Abstracts Intercultural Education Volumes 22.5 and 22.6

Volume 22.5

Intercultural policies and the contradictory views of teachers; the Roma in Catalonian schools.

Bálint Ábel Bereményi

Abstract In this article we examine the contradictions and lack of consistency between various levels of

discourse relating to Roma educational policies. Policy makers have claimed that political interventions would

positively impact the progress of Roma. However, the results have been mixed. We argue here that teachers

need to re-evaluate their roles as politically aware and culturally informed agents in order to guarantee social

justice to a historically disadvantaged ethnic minority. Based on ethnographical fieldwork carried out over a two

year period with Spanish Roma children, both in schools and in their families, this study shows how

intercultural policies have failed to impact the educational realities of Roma children.

Keywords Rom, Roma, Gitano, minority school performance, teacher discourses, caring theory, subtractive cultural assimilation

The Border Pedagogy Revisited

Christopher John Kazanjian

Abstract Border pedagogy is a multicultural educational approach utilized in multicultural settings to help

students understand their histories and experiences and how it affects their identities and cultures. The approach

seeks to produce intellectuals that transcend physical and metaphysical boundaries. The goal of border pedagogy

is to remove cultural and political barriers to attain a greater conceptualization of the human experience. This

paper will discuss border pedagogy in the contemporary Mexican/American border region.

Keywords: Border Pedagogy, Multicultural, Ciudad Juárez, Giroux, Abstractification

Dealing with diversity in internationalised higher education institutions

Erlenawati Sawir

Abstract While the economic benefits created by international education export are well documented, few

systematic and qualitative analysis studies have been conducted to examine how academic staff perceive the

presence of international students in their institutions. Using interview data from eighty academic staff from

different disciplines in one higher institution in Australia, this study examines whether the presence of

international students has an impact on staff teaching practice. Some of the academic staff reported that they

made no adjustments to their teaching. They treated all students as one student group. Other staff members said

that there have been changes in their teaching in response to the presence of international students in their

classroom. The paper discusses some of the underlying causes of these responses, and implications for the

practice of international education. The discussion of the findings is informed by Bennett’s Developmental

Model of Intercultural Sensitivity, which helps us understand how people respond to cultural differences.

Keywords: international students, denial of difference, cross-cultural awareness, internationalisation, international education, internationalising the curriculum

Citizenship education for a pluralistic world: the selection of children's literature in Dutch Protestant primary schools.

Erna van Koeven & Yvonne Leeman

Abstract The goals of citizenship education are often contested in Protestant schools with an ethnically

heterogeneous population of pupils in multicultural European societies today. This is connected to the tension

between the inclusive goal of citizenship for a pluralistic world and the exclusive goal of education in the

Christian faith. This paper presents an explorative study on citizenship education. It describes the opinions of

teachers and parents on the selection and use of children’s literature in Dutch ‘liberal’ Protestant primary

schools. The results show that most teachers favour the avoidance of books that might not fit in with the

Protestant identity of the school or possibly raise objections from orthodox parents. There is considerable

diversity in the positions parents take on the issue.

Keywords:

Educational equity in ethnically diverse group work

Trish Baker and Jill Clark

Abstract Educational research in cooperative learning suggests that inequity based on perceived status may be

an issue with heterogeneous cooperative learning groups. This paper explores issues of status based on race,

ethnicity and cultural background in the New Zealand tertiary classroom where there is a diverse mix of

domestic and international students. A four year research project examined attitudes and perceptions of both

domestic and international tertiary students towards cooperative learning. The findings of the research project

indicate that initial assumptions of relative status and ability of group members have a major effect on the

outcomes of the group. These assumptions, demonstrated by both domestic and international students, may be

based on expectations of language ability and familiarity with the pedagogical environment, including the

assumed norms and behavioural patterns of the host educational setting, and may disadvantage students from

different cultural backgrounds. This can become a self-fulfilling prophecy limiting the effective interaction and

participation in the group by international students and other students perceived to be of low status, and the

development of trust and reciprocal interdependence among group members. Strategies to weaken the effects of

status, promote more equitable interaction and foster productive group outcomes are proposed.

Keywords: cooperative learning; educational equity; status, multicultural group work; culture

“Egypt in Transition”: Uniting Service-Learning and Short Term Study-Abroad

Mike McMullen and Everette B. Penn

Abstract Study-abroad has become a popular method for promoting international education in university

curricula. Yet, with today’s growing nontraditional student who is older, working, and increasingly a member of

a racial/ethnic minority group, traditional study-abroad programs of a semester or year abroad have become

more problematic, if not impossible. The paradigm of short term study-abroad, combined with a service-learning

pedagogy, expands the opportunities for nontraditional students to have an international educational experience.

