{"title":"Navigating complexities, exploiting shortcuts: Talking about culture as researchers and university educators","authors":"D. Rellstab","doi":"10.47989/kpdc107","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.47989/kpdc107","url":null,"abstract":"Simplistic understandings of culture as ‘national culture’ and of the relation between language, identity, and culture, have been criticized for quite some time. Today, many teachers in higher education have developed a critical awareness of the complexities of culture and interculturality, and many would no longer subscribe to a simplistic understanding of culture as ‘national culture’. Yet despite this awareness, ‘national cultural’ parlance has not disappeared. Drawing on videotaped interactions among researchers and university educators of German as a Foreign Language during a workshop in West Africa, I demonstrate how we as researchers and university educators navigate complexities when discussing ‘culture’ and when, how, and why we, then and again, revert to simplistic concepts of culture in our talk. Analyzing the practices and ‘common sense resources’ we deploy and the discourses we thereby mediate provides insights into how we configure understandings of culture in action and points at problems in the ways we talk.","PeriodicalId":413842,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Praxis in Higher Education","volume":"117 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-10-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"116108918","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Encounters with strangeness: Intercultural learning in an engineering course","authors":"J. Van Maele, Steven Schelkens, Katrien Mertens","doi":"10.47989/kpdc129","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.47989/kpdc129","url":null,"abstract":"This paper reports on an intervention whereby a critical approach to intercultural communication is implemented in a module for undergraduate students of engineering technology. The module centers on an encounter in which small teams engage with people and practices that represent cultural strangeness to them. A qualitative, exploratory study was carried out on how participating students perceive strangeness, on their motives for selecting their encounter, and on the insights as they reported and demonstrated them in their project reports. Students confirmed the primacy of first-hand experience in intercultural learning, and pointed at an open mind, a non-essentialist view of culture, and an awareness of stereotyping as key takeaways from the project. Providing additional teacher guidance could further support students in their acquisition of critical understanding, for instance through the development of validated (self-)assessment tools. The authors conclude that the described project can help to fill the observed lack of intercultural communication practices from a critical, non-essentialist perspective in engineering education. More generally, this study contributes to a wider pedagogy of encounter by elucidating the concept of strangeness as a linking concept for examining underlying dynamics in intercultural interaction.","PeriodicalId":413842,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Praxis in Higher Education","volume":"71 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-10-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"127275120","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"From ‘intercultural-washing’ to meaningful intercultural education: Revisiting higher education practice","authors":"Mélodine Sommier, Malgorzata Lahti, Anssi Roiha","doi":"10.47989/kpdc130","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.47989/kpdc130","url":null,"abstract":"This is the first special issue that JPHE hosts—and could there be a more suitable forum for an issue dedicated to exploring and encouraging a critical dialogue around transformative intercultural communication teaching practices in higher education (HE)? What has led us to engage with the theme of making intercultural education meaningful is a shared observation that there seems to be an increasing disconnect between recent developments in intercultural communication theory and practice. With so much critique published over the years, we are perplexed as to why traditional notions of culture still prevail not only in mainstream intercultural communication research but also in institutional discourses in HE and in popular discourses as articulated by the people who sit—or have once sat—in our classrooms. In this editorial and Special Issue, we approach intercultural communication from a critical angle, akin to the theorization of interculturality as a discursive and contingent, unstable and contradictory, political and ideological construct. We are thrilled to see this approach gain ground in the field of intercultural communication. However, at the same time, we are worried that the terrain of intercultural communication teaching across HE settings has become quite unruly and is characterized by pedagogical solutions that do not have a stable connection to state-of-the-art theory, and that might lead to naive, simplistic, and essentialist understandings of ‘culture’ and ‘the other’.......","PeriodicalId":413842,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Praxis in Higher Education","volume":"65 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-10-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"116983283","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"(Trans)Formative Power of Purpose and Projectivity","authors":"Ester Fremstad","doi":"10.47989/kpdc101","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.47989/kpdc101","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000The present study illustrates the educational power of purpose and projectivity if our aim is for students to become able to make socially responsible decisions and to act on their judgment. The study is based on interviews with academic teachers and analyses of course descriptions. Two empirical cases are analyzed through the lenses of ‘practical reasoning’ (Colby and Sullivan 2008) and ‘agency’ (Emirbayer and Mische 1998), and illustrate the formative and transformative potential of ‘purpose’ and ‘projectivity’ for students, disciplines, professions and society. The study contributes an empirical and conceptual basis for discussing what educating for social responsibility requires, and a framework for analysing and planning teaching. \u0000","PeriodicalId":413842,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Praxis in Higher Education","volume":"52 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-08-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"126101420","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"An Interview with Gerald Cupchik","authors":"Michael Shaughnessy","doi":"10.47989/kpdc87","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.47989/kpdc87","url":null,"abstract":"In this interview, a leading figure in the realm of aestheics, higher education and mentoring responds to some questions about mentoring, the mentoring relationship and the mentoring