diverse voices listening to international students · the training guide presupposes some...

DIVERSE VOICES LISTENING TO INTERNATIONAL STUDENTSIntercultural Awareness and Student Support Training Guide for Staff Working with International Students

Copyright: Irish Council for International Students

ISBN: ISBN 0-9539595-4-6

Publisher: Irish Council for International Students, Dublin, Ireland

First Edition: June 2015

Designer: Tanika Design

DVD Production: Yellow Brick Media

Funded with support From the department oF education and skills

irish council For international students (icos)The Irish Council for International Students (ICOS) is an independent, national membership-based organisation that advocates for the rights of international students who choose Ireland as a study destination. Through its work with higher education institutions, student associations and government agencies, ICOS’ mission is to influence policy and promote high standards and good practice in international education.

www.icosirl.ie

author: louise staunton, irish council For international students Louise Staunton is Programme and Training Manager at ICOS. She has been working directly with international students and on issues in international education since 2000. Louise designs and delivers intercultural training programmes to staff and students at Irish higher education institutions. Previously, Louise worked in education programme administration at Trinity College Dublin. She holds a BA in English and History, an MA in English (American Literature) from University College Dublin and a Cert. in Training and Development (IITD).

editor: dr ciarÁn dunne, duBlin citY uniVersitYDr. Ciarán Dunne is based in the School of Applied Language and Intercultural Studies (SALIS) at Dublin City University (DCU). He lectures in Intercultural Studies, Spanish language, Social Identities, and Social marketing. He holds a BA in International Marketing and Languages (Spanish and German) and a MA in Intercultural Studies. His PhD, which was awarded an honourable mention by the International Association of Intercultural Research, focused on intercultural relations between students in higher education in Ireland, with a particular focus on the attitudes, behaviours and experiences of host culture students. He contributed to the development of Ireland’s International Education Strategy (2010-2015), Investing in Global Relationships, and he is currently researching the relationship between creativity and intercultural experiences.

preFaceI’m delighted to have been asked to provide a preface for Diverse Voices: Listening to International Students.

Ireland’s international education sector is founded on the quality of our higher and further education and our strong track record in delivering quality-assured programmes to international students. That sector must be driven by quality in the areas of programme delivery, the student experience and governance.

International students are an important and valued group within our education system. Each year, thousands make the decision to come here and spend some time studying in our many higher and further education institutions across the country.

This is a big decision for students to make and it’s important that they are made to feel as welcome as possible when they arrive and spend time here. Diverse Voices will be an important aid to making this happen.

It comes after changes introduced by myself and my colleague, the Minister for Justice, Frances Fitzgerald, to help protect students within the English language colleges sector.

All of these developments highlight our commitment as a country to welcoming international students, and making sure that their time here is memorable and quality-driven, and I would like to thank ICOS for their continued commitment in this regard.

Jan O’Sullivan TD, Minister for Education and Skills

ICOS’ mission is that all international students who come to study in Ireland achieve their educational aims and are valued and treated equitably by the institutions that host them and by the wider society in which they live and work. Few would argue with this aspiration but it demands that, as service providers, we become very active listeners and are flexible and responsive to student needs. Feedback and attitude surveys, focus groups and research of various kinds can add significantly to our knowledge about students’ experiences and positively influence our policies and service provision but, in a training environment, there is no substitute for bringing the authentic voices of students into the classroom in a structured way to raise awareness regarding different cultural perspectives on teaching and learning and indeed on life in general. We are confident that Diverse Voices will enliven many training sessions with its thoughtful, honest and often humorous contributions from students themselves and the professionals who support them.

I take this opportunity to acknowledge the support received from the Department of Education and Skills which allowed ICOS to undertake this project in the first place. The work involved in producing Diverse Voices was substantial and I would particularly like to thank two people, my colleague Louise Staunton for her vision and leadership throughout and our editor, Dr Ciaran Dunne (DCU) who was ever generous with his time and advice along the way.

While the focus of Diverse Voices is on the Irish cultural context, the themes explored will resonate with anyone interested in intercultural competence development. We hope you will find it of value.

Sheila Power, Director, Irish Council for International Students (ICOS)June 2015

3Diverse Voices: Listening to International Students

acknowledGmentsI would like to extend my immense gratitude to the following for their contributions to the Diverse Voices project:

• Alltheinternationalstudentsandcollegestaffwhogenerouslyagreedtobeinterviewed. They added a richness of experience to the project that went beyond our expectations.

• ÁineO’MearaandEndaO’DowdofYellowBrickMediafortheirworkonfilmingand editing the interviews. Their vision and commitment to capturing the authentic voices of our interviewees on film was crucial.

• DrCiaránDunne(DublinCityUniversity)forhisacademicandeditorialguidance.His input to the overall direction and content of the project was invaluable.

• MyICOScolleagues(currentandformer),particularlySheilaPower,fortheiroverall support and assistance.

• ICOScouncilmemberssharedtheirexpertisebyprovidingassistance,adviceandfeedback at all stages of the project.

• AlisonBarty,SOAS,UniversityofLondon,whogenerouslysharedmaterialsfromthe development stages of a similar project in the UK.

• UnionofStudentsinIreland(USI)foritssupport.• DepartmentofEducationandSkillsforitsfinancialsupportforDiverseVoicesand

commitment to creating greater awareness of the international student experience in Ireland.

Louise Staunton, Programme and Training Manager, Irish Council for International Students

ICOS would like to gratefully acknowledge the following authors and publishers for permission to use extracts from their work:

• DonnaStringer,PatriciaCassidayandNicholasBrealeyPublishing/InterculturalPress

• DrDarlaDeardorff,KateBerardoandStylusPublishing• UKCouncilforInternationalStudentAffairs(UKCISA)• ProfessorMichelleBarker,GriffithInstituteforHigherEducation.

Every effort has been made to obtain copyright permissions for any extracts or original source material used in this publication. In some instances, we have not been able to make contact with the originators of some training exercises or where the original source was not known. We apologise if any credits have been omitted and will ensure that full acknowledgement is given should the Irish Council for International Students be notified by the relevant author or publisher.

The training materials in this work are reproducible and may be used or adapted for use in education or training settings, and therefore it is not necessary to contact the Irish Council for International Students if you wish to use them. However, if you wish to publish other extracts from this publication, please contact ICOS for written permission.

4 Diverse Voices: Listening to International Students

contentspreFace 3

acknowledGments 4

contents 5

Foreword 6

chapter 1 introduction 8

chapter 2 how to use this traininG Guide and dVd 11

chapter 3 GettinG started: Basic concepts in intercultural theorY 14

chapter 4 diVerse Voices: listeninG to international students 20

unit a: liVinG in ireland 21A.1 Motivations, Expectations and First Impressions 22A.2 Everyday Life 24A.3 Making Friends 25A.4 Language and Slang 27A.5 Alcohol 28A.6 Religion 30A.7 Culture Shock and Homesickness 31

unit B: mY culture, Your culture 32B.1 Communication Styles 36B.2 Non-verbal Communication 39B.3 Humour 41B.4 Stereotypes 42

unit c: teachinG and learninG 44C.1 A New Academic Environment 45C.2 Comparing Academic Cultures 48C.3 Academic Language 50C.4 The Intercultural Classroom 52C.5 Approaches to Assessment 54

unit d: supportinG international students 56D.1 Supporting International Students 57D.2 Information and Orientation 59D.3 Institutional Recommendations 61

chapter 5 supplementarY eXercises and handouts 63

chapter 6 transcripts oF Video interViews 96

chapter 7 BiBlioGraphY 125


Foreword Over the last ten years the composition of student bodies in Irish higher education institutions (HEIs) has changed dramatically. Campuses are now defined by unprecedented levels of student diversity stemming primarily from the internationalisation of higher education, but also from the growing levels of societal diversity within Ireland following two decades of significant immigration. The resultant diversity fundamentally changes the dynamics of interaction on campus and, in a world where cultures collide with ever-greater frequency, offers both challenges and opportunities for all stakeholders in higher education.

With specific reference to international students, there is often a myopic focus on the economic rationale for seeking to attract these students. While it would be imprudent to ignore such a rationale, to allow it to dominate discourse, policy and practice would be to ignore the equally important educational, socio-cultural and political rationales. Indeed, there is a compelling argument that international students, with their unique cultural capital, bring to campus a rich diversity of values, beliefs and experiences which can enrich the overall learning environment, assist HEIs in achieving their institutional mission, and help foster among students and staff the important skills needed for successful living in the dynamic, unscripted world of the 21st century. As such, it is imperative that the opportunities afforded by the presence and engagement of international students in Irish HEIs are harnessed. An important part of this process is listening to and understanding these students in order to make their educational experience a positive one, and the Irish Council for International Students’ (ICOS) Diverse Voices: Listening to International Students DVD and training guide represents an important step towards this goal.

Based on in-depth interviews with a wide variety of international students in Ireland, the Diverse Voices DVD offers both academic and administrative staff of Irish HEIs a unique insight into the hopes, fears, expectations and lived experiences of students who have invested in Ireland as the location for their educational development. While revealing several commonalities between these students, the DVD crucially highlights the diversity that exists among them, and in doing so cautions against the stereotyping of international students and assumptions of uniformity. Indeed, in many ways the very personal commentaries presented in the DVD remind the viewer that the interviewees are foremost people, rather than students. This DVD is the first of its kind in the Irish context and offers great opportunities for learning for those who engage with it, with a format which allows the viewer to get closer to the international students by hearing their stories first-hand. Furthermore, from a practical point of view, the architecture of the DVD, which separates the content into specific units, allows the viewer to engage with the content in a non-linear manner, so that one can focus on a particular theme, if so desired.

Coupled with the DVD, the accompanying training guide offers a structured approach to fostering among all staff the intercultural skills needed to engage successfully with international students and also support them. With a variety of reflective and practical exercises, the guide encourages staff to engage with student diversity in a meaningful, rather than superficial way. As Irish HEIs continue to assiduously recruit international students from all over the world, it is imperative that the quality of academic, administrative and support services they offer meet the diverse needs of these students. While many of their needs are similar to those of home students, it is evident from established research and the DVD commentaries that international students often experience these to a more acute degree, as well as facing a discrete set of challenges associated with living and studying in a new cultural milieu.


It is envisaged that investment by HEIs in intercultural training and the use of the Diverse Voicesresource–beittheDVDand/orthetrainingguide–willnotonlyhelpthe ongoing personal and professional development of academic and administrative staff, but will also improve the experiences of international students in Ireland and ultimately facilitate the realisation of the myriad opportunities which a diverse student body affords us. Indeed, it is also important to acknowledge how this resource relates to the primary objective of Ireland’s International Education Strategy (2010-2015), Investing in Global Relationships; namely, that “Ireland will become internationally recognised and ranked as a world leader in the delivery of high-quality international education by providing a unique experience and long-term value to students” (2010, p. 12). The provision of such a quality and unique experience hinges on the intercultural competence of staff to empathise with these students, appreciate their experiences, and respond appropriately. It is this competence, based on a combination of ethnorelatism, practical knowledge, awareness of both self and others, and effective behaviour, which the Diverse Voices DVD and training guide specifically aim to foster. While there is undoubtedly potential for additional training resources directed at staff, as well as international and home students, Diverse Voices constitutes a valuable resource in helping Ireland differentiate itself as a centre of excellence in the provision of high quality education for international students.

Dr Ciarán Dunne, Dublin City University, June 2015


chapter 1INTRODUCTION

introduction

BackGroundThe Irish Council for International Students has been providing tailored intercultural competence training programmes to the higher education sector since 2007. During this time, the number of international students at Irish higher education institutions (HEIs) has grown steadily in response to internationalisation strategies at national and institutional level. The progress towards internationalisation has resulted in a diverse international student population on Irish college campuses and a need to reflect on ways to meet the needs of both international students and the HEI staff supporting them.

The development of intercultural competency skills to equip staff to deal with the changing profile of our student population is not just desirable but will become a requirement in new quality assurance measures for providers already agreed. An International Education Mark (IEM), committed to in 2012 legislation will be rolled out by Quality and Qualifications Ireland (QQI). From 2016, any provider aspiring to have the mark will be required to sign up to a Code of Practice for Providers of Programmes of Education and Training to International Students. The QQI Code which draws on good practice both nationally and internationally will require providers to demonstrate how they have put in place appropriate supports and services for international learners, including fostering an environment promoting well-being and integration to ensure a positive experience for all learners. Areas of compliance will include Pastoral Supports & Services; Academic Supports & Services and Staff Training. Providers will be required to show that its staff are provided with training and support regarding intercultural competence to facilitate appropriate and effective delivery of services to international students.

ICOS developed the Diverse Voices: Listening to International Students project to shed more light on the international student experience and to create a flexible audio-visual training resource for higher education institution staff to support training in intercultural competence development.

diVerse Voices’ proJect oVerViewDiverse Voices is a DVD and training guide designed for use as a resource in interculturalawareness/competencydevelopmenttraining.1 The DVD features edited interviews with international students from over 20 countries and focuses on their intercultural, social and academic experiences as students in Ireland. It also includes the perspectives of several academics and student support staff who work with international students. Both the DVD and guide give practical weight to theoretical concepts used in intercultural training programmes and are designed to enhance participants’ intercultural understanding and knowledge of international student support needs. The resources aim to contribute to the development of good practice in international student support and provide a tool for intercultural awareness and competence training for those who support and teach international students.

1 Note: The training guide refers to ‘clips’. These are the audio-visual or video clips contained in the Diverse Voices DVD.


what is intercultural competence?Academic and support staff in higher education are expected to be able to manage the needs and expectations of a highly diverse international and home student population within what many would describe as a busy and sometimes challenging work environment.

Although the subject of multiple definitions, intercultural competence can be understood as the ability to “behave and communicate effectively and appropriately in cross-cultural situations” (Gregersen-Hermans & Pusch, 2012, p. 23). This process:

• Requiresacombinationofspecificknowledge,skills and attitudes that lead to successful interactions

• Isdevelopmentalinnature(Bennett,1998),whichmeans individuals and organisations may progress from a more ethnocentric worldview toward a more global mind-set

• Requiresaprocessoflearning.Toprogressin their ability to handle intercultural incidents, participants need to go through several cycles of learning that include actual experience, reflection, conceptualisation, and experimentation (Kolb, 1984).

diVerse Voices – participant interViews, identiFication and FootaGeICOS interviewed international students and staff from five higher education institutions (two universities; two institutes of technology, and one private US study abroad college). The geographical spread of interviewees was wide and included twenty-eight students from eighteen countries covering five continents, along with ten academic and international student support staff members to provide the institutional perspective. The 30 minute one-on-one interviews were conducted by ICOS and filmed by a small video production team.

Educational institutions are not explicitly identified in either the DVD or training guide. Student contributors’ names and nationalities are not given during the main body of the DVD in order to encourage viewers not to identify interviewees along nationality lines and in an effort to reduce stereotyping. However, all student contributors are identified in the DVD credits where their first name and nationality is given. HEI staff contributors are identified with their full name in the credits.

This DVD is designed to be viewed in clips according to a chapter and unit structure rather than watched in one go like a documentary or film. Therefore, from time to time, general video footage of interviewees going about their daily lives or other scenes of campus life is repeated as interviewees are speaking.

diVerse Voices’ contentThe Diverse Voices DVD is composed of thematic sections exploring the following topics:

• LivinginIreland(makingfriendsandintegration;language and slang; alcohol; religion; culture shock and homesickness)

• Cross-culturaladaptation(culturaldifferenceandcross-cultural communication)

• Teachingandlearningissuesfromstaffandinternational student perspectives (adapting to a new academic environment; academic language, approaches to assessment; and comparing academic cultures in the context of an intercultural classroom)

• Advicefromacademicandsupportstaffonsupporting international students.

whY use Video?Videos are excellent at raising issues, perspectives and attitudes about other countries and cultures. They can bring experiences into the training setting… Through videos you can invite people from around the world into the classroom or training session who could not otherwise be there. (Hopkins, 1999, p. 78)


chapter 2HOW TO USE THIS TRAINING GUIDE AND DVD

how to use this traininG Guide and dVd

who is this traininG Guide For? This training guide is aimed at those working with international students in the higher education sector, specifically student support professionals, academics and training facilitators.

The training guide presupposes some intercultural knowledge, training and facilitation skills on the part of those who plan to use it for training sessions. There is a select bibliography in Chapter 7 for those who wish to extend their knowledge.

The training guide and DVD may also be adapted for use by individuals to support self-guided learning.

This version of the Diverse Voices DVD is not intended for training students in intercultural awareness or as part of an orientation programme but there are plans to develop a short version of the DVD with that specific focus. Visit the ICOS website: www.icosirl.ie.

Format: traininG GuideThe training guide (in Chapter 4) contains four unit titles with relevant sub-sections (see structure diagram, page 13). Each sub-section contains:

trainer’s note:This gives an overview of the section content and key themes.

actiVitY: This helps stimulate reflection and discussion.

supplementarY eXercises:These provide more training exercises for some sub-sections, and are located in Chapter 5.

Format: dVdEach unit is divided into the same thematic sub-sections as the training guide. Participants should watch the clips together with the corresponding unit or sub-section of this training guide.


structureunit title tarGet Group

UNIT A LIVING IN IRELAND ALL HEI STAFF

A.1 Motivations, Expectations and First ImpressionsA.2 Everyday LifeA.3 Making Friends and IntegrationA.4 Language and SlangA.5 AlcoholA.6 ReligionA.7 Culture Shock and Homesickness

UNIT B MY CULTURE, YOUR CULTURE ALL HEI STAFF

B.1 Communication StylesB.2 Non-verbal CommunicationB.3 HumourB.4 Stereotypes

UNIT C TEACHING AND LEARNING TEACHING AND LEARNING SUPPORT STAFF

C.1 A New Academic EnvironmentC.2 Comparing Academic CulturesC.3 Academic LanguageC.4 The Intercultural ClassroomC.5 Approaches to Assessment

UNIT D SUPPORTING INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS ALL HEI STAFF

D.1 Supporting International StudentsD.2 Information and OrientationD.3 Institutional Recommendations

practical tips For usinG the diVerse Voices dVd

1. state Goals and introduce the clipsIt is important to let participants know your goals and objectives in advance of showing video clips. Take some care to introduce the clips and let participants know what the clips are about prior to showing them.

2. GiVe participants special tasksIt is advisable to give participants good guidance on their task before they watch clips. Tell them what you want them to pay particular attention to. This should result in richer discussions afterwards as watching the clips becomes a more focussed activity for those in the training room.

3. process the clipsAfter watching the clips, ask participants for their general observations initially. It is good to get an overall sense of their viewpoints at first. Then move into the specifics of the debriefing. There are debriefing questions for each unit. These questions aim to spark discussion.

Adapted from Hopkins (1999: 73)


chapter 3GETTING STARTED: BASIC CONCEPTS IN INTERCULTURAL THEORY

GettinG started: Basic concepts in intercultural theorY

thinkinG aBout culturePicture the scene. It is the start of a new academic year and HEI staff are getting ready to welcome their new intake of international students. Students are coming from all over the world. Colleagues have been reflecting on the previous year and wondering what the new academic year has in store. One staff member talks about how she hopes that the student group will be more polite this year and says that she found it difficult to deal with some students who refused to make eye contact with her and who looked away when she was speaking. She says that she was baffled as she was only trying to be friendly and help them settle in. An academic staff member says that he hopes that his class will gel together better this year because he struggled to get his home and international students working well during group tasks and says that it was as if the students could not figure out how to work as a group. Meanwhile, another academic staff member says that she hopes her new intake of international students will be as good as the group she had last year. She says she found them to be incredibly hard working and so keen to participate in class, unlike some previous students she had worked with who were silent in class and deferred to her opinion constantly when she needed them to argue and critique during class discussions.

Culture is at the heart of the issues raised above, and is a central concern for the internationalisation of higher education. What does someone’s culture have to do with their behaviour and how they communicate? How can we think about culture in a way that allows us understand how best to help international students settle into their new surroundings? Also, how can we think about culture in a way that enables academic, administrative and support staff to recognise the cultural differences that may inhibit integration and positive learning outcomes and experiences for international students? These are a few of the questions this training guide aims to address.

actiVitYWorking in small groups, ask participants as a group to reflect on the following questions:

01. What cultural differences have you experienced when working with international students?

02. Are there patterns of behaviour that differ from the ‘norm’ that you are used to?


so, what is culture?There are many definitions of culture. When asked, people often say culture is our way of doing things in society; it constitutes the unwritten rules and norms that govern how we behave, communicate and interact; it embodies our value system; it is our history, our traditions, the arts and language of a country. In the Diverse Voices interviews, the students were asked to reflect on culture, what it means to them and how cultural differences in communication impact on them as they adapt to a new social and academic environment.

actiVitYWork in pairs. Ask participants to define what culture means to them. Then share the definitions with the group. Ask the group to reflect on the definitions of culture below and see whether they agree or disagree with the descriptions. How do the definitions they created compare with established definitions?

When the participants have agreed on their preferred definition of culture, ask them if all culture is observable and visible when we interact with each other or are there aspects of culture that are less visible and below the surface?

culture is:• Shared,learnedhumanbehaviour,awayoflife• Socialheritage,ortradition,thatispassedontofuturegenerations• Thewayhumanssolveproblemsofadaptingtotheenvironmentorliving

together• Ideals,values,traditionsor‘rulesforliving’.

“Culture is the “collective programming of the mind which distinguishes the members of one group or category from another” (Hofstede, 1997, p. 4)

“Culture controls behaviour in deep and persisting ways, many of which are outside of the awareness and therefore beyond conscious control of the individual” (Hall, 1959, p. 25)


cultural Frames oF reFerenceThe ways we interpret the world and those who are different to us – the ‘other’ – are shaped by our culture, language and experience. In this way, we use our own ‘cultural frames of reference’ to interpret and understand what we see and experience. Culture can be conceptualised as a pair of tinted glasses that colours everything that we see and experience through its lenses.

thinkinG aBout Your own culture…“Culture hides much more than it reveals, and strangely enough what it hides, it hides most effectively from its own participants. Years of study have convinced me that the real job is not to understand foreign culture but to understand our own.”

(Hall, 1959, p. 39)

actiVitY01. “If we met a stranger from Mars and the Martian asked us to explain the rules

of our cultures, we probably would not be able to describe many of the rules because we are not highly aware of them.” (Gudykunst, 2004, p. 42)

Discuss the above quotation and imagine that you must describe your culture to someone who is unfamiliar with it. Think about the values, the rules, the commonly held beliefs and communication styles. List ten key aspects of your culture.

02. Ask participants to read the list below and discuss whether these are aspects of Irish culture:

• Veryfriendlybutonlyonthesurface • Family-orientated • Liketodrinkalcohol • ReligiousbeliefsandthechurchareessentialtoIrishlife • Importanceof‘land’andowningproperty • Self-deprecatingsenseofhumourandsarcasm • Externaloutlook–smallcountrylookingoutward • Historyandcolonisedpast • Useoflanguageandfondoftalking–thegiftofthegab • Strongliteraryculture • Communicateindirectlyandnotkeenonbeingupfront.

If you have additional aspects of Irish culture, add them to your list. Discuss your findings with the group.

03. Ask participants to think about other cultures that they are familiar with and reflect on any cultural differences they noticed between that culture and their own culture. Ask participants to reflect on which aspects of Irish culture might be confusing for cultural outsiders.


culture and communicationOur culture – the culture that we have acquired, the way in which we see the world, our frames of reference – affects how we communicate. At a basic level, culture influences our behaviour in the language that we use, the tone and pitch of our voices and even the speed at which we speak. Culture is a factor in how we communicate nonverbally – whether through our body language, gestures, or use of eye contact – and how we perceive and understand the meaning and intent of the messages we transmit and receive. How we interpret communication depends on our expectations and understanding of how people should act when we communicate with them. When we operate in a culture that we are familiar with, we generally know how to interpret behaviour through a shared process of encoding and decoding messages. We are in our cultural comfort zone. However, when we go beyond our own culture, sometimes we may find it hard to understand what is ‘normal’ behaviour. This involves examining our concept of cultural comfort zones and reflecting on how we can be open to the cultural differences of others and expanding the zones in which we feel comfortable.

When we encounter cultural difference, sometimes this can cause confusion and a desire to return to our own version of ‘normal’ and to take an ethnocentric position.

ethnocentrism: An unconscious belief that our own value systems and ways of life are correct. This implies that we tend to judge others according to our cultures value system. When we come in contact with a new culture, we perceive them as different, while we remain normal.

ethnorelatiVism: Understanding that one’s own culture is not more central to reality than any other culture, that cultures can only be understood relative to each other and that particular behaviour can be understood within a culture context.

(Bennett, 1998, pp. 26-29)

actiVitY01. Ask participants to discuss communication differences (verbal or non-verbal)

they have noticed in dealing with international students?

02. Is there such a thing as ‘normal’ behaviour? Or is behaviour culturally conditioned and people behave according to the ‘normal’ conventions of the culture to which they belong? Discuss.

For more exercises, see Chapter 5, Supplementary Exercises and Handouts, p. 63.


intercultural competence modelIntercultural competence refers to developing behaviour to communicate effectively and appropriately in cross-cultural interactions. This competence is becoming increasingly important given the highly globalised nature of the 21st century and the increasing frequency of intercultural interactions.

Deardorff observes that there are five components of intercultural competence development:

FiGure 1 Framework: intercultural competence model

attitudes

Respect, openness, curiosity, and discovery. Openness and curiosity imply a willingness to risk and to move beyond one’s comfort zone. In communicating respect to others, it is important to demonstrate that others are valued. These attitudes are foundational to the further development of knowledge and skills needed for intercultural competence.

knowledGe

Cultural self-awareness (meaning the way one’s culture has influenced one’s identity and world view), culture-specific knowledge, deep cultural knowledge including understanding other worldviews, and socio-linguistic awareness. The one element agreed upon is the importance of understanding the world from others’ perspectives.

skills

Observation, listening, evaluating, analysing, interpreting, and relating.

internal outcomes

These attitudes, knowledge, and skills ideally lead to an internal outcome that consists of flexibility, adaptability, an ethno-relative perspective, and empathy. These are all aspects that occcur within the individual as a result of the acquired attitudes, knowledge, and skills necessary for intercultural competence. At this point, individuals are able to see from others’ perspectives and to respond according to the way the other person desires to be treated.

eXternal outcomes

The summation of the attitudes, knowledge and skills, as well as the internal outcomes are demonstrated through the behaviour and communication of the individual, which become the visible outcomes of intercultural competence experienced by others. Intercultural competence is the effective and appropriate behaviour and communication in intercultural situations. (Deardorff, 2012, pp. 45-47)

Copyright © 2012 Stylus Publishing, LLC. Reproduced by permission.


chapter 4DIVERSE VOICES:LISTENING TO INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS

liVinG in irelandA.1 Motivations, Expectations and First Impressions A.2 Everyday Life A.3 Making Friends A.4 Language and Slang A.5 Alcohol A.6 Religion A.7 Culture Shock and Homesickness

tarGet GroupAll HEI Staff

unit learninG oBJectiVes: • Reflectonthelivedexperienceofinternationalstudents• Discussstrategiestoimproveinstitutionalsupportto

international students

unit a: liVinG in ireland

a.1 motiVations, eXpectations and First impressions

“The only story I knew about Ireland before I came here was that of the popular myth of St Patrick and the snakes in Ireland. That was all I knew about Ireland. That would be all apart from the fact that it’s actually a very small island with about 5 million people which is a little fraction compared to the population of Nigeria. Those were the only two facts I knew about Ireland. I knew nothing about the climate or the food or the culture, so everything was just totally strange to me when I moved here.”

