This study investigates Korean and American students’ online discussion for intercultural learning in a class-to-class telecollaborative project from an ecological research perspective. The study addresses two questions. First, what constitutes the multiple systems in which students’ online discussion is nested and how do these systems interlock to shape online discourse? Second, how do students interact with this given learning environment to generate affordances for intercultural learning. The study involves a 12 week-long online discussion program between an undergraduate Korean language class in the US and a graduate TESOL methodology class in Korea. Data sources include the transcripts of naturally-occurring online interaction, interviews with students and teacher on the Korean side of the telecolalbortaion, and students’ course assignments such as reflective journals and papers. Multiple qualitative analytic methods were employed including constant comparison, discourse analysis and case studies analysis. The analysis revealed an ecological telecollaboration model as being multiple nested systems in which students’ online discourse (microsystem) was embedded in an institutional setting (mesosystem) and cultural values (macrosystem). The study revealed divergent participatory patterns between the American and Korean groups. Further, it showed how such differences were related to the defining components of each system. These included ideologies about ethnic, social, cultural identities; societal discourse about a specific topic; cross-cultural concepts of discussion; the way the telecollaboration project was incorporated into the course; and teacher instruction. Case study analysis of two American students and one Korean student indicates that these individual students approached the intercultural online discussion with a different “self” (Layder, 1993), understanding of the nature of culture and intercultural communication, positioning of self and others, and sense of agency. These influenced both their management of expectations and orientation toward the situated activity, and also shaped their participation. / text

In the Swedish political debate there is a general agreement about the problems with the integration process regarding especially third country nationals from Africa and Asia. In various SOU reports,1 there are testimonies about flaws in the interaction between the majority community and minority groups (where newly arrived third-country nationals are an especially prevalent group). Thus, Sweden has for several decades been in transformation from a culturally relatively homogeneous nation into a multicultural society. There have of course been cultures like the Sami, Finnish, Roma and German present alongside the Swedish majority culture. However, today there are neighborhoods where people with a “traditional” Swedish cultural background are a minority. Furthermore in almost all parts of society, like school, health, media etc., there are indications of discrimination (SOU 2006:73). This seems to be in line with a general tendency within the European Union where increased multiculturality has been fueling anti-immigrant movements of which some has even gained enough popular support to gain seats in the EU-parliament.

Abstract The purpose of this study was to ascertain to what extent English teachers at the upper secondary level in Sweden use postcolonial literature in their teaching and in that case if it is used in order to teach intercultural competence. The reason for this was the claim that there is a strong connection between postcolonial literature and intercultural competence as well as between postcolonial literature and the curriculum for the upper secondary school, and specifically the English courses. The primary material used was gathered through interviews involving teachers working at an upper secondary school in the southern part of Kronobergs Län. Three out of five interviewees did use postcolonial literature and the main reason was that it provides a platform for students to learn about different cultures and societies in areas in the world where English is used. It also turned out that certain authors were used more frequently than others, namely J.M. Coetzee, Chinua Achebe and Doris Lessing. The theoretical basis for this essay has been the notion of intercultural competence, especially linked with language teaching. Developing intercultural competence provides students with the possibility of gaining increased understanding of different cultures, something that seems to be immensely important in a Swedish school system where the classrooms are becoming more and more multicultural. It is argued here that postcolonial literature lends itself particularly well when it comes to the combination of language- and culture didactics and teachers’ responses in the interviews have given reason to believe that this is in fact so.

In this study, I conduct a program evaluation of the International Cultural Service Program (ICSP), a scholarship program at University of Oregon which provides international students tuition remission in exchange for students giving presentations about their home country and culture in the local community and on campus. Through interviews, observations, and quantitative data, I assess ICSP’s impact on the community as well as the international students who participate in the program. After highlighting the research-based impacts of ICSP, as well as the program’s strengths and weaknesses, I provide recommendations for program improvement. This evaluation demonstrates that ICSP increases cultural awareness among ICSP students and community partners, positively impacts international student retention rates, and ultimately contributes to promoting peace across cultures—among a plethora of other benefits. This study incorporates best practices in program evaluation, and I conclude by providing a critique of the assessment process and suggestions for future studies.

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No description available.

