184 research outputs found

    The Global People landscaping study: intercultural effectiveness in global education partnerships

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    The Context The Higher Education sector in the UK is experiencing a period of rapid and competitive internationalisation. The market for higher education, at undergraduate and post graduate levels, is now truly global: many potential students can make choices about study destinations between an enormous range of institutions in any of the five continents. The audience for research is also global, with a proliferation of domestic and international journals, a multitude of international conferences in every discipline and widely disseminated international indices, ranking universities in terms of their publication and teaching performance. In particular, the recent growth of the major Asian economies has re-shaped the profile of many UK universities both in the composition of their student bodies and also in the number, nature and importance of their overseas partnerships. This Study It is within this context that the Global People project has been established, with the objective of providing knowledge and resources that will support those in the UK Higher Education sector who work, or wish to work, in international collaborations. Phases 1 and 2 of the eChina Programme (see Section1, Introduction) generated a great deal of learning about managing international education projects and Phase 3 of the Programme, the Global People project, was instigated with the aim of capturing this emergent knowledge for the benefit of others. This current report is a Landscaping Study that argues for the value of developing intercultural competence in order to better understand, create and manage productive and enjoyable partnerships with educational institutions outside the UK. Our arguments are supported by data from a wide range of research in disciplines as diverse as applied linguistics and international management. Key Findings a) The need for cultural awareness and sensitivity to diversity has been well established from studies in a range of disciplines. The high risks of mishandling intercultural interaction have prompted the development of a substantial literature both on perceived cultural differences and on the competencies that might be acquired to deal with this challenge. Although this concern has been driven by the financial requirements of international business, the internationalisation of Higher Education has imposed similar requirements on universities engaging in international collaboration. The challenge for academics and project managers is, within limited resources, to develop effective ways of identifying and acquiring the competencies needed to be interculturally effective. b) Interest in the cultural values of Chinese society has never been higher as global interaction with China, through business, government, education and science expands exponentially. There is a real danger in generalising about any nation’s cultural values and especially one where society and economy are changing so rapidly. However, the recent literature on China – from a number of disciplinary perspectives – argues that the influence of traditional Confucian values on Chinese behaviour is still strong. This means that values such as propriety, trustworthiness and the desire for harmony are still reflected in behaviour that is more relationship-based, restrained and consensual than may be normal in Western business relations. Working with Chinese partners will still be facilitated by an understanding of the centrality of social networks to Chinese private and public life and interaction in working teams will benefit from an appreciation of the Chinese respect for hierarchy and reluctance to pass judgement openly on colleagues. c) The majority of the work done on the impact of culture on e-learning has focused on issues of content and materials design. Too frequently this has been a concern for adaptation of existing materials for a local audience, rather than collaborative development of new materials by an intercultural team. As a consequence, there is limited insight into the complexities of designing and delivering learning programmes in different cultural contexts. What the research does show is that learning styles and preferences can vary between cultures and that this is related to the varying pedagogies dominant in particular national cultures. Understanding the implications of this diversity of pedagogies and reconciling cultural differences remain substantial challenges for those adapting or designing online learning programmes across a variety of cultures. d) Research into the performance of international teams offers many insights into good management practice. Principles of team selection, development, leadership and collaboration are well-established in the literature on global management and multinational partnerships. These principles recognise the importance of organisational culture, occupational culture and team roles as additional dimensions to that of national culture in influencing behaviour in project groups. International collaborations are viewed as complex dynamic systems which move through a life cycle, with valuable opportunities for reflection, learning and performance improvement. The implementation of transparent, and mutually agreed, norms, procedures and objectives is regarded as crucial to effective collaboration. e) At the level of the individual, an extensive literature exists on the competencies required to be effective in intercultural interaction. There is an apparently high degree of consensus on the core competencies that should be acquired by the culturally effective individual. Chief among these are self-awareness, cultural knowledge, language proficiency, openness, flexibility and communication skills. However, in many cases there is, at best, limited data to support the theories put forward. There is also a lack of clarity in the use of terminology, with no guarantee that researchers are using terms in the same way. The more detailed, applied research has succeeded in teasing out the knowledge and skills that may be critical in successful interaction by further breaking down broad competencies (e.g. ‘openness’) into more detailed behaviours (‘openness to new thinking; positive acceptance of different behaviour). A Way Forward A major obstacle to accessing and utilising the current knowledge and guidance on intercultural effectiveness is its dispersion across a large number of disciplines and the consequent disparity of the conceptual models and terminology employed. A framework for understanding intercultural effectiveness in international projects has a very high potential value to a wide range of professionals engaged in cross-cultural collaboration. There is substantial learning to be gained from the insights of different research disciplines but these insights need to be brought together in a way that practitioners from any field can access them without specialist knowledge. These ambitions have materialised in the form of the Toolbook, which is specifically designed to be used as a self-explanatory guide, complete with tools to stimulate awareness-raising and to encourage reflection on available resources and current practices