This dual approach is applied to a study-abroad course in Egypt, using a “Service-Learning Cross-Cultural

Research” pedagogy. Data from student participants in our program (based on qualitative data from student

reflection papers, focus group interviews, and student discussions) indicate an expanded global awareness,

changed career goals, and greater appreciation for cross-cultural dialog.

Keywords: service-learning, cross-cultural learning, study-abroad, international education

Research Note: Urging inclusion for interculturalism: Fostering excellence in a Cypriot primary school

C. Hajisoteriou, P. Angelides, A. Costi and M. Hadjiaggeli Faculty of Education, University of Nicosia, Nicosia, Cyprus

Abstract The development and implementation of inclusive practices can potentially enhance intercultural

education. Through the case study of a primary school in Cyprus, we investigated the practices that were

developed and applied by the school itself, which aimed to reduce the marginalisation of students who came

from abroad. The practices relate to the promotion and growth of friendly relations between local and immigrant

students, the inclusion of all students in their self-governing bodies, the differentiation of teaching according to

the needs of each student, the participation of the family and community in school decision-making and the

development of school collaborative cultures.

Keywords: Intercultural education, inclusive education, primary school, Cyprus education, marginalisation

Volume 22.6

Developing Intercultural Understanding and Skills: Models and Approaches

Laura B. Perry& Leonie Southwell

Abstract Researchers from a range of disciplines have been theorizing and empirically examining

intercultural competence and intercultural education for decades. This review article synthesizes the research

literature about these concepts around three questions: what is intercultural competence? How can it be

developed? And how can it be measured? Our aim is to provide an overview of current theories and empirical

findings, as well as to show gaps in the literature.

Keywords: intercultural education, intercultural competence, conceptual frameworks, student outcomes, measurement

Evolving Cross-Group Relationships: The Story of Miller High, 1950-2000

Caroline Eick

Abstract This paper examines students’ evolving cross-group relationships in a comprehensive high school in

Baltimore County, Maryland, USA, between 1950 and 2000. The findings of this research, situated at the

intersections of two lenses of inquiry: oral historical analysis and critical studies, uncover both the power of

students accustomed to integrated spaces to break social barriers in spite of institutionally entrenched

segregating norms; and the power of institutional norms to segregate students when major demographic shifts

bring into institutional parameters youth unaccustomed to integrated spaces and diversity.

Keywords:

Zebra Crossing: Walking in two continents sharing and celebrating difference through Music

Dawn Joseph

Abstract I use the metaphor zebra crossing in my reflective narrative to describe my plight and struggle as a

non-white person growing up and working in Johannesburg, South Africa, during the apartheid era. This article

considers and compares the notions of culture, diversity and identity as I now work in a tertiary institution in

Melbourne, Australia. I reflect on my teaching of African music and position myself as ‘the other’ at zebra

crossings, as I create a space in multicultural Australia. By engaging in meaningful dialogue with music and

culture, I contend, we do have opportunity to explore, experience and express music making and sharing

globally. The inclusion and embracing of non-western music can serve as a dais for understanding and

celebrating cultural difference not as distant experiences but as integral aspects of our daily lives.

Keywords: music education, culture, identity, multiculturalism, reflective narrative, South Africa and Australia

Student Perceptions of International Education and Study Abroad: A pilot study at York University, Canada

Roopa Desai Trilokekar and Sarah Rasmi

Abstract International student mobility has been identified as a key strategy for the internationalisation of

higher education. Although an institutional priority, Canada has among the lowest levels of international student

mobility, with only 2% of full-time university students participating in study abroad programs. This pilot study,

conducted at a large public university in Toronto, examined the value that students place on international

education, their awareness of opportunities made available by the university, their attitudes towards, perceptions

of, and preferences towards study abroad, and the institutional and individual factors that influence their intent

to engage in study abroad. The study found associations between students’ intent to study abroad with their

perceived social and institutional support and academic hassles at the host and home institution. It identified

three distinct groups within the population, those intending to study abroad, those unsure about their plans, and a

third group who does not seek to pursue study abroad. In terms of applied value, the findings will inform

program administrators how to customise their support services and programs to both assist interested students

and attract new students that otherwise would not be interested in such an experience.

Keywords: International education, Study abroad, International mobility, Study abroad preferences, Study abroad barriers

The Effects of Cross-cultural Competence on My Teaching and Studying in the UK Context

Ping Wang

Abstract: In this paper I reflect on my experiences as a Chinese educator, attempting to take my previous

experiences into a new situation: teaching in the UK. These reflections take me down a path that shows how my

Chinese cultural background and experiences created both challenges and opportunities for my teaching. I

attempt to show how important it is to gain cross-cultural competence if one is to take one’s teaching into new

cultural environments.

