Purpose – This paper aims to explore the link between the theoretical foundations of intercultural intelligence and a practical application examining a course dedicated to developing Emirati students' intercultural intelligence. Design/methodology/approach – The paper outlines the socio-cultural conditions of the United Arab Emirates as a backdrop to the investigation; establishing the pressing need for intercultural intelligence. The paper provides a theoretical framework to situate the course based on King and Baxter Magolda's trajectory of intercultural maturity (2005) and Davies' theory of “interruptive pedagogy” (2006). Guiding principles for the teaching of intercultural intelligence are given. Findings – Informal feedback through post-course interviews demonstrates a positive self-perceived change in intercultural understanding having taken the course. Research limitations/implications – The paper concedes that due to socio-cultural constraints the authors are unable to deliver a course with as much practical experience as the authors would like. As a result, students gain more cultural self-awareness and theoretical understandings of intercultural intelligence than practical engagement. Originality/value – This paper provides a meaningful contribution to the limited body of knowledge on intercultural intelligence training at a tertiary level in the Arabian Gulf and breaks new ground in three ways: first by demonstrating the link between the UAE socio-cultural and political factors on intercultural intelligence training; second by providing a link between intercultural intelligence theory and practice and third by providing practical suggestions as guiding principles and creative ideas for classroom use. The paper will be of value to teachers and trainers teaching in multi-cultural, international contexts and to those providing organizational training in a variety of business contexts.
General Studies courses are core to the whole education philosophy espoused in the United Arab Emirates. These courses provide a wider breadth of knowledge for students by fostering skills such as critical thinking, global awareness, research and communication. This paves the way for building the UAE’s knowledge base and delivering graduates who can compete globally through research and innovation. The research explores the role of experiential learning within General Studies to cultivate these key skills, and seeks to capture students’ responses to this type of learning. This is a mixed methods study that includes ethnographic data collection, uncovering the complexities of a lived classroom learning experience from the perspective of the students. Data was collected from interviews with students, written reflections and a Likert scale survey. Results suggest that Emirati female students respond favourably to experiential learning, thus countering previous findings about their preferred learning style. This study contributes significantly to a field with scant knowledge of experiential learning as a vehicle for instruction in a tertiary Emirati context. Key words: Experiential Learning, General Studies, Intercultural Learning,
Why Teaching Matters is a question at the heart of all instruction. While the answer seems obvious, actual teacher-led teaching, or direct instruction, has taken backstage in the last decade to a more constructivist approach where student-centered; project-based learning, and inquiry inform students learning. This paper argues that alongside this student-centered approach, there is a need, depending on the context, for a teacher-led, direct instruction approach. Studies show that direct instruction is indeed a robust pedagogy leading to student attainment in both short-term retention and long-term proficiency. The author invites readers to consider direct instruction as a potent teaching and learning model, replacing the dichotomy of teacher-centered versus student-centered with a collaboration between the two. This paper presents findings from a study by the researcher illustrating teachers and learners’ perspectives on Direct Instruction. Findings indicate a preference from the learners for this approach and a flexibility among teachers to adopt the methodology most appropriate for their context. This paper contributes to knowledge by filling a gap in the field on the perspectives of learners and teachers on Direct Instruction and by bringing to the forefront an alternative discussion around teaching pedagogy.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
customersupport@researchsolutions.com
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.