Engaging with cross‐cultural communication barriers in globalized higher education: the case of research‐degree students

Abstract

Problematic aspects of intercultural communication are considered in the context of: an increasingly internationalized market for higher education; the globalization of knowledge; the compatibility of distinct national higher education cultures; and the capacity for successful cross-cultural cooperation. This is exemplified by reference to a doctoral programme delivered by a UK-based university, largely through distance learning, to students resident in a non-anglophone country. Here, the challenges have concerned: cultural and linguistic barriers; the use of distancebased supervision; and taken-for-granted knowledge related to learning and academic levels. Anecdotal evidence suggests diverse student experiences during the supervision process, in both face-to-face and distance learning contexts, reflecting the extent of familiarity with idiomatic and technical English, and the importance of non-verbal communication. Given unequal power relations between students and university teachers, improved intercultural communicative competence may be achieved through a mutual construction of a discursive arena reflecting the dynamics of an increasingly globalized structure of academic intercourse. This may involve a critique of assumptions associated with 'national' academic cultures together with a pragmatic quest for a common lexicon. This in turn may contribute to the process of cross-national collaboration and cooperation in higher education.

Formation Of A New Scientific And Educational Space: Dialogue Of Cultures

“…The level https://doi. org/10.15405/epsbs.2019.12.04.137 Corresponding Author: Elena Gashkova Selection and peer-review under (Bash, 2009;Kisoudis, 2015).…”

“…To achieve the purpose of the study, the system analysis method was used, as well as comparative and historical analyzes (Bash, 2009).…”

The reconstruction of academic identity through language policy: a narrative approach

“…There is a conviction that university staff in contemporary higher education is inadequately served by the linguistic status quo (Jenkins, 2018). Universities have often shown little interest in the linguistic consequences of internationalization (Liddicoat, 2016), which does not in itself guarantee interculturality (Bash, 2009). The question then becomes how a language policy in higher education can respond to an academic culture that is becoming more globalized, and to the needs of faculty (and students) with diverse linguistic and cultural backgrounds.…”

PhD supervision strategies in a cross-cultural setting: Enriching learning opportunities

“…The personal and academic identity of supervisors as well as students, is shaped by their experiences, as well as the academic culture they have been raised in, and this influences their relations and interactions (Adriansen, Madsen, & Jensen, 2015;Ai, 2017;Elliot & Kobayashi, 2017;Molly & Kobayashi, 2014). However, within a wider academic context the relationship is skewed, influenced by power-issues and lack of reciprocity between academic cultures, characterized by Northern or Western dominance (Bash, 2009;Doyle & Manathunga, 2017;Doyle et al, 2018). I concur with Xu and Grant (2017, p. 571) that 'cultural differences can be productive rather than solely Analysing international PhD students in a European context, Goode (2007) discusses and criticizes the commonly used concepts of dependent and independent learners, as she sees them as concepts that create a 'deficit narrative, an "infantilising" discourse that characterises [all students who are labelled as "dependent"] as immature learners' (p. 592).…”

“…Reinecker et al (2005) recommend that supervisors prioritize, but limit their comments, especially when giving comments in writing. Following a finding that conversational comments can be used to cover broader and more sensitive elements than written comments (Bash, 2009;Doyle & Manathunga, 2017;Doyle et al, 2018), Könings et al (2016) recommend the use of videoconferences as a supervision tool when students and supervisors are in different locations -again, a relevant finding for international research collaboration and PhD-training.…”