Cross-cultural Experiences Research Articles

Investigating Causality between Global Experience and Global Competency for Undergraduates in Contemporary China’s Higher Education: A Transformative Learning Theory Perspective

The purpose of this study is to investigate the causal relationship between global experience and global competency from a transformative learning theory perspective. China society is becoming more and more linguistically and culturally diverse in a global context. Moreover, Chinese students should be knowledgeable about the international issues to successfully communicate with others in a global world. Hence, in this study, causal inference analysis was used to identify the relations between global experience and global competency methodologically. Cross-cultural experience is essential to enhance students’ global competency. Therefore, investigating the relationship between global experience and global competency is significant to develop pedagogical assessments. This study found that the global experience is associated with global competence. Therefore, providing sufficient intercultural opportunities and sustainable funding supports are fundamental for HEIs to improve global competency in contemporary Chinese higher education system.

Beyond Borders: Global Nursing Education for the Future.

Most articles on nursing student study abroad experiences are one-sided case studies focusing on students and faculty from developed countries who travel to less developed countries. This article presents the perspectives of students from theUnited States, Chile, Mexico, and Taiwan, both sides of the international exchange experience. Students described the real-world, hands-on experience of immersion in a different health system and professional culture as transformational and having a significant impact on their nursing career goals. In an era of increasing globalization, cross-cultural experiences have great potential for nursing students on both sides of the exchange.

The Influence of Cross-Cultural Experiences & Location on Teachers’ Perceptions of Cultural Competence

The increasing cultural and linguistic diversity in academic settings necessitates greater cultural competence on the part of teachers, which in turn necessitates a greater understanding of both the level of cultural competence among teachers and the experiences that enhance cultural competence. Teacher educators and pre- and in-service teachers from two geographic regions in the U.S. completed a cultural competence survey, and their responses were used to construct a cultural competence score. Cultural competence scores were higher in the East location than in the Midwest location, and scores of participants were positively related to the extent of three cross-cultural experiences (speaking a foreign language, having been abroad, and having friends from other cultures). ANCOVA revealed an independent effect for teacher group and cross-cultural experiences, but not for location. The results of this study highlight the the need to improve teacher training in cultural competence and the importance to institutions of higher learning of understanding the cross-cultural experiences typical of the regions from where they draw their students.

The impact of Cross-cultural and tourist experience on the authenticity and tourist satisfaction : Focus on Chinese tourists in the world cultural heritage of Korea tour destinations

This paper investigates how do cross-cultural and tourist experience of Chinese tourist impact on authenticity and tourist satisfaction.Questionnaire had carry out targeting Chinese tourists in the world cultural heritage of Korea tour destinations for this study. The questionnaire survey was from Sept 1, 2015 to October 31, 2015 and totally 500 copies had distributed. 470 copies were collected back. Remove invalid questionnaires 450 copies were performed using in this study.Data collected through the survey was processed through data coding, followed by analysis on frequency Analysis, correlation analysis, and reliability analysis for SPSS 20.0 for Windows. Using AMOS 20.0 for confirmatory factor analysis and Structural equation model analysis.Base on the analysis it is suggested that, firstly, concerning the appropriateness of the model, analysis results were=560.012(df=188, p<0.001), GFI=0.906, AGFI=0.873, RMR=0.030, NFI=0.926, TLI=0.938, CFI=0.949, RMSEA=0.065, Normed (/df)=2.929. This meant that the model had sufficient validity when comparing with indices used as general evaluation standards. Secondly, Cross-Cultural Awareness has a positive impact on objective, constructive, and existential authenticity. Thirdly, Tourist experience has a positive impact on existential authenticity, objective authenticity and constructive authenticity. Fourthly, Existential authenticity, Objective authenticity and constructive authenticity has a positive impact on tourist satisfaction.

