Effects of an Internationalization at Home (IAH) Programme on Cultural Awareness among Medical and Nursing Students in Hong Kong and Indonesia During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Mixed-Methods Study

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has severely impacted the learning experience of students by limiting their opportunities for face-to-face intercultural exchanges. Given the importance of cultural competence in medical education, there is a need to develop a programme that promotes cultural awareness, but that offers more flexibility in terms of outbound mobility. This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of an internationalization at home programme and to explore the learning experiences of medical and nursing students from Hong Kong and Indonesia. Methods: Students were recruited from two universities in Hong Kong and Indonesia. They attended an online internationalization at home programme designed by members of the research team from both countries. A mixed-methods study was conducted. A pre-test post-test design was used to evaluate the effects of the programme on cultural awareness, and four focus group interviews were conducted to explore the students’ experiences in the programme. Quantitative and qualitative data were analysed by T-test and thematic analysis. Data were integrated via triangulation. Results: One hundred and forty-eight students from Hong Kong and Indonesia participated in the study. After the programme, there was a significant improvement in cultural awareness. Three themes were identified: (1) learning process: enjoyable, but a desire remains for face-to-face cross-cultural communication; (2) learning outcomes: gained cultural awareness, developed cultural sensitivity, had an opportunity to practice language and learn about new learning styles; (3) factors influencing learning outcomes: facilitators (micro-movie and active communication) and barriers (language barrier, inappropriate time arrangement, insufficient prior briefing). Conclusion: This programme achieved the learning outcomes by successfully enhancing the cultural awareness of students during a time of pandemic when outbound student exchanges were not possible. Further adaptations of the programme are required to further enhance learning outcomes.

The Necessity of Endowing EFL Learners with the Fifth Language Skill: A Key to a Successful Learning Experience

In this increasingly interconnected epoch, the teaching of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) along with culture that is considered as a fifth skill has become inevitable. Therefore, EFL teachers are impelled to introduce cultural instruction in their classes. They are then advised to combine the teaching of language skills with the foreign culture because it prepares their learners to behave successfully in intercultural encounters, gain solid cultural knowledge, overcome cultural obstacles, and promote their cultural awareness. The main questions addressed in this research focus on the inclusion of the cultural component in language subjects’ syllabuses, and the type of teaching strategies that can ameliorate the status of cultural instruction. This study points out the key importance of implementing intercultural information in EFL contexts founded on a case study undertaken at the University of Oran 2 in Algeria. This paper targeted a group of Master II students by using an array of data collection means including a questionnaire given to the learners, an interview done with the teachers, and classroom observation sessions carried out by the researchers. The major aims of this work were to verify the learners’ perceptions of cultural learning, and outfit students with core foundations of culture. The results demonstrated that the incorporated teaching techniques have enriched the students’ cultural understanding and intensified their linguistic adeptnesses. It is suggested that these teaching initiatives can aid learners be compassionate, understandable, and tolerant human beings.

Undergraduate Nursing Students' Experience of Northern Rural and Remote Indigenous Communities

Undergraduate nursing programs are moving towards a service learning model in teaching nursing student cultural awareness. In this article, we discuss the nursing student experience in a university elective which immerses students in rural and remote Indigenous communities resulting in cultural consciousness. This service learning experience that students encountered promoted growth in nursing praxis, and fostered positive curriculum growth and community partnerships between the College and the Indigenous communities in which they visited. Students gained cultural consciousness and increased awareness, which is beneficial in their future nursing careers as they grow into better culturally competent care providers. Also discussed is the history and background of these Indigenous communities, The Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) and the First Nations Principles of OCAP (ownership, control, access and possession). These topics are discussed in detail throughout the student experience as they respond to nurses’ professional standards, development of cultural competency and integrating calls to action in truth and reconciliation.

MAKNA DAN FUNGSI TRADISI LISAN KENDURI SKO MASYARAKAT KERINCI JAMBI/MEANING AND FUNGCTIONS OF KENDURI SKO ORAL TRADITION KERINCI SOCIETY IN JAMBI

AbstrakKenduri Sko merupakan tradisi pengukuhan gelar adat yang dilakukan oleh masyarakat Kerinci. Di dalam tradisi itu terdapat berbagai piranti dan pepatah-petitih yang belum diketahui makna dan fungsinya. Oleh sebab itu, penelitian ini hendak melihat makna dan fungsi tradisi lisan Kenduri Sko. Ada dua strategi yang digunakan dalam penelitian ini,pertama, pengumpulan data dengan perekaman dan wawancara. Kedua, Kenduri Sko dilihat sebagai fakta semiotik dengan aspek empirik dan aspek nonempirik. Melalui aspek empirik dikaji piranti dan teks pepatah-petitih dalam pengukuhan pemangku adat, sedangkan aspek nonempirik dilihat secara keseluruhan tradisi Kenduri Sko sebagai kesadaran kolektif kebahasaan dan kesadaran kolektif kebudayaan. Metode berikutnya adalah dengan melihat fungsi-fungsi folklore menurut Bascom. Penelitian ini menemukan bahwa Kenduri Skoadalah warisan nenek moyang yang berupa benda pusaka, aturan-aturan, norma-norma, nilai-nilai, dan sebagai ucapan rasa syukur atas apa yang menjadi milik masyarakat Kerinci. Adapun fungsi Kenduri Sko adalah sebagai pengukuhan gelar adat, sistem nilai-nilai kolektif, edukasi bagi pewaris selanjutnya, dan menjadi alat kontrol dalam prilaku sosial masyarakat.Kata kunci: tradisi lisan, kenduri sko, semiotik, kesadaran kolektifAbstractKenduri Sko is a tradition of custom title inauguration held by the Kerinci society. In that tradition, there are various tools and wise words which their meaning and functions are not yet known. Therefore, this study wants to look at the meaning and function of Kenduri Sko oral tradition. Two strategies are used in this study. First, the data are collected by recording and interviewing. Second, Kenduri Sko seen as a semiotic fact with empirical and non-empirical aspects. Through the empirical aspect, petatah-petitih (customary rhyming wise words) text examined in the inauguration of customary stakeholders, while the non-empirical aspect seen as a whole of the Kenduri Sko tradition as collective language and cultural awareness. The next method is to look at the functions of folklore according to Bascom. This research found that Kenduri Sko is a legacy of ancestors in the form of heirlooms, rules, norms, values, and gratitude for what belongs to the Kerinci’s community. Kenduri Sko functions as an oath of customary titles, a system of collective values, education for the next heirs, and a means of control in people’s social behavior.Keywords: oral tradition, kenduri sko, semiotics, collective awareness

