Tertiary dance education in inclusive settings: teachers’ intercultural sensitivity for teaching international students

Abstract

ABSTRACT In internationalised dance education, many teachers undertake inclusive philosophies and identify themselves as inclusive educators. But there may be possible differences between theories in minds and practices in studios, leading to the research inquiry: How might dance teachers’ teaching practices for international students extend from their intercultural sensitivities in inclusive-oriented tertiary education? In this research, international students are identified as individuals who move across national boundaries from Eastern countries to enrol in Western institutions. Participants are recognised as self-defined inclusive educators who have teaching experiences with international students. The research utilises Milton Bennett’s Developmental Model of Intercultural Sensitivity as a critical framework to understand different intercultural competencies. The framework also guides the demonstration of results in a sequence: Denial, Defense, Minimisation, Acceptance, Adaptation and Integration. The results are tangible narratives that indicate different intercultural sensitivities from participants with inclusive teaching intentions. Data were gathered through semi-structured interviews and analysed in a qualitative content analysis process. The study implies the gap between teachers’ inclusive intentions and teaching experiences, which could facilitate a reflection on educational inclusion for international dance students.