Abstract
This study showcases an interdisciplinary project conducted at a Sino-US joint venture university, which involved collaboration between domestic Chinese students from English for Academic Purposes (EAP) courses and international students that study Chinese as a second language (CSL) over a seven-week teaching session. This pedagogical innovation aimed to enhance students’ intercultural engagement and competence by creating multimedia videos that addressed relevant intercultural issues within their community. Specifically, the researchers sought to investigate how this collaboration would foster 1) greater integration of both student groups and 2) greater intercultural awareness for both student groups. Over 70 students participated in this project, producing 15 videos that explored various intercultural challenges on campus. Semi-structured focus groups were conducted and analyzed using deductive and inductive approaches grounded in Deardorff’s (2006) process model of intercultural competence (IC). Findings indicate that 1) initial segregation between domestic Chinese students and international students could gradually diminish as students intentionally embrace openness and take risks in building friendships through the collaboration; 2) a greater understanding of one’s own culture and that of others could be achieved by enhanced engagement in the collaboration, including both changed erceptions and reaffirmed beliefs; and 3) challenges such as language and cultural barriers, communication efficiency, and differing expectations regarding teamwork and commitment still persist.
Presenters
Xiaofei PanLecturer of Chinese Language, Language and Culture Center, Duke Kunshan University, Jiangsu, China
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
Communications and Linguistic Studies
KEYWORDS
Intercultural communication, Second language learning, Interdisciplinary, Multimedia, Teaching innovation
