Intercultural Competence: Academic Self-Reflections at an Australian

Pre-University Pathway Institution

Donna M Velliaris 1

and Deb Coleman-George 2

1 The Eynesbury Institute of Business and Technology (EIBT)

2 Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP)

Abstract. The internationalisation of education, particularly higher education (HE), is often associated with

attracting greater numbers of international students. It is not enough, however, to focus on the quantitative

representation of nationalities and cultures found on campuses nor is the presence of international colleagues

indicative of the ‘intercultural competence’ of staff within an educational institution. This article is focused

on a qualitative survey of academic lecturers at the Eynesbury Institute of Business and Technology (EIBT)

and their self-perception(s) of intercultural competency. As a university pathway provider—catering almost

exclusively to international students—EIBT faces the challenge of acculturating foreign students who may be

deemed ‘lower-level’ in terms of their English-language proficiency and/or previous academic studies.

Several EIBT lecturers contributed a personal narrative to an online survey and the findings revealed great

insight into their strategies for better understanding their own intercultural effectiveness, so as to facilitate

improved teaching and increased student learning.

Keywords: intercultural competence, action research, narrative reflections

1. Introduction and Background

1.1. Eynesbury institute of business and technology

This article is specifically focused on Eynesbury Institute of Business and Technology (EIBT), one of a

growing number of private providers linking with universities to establish programs that aim to prepare

predominantly international students who may be considered ‘lower-level’ in terms of their language

proficiency and/or academic ability [1]. A unique feature of EIBT is that its diploma programs are identical

to those of its partner university’s first-year of a Bachelor of: (1) Business; (2) Information Technology; or (3)

Engineering. Many EIBT lecturers work cross-institutionally and are committed to helping EIBT students

achieve success by preparing them to transition into the second-year of their degree program.

2. Literature Review

To understand the concept of intercultural competence, it is first helpful to review such terms as: (a)

identity; (b) culture; and (c) intercultural + competence.

First, the term ‘identity’ signifies an individual’s sense-of-self and evokes descriptions to which they

attribute significance and value [2]. As Vandenbroeck [3] stated, ‘identity is not static, but is dynamic, multi-

faceted and active… never completed and is a personal mixture of past and future, of fact and fiction,

creatively rewritten into an ever changing story’. Individuals ascribe a range of personal and social

identifiers. First, personal identifiers are based on attributes (e.g., caring, introverted, kind, tolerant),

interpersonal relationships and roles (e.g., mother, friend, work colleague), and autobiographical narratives

(e.g., born to immigrant parents, educated at the local Catholic school, university graduate). Second, social

Corresponding Author: Tel. + 61 8 8216 9171

Email Address: dvelliaris@eynesbury.sa.edu.au

2014 4th International Conference on Education, Research and Innovation

IPEDR vol.81 (2014) © (2014) IACSIT Press, Singapore

DOI: 10.7763/IPEDR.2014.V81.22

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identifiers are based on membership of groups (e.g., ethnic, religious, gender, university, nation). Multiple

identifications define individuality and position people in their world relative to others. Accordingly,

‘identity’ should be considered in a ‘holistic’ rather than fragmented way i.e., identities.

Second, ‘culture’ is complex to define. Cultural groups tend to be heterogeneous and involve groups of

people with, for example, a range of norms and practices that may change over time and/or are enacted by

individual members in a manner that may be expressed on a more personal than collective level. Culture and

cultural identities (i.e., identities that people construct on the basis of their membership of cultural groups)

are ‘dynamic’ and in addition to those that people subjectively use to describe themselves, other traits may

be ascribed to them [2]. Other identities, however, may not be significant to the individual. Luke [4]

exemplified this tendency by stating, ‘[a]scriptions of linguistic competence are commonly linked in

people’s minds to visible racial/ethnic markers; if you look Chinese, you must be able to speak Chinese.

When assumed linguistic competence fails to match a visibly ‘obvious’ ethnic identity… [one] can suddenly

find themself repositioned...’ Relatedly, discrepancies between/among one’s own preferences and

inappropriate ascriptions by others may affect psychological wellbeing and social adaptation.