See Paris and… found a business? The impact of cross-cultural experience on opportunity recognition capabilities

Internationally mobile individuals such as migrants and expatriates exhibit a higher level of entrepreneurial activity than people without cross-cultural experience. Current research suggests that this pattern is rooted in specific resources and institutional arrangements that increase the attractiveness of exploiting entrepreneurial opportunities. In this study, we provide an additional explanation: We argue that cross-cultural experience increases the ability to recognize entrepreneurial opportunities. This argument is supported by two complementary studies—a longitudinal quasi-experiment and a priming experiment. We find convergent evidence that cross-cultural experience increases a person's capabilities to recognize particularly profitable types of opportunities by facilitating the application of cross-cultural knowledge for the discovery of arbitrage opportunities and creative recombination.

Cross-Cultural Educational Experiences and Academic Achievement of Ghanaian Immigrant Youth in Urban Public Schools

The past two decades have witnessed a rapid increase of immigrant population in U.S. schools. Little is known, however, about factors that promote cross-cultural experiences, academic achievement, and/or challenges of Black African immigrant youth, which is particularly significant today in the midst of the current social and political discourse over the influence of immigration in U.S. schools. Sixty Ghanaian-born immigrant students were recruited and interviewed. Analyses, which draw from in-depth interviews and observations, revealed that resilience to succeed, teacher and parent support, positive school environment, past histories including educational experiences, and challenging factors of racism, classism, xenophobia, acculturative stress, changes in curriculum, language, and cultural discrimination emerged as the major factors that largely influenced academic achievement of these learners. This article discusses the implications of these findings for educators who are tasked to render better educational settings for Black African immigrant students to succeed in U.S. schools.

Expanding horizons on expatriate adjustment: A look at the role of emotional display and status

As organizations are becoming increasingly global, the number of expatriate workers around the globe is increasing. Although expatriate adjustment has been well researched, other aspects of the expatriate's cross-cultural experience have not been examined in depth. This review explores one such aspect, the role of emotion in cross-cultural experiences, and examines literature from the 1990's to present on emotion and status as it could relate to the expatriate experience. Specifically, the authors examine the role of emotion across cultures, emotional display rules and status in order to deepen our understanding of how emotion could affect international adjustment and the training process. In addition, the authors provide avenues for future research.

Crossing the Atlantic: Integrating cross-cultural experiences into undergraduate business courses using virtual communities technology

ABSTRACTToday's business school academics are tasked with pedagogy that offers students an understanding of the globalization of markets and the cross-cultural communication skills needed in today's business environment. The authors describe how a virtual cross-cultural experience was integrated into an undergraduate business course and used as an innovative pedagogical tool to give students and faculty an opportunity to build cross-cultural communication skills and develop cultural knowledge in ways similar to more costly travel abroad experiences. This experience contributes to competent and globally minded business graduates and faculty who are fit for the challenges of the global marketplace.

Ensuring the Health, Safety and Preparedness of U.S. Medical Students Participating in Global Health Electives Overseas.