Key words: cross-cultural competence; cultural sensitivity; teacher-student relations; teacher roles

Research Note: Feel threatened being prejudiced… The role of past experience and proximal threat in shaping adolescents’ Romaphobia

Vanja Ljujic

Abstract This study investigates Serbian adolescents’ attitudes towards the Roma, i.e., Romaphobia. The

sample consisted of 687 secondary school students (mean age 17), of which 53% were females. In a survey-

based study, we assessed perception of physical threat, quality of previous contact with Roma, and Romaphobia.

The findings demonstrate that perceived physical threat entices and supports the emergence of Romaphobia.

Moreover, the relationship between past experience with Roma and Romaphobia was fully mediated by

perceived proximal threat. The theoretical and educational implications are discussed.

Keywords

Romaphobia, negative experience, proximal threat, adolescents

Research Note: Attainment Gap and Responsible Factors – A quantitative study in Secondary Schools in Cyprus

Galatia Theodosiou-Zipiti , Daniel Muijs, Mel West and Iasonas Lamprianou

Abstract The population in Cyprus, a recent European Union member, has become much more heterogeneous

during the past decade. Here, we examine the attainment patterns of minority and native students enrolled in six

secondary schools from different cities in Cyprus, and identify factors responsible for these patterns. The

combination of examined factors has not, to our knowledge, taken place in previous studies. Findings confirm

that ethnic minority groups perform significantly lower than native students. In terms of aetiology, we show that

ethnic background, gender, parental education, parental occupation, generation status, absenteeism, and school

minority concentration have a significant effect on student attainment.

Key words: attainment gap, minority students, Cyprus

Volume 23.1

Educational Achievement and Intercultural Education: Making Critical Connections

Magdalena Suarez-Ortega, Belén Ballesteros Velázquez & Beatriz Malik

Abstract In this article we present key aspects of a research project entitled “Students’ Cultural Diversity and

School Efficacy. A Repertory of Best Practice in Compulsory Learning Centers.” First of all, we present our

concept about cultural diversity and a reflection about “best school practices” and the notion of “student

achievement at school”. In the second part, we analyze two practices which may seem quite different from each

other: learning communities and a program of attention to diversity, which illustrate several ways of adopting an

intercultural approach. The repertory of good practices mentioned might be an insightful resource for teachers.

Keywords: Student diversity, innovative teaching strategies, school effectiveness, educational achievement, best practice.

Language Teaching and Intercultural Education: Making Critical Connections

Carla Chamberlin-Quinlisk & Roxanna M. Senyshyn

Abstract This essay explores some of the areas in which language teaching and intercultural education

overlap. We position language teaching as embedded within sociocultural practices and shaped by attitudes

toward bilingualism and native versus non-native speaker status. Specifically, we question language practices

that exclude or downplay the benefits of developing students’ heritage languages while learning additional

languages and we challenge narrow perceptions of language ownership and native speaker identity. We urge

teachers of languages and culture to conceptualize their work as deeply connected

Keywords: Multilingualism, bilingualism, second language teaching, world Englishness

A Reflection on the Broader, Systemic Impacts of Youth Volunteer Abroad Programs: A Canadian Perspective

Gary W.J. Pluim & Shelane R. Jorgenson

Abstract Despite the increasing popularity and appeal of youth volunteer abroad (YVA) programs, powerful

critiques are emerging. While these programs tend to promise much in the way of global ethics and global

citizenship in youth participants, they often neglect to seriously interrogate the one-way movement of people

from the centre to the periphery and valorize the knowledge and perspectives of the host communities. These

programs, especially those not geared toward social justice and facilitating youth through the struggles and

aftermath of experiential and transformative education, have the potential to perpetuate the same neo-colonial

practices they seek to overcome. This article examines the benefits, context and history of YVA in Canada,

analyzes them under a post-colonial theoretical framework, discusses the gaps between theory and practice, and

proposes alternative ways that researchers, practitioners and policy-makers can redress the colonial implications

of YVA programs.