Table 1. Alternative and interchangeable terminology for intercultural competence

biculturalism communicative competence

cross-cultural adaptation, awareness, competence

cultural competence, sensitivity effective inter-group

ethnorelativity

global citizenship, competence competitive intelligence

intercomprehension

intercultural effectiveness, interaction, sensitivity international communication, competence

multiculturalism, multiperspectivity

pluralingualism transcultural communication

world-mindedness

Third, ‘intercultural + competence’ involves learning about and interpreting the cultural perspectives of

others in relation to ‘self’. There are many and varied interchangeable terms (Table 1), but for the purpose of

this research, it is understood to be a combination of attitudes, skills, and understandings applied to types of

situations that may present challenges, and ‘intercultural’ encounters are one type of challenge. Intercultural

competence does not involve relinquishing one’s own cultural identifications/affiliations, nor does it require

individuals to adopt the practices of another culture. Rather, it implies being open to and curious about

others thereby being capable of interacting and cooperating effectively and appropriately in situations where

cultural ‘otherness’ is noticeable.

Table 2. Commonly cited ‘attributes’ (columns 1&2) and ‘short expressions’ (column 3) to describe intercultural

competence

accepting adaptation

awareness

compromise conscientiousness

curiosity

empathy fairness

flexibility

friendliness humour

interest

kindness modesty

non-judgemental openness

patience

perceptive politeness

reflectiveness

resilience respect

self-knowledge

sensibility sensitivity

socialability

transpection understanding

cognitive flexibility cultural humility

detection of own ethnocentrism

embracing connectedness encouraging solidarity

interpretive perspective

meta-communication skills pluralism of views and practices

reflexive understanding

spirit of mutual equality tolerance for ambiguity

unity based on conscious coalition

valuing cultural diversity willingness to suspend judgment

Some individuals are more interculturally competent than others, and are able to reflect upon situations

to better understand their own cultural affiliations and/or biases [5]. Interculturally competent individuals

develop critical awareness of their own cultural positioning (i.e., beliefs, values and practices, Tables 2 & 3)

through comparing and relating their experiences to others. Importantly, such competency is contingent upon

further learning through cross-cultural ‘exposure’.

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Table 3. Descriptive statements related to intercultural competence

acknowledging the beliefs, values, practices, discourses and products that may be used by people who have particular cultural

orientations

adapting one’s behaviour to new cultural environments e.g., avoiding verbal/non-verbal behaviours that may be viewed as impolite by

people who have different cultural affiliations from one’s own

being aware and understanding of one’s own and other people’s assumptions, preconceptions, stereotypes, prejudices, and overt/covert

discrimination

opening up, open to, curious about and willing to learn from and about people who have different cultural orientations

recognising internal diversity and heterogeneity of cultural groups

seeking out opportunities to engage and cooperate with individuals who have different cultural orientations and perspectives from

one’s own

staying consciousness of the fact that people of other cultural affiliations may follow different verbal/non-verbal communicative

conventions that are meaningful from their perspective

understanding of processes of cultural, societal and individual interaction(s)

willing to question what is usually taken-for-granted as ‘normal’ according to one’s previously acquired knowledge and experience

3. Method and Methodology

A collaborative ‘action research’ methodology was considered best suited to this study as it involved

critical enquiry by practitioners into their own practice, thus merging ‘action-reflection-theory-practice’.

Action research empowers practitioners to take control of their educational practices. With this in mind,

EIBT sessional academic staff were invited to respond online to one open-ended question: Do you consider

yourself to be an interculturally competent educator? The overarching aim of this study was to utilise the

qualitative data to gain lecturer’s personal perceptions of their own intercultural competence. The research

objectives included: to acknowledge staff reflections as a rich source of description; to communicate

different perspectives; to share the findings with Eynesbury colleagues for teaching and learning

improvement; and to gain insight(s) into areas for future empirical exploration.

