gpe iv 2011 the fourth annual global partners in education conference (gpe iv) is being hosted from may 9–11, 2011 in a virtual environment this year. the virtual environment will provide an opportunity for all participants to attend synchronous sessions linked with asynchronous content and discussion. we are looking forward to a productive conference with lively discussion focusing on student preparation and strong partner development. it will be an exciting time for us all! all information will be posted on the gpe website. usil professor samantha lanaway is now the gpe coordinator at usil in peru. samantha is serving as our president and we appreciate her service. & new gpe website the new gpe website, http://thegpe.org, is up and running and provides information about the organization and activities. teacher resources are located under the “global understanding” tab. gpe members are encouraged to submit material about their countries / cultures / universities for inclusion on the teacher’s resources page. new partners the gpe has grown and we welcome new partners in egypt, india, iraq, mexico, the netherlands, pakistan and poland. the organization is actively seeking partners in many areas. gpe iii -2010 the third annual global partners in education conference (gpe iii) was held in lima peru, may 17-20, 2010. discussions centered around improving student experience and providing opportunities for faculty to share their experiences in the program. the initial meeting of the gpe journal editorial board was conducted. other activities at gpe iii resulted in the production of the 2009-2010 gpe annual report and the collection and distribution of common phrases from each partner country in their native language for use during class. work groupthe core a gpe work group, led by dr. jami leibowitz, has created a document that describes the core elements of the global understanding course. the core includes practical information about integrating the course into each curriculum and the operation of the course. the core represents the minimum expectations for all members. the core will be distributed via the gpe website and dr. leibowitz will formally present the core at gpe iv for discussion and approval. vignettes the gpe vignettes project is underway and scheduled to be completed by early summer, 2011. the vignettes project is collecting student responses to four common questions from all gpe partners. these vignettes will be placed on dvd and on the gpe website to be used in the global understanding course when regular connectivity breaks down. the gpe vignettes will be formally introduced at gpe iv. please submit news about your institution or programs to jessicasdu@yahoo.com.cn http://thegpe.org/ mailto:jessicasdu@yahoo.com.cn microsoft word gpej editorial april 2011 editorial change is endemic and inevitable and brings good and bad, intended and unintended consequences. change is impacting the education system as technology and connectivity moves us all from the traditional classroom to the virtual classroom and from teacher centric learning to student centric learning. with these facts in mind the global partners in education have decided that this is the right time to introduce a global multi-disciplinary journal that can provide a fresh outlook on global research and education. global partners in education, (gpe http://thegpe.org) has created a worldwide internet based community of more than thirty colleges and universities in more than twenty countries. the gpe provides opportunities for students to engage in real time collaborative courses, discussions, projects and research around critical topics that promote global understanding and advance higher education. in this collaborative environment students can become culturally tolerant world citizens who are able to live and work together in a global community. the gpe journal (gpej) www.gpejournal.org provides the opportunity to share our research and our experiences with professionals and academicians worldwide. this journal will publish both scholarly research as well as practice based articles that advance the knowledge base of technology use and pedagogy in global education. the articles could include conceptual, empirical research and applied research dedicated to promoting excellence in teaching and stimulating progressive thought in the field of global education. the journal provides a forum for exchanging ideas, opinions and research results amongst academicians and practitioners around the world. the global partners in education understands the power of collaborative enquiry and the role that a community of scholars, academicians, researchers and practitioners plays in modern scholarship. we seek to shift from competition to collaboration and the gpej is a platform to seed this effort to include different perspectives and diverse insights while exploring newer horizons. we invite your participation in the gpej as both a reader and a contributor and look forward to hearing from you. dr. parikshat singh manhas editor-in-chief call for papers for issue #2 gpej  we  invite  you  to  submit  a manuscript  for  the next  issue of gpej which will be  published  in the fall of 2011.   we are soliciting articles that describe your efforts  to enhance global education and bring students together from around the world  into a technology‐enabled classroom setting. the article can be based in research  you have conducted about these activities or can be descriptive of the activities  and what you have learned through them. share your best practices!   to learn more about submitting a manuscript please see the information provided  on the gpej website, http://www.gpejournal.org.  gpe vi 2013 gpe vi, the sixth annual conference of the global partners in education (gpe) will be convened at krosno state college, poland on may 6, 2013 and will be adjourned on may 11, 2013. topics to be covered at this year’s conference include training needs and certification for gpe teachers and technical support personnel, collaborative projects, the gu wiki site and its use in the classroom, discussion of alternative formats for the global understanding (gu) course, open discussions on other collaborative ideas and courses beyond gu, and presentations from partners on different ideas and challenges they have faced throughout the past year. these discussions will help continuing efforts to enhance and refine existing global initiatives and develop new ideas and opportunities for all gpe partners. the award for teacher, technology personnel, and institution of the year will be presented. the cultural event will acquaint participants with the unique culture of poland that has survived thousands of years of middle europe political and economic change. for more information visit http://thegpe.org ~ gpe v – 2012 ~ gpe v, the fifth annual conference of the global partners in education was held at east carolina university, usa, may 7-11, 2012. delegates from 16 countries around the world attended the conference. collaborative projects to improve students’ experience were discussed and initial successful samples were presented. potential agendas of further collaborative research efforts were also discussed and planned. poster sessions and presentations contributed by participants were visited by ecu faculty and the greenville community giving the opportunity to explore future cooperation. in this conference, a new leadership track was provided for administrative participants to discuss the strategic direction of the gpe. global relations as a stepping stone to economic development were also discussed as part of that track. some of the sessions were broadcast to accommodate our partners who could not travel to ecu. the gpe v conference was a successful gathering for all participants who were present and participated online. ~ new staff announcement ~ promoting positive educational opportunities… beginning in the fall of 2012 dr. leslie pagliari joined the staff of global academic initiatives at east carolina university. dr. pagliari is working with dr. rosina chia in a variety of new and existing initiatives. leslie brings a rich background of experience at the faculty member, department chair, and dean levels. she had worked with rosina on other projects so the synergy of collaboration ensured the continuance of existing and new activities. rosina has begun the transition to a role as senior advisor for the global programs and will continue her active contributions to gpe. ~ gpe awards ~ congratulations to the 2nd annual gpe award winners. after careful consideration, the 2012 gpe awards committee selected the following winners: the excellence in technical support award jonathan mori bustos of esan university, peru the excellence in teaching award marion eppler of east carolina university, usa the institution of excellence award lomonosov moscow state university, russia accepted by alla nazarenko while special congratulations go to our award winners, all those who were nominated deserve recognition for their outstanding work in the gpe organization. excellence in technical support nominees: • jonathan carraway, east carolina university, usa • ibrahim el zein, modern university of business and science, lebanon • eslam khatab, pharos university of alexandria, egypt • matthew poole, east carolina university, usa • łukasz sanokowski, krosno state college, poland • youcef tounkob, université abou bekr belkaid, algeria • junhao yan, henan polytechnic university, china excellence in teaching nominees: • kalpana chavan, st. xavier’s institute of education, india • jessica chen, shandong university, china • mariko eguchi, university of shimane, japan • viktoria fandei, lomonosov moscow state university, russia • luci fernandes, east carolina university, usa • daniela gutierrez, universidad de monterrey, mexico • wang jing, henan polytechnic university, china • heidi luchsinger, east carolina university, usa • humberto marquez garcia, universidad de monterrey, mexico • susan pearce, east carolina university, usa • ludmila sizikh, lomonosov moscow state university, russia • sean white, ryukoku university, japan please submit news about your institution or programs to gpeinfo@ecu.edu new partners currently gpe has 52 member institutions in 28 countries and 5 continents in the middle east, africa, asia, europe, north, and south america. over 2,300 students around the world participate in gpe programming each year. a warm welcome to our new partner institutions: • association brasil-america, brazil • china pharmaceutical university, china • guangdong university of business studies, china • lebanon international university, lebanon • university