Global health electives based in resource-poor countries have become extremely popular with medical students from resource rich ones. As the number of such programs and participants increase, so too do the absolute health and safety risks. It is clear from a number of published reports that many institutions provide little or no meaningful preparedness for students and do little to ensure their health and safety. These deficiencies together can affect students, their foreign hosts, and sponsoring institutions. The School of Public Health at the State University of New York, Downstate Medical Center, and its predecessor, the Department of Preventive Medicine and Community Health, have sponsored a 6-8 week global health elective for fourth year medical students since 1980. The purposes of this elective are to provide students with an opportunity to observe the health care and public health systems in resource-poor countries, provide medical service, and have a cross-cultural experience. Over the course of the past 35 years, 386 students have participated in this global health elective in more than 41 resource-poor countries. Recent annual applications for this elective have been as high as 44 out of a class of 200 students. Over the past 10 years, annual acceptance rates have varied, ranging from a low of 32 % in 2007-2008 to a high of 74 % in 2010-2011 and 2013-2014. Careful screening, including a written application, review of academic records and personal interviews, has resulted in the selection of highly mature, adaptable, and dedicated students who have performed well at overseas sites. Appropriately preparing students for an overseas global health experience in resource-poor countries requires the investment of much professional and staff time and effort. At the SUNY Downstate School of Public Health, these resources have underpinned our Global Health in Developing Countries elective for many years. As a result, the elective is characterized by meticulous organization, extensive preparedness measures for students, and continuous monitoring of site and country safety. The health of students is ensured by one-on-one assessment of immunization needs, anti-malarials, and the provision of a five-day supply of post-exposure HIV prophylaxis. Students sign agreements regarding the legal issues, immunizations, and anti-malarials recommended as well as HIV post-exposure prophylaxis. They are also required to obtain medical evacuation insurance provided by the university, and medical care insurance valid overseas. Student travel plans are also approved as is in-country lodging. The focus of our 6-8 week global health elective is not clinical medicine. Rather, it is to enable students to learn about the health care and public health systems in a resource-poor country. Through that focus, they also come to understand the causes of health and health care disparities that exist in the country to which they are assigned. Our students are greatly advantaged with regard to cross-cultural understanding since our school is located in New York City's Borough of Brooklyn, where 40 % of the population was born outside of the U.S. Our comprehensive effort at risk management for this global health elective includes a thorough debriefing for each student upon his/her return. Special attention is given to ascertaining illness or injury while overseas, and, when necessary, immediate referral is made to an appropriate university clinical department where a student can be appropriately case managed. Meticulous oversight, careful selection of safe overseas sites, and attention to preparing students have resulted in significant risk reduction and successful experiences for the majority of our 386 students. This article describes the model we have developed for ensuring the health, safety, and preparedness of students participating in our global health elective.

Conceptual Grounds of Pedagogical Research of Cross-Cultural Communication Experience Formation of University Students

The conceptual model of cross-cultural communication experience formation of university students as the invariant model for training specialists of all types has been developed. The research is realized both at the theoretical and practical levels and is stipulated by the determined contradictions that confirm its urgency. The research of cross-cultural communication formation is based on the studied approaches as well as the leading pedagogic paradigms. Their application is proved by the theoretical theses. They serve as grounds for projecting the conceptual model of cross-cultural communication formation of university students, which is characterized by structural and functional components. The model proposed by the author is invariable for specialists’ preparation in any sphere and essential for the pedagogic process organization on the scientific grounds.

Improvements in Cultural Competence Through Classroom and Local Cross-Cultural Service-Learning Activities

INTRODUCTIONPhysical therapist (PT) education programs are challenged with preparing students future practice in a diverse society. Gaps in communication and inadvertent bias may result in a lower quality of health care when the patient and provider are from different cultures.1,2 Additionally, health disparities among in the United States are well-documented.3 Disparities in access health care and the quality of health care services are potentially amenable contributors health disparities. It has been proposed that improving cultural competence can reduce the gap in the quality of health care offered.4,5Campinha-Bacote describes the development of cultural competence as a lifelong process in which health care professionals continually attempt improve their ability provide care within clients' cultural contexts.6 The cultural competence model developed by Campinha-Bacote proposes 5 different areas of cultural competence: awareness, knowledge, skills, encounters, and desire.7 Cultural awareness is defined as the process of examining one's own biases and background, in addition being aware of documented racism and biases in health care delivery. Cultural knowledge is described as the process of students and health care professionals pursuing a knowledge base about culturally diverse groups. Cultural skill is the ability obtain culturally relevant information and perform a cultural-based physical assessment. Cultural encounters involve interactions with clients and community members from culturally diverse backgrounds. Cultural desire is the motivation or passion that may provide energy the process of developing cultural competence.7The results of numerous studies in the physical therapy literature have indicated that international cross-cultural experiences can be effective improving cultural competence.841 The authors could not find published studies, however, demonstrating the effectiveness of local cross-cultural experiences in PT students, though evidence supports their use in medical12,13 and nursing14,15 students. Additionally, PT education programs include didactic cultural competence components in their curricula.11,16 However, extremely limited data have demonstrated the effectiveness of classroom experiences improving cultural competence.17Review of the LiteratureThe American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) recommends PT education programs include components promote cultural competence18 and provides recommendations achieve this.19 The APTA Committee on Cultural Competence published the Blueprint Teaching Cultural Competence in Physical Therapy Education in 2008 with the intention to promote the delivery of health care services that better address the needs of racial and ethnic minorities and for eliminating health disparities that currently exist.19(pl) The committee advocated a theoretical framework based on the works published by Cross et al20 and Campinha-Bacote.7 APTA's Blueprint For Teaching Cultural Competence In Physical Therapy Education focused on outcomes of acquiring attitudes, knowledge, and skill through a variety of classroom and community activities. Core components include: reflective practice promote self-examination, understanding social determinants of health, and promoting patient-centered care and effective communication with people from a variety of cultures by applying knowledge about culture, belief systems, and health behaviors.19Evidence establishing the effectiveness of cross-cultural experiences improving cultural competence has been described international experiences.840 Additionally, PT students participating in a mixed educational model including a combination of classroom activities, an international experience, and reflection activities demonstrated significant improvements in cultural competence11 as measured by the Inventory Assessing the Process of Cultural Competence Among Healthcare Professionals-Student Version (IAPCC-SV©) self-assessment tool. …

