Ciaran Dunne, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences
ciaran.dunne@dcu.ie
Title: Host students construction of cultural difference in the context of
internationalisation of higher education
This paper will focus on home (or /host) students’ perceptions of cultural
difference on campus, and explore the factors which they identify as facilitating
or hindering contact with students from other cultures, specifically international
students.
The content of the paper will be based upon PhD research, which explores
host students’ Perceptions of international students and the issues they,
as the majority group, may face in interacting with these students.
Using a grounded theory methodology, the study involved in-depth qualitative
interviews with home in this case Irish students, in which their perceptions
of international students were examined, and the factors impacting upon their
intercultural contact were explored. The results indicate that fundamentally
different values systems, which are specific to the actual learning environment,
are at the heart of poor relations. While issues relating to language and
communication style do emerge, the key issues relate to perceived diverging
priorities in college, which are reflected in students’ behaviours and levels
of engagement in the social and academic elements of the college life. Furthermore,
a number of important factors impacting upon the likelihood of home and
international students interacting were also identified and examined.
By highlighting the complex nature of the home students’ perspective, this
research adds to existing theories which to date have tended to focus either
exclusively on international students when examining student interaction.
In a practical sense, the findings will highlight the principal obstacles
and facilitators of contact from the perspective of the home students, and
will include resulting recommendations. Those attending the session will
get an in-depth analysis of the home students’ perceptions of international
students, and hear a new perspective on what the core issues are in promoting
contact between these students groups.