Bilingual, Multilingual, and Multicultural Education Commons^™

Dilemma And Knowledge - Book Review Of Re-Imagining Utopias: Theory And Method For Educational Research In Post-Socialist Contexts, Jessica Zychowicz

Comparative and International Education / Éducation Comparée et Internationale

No abstract provided.

From Class Assignment To Friendship: Enhancing The Intercultural Competence Of Domestic And International Students Through Experiential Learning, Stacey C. Wilson-Forsberg, Phyllis Power, Valerie Kilgour, Sara Darling

Comparative and International Education / Éducation Comparée et Internationale

This study explored growth in the intercultural competence of domestic and international students who participated in an intercultural experiential learning initiative for academic credit. The initiative paired Canadian students in a second-year multiculturalism class at Wilfrid Laurier University with international students enrolled in the Laurier English and Academic Foundation (LEAF) program. Qualitative data derived from the oral and written reflections of three cohorts of students inform the study. The data were coded using pre-existing codes derived from learning objectives and reflection questions based on Deardorff’s (2006) Elements of Intercultural Competence Model. The findings suggest that while exposure to different cultural …

Citizenship Education In A Fragile State: Ngo Programs For Democratic Development And Youth Participation In Haiti, Gary W.J. Pluim

Comparative and International Education / Éducation Comparée et Internationale

This research centres on NGO citizenship education programs in Haiti to better understand youth experiences, outcomes, and perceptions of democracy. The findings from this study illustrate how programs from Western-based NGOs with liberal democratic traditions typically construct citizenship education in relation to the individual agency of the learners, whereas youth living in the context of fragility note the prerequisite for stable social structures as a foundation for citizenship. Through multi-dimensional analyses, this article highlights the importance of historical perspectives, the value of comparing disparate societies, and the necessity to explicate social locations in cross-cultural research. The concluding proposition states that …

Book Review: Spotlight On China: Chinese Education In The Globalized World, Jingzhou Liu

Comparative and International Education / Éducation Comparée et Internationale

No abstract provided.

Teacher Strategies To Improve Education Outcomes For Indigenous Students, Theresa Papp

Comparative and International Education / Éducation Comparée et Internationale

Abstract

The article presents the teaching strategies that supported education success for Indigenous students of New Zealand from a case study research approach. Interviews were conducted with teacher participants that revealed four dominant strategies that were perceived to improve Māori education outcomes and were confirmed by national testing results. These strategies were: Building and repairing relationships through a relationship-based pedagogy; student focused school and classrooms; teachers that provided feedforward and feedback to students; administrative leadership, and the regular incorporation of Māori culture in the school and the classroom. Over a six-year timeframe, implementation of these strategies more than doubled Māori …

Parental Support For Newcomer Children’S Education In A Smaller Centre, Xuemei Li, Antoinette Doyle, Maureen Lymburner, Needal Yasin Ghadi

Comparative and International Education / Éducation Comparée et Internationale

This study explored the issues around parental support for newcomer children’s transition to school in a smaller urban centre in Atlantic Canada where newcomer support is relatively limited. Data were drawn from semi-structured interviews with 11 newcomer parents, five children, and one settlement worker. The findings revealed newcomer parents’ difficulties in understanding the school system, limited engagement with the school community, isolation from other parents, and barriers to understanding and connecting with other parents. Among these newcomers, refugee parents are particularly challenged. We conclude that newcomer children’s parental involvement need to be viewed multi-dimensionally, and that the creation of a …

Book Review: Social And Cultural Aspects Of Language Learning In Study Abroad, R Samuel K. Schirm

Comparative and International Education / Éducation Comparée et Internationale

This paper reviews Social and Cultural Aspects of Language Learning in Study Abroad, edited by Celeste Kinginger (2013). This collection of papers showcases modern study abroad research, particularly what Coleman describes as the "whole-person" approach, in which study abroad participants are studied as complex individuals rather than as members of a larger homogenous group of students studying abroad. While there is a slight focus on both American study abroad participants and on learners of French studying in France, despite Kinginger and Coleman advocating for including a broader range of participant home countries and languages studied in the volume's introductory chapters, …

Efl Learners’ Post-Sojourn Perceptions Of The Effects Of Study Abroad, Sandra Steinwidder

Comparative and International Education / Éducation Comparée et Internationale

This qualitative study investigated in what ways tertiary-level English foreign language (EFL) learners believed that they had changed following their study abroad. The participants were 12 Austrian EFL learners who had been exchange students in the UK or US. I conducted a cross-sectional study, grouping participants according to the duration of their stay abroad, as well as the period of time since they had returned to their home country. Comparisions were drawn between students who spent one semester, and those who spent two. I also investigated the differences displayed depending on how long a student has been back in their …

The Post-Sojourn In Study Abroad Research—Another Frontier, John L. Plews

Comparative and International Education / Éducation Comparée et Internationale

No abstract provided.

Book Review: Redefining Multicultural Education: Inclusion And The Right To Be Different, Majid Malekan

Comparative and International Education / Éducation Comparée et Internationale

No abstract provided.

Indigenous Urban School Leadership: A Critical Cross-Cultural Comparative Analysis Of Educational Leaders In New Zealand And The United States, Lorri J. Santamaría, Andrés P. Santamaría, Melinda Webber, Hoana Pearson

Comparative and International Education / Éducation Comparée et Internationale

This qualitative inquiry compares the practice of one Māori primary school leader of urban education for indigenous multicultural multilingual learners in New Zealand (NZ), to research on the practices of nine educational leaders of colour in the United States (US). This study identifies and compares leadership practices for leaders struggling with ways to positively impact learner outcomes in similar settings (e.g., UK, Canada). From a critical comparative perspective, this school principal shares her leadership practice and lessons learned to inform leadership practice in similarly multifaceted urban settings. This research is undertaken by a collaborative cross-cultural team of educational leaders and …

Muslim Parents At Crossroads: Choosing The Right School For Their Children, Ghazala E. Ahmed

Comparative and International Education / Éducation Comparée et Internationale

This paper is based on a qualitative study that investigated reasons behind twelve Muslim parents’ decisions to send their children to either an Islamic or a public school in South-Western Ontario. Three major thematic reasons for parents’ choices emerged from the interviews: first, were the parents’ experiences with either the public or Islamic school environment; second, were the parents’ experiences and perceptions of the school’s dress codes; and, third, was the parents’ understanding of the school curriculum content. In addition to these themes, the paper also discusses parents’ views on the language of the school and that of the home …

“My Classroom Is A Bigger Place”: Examining The Impact Of A Professional Development Course On The Global Perspective Of Experienced Teachers, Steve Sider, Mary Ashun

Comparative and International Education / Éducation Comparée et Internationale

How do experienced teachers develop a global perspective through a professional development course and how can this perspective impact classroom practice? These are the two key questions which this paper examines. We utilize Guskey’s (2002) model of teacher change as a framework for understanding the results of a study involving experienced teachers who took a professional development course which had a focus on global education. The participants engaged in a number of activities four months after the completion of the course to explore how the course had impacted their classroom teaching practice. Common themes were identified through participant reflective papers …

The Role Of Language In Processes Of Internationalization: Considering Linguistic Heterogeneity And Voices From Within And Out In Two Diverse Contexts In Ontario, Julie Byrd Clark, Eve Haque, Sylvie A. Lamoureux

Comparative and International Education / Éducation Comparée et Internationale

This multi-voiced paper considers the role of language and linguistic heterogeneity in relation to larger discourses and processes of internationalization and globalization in Canadian higher education by examining two particular educational contexts in Ontario: newly arrived adult students participating in Immigrant language training programs; and Franco-Ontarian students transitioning to post-secondary schools and gaining access to higher education. The authors argue for a multidimensional conceptual approach to theorizing internationalization; one that takes into account the significance of language from the global, transnational and local levels of the social world whereby linguistic heterogeneity is viewed as the “norm” and one that allows …

Teaching In Northwestern China Under A Market Economy: Opportunities And Challenges, Gulbahar H. Beckett

Comparative and International Education / Éducation Comparée et Internationale

This article discusses a case study that explored the impacts of a market economy on some Northwestern Chinese teachers’ working and living conditions as well as opportunities and challenges the new economy presented from teachers’ perspectives. Analysis of surveys, interviews, and documents revealed that the participants believed they had benefited from the market economy, citing pay raises as well as improved working and living conditions. Participants thought opportunities under the market economy included additional earnings as well as improved national and international professional development. However, the participants found the shift from the traditional teacher-centered pedagogy to a more student-centered approach …

Finding Hope In The Darkness: Stories Of Two Chinese Newcomers Enrolled In A Canadian High School, Yi Li, Denise J. Larsen

Comparative and International Education / Éducation Comparée et Internationale

Hope has been described as the ability to envision a future in which one wishes to participate. A burgeoning body of research consistently points to the vital role hope plays in learning and successful change. Employing narrative inquiry (Clandinin and Connelly, 2000), in this paper, we explore two Chinese newcomer students’ stories of hope as they face the many challenges of undertaking a Canadian education. Findings indicate the value of communicating teachers’ belief in students, making hope more visible by inviting students to tell their stories of hope, and understanding hope as a process that evolves as students’ lives unfold.