Keywords: youth abroad; exchange programs; post-colonialism; Canada; volunteer tourism; international service learning

Context and outcomes of intercultural education amongst international students in Australia

Zuleyka Zevallos

Abstract International students represent a large economic and international relations investment for

Australia. Australian universities are increasingly relying upon overseas students for their revenue, but these

institutions are not adequately addressing the special learning, linguistic, cultural and religious needs of these

students. Despite their Australian education, international students experience various difficulties in finding

work in their field of study after they graduate. Poor English-language, communication and problem-solving

skills are the biggest obstacles to securing ongoing and satisfying jobs. Employer biases regarding international

students are equally a problem. This paper provides a demographic context of the international student

population in Australia and it also addresses the gaps impeding their full social participation in Australian

educational institutions. This paper argues that a stronger focus on the socialisation of international students is

likely to increase their educational and career satisfaction. Educational providers would better serve

international students by focusing on practical learning, career-planning and reinforcing the social and cultural

skills valued by Australian employers.

Los estudiantes internacionales representan una gran inversión económica así como de relaciones

internacionales para Australia. Las universidades Australianas dependen financieramente cada vez mas del

ingreso de estudiantes de ultramar, sin embargo no responden adecuadamente a las necesidades culturales,

lingüísticas y religiosas de estos estudiantes. No obstante su formación universitaria, los estudiantes

internacionales encuentran barreras para la obtención de empleo en su campo profesional luego de su

graduación en universidades australianas. Este artículo presenta el contexto demográfico general de la población

estudiantil internacional en Australia e identifica las barreras para su integración social. El argumento central en

el presente artículo es que una mayor atención a la organización social de estos estudiantes puede no solamente

mejorar su satisfacción educacional sino también profesional. Las instituciones educativas Australianas podrían

ofrecer mejores servicios a los estudiantes internacionales si avocaran recursos para el entrenamiento de

habilidades prácticas que ayudaran a estos estudiantes a planear su carrera y mejorar sus capacidades sociales y

culturales.

Keywords: international students; intercultural learning; employment; Australian labour market; graduate career planning.

A peer-to-peer support model for developing graduate students’ career and employability skills

Narelle Jones, Silvia Torezani and Joseph Luca

Abstract Career opportunities for Australian research graduates have expanded in recent years into

areas outside academia. However, the employment market is highly competitive, and Australian

universities have recognised the need to produce graduates with transferable skills across all sectors, not

just academia. The need to provide an infrastructure to support the career and skill development of

research students has become essential, with funding from the Australian government hinging on

institutions providing explicit graduate outcomes. This paper presents a research student peer-to-peer

support program as a model that contributes to the development of graduate career planning and

employability skills.

Keywords: peer-to-peer, career development, employability skills

Online Learning Community (OLC): A case study of teacher professional development in Indonesia

Eunice Ratna Sari

This paper investigates the concept of Online Learning Community (OLC) to address the issues of teacher

professional development practice in 21st century Indonesia. Teachers in Indonesia are trained in a “conventional

way”, hence, not ready to prepare the younger generations for entrance into the 21 st Century complex life and

work environment. The pedagogical transformation of a teacher can be facilitated through teacher professional

development. Recent studies show that OLC holds great promise in improving teachers’ professional practice.

This paper presents key results of the introduction and trialling of OLC with Indonesian teachers and teacher

educators between 2009 and 2010 and aims to explore the feasibility of this model to support professional

development of teachers in this era. The social learning interactions among community members were examined

using Scardamalia’s Twelve Socio-Cognitive Determinants of Knowledge Building and Hoftsede’s Cultural

Dimension Review for Indonesia.

Keywords: online learning community (OLC); teacher professional development (TPD); teacher

education; Indonesia; co-construction of knowledge, knowledge building

Volume 23.2

Feedback in a Multiethnic Classroom Discussion: A Case Study

Max Strandberg & Viveca Lindberg

Abstract This article focuses on teaching about and for cultural diversity. More specifically, we look at the

manner in which different types of teacher feedback either support or hinder student interaction and student

learning. We identified seven types of feedback that were used in classroom discussions with 14-15 year old

students. The discussions and the feedback in these discussions provide insight into teaching about cultural

diversity and also the impact of specific content that is focused on a sensitive topic. In this case, content of

discussions related to a homework assignment about fear in different contexts.

Keywords:

Learning to live together: An exploration and analysis of managing cultural diversity in centre-based Early Childhood Development programmesˡ

Jaclyn Murray

Abstract This paper explores how Early Childhood Development (ECD) practitioners running centre-based

programmes with children aged three to six years address the needs of an increasing number of children from

diverse cultural backgrounds in their care. This is important as early childhood is a critical moment in which to

create a positive awareness about diversity. A qualitative and interactive research design was employed to

identify what values, attitudes, knowledge and strategies practitioners and families believe are important to

promote the social integration of children from diverse backgrounds. In-depth interviews and participant

observation were used to collect data from ten practitioners working in two urban settlements in two provinces

of South Africa, while focus group interviews were carried out with the families of children attending two of the

centres. The findings showed that an intercultural education approach provides the necessary tools to address

challenges faced by practitioners including promoting social integration, respect for diversity and

multilingualism, and the prevention of racist, xenophobic and discriminatory attitudes and actions.

