Mediating knowledge through peer-to-peer interaction in a multicultural online learning environment: A case of international students in the US

Gulnara Sadykova

doi:10.19173/irrodl.v15i3.1629

Abstract

<p>The continuous growth of online learning and its movement towards cross-border and cross-culture education has recently taken a new turn with the epic hype that currently surrounds the development of massive open online courses (MOOCs) (Beattie-Moss, 2013). This development brings to focus the experiences of international students who take online courses designed and offered within the paradigm of Western pedagogy. Employing a sociocultural theoretical framework (Vygotsky, 1978; Scollon &amp; Scollon, 2001), this paper examines the mediating roles that peers may play in the context of multicultural online learning environments. This two-stage, mixed methods study explored the experiences of 12 international graduate students who took fully online courses in a large research university in the northeastern region of the United States. The data included a survey, online interviews, as well as a case study that took a close look at the experiences of a female student from China. Findings of the study demonstrated that international students that come from diverse native academic backgrounds and cultures may necessitate a close relationship with peers they meet in the US courses. Peers become invaluable mediators of knowledge for international students who seek peer assistance to compensate for the lack of culture-specific knowledge and skills and to satisfy their interest in the host culture. The study suggests that course developers and facilitators should be proactive when assigning group projects and activities so as to enable close peer-to-peer interaction and opportunities for building personal relationships with other class members.</p>

Highlights

While most universities and colleges see their native citizens as their primary target audience, growing world population mobility and interest in higher education have increased the number of students who wish to obtain a tertiary degree from a foreign institution
US universities and colleges are interested in attracting international students; how can educational institutions help make these students' learning experiences more successful? How welcoming is the learning environment for this group of learners? What happens when an international student has little or no face-to-face interaction with members of learning communities, that is, when she/he is engaged in online learning?
This study describes some of the roles that peers may play in the learning experiences of international students who are enrolled in fully online courses offered through a US university

Summary

Introduction

While most universities and colleges see their native citizens as their primary target audience, growing world population mobility and interest in higher education have increased the number of students who wish to obtain a tertiary degree from a foreign institution. It is predicted that by the year 2025, there will be about 8 million international students as compared to 2 million in 2004 (Albach, 2004). Most of those students – over 764,000 – are heading to the United States making higher education one of the country’s largest service sector exports (Institute of International Education, 2012). US universities and colleges are interested in attracting international students; how can educational institutions help make these students' learning experiences more successful? MOOCs, have revealed the need to move towards instructional models oriented to peer-to-peer learning and peer-assessment (see, for example, Piech et al, 2013)

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Conclusion