Mediumistic Divine Possession among Early Christians: A Response to Craig S. Keener’s “Spirit Possession as a Cross-cultural Experience”

Abstract Craig S. Keener’s article “Spirit Possession as a Cross-cultural Experience” explores the phenomenon of invasive spirit possession in both early Jewish/Christian cultures and modern cultures. His cross-cultural approach makes use of anthropological data on spirit possession as a means to investigate the NT and Greco-Roman data on spirit possession. In this article, I take advantage of Keener’s research into anthropological resources on spirit possession. Whereas Keener’s research shows that early Christians experienced demonic and violent possession, I find that his research can easily incorporate the position that early Christians also experienced divine possession that produced inspired speech such as prophecy and glossolalia. The coexistence of divine and demonic possession could potentially be ambiguous and create schisms among different groups as to who was really divinely possessed.

Darnių sprendimų paieška kovai su diskriminacija: kalbų mokytojų strategijos siekiant užtikrinti deramą dėmesį kultūriniams ir lingvistiniams aspektams

This study is based on a larger phenomenological research designed to better understand the phenomenon of teachers’ intercultural knowledge and belief formation through their personal/professional cross-cultural experiences. This article specifically focuses on the integration of interculturally appropriate pedagogy, creating sustainable solutions for discrimination at micro-macro scale, and suggesting ways to improve the current instructional practices. The qualitative data were collected by using Seidman’s phenomenological interview protocol and interpretatively analyzed. Participants include eight female teachers of Chinese, French, German, and Spanish teaching in the Midwest USA. The degree to which they try to embrace student cultural diversity depends essentially on how they relate it to their perceived core identity and life mission. Differentiating between students’ cultural or personal problems and appropriately interpreting their behaviors, and addressing diversity in class from its various perspectives are some starting points. Some simple yet effective strategies are genuinely listening to students, paying attention, noticing and remembering their individual traits. Other more specific strategies involve individualizing instruction, drawing on students’ cultural funds, constantly using inclusive language, being sincere with students, using classroom cheers, using authentic materials, and using music. Strategies peculiar to language teaching mostly use the target language as a springboard to bring up multicultural issues, drawing attention to the diverse cultural practices within the target language culture. Distilled from participants’ teaching experiences based on specific interpretations of learner intercultural needs, the strategies proposed here are expected to be helpful not only to language teachers but also to language curriculum designers. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.7220/2335-2027.9.6