of gdansk, poland announcement gpe vii will be hosted by istanbul university in istanbul, turkey in may 2014. we hope to see you there. microsoft word gpe history formatted global partners in education journal april 2011, vol.1 no.1, pp. 3-7 3 history of global partners in education rosina chia elmer poe biwu yang east carolina university, usa in the us, less than 2% of college students participate in study abroad programs (institute of international education, american council on education, and the us department of education). in most other parts of the world, the percentage may be even smaller. there are many reasons for this with financial difficulty being the major factor. there are other contributing factors, such as fear of foreign settings, lack of knowledge in the foreign language, not accustomed to the local foods, fear of the risk of terrorism and infectious diseases, etc. however, while less than 2 % of students go abroad, 100% live in a world that requires them to be global citizens. the knowledge of diverse cultures will help us realize that all people do not think alike, do not have the same perspective, do not share the same values, and do not hold the same priorities. in 2002, a cross cultural psychologist (rosina chia), a computer mediated learning expert (elmer poe), and a data network and information security expert (biwu yang) at east carolina university got together to talk about the importance of global knowledge and the lack of opportunities for students to get that knowledge. in general, american students do not spend much time reading newspapers anymore, nor do they watch the evening news or spend much time surfing the web for news, and they know little about what happens outside of the us. thus we talked about designing a course that would use internet based technologies available to most countries to bring real time global experience into each partner’s own classrooms. if that could be accomplished, the course would be accessible to all students. our hope is that students can become more globally competent after taking such a course. with this goal in mind, we designed the global understanding course to provide experiences which would prepare students from all cultures, both developed and developing, to be global citizens. after many lively discussions, we agreed on a simple threefold definition of global competence, and our goal for the course was to provide experiences for all three aspects of global competence. the three aspects are: cognitively acquire basic knowledge about other cultures; affectively become more open-minded towards other cultures; behaviorally acquire real time interactive and collaborative experiences with students from other cultures. we realized that it was important to read body language in any social interaction, especially for cross-cultural social interactions. thus from the first pilot of the course in 2003 we decided to use real time video conferencing technology (dvc). it was also decided that tools based on regular internet connectivity would be used in order to accommodate the infrastructure in all of our potential partner countries. at east global partners in education journal april 2011, vol.1 no.1, pp. 3-7 4 carolina university we have a 14 week semester. in the global understanding course we divide the semester roughly into three 4-week sessions. for each 4-week session we bring students and faculty from one other country to join our students via dvc to learn about each other’s culture. the faculty from each country offers a short lecture on their own culture and after that the emphasis is on students interacting and learning from each other. considering that it is difficult for some partners to acquire textbooks, or have access to journal articles, we placed all basic information on partner countries on a website managed by ecu. this website also includes english language news sources for our partner countries, and we require our students to read the front page and to know the current situation of their partners. in addition to dvc, we use internet relay chat (irc) for individual discussion. irc is also used by the technical assistant assigned to each class on both sides to maintain constant communication to assure that the class will go smoothly. one important aspect of the partnership is the administrative independence of all partner institutions. from the outset we had wanted to provide opportunities for students all over the world to interact and learn from each other and to collaborate on joint projects. we would not let money get in the way. thus no money exchanges hands between partners. students pay local tuition and receive academic credits from their local institutions. teachers in partner institutions grade their own students’ tests and papers and assign their final grades. this enables all partners to maintain their own academic standards and meet their own accreditation criteria. also from the beginning we decided to choose a technology that would be feasible for partners in different parts of the world, including the countries that are in the developing world. dr. poe and dr. yang did much research and finally decided on using h.323 based videoconferencing technology, since h.323 is an international standard. ecu and some partner universities have high quality dvc equipment. for those partners who do not have video equipment, ecu provides consultation on acquiring an inexpensive camera and the videoconferencing software. a plan in case of technical failure was created to ensure continuity of instruction during times of network congestion and low bandwidth. faculty members are always prepared with additional teaching plans and materials in the case of a complete network failure. to make the global understanding course affordable to partner institutions in developing countries, we selected minimum hardware requirements that should be available to most institutions around the world. each site needs 10 pcs, one for the video conference software, 8 for irc chat, and one for the tech helper. gaining the approval and support of the senior administration is crucial to the success of this course. the pilot of the global understanding course was conducted in 2003 and based on its success the number and diversity of partners has grown so that as of the spring semester of 2011, ecu offered 9 sections of the course with more than thirty partners in more than 20 countries. in february, 2007, partners from china, morocco, peru, russia and ecu jointly presented a paper at the association of international education administrators annual conference in washington dc. during the conference these partners discussed possible actions to increase the global partners in education journal april 2011, vol.1 no.1, pp. 3-7 5 effectiveness of this project, to get more partners, etc. during these discussions it was decided that we would form an organization. ecu was charged to accomplish this goal. during may 15-17, 2008 the association of global partners in education (gpe) was established at east carolina university in greenville, north carolina. representatives from china agricultural university and shaanxi normal university, both from china; the university of malaysia at terengganu; san ignacio de loyola university and esan university, both from peru; lomonosov moscow state university from russia; the universite aboubekr belkaid tlemcen from algeria; the metropolitana university from venezuela; the state medical and pharmaceutical university from moldova, and east carolina university, usa, were attendees in the inauguration. representatives from the institute of leadership and communications studies, morocco; azad jammu of kashmir university, pakistan; and universidad regiomontana, mexico, joined the conference virtually via videoconference. ecu’s provost marilyn sheerer and senior associate provost austin bunch served as hosts for the conference. after two days of productive discussions, the participants at ecu signed the gpe charter as founding members, and gpe was born. ecu was elected as the first president and also elected to serve as gpe secretariat for the first five years. in may 2009, the gpe ii conference was hosted by china agricultural university in beijing, china. twelve partner institutions sent representatives to beijing, china cultural university and shandong university, both from china; esan and universidad san ignacio de loyola, both from peru; university of jammu, india; lomonosov moscow state university, maritime state university, vladivostok state university of economics and service, all from russia; university of malaysia at terengganu, from malaysia; moldova medical and pharmaceutical university, from moldova; universite aboubekr belkaid tlemcen, from algeria; and east carolina university, from usa. at the conference there was a paper presentation section and a section that discussed tasks related to gpe. many ideas were presented to make gpe more functional and beneficial for partners. all the papers were published in a proceedings volume produced by cau. ecu also conducted a virtual workshop to the participants at cau on technology. in may, 2010, the gpe iii conference was hosted by san ignacio de loyola university in lima, peru. fifteen partner universities from 9 countries sent representatives to lima. papers were presented and much of the time was used to discuss gpe related matters. during the conference it was unanimously decided that gpe should have its own journal. an editorial board was elected and dr. parikshat singh-manhas from the university of jammu, india, was elected the first editor in chief for the gpe journal. dr. biwu yang from ecu would take care of the electronic publishing of gpe journal. it was also decided at gpe iii that each year the secretariat will be responsible for gathering information, producing, and distributing a gpe annual report so we can have a record on file of the major events for all gpe partners. with the establishment of the gpe, partners began to use it as a vehicle to establish other global activities in addition to the global understanding project. using the same video conference technologies that all partners already have, different kinds of global partners in education journal april 2011, vol.1 no.1, pp. 3-7 6 projects have been developed. for example, there is the ilep (international lecture exchange project) where partners either jointly lecture to similar discipline classes in both countries or one partner offers lectures to another partner. there is the icep (international course exchange project) where two partners jointly teach a class for an entire semester. there is the irep (international research exchange project) where