4. Qualitative Responses

Six anonymous narrative responses presented here forth are based on EIBT respondents’ personal

experience(s) and do not offer any generalisable claims. They provide an insight into their understanding(s);

conceived as a subjective process in a specific context. Readers should consider the extent to which

commonalities/dissimilarities may inform their own practices.

4.1. Personal experience narratives

RN1: I have travelled extensively to more than 30 countries since I was a teenager, so I like to think that

I am interculturally competent. I imagine that it would be quite difficult to be interculturally competent if one

has never ventured abroad and truly experienced the sights, sounds and smells of another culture. When one

travels, they experience being in the ‘minority’ and in the case of non-English speaking countries, also the

frustrations associated with trying to effectively communicate. I think that I show my EIBT students that I am

genuinely interested in them and their culture, and I make modifications to my pedagogical practices to

better accommodate them. These modifications include e.g., speaking at a slightly slower pace; avoiding

Australian colloquialisms; attempting to incorporate examples that they can relate with; allowing minimal

use of their native language with other students in the class; and accepting that it may take longer for them

to cope with reading texts, writing essays and utilising various computer software.

RN2: At EIBT, I deal with students of many cultures, so the idea of meeting the different learning needs

of those individuals and their many backgrounds is a constant for me. Some questions I often ask myself are,

‘Who should I be for these people? What should I represent? What values should I be promoting?’ Then

there is the difficulty in seeing the world through their eyes; I cannot of course, but I keep trying. My values

are the product of my own cultural background and that places me within the dominant cultural group of

Australians. My students probably expect that, but it produces a very visible gap that is sometimes a chasm.

So, if the test of whether I am an ‘interculturally competent educator’ requires an ability to make the new

academic culture accessible to my students, then I confess to finding the task a daily challenge, and there are

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times I doubt my own levels of success. Fortunately, there are other times when I feel I have passed the test

and those successes are enough to make me want to keep trying.

RN3: As an EIBT lecturer, I strive to create a risk-taking environment that encourages students to

overcome their inhibitions and communicate in English without fear. My goal in and beyond the classroom is

to provide an atmosphere conducive to learning and self-discovery in order to facilitate students in acquiring

discipline-specific skills for their chosen studies in Australian HE… In fact, I never cease to be amazed at the

fount of knowledge and life experience(s) that EIBT students bring to my course. Since I teach students from

different ethnic backgrounds, I try to leave room in the curriculum for some individuality in order to

capitalise on this diversity. Moreover, knowledge of the target culture (i.e., Australian) can be more easily

accessed/processed when it is brought into relationship with students’ own culture, which additionally

allows them to experience living with diversity and to question their own norms. For these reasons, I am

somewhat interculturally competent.

RN4: Am I interculturally competent? Hmmm… I have never been asked that question before, yet it is

extremely pertinent to working at EIBT considering our student population. Naturally, I like to think that I

am open-minded, understanding and tolerant of all cultures. I try to put myself in the shoes of my students

and see things from their perspective; an iterative process that has improved over the years. Experience

would seem the basis for this competence. It would seem impossible to get any training for a

multicultural/diverse environment if one keeps working in a monocultural zone where everybody shares the

same values. With regard to the skills that are needed for intercultural competence, the two most valuable

are: (1) listening and (2) observing. These skills lead to questions such as: How much do I listen to my

students? Do I engage in active observation in my classroom, paying attention to subtle nuances? Do I

engage in active reflection on my teaching practice and on my interactions with those from different

backgrounds? I think that if I keep posing these questions to myself, then I will ‘stay-on-track’ and continue

to be an interculturally competent educator.

RN5: Working in a global school community, we are called upon to instruct and work with students from

many ethnicities. I believe that an EIBT lecturer who is interculturally competent is able to understand,

evaluate and relate to ambiguous and uncertain intercultural situations. Indeed, it is important to realise

one’s own frame of reference and select and use communication styles and behaviours that fit specific

contexts. The level of intercultural competence of teachers has an undeniable impact on students’ attitudes. I

try to read between the cultural lines. As I have noticed in my courses, different cultures have different ways

of solving problems. It used to be surprising that given the same set of problems and circumstances, cultures

could arrive at rather different solutions. Students reason based on their distinctive values and beliefs and

increasingly over the years, I have come to appreciate these ‘differences’ and to some extent, this proves that

I am (more) interculturally competent.

