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Efficient Methods to Becoming Multilingual: Increasing Cultural Awareness, 2022-05-13

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Identifier: Efficient Methods to Becoming Multilingual: Increasing Cultural Awareness

Scope and Contents

From the Collection:

The International Conference on Global Diversity and Inclusion in Higher Education took place May 12-13, 2022 in the Gemmell Student Complex at Clarion University of Pennsylvania (USA). This collection contains conference proceedings from the event.

The official conference program contains the following introductory statement:

"In today's globalized economy, educational, and social interactions with international students from different parts of the world can provide U.S. students with 'real educational' and 'career' benefits. International students make campuses and classrooms more vibrant and diverse, plus, it makes economic sense to have international students because for every 7 international students, 3 U.S. jobs are created or supported. About 1.1 million foreign students studied in U.S. in 2018-19 and contributed $44.7 billion to U.S. economy, along with supporting 460,000 jobs. More than 60% students manage funding on their own or their government, which enables schools to offer student aid to other students. Despite the above facts, it is found that many colleges and universities are not able to reach and support the diverse and underrepresented populations of international students, due to lack of awareness and training.

Additionally, despite the economic and social benefits of international students to a university, it is found that international students encounter adjustment difficulties such as culture shock, loneliness, anxiety, discrimination, loss of social support, language barriers, depression, homesickness, and academic adjustments. These factors impact student satisfaction negatively and influence student persistence, retention rates, and graduation rates. International students' satisfaction is linked to their satisfaction with the educational experience, academic success, satisfaction with college including administration, faculty, and campus. According to many studies, the experiences and social integration of international students affects their academic success with the faculty, classroom, and campus community. it is important that faculty members understand the cultural factors that influence the improvement of international students in higher education. it is the responsibility of universities to provide opportunities, resources, and programs to promote academic success for international students. In order to encourage international students' academic success; it is important that faculty members and advisors understand international student needs and prepare to meet students not only academically but also socially and culturally. Thus, this conference can be extremely helpful to fulfill the purpose of global inclusiveness. With an increasingly diverse student population enrolled in education systems, it is imperative that educators and administrators continue to strengthen their skills, knowledge and competencies in diversity, equity, and inclusion to ensure that global education is not only accessible, but designed to support all students.

Therefore, the purpose of this conference is to share ideas on the importance of global diversity and inclusion in higher education sector and to promote learning and training on this critical issue among faculty and students. The goal is to share knowledge, research findings, build community, and collaborate to advance international diversity, equity, and inclusion in global education and cultural exchange."

Dates

  • 2022-05-13

Creator

Extent

From the Collection: 16 Files

Language of Materials

English

Abstract

The need for cultural competency has increased with the expansion of globalization, the increased interaction through technology, and breakdowns in communication, inequities, and prejudice (Mareno & Hart, 2014). Cultural awareness in both multicultural (Lew & Siffrinn, 2019) and monocultural (De La Forest, 2018; Fuller & Ahler, 2012) classrooms is essential to ensure students learn the necessary attitudes, skills, and knowledge to form authentic relationships and become equitable leaders in a diverse world (Binger & Hassan, 2021; Mareno & Hart, 2014). Foreign language learning improves students’ cultural awareness (Cakir, 2006; Jin-feng, 2007; Ortuno, 1991), second language learning promotes cultural awareness in preservice teachers (Larke, 1990; Ward & Ward, 2003), and multilingualism deepens cross-cultural empathy and global ethics (Krajewski, 2011; Rolbin & Chiesa, 2010) yet foreign language learning can be difficult for students (Dickinson & Carver, 1980; Ganschow, Sparks, & Javorsky, 1998; Nation, 2014). The complexity and the difficulty in learning foreign languages can shy students away from learning a new language. Research shows theories, classroom methods, and individual traits to why there are struggles to language learning but there is a gap in the literature of helpful techniques of language learning through multilinguals’ perspectives. In this qualitative study, we sought to findefficient methods of learning foreign languages through interviewing and analyzing polyglots’ perspectives of their techniques to learning multiple languages. We compared multilinguals’ language learning methods to find commonalities that assisted in unraveling the complexities in foreign language learning and reduced the difficulties in learning new languages.

Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements

Available only in electronic format.

Repository Details

Part of the Clarion University Archives Repository

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