Interactions between business counterparts have become increasingly free from boundaries, as technological innovation brings the world closer together (Adler, 2002). Locally, the typical South African organisation employs workers from a multitude of cultural backgrounds, at various levels of acculturation. Organisational coaches must be prepared to engage with diverse national and international client populations. Coaching bodies such as the Worldwide Association of Business Coaches (WABC, 2008) and the locally-based Coaches and Mentors of South Africa (COMENSA, 2009; COMENSA, 2010), require coaches to provide culturally responsive services to coachees. If the coach differs culturally from the coachee, he/she may incorrectly use his/her own understanding of what is appropriate for a situation to make sense of the coachee’s behaviour, possibly leading to the misinterpretation of the diverse coachee’s situation. In addition, the coach may also project his/her own cultural bias and stereotypes onto the coachee. This in turn may lead to barriers in communication, and ultimately to the inhibition of efficiency of the coaching process as possible outcomes. Inefficient coaching may not allow for the achievement of the desired results, leading to financial losses for the company. Therefore, it is imperative that the coach is aware of his/her own culturally-laden values, beliefs and expectations which may include biases, prejudices and stereotypes held about the coachee, i.e. his/ her cultural self-awareness. The purpose of the current research study was to explore and describe the experiences and perceptions of South African organisational coaches in terms of cultural self-awareness. Specifically the study investigated how eight South African organisational coaches (N = 8) develop, maintain and promote cultural self-awareness, and what the perceived consequences of such awareness were. The study was conducted within the constructivist research paradigm and utilised a qualitative research approach. The multiple case study research strategy employed in-depth interviews to collect the research data. A grounded theory research methodology was used to analyse and explore the experiences and perceptions of South African organisational coaches in developing and utilising cultural self-awareness. Eight findings were obtained from the interviews, namely: the cultural self-awareness cultivated during coaching developed as part of a general process of cultural self-awareness, which in turn formed part of the participants’ personal development; both intentional strategies and happenstance led to the coaches’ cultural self-awareness; situational and internal factors contributed to changes in their cultural self-awareness; cultural self-awareness is maintained through self-management involving internal and external strategies; future cultural self-awareness is promoted through pursuing experiences that would cause them to question bias; a change in cultural self-awareness held consequences for the personal developmental process as well as for the coachee, and the coaching process; the meaning of cultural self-awareness was explained by using metaphors. The most prominent metaphors the coaches used were ‘sight’, ‘the past’, ‘internal work’, and ‘managing’; additional psychosocial processes that occur during intercultural coaching which can be grouped under macro, meso and micro issues, contextualised the process of cultural self-awareness during intercultural coaching. The findings were interpreted to show that various levels, developmental paths, and applications of cultural self-awareness exist amongst organisational coaches. On the basis of the results obtained from the research study, recommendations were made for future research, coaching education and training programmes, coaching clients, and current or prospective coaches. / Thesis (MA (Industrial Psychology))--North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2013

