Research Articles Base: Intercultural Education

Intercultural Communication

Intercultural Communication Educating for Intercultural Competence   Introduction             The globe is no longer divided by artificial and arbitrary geographic boundaries, becoming one economic and political marketplace, and as economies become interdependent and as electronic communication media become more available, the process of continuous change in the world’s technology and society will persist to hasten. In order for institutions, such as business organizations, schools and companies to attain and maintain a proper stance in this international marketplace and to function effectively in diverse and multiple cultures, leaders must incorporate training and education regarding intercultural communication as a foundation for learning ( 1996). In addition, the role of education becomes essential for with proper education, competence will be enhanced and developed, including giving importance to the cultures and beliefs of other individuals in the community. This paper discusses the role and importance of the development and focus on education as a response to intercultural competence, with reference to the current society and the changes happening to global societies. It also aims to tackle the emphasis on the English language as a medium for international communication and relations, which should be given emphasis in the curriculum of academic institutions and incorporated in employee development in various business organizations. Diversity in the Society and Intercultural Communication              (1995) reports that today’s expanding racial, ethnic and cultural diversity makes it evident that it will be nearly impossible in the future to manage a workforce or market products as we have in the past. Due to the open-mindedness of many individuals nowadays, many opted to travel and settle in different nations and societies in their quest to seek and obtain employment. In addition, due to the fast-changing technology, many are able to efficiently communicate with other individuals in different countries. Given this diversity in the society in terms of culture and communication, it is essential to recognize the importance of the presence of other cultures and languages. Herein lies the importance of intercultural communication in determining intercultural competence, for intercultural competence is dependent on effective intercultural communication, and somehow determines the success of various economies of nations around the globe.              Intercultural communication is defined as the interaction between people from differing cultures or the communication between groups with different value structures, and the need for increased intercultural understanding and improved intercultural communication has become increasingly important to a world of blending cultures, experiences, and business practices (1996). This increasing importance to various societies in terms of economic and political success, led nations to assess their citizen’s intercultural competence, specifically in education and language. Intercultural competence can be defined as the ability to develop and maintain relationships, the ability to communicate effectively and appropriately with minimal loss or distortion, and the ability to attain compliance and obtain cooperation with individuals from other cultures (2000). With intercultural competence, many individuals can relate to other individuals having different cultures effectively. Being intercultural competent also enables individuals to communicate effectively to others, in terms of business, education and marketing. In addition, if an individual is said to be intercultural competent then the person is characterized by heightened awareness and capacity to engage in intercultural interactions that are interdependent, respectful, informed by cultural understanding, and mutually negotiated. Instead of experiencing such interactions as compromising or diminishing one’s own cultural values and experiences, or as threatening one’s own sense of self, they are experienced as enhancing a person’s identity and role as a member of the society, and these characteristics describe the intercultural maturity of an individual ( 2005). In essence, not only does intercultural competence determine the intellect of an individual who are good in making relations with persons from other cultures, but also it determines one’s values and ethics in terms of respect for others. The intellect and values of an individual are largely influenced by his or her family and community, including the person’s education and learning from his or her society. Therefore, it can be inferred that intercultural competence is not only acquired from education and training, but also developed through time and with the influence of values and ethics.   Development of Intercultural Competence through Education and Training             It was already mentioned that education and learning, influences the ability of an individual to become intercultural competent. Not only does it depend on one’s knowledge of language, but also on one’s ability to empathize and respect another’s cultures and beliefs. With this information, it is best to evaluate the role of education in developing the students’ intercultural competence. In general, academic institutions inculcate and teach students regarding intercultural communication and competence through class discussions, and most of the time, without concrete applications and actual activities, the importance and values incorporated in these concepts are easily forgotten. This is why, aside from the classroom discussions that can be facilitated in schools and universities, one good way to develop intercultural competence is through research and actual experiences. In relation to this is the study done by (2001), which emphasizes on acquiring knowledge regarding intercultural communication and competence in the industry through three stages, namely, building up industry