Migration-related diversity is increasing in most parts of the world. At the same time, there is inequality in terms of educational opportunities and outcomes in many countries. Valuing diverse backgrounds and identities at school and in the classroom, and fostering a sense of belonging among students of diverse backgrounds is one way of tackling this inequality.

The talk will address three research questions: 

1.  What are the effects of different diversity ideologies as manifested in the classroom diversity climate?
2. How can we expand models of the classroom cultural diversity climate to also address some of the shortcomings of traditional ideologies, notably multiculturalism
3. How can we intervene to promote a better classroom cultural diversity climate in schools (and thereby support the identity development of students)?

Maja K. Schachner is Professor of Educational Psychology with an emphasis on Socialisation and Culture at Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg in Germany. Her main research interests include the cultural diversity climate in schools, school-based cultural diversity-related interventions and acculturation and adjustment of adolescents of immigrant descent. She has published more than 50 articles on these topics in top journals, including Child Development, the Journal of Educational Psychology and Teaching and Teacher Education, and has received multiple awards for her work, including the 2015 Young Scientist Award of the European Association of Developmental Psychology, and the 2017 Early Career Award of the International Academy for Intercultural Research. She has received funding from the German Research Foundation (DFG), the Jacobs Foundation and the European Social Funds (ESF).