Sojourners, or people who live in a foreign country for a limited period of time, must prepare to communicate effectively in a foreign culture. Current theory suggests that sojourners learn to develop primary social interaction schemas to prepare for intercultural communication. Because sojourners may not stay in a country long enough to develop schemas, sojourners could benefit from a tool designed to help them acquire schemas for their host countries. Conceptual and situation metaphors can help sojourners gain useful insights into the cultures they prepare to face. To investigate metaphors that may assist sojourners, international students studying in the United States were interviewed to uncover the metaphors they already used to describe their experiences, as well as to see if new metaphors could be created to assist future sojourners. The conceptual and situation metaphors uncovered are discussed in within the framework of schemas. / Master of Arts

Over the course of the last few decades the debate over culture and its relationship to language has remained heated and one can argue, unresolved. It has been underscored that it is not necessarily the question of culture teaching per-se but rather the methods and content of such teaching that remain controversial. Today's world demands that learners are not simply linguistically but also interculturally competent. It has been argued that high levels of intercultural awareness can be achieved with the help of experiential lessons taught in a formal setting that focus on the exploration of self as a cultural being.In this study, three groups of the intermediate learners of German and Russian were invited to participate in a number of cultural lessons based on either culture box highlights or experiential activities. The pre-posttests measured changes in learners' cognitive, behavioral and affective measures of intercultural competence. Results revealed that experiential activities tend to better facilitate the development of learners' intercultural skills and attitudes. Students written responses to critical incidents were analyzed with the Developmental Model of Intercultural Sensitivity (Bennett, 1993) to assess changes in learners' perspectives and intercultural disposition over the course of the semester. Additionally, learners' experiences with foreign and local cultures were quantified and correlated with cognitive, behavioral and affective measures of intercultural competence. Results showed that not all measures of intercultural competence may be broadened by the individuals' firsthand experiences with other cultures. The relevance of one's previous experiences with `sub-cultures' (states, cities, towns, and communities), i.e. his `mobility' must also be acknowledged.

Thesis advisor: Philip G. Altbach / Despite the long-held assumption that intercultural sensitivity is the foremost qualification of foreign student advisors and the central role that intercultural sensitivity plays in foreign student advising, the intercultural sensitivity of foreign student advisors has never been empirically studied. This exploratory, quantitative study investigates the level of intercultural sensitivity of a group of foreign student advisors in the United States. A sample of 300 U.S.-based foreign student advisors completed both an online survey and the Intercultural Development Inventory (IDI) (Hammer, Bennett, & Wiseman, 2003) a valid and reliable standardized assessment of intercultural sensitivity that measures an individual's orientation towards cultural differences in terms of Milton Bennett's (Bennett, 1993) Developmental Model of Intercultural Sensitivity. Multiple linear regression was employed to analyze the relationships between scores on the IDI and twenty-three independent variables generated by the online survey instrument. Findings from the developmental scores on the Intercultural Development Inventory suggest that three-quarters of the sample experience cultural difference from an ethnocentric position described by the Developmental Model of Intercultural Sensitivity. The results of regression analysis identified five factors that are associated with intercultural sensitivity, including political orientation, length of time spent as a foreign student advisor, academic study in the field of intercultural relations, level of education and support for gay marriage. Notable factors that were not associated with intercultural sensitivity include ethnicity, gender, religion, religiosity, and variously described intercultural experiences. Other key findings include that the profession overwhelmingly comprises European American women, indicating increasingly feminized profession, and that women are under-represented among the senior leadership of the field and are paid significantly less than men. / Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2009. / Submitted to: Boston College. Lynch School of Education. / Discipline: Educational Administration and Higher Education.

Submitted by Josimara Dias Brumatti (bcgdigital@ndc.uff.br) on 2017-03-28T17:48:34Z No. of bitstreams: 1 TESE _Copiao_June 26_final Edited 2014 (1).pdf: 4477437 bytes, checksum: 9b9050e5392fdb4cc1ddd54076246b93 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Josimara Dias Brumatti (bcgdigital@ndc.uff.br) on 2017-03-28T18:01:26Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 TESE _Copiao_June 26_final Edited 2014 (1).pdf: 4477437 bytes, checksum: 9b9050e5392fdb4cc1ddd54076246b93 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2017-03-28T18:01:26Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 TESE _Copiao_June 26_final Edited 2014 (1).pdf: 4477437 bytes, checksum: 9b9050e5392fdb4cc1ddd54076246b93 (MD5) / O mundo das relações sociais e culturais de hoje exige novas políticas no domínio do ensino de línguas. A importância dos aspectos interculturais no ensino de uma língua estrangeira cresceu nos últimos anos e tornou-se o principal tema, em estudos que se relacionam com o processo de ensino e aprendizagem como uma prática social. Além de uma perspectiva multicultural, há a perspectiva de educação intercultural. O ensino integrado de língua alemã é visto, neste contexto, como um campo fértil para desenvolver a aprendizagem intercultural, baseada na integração de conteúdos e aspectos linguísticos. Aqui são empregadas considerações para a integração de conteúdo e aprendizagem de línguas (Content and Language Integrated Learning - CLIL), na sua forma e nos seus desafios e suas influências no processo de aprendizagem intercultural de uma língua estrangeira. Este trabalho propõe uma reflexão sobre o estado atual das pesquisas na área de CLIL, no domínio da aprendizagem intercultural e de suas abordagens teóricas. O estudo foi realizado com base na avaliação de programa, aplicado em uma turma de aprendizagem integrada, do 7o ano de uma escola bilíngue, português-alemão, no Rio de Janeiro. O objetivo foi identificar evidências de êxito do programa no desenvolvimento de competência intercultural (CI). Para examinar o nível de CI dos alunos e professor do programa, foi aplicada uma ferramenta de pesquisa padronizada (IDI) aos alunos e seu professor e os resultados foram comparados aos de uma classe do 7o ano do Ensino Fundamental II (EFII), na mesma escola. O ensino de línguas é considerado sob os aspectos da competência intercultural e sua integração na prática. Os resultados desta pesquisa contribuem para a efetiva integração de conteúdos, fatores culturais e linguísticos e o desenvolvimento e adaptação de modalidades de ensino nas escolas com proposta bilíngue. / The world of social and cultural relations today requires new policies in the field of language teaching. The importance of intercultural aspects in the teaching of a foreign language has grown in recent years and has become the main theme in studies that relate to teaching as social practice and the current context in which the learning process takes place. Apart from a multicultural perspective, there is the perspective of intercultural education. The integrated teaching of the German language in the school context is seen as a fertile ground for developing intercultural learning based on the integration of content and linguistic aspects. Considerations for integrating content and language learning (CLIL) , its design and challenges as well as influences on intercultural learning process of a foreign language in the Brazilian scenario are employed here . This study aims at reflecting on the current research in the area of CLIL in the field of intercultural learning and its theoretical approaches. To this end a program evaluation of a 7th grade class studying German as a foreign language was conducted to identify evidence of intentional teaching aiming at the development of intercultural competence (IC). To examine the IC of students and their teacher in the program, a standardized survey examining IC was administered and compared to another class of 7th graders studying German as L2 in the same school. The teaching of foreign languages in schools will be considered under the aspects of IC and its integration in bilingual teaching practices. This study is based on a socio-cultural perspective of language and focuses on the relationship between language and social structure. The results of this study will contribute to the effective integration of content, cultural and linguistic factors and the development and adaptation of teaching methods in schools . This research also provides an overview of the teaching of the German language in Brazil and follows the concepts and dimensions of bilingualism or teaching German as a foreign and second language and deals with the aspect of intercultural learning in a school in Rio de Janeiro.

The field of intercultural communication has recently been introduced to Japan from the United States. The theories and concepts of this field have been developed based on Western social sciences, and they are likely to be culture-bound. This thesis investigates the possibility that modifying Western ideas in the field of intercultural communication would make the study of this subject more effective for Japanese learners.