Fenianism’s Bermuda Footprint: Revolutionary Nationalism in the Victorian Empire

Fenianism’s Bermuda Footprint:Revolutionary Nationalism in the Victorian Empire* Jerome Devitt (bio) Although such rumours are frequently groundless or are set afloat to cover other schemes, or so flatter the conceit of the plotters by exciting alarms, it would be well, considering the desperate wickedness of some of the Fenian outrages, that our people should be well on their guard, and that the proceedings of all unaccredited strangers arriving among us should be carefully watched lest our apparent security should encourage or beget the conception of such a design. Bermuda Royal Gazette, 14 February 1882 In 1882 the Bermuda Royal Gazette published an article under the headline “Fenian Plots” that identified continual threats posed by Irish American nationalists to the tiny mid-Atlantic islands of Bermuda. These threats included the “frequently groundless” plot of the Irish Republican Union (IRU) to rescue John Mitchel, the prominent Young Ireland revolutionary and political journalist, from the prison hulks off the Bermudian coast; the circulation of misinformation by the Fenian Brotherhood to “cover other schemes” such as the invasion of Canada in 1866; and the attempted “Fenian outrages” of the dynamiters that had become prevalent in Britain in the first half of the 1880s. Although none of these plots materialized, they nevertheless had a profound impact on the geostrategically significant island colony. By examining the cumulative impact of these schemes, this essay will demonstrate the previously unacknowledged significance of Bermuda to Irish American revolutionaries [End Page 141] throughout the Victorian period and contribute to the growing historiography suggesting that the strategic outlook of Fenianism was more geographically ambitious than traditional scholarship has recognized.1 While this scholarly approach has been successful in broadening the scope of inquiry and shifting the focus away from individuals and organizations and toward the impact of Fenianism on the broader Atlantic world,2 its concentration has largely been on mainland North America and the Canadian Maritimes.3 By widening this geographic range further to include other Atlantic spaces such as Bermuda, it is possible to examine traditional revolutionary attempts to attack the empire by members of the diaspora in parallel with implicit aspects of Irish imperial experience in the guise of those who defended it from within. Bermuda in this instance thus provides a point of intersection between the formal British empire and the “counter-empire” suggested by Máirtín Ó Catháin.4 In choosing Bermuda as the focal point, I aim to consider what Barry Crosbie has called the [End Page 142] “cross-cultural experiences, ideologies, institutions, and personnel” that were integral to Irish involvement in the British imperial project.5 This essay also argues that Irish physical-force nationalism had a broader political utility for Bermuda’s colonial administrators and their counterparts at Westminster that was centered on the appropriation of imperial resources. Fear of anticolonialism, invasion, and terrorism served a vital function for those administrators, allowing them to significantly upgrade Bermuda’s defensive infrastructure. Central to this discussion is the acknowledgment of the marked disparity between the rhetoric used to dismiss Fenianism and the actual measures taken to meet those potential threats. Any assessment of governmental reactions to Fenianism must consider both of these aspects—rhetoric and reaction. The precise nature of the actions described highlights not only the primacy of the naval responses to imperial threats but also the way in which Irish American revolutionaries viewed the empire in specifically naval and transnational terms. Three interrelated lines of inquiry will be developed here. First, an exploration will be offered of the breadth of interactions between Ireland and Bermuda, particularly along institutional lines. This is designed to serve as a baseline against which the threats can be contextualized within both the imperial and the Atlantic world. The essay will then consider the precise nature of the various threats against Bermuda in order to establish the different ways in which revolutionary Irish nationalists sought to exploit the island. Finally, a consideration will be offered of the civil, military, naval, and diplomatic networks activated by the British authorities across the Atlantic world to counter real and perceived threats to Bermuda. Bermuda, Ireland, and the British Atlantic While the two islands are...

Take it Outside

California is experiencing a proliferation of public religious celebrations like never before. The authors focus on four public celebrations: the throwing of colors during Holi, an annual pilgrimage to Manzanar, the Peruvian celebration of El Señor de Los Milagros, and Noche de Altares. Even as these and many other similar festivals simultaneously represent the irruption and interruption of the sacred in the public sphere, these festivals reflect the multi-religious character of immigration. These public rituals say something about the pursuit of belonging in California and in the United States within an increasingly diverse and multicultural landscape. Those who participate together as intimate strangers are often seeking only a temporary affiliation, perhaps a place for a moment to engage one another beyond the context of the marketplace. In sharing in these religious and cross-cultural experiences, participants become enmeshed in the complicated and vibrant diversity of California, up close and personal, as physical as the bodies encountered there.