experience, collecting data from industry and identifying research topics, and integrating theory in research. These three stages comprise the Knowledge-Based approach, which are useful in integrating and practicing intercultural competence in education. In stage one, two steps were taken to build up student industry experience, including initial contacts with industry and inviting industry guest speakers from companies. Visits to organizations were also done, so the students can look at the current key issues in the industry in relation to their theoretical knowledge, and to the research areas in which students showed interest (2001). Moreover, the managers of the chosen companies were invited to give students seminars about biculturalism, managing diversity, and communicating in a multicultural environment, and at the end of each seminar, students interested in doing research in the company can also make appointments with the manager to take field trips in the company. This kept students enlightened with important intercultural issues in the industry, and associate their academic knowledge acquired from the subject (2001). The second stage took the students some time for they had some field trips to collect authentic data from various sources, such as organizational CEO reports, company mission statements, and corporate meetings, which were made a major source of data because meetings could provide condensed and significant information (2001). Collecting data enable the students to enhance their skills, which equipped them to confirm and test the relevance of their initial associations to the academic knowledge by examining significant findings from their data (Yunxia 2001). The third stage or integrating theory in research was a complicated stage because it involved an intensive quest for an appropriate approach to solving industry problems. Students not only had to analyze existing approaches, but also had to make their own contribution to a particular research area (2001). As a conclusion to the study, the knowledge-based approach helped develop the intercultural competence of the students through its emphasis on integrating theoretical with applicable strategies, and these strategies proved to be essential in closing the gap between theory and practice (2001).   Moreover, in countries where ethnic diversity is on the rise, whether due to political upheavals, economic conditions, climactic catastrophes, shifting populations, or simply increased contact among people of different backgrounds, successful relationships with friends, neighbors and intercultural partners depend on the ability to deal with differences in a positive manner. From the arena of international business to family life, there is an increasing need to be able to deal effectively and appropriately with diversity, whether ethnic, racial, religious, or cultural. With this, international and intercultural educational organizations play an important role, and this is to provide not only pleasant and productive educational experiences form their participants, but also to indirectly affect their families, neighbors, and communities. Organizations, such as the World Learning provide important intercultural educational experiences, where participants develop intercultural competencies that help them become more effective in their chosen fields, whether in social work, education, politics, business, or others (2000). Furthermore, in order for one to truly become intercultural competent, it is important to learn about an individual’s own culture and about other cultures. One way is to cultivate relationships with individual who can serve as cultural informants, or people whom a person can question about the culture and verify perceptions. Another way is to attend cultural events in communities to learn about rituals and values, and demonstrate interest to members of that culture’s community. Finally, one can be flexible in his or her intercultural interactions by reserving judgments about behaviors and intentions until he or she understands the cultural context in which they were generated ( 2006).   Conclusion             Education and environmental influence are essential in the development of intercultural competence and communication. In academic institutions, students are taught to become intercultural competent through discussions and activities, while in the community, individuals are developed to become intercultural competent through real-life associations and communication. Intercultural communication determines intercultural competence, for if an individual does not have the skills and interest to communicate, then he or she will never desire to develop his or her knowledge and skills to become more competent.             Intercultural competence does not only mean the ability of an individual to express his or her views and opinions intellectually. It also means that he or she must be developed wholistically to be able to understand and respect the culture, religion, beliefs, and practices of other individuals in the society. This concept means that an intercultural competent person is intelligent and at the same time respectful and open-minded regarding the issues and changes happening in his or her community. Without open-mindedness and ethno-relativism, knowledge regarding other cultures will not be applied effectively, and opens opportunities for racial discrimination and injustice in the society. Credit:ivythesis.typepad.com

Intercultural Communication

Intercultural Communication Educating for Intercultural Competence Introduction The globe is no longer divided by arti...

Intercultural Communication

Intercultural Communication

Intercultural Communication Educating for Intercultural Competence Introduction The globe is no longer divided by arti...

Intercultural Communication

Intercultural Communication

Intercultural Communication Educating for Intercultural Competence Introduction The globe is no longer divided by arti...

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