International and Intercultural Communication Commons^™

A New Model: Improving Adult Experiences In The Holy Land With Effective Pre-Departure Information, Resources And Procedures, Sarah A. Loan

Capstone Collection

Since September 11, 2001, Group Travel Directors (GTD) has noted an increase in self-reported anxiety among adult travelers preparing to depart to the Holy Land. This observation has been made by long-term employees both objectively and subjectively by comparing evaluation scores, cancellation percentages, tracking numbers of phone calls from anxious travelers and through staff accounts of conversations with travelers. GTD staff reports that clients often are inclined to make rash decisions based on perfunctory judgments influenced by media coverage.

GTD has collected evaluations from adult travelers for more than twenty years in an effort to better understand traveler perceptions of …

Study Abroad And Identity: The African American Experience, Alicia Ranney

Capstone Collection

Not all students are alike, nor should they be treated as 'one size fits all' in study abroad. Students have different backgrounds, goals, and expectations of what they will gain from an international academic experience. Minority students face different types of challenges in study abroad than their non-minority counterparts.

This paper seeks to answer the question “does study abroad change the identity of African American students?” and examines the challenges of identity and racism and how those two factors may decrease participation rates of African Americans in study abroad. Students from Marygrove College in Detroit, Michigan were surveyed before and …

The English Language: Exploring Its Educational, Economic, And Social Market Value In New Delhi, Andrea Asai

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

As English continues to solidify itself as the global language, the idea that proficiency in English is the key to upward mobility is spreading. This trend is especially present throughout India, yet the quality of English education continues to vary drastically. Unequal prospects from a young age greatly impact future opportunities and while many are using English to soar up, still a large percentage of Indians are being left behind. In many cases, English is still viewed as the language of the elite, but underprivileged groups are also using it to positively change their lives. By using semi-structured interviews, questionnaires, …

Information Literacy In The Workplace: A Cross-Cultural Perspective, Yuhfen Diana H. Wu

Faculty and Staff Publications

This cross-cultural study has two main purposes: to investigate how information literacy is perceived in the workplace and to discover how employees obtain information to carry out their jobs in an effective and timely fashion. This project applies a mix of research methods, including site visits, interviews, and a survey. More than 120 participants from forty companies were involved in this study. They were from a wide variety of industries in Taiwan and Silicon Valley, in Northern California, where many companies base offices or operations from around the world. Major obstacles in conducting cross-continent research are cost, time demands, scheduling, …

Addressing Academic Integrity: Perspectives From Virginia Commonwealth University In Qatar, Nancy E. Fawley

Library Faculty Research

Understanding the cultural aspects that affect a student’s ability to appropriately use resources is important in developing outreach and instruction in multicultural settings. Differences in educational philosophies, students’ previous scholastic training and cultural differences in individual motivation are all factors that may affect a freshman’s ability to understand an American university’s idea of academic integrity and can inadvertently cause problems where independent work and critical thinking are required. At Virginia Commonwealth University in Qatar (VCU Qatar), a branch campus of the American university in the Middle East, a special class on academic integrity and ethical behavior was integrated into the …

Motivation In The Portland Chinuk Wawa Language Community, Abigail Elaina Pecore

Dissertations and Theses

Throughout the world, languages are becoming extinct at an alarming rate. Perhaps half of the 6,000-7,000 languages worldwide will go extinct in the next 50-100 years. One of these dying languages, Chinook Jargon or Chinuk Wawa, a language found in the Pacific Northwest of the United States, is in the process of being revitalized through the concerted efforts of the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde (CTGR). Reasons to revitalize endangered languages often seem irrelevant to our modern daily lives, and revitalizing these languages is a difficult process requiring much dedication, commitment, and persistence. In light of this significant struggle, understanding …

Conversation Strategies: Preparing Learners For Real-World Interaction, Angela Richardson

Sandanona

Workshop/Demonstration

Conversation strategies play an important role in successful communication and socialization, yet they are not often explicitly taught in language classrooms. In this workshop/demonstration we will explore how to use conversation strategies as a means for building both confidence and fluency, while also preparing students for real-world interactions.

Arabic Diglossia And Arabic As A Foregn Language: The Perception Of Students In World Learning Oman Center, Hilal Al-Mamari

Capstone Collection

The principle objective of this independent inquiry is to address the research question: what are the impacts of Arabic Diglossia, if any, on the experience of learners of Arabic as a foreign language? The study attempts to answer this question through the perception of a sample group of 23 learners studying Arabic as a foreign language in World Learning Oman Center in semester of Spring 2011.

