Teachers' perceptions of school cultural diversity: a systematic review

Abstract

This systematic review article addresses the perceptions, understandings, and mental representations (imaginaries) that teachers have constructed regarding cultural diversity in the school context, based on academic literature from the last ten years. The objective is to critically analyze the findings of the most relevant empirical and theoretical research to identify dominant trends, underlying conceptions, and the challenges these imaginaries pose to pedagogical practice and teacher training. The methodology was based on an exhaustive and systematic search of the Scopus database, using key descriptors such as "teacher imaginaries," "cultural diversity," "educational inclusion," and "school multiculturalism." 17 studies were selected after applying rigorous inclusion criteria, such as thematic relevance and methodological quality. The results reveal that two main categories of imaginaries predominate: on the one hand, those that conceive of diversity as a deficit or problem (assimilationist approach), which leads to practices of subtle segregation or folklorization; On the one hand, there are those who understand it as a resource or enrichment (intercultural approach), and on the other, those who see it as a resource or enrichment (intercultural approach), promoting equity and dialogue. A clear gap was identified between the official rhetoric advocating for inclusion and the mental representations that guide teachers' actual actions, often marked by ethnocentrism and a lack of knowledge of effective intercultural pedagogies. The findings underscore the urgent need to design initial and ongoing teacher training programs that address the deconstruction of deficit-based perceptions and foster a reflective and critical perspective on cultural categories themselves. This is fundamental to transforming schools into truly inclusive spaces that value and enhance the inherent richness of cultural diversity.