Reflections on university teaching in China: a personal narrative inquiry

University teaching academics who want to better understand and develop their teaching for improved student learning can often benefit from experiences in a completely different culture and setting. When university academics travel to another country and participate in teaching there they are often confronted with challenges to their assumptions and approaches to teaching. This paper explores through a narrative enquiry approach the cross-cultural experiences of two university lecturers; one from China and one from Australia. Through their stories here and their reflections on these and reflection on literature they examine their beliefs and practices, and through this try to better understand the assumptions that they hold and how to challenge these in order to be better teachers. The paper provides some other insights into teaching and learning practices within Australia and within China and in particular how the significant changes of higher education in China are both having impact on teachers and learners and are requiring changes of both teaching and learning approaches, Finally, in sharing these experiences the authors provide an opportunity for the reader to similarly engage in processes of personal reflection, and they open up the possibility for other dialogues in this Learning community.

A Qualitative Study of Mental Health Problems Among Orphaned Children and Adolescents in Tanzania.

Low- and middle-income countries have a high number of orphans, many of whom have unmet mental health needs. Effective mental health interventions are needed; however, it is necessary to understand how mental health symptoms and needs are perceived locally to tailor interventions and refine measurement of intervention effects. We used an existing rapid ethnographic assessment approach to identify mental health problems from the perspective of orphans and guardians to inform a subsequent randomized controlled trial of a Western-developed, evidence-based psychosocial intervention, Trauma-focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. Local Kiswahili-speaking interviewers conducted 73 free list interviews and 34 key informant interviews. Results identified both common cross-cultural experiences and symptoms as well as uniquely described symptoms (e.g., lacking peace, being discriminated against) not typically targeted by the intervention or included on standardized measures of intervention effects. We discuss implications for adapting mental health interventions in low- and middle-income countries and assessing effectiveness.

Undergraduate nursing students and cross-cultural care: A program evaluation

The purpose of this study was to evaluate baccalaureate nursing students' perspectives on their acquired cultural competency following the integration of a transcultural nursing thread throughout the curriculum. This research is as part of an ongoing program evaluation. A cross-sectional survey design utilizing The Residents Physicians' Preparedness to Provide Cross-Cultural Care Survey (Weissman et al., 2005). The instrument was adapted and used as the Nursing Education in Cross-Cultural Care Survey. This survey consisted of five sections: training, cross-cultural experiences, resources, specialty areas, and personal and professional characteristics. The setting for this research was a baccalaureate school of nursing at a small university in rural Hawaii. A convenience sample of 56 graduating senior nursing students over a 2-year period participated in the study. Students perceived themselves as somewhat prepared to provide cultural competent care. Limited exposure and utilization of interpreters, lack of role models and mentors, and unpreparedness to counsel different cultures in the area of terminal health were the lowest scoring subsections. Students learned best in the clinical setting compared to classroom setting. Nursing program evaluation needs to be systematic and ongoing. All programs need to determine whether program goals were met. This survey tool assisted faculty to evaluate the integration of the transcultural thread throughout the nursing curriculum. At the end of the nursing program, students were somewhat prepared to deliver cross-cultural care. Areas were identified for program improvement.

Serving a Stranger or Serving Myself: Alternative Breaks and the Influence of Race and Ethnicity on Student Understanding of Themselves and Others

Given the ever increasing numbers of Students of Color engaging in higher education, the importance of cross-cultural interactions for all students, and the evidence that White students and Students of Color may have vastly different experiences in higher education, there is a need to further explore the types of cross-cultural experiences that different college students have and the ways that those experiences facilitate learning and development. Using data from the National Survey of Alternative Breaks, the purpose of this study was to explore how one particular type of cross-cultural experience, participating in a service-learning based alternative break (AB) program, contributes to the racial understanding of White students and Students of Color. Findings point to the importance of considering the different experiences that White students and Students of Color have in ABs and other service-learning experiences.

Animating Fermi—A Collaboration between Art Students and Astronomers

Undergraduate animation students at the Maryland Institute College of Art teamed up with scientists from the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope to produce a set of animations on several astronomy topics. Here, the authors describe the process and discuss the results, educational benefits and the cross-cultural experience. These animations are available for free online.