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"Intercultural Programs"
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Intercultural challenges, intracultural practices: how Chinese and Australian students understand and experience intercultural communication at an Australian university
In recent years, over half a million Chinese students travelled abroad to study, making China the largest source of international students in the global higher education market. A large Chinese population on campus does not, however, generate prolific interactions between them and local students. Language barriers and cultural distance are frequently cited in the literature as factors that hinder communication, yet it is not clear how they actually affect the communication process. To address this gap, we utilise quantitative and qualitative data collected at one Australian university through an online survey (n = 124) and focus groups (N = 16) to investigate how Chinese international students and local students understand and experience intercultural communication. We find that both student groups are quite positive about language and cultural differences but struggle with comprehension problems and low-quality interactions. Intercultural communication requires interlocutors to establish common grounds between language and cultural variations via meaning negotiation. However, being restricted by intracultural practices and norms, students are not able to fully utilise communication techniques to fulfil this need. This, in return, affects their motivations to have further intercultural interactions. The paper concludes by discussing the implications for universities and suggestions for further research. (HRK / Abstract übernommen).
Journal Article
Learning in digital environments
This article presents a conceptual model of cross-cultural alignments in education in the digital era. The intention was to explore and respond to urgent questions regarding learners and the learning environments in today’s networked society. The model explores the enabling or constraining influences of educational systems, digital environments, learners, and educators on other learners and is based on the concept of social justice. The skills and competencies required for efficient learner development in a digital environment include digital competence, collaboration skills, intercultural competence, and lifelong learning skills. The interrelationship of these components and their influence on learners’ skills and competencies are discussed through the lens of cross-cultural alignment by examining three intercultural projects worldwide. The authors recommend that educational systems provide educational institutions with a high-quality infrastructure as well as to support educators and learners in the development of digital skills. Future research may examine the model’s components and their interrelationships so that it may serve researchers and practitioners as a basis for the design of future intercultural projects.
Journal Article
'But we're not a multicultural school!' : locating intercultural relations and reimagining intercultural education as an act of 'coming-to-terms-with our routes'
Learning to live in a superdiverse world might be heralded as one of the great social challenges of our time. In the last decade, intercultural education has been posed as one way to foster intercultural capabilities in young people
that can contribute towards learning to live well with cultural difference. As the diaspora in Australia - and elsewhere - expands, developing intercultural understanding is seen as a priority. Despite the directives of official policy
and curriculum, enacting intercultural education in meaningful ways is complex and fraught. This paper reports on an Australian ethnography at a predominantly 'white' school that examined the way productions of cultural difference across
school spaces complicate teachers' intercultural work. This paper considers how intercultural understanding might move beyond celebrations of multiculturalism, arguing that 'coming-to-terms with our routes' necessarily prefigures
intercultural understanding and provides opportunity for an intercultural education beyond a celebration of multiculturalism. [Author abstract]
Journal Article
The intercultural experiences of Vietnamese students in Taiwan
This study explores the intercultural experiences of four Vietnamese students in a Taiwanese intercultural communication course over 15 weeks of self-reflective writing. Guided by Mezirow’s transformative learning theory, this analysis examines how these students navigate cultural differences, make sense of stereotypes, and reconstruct their identities. Qualitative analysis reveals disorienting dilemmas, critical reflection, and shifts in perspective that deepen cultural awareness and empathy. Self-reflective writing has emerged as a crucial tool for expressing and connecting classroom discussions with personal experiences. The findings highlight the importance of experiential learning and reflection in promoting intercultural sensitivity, offering valuable insights for curriculum design in global education settings.
Journal Article
Rethinking Intercultural Competence (IC) : A Co-Constructed Approach to Developing and Assessing IC in Virtual Exchange
This article critically examines how intercultural competence (IC) is developed and evaluated, particularly in the context of virtual exchange (VE). It considers how prevailing applications of IC models often underemphasize the relational, dynamic, and co-constructed nature of intercultural learning in VE. Drawing on recent empirical research from VE contexts (McHugh, 2024), the article highlights how peer feedback and collaborative meaning-making can strengthen existing approaches to IC development and evaluation. Grounded in social constructionist theory, the article proposes a conceptual pedagogical framework that situates IC development and assessment in VE within processes of co- construction, relational accountability, and peer-informed evaluation. The article concludes by outlining practical implications for teaching and learning, while also identifying how this approach might support more inclusive and responsive IC practices in virtual environments.
