International Studies in Education: Experiences From an Innovative University Program Responding to Global Trends

Author(s):

Hanna Ragnarsdottir(presenting / submitting)

Conference:

ECER 2011

Network:

7. Social Justice and Intercultural Education

Format:

Paper

Session Information

07 SES 08 A, Intercultural Education in Higher Education

Paper Session

Time:

2011-09-15

08:30-10:00

Room:

KL 24/122c,G, 43

Chair:

Yvonne Leeman

Contribution

In the paper a case study on the significance of an innovative B.A. university program conducted in 2009-10 will be introduced and discussed. The program International Studies in Education (ISE) at the University of Iceland illustrates how one university is responding to global trends in higher education. The program is taught in English and aligned with values affirmed in critical multiculturalist scholarship. It is designed to respond to demographic changes including a sharp increase in Iceland’s immigrant population and to provide an opportunity to diverse students for intercultural communication, active participation and mutual learning.

The objective of the study was to provide feedback to the program developers and to highlight issues in tertiary-level program development conceptualized as a response to globalization. The main research question centred upon the experience of students, teachers, and administrators of the program; its drawbacks and its successes (Books, Ragnarsdottir, Jonsson & Macdonald, 2010).

The theoretical framework includes writings in the field of critical multiculturalism and critical pedagogy. A challenge in education today across many countries is the range of ethnic, cultural, and linguistic diversity among students and teachers (Ladson-Billings, 2001; Lumby & Coleman, 2007; Schmidt & Block, 2010). When children are unable to see and hear themselves reflected in their educational settings, they can become marginalized within a school system that privileges certain ways of knowing and being (Schmidt & Block, 2010). Furthermore, schools that have relatively homogeneous teaching staffs do not benefit from the experiences, strengths, contributions, and insights that individuals from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds can offer to enhance the learning of all students (Bartolo & Smyth, 2009; Howard, 1999; Ladson-Billings, 1994, 2001; Santoro, 2007; Schmidt & Block, 2010). To prepare a diverse teaching force, universities must empower diverse students, including and especially education students, who themselves will work with diverse learners. Empowering diverse students and encouraging their contribution to the Icelandic school system while building on their wealth of knowledge and experiences was one of the main aims of the ISE program.

Universities have a significant role to play in developing common understanding and shared values and in cultivating more inclusive conceptions of citizenship, including a sense of belonging within an increasingly diverse society (Gundara, 2000). Conversely, if universities isolate themselves from economic and social developments, they will become irrelevant to society (Altbach, 2004). A multicultural population is a new challenge for many institutions, not least for teacher education; and this developing phenomenon calls for changes in institutional policies and commitments, stronger teacher preparation programs, and recruitment of a more diverse group of teacher candidates (Gundara, 2000).

The program raises important questions about institutional responsibilities, both local and global; about the role of English in an international studies program; about de facto segregation of students; and about the significance of local context in global trends in higher education.

The paper discusses the main findings of the study, the successes and drawbacks of the first years of the ISE program according to students, teachers and administrators.

Method

The team of researchers included three professors at the University of Iceland who designed the program and have taught in almost all the courses in it. The fourth researcher was a visiting Fulbright scholar from the US who conducted the interviews while also teaching in the program during the fall 2009. The study drew primarily on interviews conducted with eight of the eleven students who had started the program in its first year, continued into the second year, and responded to an email request to meet for an interview. The students are from Finland, France, Ghana, Iceland, Japan, Nigeria, the Philippines, and Scotland. In addition, four professors who taught courses in the program during the fall 2009 semester were interviewed, as well as two key administrators. The interviews lasted approximately 45 minutes and were semi-structured (Harrell & Bradley, 2010), tailored to the role of the respondent, and conducted outside class meetings. Throughout the fall 2009 semester, planning documents and the curriculum were scrutinized. Regular meetings of the researchers were held to determine next steps, to draft interview questions, to reflect on interview transcripts, and to share experiences teaching in the program.

Expected Outcomes

The comments of the students and professors suggest the ISE program, in accord with its initial objectives, has succeeded in valuing students’ varied experiences; in providing them with better access and higher probabilities of success than they would have had otherwise; in fostering a sense of possibility, social responsibility, and humility; and in affirming a view of education as a social, cultural, and political phenomenon that happens in multiple settings, in and outside traditional school sites. Anecdotal evidence suggests the program also is succeeding in preparing immigrant Icelanders to work both in Icelandic schools and in other educational contexts in and outside Iceland. However, as a way to bring together native Icelandic students, newcomers, and exchange students, challenges remain. Only a few native Icelanders have enrolled or taken courses in the program, and the blended-learning format does not work well for exchange students who prefer on-campus classes. Overall, the experiences of the developers of the ISE program, the students and other professors, bears important witness to the challenges and gratifications that come with program development guided by the desire to contribute to goal of empowering and by the belief that higher education should lead in this work.

References

Altbach, P. G. (2004). Globalisation and the university: Myths and realities in an unequal world. Tertiary Education and Management, 10(1), 3-25. Bartolo, P., & Smyth, G. (2009). Teacher education for diversity. In A. Swennen & M. van der Klink (Eds.), Becoming a teacher educator: Theory and practice for teacher educators (pp. 117–132). Amsterdam, The Netherlands: Springer. Books, S., Ragnarsdottir, H., Jonsson, O. P. & Macdonald, A. (2010). A university program with „The whole world as a focus“: An Icelandic response to globalization. Innovative Higher Education, 36(2). Published online Oct. 22, 2010. Gundara, J. S. (2000). Interculturalism, education and inclusion. London, England: Paul Chapman. Harrell, M. C., & Bradley, M. A. (2010).Data-collection methods: Semi-structured interviews and focus groups. Santa Monica, CA: RAND Corp. Howard, G. R. (1999). We can´t teach what we don´t know: White teachers, multiracial schools. New York, NY: Teachers College Press. Ladson-Billings, G. (1994). The dreamkeepers: Successful teachers of African American children. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass. Ladson-Billings, G. (2001). Crossing over to Canaan: The journey of new teachers in diverse classrooms. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass. Lumby, J., & Coleman, M. (2007). Leadership and diversity: Challenging theory and practice in education. Los Angeles, CA: Sage. Santoro, N. (2007). “Outsiders” and “others”: “Different” teachers teaching in culturally diverse classrooms. Teachers and Teaching: Theory and practice, 13(1), 81–97. Schmidt, C., & Block, L. A. (2010). Without and within: The implications of employment and ethnocultural equity policies for internationally educated teachers. Canadian Journal of Educational Administration and Policy, Issue #100. Special Issue: Educational Policy and Internationally Educated Teachers. Retrieved March 6, 2010, from http://www.umanitoba.ca/publications/cjeap/articles/schmidt-block-iet.html

Author Information

Hanna Ragnarsdottir (presenting / submitting)

University of Iceland, School of Education

Faculty of Education Studies

Reykjavik

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