faculties use video conference technology to discuss ideas and theories and jointly work on papers and grants. the continuous success of these initiatives has impressed the us department of state so they approached us to partner with them on a global climate change course. in spring 2010, the us department of state, faculdade de jaguariuna from brazil, shandong university from china, university of jammu from india, and east carolina university from the us, started a pilot collaborative course on global climate change. it was a success and universidad regiomontana from mexico was added to this course in fall, 2010. over a period of 6 years we have witnessed the growth and success of global academic initiatives using technology. we have learned much from our experience and firmly believe using technology is the most cost effective way to rapidly set up a global network of educational partners and to facilitate the internationalizing curriculum. through gpe, faculty and students within the gpe network have benefitted from opportunities to interact with their peers around the world, including the global understanding course, the global climate change course, the ilep, icep and irep projects. the gpe journal will provide another venue for the exchange of ideas and inviting more partners to join us. we believe gpe has helped to accomplish our vision of creating a network where students from a wide range of countries have an opportunity to become global citizens and to function successfully in a global community. we believe that the global academic projects carried out among the gpe partners have indeed made progress on achieving our threefold goal of providing global awareness; enhancing positive global attitude; and acquiring real global interactional experience through collaborative projects. we look forward to developing more partners, exploring different kinds of technologies to make the links and activities better, and exploring innovative ways to strengthen the gpe network, so we can be even better in accomplishing our vision. global partners in education journal april 2011, vol.1 no.1, pp. 3-7 7 about the authors dr. rosina chia is the assistant vice chancellor for global academic initiatives at east carolina university. with her chinese background, she has always been interested in research in the cross-cultural psychology area. she co-developed the ecu global climate change and global understanding projects, the latter includes more than30 partners in more than 20 countries. this virtual partnership has expanded to other formats of collaboration on the university campus, high schools, and elementary schools. she can be reached at chiaro@ecu.edu. dr. elmer poe is the assistant vice chancellor for emerging academic initiatives at east carolina university. he has directed a team in the applications of innovative tools and approaches in collaborative intensive, internet based education in a variety of learning settings. elmer co-developed virtual world culture courses, such as global understanding and the global climate change, that use real time video and collaboration tools to bring students from around the world together on a daily basis. he can be reached at poee@ecu.edu. dr. biwu yang is a professor in the department of technology systems, east carolina university. he teaches in the field of data networking, information technology, and information security. he has served as the key technology person in all aspects of global academic initiatives since its inception, including the global understanding project that includes more than 30 partner universities from more than 20 countries, and the global climate change course including brazil, china, india, mexico and usa. he can be reached at yangb@ecu.edu. microsoft word teaching through technologies formatted vika global partners in education journal april 2011, vol.1 no.1, pp. 8-12 8 teaching through technologies: communicative and information competences alla l.nazarenko ludmila g. sizykh victoria a. fandei faculty of foreign languages lomonosov moscow state university abstract communicative and information competences are considered essential for the information society. the competence-developing approach was suggested by the council of europe (2001) and can be applied to learning and teaching any foreign language. the global understanding project, described in this paper, is a testing ground for this methodology. the experience gained in moscow state university (russia) showed that the preparation of students for communication with their foreign counterparts should be enhanced to achieve higher effectiveness of the project. as a solution the creation of a supporting site with resources and tasks for students is suggested and discussed. introduction the process of globalization of the contemporary world is intensively and extensively going on. interactions in economic and political spheres, in the field of education, science and culture are deepening; the area of interaction is broadening, covering new spheres of activities and new regions of the world. millions of people are involved in communicating with others, willingly or under the force of circumstances. they all need the tools for communication, the skills to handle it, and to be able to express themselves and achieve their goals in a world with a new configuration and new characteristics. the main tool of communication is language. for communication in a multilingual world a common language, a lingua franca, is necessary. today the english language is recognized to be the language of international communication. so, nowadays, knowledge of english is more or less a must. competence-developing approach but we also know very well that for successful communication with a foreigner it is not enough to have a shared language. it is also necessary to know the cultural peculiarities of his/her country or region. and vice-versa. as ter-minasova (2004) emphasizes in her book, language and cross-cultural communication, “to ensure cross-cultural communication one should not only know the language but also be global partners in education journal april 2011, vol.1 no.1, pp. 8-12 9 aware of the system of communicational culture, rules of etiquette, forms of nonverbal communication and have deep background knowledge of values and perceptions accepted in other cultures” (for example, of religious beliefs, taboos, public and historic facts, etc.) (p. 34) this statement is in agreement with the concept of “plurilinguisme” which has recently become dominant in the approach of the council of europe (2001) to the issue of studying languages and which, certainly, can be extended to non-european parts of the world, due to the overall tendency to integration in a globalized world. according to the council of europe (2001), plurilinguisme is not multilinguisme, which can be understood as knowing several languages or the co-existence of several languages within a given community. plurilinguisme occurs with the extending, in a cultural aspect, of the linguistic experience of an individual from the language used in the family to the language used in the society and further to mastering languages of other peoples (learnt at school, in college or in a genuine language environment); an individual does not ‘store’ these languages and cultures separately but shapes a communicative competence on the basis of his/her total knowledge and the whole of his/her linguistic experience, where all languages are interconnected and interacting. according to the situation an individual uses a part of this competence to ensure successful communication with a certain counterpart. from the point of view of these ideas, the goal of linguistic education changes. now a “perfect command” of one or two, or even three languages, taken separately from each other, is not any more the goal. the goal is the development of a linguistic repertoire where all linguistic skills are presented. in other words, the development of communicative competence is now considered to be one of the main categories of communicative linguistics and foreign language teaching. the analysis of contemporary scientific and academic literature makes it possible to conclude that communicative competence is an interdisciplinary phenomenon which does not have a clear-cut definition. in the most general way it can be defined as the creative ability of an individual to make use of an inventory of language means (in the form of statements and discourses) which is the combination of his/her knowledge and readiness for their adequate application. it is also emphasized that while communicating in a foreign language one uses a number of competences, including both language competences proper and nonlanguage ones. language competences proper are well known to all involved in foreign language teaching (flt) and comprise linguistic, sociolinguistic and pragmatic competences. non-language or general competences include one’s awareness of the outside world, obtained from life experience, education or from some other sources, such as socio-cultural and intercultural knowledge and skills. the latter is usually described as the ability and capacity to compare one’s native and foreign cultures, the ability to flexibly use various strategies to establish and maintain contacts with representatives of other cultures and efficiently avoid misleading and conflicting situations, caused/provoked by cultural differences. and also to overcome existing stereotypes. global partners in education journal april 2011, vol.1 no.1, pp. 8-12 10 the gu project as a touchstone of a competence theory all these seemingly theoretical and purely didactic aspects came to the fore in a very pragmatic way in a cross-cultural project “global understanding” initiated by east carolina university (usa) (http://www.ecu.edu/cs-acad/globalinitiatives/course.cfm), in which moscow university has been participating for over 5 years. students of different cultural backgrounds come to “meet” their counterparts from various regions of the world, having no special socio-cultural or cross-cultural knowledge of their partners’ society. they usually have only general ideas about the “other” cultures, based on information obtained by them from various sources and these ideas could vary very widely. due to direct communication with their partners in the project they extend and correct their perception of their counterparts’ countries and cultures and acquire special socio-cultural and cross-cultural knowledge. they use their partner-students as a learning resource. precisely because of this, the resource (or source of information) must be adequate, relevant and reliable. it is equally