Lo scopo di questa tesi è affrontare l'internazionalizzazione di un’università in termini di sviluppo e valutazione della competenza interculturale attraverso un intervento pedagogico efficace e sostenibile che prepari gli studenti a vivere in un mondo globalizzato. La mia ricerca ha utilizzato un approccio randomizzato e metodi misti sperimentali con una combinazione di otto distinti studi longitudinali e trasversali che hanno coinvolto un totale di 16.787 studenti iscritti presso università statunitensi, esaminati nel corso dei quattro anni di studio, dal primo anno fino alla laurea, con una particolare attenzione per 3.725 studenti della Bellarmine University di Louisville, in Kentucky. Si è lavorato inoltre con il più grande insieme di dati di studi IDI intrapresi fino ad oggi, con 1.812 partecipanti contro i 1.159 dell'ultimo lavoro sull’impatto degli studi IDI sui corsi all'estero, il Georgetown Consortium Study, facente riferimento al periodo 2003-2005. La mia ricerca su queste serie di dati si è concentrata in particolare sull’efficacia di uno specifico curriculum d'intervento per studenti coinvolti in programmi di studio all’estero. Ho analizzato il livello di sviluppo della competenza interculturale attraverso la somministrazione di test precedenti e successivi al loro periodo all’estero in merito a una varietà di esperienze universitarie, dando particolare attenzione sia in termini quantitativi sia qualitativi all'impatto dei corsi interculturali seguiti all'estero. L'approccio pedagogico è stato progettato dal ricercatore con l’intento di riflettere l’attuale cambiamento di paradigma in atto nell'apprendimento all'estero e si basa su un intervento guidato allo scopo di raggiungere risultati di apprendimento espliciti piuttosto che lasciare l'apprendimento interculturale al caso. I risultati dei miei vari studi forniscono risposte decisamente positive alla domanda centrale di questo progetto: “Se l'internazionalizzazione dell'istruzione superiore è in parte misurata dal livello di competenza interculturale sviluppata dai suoi laureati, può allora un’esperienza universitaria di quattro anni, come quella delle università statunitensi di studi umanistici, sviluppare competenze interculturali attraverso una serie di attività ed esperienze di apprendimento curricolare ed extracurricolare, sia all’interno dell’università che al di fuori di essa? Se sì, in che misura?” 7 Le conclusioni tratte dai risultati dei vari studi quantitativi e qualitativi contenuti in questo elaborato supportano fortemente il mio quadro di intervento pedagogico, denominato Framework for Reflective Intervention in Learning Abroad (FRILA) e basato sulla teoria dell'apprendimento esperienziale, il modello di sviluppo della sensibilità interculturale (la teoria DMIS) (Bennett, 1986) e la pedagogia culturalmente rilevante per l'apprendimento all'estero. Le implicazioni di questa ricerca nell’ambito dell'istruzione internazionale sono tali che, per ottenere una vera trasformazione durante l'apprendimento all'estero, è fondamentale che le università offrano agli studenti la possibilità di accedere a un programma guidato che ponga l’enfasi sul coinvolgimento e la riflessione. / The purpose of this study is to address the internationalization of a university in terms of the development and assessment of intercultural competence via an effective and sustainable intervention pedagogy in support of preparing students for a globalized world. My research utilized a randomized experimental, mixed methods approach with a combination of eight separate longitudinal and cross-sectional studies referencing a total of 16,787 students at U.S. institutions over four years from freshmen year until graduation with particular focus on 3725 students at Bellarmine University in Louisville, Kentucky, including the largest data set of IDI studies undertaken to date, 1812 participants versus 1159 in the last IDI study abroad impact study, the Georgetown Consortium Study in 2003-2005. My research involving these data sets focused specifically on the effectiveness of a special intervention curriculum for students engaged in learning abroad. I analyzed the level of intercultural competence development through pre and post testing vis-à-vis a variety of high impact college experiences, giving special quantitative and qualitative research attention to the impact of intercultural course work abroad. The pedagogical approach was designed by the researcher to reflect the current paradigm shift in learning abroad, relying on guided intervention to achieve explicit learning outcomes rather than leaving intercultural learning to chance. The findings from my various studies provide compelling positive answers to this research’s central question: “If the impact of internationalization of higher education is in part measured by the level of intercultural competence developed by its graduates, can a U.S. liberal arts college experience over four years develop intercultural competence via curricular and extracurricular learning on and off campus, and if it can to what extent?” 5 Conclusions from the findings from the various quantitative and qualitative studies reflected in this dissertation, strongly support my intervention pedagogy framework, referred to as the Framework for Reflective Intervention in Learning Abroad (FRILA), based on experiential learning theory, the Developmental Model of Intercultural Sensitivity (DMIS theory) (Bennett, 1986), and culturally relevant pedagogy in learning abroad. The implications of this research for the field of international education are such that in order for real transformation to occur during learning abroad, it is imperative that universities give students access to a guided curriculum with emphasis on engagement and reflection.

According to the new German defense policy concept, the German armed forces can be deployed abroad in multinational operations to establish security and to manage the aftermath of conflict in crisis areas. This paper investigates different aspects, resulting prospects and consequences connected with this challenge. It focuses on the meaning of intercultural competence with respect to the primary objective of Germany´s foreign deployment policy to achieve sustained, comprehensive and integral crisis prevention, and to generate peace in the 21st century.

The purpose of this paper is to find out pedagogues approach to intercultural education through IVIK, goals and guidelines, the school for newly arrived students and how student experience and knowledge are utilized. In my study, I used a qualitative research method. I have interviewed four teachers and four students and a school administrator at IVIK. Results of the study show that most teachers have a good understanding of interculturalism, but that doesn’t mean that teachers make of this relationship means in their teachings. Lack of knowledge about students' cultural background means that teachers can´t integrate it into their teaching. Another result is that the school has no clear goals, students are not faced with high expectations and the school will not be on the student's own experiences. Pupils' prior knowledge is mapped and not the pupil's needs are met. The key aspects that emerge are that teachers should have knowledge of their students' cultural backgrounds in other words, become inter-culturally competent, the school must have clear goals and guidelines and will offer training that is tailored based on student needs and abilities, and student prior knowledge must be identified on the student school language. For individual support and education to plan and to primarily utilize the student's skills and strengths and not focus on the student's potential lack of ability.