RN6: In Australia at least, HE faculty members, staff and the student body are rarely a homogeneous

group. Too often, however, HE is based on one prevailing cultural model; in business education it is the

Anglo-Saxon model. Textbooks and learning approaches are most times highly context bound. My teaching

methodology may be described as eclectic; I try to use an array of teaching techniques and activities in

order to reach the greatest number of students. As much as possible, I provide for the idea that learning

styles will vary according to the student... some are more comfortable with a teacher-centred approach while

others are more comfortable with a learner-centred approach... With that in mind, I consider myself

interculturally competent.

5. Findings

From each EIBT respondent’s personal narrative, ‘attributes and expressions’ were identified, alongside

‘pedagogical modifications’ (Table 4). While definitions and theories related to intercultural competence are

salient and worthy of reference, it is contingent on HE lecturers to uncover the reality as it exists in

universities and lectures. As the literature review suggested, attitudes, knowledge and skills are often ‘easily’

cited, but ‘difficult’ in practice. It appears, however, that EIBT academics are aware of their

[in]competencies and are striving to reach a higher skill level for teaching and learning advancement.

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Table 4. Attributes/expressions and pedagogical modifications extracted from participants’ narratives

active listening

appreciation

attention to subtle nuances awareness

challenges

distinctive values and beliefs engagement

frame of reference

genuine interest harmony and respect

iterative process

mutual learning open-minded

relate to ambiguous circumstances

risk-taking self-discovery

tolerance

understanding well-travelled

accepting students’ distinctive values and beliefs

addressing mismatches effectively

allowing for acculturation to occur

apportioning room for individuality

avoiding Australian colloquialisms

blending strengths from students’ own cultural orientations

capitalising on student diversity in the classroom

consciously working towards a classroom dynamic maximising participation and

contribution

creating an atmosphere conducive to learning and self-discovery

engaging in active observation and paying attention to subtle nuances

incorporating diverse and relatable examples

making the new academic culture accessible

overcoming inhibitions and communicating without fear

permitting minimal use of native language

reading between the cultural lines

seeing the world through students’ eyes and hence, perspectives

speaking at a slightly slower pace

6. Conclusion

One’s ability to demonstrate intercultural competence is a foundation for developing relations with

others that are open and reflexive. Encounters with students from varied geographical, linguistic, ethnic or

religious upbringings, and/or backgrounds such as lifestyle, gender, social class, sexual orientation, age or

generation, invites critical awareness of commonalties and points of difference. Indeed, intercultural

competence has strong active, interactive and participative dimensions, and should invoke individuals such

as educators, to develop the capacity to assume shared accountabilities and to create common ground.

7. References

[1] Velliaris, D.M. and C.R. Willis, Getting personal: An autoethnographic study of the professional identit(ies) of

lecturers in an Australian pathway institution, in Cases on teacher identity, diversity, and cognition in higher

education, P. Breen, Editor 2014, IGI Global: PA. pp. 87-110.

[2] Barrett, M., et al., Developing intercultural competence through education, Council of Europe 2013, Directorate

of Democratic Citizenship and Participation. pp. 1-34.

[3] Vandenbroeck, M., The view of the Yeti: Bringing up children in the spirit of self-awareness and kindredship 1999,

The Hague, Netherlands: Bernard van Leer Foundation.

[4] Luke, C., Glocal mobilities: Crafting identities in interracial families. International Journal of Cultural Studies,

2003. 6(4): pp. 379-401.

[5] Sinicrope, C., J. Norris, and Y. Watanabe, Understanding and assessing intercultural competence: A summary of

theory, research, and practice (technical report for the foreign language program evaluation project). Second

Language Studies, 2007. 26(1): pp. 1-58.

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