Integration is often seen as a challenge - but diversity can also be a strength. In her LIfBi Lecture, Prof Dr Maja Schachner (Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg) provided valuable insights from her research. The focus: a positive diversity climate and genuine equal opportunities in the classroom. Schachner also showed how teachers can be sensitised to and supported in dealing with cultural diversity. 

Maja Schachner is Professor of Educational Psychology with a focus on socialisation and culture at Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg. In her LIfBi Lecture, she presented how schools can utilise migration-related diversity to promote equal opportunities and strengthen students' identity development.

According to their research, both the equality approach, which emphasises similarities, and ‘cultural pluralism’, which values differences, improve the well-being of pupils and support adaptation processes. ‘Poly-culturalism’ is particularly effective against discrimination. This approach recognises that people can have multiple cultural affiliations and was the only one that showed no correlation with experiences of discrimination. A critical awareness of structural inequality - for example through discussions about Islamophobia - also strengthens the ability to reflect and moral courage. These effects became clear in the ‘Identity Project’, which Schachner and her team implemented at the University of Halle-Wittenberg in cooperation with the University of Potsdam: Here, young people reflected on their cultural background and talked about their experiences of discrimination - with positive effects on their sense of belonging, classroom climate and dealing with diversity. Teachers and student teachers also benefited from the project: they gained new perspectives on their pupils, felt more confident in dealing with cultural diversity and appreciated the professional moderation of sensitive topics. ‘A positive diversity climate is beneficial for pupils with and without a migration background,’ says Maja Schachner.

Maja Schachner came to LIfBi at the invitation of Prof Dr Ilka Wolter, Head of the Department of Competencies, Personality and Learning Environments. Her visit also included an exchange with the institute's management, doctoral students and postdocs. The topics discussed included inclusive education in diverse classrooms, school-related NEPS surveys, questions of political participation and social inclusion as well as ideas for ongoing doctoral projects. ‘We were able to discuss research ideas that can be realised with data from the National Educational Panel Study. And there were interesting overlaps with other projects at LIfBi, which may lead to further collaborations,’ said Ilka Wolter, pleased with the visit and the impetus gained.