TY - JOUR
T1 - Navigating the development of pre-service teachers’ intercultural competence and understanding of diversity
T2 - The benefits of facilitating online intercultural exchange
AU - Leh, Jayne M.
AU - Grau, Maike
AU - Guiseppe, John A.
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© Emerald Group Publishing Limited.
PY - 2015/6/8
Y1 - 2015/6/8
N2 - Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate the effects of online intercultural exchange (OIE) to mediate a cross-cultural project with pre-service teachers in two countries. Design/methodology/approach – Using a population of convenience, students from one American and one German university were assigned to mixed multi-cultural project groups and collaborated outside of class to address the importance of diversity in education; two weeks later, students met face-to-face as a large group and discussed their fndings. All students completed pre- and post-surveys to assess cultural preconceptions, pedagogical beliefs regarding technology-mediated instruction and globalization. Findings – Pre- and post-surveys and refective essays indicated that OIE reduced concerns before meeting face-to-face and the process successfully facilitated a deeper understanding of cultural diversity in education. Research limitations/implications – Generalizing results given the limited time frame of OIE and face-to-face interactions to other populations is cautioned. Future research should investigate extended interactions. Originality/value – These results suggest the value of OIE with these pre-service teachers as an integrated method for teaching language and culture, broadening understanding of cultural diversity, and promoting familiarity in culturally diverse settings prior to an international field experience.
AB - Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate the effects of online intercultural exchange (OIE) to mediate a cross-cultural project with pre-service teachers in two countries. Design/methodology/approach – Using a population of convenience, students from one American and one German university were assigned to mixed multi-cultural project groups and collaborated outside of class to address the importance of diversity in education; two weeks later, students met face-to-face as a large group and discussed their fndings. All students completed pre- and post-surveys to assess cultural preconceptions, pedagogical beliefs regarding technology-mediated instruction and globalization. Findings – Pre- and post-surveys and refective essays indicated that OIE reduced concerns before meeting face-to-face and the process successfully facilitated a deeper understanding of cultural diversity in education. Research limitations/implications – Generalizing results given the limited time frame of OIE and face-to-face interactions to other populations is cautioned. Future research should investigate extended interactions. Originality/value – These results suggest the value of OIE with these pre-service teachers as an integrated method for teaching language and culture, broadening understanding of cultural diversity, and promoting familiarity in culturally diverse settings prior to an international field experience.
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U2 - 10.1108/JME-12-2014-0042
DO - 10.1108/JME-12-2014-0042
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:84929922653
SN - 2053-535X
VL - 9
SP - 98
EP - 110
JO - Journal for Multicultural Education
JF - Journal for Multicultural Education
IS - 2
ER -