true for both parties involved in communication. however, our 5-year experience has taught us that, without special preparation, russian students rather frequently can not provide reliable information about their own culture and country (nazarenko & sizykh, 2009). this might be the result of a faulty school education (the russian system of secondary education is still in a state of flux after the collapse of the soviet union) or because usually the students enrolled in the course at our university were only in their second year and lacked the necessary knowledge. anyway, their partners might have been given less than adequate ideas about the cultural uniqueness of our country on the basis of the information they received from our students. (perhaps this was a two-way street?) consequently we introduced some changes to the program to prepare our students for more efficient and fruitful participation in the project. it was decided to enforce the cognitive side of it by including purposeful self-preparation for every class, guided by a teacher. a special “supporting” resource-site was created in the moodle system. the learning content is organized on a modular principle, each module containing an informative text on the subject to be discussed, sample questions for students to ask their partners during the link, tasks aimed at mastering thematic vocabulary and preparation of a short text/essay providing additional interesting information (found on the internet) about their own country and pertaining to the subject under discussion. sometimes the task would include making a power point presentation, which would visually demonstrate this or that fact about russian culture and life on which the student should comment. thus, the students get reliable information from the text, which they could use as reference material and as an initial basis for their discussion, where they will be able to operate with facts and checked information. in other words, they get socio-cultural knowledge about their own culture which could prompt them on what to concentrate on when asking their partners about their native culture. that is, it can provide them global partners in education journal april 2011, vol.1 no.1, pp. 8-12 11 with a starting point for acquiring similar knowledge about the culture explored. this sort of “mirror reflection” can help see more clearly the similarities and differences in the cultural backgrounds of the communicating parties. besides, it contributes to their improving their english, which for them is a second language. they acquire knowledge of semantic fields of the words referring to certain spheres of human activity and they plan and design their speech strategies according to various situations of communication. they purposefully extend their linguistic knowledge to fulfill their communicative task, which promotes the development of language competences proper, and which, together with general competences, develops the communicative competence of the participants of the project. shaping and developing communicative competence is recognized to be the final goal of linguistic education. the ability to communicate in a native and foreign language(s) is defined as a basic, key competence of a human being living in the xxi century, in a globalized world, in the information society. it should be noted that the global understanding project brings together participants from all continents with the help of and via information and communication technologies (ict). the spread of ict is another world tendency of our time and awareness in the field of information technologies or information competence is also qualified by the council of europe as one of the key competences. information competence is a combination of readiness and necessity to work with modern sources of information in professional and everyday spheres of human activities and also the skills: ■ to find needed information using various sources, including contemporary multimedia means; ■ to find out the level of the information’s reliability/novelty/significance; ■ to process information in accordance with the situation and tasks; ■ to archive and store information; ■ to use information found to solve a wide range of tasks. studying in a virtual classroom students acquire information competence by definition. they are actually immersed in an information environment. they permanently work with technologies. they get connected with their counterparts via chat, they work with search engines looking for information which they need to perform their tasks, they process the obtained information in accordance with the task, they save it, transfer it via e-mail, they know how to work with a word processor, navigation system and programs for creating presentations. conclusion due to the course moscow state university students of english as a foreign language specializing in cross-cultural communication have a wonderful opportunity to use their theoretical knowledge and improve their language skills in virtual (looking like real!) communication via videoconference with their foreign partners. but it seems that they need more purposeful preparation for the project to global partners in education journal april 2011, vol.1 no.1, pp. 8-12 12 be really effective. introducing additional work via technologies made it possible to intensify students’ acquisition of all competences relevant for effective communication. these competences are considered to be the basic ones for the people of the information society. references council of europe. (2001). common european framework of reference for languages: learning, teaching, assessment (cefr). retrieved from http://www.coe.int/t/dg4/linguistic/source/framework_en.pdf nazarenko, a., & sizykh, l.. (2009). from interpersonal international communication to global understanding. in f. meng, t. xu, w. feng, r. c. chia, & e. poe (eds.), proceedings of the 2nd gpe annual conference, beijing, china, 1014. ter-minasova, s. (2004). language and cross-cultural communication. moscow, russia: moscow state university. about the authors alla l. nazarenko is a phd, full professor, head of the department of linguistics and information technologies, vice-dean at the faculty of foreign languages and area studies lomonosov moscow state university. she lectures in british history and culture, theory and practice of distance education. a fulbright alumnus and an author of about 70 publications (including a monograph and textbooks) on linguistics, functional stylistics, esp, russian as a foreign language, cross-cultural communication, distance education and e-learning. website: http://anazarenko.ffl.msu.ru/ e-mail: anazarenkoster@gmail.com ludmila g. syzikh is a senior teacher at the faculty of foreign languages and area studies lomonosov moscow state university, teacher of global understanding course. area of interests: intercultural communication, distance learning, efl e-mail: lsyzikh@gmail.com viktoria a. fandei is a post-graduate student at the faculty of foreign languages and area studies, lomonosov moscow state university. graduated from lomonosov moscow state university, the faculty of foreign languages and area studies, in 2009. area of interests: intercultural communication, efl, blended learning, distance learning. the theme of her thesis is “blended learning as a means of enhancing the learning process in foreign language teaching”. e-mail: insatiable_in@mail.ru microsoft word jinconstructivism-application-formatted global partners in education journal april 2011, vol.1 no.1, pp. 13-20 13 constructivism-application in oral english teaching to non-english majors li jin shandong university, china abstract constructivism holds that the primary responsibility of the teacher is to create and maintain a collaborative problem-solving environment where students are allowed to construct their own knowledge, and the teacher acts as a facilitator and guide. the author briefly describes constructivist theory and its implications for oral english teaching and learning, states the current situation of oral english teaching for nonenglish majors in china, lists the main problems the students and the teachers face, and suggests some solutions to the problems. finally, the author introduces her practice in oral english teaching and concludes that both the students and the teacher benefit from the application of constructivism in oral english teaching to non-english majors. she also believes frequent practice of english in the real world will help the students achieve their goals. introduction to be contributing citizens, productive workers and competent leaders in the 21st century, college students now must be far more knowledgeable about the world, different regions and global issues, as well as have the ability to communicate across cultures and languages. speaking english can be the first step to clear and effective communication. to achieve this, we, teachers of english, feel a responsibility to guide the students to converse with the people around them in english. the author of this article starts from the theory of constructivism and its implications for oral english teaching and learning, and suggests solutions to the problems the teachers and the students face in oral english teaching and learning in china. finally, the author believes frequent practice of english in the real world will help the students achieve their goals. constructivism constructivism (li, 2005) holds that learning is an active process in which learners construct their own knowledge and understanding. they do not simply mirror and reflect what they are taught or what they read. learners look for meaning and will try to find regularity and order in the events of the world, even in the absence of full or complete information. constructivist teaching theory (li, 2005) holds that the students should be the center of teaching, although we should not neglect the importance of the teacher’s guidance. we should use multi-media and internet, construct real environments, carry on cooperative teaching and lead the students to self-constructed knowledge. global partners in education journal april 2011, vol.1 no.1, pp. 13-20 14 current situation in oral english teaching and learning in foreign language teaching, the four basic skills---listening, speaking, reading and writing---have greatly improved on the part of chinese students in the past decades. however, these skills have not developed at the same rate. many students can understand others’ english but they cannot express themselves effectively in english. for the majority of students, speaking still remains the most difficult skill to master, which can be reflected in