Keywords: cultural diversity, intercultural education approach, Early Childhood Development, practitioners, South Africa.

Turkish German access to higher education: An historical and democratic theory analysis, 1960-2010

Roger Geertz Gonzalez

Abstract This article looks at access to higher education in Germany. For a number of reasons, explained in

this article, higher education is presently an elite system that privileges ethnic Germans while preventing

Turkish-Germans from gaining sufficient access into academe. If Germany is to become a fully functioning

multicultural democracy with equal rights for all it will have to revamp its higher education system so that

Turkish-Germans can gain better access to such institutions and consequently feel included into the German

social and political system.

Keywords: Turkish-Germans, Germany, Higher Education Access, Democratic Theory, Tracking, Ethnicity

Creation of culturally responsive classrooms: Teachers’ conceptualization of a new rationale for cultural responsiveness and management of diversity in Hong Kong secondary schools

Hue, M.T. & Kennedy, J.K.

Abstract Presently, there is a growing number of ethnic minority students in Hong Kong schools. This article

examines teachers’ views of the cross-cultural experience of ethnic minority students, their influence on the

performance of these students and how the diverse learning needs of these students are being addressed.

Qualitative data were collected from semi-structured interviews with thirty-two teachers from three secondary

schools. This study shows that teachers struggle to conceptualize a new rationale for responding to cultural

diversity. They develop a sense of inter-cultural sensitivity, promote cultural responsiveness to diversity, and

strengthen the home-school connection. This article argues that, like students, teachers simultaneously engage in

a cross-cultural process through which they learn the culture of ethnic minority students, re-learn their own

culture and re-examine the relevant rationale underlying cultural responsiveness. Finally, a framework for the

creation of culturally responsive classrooms, based upon the teachers’ new rationale of cultural responsiveness,

is proposed.

Keywords: Cultural responsiveness, Ethnic minority, Cross-cultural experience, Intercultural sensitivity, Management of Diversity

Intercultural education set forward: Operational strategies and procedures in Cypriot classrooms

C. Hajisoteriou

Teachers in Cyprus are being called upon for the first time to teach within culturally diverse educational

settings. Given the substantial role teachers play in the implementation of intercultural education, this

paper explores the intercultural strategies and procedures adopted by primary school teachers in Cyprus.

Interviews were carried out with 30 teachers, from four different schools. Findings show that participants

held conflicting perceptions of intercultural education, while they lacked sufficient awareness of their

immigrant students’ cultural backgrounds. Participants adopted individualised and collaborative

strategies, classroom discussions on intercultural issues and attempted to raise immigrant students’ self-

esteem in order to promote intercultural education. However, their own lack of intercultural preparation,

along with lack of language proficiency of immigrant students, the inadequacy of the Cypriot national

curriculum and time constraints, worked against efforts to promote greater inclusion.

Keywords: intercultural education; Cyprus; teacher strategies; classroom procedures

He, She, It: Gender Bias in Teacher-Student Interaction at University

Marija Bartulović, Barbara Kušević & Ana Markovinović,

Abstract Starting from an intercultural education framework, this paper examines whether students at two

Zagreb University universities perceive interactions with their teachers to be gender influenced. In the first part

of the paper, we outline the context of the research and the two theoretical constructs which correspond to

traditionally male and female teachers’ performances at university. In the second part of the paper we present

the results of the survey we conducted. The results show that the students recognized some aspects of gender

bias in interaction with their teachers, and that gendered cultures reflected in the dominantly female or male

teachers’ performances were indeed present at the universities included in the survey.

Keywords: gender bias, teacher-student interaction, Zagreb University, reproduction of traditional gender roles

International education in secondary schools explored: A mixed-method examination of one Midwestern state in the United States

Debora Hinderliter Ortloff, Payal Shah, Jingjing Lou & Evelyn Hamilton

Abstract Researchers generated results from a two-part empirical study of international education in

Connecticut’s secondary schools, the only state in the USA that, at this point, has dedicated significant resources

to the development of measurable student outcomes in international education. Results show that international

education does not appear to be a priority for school principals mainly because it is not an integral and necessary

component of the core curriculum required by the state. They saw few incentives to allocate great efforts and

resources in this area. They were also less clear and even mistaken about what constitute key aspects of

international education. Many schools with robust programs relied on the goodwill of a single teacher to start

and maintain exchange programs, after school clubs, and units on international topics.

Keywords: