関西ベンチャー学会誌

第 10 号

研究論文

Promoting Cultural Diversity through Museum ESOL Program
Shoko Nagata
Kansai University
Keywords: Adult Education, Museum, Outreach Program, Literacy Program, ESOL
1. Introduction

the United Kingdom has increased from 3.0 million

In recent years, literacy, numeracy and ICT(Information and Communicative Technology) areconsidered as basic skills and improving theseskills are necessary when competing in the global
market. The concept of ‘skills’ in relation to lifelong education can be seen in educational reform
strategy. The objective of this research is to explore
practices of adult education, especially for thediverse population in United Kingdom. The change
in demography suggests the increasing needs ofeducational opportunities for diverse population.
This research will examine the data obtained
from observation of English for Speakers of OtherLanguages (ESOL): ESOL program at Victoria andAlbert Museum in March 2015. The reason forchoosing this museum for the observation is due tothe fact that the museum recognizes the changing
needs of community and thus provides ESOLin 1993 to 7.0 million in 2015 (Note 2). As a result,the foreign-born population in total employment
increased from 7.2 % to 17.7 % in 2015(Note 3). Thisshows that the migrant in employment is increasing
and is a significant part of the labor market.
The study, Migrants in the UK , notes that every
year, the number of foreign born population isincreasing in the United Kingdom. Table 1 shows thedistribution of foreign-born population in the United
Kingdom. When looking into the distribution, it isevident that a significant number of foreign born
population live in London in year 2015. The tabledemonstrates that about a half of the foreign-born
population are distributed in London (36.8%) andSouth East England (12/8%).
Table 1 Distribution of Foreign-Born Population,
2015
RegionPercentage in 2015

London36.8%

South East

12.8%

East

8.8%

West Midlands

7.9%

North West

7.9%

East Midland

5.7%

Yorkshire

5.6%

to Migrants in the UK (2017), the migrant population

South West

5.1%

has increased from about 3.8 million in 1993 to 8.7

Scotland4.3%

million in 2015 (Note 1). Additionally, the data ofWales

2.2%

Migrants in the Labour Market (2016) illustrates

North East

1.6%

that the number of working age people (18-64) in

Northern Ireland

1.4%

program to people with diverse culture.

2. Demography of United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern
Ireland comprises England, Wales, Scotland, andNorthern Ireland. This section will overview the trendof England and Wales population and examine thecharacteristics of the diverse population. According－ 43 －関西ベンチャー学会誌

第 10 号

Reference: Rienzo, C., and C. Vargas-Silva, (2017).

Migrants in the UK: An Overview . Migration
Observatory, University of Oxford. http://www.
migrationobservatory.ox.ac.uk/. p.3.
The distribution of foreign-born population shows

Black/African/Caribbean/Black British

1,088,640

African

573,931

Caribbean

344,597

Other Black

170,112

Other ethnic group281,041that when comparing the regions of England, Wales,Arab106,020

Scotland and Northern Ireland, London is the mostAny other ethnic group

175,021

ethnically diverse area. Table 2 shows the populationof London by ethnic groups. This table demonstrates
that there is high concentration of people fromethnic minority communities in the city of London.
The following section will look into the education
reform strategy which focuses on the improvementof “skills” for people in United Kingdom.

Ethnic group . Retrieved from https://www.nomisweb.
co.uk/.

3. Education Reforms Strategy for Improving
SkillsThis section will look into educational reform
strategy since the Blair administration (1997-2007)

Table 2: Ethnic Groups in London, 2011
Ethnic Groups

Reference: Adapted from Nomis. (2011). S201EW -Populationthat focuses on education and skills. Tony Blair,
the leader of the Labour Party became the prime

All categories: Ethnic group8,173,941

White

4,887,435

1997. His election campaign slogan, “education,

3,669,284

education, education,” shows that in order to succeed,

English/Welsh/
Scottish/Northern Irish/

education is necessary. So, strategy that increased
opportunities for education and lifelong learning wasBritishIrish

175,974

Gypsy or Irish Traveller

8,196

Other White

minister after John Major, Conservative party inintroduced. One of the document, The Learning Age:A Renaissance for a New Britain (1998) states that,

1,033,981

Learning is the key to prosperity- for each of

Mixed/multiple ethnic group405,279

White and Black Caribbean

119,425

whole. Investment in human capital will be theWhite and Black African

65,479foundation of success in the knowledge based

White and Asian

101,500

Other Mixed

118,875

Asian/Asian British

1,511,546

us as individuals, as well as for the nation as a

global economy of the twenty-first century (Note4).
As this document writes, in order to succeed