the weak ability to communicate orally in english even after years of study at universities. according to the renowned linguists, rivers and temperley (1978), 45% of communication is carried out through listening, 30% through speaking, 16% through reading and 9% through writing. it can be concluded that communication by mouth and ear is the basic communication of human beings. thus, speaking is one of the most important skills in language learning. learning to speak english is considered to be one of the most difficult aspects of english learning for teachers to help the students. so, how to improve and develop oral english teaching in chinese schools has drawn the attention of both teachers and educators, and it has become one of the most important issues in english as a foreign language (efl) teaching field today. although many researchers and educators have tried to put various teaching theories and methods into practice to improve the teaching of oral english, there has not been much progress to date. thus, it is urgent for teachers of english to conduct research on this aspect, and to find more effective ways to improve it. considering the current situation in teaching oral english and its research in china, it was in the fall of 2009 that we at shandong university saw further reform in college english teaching; that is, oral english has been designed for the first time to be an independent compulsory course for non-english majors, which used to be one part of college english. this reform aims to help non-english majors with their oral english. problems for non-english majors for non-english majors, english used to be just one course, but now, with the further reform of college english teaching at shandong university, the students there have to take two english courses. they will face the following problems: 1) limited time. non-english majors know the importance of oral english, but english is just a required course for them, not their major. they are limited by time of classroom guidance (once a week, only 2 hours). 2) limited by vocabulary and insufficient input of western cultural background information. traditional english teaching requires the students to memorize more individual words, phrases or collocations, not the contexts in which they appear, which results in the problem that the students do not know how to express their ideas appropriately with the words they know. and limited cultural background information blocks communication with people from different cultural backgrounds. global partners in education journal april 2011, vol.1 no.1, pp. 13-20 15 3) lack of motivation and confidence. the students are desperately in need of improving their speaking competence, but few of them have an interest in speaking. chinese traditional education makes the students shy in class and in public. they seldom voluntarily present or share their ideas in class. solutions to the problems for non-english majors 1) arouse the students’ intense interest in english learning language learning is most effective when students’ interest, motivation and attitudes are taken into consideration. students are encouraged to experience the language, learn the language by self-discovery, and participate in discussion and negotiation activities. it emphasizes the role of positive affective states on the part of the students. it advocates a task-based approach to language learning and teaching: learning by doing and by using the language. it incorporates learning strategy development into the classroom instruction. 2) student-centered class with teachers’ guidance teachers should act as guides and facilitators in english learning; they should provide the students with more real-world situations (brown, 1994). in class, the students should be given more time to speak; that is, the students should be the speakers in class, they cannot be regarded just as audiences. the teachers should use different kinds of activities to guide and encourage the students to communicate with their peers using their newly constructed knowledge. 3) accumulate the students’ vocabulary to help with their oral english it is common that the students stop in their speeches or communication just because of a word, which they do not know, or they have no english equivalents of some chinese characters, from which we see vocabulary’s importance in delivering english speeches. therefore, the teachers should help the students find the best ways to enlarge their vocabulary. learning the rules of spelling and pronunciation and mastering the links between words will help the students to learn more words in their own ways. with a large vocabulary, the students can express themselves better. for instance, they will be happy to “show” themselves and voluntarily share their opinions in class and gain more confidence in speaking in public. 4) make full use of time in class and extend english learning after class english is a foreign language for the students in china. they do not have a good environment to speak english. it is well known that classroom instruction is the basic form of english teaching and learning, but class time for non-english majors is limited. so, teachers should help the students to make the best use of class time and encourage the students to say what they can say. to those beginning to learn english, they often do not dare to respond to the teachers in english for reasons such as lack of confidence or limited vocabulary. so, the teachers should give immediate feedback for the students’ performance in class, which will help them enjoy the success in learning. then they will be glad to speak more and more in class and in public. with the encouragement of the teachers, the students will continue their oral english speaking even after class. for instance, i often recommend the students to sit in on the lectures of the foreign teachers. the global partners in education journal april 2011, vol.1 no.1, pp. 13-20 16 students learn a lot from them, which broadens their view and makes additions to the lectures in the regular classes. 5) enhance the students’ awareness of target country’s cultures language and culture usually go hand in hand, which tells us culture is very important in language learning. when you learn english, you must have some knowledge of the cultures in the english speaking world. only when you know the background culture can you understand the speakers easily and express yourself correctly. take us for example. in class, we introduce to the class different cultures and customs of english speaking world in related situations, such as, thinking globally, perceiving culturally, comparing cultural values and adapting to new cultures. after class, every friday evening, some of my students and i visit the foreign teachers at their home, chatting about what we want to know and we also share what they are interested in. the conversation between us helps us better understand each other and each other’s cultures. the students feel relaxed and express themselves confidently. as we all know, “the aims for english teaching is to train the students how to use the language, yet this kind of ability will more quickly be developed on condition that the students are greatly engaged in the english language learning and immersed in an atmosphere of using the language” (yuan, 2003). so, in class, english teachers are required to guide the students and make the whole class full of communication. to some extent, the students’ attention and interest are aroused and in the meantime, the students’ speaking is effectively practiced. as english learners in the classroom, if they show great interest in english learning, they should listen to the teachers attentively and follow the teachers step by step. then they will be active in class activities and willing to communicate with others. finally, their speaking ability will surely be improved. on the contrary, students who have no interest in learning english will be reluctant to listen to the teacher and fail to communicate with others, which will cause them to be a stranger to english. some measures for arousing students’ interest: a. news report or extemporaneous speech before class; b. pair work, group discussion, retelling stories, role play in class; c. video and film watching; d. games, such as speedy alphabet. as the result of more varied methods, the students’ ability of speaking along with their engagement with vocabulary, interest, confidence, co-operation ability, etc. are all improved. our practice of oral english teaching in class the further reform of college english teaching at shandong university brings out a lot of changes accompanied with new vitality. at the same time, it sets incomparable challenges for the teachers, which requires them to be competent in the newly reformed curriculum. in doing so in our class, the students are improving global partners in education journal april 2011, vol.1 no.1, pp. 13-20 17 their ability in using english. the following is what we have done in our oral english classes. now, we’re using learning to speak: an english video course (yang, 2009), published by shanghai foreign language education press, as our textbook, which consists of eight units, specifically eight topics, each unit including lesson a and lesson b. lesson a is composed of four parts: part i: vocabulary link, introducing vocabulary and offering some information for practice, which is related to the topic part ii: listening, offering some exercises related to the topic part iii: speaking, offering some useful expressions and some exercises related to the topic part iv: communication, containing comprehensive exercises related to the topic all the above four parts offered in lesson a can almost be done in class, which is designed to help students to improve their english listening and speaking efficiently. following the communication part, four pieces of optional listening are offered, which are arranged from low level to high level. lesson b contains two parts: part i: global viewpoints: 5-6 people from different countries are interviewed. in this part, students are required to understand what they are talking about and then do the following exercises. part ii: city living: a 5-6 minute video clip, introducing people’s real life in the english speaking world. it is not very easy to understand, so this part is divided into three sections to help the learners understand it. 1) preview, introducing the main idea and some language points; 2) while you watch, offering 50% script of the video clip and the remaining 50% to be filled in; 3) after you watch, offering another communication exercise which aims to help improve the learners’ fluency