Ezebuchi, Nigeria

trainer’s noteTravelling abroad for study may be the first time that many international students will have left their home country for an extended period of time. This change brings challenges for many as they adjust to what is for most new international students a completely different cultural, social, academic and linguistic environment.

What has motivated these students to choose Ireland and what are their pre-arrival expectations of the place that will be their home for the duration of their studies?

The students in this clip talk about what they anticipated Ireland would be like before they arrived and how their expectations differed from the reality. Many had romantic images of Ireland and imagined a place of “rolling green hills”. Others noted differences in the pace of life where they came from and that Ireland’s cities are quieter than what they are used to. Some knew little of what to expect of Ireland beyond some basic surface knowledge they had gathered prior to arrival. Others were excited about the journey ahead while some were scared about how they would cope on their own in a new environment.


actiVitYCertain themes came up throughout interviews on this topic and are useful points to kick-start discussions before and after watching the Motivations, Expectations and First Impressions clip:

01. Before watching the clips:

• Askparticipantstodiscusswhattheythinkinternationalstudents’expectations of Ireland are before they come here?

02. After watching the clips:

• Askparticipantsifthereareanydifferencesintheirperceptionsofstudents’expectations before they watched the clip compared to after watching the clip?

• Canyoucomparethestudents’firstimpressionsofIrelandwithanexperienceof your own when you travelled to a new country and experienced a different culture? How did your pre-arrival expectations differ from reality? How did that experience make you feel?


a.2 eVerYdaY liFe

“We have never experienced the four seasons. It’s only one season in Saudi Arabia which is summer all the time. We are excited. This is the first time for me to see the fall, the yellow leaves.”

Aeshah, Saudi Arabia

trainer’s noteIt is often the simplest things that can cause confusion for international students as they start to adapt to life in a new country. Day to day life, changes to routines, weather, shopping, cost of living, different standards of living, and the strange quirks of a new place are some of the topics discussed by the students in this segment. As the saying goes “it’s the little differences” and it is these daily quirks that the students reflect on in this section.

Some of the challenges arise from students’ expectation that things in Ireland will be the same or similar to what they are used to at home.

Sometimes, when working with international students, we take certain knowledge and understanding for granted and think that what is ‘normal’ for members of one culture – for example Ireland, the host culture – is also ‘normal’ for people from other cultures. As a result, we do not think to consider the ‘newness’ of this knowledge for newcomers.

actiVitYWatch the interview clips and ask participants to discuss the following:

01. Work in pairs. Share a specific story about a challenge an international student has told you about regarding how they adapted to new ways of doing things?

02. In the clips, what strikes you most about the students’ experiences and expectations of everyday life in Ireland? In what areas do you think students might need more support and information?

03. What kind of orientation information does your college provide to students on adjusting to everyday life in Ireland?

04. Are there any gaps in this orientation information? What kinds of additional information would be useful for students to know? How can student services professionals prepare students better for the many transitions they will experience? Is the orientation ongoing throughout the academic year?

05. Write a list of key information points that you would give to recently arrived international students to prepare them better for the cultural and practical adjustment to everyday life in Ireland. Consider also the most effective delivery method for this information.

For more exercises, see “I am” exercise in Chapter 5, p. 72.


a.3 makinG Friends

“The difference, I think, between Irish students and international students is, as far as I know, that a lot of the international students stick to each other and [the same] with Irish students as well and they don’t tend to mingle sometimes as much as I would hope...”

Benedikt, Germany

trainer’s noteA key component of the education experience for international students is their desire to meet and make friends with host country students as well as with fellow international students. Contact with host country students is widely thought to benefit international students by assisting with their cross-cultural adaption. For some students, this is a relatively easy process, especially if they come from similar cultures and backgrounds. For others, however, this can pose a much greater challenge than they expect both socially and in the academic domain. Differences in language and communication styles, goals and interests, gender and age can all be stumbling blocks to integration of international studies into the local culture.

Part 1: Making FriendsThis section focuses on general observations about making friends and the challenges it presents for some students.

Part 2: Integration StrategiesThis section focuses on solutions to the challenge of making friends and offers some positive suggestions including the need to venture outside of our cultural comfort zones.


actiVitY01. Before watching the clips:

• Workinpairs.Identifyanddiscussthreekeyissuesthatinternationalstudentsmay experience when trying to make friends in the host culture. If you have lived or worked abroad, share some insights with your partner on how you made friends in a new cultural environment.

02. After watching the clips:

• Whatstrikesyoumostaboutthestudents’expectationsversustheiractualexperiences of making friends?

• ManystudentsmentionedthatwhiletheyfoundIrishpeopleareoutwardlyfriendly, it was still difficult to make friends. Discuss this idea of Irish “friendliness” and reflect on what it means in reality in the context of the difficulties some students mentioned.

• Whattypesofintegrationchallengesdoyouthinkexistatyourinstitution?

• Whatactivitiescanyouthinkofthatwouldpromotebetterintegrationofinternational students with home students? What resources (time, financial, human etc.) would such activities require?

• Inyouropinion,howdoyouthinkhomestudentsatyourinstitutionviewinternational students? And vice versa?

• Somestudentsmentionthehousingofinternationalstudentsseparatetohome students as an issue preventing integration. What do you think of this?

“A major challenge for students in university life can come from friendships and relationships with new people whose backgrounds, experiences, goals and desires are different from their own. Encountering diversity can be threatening and unsettling and can pose threats to students’ sense of who they are (Jackson, 2003: cited in Montgomery, 2010, p. 79). Experiences of diversity and social and cultural difference can also be a catalyst for positive change.”

Discuss this statement as a group.


a.4 lanGuaGe and slanG

“Whenever I went to any shops, they start to ask me ‘Are you OK, are you OK?’ I just keep saying ‘Yes, I’m OK’ and change my face and ask why do people have to ask me ‘Are you OK? Do I have something wrong, or did I do something wrong in the market?’ My professor analysed this statement for me. ‘Are you OK?’ means ‘Can I take your order?’”

Wejdan, Saudi Arabia

trainer’s noteFor many international students, there are certain challenges in studying in a foreign country. Chief among these challenges may be studying through English if English is not the students’ first language. While many international students will have met the strict English language requirements of their study institution, they are often unprepared for the variety of regional Irish accents and local Hiberno-English slang that they will hear on a daily basis. This can even affect native English speakers and with it can bring unexpected challenges with occasional humorous outcomes as you will see in this section’s video clips.

Bennett notes that when we analyse language from an intercultural perspective, we are examining language use in intercultural relationships, rather than simply focusing on its linguistic structure. We look at how the language is modified when combined with culturally based non-verbal behaviour, “how cultural patterns of thinking are expressed in particular communication styles, and how reality is defined and judged through cultural assumptions and values” (1998, p. 4).

Issues raised in this segment include accents, speed of speech, Hiberno-English (‘Irish English’), different pronunciation, vocabulary and phrases.

actiVitY01. Before watching the clips:

• Workinpairs.Givethreeexamplesoflanguageandslangthatcouldposechallenges to international students adapting to the English spoken in Ireland.

02. After watching the clips, discuss the following:

• ThestudentsmentionIrishslangwordsandphraseslike‘yoke’,‘grand’,‘craic’and‘what’sthestory?’Canyouthinkofotherslangwords/phrasesthat would not be widely known outside of Ireland but are commonly used in everyday conversation?

• Insmallgroups,shareyourexperiencesofspeakingwithinternationalstudents. What strategies do you use when you think you are not being understood by an international student or vice versa?

For more exercises, see ‘The “M” Exercise’ and ‘Second Language “Walk in Their Shoes”’ in Chapter 5, p. 73 and p. 74. See also Chapter 4, Section C.3 Academic language, p. 50.


a.5 alcohol

“Coming here, I did know that there would be a lot of drinking, like, we were warned. But when you actually see it, like, I mean I’m used to that environment back home too. I mean we do have pubs and stuff like that back home in Malaysia. Obviously, we don’t drink though. Here ... every event, there will be ... alcohol involved with it. It does make things a bit more complicated when it comes to my religion and trying to socialise here.”

Nabihah, Malaysia

trainer’s noteIt may seem unusual to have a specific section on alcohol as distinct from socialising and making friends. Some may question the relevance of alcohol in discussions about culture? In theory, alcohol has nothing to do with culture per se, but cultural attitudes towards alcohol are relevant in the intercultural context and can have a significant impact on the integration prospects of international students.

Studies show that in Ireland, alcohol is an integral element of many people’s social lives and a central part of campus life for many students, both home and international. As a result, many student social events on campus will take place in environments where alcohol is available and consumed. The central position of alcohol in social lives in both public and private spheres may cause discomfort for many international students (and indeed some home students) who do not drink alcohol out of personal choice or in some cases, for religious or cultural reasons. As such, alcohol can also create an additional hurdle to the integration of international students in social settings.

Dunne (2008) notes that in relation to host students’ socialising habits “they tend to socialise in the public sphere, typically in pubs” and “alcohol appears to play an integral role in their socialising habits” (p. 204). The observations from the international student interviews in this section mirror these findings.

Montgomery observed similarly that:

International students seem to perceive home students lack motivation and to be predominantly interested in having a good time and drinking … Perhaps it is because this drinking culture is so well advertised on campus that international students might make assumptions about the motivation of all home students. This is an issue that could influence continuing stereotypes of both home and international students. (2010, p. 115)


actiVitYAfter watching the clips on Alcohol, ask participants to discuss the following:

01. Work in pairs. Identify and discuss three key issues that international students may experience when trying to make friends in the host culture. If you have lived or worked abroad, share some insights with your partner on how you made friends in a new cultural environment.

02. What strikes you most about the students’ experiences in relation to attitudes towards alcohol in Ireland?

03. “I was not surprised by the drinking culture in Ireland. I was slightly prepared. It’s one of those stereotypes that you know outside of Ireland. You get a lot of talking about it though I think that Irish people are aware of it so it’s not something that they’re trying to hide but it something that is out in the open and people talk about it. It’s a culture rather than a problem, I think.” Benedikt, Germany

What do you think of the widely held view about Ireland and alcohol? Is it a stereotype?

04. Muslim students interviewed in the clips said that they were surprised by the embedded nature of alcohol in campus life and activities.

• Discusstheavailabilityandroleofalcoholincampusactivitiesatyourinstitution.

• Examinehowdrinkingalcoholcreatesabarriertointegrationforcertaingroups of students.

• Whatkindofsocialeventsareorganisedatyourinstitutionsthatdonotinvolve alcohol?


a.6 reliGion

“My general perception of the Western world… was that… maybe their love for religion has actually grown cold. No one wants to hear you say ‘I go to church’ anymore.”

Ezebuchi, Nigeria

trainer’s noteIn this section, international students reflect on the role of religion and whether faith is an important part of their lives. It is clear that for some international students, faith and its practice is an integral element of their lives. Some students note that their perception and expectation of the position of religion in Ireland differed substantially from the reality.

actiVitYAfter watching the clip on Religion, discuss the following:

01. What strikes you most about the students’ comments on religion and faith?

02. Discuss the provision of prayer spaces to cater for the diverse religious needs of international students at your institution. What is the current situation and are there areas for improvement? Do you believe your institution is open to expressions of religious diversity on campus?

03. Does your institution provide a range of catering options to take account of dietary requirements of members of certain faiths?

04. “Actually, the Irish people are very kind, lovely, helpful. Whenever I meet someone in the street with my children … They don’t look at the way I dress, the veil and the scarf … but though we have the veils, they don’t correlate between the political movement and our identities as Muslims.” Wejdan, Saudi Arabia

Discuss this statement.

See also Section B.2 on Non-verbal Communication, p. 39 which includes discussion points on body contact as an aspect of religious culture and an element of cross-cultural communication.


a.7 culture shock and homesickness

“I suppose the common factors affecting all students, irrespective of nationality, age or life experiences are: missing friends and family, missing food from home, weather, not so much that it’s wet or windy or cold, but that it’s grey.”

Suzanne, International Student Adviser

trainer’s noteIn this section, international students discuss feeling at ‘home’ in Ireland and coping with culture shock, cultural adjustment, homesickness, and the delicate stages of transition stress.

Adaptation was less challenging than expected for some international students, but for others homesickness affected them in unexpected ways. For many, the experience of leaving their home culture and moving to an unfamiliar place made them reflect on aspects of their own culture that they had previously taken for granted.

Storti writes:You have to get used to the new country … to the new community … strictly speaking these are not cultural adjustments (coming to terms with the behaviour of the host country people), but they are very much part of the overall context in which cultural adjustment takes place (2001, p. 2).

He articulates the typical adjustment challenges most people face including dealing with new climates, doing without the “things they don’t have here” and the unfamiliar faces and ways of doing things (Storti, 2001).

Making cultural transitions may also influence someone’s perceptions of their own beliefs and values at both a surface and deeper level. This in turn may cause them to question their cultural and personal identity.

actiVitYAfter watching the clip on Culture Shock and Homesickness, discuss the following:

01. International students go through a range of ‘highs’ and ‘lows’ during their study abroad experience. It can be useful to discuss the transitions that students will undergo in order to raise awareness for those working in student support and teaching roles. Discuss the adaptation issues mentioned in the clip and others that you are familiar with. Identify at least three actions which institutions can take to prepare students for the challenges of adapting to a new environment.

02. What types of coping mechanisms do the students describe?

03. In small groups, discuss what provision and supports your higher education institution provides to students who are struggling with cultural adjustment and homesickness.

04. The clip mentions re-entry shock – the stress experienced by some in transitioning back into their home country after a period spent in another culture. Discuss this and what impact it might have on international students returning home after completion of studies. Do you believe the institution has a role in addressing re-entry shock?

For more exercises, see ‘Transition Planning’ exercise in Chapter 5, p. 75.


mY culture, Your cultureB.1 Communication StylesB.2 Non-verbal CommunicationB.3 HumourB.4 Stereotypes


unit learninG oBJectiVes • Discussestablishedtheoreticalframeworksofculture

and cultural values• Examineaspectsofcross-culturalcommunication• Reflectonstereotypeswithinaculturalcontextand

strategies to avoid stereotyping• Reviewhumourfromaninterculturalperspective

unit B: mY culture, Your culture

“One of the things in all interactions [is] we all bring different cultural baggage to any given dialogue. It’s really important for us to be aware of what we’re bringing to that particular environment.”

Dr Ciarán Dunne, Lecturer

trainer’s noteMy Culture, Your Culture?What are the factors that make my culture distinct from your culture? Many theorists have attempted to answer this question. Leading figures in this field like Geert Hofstede, Edward T. Hall and Fons Trompenaars have suggested that there are national and regional cultural values that influence the behaviour of societies and individuals within those societies. This gives rise to the idea of cultural dimensions, which can be understood as aspects of culture according to which different national cultures can be compared and contrasted. Hofstede argues that these dimensions of culture affect:

• Behaviourinindividualandgroupsituations• Attitudetoauthorityfiguresandfollowingrules• Attitudetowardstimeandgettingthingsdone• Attitudetowardsdealingwithuncertainty• Attitudestowardsgenderrolesinsociety(Hofstede,1980).

In this section, we will examine some theoretical frameworks to form the basis of subsequent discussions on culture.

While Hofstede’s work chiefly related to the influence of cultural values on organisational cultures, aspects of his findings are directly applicable in the university setting. Beelen (2007) has observed that Hofstede’s value system can be applied to the teaching and learning setting and can influence the classroom behaviour, education characteristics, and culture of the classroom. For example, in a low power society distance, the education system may be more student-centred and students may be encouraged to speak up in class, whereas in a more high power distance society, education may be more teacher-centred and students may only speak in class when a teacher invites them to (Beelen, 2007, p. 35).


FiGure 2 Geert hoFstede’s cultural dimensions

Hofstede identified a number of dimensions to indicate aspects of national culture.

indiVidualism / collectiVism

Value: The degree to which individuals are integrated into groups.

Individualism = loose social framework = ‘I’• Speakingone’smind• Independenceisvalued

Collectivism = tight social framework = ‘We’ • Valuetraditionandconformity• Interdependenceisvalued

power distance

Value: The extent to which members of a society accept and expect that power is distributed unequally.

High Power Distance cultures = Hierarchical structures• Authorityfiguresareinaccessibleandinitiatecommunication;neverpublicly

contradicted; treated with deference; regarded as expert; sometimes seen as aparentalfigure;Student/teacherrelationsrelativelymoreformal

Low Power Distance cultures = Less hierarchical• Informalapproach• Employeesaremoreindependent• Student/teacherrelationsrelativelymoreinformal

uncertaintY aVoidance

Value: Relates to the degree to which people in a society feel threatened (or not) by uncertain and ambiguous situations.

• Strong Uncertainty Avoidance = Cultures try to minimise uncertainty by having lots of written laws, rules and formal policies. People are less willing to take risks

• Weak Uncertainty Avoidance = Cultures where people are more tolerant of risk and difference and try to have fewer formalised rules

masculinitY / FemininitY

Value: Relates to the distribution of gender roles within a culture.

• ‘Masculine’ society = social gender roles are clearly defined and separate; more authoritarian style in work-place; work at centre of life – ‘live to work’ ideal

• ‘Feminine’ cultures = social gender roles overlap and men and women can take on the same roles without problem; consensus seeking approach in work; work less central and ‘work to live’ ideal (Hofstede, 1997)


Trompenaars’ model (Trompenaars & Hampden-Turner, 1997) focuses on the intersection between corporate and national cultures and added to Hofstede’s work by identifying some additional dimensions such as universalism versus particularism.

FiGure 3 Fons trompenaars’ cultural model

uniVersalism / particularism

Following rules or believing in individual cases and exceptions

indiVidualism / communitarianism

Personal qualities and originality or loyalty and duties to the group

speciFic / diFFuse

How much relationships with others are confined to a specific context or whether they are spread across multiple areas of our lives

neutralitY / aFFectiVitY

Controlling your emotions in a professional way or showing them and becoming involved

inner-directed / outer-directed

Controlling and directing your environment or being influenced by our environment and coordinating it

achieVed status / ascriBed status

Status is derived based on what you personally have achieved or is based on your background and your contact network

seQuential time / sYnchronic time

Doing things in a linear fashion, one by one, step by step or doing multiple things simultaneously

(Trompenaars & Hampden-Turner, 1997)

actiVitYSee ‘Cultural Values’ exercise in Chapter 5, p. 77.


B.1 communication stYles

“It’s actually kind of funny but I find that Irish people, if there is ever an opportunity to talk, they will talk. They have the gift of gab and that’s for sure. I generally find that in early mornings, especially after a late night of studying, I kind of would just like to sit in class and… kind of keep quiet but I find around the other Irish students, that’s quite out of place.”

Brent, Canada

trainer’s noteIn this section, the international students reflect on their experience of communication in everyday situations and communicating across cultures.

Many of the students contrasted their own preferred communication style with observations on how they perceive the predominant communication style in Ireland. Some mentioned that they thought that Irish people were very friendly, open, and fond of chatting. Others noticed a difference between their culture and Irish culture whenitcametotheextentofdirect/indirectcommunication.

Every culture has specific ways of communicating that are common throughout that culture. At the same time, there are individual communication preferences contained within the wider cultural preference.

“Cross-cultural communication [verbal and non-verbal] … is that which occurs between people who may have a range of different cultural perspectives.” (StringerandCassiday,2009,p.ix)

For example, someone whose preference is for indirect communication may perceive the behaviour of a direct communicator as rude or abrupt, whereas a direct communicator may think that getting straight to the point and ‘telling it like it is’ is positive and preferred behaviour. A direct communicator may interpret indirect communication as unclear and wasting time telling stories and in doing so may misunderstand the communication intent of the indirect communicator.

Therefore, communication styles are not correct or incorrect but are culturally conditioned. We may be more comfortable with communication styles that we are used to. Adapting to new styles is not an easy task especially when combined with speaking in a second language as is the case for many international students.

FiGure 4 VerBal communication stYles

} FORMAL VS INFORMAL

} ATTACHED (EMOTIONAL) VS DETACHED (UNEMOTIONAL)

} DIRECT VS INDIRECT (DIPLOMATIC)

} HIGH CONTExT VS LOw CONTExT


cross-cultural miscommunication

“Building empathy, or the ability to try to see from the perspective of another person, is central to facilitating understanding in perplexing situations. The challenge in developing these skills is to engage ambiguity, suspend certainty, and think broadly and creatively outside one’s usual frame of reference to uncover what might be underlying another person’s perspective”

(Stringer and Cassiday, 2009, p. 79).

Most people will use a range of communication styles and may move back and forth between styles as the situation or context demands. We are usually most comfortable communicating with others from our own cultural group which can include people who come from similar backgrounds. Outward similarities may lead many to take communication rules for granted which can lead to misunderstanding.

When a communication is misunderstood, it is often because the sender’s ‘encoded’ message is interpreted or ‘decoded’ by the receiver in a way which is different to that which the sender intended. This is because we all interpret communication through our own cultural lenses or our own frame of reference. Our cultural lenses contain our cultural background and our personal communication preferences. The way that we view a person is influenced by our perception of their behaviour. In working across cultures, we recognise our own cultural lens as a filter through which we view the world and can imagine putting on the lens of someone from another culture to get their perspective.

FiGure 5 maJor sources oF cross-cultural miscommunication

} ASSUMPTION OF SIMILARITIES

} LANGUAGE DIFFERENCES

} NON-VERBAL MISINTERPRETATIONS

} PRECONCEPTIONS AND STEREOTYPES

} TENDENCY TO EVALUATE wITH OUR ‘CULTURAL LENS’

} HIGH ANxIETY OR STRESS

(Barna, 1998)


actiVitYAfter watching the clip on Communication Styles, discuss the following:

01. Identify some different communication styles you have noticed when speaking to international students. Remember that communication styles are not ‘correct’ or ‘incorrect’ but culturally conditioned.

02. In groups of three, analyse La Ray M. Barna’s list. See Figure 5 of sources of cross-cultural miscommunication. Identify one example for each of the six points listed in Figure 5.

03. ‘Saving face’ or indirect communication is mentioned by one of the students as a key communication value in Chinese culture. Work in pairs. Discuss situations that you may have experienced in which ‘saving face’ was a factor and how both parties may have interpreted or misinterpreted the outcome of the communication.

04. “When people use silence, it isn’t necessarily an indication of lack of engagement or a lack of understanding, it could simply be an indicator of reflection and that you’re processing ideas and thoughts.” Dr Ciarán Dunne

Discuss the use of silence in communication. What function can silence play in communication. Are you comfortable with silence in a conversation or in a classroom situation? If not, why not?

For more exercises, see “Communication Styles” exercise in Chapter 5, p. 79


B.2 non-VerBal communication

“The similarities in the cultures may make it seem like it’s so easy to integrate here but it’s still so different in just the subtleties that it’s really hard to pick up. You think, well, it’s just the same thing, so we can stick somebody here and let them go, but I think in any kind of new culture, you really can’t do that.”

Joshua, USA

trainer’s noteMuch of how we communicate is transmitted non-verbally. Non-verbal communication encompasses how we communicate with our eyes, through touch, our use of space, gestures and body language, and even our use of silence.

Most of the time, non-verbal communication behaviour is unconscious. For example, try to cross your arms as you normally would. That was easy, wasn’t it? Now, try to cross your arms the opposite way (Barty & Lago, 2008, p. 26). How does that feel? Why does one way feel right but crossing arms the other way feel completely wrong? When we try to change a behaviour that feels ‘natural’ to us, the result can make us feel awkward and unsure. Learning new codes of non-verbal communication and behaviour can be very difficult in a new cultural context and yet newly-arrived international students are often expected to function and understand all the non-verbal intricacies and codes from the beginning.

In the clips, international students noted a number of non-verbal cross-cultural communication differences between their cultures and Ireland. Interestingly, the topic was easy for many of the students to talk about as it was something they were conscious of and experienced on a daily basis, but some remarked on the difficulties it presented.

FiGure 6 tYpes oF non-VerBal communication

} EYE LANGUAGE (OCULESICS)

} USE OF SPACE (PROxEMICS)

} BODY LANGUAGE, GESTURES (kINESICS)

} TOUCH/CONTACT (HAPTICS)

} ACCENT, PITCH, TONE, INTERPRETATION OF SILENCE (PARALINGUISTICS)

Cultural attitudes towards time-keeping also arose in the students’ responses and they noted subtle differences in attitudes towards time in Ireland compared with their home cultures. Edward T. Hall, an anthropologist and cross-cultural researcher, wrote extensively about time as an aspect of culture and how attitudes towards time contrasted across cultures.


FiGure 7 edward t. hall monochronic Vs polYchronic

monochronic polYchronic

Disciplined attitude Flexible approach to time

Sequential approach to tasks Juggles many tasks

Queuing is accepted Won’t queue

Punctual Being late is relative

Keeps to agenda Longer planning horizon

(Hall, 1959)

actiVitY01. Discuss with others in the group how you would greet someone in a professional

setting when you meet them for the first time versus how you would greet a close friend or family member. What are the main differences in your non-verbal communication or body language?

02. If you are walking down the street and someone you do not know smiles at you and makes eye contact, what do you think they mean? Do you think this behaviour is unusual, rude, over familiar or normal? Are there gender or generational considerations? Discuss as a group the reason for your answer.

03. If you are meeting a student and throughout your meeting, the student avoids making eye contact with you, what do you think of their behaviour and what could they be trying to communicate?

04. Some students mention that their religious culture has specific rules on physical contact between different sexes. Discuss the following statement from the clip in which a female Muslim student shared her experience of different cultural, gender and religious norms between Saudi Arabia and Ireland:

“I went with my husband to the dentist and the dentist wants to shake my hand and I couldn’t, you know, because in Islam we are not allowed to shake hands with men. With women, it’s OK. Then I have to explain to the dentist that it’s not allowed and he said ‘oh, that’s interesting, OK, tell me more about Islam’ and I start to tell him more about our religion and culture in Saudi Arabia. Every time I have this situation when a man starts to shake [my hand] and then I say ‘OK, I’m sorry, I can’t.’ Then they immediately apologise.” Aeshah, Saudi Arabia

05. Thinking about time: If a meeting is due to start at 10 am in Ireland, at what point would it be

classified as ‘late’ to arrive at that meeting? Discuss this as a group and contrast with perceptions of time in other cultural environments you are familiar with and consider if there are any differences or similarities?

For more exercises, see ‘Toothpicks’, p. 82 and ‘Joseph is running late’, p. 85 in Chapter 5.


B.3 humour

“Even up to now, I stay here for not that long but not that short, and I can really understand I’d say 50–60% of the Irish humour but a lot of the time most people just make humour and I say ‘OK, where is the laughing point?’”

Wentao, China

trainer’s noteHumour – what we find amusing and how we express this – is a matter of personal taste but is also deeply based around our cultural and societal context and values. The students interviewed were asked to think about humour in an intercultural context and whether they found any differences in understanding humour or making jokes in Ireland and doing the same thing in their home country.

There are many issues to consider when using humour in a cross-cultural setting. When is it appropriate to use humour? Can you use it to lighten the mood during a meeting or a lecture? Do you use it in response to emotional situations to defuse tension? Does it serve to create empathy, establish rapport and connections with people you do or do not know? Can it be misunderstood as criticism when encouragement is meant? Are there hierarchical or gender considerations when using humour?

In cultures such as Ireland, sarcasm, irony and culturally specific reference points form the basis of how humour is used and understood.

“Many jokes are based on incongruities of one sort or another, which is one reason why the readers (or listeners) have to be almost a native speaker in order to appreciate the full implications of a joke. If they are unable to assess the degree of incongruity, they can’t appreciate the humour.” (Hall, 1959, p. 132)

actiVitY01. The students mention that it took them some time to understand the culture of

‘slagging’ or ‘banter’ in Ireland. Imagine you are explaining the term ‘slagging’ to an international student or colleague, how would you describe it? Discuss this in pairs.

02. Although humour can be used to establish rapport and to put people at ease, why is it risky in a cross-cultural setting?

03. Take a moment to think of a joke that contains very specific references to your own culture. Imagine telling that joke to someone who is new to that culture. Work in pairs. Share your joke with your partner and imagine that your partner is from another culture. What do you think their reaction would be?


B.4 stereotYpes

“When I talk to people and they know I am Italian, [they say] ‘Oh, Italians’ and they start speaking like an Italian speaking English and they start moving their hands in a strange way for me because it’s not like this. Then they speak always to me about food. It’s quite strange.”

Sara, Italy

trainer’s noteExamining stereotypes is important when considering aspects of culture. Why might this be the case? What is a stereotype? What is its function? Take a moment to consider what your understanding of a stereotype is and whether you would say that you hold stereotypes of others.

In reality, most of us have stereotypes of others though we may not like to admit it because stereotypes can often be negative.

stereotYpesStereotypes function by providing us with a set of generalisations through which we view other people and they are generalised perceptions of someone or something that can be negative or prejudicial. By defaulting to stereotypes, we do not take into account individual differences.

“A stereotype does not allow for individuality and often encourages critical or negative judgement. A generalisation… is non-judgemental and allows for individuality.”Tomalin and Stempleski, 2003: cited in UKCISA, 2009, p. 87

During the course of the clips for this section, some international students remarked that they experienced some incidences of extreme stereotyping in Ireland that extended into territory they would define as racism.

An ICOS publication The Irish are friendly but… (Boucher, 1998) observed that students “experienced everything from acts of overt friendliness to outright discrimination, and a continuum of motivations driving these interactions ranging from kindness and respect for the other to ignorance and racism” (p. 75).

More recently, Lee asserts that:

“International students may face varying difficulties based on their country of origin. There appears to be no uniform mistreatment of students simply based on their race or place of origin, but negative stereotyping largely depends on the local sentiments of the host country. The greatest troubles have been reported off-campus, particularly in securing housing accommodation, but also in interacting with locals off as well as on campus” (2014, p. 15).

In this section, the international students interviewed reflect on the positive and negative aspects of stereotyping of their own cultures while simultaneously reflecting on some stereotypes they had of Irish culture.


actiVitY01. Do you think you hold stereotypes about others? Put this to the test by

considering which nationality groups are stereotyped with the following descriptions?

Good dancers:

Passionate:

Hard working:

Always on time:

Emotionally cold:

Big drinkers:

Lazy:

02. “You can reduce an individual’s likelihood of defaulting to stereotypes by, in the first instance, getting them to acknowledge that, in relation to their own identity, they would find it problematic or perhaps even offensive if people drew on stereotypes or generalisations to define them.” Dr Ciarán Dunne

Discuss this statement from the clip in the context of international students’ perceptions of Irish culture.

03. In Section 1.3 on Making Friends and Integration and Section 1.5 on Alcohol, international students mentioned some of the stereotypes they had about Irish culture which included perceptions that Irish people are friendly, laid back and that they like to drink. Examine these perceptions about Irish people from international students.

04. Consider the students’ reactions to hearing stereotypes of their own cultures. How do these stereotypes create stumbling blocks to communication?

“Racism is one of the things that we international students dread most. I’ve had my fair share of it and I’m still experiencing racism every day. It’s all about how you deal with it. I’ve come to the realisation that people who abuse people racially are probably ignorant and that everybody has a right to live.” Ezebuchi, Nigeria

Are you familiar with the anti-racism policy at your institution and what advice could you offer to a student who experiences racism or discrimination either on campus or off campus?

For more exercises, see ‘Stereotyping Ourselves from Another’s Perspective’ in Chapter 5, p. 86.


teachinG and learninGC.1 A New Academic EnvironmentC.2 Comparing Academic CulturesC.3 Academic LanguageC.4 The Intercultural ClassroomC.5 Approaches to Assessment

tarGet GroupTeaching and Learning Support Staff

unit learninG oBJectiVes• Examineteachingandlearningfromstaffand

international student perspectives

• Discusskeyissuessuchaslanguage,classparticipation, assessment and group work in the contextoftheinterculturalclassroom

unit c: teachinG and learninG

c.1 a new academic enVironmenttrainer’s noteThis unit is aimed at academic and teaching staff, but is also of interest to all staff involved in supporting international students as it focuses on the intercultural learning environment.

“Most students entering the new world of the academy are in an equivalent position to those crossing the borders of a new country – they have to deal with the bureaucracy of checkpoints… they may have limited knowledge of the local language and customs, and are alone.” (Mann, 2001, p. 11)

In the clips, Dr Ciarán Dunne, a specialist in intercultural studies, discusses three main issues:

• Academicculture• Culture’sroleinlearning• Diversityasasourceofcreativityinanacademiccontext.

What is the impact on international students of studying in a new academic environment? What are the implications of cultural difference in diverse areas such as language, class participation, and expectations and attitudes towards learning and teaching? Leask compares students’ arrival at university “to learning how to play a new game where success depends on figuring out the new rules, applying them, and ‘winning rewards’ such as good grades, positive feedback and a sense of confidence and competence as a learner” (Leask, 2004: cited in Carroll, 2005, p. 26). Similarly, Teekens wrote that “by the time… students go to university; the most important cultural values and norms have been deeply ingrained in their attitudes and emotions” (2003, p. 113). With this in mind, how do higher education institutions prepare new international students for the academic hurdles ahead? Does the onus of responsibility fall on institutions or on international students themselves?

There are challenges inherent in adapting to a new and different academic environment. With the challenge is also an opportunity afforded by the presence of international students and the unique cultural capital that they bring to the learning environment. This cultural capital not only benefits the higher education institution but also the home or host country students. Volet and Ang (1998) note that:

“The presence of international students on university campus provides a unique social forum for embracing all students’ understanding and appreciation of the richness of other cultures. … Since opportunities for intercultural learning are seldom taken spontaneously, tertiary institutions have a social responsibility to design learning environments which foster students’ development of intercultural adaptability” (p. 176).


actiVitY01. Darla K. Deardorff has created a model for teachers to assess skills in

interculturally competent teaching. Participants should first evaluate their own teaching skills and then form small groups to reflect on and discuss each aspect of the model below to attempt to map their individual and group intercultural teaching competencies.

interculturallY competent teachinG – reFlection Questions

ATTITUDES REFLECTION POINTS

How truly open am I to those from different cultural, socio-economic, and religious backgrounds?

Do I measure a student’s behaviour based on my own culturally conditioned expectations or do I try to understand a student’s behaviour based on his or her own culturally conditioned background?

Am I eager to learn about different cultures, and specifically, am I eager to learn about my learners’ backgrounds and experiences?

SkILLS REFLECTION POINTS

How much do I really listen to my learners?

Do I engage in active observation in my classroom, paying attention to subtle nuances and dynamics among my learners?

Do I evaluate interactions and situations through an intercultural lens, seeking to understand underlying cultural explanations for what occurred?


INTERNAL OUTCOMES (ADAPTABILITY, FLExIBILITY ETC)

REFLECTION POINTS

Do I know how learners want to be treated or do I assume they want to be treated by my cultural standards?

Am I able to adapt my behaviour and communication styles to accommodate learners using different culturally conditioned communication styles?

Am I able to be flexible in responding to learners’ needs, seeking to understand those needs from their cultural perspectives?

ExTERNAL OUTCOMES ALL HEI STAFF

How culturally appropriate have I been in my interactions with my learners? In my teaching? How would my learners answer this question?

What could I do differently in the future to be more appropriate and effective in my communication and behaviour, both in interpersonal interactions and in my teaching?

Extract reproduced from: Deardorff, D. K., 2012. Introduce Core Concepts. In: K. Berardo & D. K. Deardorff, eds. Building Cultural Competence: Innovative Activities and Models. Sterling, Virgina: Stylus Publishing, pp. 45-52. Copyright © 2012 Stylus Publishing, LLC. Reproduced by permission.


c.2 comparinG academic cultures

“For students who might come from high power distance cultures where it would not be normal for those individuals to challenge people who they would perceive to be in positions of power or authority, it can be very difficult for them to adapt to this new environment where they are expected to constructively critique the content but also perhaps what the lecturer is saying, at least to question what the lecturer is saying.” Dr Ciarán Dunne, Lecturer

trainer’s noteCortazzi and Jin (1997) articulated three elements at play in higher education: • academiccultures• culturesofcommunication• culturesoflearning

These elements create a powerful triumvirate around which teachers and learners must navigate.

At the heart of the intercultural classroom is the question of culture and how it affects:• Howandwhatacademicsteachandevaluate• Howinternationalstudentslearnandhowtheydemonstratethattheyarelearning

This section focuses on academic culture. An academic culture is defined as “the systems of beliefs, expectations and cultural practices about how to perform academically” (Cortazzi & Jin, 1997, p. 77). As discussed in an earlier section on communication culture, it may seem that there is a ‘default’ academic culture common to all which seems ’normal’ or universally understood (see p. 19). It may not be until we leave our familiar academic culture and commence study in another country that we realise that there are many academic cultures. The style of essay writing, assessment methods, class participation and expectations about group tasks differ from country to country. Carroll and Appleton (2007, p. 74) have noted that academics themselves may sometimes have “little or no knowledge of their students’ varied pre-university experiences, perhaps because they were ‘home students’ themselves and have only taught in their own national system”. There may also be an implicit assumption that the discipline they teach is ‘culture-free’ and that, for example, teaching something like computing will be done in the same way in Ireland as it is done in India.


The way international students view academic culture in Ireland will be influenced by their prior learning experiences. Similarly their expectations of what their learning experience will entail, the role of an academic and a learner in the Irish academic cultural context will differ depending on the academic culture the student comes from. In this way, students may be “blind to their own academic assumptions” when they arrive in a new system and may “continue to use strategies and expectations that served them well in the past” (Carroll & Appleton, 2007, p. 72).

For example, Irish academic culture and indeed many western academic cultures will have a focus on independent learning; expectation of active participation in class; expectation that students will have the ability to articulate their own opinions and critique those of others. Eastern cultures, for example, China, may have a different set of expectations when it comes to the roles and expectations of the academic and the learner. Interestingly, Ryan asserts that far from highlighting the differences in ways of learning, we could benefit from focusing on the similarities and commonalities shared across seemingly diffuse learning systems across cultures. In doing so, we can take a transcultural journey of “reciprocal learning” (Ryan, 2013, p. 287).

actiVitYBefore watching the clips:

01. Discuss the influence of culture on the learning styles of international students? What specific patterns have you noticed in your classroom interactions with international students?

After watching the clips:

02. The students mentioned they found that academics in Ireland behaved informally and casually both in and out of the classroom. Discuss this behaviour in relation to power-distance, hierarchies and student perceptions of the relationship between academics and students in the Irish cultural context? See also Unit B: My Culture, Your Culture, Figure 2, p. 33.

03. Discuss how academics can best prepare international students for the transition to the culture of independent learning in Irish higher education. Compare this to the transition of home students from secondary to higher education and see if there are any similarities.

For more exercises, see ‘Comparing Academic Cultures’ in Chapter 5, p. 90.


c.3 academic lanGuaGe

“The language barrier is a big problem at the very beginning. So as an international student and my first language is not English… I just remember I was really nervous at the first lecture. The lecturer just keeps speaking at a very fast speed and I can hardly just catch … what he is talking [about].” Wentao, China

trainer’s noteUnderstanding and using academic English was one of the chief areas of concern raised by the international students participating in ICOS’ Diverse Voices interviews. Students discussed difficulties concerning:

• UnderstandingthespokenEnglish(vocabulary,accentsandspeedofspeech)oflecturers and fellow students in the classroom

• ProblemsinspeakingEnglishbecauseoflackofunderstandingorfearsabouttheir speaking abilities

• Inabilitytounderstandsubject-specificvocabulary

• Academicwritingandresearchskills.

Even students with high levels of skill in speaking English or for whom English is a first language may have different styles of speaking English. Many international students, despite passing internationally accepted English language tests with acceptable grades, will have a substantially smaller vocabulary than a native English speaker which may impact on international students’ class participation.

However, academics also need to consider their approach to language in an intercultural classroom setting. Can an academic afford to take a ‘business as usual’ approach or is it necessary to reflect on their approach and modify their language to take account of the language abilities of the international student cohort present in the classroom?

Consider the following and any adaptation you could make in your approach to:

• Useofslang,jargon(academicandcultural),acronyms,culturallyspecificreferences, and potentially offensive language or stereotypes

• Speedofspeechandfinishingwords–ifastudentdoesn’tunderstandsomething, perhaps repeat what you said using the same words to give them the opportunity to translate once again

• Thinkaboutyouruseofmetaphorsastheycanbeconfusingandareoftenculturally biased and based on ‘local’ knowledge that international students will not have.


actiVitY01. Discuss some of the academic language challenges shared by the international

students in the interview clips and list three strategies that academics can adopt to assist international students?

02. “I couldn’t understand but I tell the lecturers ‘sorry, please repeat it’ because I couldn’t understand. Even the lecturer can repeat many times but I still say ‘sorry I still could not understand, could you teach me?’ but in China people say ‘oh, maybe I’m so stupid, I will lose my face so I prefer to hide it, avoid this knowledge, much better than asking the lecturer many times.” Junhao, China

In small groups, review this statement. How do you facilitate a student in a similar situation to give feedback on lectures? What feedback mechanisms could you use to ensure that students feel comfortable in giving feedback if they are having trouble understanding lectures?

03. “Academic language ... is no one’s mother tongue.” (Bourdieu & Passeron, 1994, p. 8)

Discuss this statement.


c.4 the intercultural classroom

“In Italy, for example, we don’t have small groups and you are in a class with almost two hundred students and it’s really different. In a small group here, we have 12, so we can interact with the teacher and give to him [our] opinion. So, we can talk and I think that here in the university in Ireland, [the] teacher really wants to know what is your thought.” Sara, Italy

trainer’s noteThe intercultural classroom is a learning environment where diverse perspectives coalesce. In this section, academics reflect on the realities of teaching international students from multiple cultural backgrounds while balancing their needs with those of home students. They discuss learning styles; teaching styles; differences and similarities between academic systems; curriculum; class participation and group work. Students talk about the challenges and complexities of adapting their previous learning experiences to new ways of interacting in an Irish classroom.

One of the key issues remarked upon by both academics and students was different approaches to group work. Edmead (2013, p. 15) notes that “group work enables students to interact, share knowledge and experiences and build confidence to express views” and goes on to say that group work can be used “as a platform on which to build intercultural relationships and to help students to recognise the value of diversity”. Leask asserts that intercultural interaction is a key result of an internationalised curriculum and that the whole campus environment as well as the campusethos/culturesshouldprioritiseandrewardinteractionbetweenhomeandinternational students both in and out of the classroom (2009).

FiGure 8 Focus on Group work

Many international students (and indeed host country students) will not have done group work before and may not consider it ‘learning’. Group work as a method of assessment is frequently used in Ireland. Yet it is often mentioned by both academics and students as a contentious and problematic area. While some students will be familiar with group work as an established style of assessment, research has shown that ‘home’ students are often resistant to international students in groups because they think they will not do as well. International groups take longer to become effective but can be just as effective as, or better than, mono-cultural groups over time. As the authority figure in the classroom, the lecturer can take a number of steps to facilitate productive group work:

• Clarifyexpectations – how each member is expected to contribute, that assessment will be as a group not as an individual and that active participation is expected.

• Composition of groups – who will decide on membership? Will it be fair to assign one international student to a group of ‘home’ students?

• Set ground rules for the group work – flag to students that they should be aware of cultural issues impacting on participation in groups e.g. silence couldmeanlistening/thinkingandnotdisinterestorbeingnon-participative,or that in group discussions turn-taking may vary across cultures.


• Gender issues – be aware that there may be cultural issues in mixed gender groups for some students. These students may be either from the host culture or international students.

• Highlight the benefits of intercultural groups for ‘home’ students – ‘internationalisation at home’. Gives good team working skills, develops cross-cultural communication skills, additional knowledge about other cultures’ ways of working plus general knowledge, as well as ‘broaden[ing] their global understandings of knowledge’ (Carroll, 2005, p. 26).

• Communication Problems – When communication problems arise between students in group work situations, it can often occur because different individuals within groups may have differing communication preferences. For example, some members may feel very comfortable with direct communication and are happy to speak up in groups or in public, while others may feel more comfortable with indirect communication and as result would rather assume a less ‘public’ role within the group. There are also cultural differences in attitudes towards criticism etc. Increasing cross-cultural collaboration in group work can lead to better and more innovative results.

actiVitY01. Discuss some of the academic language challenges shared by the international

students in the interview clips and list three strategies that academics can adopt to assist international students?

02. What are the five most important qualities required to teach in an intercultural environment? Firstly, come up with a list individually and then discuss as a group.

03. What competencies do you think you need to develop your knowledge and skills?

04. Does your institution’s current range of staff development programmes cover content that would enable academics and support staff to gain additional intercultural competencies?

05. Reflect on the current level of pre-arrival or post-arrival academic preparation for internationalstudentsatyourinstitution.Whattraining/informationisavailableto students to assist them in adapting to their new learning environment? How effective is the current information? Are there gaps or areas for further development?

06. The intercultural classroom is by its nature international. Discuss whether intercultural competency training is provided to students – home and international – at your institution. What effect would this training have and how could such training programmes be implemented?

07. What do you understand by the term ‘internationalised curriculum’? See activity ‘How international is the curriculum? Questions you need to ask’ in Chapter 5 (p. 93). Ask participants to reflect on the questions that you need to ask to determine how international the curriculum in your department or subject specialty is.


c.5 approaches to assessment

“The marking system is another big difference between here and what I’m used to. For a pass here, you just need 40%. For a bare minimum pass where I’m from, you need 60% and that’s considered very bad. So the students’ attitudes [are] ‘Oh, I got 70% on something, I did really good’ whereas for me, ‘Oh, 70%, that’s not good at all.” Alicia, USA

trainer’s noteThe challenges of understanding different approaches to assessment occupied the minds of the international students interviewed for this section. Most students found that their previous competencies and understanding based on the ways they had previously undertaken assessment tasks were completely reversed in a new academic environment. Some misunderstood how and what content would be assessed. Others noticed major differences in methods of assessment. Content; structure of essay writing; critical thinking; use of references and plagiarism; grading; and giving feedback were the main topics raised by students and academics.

Carroll (2005) notes that students welcome explicit instructions on how to approach assessments. Without this, many international students (and many home students) will struggle to understand what is being asked of them. Carroll (2005, p. 32) recommends that academics make instructions explicit on:

• Thelengthofsubmissions

• Theformatwithexplanationswhateachformat(e.g.essay,report,posterprécis,oral presentation) entails

• Whattheassessmentcriteriameanandhowtheyareapplied

• Whatisbeingassessed(especiallythepercentageofthemarkallocatedtoEnglish language proficiency)

• Whichaspectsoftheassessmentbriefarecompulsoryandwhichareguidanceand suggestions.


actiVitY01. Discuss giving feedback to international students. Are there cultural

considerations around giving and receiving feedback? What issues might arise?

02. Establishing a mechanism to deliver early feedback is advisable. Carroll recommends organising an early diagnostic activity within the students’ subject area such as “asking for 1000 words within the first four weeks and providing feedback on how it was produced, rather than focusing on the content or what was said” (2007, p. 77). This should alert both teacher and student to issues that need some extra focus and work. In your group, consider whether this would be feasible in your course and how you would approach this exercise?

03. “It might be an idea to ask the students themselves what they thought of their performance. If you provide the students with the metrics of how you’re going to evaluate their assessment and if it is, let’s say, relating to things such as critical thinking, discuss with them what does that mean, what do we understand by critical thinking? Is it just articulating what other people have said about something or is it about you articulating your own personal perspective on this particular topic?” Dr Ciarán Dunne, Lecturer

Consider this statement. Write an explanation of critical thinking for a new group of international students.


supportinG international studentsD.1 Supporting International StudentsD.2 Information and OrientationD.3 Institutional Recommendations


unit learninG oBJectiVes • Reviewsupportneedsofinternationalstudents

and capacity development for staff to respond to the needs of diverse student groups

• Discusstheprovisionoforientationandinformationservicestointernational students and plans for development

• Reflectoninternationalisationrationalesandplanswithinthehigher education sector

unit d: supportinG international students

d.1 supportinG international students

“I do think that students will come in and approach you and you might be presented with a practical issue of ‘where can I find…?’ or ‘I need to know...’ and you’ll go ‘that’s very straightforward, why did they not find that on the web or in the information handbook?’ [Then] you realise that it’s a point of contact they’re looking for [and] that’s not really the issue… When you’ve solved that problem, if you ask them if they’re OK or is there anything else, then the real issue emerges.” Suzanne, International Student Adviser

trainer’s noteIn higher education institutions, support for international students has become a core component of the package of services provided to students. Quality provision plays a part and support is one essential element along with teaching and research.

Kelo (2006, p. 129) notes that:

“Institutions need to take fundamental decisions regarding their approach to services based on an evaluation of student needs, especially those of international students. The main questions institutions needs to ask themselves are: What supports do students in higher education need (regardless of nationality)? Do the needs of international students differ from those of national students? Do they need special support and services compared to those available for all students?”

In the clips, students and staff reflect on the role of student services and how students can access these services. It raises interesting questions about what types of knowledge, skills and competencies are required by those who support and advise international students. It also centres on what international students expect of those who support them.


actiVitY01. In this clip, a student describes how an international student might feel on arrival

and what their support needs might be:

“I would say for the people working in higher education, know that the students might be really uncomfortable being here. They might not show it but they’re in a totally different place, so you’re almost like a babysitter for the first couple of weeks, I guess, to make sure everything is OK, nobody is miserable; everybody is having a good time… Then you’re kind of like the teacher ‘here’s all the things here.’ And then you’re kind of the bulldozer in a way. You’re trying to push them and ‘go experience yourself’. You’re going to have to take those stages with students just to make them comfortable being themselves and then get them out there.” Joshua, USA

Analyse this statement. What are your thoughts on being at times like a ‘babysitter’ and a ‘bulldozer’? Is this a good analogy for supporting international students?

02. In supporting international students, what skills and knowledge do you think would be beneficial to you and your work? Write a list of five key competencies, how you could acquire these skills and what difference they would make to your work.

03. Whose responsibility is it to develop the competencies you listed above? Is it a personal or an institutional responsibility? Or a combination of both?

04. Complete the following statement using five adjectives: “When working with international students, it is important to be…”


d.2 inFormation and orientation

“I checked the webpage of my university and I found a lot of information about how to be an international student in Ireland. It was useful but it’s different when you get here and you realise, ‘I should [know] more about housing’ for instance.” Alberto, Peru

trainer’s noteWhere information for international students is concerned, what is it that they need to know? As many students interviewed for Diverse Voices acknowledged, they sometimes had different expectations on their information needs that were not always met by their educational institutions. In some cases, students did not know what they needed to know and this lead to challenges once they arrived in Ireland to commence their study experience.

Do we need to consider whether there are cultural expectations around what information we provide and what information is expected?

Ryan (2000, p. 79) recommends two important points for universities to consider in order to help international students at the beginning:

• Gettingthewelcomeright

• Developingawelcomingethosinthewholedepartmentorinstitution.

Most of us know from personal experience that the kind of welcome we receive when we enter a new environment is crucial to our overall impression and it is even more critical when we enter a new international setting such as a higher education institution.


actiVitY01. “In terms of tailoring the information to international students pre-arrival or

maybe on arrival, based on their own culture of origin, not much of that seems to happen. Universities tend to produce general information that is of relevance to all students and they send it out that way… [but] it might make sense to maybe try and identify what particular aspects of that could be of significance to one particular cultural group”. Dr Ciarán Dunne, Lecturer

Discuss this statement and whether the development of culturally specific orientation materials or sessions is necessary or feasible within your institution?

02. Take a critical look at your institutional or departmental orientation guides and programmes for international students.

• Howisinformationconveyed(printedmaterial,online,inperson,video,peerto peer)?

• Whenisinformationavailable(before,duringorafterarrivaloracombinationof the above)?

• Aretheremoreeffectivewaystogiveorientationinformation?

• Doesevaluationoforientationandinformationmaterialsinvolvecurrentandformer students?

• Areorientationsprovidedatpointsthroughouttheyearorjustatthestartofthe academic year?

03. Is intercultural training for students considered by your institution as a component of orientation? The UK Council for International Student Affairs (UKCISA) (2009) suggests that a basic introduction to cultural awareness should be included in orientation programmes. Is this an area that could be incorporated into your institution’s orientation programmes? If so, what types of information would you include? What difference do you think this training could make to interactions between home and international students inside and outside the classroom?

04. What does your institution do to ‘welcome’ international students? What kind of feedback do you get from students about your services? Work in pairs and think of three areas where improvements could be made. Then share these with the rest of the group to compile a more detailed and extensive list.


d.3 institutional recommendations

“Internationalisation is really about what happens when those students arrive at the university, not the process of simply recruiting them … That includes strategies around internationalising student life; internationalising the curriculum; internationalising the built environment. That would [also] include accommodation, the restaurant, interfaith centres, all of these aspects. Internationalisation has to be understood in its broadest context.” Dr Ciarán Dunne, Lecturer

trainer’s noteIn the interview clips, higher education institution staff were asked if they had any recommendations as to how to make their institutions a better environment for all students, particularly international students. Their responses constitute a starting point rather than a finite or exhaustive list.

Many used the question as an opportunity to talk about internationalisation. When we talk about internationalisation, what do we mean? The term has become a buzzword within the international education sphere with many interpretations of what it means and even more interpretations of how to achieve it.

Among the many definitions of internationalisation, Knight’s definition is widely used and defines internationalisation as “the process of integrating an international, intercultural or global dimension into the purpose, functions or delivery of post-secondary education” (2004, p. 11).

Due to the absence of consensus regarding a common definition of internationalisation, it is unsurprising that there is no universally agreed set of criteria which are used as indicators to evaluate the level of internationalisation of a given institution or educational sector. A research-based model of internationalisation proposed by Elkin, Farnsworth and Templer (2008) suggests that internationalisation can be conceptualised according to the following nine key indicators:

1. Number of undergraduate international students

2. Number of postgraduate international students

3. Student exchange programmes

4. Staff exchange programmes

5. Staffinteractionininternationalcontext/attendanceatinternationalconferences

6. Internationally focused programmes of study

7. International research collaboration

8. Support for international students

9. International institutional links.


De Wit (2012) has recently suggested that the processes HEIs utilise to achieve internationalisation have often become confused with the goal and he notes there are several misconceptions surrounding internationalisation including that education offered through English equates to internationalisation; that the more international students and institutional partnerships a HEI has, the greater the level of internationalisation; that intercultural and international competencies are acquired through various activities and do not need to be formally tested; and that higher education is naturally international in essence.

actiVitY01. Using Elkin, Farnsworth and Templer’s above indicators of internationalisation,

discuss in groups how ‘internationalised’ your institution is.

02. Write down one small short-term change and one significant medium or long-term change that you would like to see at your institution in relation to international students and internationalisation. These should be changes which you could actively participate in. When you get back to the office, email these ideas to yourself and set a calendar reminder to revisit your email in 1 month and then in 6 months to see if you have made any progress towards achieving these changes.

03. What does your ideal ‘welcoming’ institution look like? What facilities, supports, and programmes would you provide?

04. Does your institution have a policy for academic staff with guidelines or recommendations about how to internationalise the curriculum? If not, would you consider such a policy useful?


chapter 5SUPPLEMENTARY EXERCISES AND HANDOUTS

supplementarY eXercises and handouts trainer’s noteThis chapter contains a range of supplementary training exercises for facilitators or academics. The exercises and handouts are indicated as suitable for use with specific units or sections.

For a list of other publications containing further sources of training exercises, see p. 129.

name tYpe unit cateGorY oF diFFicultY

paGe

Sample Training Workshop Handout All Medium 65

GreetingsExercise Icebreaker All Medium 66

Snowball Icebreaker All Easy 69

The Surprise Introduction Icebreaker All Easy 71

“I am…” Exercise A.2 Everyday Life Easy 72

The‘M’Exercise Exercise A.4 Language and Slang Easy 73

Second Language - ‘Walk In their Shoes’

Exercise A.4 Language and Slang Easy 74

Transition Planning Exercise A.7 Culture Shock and Homesickness

Medium 75

Cultural Values Exercise Unit B. My Culture, Your Culture

Easy 76

Building Style Proficiency: Communication Styles

Exercise B.1 Communication Styles Easy 79

Toothpicks Exercise B.2 Non-verbal Communication

Medium 82

JosephisRunningLate Exercise B.2 Non-verbal Communication

Easy 85

Stereotyping Ourselves from Another’s Perspective

Exercise B.4 Stereotypes Medium 86

Comparing Academic Cultures Exercise C.2 Comparing Academic Cultures

Medium 87

ReflectingonPreviousLearningExperiences

Exercise C.2 Comparing Academic Cultures

Medium 90

How International is the Curriculum? Exercise C.4 The Intercultural Classroom

Medium 93


sample traininG workshop

trainer’s noteThis is a sample three-hour ICOS training workshop.

course title: introduction to cultural awareness and cross- cultural communication: workinG with international studentsduration: 3 hours

course content:• Introductions / Outline of aims and objectives (5 minutes)

• Introductoryexerciseanddebrief(10minutes)

• Cultural difference and dimensions of culture (45 minutes)

The main areas of cultural difference are introduced. Stereotypes, perceptions and cultural frames of reference will be explored. The session provides participants with a language to discuss ‘culture’, ‘cultural difference’ and examines some cultural theories.

• Coffee Break (15 minutes)

• Cross-cultural communication concepts (45 minutes)

This session looks at verbal and non-verbal communication styles and language in an intercultural context.

• Group activity and discussion (45 minutes)

This session uses ‘Critical Incidents’ in order to uncover and analyse the cultural components of various incidents in which cross-cultural communication misunderstandings can occur.

• Summary, debrief and evaluation (15 minutes)


introductorY actiVities & eXercises

} ICEBREAkER 1: GREETINGS ExERCISE INSTRUCTIONS

trainer’s noteCreative icebreaker exercises are great for setting the tone of a training programme. The choice of icebreaker largely depends on the trainer and also on the participant group’s needs and interests. The following exercise is an effective opener and is a talking point exercise as it encourages participants to get out of their seats to meet each other while also asking them to engage with the theory behind intercultural training straight away.

time: 10 minutes. 5 minutes for participants to do the exercise and 5 minutes to debrief

Group size: Suitable for any group size

materials: Scissors and handout of greetings

oBJectiVe

Through this activity, participants will:• Meetfellowparticipants• Exploreaspectsofculturaldifferenceinafunandpositiveway• Examinetheirculturalcomfortzones

preparationPhotocopy handout below and cut out each greeting. You will need one ‘greeting’ per person. If your group is larger than the number of greetings you have, make multiple copies as it does not matter if the greetings are repeated by multiple participants.


instruction/set-upUse the following instructions. Each person should take a piece of paper. Each piece of paper contains an instruction which is a greeting from another country. After reading their assigned greeting, participants should get up and walk about greeting their fellow group members using the greeting they have received. Allow participants to choose whether to greet the trainer or not. If they greet the trainer, the trainer should greet them using the usual greeting in the host culture i.e. a handshake in Ireland.

deBrieFAsk participants the following question: How did your feel during that exercise? Usually participants will respond in various ways and say that they felt funny, uncomfortable, interested, that they learned something new or that they felt they were invading someone’s personal space. Analyse these responses with the group. Acknowledge that there may be variations of greetings within each of these countries. Ask the participants which greetings (including their own) made them feel uncomfortable and why. Then ask them why they think the trainer asked them to do this exercise? Answers will often vary. You can explain that the ultimate aim of the exercise is to get participants to reflect on their comfort zones, particularly their cultural comfort zones. By opening themselves up to difference, they may be more open to new cultural experiences. As an opening exercise, it brings a lot of issues to the fore at an early stage.

noteThis exercise is intended to be a light-hearted opening activity but it needs to be used with care as it may make some participants feel uncomfortable. It may need to be modified depending on the group’s gender balance or the appropriateness of physical contact within the group. However, reflecting on the participants’ cultural comfort zones can lead into a discussion on how touch is appropriate for one gender in certain cultures but not for another gender in the same culture. Be particularly aware of participants in the group who may not wish to participate for personal reasons and do not oblige anyone to participate nor draw excessive attention to those who decline participation, but note that these reactions bring to life the purpose of the exercise.


} ICEBREAkER 1: GREETINGS ExERCISE HANDOUT

Shake hands with a light grip and keep a distance of about 2 feet between you (England)

Press your nose against another person’s nose while keeping your eyes closed (‘Hongi’ Maori, New Zealand)

Shake your fist at head level and say “Wooshay wooshay” (Niger)

Embrace the other person and kiss them twice on alternate cheeks (Portugal and Spain)

Press your face against another person’s cheek and sniff deeply (Tuvalu)

Say “Salaam alaykum” then shake hands and say “Kaif Halak” then place your left hand on the person’s right shoulder and kiss the person on both cheeks (Gulf States: Bahrain, Kuwait, Sultanate of Oman, Qatar and UAE)

Press the palms of your hands together in a praying position and hold your hands chest high while bowing slightly forward (India “Namaste”)

Greet people by making eye contact followed by raising and lowering your eyebrows (Philippines)

Using your right hand touch your heart, then your forehead and then gesture forward (Jordan)

Cover your left fist with your right hand, raise both hands to your chest and bow your head with eyes downcast (Taiwan)

Greet a person with a firm handshake while smiling and making eye contact (Ireland)

Greet a person saying “salaam” and bow with the palm of the right hand on your forehead (Pakistan)

Touch hands like a handshake that doesn’t include a grip, just lightly grazing palms and fingers (Botswana)

Clap your hands three times and then say hello (Northern Mozambique)

Bow with both hands together at chest level. The depth of the bow signifies the level of respect for the other person (Japan)

Take the other person’s right hand and kiss the back of it (Poland and Moldova)

Nod, slightly bend knees, and shake hands, right hand extended, with left hand under right elbow (Zambia)

Bow with your hands together in front of the chest as if you are praying (Cambodia and Laos)

Hug the person you wish to greet (‘Abrazo’, Mexico)

Greet another person with a firm, brief and confident handshake while maintaining eye contact (USA)

Kiss the person you wish to greet on both cheeks twice (i.e. left, right, left, right) (Certain regions of France)

Kissthreetimes,onalternatecheeks...left,right,left(Russia)

Material adapted from unpublished ICOS materials, and from Friend-Pereira, J. C. & McDaid, R., 2002. Anti-Racism and Multiculturalism Campaign: Activity and Resource Pack for Student Co-ordinators. Dublin: Union of Students in Ireland (USI).


} ICEBREAkER 2 ExERCISE: SNOwBALL

oBJectiVeThrough this activity, participants will:• Meetotherparticipants• Increasetheirknowledgeofthebackgroundsofotherparticipants• Learnsomeinterestinginterculturalfactsaboutthemselvesandeachother


Group size: Suitable for groups of 5 people or more

materials: Paper and pens

instructionIdentify five questions that will enable the group to get to know each other. Questions can be along the lines of:

1. What is your favourite food and why?2. When was the last time you laughed really hard and why?3. Who has been a big role model in your life and why?4. What is the worst time of the day for you to have a meeting?5. If you could visit any country in the world, where would it be and why?

If you have time, you can ask the group to generate the questions they wish to ask or you can tailor the questions to the specific group you have depending on the training objectives. Questions should move from low risk to higher risk. Ask the participants to write their question answers in number order on a sheet of paper.

set-upParticipants will need paper and a pen. Ask them to write their answers on the sheet and not to put their name on the paper but to write clearly because someone else will be reading their sheet.

actiVitYWhen all the participants have finished writing their answers, tell them that that the next step of the activity is to crumple up their papers into a ball. You should start the process first and then tell the participants that they are now going to have a snowball fight. Ask all participants to move to an open area of the room and when you say “Go!”, all participants should start throwing their ‘snowballs’ and picking up other snowballs and so on. After a short time, you should stop the snowball ‘fight’ and ask everyone to pick up the snowball nearest them and read the answers. Invite everyone to talk to fellow participants to try to figure out which person’s answer sheets belong to whom. Participants should approach each other while reading the answers aloud and not specifically asking each other if the answers belong to a specific person. Eventually small groups will start to form as participants find each other. Then ask each person to introduce the person, whose paper they have, to the group. The person making the introduction should say the author’s name and their answers to the questions. This should continue until everyone has been introduced.


deBrieFThis activity is a non-traditional form of introduction. Due to its fun nature, this activity will break the ice and open up communication between the participants.

Ask participants the following types of questions:

1. What do you think about this exercise?2. What kinds of things did you learn about your fellow participants? 3. Did you have much in common with anyone?4. Was there anything that you learned that might influence the way you might

communicate with them?

From this exercise, participants learn that it is possible to meet other people in a different way to the more formal introduction style commonly used at training. It is also good to note that this exercise allows everyone to get to know a little bit about each other quickly, may increase participants’ interest in each other, and will raise some cultural issues at an early stage.

Note: You should not ask participants to introduce themselves prior to this activity and should not mention the name of the game ‘Snowball’ in advance as this would spoil the surprise element of the activity.

Adapted from Pollack, S., 2012. Snowball. In: K. Berardo & D. K. Deardorff, eds. Building Cultural Competence: Innovative Activties and Models. Sterling, Virginia: Stylus Publishing, pp. 261-264. Copyright © 2012 Stylus Publishing, LLC. Reproduced by permission.


} INTRODUCTION ExERCISE: THE SURPRISE INTRODUCTION

oBJectiVeThrough this activity, participants will:• Learnaboutotherparticipants• Learnabouthowintroductionscanhighlightculturaldifferencesaroundwhatis

valued in a particular culture

time: 30 minutes

Group size: Suitable for groups of 4-16 people


instruction / set-upParticipants will need paper and pens. Tell the participants that everyone will be introducing themselves but that you will introduce yourself last.

actiVitYAsk participants to write down their introductions in 50 words or less and specify the most important things that they would want other people to know about them. Give participants 5 minutes to write their introductions. Depending on the group size, ask a number of people to read out their introductions.

When participants have read out their introductions, introduce yourself using the following introduction style:

“My Name is Mary O’Connor. My father is John O’Connor and is a native of Dublin. He is a solicitor who specializes in family law. My mother is Kathleen O’Connor. Her parents were the well-known Mr and Mrs Harold Mulligan of Mulligan’s Café on Strandhill Street. My mother is a teacher in Lucan, Co. Dublin. I have a brother, Sam O’Connor, who is a solicitor in Cork. I also have a sister, Sarah O’Connor, who is a nurse and a mother of two. My husband Craig Bennett is the son of Mr and Mrs Arthur Bennett, of Westport, Co. Mayo. I have one child.”

You can adapt your introduction but should try to base this relationship-based style of introduction as close to your own relationships as possible. Ask participants for their reactions and to compare your introduction to theirs.

deBrieFThe discussion should focus on how your introduction differed from how the participants chose to introduce themselves. Participants may have introduced themselves in ways that focused more on their work or professional role. The aim of the exercise is get participants to notice that your introduction was totally relationship-based. This should lead to a discussion on how introductions can reflect cultural values. Your introduction highlights that within certain cultures, relationships and family have a high value and are deemed important to establish a person’s status. However, in other cultures, the kind of job a person has may be more emphasised in an introduction. This exercise raises issues around cultural values, relationship priorities, showing hierarchies, and value of the family structure within particular cultures.

Adapted by ICOS from Clifford, K. T. C., 1994. Surprise Introduction. In: R. L. Kohls & J. M. Knight, eds. Developing Intercultural Awareness: A Cross-cultural Training Handbook. Yarmouth, Maine: Intercultural Press, pp. 23-25. Reproduced by permission.


unit a: a.2 eVerY daY liFe eXercise

} “I AM…”

oBJectiVeThrough this activity, participants will:• Meetfellowparticipants• Exploretheirindividualculturalframesofreference

time: 25 minutes



instruction/set-upAsk participants to complete the following sentence “I am…”

1. The first sentence should focus on the participant as a PERSON e.g. “I am… talkative, sometimes short-tempered and I love chocolate!”

2. The second sentence focus is SOCIAL e.g., “I am… a golfer and salsa dancer”3. The third sentence focus is CULTURAL e.g. “I am… happy spending time with my

family and like to socialise at home”4. The fourth sentence focus is NATIONAL e.g. “I am… Irish but I spent 5 years in

Spain as a child.”

Work in pairs and share sentences. Then discuss in the whole group.

deBrieFAsk group members the following questions:

• Howdidyoufeelduringthatexercise?• Describeyourexperienceofcompletingthesentencesstartingwith“Iam”• Doyoufeelthatthesesentencesconveyasenseofyourownculturalframesof

reference?

Analyse the responses with the group. The ultimate aim of the exercise is to get participants to reflect on their cultural frames of reference.

noteSome participants may find this exercise difficult and may be reluctant to share their thoughts so facilitators should proceed with sensitivity.

Adapted by ICOS from “I am …” exercise in Barty, A. & Lago, C., 2003. Working with International Students: A Cross-cultural Training Manual. London: UKCOSA. Reproduced by permission.


unit a: a.4 lanGuaGe and slanG eXercises

} ExERCISE 1: THE ’M’ ExERCISE

oBJectiVeTo help native English speakers appreciate the effort that speaking in a second language can have on non-native English speakers.



materials: None

instructionAsk participants to work in pairs and talk to their partner about their plans for the coming weekend. They are not allowed to use any words containing or starting with the letter ‘M’. Participants should chat to each other for around three minutes in total to allow them to get into the exercise.

deBrieFTo debrief after this exercise, you should ask participants to talk about how they felt during the exercise. What did they notice most about speaking without using words containing the letter ‘M’? Could they speak fluently and express themselves?

This is an empathy exercise and participants get to step into the shoes of an international student and imagine what it might be like if English was not their first language and if their understanding and expression was limited.

Adapted by ICOS from an unknown source.


unit a: a.4 lanGuaGe and slanG eXercises

} ExERCISE 2: SECOND LANGUAGE wALk-IN-THEIR-SHOES

oBJectiVeTo help English language speakers appreciate the effort that speaking in a second language can have on international students.



materials: None

instructionAsk participants to work in pairs and decide who will go first. You should give the following instruction: “Now tell your partner about the place where you grew up. Start… but wait… as you share this information, insert a COLOUR every seventh word, using a different colour each time. Start!” After two minutes, it is the other partner’s turn to speak.

deBrieFTo debrief after this exercise, you should ask participants to talk about how they felt when they were the speaker and when they were the listener? Was it easy to speak? Was it easy to listen? How effective were you as a speaker and as a listener? What did you learn about yourself and second language speakers during this exercise? Were you patient as a listener and how did your partner behave?

This is an empathy exercise and participants get to step into the shoes of an international student and imagine what it might be like if English was not their first language and if their understanding and expression was limited.

Adapted by ICOS from an activity by Horton, S., 2009. Second Language Walk in Their Shoes. In: D. M. Stringer & P. A. Cassiday, eds. 52 Activities for Improving Cross-cultural Communication. Boston, MA: Nicholas Brealey Publishing, pp. 5-7. Reproduced by permission.

Final conclusions From Both lanGuaGe eXercisesNon-native English speakers may feel awkward and reticent about speaking. They may lack confidence in their fluency, pronunciation and also in their ability to communicate and make themselves understood. They may struggle to find the right word. These exercises challenge participants to step into the shoes of a non-native English speaker and to gain some insight and empathy into their experience.

See also Section C.3 on Academic Language for additional material, p. 50.


a.7: culture shock and homesicknesstrainer’s noteIn section A.7, students and staff reflect on culture shock, homesickness and the effects of adapting to a new academic environment. This exercise from Kate Berardo asks participants to think practically about how to assist students experiencing culture shock or what she terms “transition stress” (2012, p. 183).

time: 50 minutes. 25 minutes for participants to do the exercise and 25 minutes for presentations and debrief

Group size: Suitable for groups of 12-16 people

materials: Questions below

unit a.7: culture shock and homesickness

} ExERCISE: TRANSITION PLANNING

Ask participants to imagine a typical international student in the process of transition. Work in a small group of 3-4 people and agree on a particular example that you think reflects a typical international student experience of culture shock or transition stress. Examine the scenarios in more detail using the following questions from Berardo’s model:

• WHATtransitionstressorculturaladaptationissueisthestudentexperiencing?• WHYisthisstressoccurringandwhatiscausingthestress?• LookatHOWthetransitionstressmaybeaffectingthestudentdependingon

personality, previous experience and the culture from which the person is from or is moving into

• Whatcanyoudo?ThinkWHATNOWandfocusonworkingwiththestudenttoidentify specific, actionable and realistic steps to deal with cultural transition.

After 25 minutes, participants should present their scenario using Berardo’s transition planning questions as a guideline. Participants should reflect on each group’s scenarios and their approach to dealing with each scenario and evaluate for effectiveness.

Exercise adapted by ICOS from Berardo, K., 2012. Framework: Four Key Components of Transition Planning. In: K. Berardo & D. K. Deardorff, eds. Building Cultural Competence: Innovative Activities and Models. Sterling, Virginia: Stylus Publishing, pp. 183-189. Copyright © 2012 Stylus Publishing, LLC. Reproduced by permission.


unit B.1 mY culture, Your culture

} CULTURAL VALUES ExERCISE

trainer’s noteThis exercise is about applying Geert Hofstede’s cultural value theories to practical examples.

time: 50 minutes. 25 minutes for participants to do the exercise and 25 minutes for presentations and debrief


materials: Handouts

oBJectiVe To help participants understand how different culture values can affect attitudes and behaviour.

instructionsAsk participants to work in pairs. Match the statements with the theory and then re-group after you give the answers to the exercise.

deBrieFTo debrief after this exercise, you should ask participants to reflect on how easily they could match the statements with the theory and whether the statements assisted with their understanding of the theory.

Answers: 1D, 2E, 3B, 4C, 5H, 6A, 7F, 8I, 9J, 10G.

Adapted by ICOS into an exercise based on theories of Hofstede, G., 1997. Culture and Organisations: Software of the Mind. New York: Mc Graw-Hill.


handout 1: Geert hoFstede’s cultural dimensionsHofstede identified a number of dimensions to indicate aspects of national culture.

indiVidualism / collectiVismValue: The degree to which individuals are integrated into groups.

Individualism = loose social framework = ‘I’• Speakingone’smind• Independenceisvalued

Collectivism = tight social framework = ‘We’ • Valuetraditionandconformity• Interdependenceisvalued

power distanceValue: The extent to which members of a society accept and expect that power is distributed unequally.

High Power Distance cultures = Hierarchical structures• Authorityfiguresareinaccessibleandinitiatecommunication;neverpublicly

contradicted; treated with deference; regarded as expert; sometimes seen as a parentalfigure;Student/teacherrelationsrelativelymoreformal

Low Power Distance cultures = Less hierarchical• Informalapproach• Employeesaremoreindependent• Student/teacherrelationsrelativelymoreinformal

uncertaintY aVoidanceValue: Relates to the degree to which people in a society feel threatened (or not) by uncertain and ambiguous situations.

• Strong Uncertainty Avoidance = Cultures try to minimise uncertainty by hav-ing lots of written laws, rules and formal policies. People are less willing to take risks

• Weak Uncertainty Avoidance = Cultures where people are more tolerant of risk and difference and try to have fewer formalised rules

masculinitY / FemininitYValue: Relates to the distribution of gender roles within a culture.

• ‘Masculine’ society = social gender roles are clearly defined and separate; more authoritarian style in work-place; work at centre of life – ‘live to work’ ideal

• ‘Feminine’ cultures = social gender roles overlap and men and women can take on the same roles without problem; consensus seeking approach in work; work less central and ‘work to live’ ideal



handout 2: Geert hoFstede’s cultural dimensions – answer sheet

Fit each oF the FollowinG statements into the correct BoXes Below::

1. Calling your boss by their first name

2. Valuing success over participation

3. Centrality of the family

4. Alwaysaddressingapersoninauthoritybytheirformaltitle(e.g.Doctor/Professor)

5. Rules are made to be broken

6. Being self-reliant and believing that you are the best person to help yourself

7. Consulting your colleagues when you want to make a decision

8. It is better to be late than to never show up

9. Starting a meeting late disrupts the schedule and should not be done

10. Bureaucracy is necessary for efficiency

a. Individualism = B. Collectivism =

c. High Power Distance = d. Low Power distance =

e. Masculinity = F. Femininity =

G. Strong Uncertainty Avoidance = h. Weak Uncertainty Avoidance =

i. Polychronic = J. Monochronic =



unit B.1 mY culture, Your culture

} BUILDING STYLE PROFICIENCY: COMMUNICATION STYLES ExERCISE

oBJectiVe • Toexplorecommunicationstyles• Identifypersonalcommunicationstylepreferences

time: 20 minutes


materials: Handout – see below

instructionAsk participants to discuss their preferred communication styles. Tell participants that each communication style row is a continuum – like a piece of string with knots at each end – and the participants’ styles can range anywhere along the piece of string from one side to the other. See Handout on Communication Styles Continua to ensure participants understand what is meant by each term. Participants should place an X on each line showing their communication preference. When they are finished, they can see a pattern of their communication preference. Compare and discuss these patterns with a partner.

deBrieFTo debrief after this exercise, ask participants to reflect on how easily they could find their own communication style and whether it is helpful to identify personal communication preferences. How can this help in developing cross-cultural communication skills?


} BUILDING STYLE PROFICIENCY: COMMUNICATION STYLES CONTINUA ExERCISE SHEET

linear circular

direct indirect

Formal inFormal

detached attached

idea-Focus person-Focus

task relationship

low conteXt hiGh conteXt

Adapted by ICOS from an activity by Stringer, D., 2009. Building Style Proficiency. In: D. M. Stringer & P. A. Cassiday, eds. 52 Activities for Improving Cross-Cultural Communication. Boston, MA: Nicholas Brealey, pp. 171-176. Reproduced by permission.


} BUILDING STYLE PROFICIENCY: COMMUNICATION STYLES CONTINUA HANDOUT

While each individual may use multiple styles, there are identifiable, culturally taught preferences. Use of multiple styles is common although there tends to be a personal preference that is the style individuals may revert to under pressure. Misperceptions and/orconflictarecommonwhenindividualsareusingdifferentstyles.Stylereferstohow one speaks, not what one says.

} LINEAR: Get to the point, state issue explicitly, believes wordy communication wastes time

} CIRCULAR: Use of context (story) to make the point, elegance in language, feels it would be crass to clearly state the point

} DIRECT: State specifics, avoid ambiguity, honesty requires directness

} INDIRECT: Specifically citing a mistake or voicing disapproval is impolite and disrespectful, subtle implication allows for ‘face-saving’

} FORMAL: Status is important and acknowledged, follow strict communication rules

} INFORMAL: Few specific rules on what can be said to whom, use of first names

} DETACHED: Calm, objective, impersonal

} ATTACHED: Passionate, strong feeling, personal stake in outcome

} IDEA FOCUS: Disagree and attack idea not person, person and idea totally separate

} PERSON FOCUS: Disagreementissubtle,person/ideassame,feelingsimportant

} TASk: Accomplishingthegoal/taskispriority,feelingssecondary

} RELATIONSHIP: Group harmony, relations priority, everyone should feel heard

} LOw CONTExT: Over-explain, many words, specific, precise

} HIGH CONTExT: Under-explain, subtle non-verbals, understanding left to the receiver, over-explaining is insulting

Adapted by ICOS from an activity by Stringer, D., 2009. Building Style Proficiency. In: D. M. Stringer & P. A. Cassiday, eds. 52 Activities for Improving Cross-Cultural Communication. Boston, MA: Nicholas Brealey, pp. 171-176. Reproduced by permission.


unit B.2 non-VerBal communication

} ExERCISE: TOOTHPICkS

oBJectiVe Through this activity, participants will:

• Exploretheimpactofnon-verbalcommunication• Recognisehownon-verbalcommunicationcanbebothcultureandgender

specific• Recognisetheimpactofnotknowingthenon-verbalcommunicationrulesand

what that might feel like.

time: 45 minutes

Group size: Suitable for groups of 5 people or more

materials: See preparation

preparationYou will need:• Toothpicks(10perparticipant)• 8Cardswithadifferentnon-verbalcommunicationinstructiononeachcard.See

handout on page 84. Each card should be a different colour.

instruction/set-up• Giveeachparticipantacardandexplaintheactivityobjectives

• Therulesarethateachpersonshouldtalkwithsomeonewithadifferentcolouredcard than their own. They should not share the ‘rule’ on their card

• Theobjectoftheexerciseistotrytofigureoutthedifferenceintheother’snon-verbal communication rules

• Eachparticipantshouldspeaktootherparticipantsholdingdifferentcolouredcards from their own and should chat about common topics such as plans for the weekend, hobbies, favourite holiday or food

• Participantsshouldbetoldthatwhenthepersontheyarespeakingtobreakstheir personal non-verbal rule, they should be given a toothpick

• Giveparticipantsaround3minutesperconversationandthenswitchtoanewperson.

• Thispartoftheexerciseshouldlastaround15minutes

• Attheendofeachconversation,participantsshouldrevealthenon-verbalcommunication rule that they were following.


deBrieF

Ask participants the following questions:

• Howdidyoufeelduringthatexercise?

• Howeasyordifficultwasittouncovertheotherperson’snon-verbalcommunication rule?

• Whatnon-verbalbehavioursdidyouencounter?

• Howdonon-verbalbehavioursaffectpeople’sinteractions?

• Whatdidyouobserveaboutotherpeople’sbehaviourandwhatwasitliketomisunderstand someone’s non-verbal behaviour?

The impact of non-verbal behaviour on communication cannot be underestimated. It is important to try to learn and understand the rules of non-verbal behaviour in a new cultural environment. Without some knowledge, it is very easy to make mistakes which can lead to cross-cultural misunderstandings. While it may be difficult at first, especially because many communication ‘rules’ are unspoken, adapting to the new ‘normal’ can help integration into the new culture. It is a good idea to try to observe the behaviour of other people in order to get a picture of what is culturally appropriate. If in doubt, ask culturally appropriate questions about behaviour in order to increase understanding.

Adapted by ICOS from an activity in Stringer, D. M. & Cassiday, P. A., 2009. Toothpicks. In: D. M. Stringer & P. A. Cassiday, eds. 52 Activities for Improving Cross-Cultural Communication. Boston, MA: Intercultural Press, pp. 47-50. Reproduced by permission.



handout: toothpicks

non-VerBal ‘rules’ For ‘appropriate’ communication1. You find direct eye contact offensive. When you speak, you try not to look people

directly in the eye. Instead you avert your eye contact from listeners. If someone looks you in the eye when you are speaking, give him or her a toothpick.

2. You like to know that people are listening when you speak and you expect that people show they are listening by nodding their heads. You nod your head when others speak. When you are speaking, if listeners are not nodding their heads, give them each a toothpick.

3. You find people standing closer than a half metre away from you offensive. Stand at quite a distance from people and give them each a toothpick if they come too close.

4. During conversations you find tapping one’s feet or fidgeting offensive. Try not to do this when you speak to people and give them each a toothpick if they do this when you are speaking with them.

5. You like when people get their ideas out quickly in conversation and you are easily distracted by vocalised fillers such as “um,” “ah,” and “er.” If people do not speak quickly enough or if they use vocalised fillers, give them each a toothpick.

6. When speaking, you pause frequently and you do not like to be interrupted until you finish speaking. You do not interrupt others when they speak. If people interrupt you and do not give you enough time to pause, give them each a toothpick.

7. When listening carefully, you stand with your arms folded firmly in front of you so that nothing can ‘intrude’ on your attention. If your conversation partner is standing with a ’relaxed’ posture, give him or her a toothpick.

8. Smiling during a conversation indicates to you that the conversation is not being taken seriously. If your conversation partner is smiling while you talk, give him or her a toothpick.

Adapted by ICOS from an activity in Stringer, D. M. & Cassiday, P. A., 2009. Toothpicks. In: D. M. Stringer & P. A. Cassiday, eds. 52 Activities for Improving Cross-Cultural Communication. Boston, MA: Intercultural Press, pp. 47-50. Reproduced by permission.



} ExERCISE B.2: CRITICAL INCIDENT ‘JOSEPH IS RUNNING LATE’

trainer’s note Through this activity, participants explore the impact of non-verbal communication, particularly in relation to cultural attitudes towards time.

time: 10 minutes

Group size Suitable for any group size

materials Handout

critical incident handoutYou are a Student Adviser and you are dealing with a student named Joseph. A problem arises when Joseph is extremely late for your appointment. He arrives an hour late just as you are about to go home. Joseph addresses you very formally and introduces himself while apologising. He says that he got delayed because he received a phone call from his father who wanted to tell him all the news from home, including the fact that his second cousin is getting married. As a result of Joseph’s lateness, you have had to cancel another meeting and have had to reschedule your plans. Overall, you are quite annoyed with his explanation as you do not think this is a sufficient excuse.

1. What cultural dimensions and cross-cultural communication styles are being expressed in this critical incident?

2. How do you think the student feels?3. What could you do in a similar situation next time?

deBrieFParticipants should reflect on the situation and review some of the material from Unit B.1 and B.2. In this scenario, the student, Joseph, is demonstrating different non-verbal communication patterns in relation to his attitude towards time which is polychronic. He prioritises his family phone call over his meeting because he is demonstrating a strong family orientation consistent with that of Hofstede’s collectivist value dimension. Even though the news from home relates to a distant family member, that still takes precedence over his appointment with the Student Adviser. His behaviour is formal which could demonstrate that he comes from a more high power distance culture than that of the Student Adviser. Participants should then discuss things from Joseph’s perspective and see whether his view of the situation is different than the Student Adviser.

Unpublished ICOS Exercise, 2014.


unit B.4 stereotYpes

} ExERCISE B.4: STEREOTYPING OURSELVES FROM ANOTHER’S PERSPECTIVE

oBJectiVeTo increase awareness of how Ireland is perceived by people from other cultures.

time: 10 minutes

Group size: Suitable for groups of up to 20 people

materials: Copy of handout below

instruction/set-upAsk participants to brainstorm about what stereotypes they think international students might have of Ireland. The following list can be used to supplement their list:

• Outgoing/friendly• Informal• Liketodrinkalcohol• Goodatdancing• ProudofIreland’sheritage• Generous• Catholiccountry• Rulesaremadetobebroken• Fieryandhottempered• Redhairedandfreckled• Liketofight• Liketotellstories• MistrustoftheBritish

deBrieFUsing the definitions of stereotypes in Section B.4 (page 42), discuss whether there is any truth in these stereotypes that the participants have chosen. Of their choices, which of these stereotypes could be seen as positive? Ask participants to examine where they think these stereotypes come from? Finally, ask participants how they feel about these stereotypes. By trying to come up with stereotypes for our own culture, it gives participants an insight into how international students might feel in response to stereotyping, particularly negative stereotyping.

Unpublished ICOS Exercise, 2014.


unit c.2 comparinG academic cultures

} ExERCISE: CULTURE IN THE CLASSROOM

trainer’s note This is a classroom exercise designed for academics to use during the opening weeks of a new academic year. The purpose of the exercise is to ask students to reflect on their previous learning environment and compare it to their current academic setting. This presents both teacher and students (home and international) with an invaluable learning opportunity to discuss cultures of learning and similarities and differences in a mediated way.

time: 30 minutes


materials: Copy of handouts below

instruction/set-up• Distributehandouts1and2toparticipants• AskthemtoreflectindividuallyonthequestionsonHandout1byfillinginthe

corresponding boxes in handout 2• Thendividethegroupintopairs.Ifyouallowtheparticipantstoself-selectwho

they want to work with, ask them to pair up with someone new who they have not yet spoken to or worked with

• Askparticipantstoreflectontheirpreviouslearningexperiencesanddiscusstheiranswers with their partner for 5-10 minutes

• Thenthetrainershouldopendiscussiononeachofthequestionsandaskparticipants to share their discussion points with the group.

deBrieFFor academics to use this exercise with students, it would be interesting for them to first try this exercise to reflect on the classroom culture in which they had previously learned, particularly if they have studied abroad themselves.

A range of student viewpoints may arise enabling a discussion on teaching and learning from an Irish higher education perspective. This exercise is designed to facilitate all participants in the intercultural classroom – teacher, home students, and international students – to learn from each other and share their education experiences.

Exercise adapted by ICOS from UK Council for International Student Affairs (UKCISA), 2009. Question Topics out of a bag. In: Discovering difference, discoverning similarities. London: UK Council for International Student Affairs (UKCISA), pp. 15-16. Reproduced by permission.


handout 1: culture in the classroom – Questions

01. what kind of student-teacher relationship have you been used to in the page? (E.g. formal/informal)

02. what type of learning are you used to... • big/small group • theory/practice based • active/receptive?

03. How would you describe the way you like to learn?

04. Have you normally worked with your fellow students/classmates in groups?

05. Have you worked a lot with people from other cultures before?

06. what helps you study well in small groups?


handout 2: culture in the classroom – answer sheet

01.

02.

03.

04.

05.

06.


c.2 comparinG academic cultures} ExERCISE: REFLECTING ON PREVIOUS LEARNING

ExPERIENCES

trainer’s noteThis is a classroom exercise designed for academics to use during the opening week of a new academic year. The purpose of the exercise is to ask students to reflect on their previous learning environment, specifically on positive and negative learning experiences. This presents both teacher and students (home and international) with an opportunity to discuss classroom cultures.

time: 30 minutes


materials: None

instruction/set-up• Askstudentstoreflectindividuallyonthecharacteristicsthatdefinedanypositive

learning experiences they have had in their lives. This could include thoughts on what the classroom atmosphere was like, what the teacher was like, the built environment, the profile or behaviour of classmates, the style of teaching etc.

• Askstudentstoreflectindividuallyonthecharacteristicsofanynegativelearningexperiences they have had. Again, get them to think about what precisely made this a negative experience.

• Askstudentstoarticulatetheiranswersinquestion1(positiveexperiences)andthen question 2 (negative experiences) so that you end up with a list of positive characteristics and negative characteristics which have been collated directly from the students in the classroom. Importantly, you can add to either list at this point, recognising that students themselves have a responsibility and that you, as lecturer, have expectations of classroom dynamics.

• Suggestthatthelistofpositivecharacteristicsnowbecomestheclassroomculture which the group collectively wishes to espouse and foster. Equally, the group collective agree to try to avoid the negative characteristics which have been listed.

• Foramoreinterculturaldiscussion,youcanaskstudentstoreflectoncertainterms which have been used in the exercise, asking them to explain how these concepts might be manifested. For example, if ‘respect’ is one of the characteristics which students associated with positive learning environments, ask them what does respect ‘look like’? How does someone from their culture demonstrate respect?


deBrieFA range of viewpoints may arise which should create space for a discussion on teaching and learning and ways to create a positive learning environment for all – students and teachers alike. This exercise is designed to facilitate all participants in the intercultural classroom – lecturer, home students, and international students – to learn from each other and share their education experiences.

This exercise should result in an agreed set of positive classroom characteristics that now become the classroom culture for the specific group of participants and their teacher. By highlighting experiences and expectations of all classroom participants, this exercise allows many types of teaching and learning issues to be raised in a safe and supported manner whilst also allowing teachers to share their own expectations of classroom dynamics.

Exercise by Dr Ciarán Dunne, School of Applied Language and Intercultural Studies (SALIS), Dublin City University (2015).


c.4: the intercultural classroomtrainer’s noteThis exercise asks participants to discuss a range of aspects of an internationalised curriculum using the questions provided to prompt thinking and reflection.

time: 30 minutes


materials: Handout

instruction/set-up• Firstly,askparticipantstoreflectontheterm“internationalisedcurriculum”andits

meaning?

This definition might be useful to start a discussion:

“Internationalisation of the curriculum is the incorporation of an international and intercultural dimension into the content of the curriculum as well as the teaching and learning processes and support services of a programme of study. An internationalised curriculum will engage students with internationally informed research and cultural and linguistic diversity. It will purposely develop their international and intercultural perspectives as global professionals and citizens.”(Leask, 2009, p. 209)

• Distributethehandoutoverleafandgiveparticipantstimetogothoughitindividually by answering the tick box questions

• Thenaskparticipantstoworkinpairsandusethehandout‘HowInternationalisthe Curriculum? Useful questions to ask’ as a starting point for a discussion on internationalisation of the curriculum at their institutions

• Finally,openthediscussiontothewholegrouptocomparetheirfindings.

deBrieFThis exercise should facilitate participants to define internationalisation of the curriculum and to discuss several aspects of this.


handout: how international is the curriculum? useFul Questions to askIn 2011 Griffith University in Australia published a Good Practice Guide specifically for academic staff to assist them in understanding the nature of an internationalised curriculum and offering them direction on its implementation. The headings and questions below are heavily based on this guide. While it is recognised that internationalisation extends far beyond the classroom walls, encompassing the built environment, social activities and a variety of student services (e.g. interfaith centres, student restaurants, and accommodation arrangements), this handout relates specifically to the formal curriculum and is aimed primarily at academic staff.

Breadth oF suBJect area Yes no don’t know

Does the curriculum include international content?

Does the curriculum deal with ethical issues associated with globalisation, such as social justice, equity, human rights and related social, economic and environmental issues?

Does the curriculum compare and contrast international and national case studies?

Does the curriculum include historical accounts of the developmentofcurrentinternationaldiscourseand/orpractices?

Does the curriculum review relevant professional practices in other nations or cultures?

Does the curriculum engage with staff and student diversity in the classroom to facilitate discussion and the exchange of ideas?

Does the curriculum promote dialogue and collaboration among students to facilitate cross-cultural learning?

encouraGinG intercultural eXchanGes Yes no don’t know

Are international exchanges for students incorporated and encouraged within the programme?

Does the curriculum actively encourage students to engage with others from different backgrounds in their study activities (e.g. work in culturally diverse teams or make contact with international students from their disciplines in overseas universities)?

Are students encouraged to join international associations that are affiliated with their disciplines?


curricular aliGnment Yes no don’t know

Does the curriculum set learning outcomes associated with the development of international and intercultural perspectives?

Is the course assessment aligned with concepts, issues and events from the coursework that are relevant to the development of international and intercultural perspectives?

Does the curriculum include learning activities and related assessment items that draw on cultural contexts as well as disciplinary knowledge?

Does the curriculum include internationally comparative activities in assessment exercises?

inclusion and openness to diVersitY Yes no don’t know

Do academic staff actively acknowledge the cultural heritage and home languages of international and local students (e.g. migrants, indigenous, bilingual)?

Do academic staff make an effort to correctly pronounce the names of all students in the class when saying them?

Is the importance and significance of sacred days or religious holidays, (e.g. fasting days) recognised and respected by staff and students?

Are students encouraged to gain a deeper knowledge and understanding of at least one other culture’s customs, history, language, literature, philosophy, economics, and politics?

Are students encouraged to learn a second or additional language as part of the programme and are such language classes available to students?


sensitiVe and inclusiVe teachinG Yes no don’t know

Do academic staff actively discourage language or behaviour that is ethnocentric or racist?

Do academic staff avoid the use of cultural stereotyping?

Do academic staff avoid monolithic descriptions of other nations and cultures?

Do academic staff include materials from international and intergovernmental organisations (including international research) to broaden the learning experience and knowledge base of students?

Do academic staff view student diversity as a learning resource and make use of such diversity to exchange knowledge and ideas?

Do academic staff recognise and respect the diverse culturally-based communication styles (verbal and non-verbal) which students in the class may display?

Do academic staff recognise and respect the diverse culturally-based learning styles which students in the class may display?

Questions based on Barker, M., 2011. GIHE Good Practice Guide to Internationalising the Curriculum, Nathan, Australia: Griffith Institute for Higher Education, Griffith University.


chapter 6TRANSCRIPTS OF INTERVIEWS

transcripts oF interViews

unit a: liVinG in irelanda.1 motiVations, eXpectations and First impressions

duration: 4 minutes 11 seconds

1. I didn’t have a lot of expectations before I came here. I didn’t want to have an idea set in my head and then be disappointed. But when I came over here I did notice that there were a little bit more cultural differences, small ones for me because I’m from the US, than I kind of expected with language, like slang and just the way things are kind of done here. [Alicia – 00:00-00:28]

2. To be honest, I didn’t have too much expectations of the country because to me, from Peru, it was quite far to me to understand how Ireland worked. I knew it was a Catholic republic, I knew it was a really well developed country. I had good expectations about the university, not really high expectations about the country because I thought it was just another country like the UK or the US. [Alberto – 00:29-01:01]

3. I was scared to death at the beginning, yeah, in front of new people, foreigners to me, totally new culture. Although I have been abroad to many countries but not to Europe, this was the first time for me to come to Europe. But as I told you, I was very afraid but the reality was exciting. Yeah, I liked the people, they are really friendly, they smile all the time, they are really lovely. [Aeshah - 01:02-01:26]

4. In my head, it was just like a totally different scenario, a different learning environment from like back home. Like the people are going to be different, we’ll have different opportunities here and that’s what I was kind of expecting and that’s what I was excited for. I knew that there was going to be lots of drinking and in my head it was like really green, and I’m a girl and so ‘PS I Love You’ and all that nonsense. [Nabihah – 01:23-01:51]

5. I read a lot. I am a very bookish person and I have read a lot about Ireland. For example, in high school and in university in America, I read Joyce. I am very familiar with Ireland. When I came here, I was really surprised, yes; the beauty of Ireland really surprised me. I have travelled to different countries but I have not seen a country as beautiful as Ireland. [Sindile – 01:52–02:34]

6. I didn’t really have high expectations before I got here, didn’t really think that much about it to be honest. I was really pleased when I got here. I love Ireland so far like. Everyone’s really nice and I’ve met so many nice people. [Deborah – 02:35–02:49]

7. A couple of old students told me already about Ireland and that it was really fun and that education was almost on the same level as Holland, so it wasn’t really hard to follow the courses here. And you could see beautiful landscapes here and that’s also one of the reasons I’m here, just to see a lot of Ireland. [Tim – 02:50-03:09]

8. The only story I knew about Ireland before I came here was that of the popular myth of St Patrick and the snakes in Ireland. That was all I knew about Ireland. And that would be all apart from the fact that it’s actually a very small island with about 5 million people, which is a little fraction compared to the population of Nigeria. Those were the only two facts I knew about Ireland. I knew nothing about the climate or the food or the culture, so everything was just totally strange to me when I moved here. [Ezebuchi – 03:10-03:40]


9. Living abroad is like a whole different experience and I wanted that to help me grow, even as a doctor, to know more about the different cultures over here as well and just understand people and how they live was exactly what I was looking for. [Nabihah – 03:41-03:54]

10. When I arrived, I was pretty jet-lagged and tired but I was also very excited. I’d never been to Europe before so it was just excitement, sheer excitement to hop off the plane and be like ‘I’m on another continent’. [Nick – 03:55-04:11]

a.2 eVerYdaY liFe


1. Day to day here, I go out a lot more and do a lot more things when I’m not in class. Back home, I’ll just like hang out at my dorm or apartment, drive around a little bit, go to class but that’s basically it. Here I’m getting out and seeing more things and exploring more than I would back home. [Rachel – 00:00-00:20]

2. Malaysia and Ireland are really different in terms of the weather. Malaysia is down by the equator so we are basically 30 degrees all year round... it’s rainy in the afternoons, we’ve got our monsoon season twice a year whereas Ireland, you kind of get four seasons in one day, it can be rainy, it can be sunny, you can have hail, all in the one day so you never know quite how to dress. [Melissa – 00:21-00:47]

3. We have never experienced the four seasons; it’s only one season in Saudi Arabia which is summer all the time. We are excited. This is the first time for me to see the Fall, the yellow leaves. [Aeshah – 00:48- 01:00]

4. It was my first hail the other day. Here I have only these sneakers and every time it rains I’m dying with the weather. [Alberto – 01:01-01:16]

5. There are some quirks in the standard of living they would not be used to. One of the ones that always comes up is the availability of hot water. An American student generallywouldexpecttoturnontheshowerandthere’shotwater24/7andherewe have immersion heaters and timers on heaters. That takes some getting used to. [Stephen – 01:17-01:41]

6. First of all, Ireland is not an inexpensive place. It is an expensive place especially for where I come from. Second, it was rough at the beginning to get around and find an apartment and settling down. I found out that people are warm and helpful and that makes a huge difference when you go to a new place and you don’t know what to expect. [Roland – 01:42-02:21]

7. The good thing is there are a lot of supermarkets. Food is not that expensive than I thought, it’s not that bad. Sometimes you can’t find some of the products that you used to drink. I’m still wondering what kind of milk I have to choose because there so many kinds of milk and I don’t understand if I should drink fat, no fat or whatever. I don’t have that back home, I just have milk. [Alberto – 02:13-02:46]

8. It’s so nice to go grocery shopping here, like the fresh fruits and vegetables and stuff like that. And, like, people on the streets are way nicer and everybody goes ‘hi, how are you?’ even if they don’t care how you really are, they just ask you anyways. [Nabihah – 02:47-02:59]

9. It’s pretty similar to back home. I can go to the grocery store and get everything, what I can get back home as well. I always go to Aldi or Lidl, like, we have it at home so I feel a bit safer that way. And it also really similar products that we have back home and so I feel pretty much the same. [Deborah – 03:00-03:22]


10. Even though students are given information on the website etc, I don’t think a lot of them fully understand that it is quite an expensive country, because I do have a lot of students saying to me that Ireland is expensive. What they have to realise is that in the first few weeks when they come here, they’re not savvy about the way you go shopping so I’d sometimes talk to them about the cheaper shops that are available for groceries and that sort of thing. As time goes on, I think they manage it better. [Carl – 03:23-03:54]

11. One day, I went to the supermarket, the lady just told me, ‘where are you going to put your things?’ and I said ‘I know, in a bag’. But I didn’t pay [for] the bag because I didn’t know I had to pay [for] the bag. So the girl just gave me this box to put all my things and I told her ‘why are you giving me this box? I want a bag’ but you have to pay [for] the bag! [Alberto – 03:55-04:22]

a.3 makinG Friends and inteGration


part 1: makinG Friends1. The course that I’m in is mostly Irish students. We all hang out together, people on my course, if we have a break, we’ll all go get lunch together, go to the library together, and that’s different to what I’m used to where you just hang out with your friends back home, but here everybody hangs out with everybody. [Alicia – 00:00-00:23]

2. It is easy to make friends from different countries, not this country. Irish people are friendly but it’s difficult to make relationships with them. [Abdulaziz –00:24-00:34]

3. We do find mixing with Irish students more difficult. I think it’s the Irish students would have friends already. Some of them live at home. Perhaps not as many would live on campus, so it’s hard to meet up with them and form lasting friendships but I do know what happens the outgoing students always make it happen. Some students don’t feel the need to interact with Irish students and for some, that’s the whole reason they’re here. Programmes such as ours would try and facilitate that and some of the large Irish universities would facilitate that as well but a lot of it is up to the student to make sure they go out there and are proactive about it. The opportunities are there but be proactive, don’t sit in your room. [Stephen – 00:35-01:20]

4. Irish people are very friendly and I found it’s not that difficult to integrate. The only thing is back in my home country there will be loads of night activities, just go for karaoke, go for bowling, go for everything and even just sitting in a tea house, just chatting to people. Irish people… their nightlife is just go to the pub and sit, have pints and talk to people. Once you order your pint and sit down there, there are always people who come to you and talk to you, so you can easily make friends here and can easily integrate into the local society here. [Wentao – 01:21-01:54]

5. The differences I think between Irish students and international students is, as far as I know, that a lot of the international students stick to each other and [the same] with Irish students as well and they don’t tend to mingle sometimes as much as I would hope. It’s very difficult for international students to become friends with Irish students unless you’re a full-time student So especially if you’re visiting classes and things like that, you will stick to your small group of international students rather than share with the Irish students. [Benedikt – 01:55-02:24]


6. Globally, you’ll find studies that indicate that international students expect to mix with local students when they arrive. They tend to benefit academically, socially, from mixing with local students but the vast majority leave the country articulating their experience that in reality, they’ve had very superficial contact with local students and they’re dissatisfied. When you do talk to local students, you’ll find a whole array of reasons and opinions and perspectives, many of which are very legitimate. For example, a lot of local students will come to university with very well established social networks. They come to university with their friends from secondary school. Ireland is quite a small place, so very often you know someone already when you get to university. [Ciarán –02:25-03:14]

7. I have met Irish people because half of my class is Irish. They’re easy to get along with. Most of us all came from the same college and the Irish students had gone through Pre-Med together so everyone had their own little cliques and it wasn’t that easy, because we were both big groups, and you don’t really come out of your group to mix with the other groups, but now because we’ve been in the same class for a year, we are getting along better. [Melissa – 03:15-03:38]

8. The deaf community is very small. Deaf people tend to stick together, but in Galway the community is very small so it is hard to circulate and build new connections. [Sindile – 03:39-04:02]

9. I’ve had a lot of difficulties meeting and making friends with Irish people. I think a lot of it has to do with the way our college here is set up and all of us knew each other before we got here and know each other even more now that we’re here. And we all live together and we all have classes together. So it’s difficult to sort of break out of that group and go meet other international students when you’re constantly in that group. [Marley – 04:03-04:31]

10. Malaysians always stick to their club. You’ll see like a big herd of us walking and it is difficult especially since we came here in a huge group, even if you want to break out, like, it’s difficult you know. Even for the Irish people to come and approach us, it’s kind of intimidating, like it is the other way around, you know. So that was a lot of pressure trying to make friends. [Nabihah – 04:32-04:54]

11. A lot of us internationals were housed together. It encourages us even more to hang out with just each other which is nice but, at the same time, I think it sort of inhibits our cultural exposure. So it’s been a little bit harder to make friends with Irish students than I thought it would be, like good friends I mean. Like there’s a lot of people that I know, you know, but I haven’t really gotten close to any Irish students. [Heather – 04:55-05:18]

12. I don’t know for certain if it’s really easy to make friends with a lot of Irish people. I know a few that I hang around with but as an Erasmus student, you normally stay a bit more with your Erasmus group because you hang out with them more, you know them a little bit better. I don’t think that I would have a lasting friendship with some Irish people here, more with the Erasmus people that I got to know here. [Tim – 05:19-05:45]

13. Irish students go home on the weekends but most American students don’t go home on weekends or don’t go home, like, every weekend you know, maybe once a month or something. A lot of students don’t have classes on Friday here either and in the States, most people would. It’s really strange because no one is here on weekends. In the States, most social activities take place on the weekend. It’s really hard for me in particular to get used to, because I’m used to doing homework on weeknights then doing things on the weekend. Here, like, all of a sudden, I’m expected to, if I want to socialise, I have to do it on weeknights and it’s been harder to get used to than you think it would be. [Heather – 05:46-06:26]


part 2: inteGration strateGies14. I think one of the important ways for people to actually integrate is to join some clubs and societies. That’s really important because they end up getting friends outside of their courses but in all sorts of areas and they have whatever particular sport they’re doing or club they’re involved in in common. [Carl – 06:26-06:50]

15. I’m part of the Malaysian Society and I’m also in the Trampolining Club. So, the Malaysian Society has loads and loads of events every year, like we went paintballing, we went to Lough Key. The Trampoline Club is fun. I’ve been in it for a year. You just bounce and bounce and bounce, do a few tricks. Trampolining is not something we would do back home. It’s not a sport back home but societies, yes, clubs, yes. [Melissa – 06:51-07:15]

16. To do a lot of sports is a great opportunity to meet a lot of people. Now we Erasmus students are trying to set up a soccer team so we play soccer every week. Sometimes after that we just go to the pub with each other so you meet a lot of people doing sports actually. [Tim – 07:16-07:34]

17. Certain Students’ Unions run really effective buddy systems for international students. For example, they would pair international students up with home students who had just returned home from Erasmus, so they’d both be able to share the unique experience of coming to a new culture and exchange ideas and support one another throughout the year. [Laura – 07:35-07:53]

18. In my college, the international student society, during the summer, was able to come up with a buddy system where Irish students actually sign up, you know, they want to be buddies to international students and international students actually sign up and want to have an Irish buddy. They are paired together, probably people with same interests, maybe in the same course. That gets them used to the new environment much more easier than they would if they didn’t have a buddy system in place. [Ezebuchi – 07:54-08:18]

19. The peer support leaders is a befriending service. It’s a support service; it can be by email, meeting somebody for a coffee. It can be ‘I’m a member of the Soccer Club. I’m a little bit intimidated, I’ve never done this before, I’d like to… would you mind bringing me along and introducing me to people’ and increasing participation rates that way. [Suzanne – 08:19-08:38]

20. One thing we would highly encourage, we really encourage students to get involved in volunteering. We have a programme on campus called Alive where students volunteer to work in the local community. This is a wonderful opportunity for students to get to meet people off campus that they may ordinarily never get to meet and it gives them exposure to Irish life and a section of society that normally they’d not get to meet. [Anna – 08:39-09:09]

21. When you find yourself in a new cultural environment, mixing with people who are like you can really help you at the outset. It reduces your anxiety, you can learn from them, you share information and you basically support each other particularly at the start. Into the medium term and long term, it’s not a good thing because it becomes difficult then to interact and integrate with the broader community because you stay within your own groups. Local students tend to prioritise the social side of things more so than international students. Their student lives are fundamentally different, they don’t overlap to the same extent and therefore, their friendship groups won’t be the same. So there’s a lot of logical reasons why interaction doesn’t take place at a meaningful level. It’s only when interaction takes place the potential of diversity can actually be realised. [Ciarán – 09:10-10:07]


a.4 lanGuaGe and slanG


1. I’m not a good English speaker. I think it’s one of the things everybody who is an international student face[s] sometimes. Most of the people at the university have this formal accent, more English but in the streets, well most of the time; I have to ask ‘Can you repeat me again? Can you talk slower?’ [Alberto – 00:00-00:25]

2. The Irish ways of language has been such an interesting thing because they’re speaking English here but they’re also putting in Irish words and having the accent. When they use the words that originate from the Irish language, then it takes me a couple of moments to figure out what they’re saying, but it’s such an interesting combination of two different cultures. [Joshua – 00:26-00:43]

3. Accents [are] completely different; this is the problem when Irish speak. They have different accent, not like American accent and British accent. But I understand what they are saying. [Abdulaziz – 00:45-01:01]

4. At first for me, the Irish pronunciation of English was for me a sort of problem because, yeah, I study languages but in Italy, they teach me the British English pronunciation. So it’s quite different. Sentences that are in Irish-English like ‘what’s the story?’ or something like this are really fun because they can help you to be much more part of Dublin and the Irish way of life. [Sara – 01:02-01:31]

5. During our orientation, they said, well, a lot of Irish people say ‘what’s the craic?’ and back home that usually means the drugs, so at first you’re like, what’s that, what are you talking about, but it’s just ‘what’s up, what’s good?’ kind of thing. [Rachel – 01:32-01:46]

6. Even back in India, I started asking my friends ‘what’s the craic?’ and they asked me ‘what’s this?’ [Manish – 01:47-01:53]

7. Most of my friends are Irish, so they explain me all the slang so I understand it now. You know ‘yoke’ and stuff like that and ‘yer man’. [Ilen – 01:54-02:05]

8. My children actually asked me about the people on the street. They said “Mum, why do they keep saying ‘I’m sorry, they didn’t do anything wrong, so why they have to say that.’” And then I said this to them, I answered them that it’s the norm here, it’s something, it means ‘excuse me’. It doesn’t necessarily mean they have done something wrong [to] you. [Wejdan – 02:06-2:33]

9. Every other sentence is ‘grand’ or ‘craic’ or ‘how are you or ye?’ Like it’s pretty much like the same thing and yeah, my friends have been trying to teach me how to speak in an Irish accent and it’s horrible. Every time I do it, it turns into an Indian accent; you don’t want to hear it! [Nabihah – 02:34-2:48]

10. Whenever I went to any shops, they start to ask me ‘are you OK, are you OK?’ I just keep saying ‘yes, I’m OK’ and change my face and ask why do people have to ask me ‘are you OK, do I have something wrong, or did I do something wrong in the market?’ The professor analysed this statement for me. ‘Are you OK?’ means ‘can I take your order?’ [Wejdan – 02:49-03:11]

11. There are so many different types of Irish accents that it’s very hard to distinguish and to understand. My friend from Belfast, who for the first half of the year, I did not understand what he was talking about... it was very hard to get used to. The standard words that everyone will tell you in the first couple of weeks like ‘craic’ and ‘gas’, and nobody knows how to pronounce ‘Dun Laoghaire’ every single time. [Benedikt – 03:12-03:31]


12. I didn’t really have a problem with the accent but I was in Cork over the weekend and I didn’t quite understand the Cork accent. So I think it just depends on where people are from. [Melissa – 03:32-03:42]

13. I know that if you move from Kerry to Cork, the accent changes and you move from Cork to Dublin, the accent changes. It took me almost the whole of my first year to get used to the Cork accent because most of the lecturers, they have been used to Cork and they speak like original Cork people, the typical Cork man. In class they use the Cork accent and only a few of the lecturers actually try to be very much neutral. [Ezebuchi – 03:43-04:08]

14. Firstly when I come to Ireland, I learn my English not very good… After I practice and practice, now my English speaking is increasing and increase much better. Before that, I’m so shy to talk to people. [For] the Irish, speaking in English, don’t be shy, even you make a mistake, they don’t care anymore, they just like to help you to improve your English. [Yunhao – 04:09-04:31]

15. Sometimes you just have to nod and you know, pretend that you know what they’re talking about but that’s rare. [Matt – 04:32-04:41]

16. When you speak good English, everybody opens their doors but that’s amazing, sometimes people correct you when you speak in bars, in the supermarket and sometimes I find that kind of rude. So I know I’m not good in English but why do you correct me? [Alberto – 04:42-05:07]

a.5 alcohol


1. I think the drinking culture can be a little bit of a shock at first. I do definitely enjoy it, like, I do like going out on the weekend and going to a bar every once in a while and it’s fun. I think sometime people have that stigmatism that I guess it’s like out of control and people are like rowdy all the time and I really haven’t seen that. So I think that’s just a stereotype that people think. [Rachel – 00:00-00:26]

2. Back home, we like to eat a lot. Here, they like to drink a lot. So nights out back home because we’ve got fast food takeaways, ‘mamaks’ which are like coffee shops andthey’reopenbasically24/7andsoanytimeoftheday,youcancallafriendupand say ‘hi, I want to go and have a roti canai’ and they go out with you and you’d have a meal. Here it’s more of a ‘let’s go out and have a drink’ really. [Melissa – 00:27-00:55]

3. We don’t have alcohol available on campus at all so we don’t have a bar or anything like that, so students make their own decision as far as alcohol is concerned. You know, in this town, there’s a very vibrant social scene around the students and the students can avail of that or not. It’s their personal choice. [Donal – 00:56-01:17]

4. Irish people tend to socialise around the bar and it’s completely different in the States. The nightlife in the States would be you go out to a restaurant and then you have dinner and then you sort of come back and drink or hang out whereas here, in Ireland, it seems like you go and eat at home and then you go out and drink. [Marley – 01:18-01:39]

5. I was not surprised by the drinking culture in Ireland. I was slightly prepared. It’s one of those stereotypes that you know outside of Ireland. You get a lot of talking about it though. I think that Irish people are aware of it, so it’s not something that they’re trying to hide but is something that is out in the open and people talk about it. It’s a culture rather than a problem, I think. [Benedikt – 01:40-02:00]


6. Alcohol consumption is not the same as in India but it’s much more over here in Ireland. They do drink a lot and they do work a lot. Even though if they drink the whole night, they start working early in the morning. It’s not the case back in India. If you drink up the whole night, then you take a rest for two days or one day in the bed. [Manish – 02:01-02:24]

7. Coming here, I did know that there would be a lot of drinking, like, we were warned. But when you actually see it, like, I mean I’m used to that environment back home too. I mean we do have pubs and stuff like that back home in Malaysia. Obviously, we don’t drink though. Here, like, every event, there will be, like, alcohol involved with it. It does make things a bit more complicated when it comes to my religion and trying to socialise here. Like simple things like even if we are buying a ticket to the Med Ball, we can’t really do that because that money that we give could be used to buy the alcohol. So it’s kind of like even though we’re not drinking it, even in our religion, we are encouraging the drinking, something like that. It’s like there are some issues that make it seem more complicated and more difficult to socialise here because there are so many things that go against our religion, but I guess that is how the culture is here. People do drink and you can’t like just stay in your room and be like ‘oh, I can’t go out because people are drinking’ you know. Just go but know where your limits are and know what you intentions are and I think it should be fine. [Nabihah – 02:25-03:33]

8. I remember years ago one of the Muslim students asking why there was a pub on campus and she didn’t approve of it. For the most part, the students just get on with their lives in the way they like to do it. The Muslim students, while they won’t go out to pubs, they will go to events where there might be wine at it, but they obviously wouldn’t be drinking it and they’ll come along anyway to any events that we organise. We also try to have events, I mean, there’s a lot of, the International Student Society do a lot of coffee afternoons and events where they can go out together. So everything isn’t all centred around alcohol. [Carl – 03:34-04:16]

9. Back home, people who drink as heavy as the Irish are seen to [be] not well brought up and have personality problems or they are misfits in society. If you drink, I want you to drink reasonably, you know, drink reasonably, and that would be very much acceptable to me. [Ezebuchi – 04:17-04:35]

10. One of the discussions made in language class with some boys and girls, they discussed the point of being a drunk sometimes. And I asked them ‘Why do you have to be drunk? Why don’t you drink some little so you don’t lose your mind?’ and they just laugh. One guy said ‘Yes, you have a point, why do I have to be a drunk?’ This is the way they live, I can’t just change them. [Wejdan – 04:36-5:01]

11. The drinking culture here in Ireland, you kind of expect it, comes along with the stereotype but it’s not nearly as bad as I imagined it would be. It’s pretty similar to the US. College students going out, having a good time but the Irish people do enjoy to drink though. [Alicia – 05:02-05:22]


a.6 reliGion


1. For me, Ireland didn’t strike me like a very religious country and when I did hear that, there was a saying I was confronted with that was like ‘you can never be as Catholic as the Irish’. Naturally, it took me time to figure out if that was actually true. My general perception of the Western world, say mainland Europe and the Eastern Europe was that these people, maybe their love for religion has actually grown cold. No one wants to hear you say, ‘I go to church’ anymore. They don’t want to hear you talk about God if you say you’re a Catholic. The same perception people had about me when I told them I was a Christian ‘I’m a Christian’, they go, like, ‘Oh, you’re a Catholic’. They don’t want to hang around with me. If I went home tomorrow, I would have to make sure that my religion hasn’t slipped back from what it used to be, because my family wouldn’t take anything less than perfect Christianity. [Ezebuchi – 00:00-00:48]

2. Through my reading I have learned about Ireland and how religion is a big part of life here, though since I arrived I have not really seen it. [Sindile – 00:49-01:07]

3. Back in the States, there’s a lot of political stuff about religion, so that gets a lot of attention but it’s not something you generally bring up with people to talk about. That’s always one of the topics they tell you, don’t talk about politics; don’t talk about religion. [Rachel – 01:08-01:23]

4. One of our bigger groups would be our Muslim students and we actually have prayer rooms for them. We do have chaplains on campus as well and they have a little chaplaincy where there are multi-faith groups get together there. There’s also mass usually most days in the week at lunchtime. [Carl – 01:24-01:46]

5. A student who wishes, for example, to have halal food, if there was enough demand, we would ask our catering people to provide that. However, we find that students in that particular situation tend to look after their own food needs. They’ll cook their own halal food at home and maybe bring food in with them. [Donal – 01:47-02:10]

6. It would be difficult to be in Ireland during Ramadan because we fast, we have to stop eating before the sun rises and we can only eat again after the sun sets. Usually it would be during summer time and that would be horrible because we have to stop eating by 3am and we can only eat at 11pm and we have our prayers, so by the time we pray and then we eat, it’s just like, really tiring. It has been done and so many people have done it and it would be exhausting but it’s doable. [Nabihah – 02:11-02:39]

7. We do try and cater for all of the students’ needs. Now, we’re non-denominational but that said, we have secured a prayer room with proper facilities in terms of wash for both men and women. There are two individual ones but it is actually an important part of the students’ lifestyle when they are studying overseas. In terms of halal, there’s no difficulty in terms of access to halal meat in the city. We are fortunate enough to work with our caterers on campus and one building in particular always has halal food available and we can order it in on occasion as well, if we need it for particular events. Their biggest problem is that true halal has a separate preparation area and they’re short on space for that. So they are also mindful of that as well and trying to do everything properly for the students. [Suzanne – 02:40-03:38]

8. I think it’s really important that international students have a space where they can go to practice their religion without feeling uncomfortable or without any sort of prejudice. [Laura - 03:39- 03:51]


a.7 culture shock and homesickness


1. Culture shock is very individual for students. For some it hits them straight away and for others, it can be a month, a week, a year in. [Suzanne – 00:00-00:10]

2. I was having a hard adjustment period when I first got here. It was really tough. I kind of wanted to go home at first. Just everything in general, being so far away from home was just kind of a shock to me, so that really made it difficult to adjust. Having to be completely independent, like, if I was home I would be calling my Mom, ‘I need help with something, please come help me’ and over here, I can’t do that obviously and so it’s like being completely independent and relying only on myself. So that was a little tough. [Rachel – 00:11-00:46]

3. When we got into Dublin, it was a bit more not too warm, not too cold so we could cope with that. But when got on the coach from Dublin to Tralee, and we got off at McDonalds to grab something to eat, the moment I stepped out of the car, I was all like ‘I was in a freezer’. I was freezing already. I could breath and I just see, you know, fog coming out of my mouth and I’m like ‘I’m in a totally different world’ and then it dawned on me that I had left Nigeria but my family are very supportive. They kept on calling me, like, three times a day. [Ezebuchi – 00:47-01:16]

4. Every newcomer will be very nervous and upset the first day they arrive here. I don’t know anything here and obviously I have no family members or any friends here. Around a week after that, I get used to the conditions, the city here. [Wentao – 01:17-01:37]

5. In regards to them experiencing culture shock, I suppose everybody does to a small extent. Sometimes I find the American students, North American students, can experience a degree of culture shock because they’re not expecting it to happen. We speak the same language as they do, we act in the same way as they do and when we don’t seem to do that, then they can find it quite daunting at times. [Carl – 01:38-02:04]

6. I miss my home, I miss my mother, my father, my sisters and just to say that I have to call my mother in the morning, in the night, every day before sleeping and in the morning I have to call my mother and I have to call my father. Sometimes I cry on the phone until now. So the six months that I have lived doesn’t make a difference for me regarding the homesickness or feeling homesick. [Wejdan – 02:05-02:32]

7. I’ve usually just been video-calling. Skype and Facebook have been the main means of communicating with people and I’ve kind of noticed that right after I talk with them, I get that little bit of homesickness again and then it kind of goes away. So I’m kind of trying to moderate how often I speak with them to make sure that I’m not talking to them every day and being miserable here. So it’s kind of a balancing act between how much I speak with them back home and separating myself to experience being here. [Joshua - 02:33-03:00]

8. When I got in here, it dawned on me that you’re going to have to adapt to the new food. The snacking thing isn’t my thing; I love to eat proper food. I got into college, I saw people eating and I’m like, could it be that they bought this food from somewhere or they made this food themselves. I got into the cafeteria and the food was just totally strange, I’m not used to eating mashed potatoes and lots of veg. I would say curry and gravy, you know, they’re not a core part of our traditional diet but I got used to that with time. I’m not totally used to it but when I found out there was an African shop in Tralee, my face lit up, I was so happy. I ran into the shop and I spent literally like a huge percentage of my upkeep for that month shopping for African food. I spent the weekend cooking loads and loads of food just to make sure I wasn’t missing home that much. [Ezebuchi – 03:01-03:53]


9. I suppose the common factors affecting all students, irrespective of nationality, age or life experience are missing friends and family, missing food from home, weather, not so much that it’s wet or windy or cold but that it’s grey. They miss blue skies. Lastly, it’s the personal sacrifice that they have made to be here. [Suzanne – 03:54-04:20]

10. I’d say quite a percentage of them get a really bad cold after about 3 weeks and I always recommend something for them to take because of the transition into this climate. Sometimes, you will find that students who might experience homesickness can often display it by feeling ill and going to the health centre at times more often than they would have at home or even than they need to. [Carl Lusby – 04:21-04:47]

11. I’m from sunny southern California and then I come here which is rainy and overcast all the time which is completely different from what I’m used to and I was prepared for it but it’s still different. I got a cold the first week or two and I have to think about things like a jacket, a rain jacket on top of that jacket… which is fun, like I enjoy it but it’s different. [Marley – 04:48-05:16]

12. To be honest, I feel relaxed, I feel comfortable but I can’t say that I feel at home because home means to me, my mother and my father. This is what I feel. [Wejdan – 05:17-05:30]

13. I feel at home in the particular neighbourhood that I am and in the school community that I’m living in now, maybe not in Ireland exactly but I think I’m getting there. I’m kind of reaching that… those boundaries are getting wider and wider of where I feel at home. [Joshua – 05:31-05:50]

14. The honeymoon period where they’re really happy when they’re here. The stage where they go into total frustration with everything that is different to home before being a little bit happier, and then eventually going into a stage of acceptance before finally, in that last stage of valuing the differences and remembering the reasons they came here was for that study abroad experience. Of course, telling them that you’re going to go home and have reverse culture shock and experience it all again as well. [Suzanne – 05:51-06:24]

unit B: mY culture, Your cultureB.1 communication stYles


1. Everyone is just extremely welcoming. When you walk into a pub or a restaurant or a coffee shop and sit down, the person next to you will just sort of ask you, like, ‘Oh, you have an American accent, where are you from, why are you here, how long have you been here?’ In the States, people just sort of ignore each other unless you already know the person. Here, you’ll be walking along the street and someone will just notice something that you’re wearing and ask you about it. It’s much more open here. [Alex – 00:00-00:31]

2. Here Irish people [are] very friendly. They like talking. Even you meet them on the street, even you are stranger, they say hello and ask you ‘how are you?’ [Yunhao – 00:32-00:41]

3. Yeah, I think the most inquisitive people are taxi drivers in Dublin. They will ask you anything and everything and they’ll tell you anything and everything as well. I had a beautiful experience with a female taxi driver who was talking about her breast cancer to me. It was a very long drive. It was interesting. I think it’s lovely because you get to know people in a completely different way than in countries where this type of culture doesn’t exist and people are very closed and don’t talk about themselves. So I like it, yeah. [Benedikt – 00:42-01:10]


4. Actually, the Irish people are very kind, lovely, helpful. Whenever I meet someone in the street with my children, they started to help me. They don’t look at the way I dress, the veil and the scarf because sometimes they saw Muslim people wearing only the scarf but though we have the veils, they don’t correlate between the political movement and our identities as Muslims. [Wejdan – 01:11-01:44]

5. It’s actually kind of funny but I find that Irish people, if there is ever an opportunity to talk, they will talk. They have the gift of gab and that’s for sure. I generally find that in early mornings, especially after a late night of studying, I kind of would just like to sit in class and just kind of keep quiet but I find around the other Irish students that’s quite out of place. So that’s certainly a big difference that I have, the Irish do love to talk. [Brent – 01:45-02:08]

6. When people use silence, it isn’t necessarily an indication of lack of engagement or a lack of understanding, it could simply be an indicator of reflection and that you’re processing ideas and thoughts. Therefore it’s something that in Western cultures we should probably be more comfortable with but we don’t tend to be very comfortable with silence. [Ciarán – 02:09-02:32]

7. The Irish are known for beating around the bush and not saying things directly. I think, again, maybe being a small country, Irish people tend to do that because in general, you have to be careful in a small country, small population, there is a good chance that if you’re talking about somebody, that person you might actually know them. [Caoimhghín – 02:33-02:59]

8. I think that Irish people are less direct than us. Hollanders are little bit more down to the ground, we are straightforward. If something bothers us, we say it to the people that are bothering us actually. So we don’t go behind someone’s back. [Tim – 03:00-03:17]

9. China is different. [In] China people will be shy and they have some, especially, face relations. They say ‘I don’t want to lose face, I don’t want to speak directly’, it’s quite different. Face – that means maybe here you can speak directly if I don’t like this person, I can show my face ‘I don’t like you at all, please go away’ but in China, you couldn’t do that because they will think you are strange and impolite. You have to hide yourself and you may have maybe double-face, because ‘I don’t like you’ but I won’t say to you anything. So that’s the difference. [Yunhao – 03:18-03:53]

10. There is big difference between Irish culture and American culture, one of those main things is public correctness. In the States everything has to be politically correct, and which is of course a good thing, but here it’s not as big of a deal. It’s almost refreshing just to be able to sort of say what you want to say and not have to worry about different people taking it the wrong way because you just want to get your point across. [Marley – 03:54-04:29]

B.2 non-VerBal communication


1. In all human interactions, non-verbal communication plays a really important role. You can communicate so much by not saying anything verbally. In intercultural contact, it’s even more accentuated because non-verbal communication, body language, eye contact, all of these factors can vary greatly across cultures. [Ciarán Dunne – 00:00-00:26]

2. In Peru, in the cities, we act different, so we have more proximity with the other people when we talk. For instance, when people say hello to me or I meet somebody, well, they just give me the hand but in Peru, we kiss everybody, so it’s more cold [in Ireland]. I am more used to call friends, go out often and, I don’t know, hug people most times. I feel this is different here. It’s not a problem. Well, it’s something that happens. [Alberto – 00:27-01:00]


3. In Italy, when we know other people, we are really quite open to them and we are really warm. Here in Ireland, it’s quite different. Firstly, they have to know you and then can give you a lot of warmth too. [Sara – 01:01-01:18]

4. I think as far as differences in culture and communications, there is a whole different size of the personal bubble. If I were walking by a stranger back in America, there’d just be this huge distance between us and it would be just unbelievable to think that you could strike up a conversation with someone passing by. [Joshua – 01:19-01:40]

5. In relation to males and females, haptics, [e.g.] touch, can become extremely challenging and extremely problematic. Obviously in certain disciplines, touch doesn’t come into it at all but in other disciplines, you could find, such as health care that touch is an important component of the learning process and therefore, that can be extremely problematic. Then there’s gender factors that come into the equation as well. So overcoming once again is really about communicating from the outset, flagging these as potential issues and perhaps trying to engage the students with the lecturer in how we can overcome this. [Ciarán – 01:41-02:17]

6. I went with my husband to the dentist and the dentist wants to shake my hand and I couldn’t, you know, because in Islam we are not allowed to shake hands with men. With women, it’s OK. Then I have to explain to the dentist that it’s not allowed and he said ‘oh, that’s interesting, OK, tell me more about Islam’ and I start to tell him more about our religion and culture in Saudi Arabia. Every time I have this situation when a man starts to shake [my hand] and then I say ‘OK, I’m sorry, I can’t.’ Then they immediately apologise. [Aeshah – 02:18–02:59]

7. Once I went to the doctor and I was wearing just long sleeves and I just put the sleeves on my hand and I shake the doctor’s hand but there is no direct touch between the hands. It’s a matter of religion. [Wejdan – 02:59-03:13]

8. How I communicate respect could be fundamentally different to how you communicate respect, whether that’s eye contact for example. So if I see a student who is not engaging in eye contact with me, I might perceive that to be disrespectful or indicating some sort of lack of engagement whereas in reality they could be trying to display respect towards me. [Ciarán – 03:14-3:37]

9. The similarities in the cultures may make it seem like it’s so easy to integrate here but it’s still so different in just the subtleties that it’s really hard to pick up and you think, well, it’s just the same thing, so we can stick somebody here and let them go but I think in any kind of new culture you really can’t do that. [Joshua – 03:38-03:55]

10. What I do like is that there are no real time restrictions. They’re a lot more laid back about the time. So if they’re in the middle of a conversation or they might have a meeting but they’d rather finish off a meaningful conversation and then be 5 minutes late to the meeting, than cut you off and say ‘ah, I have to run’. [Nick – 03:56-04:13]

11. Most of our lecturers here are always late. That’s not a problem for me because, to be honest, I’m not a typical German. I am, most of the time, late myself. So, one of my American friends is always, like, waiting for me, ‘you’re not German at all, you’re just never on time.’ [Deborah – 04:14-04:31]

12. Everything here is a lot more slowed down compared to the pace of what I’m used to. Everyone is very relaxed and very ‘oh, we’ll get it done when we get it done.’ You don’t have to exactly be on time. That was very different for me, not in a bad way but just one of those things you have to get used to. [Alicia – 04:32-04:57]


B.3 humour


1. To mix with someone who’s different from you, there’s a big challenge associated with that. Perhaps you need to avoid certain topics and very often, you’ll find that students will modify their humour. So they’ll avoid telling certain jokes. Humour is so culturally specific that it’s very hard to achieve that cross-culturally. [Ciarán – 00:00-00:23]

2. I think the biggest difference in terms of communication here is what my friends here refer to as banter. It’s a very friendly way to say ‘I know you well and I’m your mate.’ A lot of international students do not understand it. So when you are in an environment where there are a lot of Irish people and they’re having their fun and they’re making their jokes, you have to just take it as relaxed as possible and not take it personal[ly] because you will get the banter especially when you get friendly with people and they may make fun of you. You just have to learn how to fight back and make the same jokes as them. [Benedikt – 00:24-00:54]

3. Even up to now, I stay here for not that long but not that short and I can really understand, I’d say 50–60% of the Irish humour but a lot of the time most people just make humour and I say ‘OK, where is the laughing point?’ [Wentao – 00:55-01:12]

4. When they crack you up, when they try to crack you up, it doesn’t sometimes make sense to you because you’re not getting the joke from their own side of view. It’s just like this person is trying to make me look stupid but he’s actually trying to crack you up. [Ezebuchi – 01:13-01:27]

5. There are definitely differences between Irish people and German people. I would say that Irish people are much more… like, they say what they think. Their humour is sometimes a bit hard to understand. I have roommates from Donegal. They’re really nice but sometimes they give me a hard time, like, if they actually mean what they say or if they’re just, like, messing with me and most of the time, they are. [Deborah – 01:28-01:52]

6. Slagging is making fun of each other and stuff like that. Well, we do the same thing, like, but good friends always do it to each other, so it’s kind of the same as home. [Ilen – 01:53-02:03]

7. The Irish sense of humour, it does take some getting used to. I find our students would take a short while to get used to it but by the end of the semester, they’re attempting to mingle their sense of humour with the Irish sense of humour and it’s remarkable to see that they’ve now got to a point where they can have that banter, the craic, back and forth that the Irish people are famous for. When they realise that they can do that and they’re holding their own in the conversation, that’s a real, sort of, immersive experience and they come away really quite pleased with their ability to do that. [Stephen – 02:04-2:42]


B.4 stereotYpes


1. There are stereotypes out there. You get asked strange things like ‘do you eat potatoes all the time?’ Like I mean, you think, hello, that’s not going to happen but it does actually happen. That’s all you eat… potatoes… only. There is some sort of residual fallout from the Troubles and you do get questions about bombs going off and things like that, you know, people who have done very little research. You find thatthosesortsofclichéscomeoutfromtimetotimebutarelessandlessthanmaybe they were previously. [Donal – 00:00-00:34]

2. From what I’ve seen, Irish people seem to know a pretty decent amount of US culture. At least from my interactions, it’s not like the Irish think that we’re all just a bunch of people walking around in cowboy hats and suits, saying ‘y’all’ all the time. It’s a fairly westernised, modernised world so everyone kind of knows what everyone else is up to. I mean when I came here, I just imagined Ireland as just a bunch of rolling green fields and sheep everywhere, so I had some misconceptions but they seem to know a pretty decent amount about America. [Joshua – 00:35-01:06]

3. When I talk to people and they know I am Italian, ‘oh, Italians’ and they start speaking like an Italian speaking English and they start moving their hands in a strange way for me because it’s not like this and then they speak always to me about food. It’s quite strange. [Sara – 01:07-01:28]

4. One of the things in all interactions, we all bring different cultural baggage to any given dialogue. It’s really important for us to be aware what we’re bringing to that particular environment. So, you can reduce an individual’s likelihood of defaulting to stereotypes by in the first instance getting them to acknowledge that, in relation to their own identity, they would find it problematic or perhaps even offensive if people drew on stereotypes or generalisations to define them. [Ciarán– 01:29-02:02]

5. That notion that Nigerians are fraudsters actually made it very difficult for me to break into the Irish circle and make friends with then because if the first thing they ask you is, ‘is it true that all Nigerians are fraudsters?’ Then you can’t defend that, you feel totally embarrassed and have to walk away. With time, I met people who are actually interested in what people have said about Nigeria, who were actually interested in hearing about the good part of Nigeria. They want you to talk about your religion, the different food. We have a very good sense of fashion; we are very much interested in fashion. They want to see me wear my Nigerian clothes and dance some Nigerian dance moves. [Ezebuchi – 02:03-02:41]

6. Every stereotype has a little truth in it but I’ve seen a lot of Russian people and Eastern European people that don’t actually tell their identity because they don’t like to see the public reaction. [If you’re] from the Soviet Union, they all see us as socialists and stuff like that and it’s kind of getting in the way of relationships. [Ilen – 02:42-03:08]

7. The Irish people, they are very friendly so there’s no particular stereotypes but in some cases, I would say the only drawback is when I walk down the street in the night and some children, and under 18 years old, they might just make a joke to you and just say some words to you. So that’s the only thing, but most of the time, I find it’s a really lovely environment here. I do enjoy it. [Wentao – 03:09-03:32]

8. Racism is one of the things that we international students dread most. I’ve had my fair share of it and I’m still experiencing racism every day. It’s all about how you deal with it. I’ve come to the realisation that people who abuse people racially are probably ignorant and that everybody has a right to live. I’m no less of a human because I’m an African. [Ezebuchi – 03:33-03:56]


9. There are a lot of stereotypes out there about Germany and German culture, of course. I find Ireland quite relaxed in this regard because when you go to certain countries as a German, you’re always very afraid to say certain things because you might step on someone’s toe because of the whole history. In Ireland, it’s quite calm in my opinion. Every now and then you get some casual racism about these things which is very hard to deal with as well. It’s something you have to do the same as with the banter, you have to get used to it or you have to know how to react to it. [Benedikt –03:57-04:34]

10. The stereotype that Irish people have about Holland is that everybody smokes weed, even the French people and Germans think that. [Tim – 04:35-04:47]

11. Well, the Irish people are very interested in learning about the US but they did have some misconceptions when I first got here. Everybody has the typical American stereotype that you know, ‘we’re loud, we’re rude, we’re fat’, all of that, which the Irish people have admitted to that ‘I thought you would be like that’. My roommate, when she found out that she was going to have an American roommate, she said she was a little horrified but everyone has said that I’ve changed their mind about it, ‘you aren’t really that way.’ But I think everyone has sort of their own stereotypes of different cultures, you just have to kind of seek out to disprove it. [Alicia – 04:48-05:27]

12. Yes, I joined the table tennis club and you know the Chinese like to play table tennis, but I was shocked because Germans and Spanish play much better than the Chinese. That’s amazing. [Junhao – 05:28-05:42]

unit c: studYinGc.1 a new academic enVironment

duration: 1 minute 59 seconds

1. In the first instance, all international students need to adapt to the local national culture. So, in the Irish context, they need to get used to living in Ireland and what that means – the currency, the transport, very basic stuff. At a second level, they have to adapt academically to a new culture. There is a unique academic culture in Ireland that may or may not vary greatly from the academic culture that they’ve grown up in and what’s normal for them. That’s quite a big challenge and very often, the adaptation to the new academic culture is bigger than the adaptation to the local culture. [Ciarán – 00:00-0:40]

2. Learning is an activity. Just like any activity we engage in, culture plays quite a fundamental role in that process. Number one, culture will determine what we learn, for example, because culture is really about a set of values and beliefs, and those values and beliefs are the foundation or building blocks that underpin our behaviours, what we engage in, what we learn, why we learn, how we learn it and also how we assess what we’ve learned. So, culture will therefore play a major role in how we approach the learning process and equally in how it is assessed. [Ciarán – 00:41-01:13]

3. If you make staff and students aware of cultural differences, I think that’s a step in the right direction. Just flagging cultural differences in itself won’t achieve integration. I think one of the fundamental things is that the idea of diversity should be central to the academic mission of an institution. So you don’t want it to orbit around the periphery of an institution’s values. It should be central to what they’re about. Diversity is a source potentially of creativity and learning and that’s really what higher education is all about. [Ciarán – 01:14-01:59]


c.2 comparinG academic cultures


1. For students who might come from high power distance cultures, where it would not be normal for those individuals to challenge people who they would perceive to be in positions of power or authority, it can be very difficult for them to adapt to this new environment where they are expected to constructively critique the content but also perhaps what the lecturer is saying, at least to question what the lecturer is saying. They may have a learning style which is more based on reflection. So to throw an idea out to a group of students and then to expect them to process that and parse that immediately can be really challenging. You have a dual dynamic of the power distance and also perhaps the students needing more time to process that. [Ciarán – 00:00-00:51]

2. When I’m trying to find my lecturer and ask him questions, I have to do appointments and sometimes the lecturer might be very busy with some of the modules, so you have to make appointments and get to meet your lecturers. While back in China, you might see some lecturers always in their office but you always have to make an appointment as well. I’d say there might be a power distance back in China and you have to really gather yourself, prepare, before you can ask a question. I mean, the lecturer expect you will really have reviewed your notes before going to ask a question. While here in Ireland, you can always feel very free to talk to your lecturer anytime and ask any questions even those very simple questions. That’s not a problem. [Junhao – 00:52-01:46]

3. Interactions with the lecturers and the students is more casual here. If you have a problem, you can just go talk to your professor. [Alicia – 01:47-01:58]

4. Our professors are very close to the students, they’re approachable and helpful. I’m not saying that professor in Albania are not, but it’s just that their way that their relationship is much different, there’s more distance. The professor is kind of at the centre of the system. In the US and Ireland, I’ve seen that the student is at the centre of the system. That makes a big difference. [Roland – 01:59-02:24]

5. Calling your supervisor here, you know, by first name. I was confused the first day here just saying ‘Martin’ or when he was coming to the room, I was standing. [Sahand – 02:25-02:40]

6. It’s kind of weird for me to call the teacher or professor by his first name. It’s like calling my Mum by her first name, it’s kind of weird. [Anthony – 02:41-02:52]

7. In the universities in Saudi Arabia, it’s either just male universities or female universities. We feel free at the universities. We don’t have to use our veil or hijab, we feel free. Sometimes, we have some lecturers or speakers, you know, who are men but we have them through a monitor and from outside. They are not allowed to enter the female universities. [Aeshah – 02:53-03:26]

8. In China, they’re very respectful of the lecturers and there is a great distance between the lecturer and the students. In our institutions, there is not that difference between the lecturer and the students, we are more there as aids to help the students learn and to gain full experience from the actual process, rather than to dictate what they should do. [Yvonne – 03:37-03:48]


9. One of the things that I know about differences between the American and the Irish system would be the level of responsibility placed upon the student. I find the American system, you tend to get students that like more guidance. It doesn’t mean they require more guidance but they like to have more guidance. They want their assignments really laid out for them and that can be difficult for some of our Irish faculty to get their head around. I like to say that if a professor in America stands at the front of a classroom and waves a book and says ‘you may want to read this’, no American student will read it. If an Irish professor stands in front of a class and says ‘you may want to read this’, that means you must read it. It’s very different. The onus is on the student to fulfil the requirement of the course in Ireland much more than it would be in America. [Stephen - 03:49-04:41]

10. I find the biggest difference between Ireland and China is the organisation style because [in Ireland] the lecturers ask us to read many books and materials to explore by ourselves. In China, we are always led by our professors and they ask me to do this or do [that] but in Ireland, you’re free to go anywhere and you should have your own ideas, but in China, just the one style. [Zilan – 04:42-05:17]

11. The classes are different than back home because for instance, we only have really a few classes in the week, and most of the work, you have to do it in the library or back home, just reading. So that’s really different because it’s taking account of your responsibility so you have to be aware that you have to read to the next class because of the classes are just [a] discussion class. [Alberto – 05:18-05:50]

12. The education system back in China, the teacher tends to just hand out all the handouts and all the lecturer notes are given to you. There will be very detailed information on the lecture notes so you just follow those lecture notes and at the end, you definitely will pass the exam. Just in comparison to the Irish education here, the teacher just hands out very brief notes and with headings and they tend to ask students to do a lot of homework in their own time, to do a lot of research, I mean. [Junhao – 05:51-06:23]

13. Since coming to Ireland, the education system is kind of self-directed. You have to make up time to teach yourself. The lecturers just don’t elaborate, they give you the material you need and it’s up to you to go back and make research, get textbooks from the library and other materials from other sources and you know, build on your knowledge. [Ezebuchi – 06:24-06:46]

c.3 academic lanGuaGe


1. Language is obviously a very key component in the learning process particularly when your assessment is obviously based on how you articulate your opinions or how you reproduce the material. If you’re doing oral presentations, which are nowadays very common in Irish universities, your language competence may not reflect your actual understanding of the content. You may have a very good grasp on the content but you may be very frustrated by the fact that you can’t articulate yourself in the way you may want to. [Ciarán – 00:00-00:39]

2. The language barrier is a big problem at the very beginning. So as an international student, my first language is not English. The first time I just remember I was really nervous at the first lecture. The lecturer just keep[s] speaking at a very fast speed and I can’t hardly just catch that, what he is talking [about] at the moment. I say [I] was just really upset at the very beginning but afterwards, I talked to myself and I talked to a lot of my friends and they just give me some advice. They say you have to [get] involved in the community here, the Irish community and talk to the people to get your language improved. So I did try to do that, I found myself [that it] did improve a little bit. [Junhao – 00:40-01:33]


3. So whatever discipline they’re studying in, you will find a unique set of terminology that they won’t be familiar with and so, for international students, language very often is a major issue when it comes to understanding lecturers or your fellow students. It isn’t the case that you’re struggling with your own articulation or pronunciation but that you don’t actually understand what the lecturers are saying. That’s a very significant issue. [Ciarán – 01:34-02:05]

4. I couldn’t understand at first but later on I picked it up because there will be a certain difference between how an Indian speaks and how a European speaks. So that I have faced. First I didn’t understand but later on when I started to focus much more on the lecture, then I coped it out and I covered it. [Manish – 02:06-02:28]

5. Some of the students, when they come first, they’re quite shy about using their English. I say to them, you can go up to lecturers afterwards. If they’re in a group of people where there are some Irish students, and they don’t understand to just ask them to say it again, try to encourage them to have the kind of confidence to go and just ask. It’s awful if they get to the point where they don’t understand most of what’s going on and they’re too frightened to ask about it. [Carl – 02:29-03:02]

6. I couldn’t understand but I tell to the lecturers ‘sorry, please repeat it’ because I couldn’t understand. Even the lecturer can repeat many times but I still say ‘sorry I still could not understand, could you teach me?’ but in China people say ‘oh, maybe I’m so stupid, I will lose my face so I prefer to hide it, avoid this knowledge, much better than asking the lecturer many times.” [Wentao – 03:03-03:29]

7. Finding it difficult to understand the Irish accent or our way of delivering is quite common. I think if you spent time abroad yourself, you can understand where they’re coming from. One of the things that helps a lot, and I’ve noticed it with international students. is they often want to tape your lecture. I encourage them to do that because that gives them an opportunity to replay what you’ve said, listen to it more closely. That’s common in other countries, particularly in the US, for students to tape lecturers; it’s not so much so here. I think that helps them. Again, just being aware that they might be finding it difficult to understand you is really important. [Frank – 03:30-04:12]

8. The challenge of communication as a deaf person with sign language from a different country. It’s very different from Irish Sign Language, so I am constantly learning, all the time meeting new signs, it’s been a big challenge, but I am picking up the language. And really it affects how I am learning in my studies, how I learn and how much I can pick up in class but I am happy the university is providing reasonable accommodations to meet my needs, through interpreters like Evelyn here, and through note taking. [Sindile – 04:13-05:10]

9. It can be very difficult for them to approach a lecturer and say “I don’t understand what you’re saying because of your accent”. There’s certainly a power dynamic there so the best way, or ideally what you’d want is the lecturers in advance to buy into some sort of process where they would moderate their language somewhat or do anonymous feedback after the second week to ask the students, ‘are there any issues, are you having difficulty understanding anything?’ Ensure that the notes are available, ideally before the class so that they at least have some type of architecture around which they can understand any given lecturer or any given topic. Typically, if lecturers bring their own personal communication style, some of them will be extremely direct, some of them will be more indirect, some will like more narrative style or story based learning, so they will try to communicate the content through a story and others will be very much based on bullet points, on PowerPoint and ‘this is the content you need to understand’. If the lecturers are aware of what they are bringing to that environment and question themselves ‘does this really apply to all students or might any students have a difficulty with this type of approach?’ and perhaps modify that in as much as is possible. [Ciarán – 05:11-06:42]


c.4 the intercultural classroom


1. When you introduce diversity into a classroom, into a learning environment, it offers great potential. Let’s say international students are a vehicle for diverse perspectives because they come from a different cultural background, they have different values, norms, experiences, histories, traditions, so they therefore bring these to the learning environment. Equally local students can also do this. All students bring their own cultural capital to a learning environment. International students can really add to a curriculum if they’re given the opportunity to do so. [Ciarán – 00:00-00:44]

2. Lecturers tend to teach to the learning style they value the most because it works for them so why wouldn’t it work for other people which is quite a natural thing for us to do. It’s important to recognise that the student cohort here, regardless of what learning style model you might subscribe to, at the very least you will recognise that people in this class will learn in different ways and they’ll learn better with certain ways than other ways. [Ciarán – 00:45-01:16]

3. There’s some very different teaching styles out there and norms for teaching. My background is teaching in the American system, especially small private colleges where you would expect full access to your professors, interaction in the classroom, always asking questions, small intimate classrooms where group discussion takes place. The Irish system can be different, it can be large lecture halls, access to your professors is not always guaranteed, attendance may not always be as required as it would be in the American system. There’s a lot of adaptation that needs to go on. [Stephen – 01:17-02:05]

4. I’d say the participation here is more active compared back to China. Teachers do want you involved in their class and involved in their lectures. [Wentao – 02:06-02:24]

5. We’ve been conditioned culturally to articulate our opinions in class, to engage in debate and discussion, to challenge the status quo, not to simply accept what the lecturer says to you but to question those things. That is important because very often, lecturers may interpret silence or a lack of engagement or lack of challenge from international students as indicating they’re not interested, they’re apathetic or maybe they haven’t understood whereas in reality they could be very engaged with it but from their cultural perspective, it isn’t normal perhaps to have open debates in class or to challenge authority or they would perceive it to be challenging authority. [Ciarán – 02:25-03:13]

6. Students who are put into groups, that can be difficult sometimes, especially if their language is… if they struggle a little with their English, for example, and they’re in a group maybe with two or three Irish students. That can pose challenges as well for them and also for the Irish students, because sometimes Irish students wonder are the international students pulling their weight. The student is pulling their weight according to themselves but they’re finding it more of a struggle. [Carl – 03:14-03:48]

7. Generally when the students are in a minority, they assimilate better into the actual class itself because people take them under their wing and they make Irish friends. Where there is a large group of people that are of the same nationality, whatever the nationality is, we do the same thing when we go abroad, we tend to stick together. [Yvonne – 03:49-04:10]


8. Typically students will seek out people that they know already, their friends, who happen to be, in the majority of cases other local students. Now it may be different if the assessment is based on some component where an international student may have an added advantage. Let’s say if it’s a language class and one international student is particularly good at that language. Well, then from a purely utility function aspect, local students may well say, we would like to work with that student. So the thing about group assessments, it’s very very common for groups not to be mixed. The question then arises what should the lecturer do? Should the lecturer allow students to pick their own groups, ‘We’re all adults. You should be in charge of your own learning experience’ and therefore, it’s your responsibility for you to form your own project groups? Should the lecturer take a more active role in trying to promote and foster intercultural relations within the student cohort. If they do that, then they need to bear in mind that there may be teething problems at the outset. [Ciarán – 04:11-05:22]

9. In Italy, for example, we don’t have small groups and you are in a class with almost two hundred students and it’s really different. In a small group here, we have 12, so we can interact with the teacher and give to him [our] opinion. So, we can talk and I think that here in the university in Ireland, [the] teacher really wants to know what is your thought. [Sara – 05:23-05:55]

10. The group who are really defined by commonalities or similarities, they tend to function fairly well and their performance kind of plateaus at a certain point. One of the big drawbacks of working with people who are like ourselves is the idea of group think. So we all think in the same way, we approach a problem from the same perspective and therefore, levels of creativity don’t tend to be huge. If you add a diverse perspective into that group, that can be really good but at the outset, it can be problematic. Communication issues may emerge. People within the group may not feel comfortable being challenged but if you create that kind of respectful safe environment and there’s good communication, you’ll probably find that the outputs of that group can be more creative. [Ciarán – 05:56-06:58]

c.5 approaches to assessment


1. Assessment is one of the major challenges for international students, for all students but certainly for international students because there’s a lot of anxiety tied up in assessment. Typically, international students have made a very significant decision and invested a lot of time, very often a lot of money and effort in deciding to study overseas. Therefore, the assessment is really directly linked to the whole process. [Ciarán – 00:00-00:29]

2. Culture will play a major role in the learning process and equally in how it’s assessed. When it comes to an international student adapting to a new academic culture, one of the big challenges in understanding that culture is in how course content is assessed, individually, is it done on a group basis, is it done once off or is it done on a more formative basis throughout the semester? Is it done on an exam basis or continuous assessment where you have essays or presentations? So all these things come into play and very often, that can be a very significant challenge for international students. [Ciarán – 00:30-01:13]

3. In the US, you have a paper due every few weeks. Let’s say in most classes, not in all classes but in most classes, you have a paper due every three weeks, so you have to keep on top of everything because you have these papers coming up all the time. Whereas here, for the first 6 weeks, you have nothing and then all of a sudden you have papers due in all your classes. So it’s really easy to not quite keep on top of what you’re doing. [Heather – 01:14-01:36]


4. The marking system is another big difference between here and what I’m used to. For a pass here, you just need 40%. For a bare minimum pass where I’m from, you need 60% and that’s considered very bad. So the students’ attitudes towards ‘Oh, I got 70% on something, I did really good’ whereas for me, ‘Oh, 70%, that’s not good at all.” [Alicia – 01:37-02:07]

5. When it comes to giving feedback to students, including international students, it can be challenging for the students to understand exactly what’s expected of them and then when they get their feedback, to process that, to make sense of it. Because feedback is only useful in so far as it allows us to make further improvements down the line, to understand perhaps what we didn’t do quite as well as had been expected in the assignment. One example would be marking schemes and different grading guidelines. I think from day one again, it’s important to articulate it to the students that in this academic environment, these are the different grade standards, that a 70% in Ireland for example is first class honours and it indicates extremely high levels of learning and, you know, typically students would be happy with that. 60% indicates another level and 50% indicates another level or whatever grades are relevant to that particular institution. [Ciarán – 02:08-03:05]

6. The biggest difference is we don’t have tests and stuff in between the school year. We have final exams at the end of the year, so that’s the biggest difference I’d say. I’ve had tests every week now which is kind of nice because you have to repeat the stuff all the time. Like you have to stay with it and back home, I just have to repeat everything at the end of the year. This way, I probably already know some things by the time it gets to studying for the exams. [Deborah – 03:06-03:40]

7. It’s really strange for me to write essays because I never do something like this. In Italy, the kind of exams are really different because we have written or oral or both exams but [at] the very end of the semester, not midterm sessions, and so it’s quite strange for me starting studying in October. Anyway, it’s good because maybe you have a different possibility to form the total amount of your exam mark. [Sara – 03:41-04:16]

8. Some students would find that doing essay writing can be difficult. Sometimes, because they haven’t actually done much of that; they were much more geared towards doing multiple choice questions instead of actually having to write long essays. [Carl – 04:17-04:33]

9. Here it’s much more critical thinking and creativity oriented systems where you get your own assignments, you get to form your own opinion and if you can defend them, there is no such thing as 2+2 makes 4. There is not only one book that you have to read but there are several authors out there and you have to digest all of the reading and then master them the way you are persuaded, that fit with some theory or something. Whereas in Albania, until recently, it was memorising a huge amount of text as opposed to coming up with your own ideas and writing essays or creative writing skills. [Roland – 04:34-05:23]

10. People over here, they look at the current approach towards science, like what does a student [have] currently. Has he a grip on the current subject and knowledge? But over in India, if you write something from the textbook, then you’ll be awarded marks but here, look for something new each and every time. [Manish – 05:24-05:46]

11. We make students very much aware of plagiarism and what exactly it is, giving concrete examples and there are different facilities available to us for example. So when students submit assignments, we can check for plagiarism. It is always something you have to be cognisant of, particularly in this era where so much information is available on the web and you’re trying to decide what’s original and what’s not. So it can be an issue. [Frank –05:47-06:15]


12. When it comes to actually giving the feedback, so critiquing the content and saying what students did well and perhaps their areas for development. One concern for all students would be ‘face’. You don’t want to upset the student but you do want them to take on board the important aspects of what you’re trying to communicate, otherwise it will be of no value to them. So it might be an idea to ask the students themselves what they thought of their performance? If you provide the students with the metrics of how you’re going to evaluate their assessment and if it is, let’s say, relating to things such as critical thinking, discuss with them what does that mean, what do we understand by critical thinking? Is it just articulating what other people have said about something or is it about you articulating your own personal perspective on this particular topic? [Ciarán – 06:16-07:17]

unit d: supportinG international students

d.1 supportinG international students


1. I think probably the main support issues that I deal with fall into three categories. There are practical issues, academic and personal. Unsurprisingly, I suppose, some are very straightforward and others are much more complex. I’ve been doing the job for the last 10 years but the issues have become much more complex in line with the growth in international student numbers and the growth in countries of origin. So if you look at the practical stuff, it’s very often information that they can find on the website. I do think though that students will come in and approach you and you might be presented with a practical issue of ‘where can I find…?’ or ‘I need to know...’ and you’ll go ‘that’s very straightforward, why did they not find that on the web or in the information handbook’. And you realise that it’s a point of contact they’re looking for, that’s not really the issue and when you’ve solved that problem, if you ask them if they’re ok or is there anything else, then the real issue emerges. [Suzanne – 00:00-00:59]

2. I would say for the people working in higher education, know that the students might be really uncomfortable being here. They might not show it but they’re in a totally different place, so you’re almost like a babysitter for the first couple of weeks, I guess, to make sure everything is OK, nobody is miserable, everybody is having a good time. And then you’re kind of like the teacher ‘here’s all the things here’ and then you’re kind of the bulldozer in a way. You’re trying to push them and ‘go experience yourself’. You’re going to have to take those stages with students just to make them comfortable being themselves and then get them out there. [Joshua – 01:00-01:37]

3. People who work in our international services area actually support the students with every problem that they have. So they know that if they have anything that they want to discuss, they go straight into the International Office and there will be somebody there to help them. That includes weekends and anytime. So there is a full service there for the students. [Yvonne – 01:38-02:00]

4. You can have any sort of situation arising during the course of the day with international students. So, standard type queries that students would come through the door with would involve things around immigration requirements, they may be looking for letters to renew their immigration status, they may be wanting to speak with a specific staff member or the person who is responsible for pastoral care in our office. They may be experiencing some type of personal issue. That could range from basic homesickness to something very serious. [Anna – 02:01-02:32]


5. It’s quite daunting when you arrive over here. The first person you meet is the first person you want to go to a lot of the time to ask questions of. So when they come into an international office, they’re looking for a lot of support, and that can put a lot of pressure on the staff because there’s so many people coming in. As the time goes on then, as somebody who would be supporting them in many different areas if you like, and a lot in personal areas I suppose, it’s a matter of letting them know, throughout the year, that you’re available. [Carl – 02:33-03:11]

6. Another thing I think is very important on any campus is interaction between various support offices. So if a student has some type of serious emotional issue that we would be able to refer them to the Counselling Unit or some other function within the student services support framework that you might be able to refer students to. [Anna – 03:12-03:34]

7. Welfare Officers are there as a point of contact for all students including international students who, when they come to Ireland, obviously face a culture shock and they might be away from their families for the first time for a long period. I think that’s where the [Student] Unions often do come into play and the Welfare Officers are always there to point students in the right direction if they need to access a counsellor or certain support services. [Laura – 03:35-04:03]

8. Any opportunity I would recommend for International Office staff to gain further training in some type of a counselling qualification, I think that would be very helpful for them. Sometimes a student, depending on where they come from, they may be very reluctant to tell you what is the issue with them. With some nationalities, they may be afraid just to lose face. [Anna – 04:04-04:26]

9. I think mental health issues are increasing hugely in number of the incidence of it. I’m not sure if that’s an increased reporting of it and probably a change in attitude in Ireland towards mental health issues or if it’s an increased awareness of it. It very much depends with international students what culture they’re from. If you talk with American students, the first place they look for is the counselling centre. Therapy is very much a part of their culture, it’s quite the norm. If you talk with a Chinese student, I think they would struggle to know what you’re talking about. It would probably be equivalent to old style Ireland where a mental health issue would be something that would be kept hidden, shameful and something that mightn’t necessarily be recognised in society either as being an illness. [Suzanne – 04:27-05:24]

10. I think as well if staff have experience of other cultures, if they’ve travelled, that often stands to them, if they’ve been away. If they’ve been a stranger in a foreign country themselves, they’re able to put themselves into the place of the student and they bring an empathy to the interaction then that I think can be very useful. [Anna – 05:25-05:49]

d.2 inFormation and orientation


1. Prior to coming to study in Ireland, international students have obviously got lots of questions about very practical things like, how do I get to the airport from my house, how do I get a house, what sort of food would I be eating, where will I buy it? So, at a very practical level, students want to know what is happening in their destination and how they’re going to fit in. It’s very important for institutions to try to put themselves into those students’ shoes. It can be very practical and simple things, how do I open a bank account, how do I get a visa stamp and these are the sorts of things that you really need to include in your documentation that you provide to students, or certainly at least on an online resource that they can access. [Donal – 00:00-00:50]


2. Before I’m coming here, they start sending me emails to help me and suggestions, advice and calendar programmes. They were really helpful and when I came here since the welcome to the airport, I start feeling like at home, my new home, because they help me a lot and they organise a lot of activities and events. [Sara – 00:51-01:16]

3. Universities are in a position to provide lots and lots of useful information to international students pre-arrival. So, really when you can reduce uncertainty, that goes a long way to reducing anxiety. [Ciarán – 01:17-01:31]

4. First of all, it’s good practice that they get the information on the course, that they know exactly what they’re coming over to do. Sometimes there’s enough information on the web for them to be able to make their choices. I mean that’s where they go usually first off. Depending on what they’re coming into, they will often contact academics etc. It’s important for them to know about accommodation, whether there’s accommodation available on campus, what types of accommodation and the type of accommodation they’re looking for. [Carl Lusby – 01:32-02:01]

5. I didn’t receive too much information and I checked the webpage of my university and I found a lot of information about how to be an international student in Ireland. It was useful but it’s different when you get here and you realise, ‘I should look more about housing’ for instance. [Alberto – 02:02-02:24]

6. Students are actually very good at finding the academic information, reading it, filling in the forms, but when it comes to the soft side of where am I going to live, they’ll find how much it costs but they won’t read the information you’re sending them. One of the key issues is ‘please read the material that you’re being sent.’ [Suzanne – 02:25-02:45]

7. I don’t get enough information about the country, about the culture, but I made that for myself. I searched on the net about the people, the habits, the customs, even about the holidays and everything but that was not supplied by the International Office. They gave me things about the university, about the campus, about the library, about the IT services but not about Irish habits, about the Irish people, about maybe some general expressions in the language. [Aeshah – 04:46-03:22]

8. I think one of the most important things to give the students would be some of the cultural information about the host nation, about Ireland. The friendliness of the people, the way that things are done here may be quite different. If they’re prepared, they do come with an open mind and they will thrive. There may be a few hiccoughs along the way but they will thrive in the end. [Stephen – 03:23-03:43]

9. I think it would have been really helpful if we had been paired up with a mentor, a native student, someone who volunteered obviously, because it would have been nice to have a personal connection to someone and have someone to actually ask questions to. I think that would have been helpful. As far as the materials that I got to read from this university, they were very helpful. [Heather – 03:44-04:09]

10. Orientation is absolutely essential as soon as they arrive to tell them all they need to know. There are other issues, particularly around immigration and so on. They have to get PPS numbers and GNIB number; that can be really challenging. [Frank – 04:10-04:24]

11. All Study Abroad programmes that I know of would do an orientation programme for the students. Now much of that orientation programme would be about logistics of how it’s going to work and safety issues and what to pack and things like that. I think it would be great if we could do a primer on Irish politics, Irish economy, and Irish culture before they got here. I think it would be fantastic but that’s a lot to ask. We find that the orientation really takes place in the first week that they’re here because before that they really don’t know what to expect. [Stephen – 04:25-04:59]


12. In terms of solving the problems on arrival, we operate a welcome programme over a two-week period. We have current students, peer support leaders who actually show the new incoming students around, not just the university and the campus but the city. We provide them with social events as well. [Suzanne – 05:00-05:21]

13. Actually the Orientation here, I think they did a wonderful job with. Most students arrived maybe one or two days beforehand, got into your accommodation and then we had orientation where they went over everything that you really needed to know. They showed you where things were in the school. They gave you maps of the town. They had, like, fun games and a night out for all of us, so you got to know the other international students and we were all kind of in the same boat. You’re in a new place, you don’t know anybody but it’s also, I think, a good thing because it makes it easy to make friends that way too because everybody’s kind of like ‘I’m new, I don’t know anybody’ and they’re open, I think more than you might be if you were familiar with your surroundings. [Alicia – 05:22-06:13]

14. Most orientation programmes would cover the basics like the library, meeting frontline staff of the university, particularly the IT system and then you have all the support services that may be availing of. In our own case, we would organise walking tours of the city, we organise what we call ‘fáilte’ mornings. Every morning for two weeks following orientation, we would just bring students together. Sometimes I think they just come for the tea and the biscuits and the opportunity to chat with other international students. That’s often the case. We could get a question, it could be anything from where to buy rain gear to how to register for a specific course, where the local immigration office is. It could be anything like that. So that would take place for two weeks after both orientation programmes at the beginning of both semesters. [Anna – 06:14-07:00]

15. In terms of tailoring the information to international students pre-arrival or maybe on arrival, based on their own culture of origin, not much of that seems to happen. Universities tend to produce general information that is of relevance to all students and they send it out that way whereas I was saying earlier, it might make sense to maybe try and identify what particular aspects of that could be of significance to one particular cultural group. [Ciarán – 07:01-07:30]

d.3 institutional recommendations


1. Improving the international student experience, I think you would break that up into three different stages. Number one would be the pre-arrival. If you can provide them with relevant tailored content pre-arrival, that can either eliminate or significantly reduce an awful lot of the challenges that may emerge otherwise. Then the second stage is obviously when those students arrive and trying to facilitate interaction with local students but also to get them accustomed to this new national cultural environment but also a new academic cultural environment, and different workshops around that or different support things or buddy systems. Then, finally managing the relationship when they finish the programme. So international students as alumni of an institution, managing that relationship, keeping the contact there because they are part of an international family of students. They all share that one thing that they’ve all been to that one particular university. [Ciarán – 00:00-01:05]


2. So my wish list for improving services for our own international students. First of all I would like to have dedicated housing for international students, even though it almost goes against my mantra of integrating students at all opportunities where we can. I still would like to give international students the opportunity to have a dedicated international house. Secondly I would like to be very clear on registration and timetabling. For some of our students, they’re not used to the system we have. It’s like a two weeks ‘shop or drop’ where they can come in, sample different courses, see if they like the lecturing style before they actually register. For some of our students, they like to know weeks in advance that they’re registered for this course and that they’re going to get a spot in this particular class. So I’d like to be very clear with our students about what they can and can’t do and to streamline the registration process. I think the third area I think we could improve on is developing more social events and opportunities for students to integrate at a social level with other international students and Irish students. I’d like to have more resources to be able to do that. [Anna – 01:06-02:13]

3. I think, from a postgraduate perspective, one of the main problems is that a lot of postgraduates are forgotten if they’re international students. So we have a lot of international students in the institute that I work in and they don’t know anything about the International Office or any of the other support structures that are available to them and that’s because they arrive here and they get to know their supervisor and they start their work. They will spend their days in the lab or in the library or something like that but they don’t know any of the other social or more important, the support structures that are out there. I think they’re forgotten in the institutes. [Benedikt – 02:14-02:53]

4. It would be no harm if all staff who are dealing with international students, which is probably all staff on the campus, were encouraged to go to cultural diversity training. I think that would be very useful. [Carl – 02:54-03:09]

5. I think increased training for sabbatical officers and equality officers with students’ unions would be beneficial, in terms of religious diversity and cultural diversity, and also, I suppose, training in relation to challenging preconceptions, challenging stereotypes and for students’ union officers to be able to become aware of what stereotypes they themselves might hold and how that might impact on their role within the union and their role representing international students. [Laura – 03:10-03:38]

6. If international students or soon-to-be international students undertook intercultural training programmes before they left their own country. That rarely happens. I’ve never really heard examples of that but it would make sense or even if the institutions offered those programmes online before those students arrive in the country. That perhaps might be a useful avenue to explore for the institutions because if you can minimise these issues at the outset, there isn’t so much impact on resources when those students arrive. [Ciarán – 03:39-04:18]

7. One of the great things that a students’ union can do to encourage participation is to have an international students’ officer within the union or an equality officer that specifically deals with that area and to encourage international students themselves to run for positions within the union or to run for class representative positions. So when students, I suppose, see that direct representation, they’re more likely to get involved. I think students’ unions as well often work in conjunction with the International Office within the college and also with the International Students’ Societies which are on many campuses and they would hold joint events or cultural nights or cultural exchange evenings. That’s a great way to promote integration and to get the students involved. [Laura – 04:19-05:07]

8. I think on everybody’s wish list is a budget, a bigger budget, but in the absence of that, I think, you get very resourceful. I’ve been very fortunate to be able work with the students’ societies and they’ve been phenomenal in terms of getting involved in putting on student events. The International Students’ Society actually has huge interest from a very broad ranging population and it’s not just international students.


It’s returning Irish students who’ve maybe done a year abroad on an Erasmus programme. It is those who are thinking about going out on an Erasmus programme and they will seek out people from colleges that they’re interested in going to. So I think in terms of integration, it’s led by students, for students, but we facilitate it. [Suzanne – 05:08-05:58]

9. Maybe in the first weeks we came here, we didn’t have a lot of activities with Irish students. It was like only the Erasmus students and then you come into your class and you meet Irish students. So maybe the university could change that. [Tim – 06:09-06:16]

10. I think when international students see their own issues being represented by their students’ union, then they’re more likely to get involved. So I think creating positions specifically within the students’ union to cater for international students and to represent them and ensuring that those positions are elected by students and by international students themselves. [Laura – 06:17—6:37]

11. Internationalisation is really about what happens when those students arrive at the university, not the process of simply recruiting them. So that includes strategies around internationalising student life, internationalising the curriculum, internationalising the built environment. That would include accommodation, the restaurant, interfaith centres, all of these aspects. Internationalisation has to be understood in its broadest context. [Ciarán – 06:38-07:06]

12. Internationalisation can involve internationalising the curriculum which means you can give Irish students an opportunity without even having an international experience by looking at case studies with an international theme. It’s like internationalisation at home but giving Irish students, who don’t get the opportunity for outbound mobility, some exposure to internationalisation in their curriculum. I think it also means encouraging Irish students to engage in an international experience whether it’s through the Erasmus mobility programme or other exchanges that various institutions have set up over the years. It also can mean development in that institutions need to have some sort of responsibility towards the developing world and think about scholarship programmes and also building more links with international partners where there is a synergy between your two institutions. That in turn can lead to staff mobility, student mobility and collaborative research hopefully. So, I think it has a much wider remit than just recruiting international students. [Anna – 07:07-08:21]


chapter 7BIBLIOGRAPHY AND FURTHER READING

BiBlioGraphY Althen, G., 1994. Learning Across Cultures. USA: NAFSA.

Barker, M., 2011. GIHE Good Practice Guide to Internationalising the Curriculum, Nathan, Australia: Griffith Institute for Higher Education, Griffith University.

Barna, L. M., 1998. Stumbling Blocks to Intercultural Communication. In: M. J. Bennett, ed. Basic Concepts of Intercultural Communication: Selected Readings. Boston, MA: Intecultural Press, pp. 173-191.

Barty, A. & Lago, C., 2003. Working with International Students: A Cross-cultural Training Manual. London: UKCOSA.

Barty, A. & Lago, C., 2008. Bridging our Worlds: A DVD for training staff working with international students (Trainers’ Manual). London: UK Council for International Student Affairs (UKCISA).

Beelen, J., 2007. Implementing Internationalisation at Home. Amsterdam: European Association for International Education (EAIE).

Bennett, M., 1998. Basic Concepts in Intercultural Communication: Selected Readings. Boston: MA: Intercultural Press.

Bennett, M. J., 1998. Intercultural Communication: A Current Perspective. In: M. J. Bennett, ed. Basic Concepts of Intercultural Communcation: Selected Readings. Boston, MA: Intercultural Press, pp. 1-35.

Berardo, K., 2012. Framework: Four Key Components of Transition Planning. In: K. Berardo & D. K. Deardorff, eds. Building Cultural Competence: Innovative Activities and Models. Sterling, Virginia: Stylus Publishing, pp. 183-189.

Berardo, K. & Deardorff, D. K., 2012. Building Cultural Competence: Innovative Activities and Models. Sterling. Virginia: Stylus Publishing.

Boucher, G. W., 1998. The Irish are friendly, but ...: A Report on Racism and International Students in Ireland. Dublin, Ireland: Irish Council for International Students.

Bourdieu, P. & Passeron, J. C., 1994. Introduction: Language and the relationship to language in the teaching situation. In: P. Bourdieu, J. C. Passeron & M. De Saint Martin, eds. Academic Discourse. Cambridge: Polity Press, pp. 1-34.

Carroll, J., 2005. Strategies for becoming more explicit. In: J. Carroll & J. Ryan, eds. Teaching International Students: Improving Learning for All. Abingdon, Oxon: Routledge, pp. 26-34.

Carroll, J., 2007. A Handbook for Deterring Plagiarism in Higher Education. Oxford: Oxford Centre for Staff and Learning Development, Oxford Brookes University.

Carroll, J., 2015. Tools for Teaching in an Educationally Mobile World. 1st ed. Abingdon, Oxon: Routledge.

Carroll, J. & Appleton, J., 2007. Support and guidance for learning from an international perspective. In: E. Jones & S. Brown, eds. Internationalising Higher Education. Abingdon, Oxon: Routledge, pp. 72-86.

Clifford, K. T. C., 1994. Surprise Introduction. In: R. L. Kohls & J. M. Knight, eds. Developing Intercultural Awareness: A Cross-cultural Training Handbook. Yarmouth, Maine: Intercultural Press, pp. 23-25.

Cortazzi, M. & Jin, L., 1997. Communication for learning across cultures. In: D. McNamara & R. Harris, eds. Overseas students in higher education. London: Routledge, pp. 76-91.

De Wit, H., 2012. Internationalisation of Higher Education: Nine Misconceptions. In: J. Beelen & H. De Wit, eds. Internationalisation Revisited: New Dimensions in the Internationalisation of Higher Education. Amsterdam: Hogeschool van Amsterdam, pp. 5-9.

Deardorff, D. K., 2012. Introduce Core Concepts. In: K. Berardo & D. K. Deardorff, eds. Building Cultural Competence: Innovative Activities and Models. Sterling, Virgina: Stylus Publishing, pp. 45-52.

Department of Education and Skills, 2010. Investing in Global Relationships: Ireland’s International Education Strategy 2010-2015, Dublin, Ireland: Department of Education and Skills.

BiBlioGraphY and Further readinG


Dunne, C., 2008. “We know them but we don’t know them”: A Grounded Theory Approach to Exploring Host Students. Perspectives on Intercultural Contact in an Irish University. Dublin:Availableat:http://doras.dcu.ie/view/people/Dunne,_Ciaran.html.

Edmead, C., 2013. Capitalising on a multicultural learning environment: Using group work as a mechanism for student integration. In: J. Ryan, ed. Cross-Cultural Teaching and Learning for Home and International Students. Oxon: Routledge, pp. 15-27.

Elkin, G., Farnsworth, J. & Templer, A., 2008. Strategy and the internationalisation of universities. International Journal of Educational Management, 22(3), pp. 239-250.

Fowler, S. & Mumford, M., 1999. Intercultural Sourcebook: Cross-cultural Training Methods. Yarmouth, Maine: Intercultural Press.

Friend-Pereira, J. C. & McDaid, R., 2002. Anti-Racism and Multiculturalism Campaign: Activity and Resource Pack for Student Co-ordinators. Dublin: Union of Students in Ireland (USI).

Gareis, E., 1995. Intercultural Friendship: A Qualitative Study. Landam: University Press of America.

Gregersen-Hermans, J. W. M. & Pusch, M., 2012. How to develop and assess an intercultural learning experience. In: K. Berardo & D. K. Deardorff, eds. Building Cultural Competence: Innovative Activities and Models. Sterling, Virginia: Stylus Publishing LLC, pp. 23-41.

Gudykunst, W. B., 2004. Bridging Differences: Effective Intergroup Communication. 4th ed. Thousand Oaks, California: Sage Publications.

Hall, E. T., 1959. The Silent Language. 1990 ed. New York: Anchor Books.

Hofstede, G., 1980. Culture’s Consequences: International Differences in Work-Related Values. Beverly Hill, CA: Sage Publications.

Hofstede, G., 1997. Culture and Organisations: Software of the Mind. New York: Mc Graw-Hill.

Hopkins, R. S., 1999. Using Videos as Training Tools. In: S. M. Fowler & M. G. Mumford, eds. Intercultural Sourcebook: Cross-cultural Training Methods. Maine: Intecultural Press, pp. 73-81.

Horton, S., 2009. Second Language Walk in Their Shoes. In: D. M. Stringer & P. A. Cassiday, eds. 52 Activities for Improving Cross-cultural Communication. Boston, MA: Intercultural Press, pp. 5-7.

Jones, E., 2010. Internationalisation and the Student Voice: Higher Education Perspectives. New York: Routledge.

Jones, E. & Brown, S., 2007. Internationalising Higher Education. New York: Routledge.

Kelo, M., 2006. Support for International Students in Higher Education. Bonn: ACA Papers on International Cooperation in Education.

Killick, D., 2015. Developing the Global Student: Higher education in an era of globalisation. 1st ed. Abingdon, Oxon: Routledge.

Knight, J., 2004. Internationalisation Remodeled: Definition, Approaches, and Rationales. Journal of Studies in International Education, 8(1), pp. 5-31.

Landis, D. & Bhagat, R., 1996. Handbook of Intercultural Training. 2nd ed. Thousand Oaks, California: Sage Publishing.

Leask, B., 2004. Plagiarism and cultural diversity: responsibilities, accountabilities and pedagogy. Northumbria University, Plagiarism: Prevention, Practice and Policy Conference.

Leask, B., 2004. Plagiarism and cultural diversity: responsibilities, accountablities and pedagogy at. Plagiarism: Prevention, Practice and Policy Conference, 28-30 June.

Leask, B., 2005. Internationalisation of the curriculum: teaching and learning. In: J. C. a. J. Ryan, ed. Teaching International Students: Improving Learning for All. Oxon: Routledge, pp. 119-130.

Leask, B., 2009. Using Formal and Informal Curricula to Improve Interactions Between Home and International Students. Journal of Studies in International Education, 13(2), pp. 205-221.

Leask, B., 2015. Internationalising the Curriculum. 1st ed. Abingdon, Oxon: Routledge.

Lee, J. J., 2014. Neo-racism and international students. EAIE Forum: Discussing International Education, Winter, pp. 13-16.

Mann, S. J., 2001. Alternative Perspectives on the Student Experience: Alienation and Engagement. Studies in Higher Education, 26(1), pp. 7-19.

Montgomery, C., 2010. Understanding the International Student Experience. 1st ed. London: Palgrave Macmillan.


Pollack, S., 2012. Snowball. In: K. Berardo & D. K. Deardorff, eds. Building Cultural Competence: Innovative Activities and Models. Sterling, Virginia: Stylus Publishing, pp. 261-264.

Quality and Qualifications Ireland (QQI), 2015. International Education Mark. [Online] Availableat:http://www.qqi.ie/Pages/International-Education-Mark-%28IEM%29.aspx[Accessed 15 March 2015].

Ramsden, P., 2005. Learning to Teach in Higher Education. New York: Routledge.

Ryan, J., 2000. A Guide to Teaching International Students. Oxford: Oxford Centre for Staff and Learning Development.

Ryan, J., 2013. Listening to ‘other’ intellectual traditions: Learning in transcultural spaces. In: J. Ryan, ed. Cross-cultural Teaching and Learning for Home and International Students. Abingdon, Oxon: Routledge, pp. 279-290.

Storti, C., 2001. The Art of Crossing Cultures. 2nd ed. Boston, MA: Nicholas Brealey Publishing.

Stringer, D., 2009. Building Style Proficiency. In: D. M. Stringer & P. A. Cassiday, eds. 52 Activities for Improving Cross-Cultural Communication. Boston, MA: Intercultural Press, pp. 171-176.

Stringer, D. M. & Cassiday, P. A., 2003. 52 Activities for Exploring Value Differences. Boston, MA: Intercultural Press.

Stringer, D. M. & Cassiday, P. A., 2009. 52 Activities for Improving Cross-Cultural Communication. 1st ed. Boston, MA: Intercultural Press.

Teekens, H., 2003. The Requirement to Develop Specific Skills for Teaching in an Intercultural Setting. Journal of Studies in International Education, 7(1), pp. 108-119.

Trompenaars, F. & Hampden-Turner, C., 1997. Riding the Waves of Culture: Understanding Diversity in Global Business. London: Nicholas Brealey Publishing.

UK Council for International Student Affairs (UKCISA), 2009. Question Topics out of a bag. In: Discovering difference, discovering similarities. London: UK Council for International Student Affairs (UKCISA), pp. 15-16.

UK Council for International Student Affairs, 2009. Discussing difference, discovering similarities, London: UKCISA.

Utley, D., 2004. Intercultural Resource Pack: Intercultural communication resources for language teachers. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Volet, S. E. & Ang, G., 1998. Culturally mixed groups on international campuses: An opportunity for intercultural sharing. Higher Education Research Quarterly, 60(1), pp. 27-51.


Further sources oF traininG eXercises: If you are interested in training exercises specifically, these resources may be useful:

Barty, A. & Lago, C., 2003. Working with International Students: A Cross-cultural Training Manual. London: UKCOSA.

Barty, A. & Lago, C., 2008. Bridging our Worlds: A DVD for training staff working with international students (Trainers’ Manual). London: UK Council for International Student Affairs (UKCISA).

Berardo, K. & Deardorff, D. K., 2012. Building Cultural Competence: Innovative Activities and Models. Sterling. Virginia: Stylus Publishing.

Stringer, D. M. & Cassiday, P. A., 2003. 52 Activities for Exploring Value Differences. Boston, MA: Intercultural Press.

Stringer, D. M. & Cassiday, P. A., 2009. 52 Activities for Improving Cross-Cultural Communication. 1st ed. Boston, MA: Intercultural Press.

UK Council for International Student Affairs, 2009. Discussing difference, discovering similarities, London: UKCISA.

Utley, D., 2004. Intercultural Resource Pack: Intercultural communication resources for language teachers. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press


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