Indian542,857

Pakistani

223,797

Bangladeshi

222,127

Age: A Renaissance for a New Britain is not only

Chinese124,250

to increase employment but also to build a united

Other Asian398,515

economically, creating a learning society and culture
has become an urgent task. The goal of The Learning

society by encouraging creativity and innovation
through the culture of learning (Note 5).
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第 10 号

During Blair administration, the improvementin the United Kingdom. So, the program intends toof skills through education and training was

help those who are settling in the United Kingdom toemphasized. The document, A Fresh Start: Improving

understand the work and immigration system (NoteLiteracy and Numeracy (1999) reported that around9). As this program shows, ESOL program supports

7 million people, one in five adults in the Unitedimprovement of language skills and provides anKingdom were functionally illiterate, which meant

opportunity for learning to the diverse population.

that these adults had literacy level at or below that

The following section will look into ESOL practices inof 11 years old (Note 6). In addition, more adults

museum.

were having difficulty with numeracy skills. Thus,
this document pointed out the need for a national
strategy to improve these skills. In response to thisreport, Skills for Life: The National Strategy for

Improving Adult Literacy and Numeracy (2001b)was published by Department for Education andEmployment (DfEE). As a result, the government
increased investment in lifelong learning so that alladults can engage in learning to improve literacy andnumeracy skills (Note 7). Although there are manyother reforms made in education during this timesuch as Prosperity for All in the Global Economy:

World Class Skills (2006), Skills for Sustainable
Growth: Strategy Document (2012) and more, thispaper looks into how these reforms are supporting
the diverse communities.
In 2001, Department for Education and Skills(DfES) also published, Adult ESOL: Core Curriculum(DfES, 2001a) to improve literacy, language andnumeracy skills of adults (Note 8). The document
notes that creating standard and curriculum of ESOL
encourage participants learn and develop necessary
skills which are needed in the United Kingdom. To
provide a framework for English Language learning,
the national standard of literacy and numeracy is
categorized from Entry Level 1, Entry Level 2, Entry
Level 3, Level 1, to Level 2. The speaking, listening,reading and writing skills of participants can beassessed by the ESOL standard to serve different
learning needs of individuals. The document writes
that some participants of the ESOL program left theircounties unwillingly and are facing culture shock

4. Museum’s Educational Practices to theDiverse Communities
Today, in globalized society, museum has to fulfill
the responsibility for diverse communities. In
response to the changes in the demography, culturalinstitutions such as museum increase awarenessof multiple perspectives and collaborate with thecommunities.
There are many adult educational programs thatare held in museums to improve skills. One of theclasses that is highly in demand is the ESOL program
to improve English skills. ESOL programs are manytimes funded by government through Skills forLife budgets, however, some of the programs areprivately founded. Since learning English directly
relates to acquire work opportunities and citizenship,
many enroll in these programs to improve English
skills (Note 10).
This section will examine the ESOL program in
Victoria and Albert Museum, which is located inLondon, one of the most ethnically diverse area inEngland. The museum works on innovative programs
which include ESOL that supports the diverse
audience and the changing society. As the museum
states: “The V&A recognises that in this rapidlychanging world museums need to explore new
methods of engagement in order to be relevant to,and representative of, the diverse communities thatwe serve (Note 11).” This commitment to the diverse
audience is reflected in (the) ESOL program that is apart of adult community projects.

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4-1. General Information of the Program

1600 was used in the ESOL program to point out

The ESOL program in museum offers learning
opportunities that improve speaking, listening,reading and writing skills. Each ESOL program is held
for two hours in length and ESOL tutor who works
in the museum leads as a guide. The participantsof ESOL programs are adult immigrants, refugees,
migrant workers and asylum seekers whose first
language are not English.
T h e Vi c t o r i a a n d A l b e r t M u s e u m w o r k s i n
association with further education institutions andother organizations that provide ESOL programs
to regional communities. The participants of ESOL
program at Victoria and Albert museum can choose
programs from the following galleries: BritishGalleries, China, Glass, Japan, Islamic Middle East,Medieval & Renaissance and South Asia. Thesevarious programs aimed at increasing participants’the relevance to today’s society. The four-poster
bed that was three meters wide was introducedin Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night, which was first
performed in 1601(Note 12). The ESOL tutor fromVictoria and Albert museum explained this object
by describing the historical significance in relation
to Shakespeare’s writings and used comparisons tograffiti today. By learning from these explanations
and examining the object that is displayed in frontof them, the participants experience British way ofliving at that time and become more connected toBritish culture. During the program, participants ofESOL program interact with their classmates who arefrom different cultures. They become more awareof different narratives and multiplicity of voices
while looking at the same object and engaging indiscussion. The characteristic of learning in theawareness of cultural diversity.