Diglossia is defined by linguists as a sociolinguistic phenomenon in which a particular language has two varieties, one of which is considered High and more standard and used in exclusive domains, while the other …

Communicative Language Teaching In Current Chinese Colleges And Universities., Xiaorong Li

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) has been prioritized as the key instructional approach in colleges since the Chinese Ministry of Education issued a revised syllabus in 1999 that underlines college EFL students' communicative competence. The issuance of the syllabus was followed by a series of reforms on curricular designs and teaching methods. However, CLT has encountered great resistance. College teachers and learners are constrained by socio-cultural influences such as the perceptions of teachers' roles and ways of learning and teaching (Hu, 2002; Rao, 1996). Although some teachers have shown positive attitudes towards CLT, in general they have failed to practice it …

The Process Of Successfully Integrating Communication Technologies Into Short-Term, Faculty-Led Study Abroad Programs: Reflections From The Field, Todd L. Goen, Jennifer R. Billinson, Linda D. Manning

Journal of Global Initiatives: Policy, Pedagogy, Perspective

As advances in communication technologies (CT) continue to shape modern life, it is critical study abroad professionals and faculty leaders contemplate the ways in which such technologies impact study abroad. This essay provides an argument for the value and utility of such contemplation through an in-depth examination of a short-term, faculty-led study abroad program and the three faculty who lead it. The authors provide reflective summaries of their own experiences with CT and study abroad and discuss the ways in which changes in CT resulted in changes to their own study abroad program including the integration of CT into academic …

Care, Culture, And Education Nursing Students' Perceptions Of Care And Culture: Implications For Practice, Pauline Rita Wright

Educational Studies Dissertations

Today's nurses work and live in a multicultural society where they encounter patients whose backgrounds are different from theirs, and who need care from nurses who are both proficient in their work and knowledgeable about the role that culture plays in patient treatment. In this study, 45 student nurses enrolled in a baccalaureate program at a northeastern urban college completed a survey about their perceptions of care and culture including their relevance and application to the practice of nursing. Findings based on qualitative analyses indicated that parents and family were instrumental in students' learning about care and a combination of …

An Assessment Of Local People’S Opinions Of Community Conservation Initiatives In Relation To Livelihood Strategies In Kenya, Jill Mechtenberg

Department of Environmental Studies: Undergraduate Student Theses

Abstract This paper analyzed the changing livelihood strategies in Kenya, and their cultural impacts via a literature review. I then combined this understanding with the data I collected while in Kenya to examine the opinions local people have of community conservation initiatives, based on their changing livelihood strategies. I expected to find that the following factors would have an affect on the opinions local community members have of community conservation initiatives: livelihood strategy, gender, ethnicity, whether or not they believe the distribution of benefits coming from wildlife conservation is equitable, what issues they would like to see improved within community …

Technology-Aided Participative Methods In Environmental Assessment: An International Perspective, Ainhoa Gonzalez, Alan Gilmer, Ronan Foley, John Sweeney, John Fry

Articles

Provisions for citizen involvement in the assessment of potential environmental effects of certain plans, programmes and projects are present in current legislation. An international survey revealed that public participation is common practice in European and some other countries worldwide. However, a number of issues are observed to affect public involvement in EIA/SEA processes and expert opinion differs when evaluating the effectiveness of existing participative methods. Results suggest that technology-aided methods can improve traditional participation processes. In particular, GIS has the potential to increase community knowledge and enhance involvement by communicating information more effectively. Variable accessibility to technology and data quality …

Plagiarism Pitfalls: Addressing Cultural Differences In The Misuse Of Sources, Nancy E. Fawley

Library Faculty Research

As a branch campus of an American university operating in the Middle East, Virginia Commonwealth University School of the Arts in Qatar must take into account the cultural differences that pertain to plagiarism and the misuse of sources before the school can begin to develop methods to address and prevent the problem. Differences in educational philosophies, students’ previous scholastic training and cultural differences in individual motivation are all factors that must be considered

Finding Voice: Exploring Possibilities Of Healing In Conversations On An Event Of Collective Mass Violence Between Self And Other - An Interaction Between Indian And Pakistani Youth On The 1947 Partition: A Dissertation, Meenakshi Chhabra

Educational Studies Dissertations

Are there alternatives to using violence between groups that have a history of collective mass violence between them? This is the underlying concern motivating the study: This concern is guided by my personal experience as a third generation Indian, growing up on stories of the 1947 India-Pakistan partition. The 1947 Partition was an event of collective mass violence between Hindus and Muslims. The two countries have since been "enemies." Despite the death and displacement of millions across the border, the event of partition, has been largely kept outside the public discourse. All that remains are personal stories of brutality about …

The Brazilian Telenovela "El Clon": An Analysis Of Viewers' Online Vicarious And Virtual Learning Experiences, Elizabeth Barbosa

Graduate Student Dissertations, Theses, Capstones, and Portfolios

This research involves investigating Brazilian telenovelas as a medium to disseminate knowledge about different cultures and customs. Through a qualitative content analysis this study examines messages posted in the "El Clon" telenovela-world forum with reference to the Muslim cultural theme explored by the telenovela.

The theoretical framework overarching this study is the combination of Bandura's social learning/cognitive theory and Freire's dialogical/participatory communication. In order to operationalize the study, a qualitative content analysis is undertaken utilizing the sub-dimension parasocial interaction model proposed by Sood & Rodgers (2000). The messages are analyzed in order to explore how forum participants engage in the …

The Pervasiveness Of Culture In Conflict, Pat K. Chew

Journal of Legal Education

No abstract provided.