Teachers’ and Students’ Perceptions of the Effect of Cultural Background in the IELTS Listening Test

This study examined the effect of culturally-specific items on the performance of Arab candidates on the IELTS Listening Test. Using an online survey and focus-group discussions with 16 IELTS teachers and 32 IELTS candidates at Al Ain University in Abu Dhabi/the United Arab Emirates, the current study showed that the independent variable, i.e. ‘culture’, has a negative impact on the candidates’ performance. The results revealed that the most culturally-loaded section of the IELTS Listening Test is Section 1, followed by Section 2, Section 3 and Section 4, respectively. The results also demonstrated that the culturally-specific items included in the Listening Test had a negative effect on the candidates’ answers who were not aware of certain cultural aspects referenced in the test. The study concluded with some recommendations that aim to improve the cultural awareness of Arab candidates.

Bridging Academic and Industry Skills via Digital Collaboration

As culturally responsive, social-emotional learning (SEL) competencies continue being essential skills in a 21st century workforce, both university and industry will continue placing greater focus on effective training for students and employees to strengthen workforce readiness. The following chapter introduces one example of how Polish Fulbright scholars prepared for a U.S. assignment through a digital training program, taken before participants departed their home country, as a way to support post arrival integration, safety, and success in the U.S. Compared to the control group, research findings from this phenomenological research study indicated that the four-week training program supported increases in self-awareness and self-management skills, social skills and cultural awareness, English communication skills, academic and professional readiness skills, and responsible decision-making skills in the treatment group. This study contributes one new strategy to strengthen internationalization efforts, global leadership skills, and cross-cultural relations.

Plurilingual and Literacy Competencies in Preschool

This chapter describes a didactic proposal with the main goal of introducing plurilingual and literacy competencies in early school years. Furthermore, the chapter offers a linguistic and intercultural analysis of two picture books that can be used at preschool to promote L2 learning and cultural awareness. Firstly, the legislation regarding preschool is commented on and related to L2 development and acquisition at this stage. Then secondly, children's literature is regarded as an intercultural vehicle and connected to “culture” in a preschool content and language integrated learning (CLIL) setting. Thirdly, two picture books are analysed with respect to their potential as language learning materials and cultural triggers, and finally, some brief reflections are made.

Art Integration in EFL

The global pandemic of COVID-19 has evidenced the need EFL education has of better and innovative practices in its classrooms; in response to these challenges, art integration in the EFL classroom comes as an alternative to improve not only linguistic development, but to promote critical thinking, social and cultural awareness, and enhance empathy in students. However, this tool cannot reach its full potential without reflecting its use and the purposes it can serve in daily practices, most especially during an emergency educational period such as the one the world is currently going through. This chapter portrays the experience of 35 pre-service teachers registered in an elective class called Artistic Expressions in the Language Classroom and how the implementation of art-related activities, their follow-up, socialization and discussion in class, and their reflections in the assigned papers led them to acknowledge the pedagogical value art can constitute in their educational communities, particularly when teaching online.

Fostering Cultural Awareness Through Storytelling at a Multilingual Primary School

This chapter is a contribution to teacher education and teacher development studies in the field of plurilingualism and intercultural development through critical reflection. It presents a teaching proposal based on the use of a multimodal literary text for the promotion of intercultural awareness and translanguaging practices at its heart. The teaching proposal, which was implemented in a primary education class from a multilingual school in Catalonia in 2015, was designed ad hoc on the basis of relevant research works on TLA, plurilingualism, and intercultural awareness, and in the light of the interviews conducted before and after the implementation in the workfield. The study was carried out in an English as an additive language class to look into the teaching opportunities of storytelling and picture books to foster interculturality and effective language learning practices with a communicative approach.

Special Education Practices for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders in the UK and Egypt A comparative Study

This study aims to compare the development of special education practices for children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) in the UK and Egypt and gain an understanding of those factors that enhance special education in both countries. The study applies a comparative framework method. The findings provide a better understanding of special education practices and factors that enhanced the special education for ASD across the two countries. The findings reveal that special education practice in Egypt was hindered by low economic status, scarcity of cultural awareness, inadequate financial support and absence of education policy for ASD. While, in the UK education policy, cultural awareness, economy, and scientific technology have been identified as important enhancing factors for special education. The study suggests some recommendations for developing special education for ASD in Egypt.