museum is that each individual brings his or her own

4-2 Class Observation and Analysis

Moreover, the diverse programs offered at museums

perspective when interacting with other participants.

Class observat ion was conducted in March2015. During the observation of ESOL program,participants visited British Gallery of Victoria andAlbert Museum. In this class, the participantslearned about British lifestyle from the 15th to the17 century and examined themes such as ‘birth,thmarriage, and death’ through exhibition of religious
rituals and objects displayed in the gallery. Fromenhance intercultural competence. Fatini and Tirmizi(2006) defines intercultural competence as “acomplex of abilities needed to perform effectively
and appropriately when interacting with others who
are linguistically and culturally different from oneself(Note 13).” The museum can improve interculturalcompetence skills through intercultural dialogue. The
definition for intercultural dialogue is as follows:

the exhibition such as British furniture and housing
decorations, participants learned about British wayof life in those days.
What is evident from observing ESOL programat Victoria and Albert Museum is that, throughmuseum’s ESOL program, participants develop
new connections to the communities. In this case,Intercultural dialogue is a process that comprises
an open and respectful exchange or interaction
between individuals, groups and organizations
with different cultural backgrounds or world
views. Among its aims are: to develop a deeper
understanding of diverse perspectives andthpractices; to increase participation and thecentury, the participants deepen understanding of thefreedom and ability to make choices; to foster

by looking at the object and art from 15 to 17th

world they live in. For example, “Great Bed of Ware,”made by Hans Vredeman de Vries during 1590 to－ 46 －equality; and to enhance creative processes (Note14).

関西ベンチャー学会誌

第 10 号As this case study shows, the museum has devoted

essential to improve English skill so that they canto cultural diversity by promoting various educational

participate in communities and have better working

programs that support the needs of communities.

opportunity.

The educational program such as the ESOL program
serves as the outreach program which attracts
audiences who are ethnically diverse. In addition,
it is essential for museum to continue to approach
potential partners and take initiative outside themuseum (Note 15). Network of European Museum
Organisations: NEMO (2015) states that “the task ofoutreach is to initiate and engaging dialogue between
people in which everyone is treated as equals (Note16).”
To promote intercultural dialogue, museum should
facilitate dialogue and use these programs to connect
people from different backgrounds. Such learning
environment is essential, so museums have tosupport the understanding of cultural diversity inthe community. Concerning about this, International
Council of Museums (ICOM)’s writes as follows:

5. Conclusion
Improving literacy, numeracy and ICT skills isessential for Britain to strive in the global economy.
As the government’s education reform strategy
suggests, life-long education to adults is necessary
not only to compete in the global economy but tocreate a united society. Life-long education andtraining was emphasized during Blair administration.
As a result of these reforms, the diverse population
whose first language is not English also received
many educational opportunities.
In recent years, museums have provided various
educational services for diverse population. From theobservation of ESOL program at Victoria and AlbertMuseum, it can be stated that the museum plays anactive role of providing educational programs that

Museums have increasingly become forums
for the promotion of community relations
and peace. In addressing the problems of theworld created due to inadequate cross cultural
understanding, historical fears and ethnic
tensions, museums are increasingly connectingwith the important role that they can play in the
promotion of cultural understanding throughnegotiated activities driven by community
relations strategies (Note 17).
This statement demonstrates the museum’s activerole of enhancing relationship with the diverse
community. The continuing public support ofmuseums has contributed to various educational
programs for diverse communities in the museum.
However, the shrinking funding for Skills for Lifebudget results in fewer number of programs to beheld in museums. Funding for these population is

respond to the needs of the underserved population.
In the museum’s ESOL program, individuals canshare their own ideas and increase awareness ofdiverse cultures through art. From the discussion,
participants can enhance understanding of different
perspective. Therefore, continuing this programis vital not only to improve English ability but topromote interaction among diverse community,
which is essential to strengthen engagement withcommunity that is ethnically diverse.
Note: A part of this paper was originally presented at
the 76th Annual Conference of Japanese Educational
Research Association at J.F. Oberlin University, on
August 25-27th, 2017.