in using english with what has been learned in the unit. after city living, there is one more optional listening. thus far we have discussed the textbook we are using now. in the following we shall share how we practiced in our classes with this textbook. take unit 3, book two, for example. part 1 vocabulary link vocabulary is the lead-in to the topic on food. with the offered information and pictures in the book, we guide the students to recognize what is in each picture and ask the students to tell the class its characteristics with english adjectives. then, use the adjectives to describe each food. when the students learn how to describe each individual food, we introduce more foods and more adjectives, which are close to the students’ lives. then, they can use the information to do pair work or group work to practice how to describe the food they like and why global partners in education journal april 2011, vol.1 no.1, pp. 13-20 18 they like it. the last step of this part is to ask some volunteers to present what they like to eat. part ii listening in this part, we usually listen to the recording twice (we assign the students to preview before class), then ask the students to use the notes they took to do pair work, share the key information they got and later retell the recording in their own words, namely, newly constructed knowledge. the above two parts usually take up 2 periods, in which we also introduce some restaurant terms and different types of services when dining out. homework is assigned to review what is learned and preview the remaining two parts: speaking and communication. part iii speaking skill i suggest before we take up part iii, we do some revision as usual. we start the new lecture in this way: if i treat you to a meal, i’d like you to give me some suggestions about which type of food you would like, fast food or slow food? this question will introduce how to make suggestions, which is the teaching goal of part iii. then we can introduce some other ways to make suggestions. next step is to let students practice how to make suggestions in class. when time is available, we can ask the students to make a comparison between fast food and slow food. then we can learn their advantages and disadvantages, which will benefit both our speaking and writing. part iv communication: your favorite food 1) listen to a paragraph. 2) offer some pictures, which are key information in the paragraph. 3) guess the main idea by answering the questions. 4) show the script of the paragraph. when the students learn the key information and the main idea, they can retell the paragraph, which becomes the way to describe their favorite food and any chinese food to the foreigners in english. since making suggestions is the target speaking skill in this lecture, we make some suggestions to the students: 1) when you describe chinese food: name a chinese dish in pinyin and then explain the ingredients; flavor/taste; what it looks like; how to make it; history/story behind it; 2) when you introduce chinese food to foreigners, it is better not to mention the dishes with the internal organs of animals, which they rarely eat. 3) when you treat or invite foreigners to a meal, first ask them whether they are vegetarians and what they do not eat, either from their preference or from their own religious beliefs. global partners in education journal april 2011, vol.1 no.1, pp. 13-20 19 after the communication part, we spend 10-15 minutes to watch the video clip in lesson b to get the main idea and let the students state their own opinions. the rest of lesson b will be learned after class by the students themselves. at the end of this lecture, we ask the students to search the internet for more information on slow food in order to make comparisons with fast food. we assign the students to practice how to describe their favorite food in english after class and expect their presentation next time. effects of our teaching practice with two-semester practice, both the students and the teachers benefit from the application of constructivism in oral english to non-english majors. for the students, those who used to speak no english in public have developed great interest in oral english and have gained confidence to present in front of the whole class. those who had been trained in off-campus english training centers before entering the university have played the important roles in group work and class activities, and they are more confident to speak english both in class and after class. in the past year, a quarter of our students (213 students) have taken part in different kinds of english speech contests on campus, and almost half of them have been awarded prizes. one more case worth mentioning is last summer, many students voluntarily signed up for summer exchange programs to different countries, such as the us, uk, australia, the netherlands, korea and singapore. this demonstrates that students are eager to see the world with what they have learned at home. all these practices do broaden the students’ global perspectives. the students’ progress challenges the teachers to improve their english language proficiency and their teaching skills in oral english tailored to the needs of the students. for instance, the roles in class have changed: students become the center of the classroom teaching and learning while the teachers are the facilitators who function as guides. in doing so, the whole class has more opportunity to speak instead of the teachers lecturing in class. to our delight, the students can extend the class activities after class, which is beneficial to the improvement of their oral english proficiency. conclusion with the application of constructivism, the teachers can develop and create various situational contexts for non-english majors. with the guidance of the teachers and the use of multi-media and the internet, the students can gain more interest in communication with their self-constructed knowledge in real-life situations, where the students can better their speaking skills, practice their cooperation, and improve their english proficiency. at the same time, the teachers can make some adjustments to meet the needs of the students. by doing so, both the teachers and the students can help each other to expand their global understanding. the students, with frequent practice of english in the real world, will find it easy to adapt to any new environment in the world. global partners in education journal april 2011, vol.1 no.1, pp. 13-20 20 references brown, h. d. (1994). principles of language learning and teaching (3rd ed.). englewood cliffs, nj: prentice hall regents. li, d. (2005). constructivism teaching theory. beijing, china: education & science press. rivers, w. m., & temperley, m. s. (1978). a practical guide to the teaching of english as a second or foreign language. new york, ny: oxford university press. yang, h. (2009). learning to speak: an english video course. shanghai, china: shanghai foreign language education press. yuan, b. (2003). on improving students’ speaking ability. foreign language teaching and research, p261. retrieved from http://www.studa.net/yingyu/081122/12481255-2.html about the author li jin is an associate professor of english in the college english department, shandong university, china. she graduated and received her ba and ma degrees in english language and literature from shandong university. she has been to the us and australia as a visiting scholar and once worked in holland and australia as a teacher of chinese. her teaching and research interests are in english and chinese teaching and cross-culture communication. in 1994 and 2009 she received awards for excellence in teaching. in 1996 and 2010 she got awards for excellence in research. she can be reached at weareblessed@163.com. alternative spring break jamaica! service learning and civic engagement in a developing country global partners in education journal april 2013, vol. 3 no. 1, pp. 49-56 www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 49 alternative spring break jamaica! service learning and civic engagement in a developing country …although college is only one phase in any individual’s lifelong process of moral and civic development, it can be pivotal, leading to new ways of understanding the world and one’s place in the world, providing new frameworks through which later experiences are interpreted, and equipping the individual with a wide array of capacities for moral and civic engagement. (colby, ehrlich, beaumont, & stephens, 2003, p. xii) cheryl clark c. victoria faircloth rebecca lasher michael k. mcdonald western carolina university, nc, usa abstract this article features the work of an interdisciplinary faculty collaborative project that involved 35 university students who participated in a week long spring break service learning trip to the island of jamaica. details regarding the planning process are highlighted. a section is included on the experiences of students, student outcomes, and faculty assessment of how outcomes were met. finally, a section on lessons learned for university faculty who are interested in developing similar experiential learning experiences for students is provided for future planning efforts. introduction authors have supported the benefits for university students involved in international service-learning projects (button, green, tengnah, johansson, & baker, 2005; urraca, ledoux, & harris, 2009). by engaging in international immersion projects, consciousness of students with regard to cultural diversity is greatly increased, as well as promotion of personal growth (caffrey, neander, markle, & stewart, 2005). other meaningful benefits of service learning include enhancing the student’s experience while attending a university and gaining insight for selection of the right vocation. furthermore, service learning and civic engagement activities include the development of attitudes and skills related to self and societal reflection, transformational learning, confidence and leadership (bamber & hankin, 2011). establishing a meaningful international service learning experience in higher education is based on effective faculty collaboration in planning intentional, focused, and transformative learning experiences (mckinnon & fealy, 2011). an interdisciplinary/intercollege team of faculty from western carolina university (wcu) embarked on a journey of engaged teaching and learning for the 2011-2012 academic global partners in education journal april 2013, vol. 3 no. 1, pp. 49-56 www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 50 year. specifically, the faculty group chose to engage students in an experiential