    A Technology-Enhanced German Language Course: Effects of Technology Implementation and Cross-Cultural Exchange on Students’ Language Skills, Perceptions and Cultural Awareness

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    This study employed a within-group case study design using a mixed methods approach. In doing so, the researcher used a concurrent triangulation process during a one semester intermediate German language course. In addition to the textbook, the researcher implemented a Technology to Support German Language Enhancement (TSGLE) intervention. The TSGLE included use of the following Web 2.0 technologies: blogs, podcasts, online chat, and wiki, to create an environment of increased asynchronous and synchronous interaction. Additionally, students embarked on a cross-cultural, virtual exchange with university students from Germany by interacting through a blog, a collaborative video conference session, a German film screening, email, and individual video conference sessions. Although certain challenges arise with adapting to technology use and communicating with native speakers, quantitative and qualitative data indicate regular use of Web 2.0 technologies and participating in a cross-cultural exchange can enhance language acquisition and cultural awareness

    Culture Teaching and Learning in an Advanced Placement Chinese Course

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    The significance of teaching culture in the foreign language classroom has been widely acknowledged. However, it remains a challenge for language teachers to properly incorporate culture teaching into language teaching. Chinese language teachers in the United States also encounter the challenge of teaching culture to the increased number of Chinese language learners. In particular, scant attention has been paid to how Chinese language learners approach cultural issues and develop cultural awareness in the language teaching context of American secondary education. In order to address the research gap, the present study aims to explore how the teaching and learning of culture develop in an Advanced Placement Chinese course in an American high school based in the state of California. This qualitative case study looks into concepts of culture perceived by the Chinese language instructor and the students. The teacher’s general approach to the teaching of culture is also investigated through classroom observations. The researcher then examines the observed teaching approaches and analyzes how the pedagogical practices help students’ development of diverse cultural perspectives. As the ultimate goal of culture learning is successful intercultural communication, this research study also focuses on exploring students’ development of cultural awareness through the process of Chinese language learning. Research findings show that the teacher and the students have a similar notion regarding what constitutes culture. Despite their clear definitions about culture, the teacher feels it challenging to update her students with contemporary Chinese culture and some of the non-heritage students feel it hard to identify with any ethnic cultures. In terms of teaching approaches, the teacher makes good use of cultural values, cultural comparisons, and cultural change to connect the teaching of cultural products or practices with their corresponding cultural perspectives. Nevertheless, other teaching approaches might lead to cultural stereotypes or hinder formation of diverse cultural perspectives. Furthermore, heritage and non-heritage students are found to benefit from different ways to develop cultural awareness

    Elt materials design from the perspective of English as a lingua franca

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    Se trata de diseñar materiales desde la perspectiva del Inglés como lengua Franca; entendiendo por lengua franca, la comunicación entre hablantes nativos y no nativos del inglés. Es decir, el uso del inglés como lengua de uso entre gente que no comparte una misma lengua materna. El diseño de materiales esta basado en situaciones de contexto real que se dan en la vida diaria;por ejemplo: role-plays, problem-solving, etc

    Promoting motivation an ICT as the tools needed to improve the teaching-learning process in the EFL classroom