Endnotes:(1) Rienzo, C., and C. Vargas-Silva, 2017, p.3.
(2) Ibid., p.3.
(3) Ibid., p.3.

－ 47 －関西ベンチャー学会誌

第 10 号(4) DfEE. 1998, p.7.

ing Publications. Retrieved 20 May,2017from(5) Ibid., p.10.

http://digitalcollections(6) DfEE, 1999.

(8).sit.edu/ .

(7) DfES, 2001b.

(9) Hiller, Y. (2015). Further and Adult Education.

(8) DfES, 2001a.

Education in the United Kingdom. Ed. Colin Brock.

(9) DfES, 2001a, p.5.

London: Bloomsbury Academic, pp.107-130.

(10) Those who wish to receive citizenship in the(10) International Council of Museums. (1997). Mu-

United Kingdom has to prove their English abili-

seums and Cultural Diversity: Policy Statement. Re-ties. TOEFL certificate can be one of the qualifica-trieved 10 April, 2017 from http://archives.icom.

tion that is accepted by the government.

museum/(11) Victoria and Albert Museum, 2017a.

diversity.html.

(12) Victoria and Albert Museum. 2017.

(11) Kelly, T. (1970). A History of Adult Education in(13) Fantini, A. and Tirmizi, A., 2006, p.12.

Great Britain. Liverpool: Liverpool University Press.

(14) ERICarts, 2007, p.xiii.

(12) Leitch Review of Skills (2006) Prosperity for(15) NEMO, 2015, p.12.

All in the Global Economy: World Class Skills. Re-(16) Ibid., p.12.

trieved 20 July, 2017 from https://www.gov.uk/.
(13) Network of European Museum Organisations:(17) ICOM.

NEMO. (2015). Museums, Migration and CulturalReferences:

Diversity: Recommendations for Museum Work.

(1) BIS. (2010). Skills for Sustainable Growth: Strate-gy Document . Retrieved 10 August, 2017. https://www.gov.uk/.
(2) DfEE. (1998). The Learning Age: Renaissance fora New Britain . Retrieved 10 August, 2017 fromhttp://dera.ioe.ac.uk/.
(3) DfEE. (1999). A Fresh Start: Improving Literacy

and Numeracy. Retrieved 10 August, 2017 fromhttp://files.eric.ed. gov(4) DfES. (2001a). Adult ESOL Core Curriculum.
Retrieved 20 July, 2017 from http://cdn.cityandguilds.com/.
(5) DfES. (2001b). Skills for Life: The National Strate-gy for Improving Literacy and Numeracy Retrieved
20 July, 2017 from http://dera.ioe.ac.uk/.
(6) ERICarts. (2007). Sharing Diversity: National Ap-proaches to Intercultural Dialogue in Europe. Study
for the European Commission, Retrieved 25 June,
2017.http://www.interculturaldialogue.eu/.
(7) Fantini, A. and Tirmizi, A. (2006). Exploring andAssessing Intercultural Competence. World Learn-Retrieved 15 September, 2017 from http://www.
nemo.org/fileadmin/Dateien/public/NEMo_documents/.
(14) Nomis. (2011). S201EW - Ethnic group. Retrieved 22 August, 2017 from https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/.
(15) O’Grady, A. (2013). Lifelong Learning in the UK:

An Introductory Guide for Education Studies. Oxon:Routledge.
(16) Rienzo, C., and C. Vargas-Silva, (2017). Migrants

in the UK: An Overview. Migration Observatory,
University of Oxford, Retrieved 25 September,2017 from http://www.migrationobservatory.
ox.ac.uk.
(17) Rienzo, C. (2016). Migrants in the UK LabourMarket: An Overview. Migration Observatory briefing, University of Oxford, Retrieved 25 September,
2017, http://www.migration-observatory.ox.ac.yk/.
(18) Victoria and Albert Museum. (2017a). Communities. Retrieved 22 August, 2017 from https://－ 48 －

関西ベンチャー学会誌

www.vam.ac.uk/info/communities.
(19) Victoria and Albert Museum. (2017b) Great Bedof Ware. Retrieved 22 August, 2017 from http://collections.vam.ac.uk/.
（Peer-reviewed. 査読論文）－ 49 －

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