process.","PeriodicalId":413842,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Praxis in Higher Education","volume":"1 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-08-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"130191834","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"This is JPHE, 3(1), 2021","authors":"Petra Angervall","doi":"10.47989/kpdc139","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.47989/kpdc139","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":413842,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Praxis in Higher Education","volume":"100 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-08-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"115154232","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Breaking the English Routine: An Argument for Polylingual Discourse in U.S. Higher Education","authors":"Z. Taylor","doi":"10.47989/kpdc103","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.47989/kpdc103","url":null,"abstract":"Extant research has suggested United States (U.S.) higher education is more accessible and equitable toward Whites than toward English-language learners, international students, and students of color (Bernal, 2002; Lee & Rice, 2007; Lippi-Green, 2012; Yeh & Inose, 2003). In this argumentative essay, I insist these issues of access and equity are partially owed to the Anglocentric, highly routinized, and luddite nature of U.S. higher education communication, policy, and practice. Moreover, I forward the notion that predominantly English institutions (PEIs) should explore performing non-routine, highly technological work in order to value the linguistic capital (Yosso, 2005) brought to the institution by students with diverse language knowledge in order to truly serve students from minoritized language populations. Implications for linguistic equity and the practicality of polylingual institutional support is addressed.","PeriodicalId":413842,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Praxis in Higher Education","volume":"11 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-08-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"114392792","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"The period of mandatory on-line education in the spring of 2020","authors":"R. G. Jurado, Tomas Pettersson","doi":"10.47989/kpdc134","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.47989/kpdc134","url":null,"abstract":"This contribution to the “notes-from-the-field” section of the JPHE aims to outline the experiences of lecturers at the University of Borås, Sweden (here and after UB), who turned to on-line education as a response to the spread of Covid-19 during the 2020 spring semester. \u0000 \u0000To obtain a concise overview of lecturers’ reflections and experiences, an on-line survey was conducted between May 18 and May 31, 2020. A questionnaire consisting of 11 questions with multiple choice alternatives was used. Respondents were also encouraged to comment and develop their responses further, via email. Due to confidentiality, these comments are not explicitly reported in this text. \u0000 \u0000This text is not intended to present a deep analysis of events, nor an investigation into whatever theoretical framework one may find appropriate for this type of situation. Rather, our contribution alerts researchers in the field to a special situation many of us experienced, in order to provide opportunities to investigate pedagogical challenges in a time of distress, as well as stimulate further discussion about these matters","PeriodicalId":413842,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Praxis in Higher Education","volume":"87 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-08-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"122967874","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Institutional management praxis and the logic of capital: Accumulated labor and the exploitation of teaching in teaching intensive fields","authors":"D. Beach","doi":"10.47989/kpdc128","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.47989/kpdc128","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract: Exploitation is possible because of rules and social arrangements that have an asymmetric impact on groups who hold different relative positions within the nexus of cultural, political, economic and social power and advantage. Based on a synthesis of critical ethnographic research, the present article provides an analysis of exploitation in one specific higher education field; Initial Teacher Education and Research (EDITE). Exploitation is not usually associated with higher education. However, the article describes a structure of decision-making for exploiting the accumulated labor of teacher educators and their students, in the interests of other groups of academics. Distinct social class and gender are identified, and the article concludes that there is little wonder that teaching intensive fields are often strongly criticised for the scientific quality of their content. The level of research investment in them is so low that they are in serious difficulty in maintaining adequate scientific research connections for programs and career opportunities for research-qualified staff.","PeriodicalId":413842,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Praxis in Higher Education","volume":"45 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-08-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"122579228","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Through student eyes: Assessment conceptions and quality assurance","authors":"Serafina Pastore","doi":"10.47989/kpdc84","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.47989/kpdc84","url":null,"abstract":"Recent reforms of higher education systems in Europe, since the implementation of the Bologna Process, encourage teachers to incorporate a range of assessment practices that should be more responsive to students’ learning needs. Over the years, an extensive body of literature has been produced regarding principles and practice guidelines for the assessment of students’ learning outcomes. However, what are students’ conceptions of assessment? The present article, given the strong drive to understand the role that conceptions have in educational practices, focuses on students’ conceptions of assessment within the Italian higher education system. More specifically, this paper reports on a research study realised through the administration of the Students’ Conceptions of Assessment Inventory (SCoA). The data were analysed using a Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) design. This study represents a useful step in understanding conceptions that students have of assessment within the framework of quality assurance. Results of the study may set the groundwork for a critical debate on changes and improvements in the higher education field.","PeriodicalId":413842,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Praxis in Higher Education","volume":"1 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2020-12-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"130308884","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}