learning trip to the island of jamaica over spring break. wcu has a long standing relationship with the people of jamaica. over the last 40 years, thousands of teachers with a teaching diploma from a british system of education have completed a four-year baccalaureate degree through western’s program on the island. with many alumni on the island, and the campus-wide emphasis on issues related to poverty, our project took shape early in the academic year. our faculty group had never worked together before, but we were able to quickly create a strong team because we shared a common set of values about the role of experiential learning for college students, as well as a common belief in the transformative power of living in a developing country for a week. this article provides a review of the trip, beginning with the planning process. then, we discuss the experience itself: what students did and learned while living and working in a developing country for one week. the third section discusses student learning outcomes and our assessment of learning experiences. the fourth section provides a set of lessons learned from the perspective of the faculty supervisors. our hope is that the article will provide both an inspiration for faculty considering similar international service-learning opportunities, as well as some helpful advice for the planning and implementation of such experiences. the planning process wcu has very specific guidelines for endorsement or sponsorship of travel experiences for college students. each student who was approved to participate had to register for a course designated as a travel course, as well as complete an approval process through the campus community ethics committee. since all students were not enrolled in the same course, we scheduled orientation sessions, one per month. sessions included speakers who had taught in wcu’s jamaica teacher education program or had lived in jamaica. students were grouped by major and required to create a presentation for the entire group on various topics related to jamaica’s culture, political structure, health issues, economic challenges, etc. also included in one session was the topic of being a guest in another country and the importance of respecting their values, beliefs, and traditions. the preparation of the budget for the trip was a critical step in the planning process. for this trip, we had a total of 35 students, which enabled the university to fund six faculty members to supervise and assist with various service and civic engagement activities in jamaica. the most intensive part of the planning process was maintaining regular contact with agencies and school personnel on the island. ultimately, this became one of the primary learning experiences for all of us. life in developing countries does not operate at the speed to which americans are accustomed. we had to maintain our perspective that living and working in a developing country for a week would be a transformative experience for our students, regardless of the unexpected changes to our pre-departure itinerary. global partners in education journal april 2013, vol. 3 no. 1, pp. 49-56 www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 51 the experience: kingston group visiting with students and teachers in jamaican schools allowed our students to better understand the challenges of providing an education in poverty stricken places, including a lack of teaching materials and places to store them, as well as overcrowded classrooms. we wanted the students to grapple with the problem of low morale in schools, the problem of under-qualified teachers, the lack of appropriate services for children with disabilities, and the stigma in society of being a child or having a child with special needs. students also grappled firsthand with issues of poverty they had discussed in other classes and on campus through the poverty project. through this trip, students were able to actually experience these “textbook” concepts at a realistic and often heart wrenching level. the young adults who participated in this trip now clearly understand that poverty means powerlessness and the lack of ability to control one’s destiny. students experienced the true helplessness that many jamaicans feel in their own country. in addition, students experienced community development through their exposure to nongovernment organizations (ngos) and church supported social programs in the country. the lack of income creation opportunities for citizens in the country further impacted students. this experience was transformational for some of our students and has led a few of them to research possible internship opportunities in jamaica or other developing nations. finally, the opportunity to personally and meaningfully interact with members of the jamaican society allowed students a glimpse of the oppression and real world challenges faced by their fellow global citizens. we believe students now have a lifelong reference point that transcends any theoretical or academic experience offered in our traditional classroom curriculum. the experience: st. elizabeth group students who went to st. elizabeth shared a common nursing major, and as a result, their learning outcomes focused more on their future career goals. notwithstanding this fact, these students also learned much of what we have already discussed regarding the plight of developing countries. fulfilling many components of the nursing degree’s focus on community health, the trip allowed students to see the differences between nursing care in the us and in jamaica, the differences between medical and drug supplies in the us and jamaica, and to compare and contrast the different types of facilities where patients receive care or are institutionalized. these lessons were made more concrete to students as they helped deliver critical medical supplies to homebound patients. another important lesson for our nursing students involved appropriate cultural care. the trip helped students recognize and respect cultural difference and see how important it is to provide care appropriate to and with respect for those differences. global partners in education journal april 2013, vol. 3 no. 1, pp. 49-56 www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 52 while providing health education at four rural clinics in st. elizabeth, students experienced many of those cultural differences firsthand. while performing eye exams for preschoolers, the students were also impacted by the hopelessness experienced by families lacking adequate finances. many jamaican parents struggle to buy food and pay bills; thus, buying glasses for children with vision issues is often impossible. the emotional frustrations of living in poverty, experienced by many jamaicans, were also experienced by the students. for all of our students, both in kingston and in st. elizabeth, the trip allowed for personal and professional development. they developed more global awareness and global citizenship. ultimately, our goal was to design a transformative experience that would lead to a change in behavior of our students in response to what they learned. students remarked on the flight home their lives would never be the same, and that they would look for opportunities to return to jamaica and to be more involved in helping those in need. student outcomes and lessons learned in our assessment, the trip was a success. as table 1 indicates, our students’ experiences in jamaica lined up perfectly with the learning outcomes developed by the wcu poverty project steering committee. aligning our trip with this university-wide initiative increased the institutional buy-in and support for our endeavor. the poverty project outlined four core outcomes it hoped students would achieve: 1. to develop a more comprehensive intellectual and emotional understanding of the global causes and consequences of poverty; 2. to work collaboratively across disciplines in global communities with faculty, staff, and community partners; 3. to contribute to potential solutions to poverty-related issues through participation in community service-learning events; 4. to take action through participation in a real world poverty-focused project. the post-trip evaluation was open-ended and students reflected on the experience in writing, as well as in small group discussions. their comments lined up remarkably well with the learning outcomes. students grappled with the causes and consequences of poverty by visiting schools, orphanages, health clinics, etc… their reflections noted the complex and interconnected realities of poverty. they noted the impact of education systems, debt, corruption, and globalization on the process of development in jamaica. additionally, the trip was intentionally designed to be interdisciplinary. students reflected on the broad array of academic interests within the group, noting how they learned from the perspectives of one another. by staying together in kingston, the 17 students from 9 different majors each brought a unique perspective to the agencies, contributing to a broader understanding of the issues faced by a developing country. global partners in education journal april 2013, vol. 3 no. 1, pp. 49-56 www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 53 table 1 student outcomes: kingston and st. elizabeth 1 our thanks to professor john whitmire and jennifer cooper, co-chairs of the poverty project steering committee, as well as all members of the committee. the poverty project’s great success – and these outcomes – are products of their hard work. wcu poverty project outcomes1 activities supporting outcome and student quotations demonstrating outcome success develop a more comprehensive intellectual and emotional (empathetic) understanding of the causes and consequences of poverty-related issues, both global and local, as well as what they can do about them, from the consideration perspectives informed by their own disciplines and those of others via traditional classroom teaching and learning, participation in student clubs and organizations with povertyfocused activities, and service with community partners. activities in kingston  visiting schools, orphanage, home for unwed mothers, public health clinic  speaking with staff and clients of each site  living in and traveling around jamaica for a week activities in st. elizabeth  performing eye exams and teaching daily hygiene at schools  visiting schools  observing, participating, and teaching in health clinics  developing therapeutic relationships with staff at each site "it is difficult to get a proper education especially because the country's focus is generally not in that direction due to other economic factors. education is the key to success and without that key, the door cannot be unlocked and the country will have a much more difficult time prospering." t.d. "i also think of extreme debt that can be accrued by developing countries due to imf and world bank loans as well as a severe lack of infrastructure such as decent roads, hospitals, and schools." m.c. "corruption within the government is a road block for many developing countries. in jamaica we saw corruption when we toured [one of the poorer neighborhoods]. while in the tour we were informed that the roads in this neighborhood were well kept in order to ensure that the neighborhood voted for a particular party." m.p. "much as many other semi-periphery countries, jamaica has a small portion of its people who are wealthy and the vast majority living in poverty" e.j. work collaboratively across disciplines and in local and global communities with faculty, staff, and community partners (including through advocacy) with individuals from a variety of philosophical, religious, socio-economic, and other backgrounds; some may choose to integrate projects they engage in, into their electronic briefcases for future presentation. activities in kingston  the very nature of this trip is interdisciplinary, with faculty from four disciplines and students from nine majors.  