Decolonizing the Classroom: Teacher Agency and Structural Constraints in Implementing Multicultural Curriculum Reform

Abstract

National curriculum reforms increasingly mandate multicultural and inclusive education to foster social cohesion in diverse societies. This critical ethnographic study, informed by postcolonial theory and the concept of teacher agency, investigates the implementation of such a reform in a ethnically diverse secondary school in Malaysia. Over a 12-month period, data were collected through classroom observations, teacher interviews, and document analysis of lesson plans. The findings indicate a significant gap between policy rhetoric and classroom praxis. While teachers expressed strong belief in the principles of multiculturalism, their agency was constrained by a standardized examination system, a lack of culturally relevant teaching materials, and their own unexamined majoritarian biases. The study identifies a spectrum of teacher responses, from "resistance" and "accommodation" to "transformative adaptation." It argues that effective decolonization of the curriculum requires more than policy documents; it necessitates critical professional development that empowers teachers as reflexive practitioners to challenge hegemonic knowledge structures and co-construct the curriculum with their students.