Open Access“It Would Be Better If You Can Hang Out With Different People”: An Examination of Cross-National Interaction in Postsecondary Classrooms
Author(s) -
Christopher Johnstone,
Diana Yefanova,
Gayle A. Woodruff,
Mary Montgomery,
Barbara Kappler
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
journal of teaching and learning
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 1911-8279
pISSN - 1492-1154
DOI - 10.22329/jtl.v12i2.4927
Subject(s) - value (mathematics) , psychology , cross cultural , pedagogy , international education , sociology , medical education , political science , higher education , medicine , law , machine learning , computer science
This study examines the motivations and experiences of international and domestic students on three U.S. campuses related to cross-national interactions within classroom settings. The study also examines the role of instructors in facilitating such interactions through individual and group interviews. Findings indicate that domestic students appreciate the global perspectives of international students related to course content. International students, in turn, appreciate the “real world” perspectives that domestic students provide about the US (but do not necessarily find value in their content-related comments). The implications of this study are that cross-national interactions have different meanings for different stakeholders (i.e., some perceive to benefit academically while others perceive to benefit culturally). The implications of this study relate to how instructors structure student interactions and what might be reasonable outcomes for students in international groups in postsecondary classrooms.