This study investigated the intercultural communication competence and intercultural communication apprehension of Chinese international students. Participants in the study consisted of Chinese international students over 18 years old studying at two 4-year public universities in the southeastern United States. The study participants completed 2 online survey questionnaires: the Intercultural Sensitivity Scale (ISS), which measured the degree of intercultural communication competence, and the Personal Report of Intercultural Communication Apprehension (PRICA), which measured the degree of intercultural communication apprehension. The findings of the study indicated a significant relationship between Chinese international students' intercultural communication competence and their intercultural apprehension. Findings also noted that gender, age, number of U.S. friends, and level of education were not factors predicting the participants' degree of intercultural communication competence and intercultural communication apprehension. However, frequency of speaking English outside of the classroom was an important factor indicating differences in the degree of the study participants' intercultural communication competence and intercultural communication apprehension. In addition, the study revealed that the length of time in the United States affected participants' intercultural communication competence but not their intercultural communication apprehension.

This study examined the orientations to cultural difference of sojourner educators in the Foundation Program at Qatar University to determine if orientations were correlated with select demographic and experiential variables, including gender, age, time overseas, education level, formative region, ethnic minority status, job position, length of time in Qatar, intercultural marriage, default language, formal teacher training, and overseas development organization experience. This study used a sequential mixed-method design. Perceived and Developmental Orientations were measured using the Intercultural Development Inventory© (V.3), which produced a measure of each respondent’s orientation to cultural difference. Focus group interviews were conducted to engage participants in explaining and interpreting the findings. Five focus groups of three to six participants each were conducted. Most of the teachers were found to operate from within the transitional orientation of Minimization, although individual scores ranged from Denial to Adaptation. On average, the educators were found to overestimate their orientations by 31 points. A positive correlation between orientation and formative region was found, with participants from North America showing the highest orientation. Statistically significant differences emerged for orientations when comparing Middle East and North African (MENA) and North American formative regions. Formative region was found to account for 4.8% of the variance in orientation and is a significant fit of the data. Focus groups participants speculated that (a) core differences regarding multiculturalism in MENA and North American cultures help explain the results, (b) aspects of the workplace culture and both the broader MENA and local Qatari culture encourage a sense of exclusion, and (c) external events further complicate cross-cultural relations. The study findings add to the literature by providing baseline orientation data on sojourner educators in post-secondary education in the GCC region, and by confirming some of the findings of similar studies. The study provides practitioners with suggestions for staffing and professional development. Future research should focus on the measurement of orientations in broader samples of educators, changes in orientation over time in Qatar and other cultural contexts, differences in orientation among short-term vs. long-term expatriates, the impact of employment systems and societal structures on orientations in sojourner educators, the impact of educator orientation to cultural difference on student achievement, and the design of effective cross-cultural professional development for educators.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-03-15T19:46:25Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Lilian Rudolf.pdf: 1070646 bytes, checksum: 353b21ba0b0d8588740b0c01d4b97ee0 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2015-02-06 / This work joins the learning line of research of foreign languages, focusing on English language and the role of interculturalism in the student mobility programs, highlighting the high school program (High School) offered by non-profit organization AFS Intercultural Programs (formerly American Fields Service) based in the United States of America . The main objective of the study is to understand the experience of intercultural acquired an exchange program in the host country, in which the exchange student will live with a native family, will attend a community school, study subjects related to High School; highlight that context living with a new culture for school through, club, family that will host him and new friendships that he will make. Discuss beyond intercultural concepts, the binomial language - culture, the relationship between language, culture and identity, intercultural communication and intercultural competence. The authors examine the impact that the exchange program has on lives of the participants to return to their country of origin, Brazil, in the choice of occupation, in the labor market, in relation to personal, academic and professional issues as well as on items such as maturity, tolerance, leadership, respect, independence, organization, cultural background and development of intercultural competence. The theoretical framework that supports the study focuses on key concepts for language -related work, culture, identity, intercultural communication and intercultural competence as well as student mobility. Scholars such as: Kramsch, Hall, Byram, Fleming, Valdes, Signorini, Laraia, Hertsgaard, Nye Junior, Hanna, Chauí , among others. To achieve our results we'll search to be drawn from a questionnaire administered to a group of AFS Intercultural Programs of students from different regions of Brazil that made the exchange in the United States at different times. The questionnaire will be answered by e-mail containing multiple choice questions , with the exception of the last three open questions. / O presente trabalho se filia à linha de pesquisa de aprendizado de línguas estrangeiras, com foco na língua inglesa e no papel da interculturalidade nos programas de mobilidade estudantil, destacando o programa de High School (Ensino Médio) oferecido pela Organização sem fins lucrativos AFS Intercultural Programs (antigo American Fields Service) sediada nos Estados Unidos da América. O objetivo principal do estudo é o de compreendermos a experiência da interculturalidade adquirida num programa de intercâmbio, no país receptor, em que o intercambista conviverá com uma família nativa, frequentará uma escola da comunidade, estudará disciplinas relacionadas ao Ensino Médio; destacamos naquele contexto o convívio com uma nova cultura por intermédio da escola, do clube, da família que irá hospedá-lo e das novas amizades que fará. Abrdaremos além dos conceitos de interculturalidade, o binômio língua-cultura, a relação entre língua, cultura e identidade, comunicação intercultural e competência intercultural. Pretendemos examinar o impacto que o programa de intercâmbio exerce na vida dos participantes ao regressar ao país de origem, o Brasil, na escolha da profissão, no mercado de trabalho, no que se refere a questões pessoais, acadêmicas e profissionais tanto quanto em itens como amadurecimento, tolerância, liderança, respeito, independência, organização, bagagem cultural e desenvolvimento da competência intercultural. O referencial teórico que dá suporte ao estudo concentra-se em conceitos essenciais para o trabalho relacionados à língua, cultura, identidade, comunicação intercultural e competência intercultural além de mobilidade estudantil. Estudiosos como: Kramsch, Hall, Byram, Fleming, Valdes, Signorini, Laraia, Hertsgaard, Nye Júnior, Hanna, Chauí, entre outros. Para atingirmos nossos resultados faremos uma pesquisa que será elaborada a partir de um questionário aplicado a um grupo de estudantes do AFS Intercultural Programs de diversas regiões do Brasil que realizou o intercâmbio nos Estados Unidos em diferentes épocas. O questionário será respondido por meio de e-mails contendo questões de múltipla escolha, com exceção das três últimas questões abertas.

This study aims to investigate the representations that Indian students have of Hispanic cultures and, on the other hand, to assess the degree to which native Spanish teachers give importance to the intercultural competence in teaching an L2. This research has been carried out by means of questionnaires and interviews with teachers and students of Spanish as a foreign language (SFL). The data, gathered through the questionnaires and interviews, show a clash between the Indian students´ self-stereotypes and their other-stereotypes regarding the Hispanics. The results also show a contradiction between the will and determination of the SFL teachers to incorporate "intercultural" elements in their teaching practice and the feeble extent to which they manage to do so.

[pt] O objetivo desta pesquisa é levantar quais aspectos culturais da sociedade brasileira presentes no Jogo da Capoeira podem ser acessados por praticantes estrangeiros e, consequentemente, auxiliá-los na aquisição de competência intercultural. Através de uma análise qualitativa/etnográfica dos rituais nele apresentados baseada em conceitos de cultura, interculturalismo e multiculturalismo (Bennett e Hall), categorizações de cultura (Hofstede e Lewis) e competência intercultural (Bennett) e da aplicação de questionários a praticantes de capoeira de diversas nacionalidades na Ilha de Manhattan em Nova Iorque, verificou-se a existência de tais aspectos e que estes são percebidos pelos capoeiristas estrangeiros auxiliando-os na aquisição de competência intercultural e, consequentemente, na aprendizagem de PL2E. / [en] The aim of this research is to establish which cultural aspects from Brazillian society related in the Capoeira Game can be accessed by foreigner capoeira students to acquire Intercultural Competence through a qualitative/etnography analysis of its rituals based in Culture, Interculturalism and Multiculturalism concepts (Bennet and Hall), culture categories (Hofstede and Lewis) and intercultural competence (Bennett) and the application of questionnaires to capoeira practitioners from several nationalities in Manhattan, New York City. Such aspects are noticed by the foreign capoeira players and help them to acquire intercultural competence and to learn Portuguese as a Second Language for foreigners.