Diversity approaches matter in international classrooms: how a multicultural approach buffers against cultural misunderstandings and encourages inclusion and psychological safety

Abstract

Students in higher education are increasingly part of international classrooms. While these classrooms have the potential to catalyze learning, they also come with lower senses of inclusion and psychological safety -factors that are crucial for learning. In the current study, we empirically test a contextual model in which these psychological costs are related to the number of cultural misunderstandings which are, in turn, associated with the prevailing diversity approach. Specifically, we surveyed the experiences of 360 university freshman enrolled in either a mononational or an international version of an otherwise identical educational program in the Netherlands, allowing us to investigate the unique effects of studying in an international classroom. Quantitative analyses exposed that students in international (vs. mononational) classrooms indeed experienced heightened levels of cultural misunderstandings that, in turn, were related to lower senses of inclusion and psychological safety. Crucially, this chain of effects differed depending on whether students perceived the diversity approach as more multicultural vs. colorblind. When lecturers were perceived to adopt a multicultural approach (i.e. recognizing and valuing cultural diversity), students experienced less cultural misunderstandings, and, therefore, less negative outcomes associated with studying in international classrooms. However, when lecturers were perceived to communicate a colorblind approach (i.e. overlooking cultural differences), cultural misunderstandings and their concomitant negative effects remained high. Together, these findings postulate a contextual model to understand why students' sense of inclusion and psychological safety may be jeopardized in international classrooms and encourage further research on both the mechanisms and potential benefits of a multicultural approach.

Psychological and pedagogical factors of international students’ adaptation in the Kazakh higher education system

“…The variety of freshman adjustment activities positively impacts overcoming intercultural and social barriers, as supported by data and recommendations from multiple researchers (De Leersnyder et al, 2022;Medarić et al, 2021). Engaging with international undergraduates increases first-year students' confidence to overcome adaptation barriers and decreases stress levels.…”

“…Language proficiency is the most important factor in students' psychological endurance and adjustment (Hu et al, 2020). According to De Leersnyder et al (2022), psychological safety and engagement are crucial to learning.…”

“…To overcome students' language adaptation barriers, Almazova et al (2020) suggest using interactive technologies. De Leersnyder et al (2022) argue that learning in groups with international students should be different from monocultural groups. Such separation would promote psychological safety and improve student performance.…”

Racialization and belonging in higher education: Counternarratives of Turkish Belgian students from a community cultural wealth perspective.

“…For instance, mandatory training grounded in collaborative, responsive, and critical pedagogies for faculty members could support their competencies and abilities in responding to the distinct needs, competencies, and resources of their students (Brown, 2013). Previous research conducted in international classrooms in Dutch higher education has shown that lecturers' recognition of cultural diversity contributes to a sense of inclusion and psychological safety among students (De Leersnyder et al, 2022). A serious institutional commitment to fostering authentic relationships with students from racialized ethnic minority backgrounds and their communities needs to recognize, value, and work toward fostering students' various competencies and resources.…”

Educating third culture kids and cross culture kids: Students with hidden and apparent diversity

“…TCKs and CCKs make up a growing population of students. Individuals can experience mobile lives as students for a variety of reasons, including globally because of parents' transnational careers (Tan, Wang, & Cottrell, 2021), immigration, traveling daily across borders or cities, or as part of international classrooms (De Leersnyder, Gundemir, & Agirdag, 2022). As a result of their experiences, these students may have challenges with a sense of belonging and academic progression.…”