Interculturality at a US university: International faculty’s experiences with intercultural communication

Abstract

Purpose This paper aims to present the experiences, beliefs and perceptions of international faculty at a Research 1 institution in the Southern US regarding the perceived differences between their and their students’ and colleagues’ cultures and first languages. Design/methodology/approach Face-to-face interviews were conducted with four international faculty from Europe and Asia who held appointments at a Research 1 institution in the Southern US. The interviews focused on the participants’ communication experiences with students and colleagues from diverse cultural backgrounds. Findings The findings have implications for academic and professional development and support as they show that understanding cultural aspects of language and communication can be challenging for individuals who may not be aware of possible cultural differences. Originality/value This study is unique because it presents stories of faculty from different backgrounds, who were born on different continents and who learned English at different ages but are all working in a linguistically homogeneous context. Also, the originality of the study comes from examining the intercultural communication between the participating faculty and their students, as well as their colleagues.

A critical conceptual framework for understanding career development in linguistically diverse individual and organizational contexts

“…African American English, Southern English) may be deemed problematic (Piller, 2015). This view has been perpetuated through standard language ideology which promotes linguistic purity and accuracy (Piller, 2015), and the impact of which is seen in educational, work and other social settings (Stojanovi c and Robinson, 2021;Reis, 2011).…”

“…Related to linguistic diversity in education, as Preece (2011) stated, in English-dominant nations, “the diverse and rich linguistic resources that have been brought into the sector are largely ignored or treated as problematic” (p. 121). Namely, multilingual students who do not use a standard English dialect or have a different accent are commonly required to take English remedial language courses (Marshall, 2010) and international faculty who do not speak English as their first language are often perceived as less qualified (Reis, 2011; Stojanović and Robinson, 2021). In academia, publications in English (and specifically in US-based or Western outlets) are often considered more favorably in terms of career growth.…”

Career challenges of international female faculty in US universities: from a linguistic profiling perspective

“…Due to their intersectionality, international female faculty also struggle with diverse challenges adjusting to cultural and linguistic differences and advancing their careers (Mamiseishvili and Rosser, 2010; Omiteru et al ., 2018; Stojanović and Robinson, 2021). For instance, international scholars’ teaching productivity and evaluations have been negatively impacted by stereotypes and perceptions about their communication skills, language proficiency, accentism and interactions with students and colleagues (Mamiseishvili and Rosser, 2010; Orelus, 2018).…”