多元文化教育的實施，最初起源於少數種族對主流文化同化政策的一種反動，而提出的一種文化多元性的多種族教育。隨後其他弱勢族群也群起效法，以消除其受歧視的現象，終於匯集為一股多元文化教育運動，藉以反映各種不同族群的教育期望與需求。基於多元文化主義的精神，多元文化教育對公民教育的看法，和傳統基於自由主義、公民共和主義或社群主義的觀點，頗多差異。本文從文化多元主義出發，討論多元文化教育的基本理念、課程設計模式，其次，分析多元文化教育和公民教育之間的對立與調和，最後，論述文化多元觀點的公民養成教育模式。

To against the prevailing cultural assimilationalism, the movement of multi-cultural education was developed along with the idea of plural ethnical education. Afterwards, the other social-economic disadvantaged groups to eliminate racial cultural discriminations copied those ideas. The main propose of the movement reflected the different expectations copied those ideas. The main purpose of the movement reflected the different expectations and needs from different standpoints of diverse groups. The perspectives of mutli-culutral education, based on the philosophy of Multi-culturalism, were different from those traditions of Liberalism, Civic Republicanism or Communitarianism. This article delineated the idea of multi-cultural education, described curricular models to implementing multi-culutraleducation, and discussed their contrast and compromise. At last, the citizenship education programs were presented from the stand of multi-cultural perspective.