Pursuing Cross-Cultural Pedagogical Success in China

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to present issues for research consideration related to cross-cultural teaching challenges as an American in China. This article describes my pedagogical practices and insight after five years of teaching business ethics, management and leadership primarily to Chinese undergraduate students in Henan Province, Central China. The issues raised and the suggestions for future research explored herein will hopefully lead to greater understanding and pedagogical success for American teachers working in China. In addition, cross-cultural educators may gain at least one critical tool or insight to increase their teaching efficacy as all educators are teaching cross-culturally with the presence of ethnic groups and international students in classrooms. At a minimum, this discussion may shorten the learning curve a bit for those recent to the profession who find themselves in an unfamiliar cultural environment and who strive to adapt their pedagogy for improved classroom experiences and student-centered course outcomes.

Basic Overview of the Challenges in Teaching Intercultural Communication Among Tertiary Level English Teachers in China

“…There is a crucial need to increase communication activities within extracurricular practices at tertiary institutions. The teachers can make full use of the existing resources and conditions and organize some intercultural communication activities in combination with the actual teaching reality (Allen, 2019). For example, the teachers can invite foreign teachers and foreign students to participate in carrying out English conversation Frasa : English Education and Literature Journal Vol.…”

“…Teachers can guide students to learn more about the cultural differences of various countries and regions through the internet to prevent assumptions and misconceptions in language use. In the training of intercultural communication competence, if there are conflicts and differences between different cultures, the teachers must guide students to deal with them correctly (Allen, 2019). This will expand students' horizon and minds while learning intercultural communication.…”

“…In addition, research into intercultural teaching styles, students' responses, and classroom teacher-student relations have been somewhat ignored by the academy and it needs to be undertaken (Li, et al 2012;Allen, 2019).…”

University Educators’ Experiences of Teaching Abroad: The Promotion of Cross-cultural Competence

“…Future research could examine educators' experiences with individuals from diverse cultures outside of the classroom during their teaching abroad opportunity. What kinds of social activities are most effective in promoting cultural competence (Allen, 2019)?…”

“…There are many terms used to describe teaching abroad, including cross-cultural, multi-cultural, international, intercultural, global, and transnational teaching (Johnson, Lenartowicz, & Apud, 2006). The term cross-cultural was chosen since it is commonly used in the literature (e.g., Allen, 2019;Gopal, 2011;Lopes-Murphy & Murphy, 2016). I was interested in exploring with educators their experiences of teaching outside of their home countries.…”