional designers respond to ethnic student populations. This design examines the experiences of 12 instructional designers and suggests that cultural issues and the delivery of instruction cross-culturally are far more complex than has been recognized in the literature on instructional teaching and learning. The findings from this study have implications for both students and faculty members encompassing issues such as epistemological beliefs, lack of awareness, and social relationships that suggests cultural parameters that hinder the expansion of multicultural contexts in teaching and learning. The study also provides valuable insight into exploring the cultural competence of these participants while providing several recommendations for instructional designers and future research. This analysis offers great insight into the impact instructional providers have on the outcomes of education and notes the differences that exist in making a contribution to the education of diverse learners.