EMPLOYING CRITICAL LITERACY TO EXPLORE CULTURALLY AND LINGUISTICALLY DIVERSE STUDENTS’ RESPONSES TO MULTICULTURAL LITERATURE IN A BOOK CLUB DISCUSSION IN SAUDI ARABIA

Abstract

Multiculturalism is about equality, social justice, and welcoming the differences of a group of people in the same world. It is a reform, challenge, and change of the domination of one culture, race, gender, ethnicity, and class in a society that consists of multiple people of diverse backgrounds. There has been a rapid change in Saudi Arabian society as it welcomes refugees as residents and tourists from around the world and it has lately granted citizenship to foreigners who have improved various aspects of Saudi society. Because of this, it is crucial to encourage citizens to value diversity and individual differences because they are vital to the country’s growth. With the growing diversity among students in Saudi Arabian classrooms, stakeholders and teachers need to start cultivating the ideology of multiculturalism and students need to accept and respect each other despite their different cultural backgrounds. The main goal of this study was to examine how a diverse group of students responded to a literary discussion in a book club while reading multicultural books. Literary texts and book clubs are a means to identify the challenges that students, especially diverse students, face. These experiences provide opportunities for students to analyze, delve into, and negotiate diversity issues as they construct their identities. A case study approach using critical thematic analysis was used to explore the responses of six high school students. Initially, the students expressed unconscious responses and knowledge that lacked critiquing, analyzing, examining the texts, and addressing multicultural issues. However, the students’ identities in this study were revealed when exposed to multicultural literature books. They demonstrated the possibilities of valuing themselves, reflecting with others, and shaping their identities for belonging, confidence, relationships, and familiarity. The book club provided a chance to speak, interrogate, and analyze the authors’ perspectives and thoughts by digging deep to reach issues hidden under the authors’ words. As a result of the study, a model was developed to guide teachers and other stakeholders of the educational system in Saudi Arabia to improve approaches to multicultural literacy.