Journal Article
Perceived learning outcomes of a short-term collaborative learning program
This study investigated Japanese students’ perceived learning outcomes from a short-term program jointly conducted by the University of Tokyo and Asian University for Women in Bangladesh through the lens of intercultural competence and the contact hypothesis. Qualitative data were derived primarily from Japanese students’ essays. Inductive analysis revealed that intergroup interactions enhanced Japanese students’ awareness of social inequalities, diverse ethnic identities, prevailing stereotypes against the Global South, their own privilege, and Japan’s colonial legacy. This study makes theoretical contributions by illuminating the potential for inappropriate and ineffective interactions with outgroup peers. These findings suggest that educators should create environments where learners feel safe in making communicative mistakes and avoid hastily developing learners’ intercultural competence.
Journal Article
Marginalization and Underrepresentation in Virtual Exchange: Reasons and Remedies
The recent expansion of virtual exchange (VE) in lieu of the Covid-19 pandemic and the ongoing advance of technology has resulted in considerably larger numbers of VE participants for those in certain areas and contexts, yet not all would-be participants have been so fortunate. In some regions and in various contexts, challenges in VE implementation have resulted in disadvantaged populations in terms of underrepresentation and marginalization in global VE networks. To illuminate such challenges, a mixed-method approach was utilized in the current study, beginning with a global survey to elucidate reasons for underrepresentation in terms of political, governmental, institutional, administrative, technological, pedagogical, cultural and personal challenges. Thereafter, semi-structured interviews with instructors, administrators, and educational decision makers were conducted to gain further insights. Although VE is now well established as an impactful mode of studying abroad, various region-specific challenges remain. We conclude with recommendations for underrepresented regions and populations.
Journal Article
Why interculturalism does not always translate into action : Insights from teachers in an Australian primary school
For intercultural education to impact learners and, in turn, wider society, teachers must turn intercultural perspectives into actions in their professional contexts. This article examines why teachers who hold positive intercultural
views might not be compelled to teach to these in their classrooms. Focusing specifically on education for culturally diverse learners, this article presents a critical ethnographic study of two teachers working in a multicultural
Australian primary school. It analyses the tensions that complicate teachers' work for intercultural education, and suggests that competent, well-intentioned teachers might be discouraged from responding pedagogically to their students'
cultural or linguistic backgrounds because of perceived constraints in the contemporary neoliberal educational environment. This prompts our recommendation that future research seek ways to open up new conditions of possibility for
teachers to act on their perspectives including opportunities for increased cross-cultural engagement and dialogue. [Author abstract]
Journal Article
“Witch doctors” or professionals? The graduates of Mexico´'s first intercultural university and the struggle for legitimacy
Since 2003, the Mexican government has opened 11 intercultural universities serving a total of 15,000 students, a majority of whom are members of Mexico´s Indigenous minority. While there is a growing body of work analyzing the intercultural model from public policy and theoretical perspectives, few studies focus on the experiences of the students and graduates of these institutions. In this article, I share the findings of one such study of the Intercultural University of Mexico State, the pioneer of the intercultural universities. Through interviews with graduates, students, and deans of three undergraduate intercultural programs, I seek to answer a central question, which is rooted in critical and decolonial theory: To what degree does the intercultural model achieve its stated mission of empowering Indigenous students and to what degree does it contribute to the reproduction of inequality? In general, the findings are mixed. While many students share experiences of discrimination in the workplace, and even being derided as “witch-doctors,” they argue that attending an institution with a critical mass of Indigenous students has empowered them personally and professionally, transformed their cultural identities, and given them a new appreciation for their Indigenous roots.
Journal Article