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    EFL teaching has undergone major changes in recent years. For educators to adapt to these changes and to improve the teaching-learning process, firstly, they will need to reflect on their own personal, emotional, and professional characteristics. Secondly, they must take into account the attributes and preferences of their students. Accordingly, it has been determined that teachers' motivation will be positive or negative depending on their working conditions and the attitude of the learners. For the last to be optimal, the teacher will have to choose innovative methodologies, a range of strategies and new resources such as the new technologies. Therefore, the introduction of ICT (games, applications, social networks, etc.) in the classroom, as a complement, will have many advantages for both teachers and students as it will be shown in a didactic proposal. These will be the improvement of attention, organisation, behaviour, motivation, and critical thinking.La enseñanza del inglés como lengua extranjera ha experimentado grandes cambios a lo largo de los últimos años. Para que los docentes puedan adaptarse a ellos, y puedan mejorar el proceso enseñanza-aprendizaje, en primer lugar, deberán reflexionar sobre sus propias características personales, afectivas y profesionales. Seguidamente, deberán tener en cuenta los atributos y preferencias de sus alumnos. Así, se ha determinado que la motivación de los profesores será positiva o negativa dependiendo de sus condiciones laborales y la actitud de los alumnos. Para que esta última sea óptima, se deberán elegir metodologías innovadoras, una serie de estrategias y nuevos materiales, así como las nuevas tecnologías. Por lo tanto, la introducción de las TIC (juegos, aplicaciones, redes sociales, etc.) como complemento en el aula, supondrá innumerables ventajas tanto para el profesor, como para los alumnos, como se mostrará mediante una propuesta didáctica. Estas, supondrán la mejora de la atención, la organización, el comportamiento, la motivación y el pensamiento crítico.Departamento de Didáctica de la Lengua y LiteraturaMáster en Profesor de Educación Secundaria Obligatoria y Bachillerato, Formación Profesional y Enseñanzas de Idioma

    Challenges Facing First Year Chinese International Students In a California Private School

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    Mandarin speaking, mainland Chinese secondary students enrolled in grades nine through twelve make up almost 50% of America\u27s international student population (U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, 2015). According to the literature, these students face unique challenges in their education: learning core subjects in a non-native language before they have fully grasped the language, and sitting in classes that are taught by teachers with virtually no training in making the content comprehensible for international students. The purpose of this qualitative study is to acquire an in-depth understanding of the challenges that Mandarin speaking, mainland Chinese, international secondary students face in their learning during their first year at one suburban California private school which established an international student program in 2007. The researcher conducted personal interviews with nine Mandarin speaking, mainland Chinese international secondary students in grades seven through 11 who were in their first year attending this private school. Each participant answered 20 questions regarding the perceived challenges they face on a daily basis in this school as they attend mainstream classes with their native English speaking peers. The findings showed that the participants faced challenges in understanding the teacher in mainstream classes, learning difficult content in mainstream classes while still learning English, adjusting to a different educational system and culture, and making friends with the American students at school

    Inside Jokes: English Language Humor From the Outside

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    Humor is a complex and dynamic mode of communication that serves a number of important social functions. While humor is found in all cultures, English language learners (ELLs) in the United States must learn to navigate American humor with all of its inherent cultural, social and linguistic particularities. The ability to appreciate, comprehend and produce humor is a critical and necessary skillset for full fluency in English. Research has been done on the subject of incorporating humor into the language classroom and the benefits of doing so are myriad (Bell, 2005; 2009). However, very little research has been done on the possibility of explicit instruction in English language humor as a topic of study in its own right. This study addresses that gap in literature by reporting the views, experiences and advice of ELLs who have faced the challenge of becoming fluent in English language humor. The 10 participants in this study are interviewed about their perceptions of American humor, asked about specific challenges they faced and reported on methods they used to enhance their competence using English language humor. Drawn from their voices, recommendations are made for the possible inclusion of explicit humor instruction in the English language classroom as well as suggestions for ways educators can support students in achieving competence in English language humor
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