International Mindedness and Intercultural Competence: Perceptions of Pakistani Higher Education Faculty

Zehra Habib

doi:10.22555/joeed.v5i1.1807

Abstract

This qualitative study endeavored to examine higher education faculty members’ understanding of international mindedness and intercultural competence and sought their views on professional development programs competency in evolving an internationally minded stance. The focus of this study was on international mindedness because in the current era of globalization, it has become imperative to inculcate world mindedness in students and to prepare them for global citizenship. Data were collected through in-depth individual interviews held with eight faculty members teaching at two higher education institutions in Karachi, Pakistan. Dominant findings demonstrated that most participants had limited insight regarding the concepts and that these were applied minimally in their current teaching practices. Although, lauding an international minded approach, most participants considered understanding of local cultures more relevant before moving on to international visions. Participating faculty also reflected that there was lack of professional development and that for understanding local and international dynamics, specialized education programs were an important factor. The study concluded with implications for professional growth platforms to foster global mindedness in educators in order for them to promote international mindedness in students.

Highlights

Being a developing country, Pakistan is striving for betterment in several sectors, including education at all levels
The current study focused on international mindedness and intercultural competence of higher education faculty members
Recurrent themes that manifested from data and were related to the research questions, included participants’ understanding of international mindedness as knowing about the world and intercultural competence as having knowledge about the cultures of other countries

Summary

Introduction

Pakistan is striving for betterment in several sectors, including education at all levels. The current study focused on international mindedness and intercultural competence of higher education faculty members. It is essential that faculty members promote international mindedness so that they can guide their students to be global citizens of the future. The logic of adopting an internationally minded and interculturally responsive stance in pedagogical practices is the need of the times; whether it is through education, media, business, technology, or in multiple other ways, peoples of the world are interacting with one another. Pakistani students go abroad for further education, business executives travel to meet their counter parts from various countries and families migrate to new destinations. For Harrison (2014), the growth of global economies and migration leanings, underscore the need for education to prepare students to be internationally minded citizens

Objectives

Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion