DEVELOPING INTERCULTURAL COMPETENCE IN CANADIAN HIGHER EDUCATION: EXPLORING STUDENT LEARNING EXPERIENCE IN CULTURALLY DIVERSE CLASSROOMS
Date
2025-04-21
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
ORCID
Type
Thesis
Degree Level
Masters
Abstract
With the increasing prominence of internationalization and the growing diversity within higher education, intercultural competence is inevitably required. Intercultural competence, as one of the outcomes of internationalization, is incorporated in different forms within the internationalization strategies of universities. The primary research concern was that despite the importance of curriculum internationalization in developing intercultural competence, there is a lack of effective integration of this competence into the educational strategies of academic institutions. This thesis aimed to investigate the approaches by which the University of Saskatchewan facilitates the development of intercultural competence, emphasizing the perception and experience of intercultural competence among students.
A qualitative research method was employed in this study, utilizing a case study approach with semi-structured interviews and document analysis. The collected data are coded and analyzed using NVivo 14 software. Based on the findings, the university has attempted to include concepts related to intercultural competence and internationalization, indirectly and rarely directly, in its collection of objectives for the organization; however, there was a lack of consistent emphasis on these concepts and a clear and concise strategy that can systematically guide the university practices towards them. Moreover, students' experience in the classrooms indicated some shortcomings in the formal curriculum for integrating international and intercultural elements, professors' unfamiliarity with the students' cultural background, and the lack of a systematic effort to integrate students into the classroom and the university, demonstrated the necessity of deliberate effort to deal with these deficiencies. The study highlighted broader implications for theory, practice, policy, and future research.
Description
Keywords
intercultural competence, internationalization of curriculum
Citation
Degree
Master of Education (M.Ed.)
Department
Educational Administration
Program
Educational Administration