Intercultural sensitivity of school psychologists in Serbia

Abstract

Introduction: In Serbian context many of the schools face the challenge of diversifying classrooms regarding the cultural background of the students. The roles and responsibilities of the school psychologists in recent years have changed and the new guideline regarding the work of school psychologists in Serbia emphasizes working with various target groups and puts special emphasis on providing the quality education for students with special needs as well as the empowerment of teachers in their own role. Objectives: Based on Bennett's 'Developmental Model of Intercultural Sensitivity' (DMIS), the main aim of this research is to answer the question: How do the school psychologists perceive cultural differences among their students? Second aim of the research is to determine are there any differences in a way that school psychologists perceive the cultural differences of Roma students in comparison to other minority group members? Methodology and sample: The methodology for the presented research is structured according to the concept of Grounded Theory. For the purpose of this research, ten semi-structured interviews were carried out. All the data was analysed by content analysis. Results: The data analysis resulted in identifying main tendencies regarding the perception of cultural differences that reflect the ethnocentric and the transitional minimisation worldview of the respondents. Conclusion: The initial education and in-service training should take into account developmental level of the intercultural sensitivity of the school psychologist in order to support them to fulfil their role as changing agents of the current practice.