Creating Community Through Communication: The Case Of East Desert Unified School District, Michelle Elizabeth Shader

Theses Digitization Project

East Desert Unified School District (EDUSD) serves many immigrant, migrant, and first generation students. The objective of this thesis is to identify the community processes and channels used that it serves. Organizationally, the interractions between the district and its communities will be studied from a systems perspective. Intercultural communication theories and organizational communication theories provide lenses for examining the communication processes occuring between the communbity and organization within the district, the parents resource service center alone with children and Family Services are grant supported and provide outreach services to community members.

A Symbolic Interactionist Study Of Teenagers' Fashionable Dress In Hsimenting, Taipei, Taiwan, Mei-Hsueh Hung

Morehead State Theses and Dissertations

A thesis presented to the faculty of the Caudill College of Humanities at Morehead State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts by Mei-Hsueh Hung on May 7, 2003.

The Effects Of Acculturation On The L2 Learner, Raya C. Longto

MA TESOL Collection

This paper deals with the deconstruction of a novel (A Sprig of Lemon Blossom) written on the subject of Acculturation. Since the latter half of the twentieth century the world has traveled at an incredible speed towards globalization. Given this reality the number of people who constantly travel abroad for a variety of career and work related purposes is growing by the hour. Under the circumstances the theme of acculturation has become crucial as without an adequate form of this phenomenon people cannot function to the best of their abilities. The deconstruction of this novel addresses the three-fold process of …

Their Own Best Resources: Students And Real-World Interaction, Observation, And Reflection, Brenda Ferreira

MA TESOL Collection

Students can use their experiences outside the ESL classroom to facilitate their own learning of culture and communicative competency. In a course I continue to design, students prepare for real-world interactions and learning. They practice communication strategies and discuss topics largely of their own choosing in a multi-cultural context. They then go out into the community to make cultural and communicative observations, and interact with native- and non-native speakers of English. This IPP presents various definitions of culture and communicative competency and gives suggestions for in-class and real-world activities, including communication tasks, observations, and reflections through journal writing.

Vigorous Debate And Rigorous Inquiry, Alisa Solomon

Center for LGBTQ Studies (CLAGS)

Our newsletter goes to press on the eve of President Bush's State of the Union address, in which he is expected to argue for going to war against Iraq. By the time this newsletter reaches you, the war may already have started. It's a frightening moment, to say the least. Meanwhile free speech and civil liberties are being curtailed in the name of security and scholars and researchers have special reasons to be wary: Archives are shutting off access; the Freedom of Information Act is being gutted; new laws are demanding that when asked by government officials, librarians must turn …

A Descriptive Study Of Asian Student Preferences Concerning Cross-Cultural Communication In University Settings, Maki Kawatani

Morehead State Theses and Dissertations

A thesis presented to the faculty of the Caudill College of Humanities at Morehead State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts by Maki Kawatani on May 28, 2002.

Incorporating Intercultural Communication Instruction In Programs For Teaching English To Speakers Of Other Languages, Selin Yildiz

Theses Digitization Project

No abstract provided.

Ua68/2 Intercambio Internacional, Vol. Xv, No. 1, Wku Latin American Studies

WKU Administration Documents

Newsletter created by WKU Latin American Studies committee regarding science, politics and economic advances in Latin America as well as cooperative projects between WKU and universities across Latin America. The newsletter is written in both English and Spanish.

Journal Of Pedagogy, Pluralism And Practice, Volume I (3), Fall 1998 (Full Issue), Journal Staff

Journal of Pedagogy, Pluralism, and Practice

No abstract provided.

Ua68/2 Intercambio Internacional, Vol. Xiv, No. 2, Wku Latin American Studies

WKU Administration Documents

Newsletter created by WKU Latin American Studies program regarding science, politics and economic advances in Latin America as well as cooperative projects between WKU and universities across Latin America. The newsletter is written in both English and Spanish.

Ua68/2 Intercambio Internacional, Vol. Xiv, No. 1, Wku Latin American Studies

WKU Administration Documents

Newsletter created by WKU Latin American Studies program regarding science, politics and economic advances in Latin America as well as cooperative projects between WKU and universities across Latin America. The newsletter is written in both English and Spanish.

The Relationship Between A Pre-Departure Training Program And Its Participants' Intercultural Communication Competence, Daniel Timothy Ferguson

Dissertations and Theses

Self-reported behaviorally-based intercultural communication competence inventories are one way to understand the relationship between a pre-departure training program and its participants' intercultural communication competence (ICC). One such inventory, called the Cross- Cultural Adaptability Inventory (CCAI), was chosen to explore this relationship.

This research sought to confirm or reject the following three hypotheses: 1) experimental subjects will demonstrate higher levels of ICC than control subjects, 2) experimental subjects will demonstrate higher levels of ICC after they take the pre-departure class at Walla Walla College, and 3) there will be relationships among all subjects' ICC and the demographic variables involved in this …

Ua68/2 Intercambio Internacional, Vol. Xiii, No. 1, Wku Latin American Studies

WKU Administration Documents

Newsletter created by WKU Latin American Studies program regarding science, politics and economic advances in Latin America as well as cooperative projects between WKU and universities across Latin America. The newsletter is written in both English and Spanish.