at each location, students learned from one another, each sharing some specific knowledge and perspective from their own major and course of study. activities in st. elizabeth  working collaboratively with the nurses and various health care professionals in the clinics and teachers in the schools.  attending a church service and speaking to people in the area regarding their religious beliefs. global partners in education journal april 2013, vol. 3 no. 1, pp. 49-56 www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 54 wcu poverty project outcomes activities supporting outcome and student quotations demonstrating outcome success contribute to potential solutions to poverty-related issues in theoretical and practical terms through participation in scholarly and creative activities (via discipline and coursespecific approaches, as well as focused undergraduate and graduate research), service-learning, and student organization events. activities in kingston  with each experience in jamaica, students constructed individually theoretical frameworks around the issues of poverty they faced, which we hope ultimately leads to construction of potential solutions. activities in st. elizabeth  as part of senior service learning project focused on hiv/aids education, students developed and prepared practical ways of presenting the information, accounting for the impact of poverty on the topic.  students from the student organization, nurses christian fellowship, prepared stories and craft activities for local schools. "you really have to employ the 'teach a man to fish' concept with these countries. too often, our aid programs have turned these countries into being severely dependent on foreign benefactors." e.j. "education is the number one way to help someone, whether it be how to farm using the resources that they already have or on how to make clothes so that they would have something to sell. if you educate someone, you can provide them with a lifetime of knowledge." t.c. "health care teams can make a huge difference. they can educate jamaican health care workers and help provide resources." b.c. take action through participation in real-world, poverty-focused projects and initiatives – including advocacy and civic engagement projects – with relevance to the content and skills of their own majors and vocational goals, as well as the lives of informed and responsible citizen content, meet community needs, develop career-related skills, and become responsible citizens. we collaborate with faculty, staff, students, and community partners to promote engagement, foster civic responsibility, and encourage academic excellence. activities in kingston  students spent one day with the peace corps office in kingston, learning about some concrete ways they could participate in poverty-reduction initiatives.  throughout, students were completing this outcome: the entire trip was a participation in the real world of poverty projects. activities in st. elizabeth students, whether in clinics, nursing home, schools, private homes, or hostel, participated in projects that revolved around poverty issues. "though i have travelled all over the world, jamaica was my favorite experience. this has everything to do with the participants and who we encountered. jamaica, despite the economic hardships, is a warm and inviting country." e.j. "this educational experience was top notch! experiences such as this for our young college students being exposed to other cultures and other world views." c.f. (doctoral student in educational leadership, who was one of our graduate student participants) global partners in education journal april 2013, vol. 3 no. 1, pp. 49-56 www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 55 solutions to poverty are hard to come by, but our students demonstrated a sophisticated appreciation of jamaica’s challenges and needs. the service-learning design of our trip allowed students to be on the ground and think about problem solving rather than sit back in an ivory tower classroom thinking abstractly about solutions. in their reflections they noted the importance of education and sustainable development project that – as one student noted – “teach a man to fish.” finally, students took action. throughout the trip students participated in real-world projects, collaborating with ngos and professionals on the ground to develop a stronger sense of global citizenship and foster a deeper sense of civic responsibility. students learned a great deal in jamaica, but we identified several areas where student learning could be improved. most importantly, we did not reserve enough time for structured reflection during the trip. the realities and logistics of getting students to and from the ngos and agencies were more time-consuming that we had anticipated. our intention was to have time each evening for reflection, but that time slipped away. in the future, we will reserve an hour or two in the morning to reflect on the previous day’s activity. this will give students time to process their experiences from the previous day without forgetting the salient details. additionally, we did not require a final paper or project from our students, in large part because they were taking a 1-credit travel course. ideally, a trip of this magnitude would correspond with a 3-credit course and culminate in a research paper and presentation. having a journal as the final product was fruitful, but a research paper would add significant academic content and rigor to the experience. conclusion in conclusion, the trip resulted in extraordinary student learning. we are convinced of the importance and value of this kind of international service-learning trip. this paper shows how this type of trip aids in student development, both personally and professionally, and the resulting shift of world view such experiences offer. we encourage other faculty to work collaboratively, across disciplines, to design similar opportunities for experiential learning for their students. references bamber, p., & hankin, l. (2011). transformative learning through service learning: no passport required. education and training, 53, 190-206. button, l., green, b., tengnah, c., johansson, i., & baker, c. (2005). the impact of intercultural placements on nurses’ personal and professional lives: literature review. journal of advanced nursing, 50, 315-24. caffrey, r., neander, w., markle, d., & stewart, b. (2005). improving the cultural competence of nursing students: results of integrating cultural content in the curriculum and an international immersion experience. journal of nursing education, 44, 234-240. global partners in education journal april 2013, vol. 3 no. 1, pp. 49-56 www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 56 colby, a., ehrlich, t., beaumont, e., & stephens, j. (2003). educating citizens. san francisco, ca: jossey-bass. mckinnon, t., & fealy, g. (2011). core principles for developing global service learning programs for nursing. nursing education perspectives, 32, 95-100. urraca, b., ledoux, m., & harris, j. (2009). beyond the comfort zone: lessons of intercultural service. the clearing house: a journal of educational strategies, issues, and ideas, 82, 281-289. about the authors cheryl clark received her adn from the university of indianapolis in 1968, her bsn from the university of evansville in 1975, and her msn from california state university in la in 1981. she has worked in medical/surgical units, cardiac stepdown units, and long term care. for the past 13 years, she has been a nurse educator at wcu, working primarily in medical-surgical and mental health classes. she is certified in faith community nursing. her interests include spiritual care of patients and international nursing. she can be reached at cclark@email.wcu.edu. c. victoria faircloth is an associate professor in the school of teaching and learning, college of education, at western carolina university. she received her doctorate in education from the university of georgia in 1990. her current interest in international service learning was started in 1997, when she became part of the university's teacher education program in jamaica. she can be reached at victoria@email.wcu.edu. rebecca lasher after receiving her graduate degree from the university of tennessee in 1985, rebecca lasher worked in clinical social work for 23 years specializing in counseling with children and adolescents. her years of experience in the field led her to the current position of assistant professor in the department of social work at western carolina university in 2008. as a former school social worker, her interests include poverty and how it impacts children in the educational environment. she was a member of the wcu poverty project committee during the 2011-12 academic year. her service at western carolina also includes involvement on the faculty senate as the elected secretary and facilitating intergroup dialogues with students. she can be reached at rlasher@email.wcu.edu. michael k. mcdonald is a visiting assistant professor of political science at wcu and a doctoral candidate in the department of government and politics at the university of maryland. his research and teaching focus on international and economic development, international political economy, and international public health. for 2011-2012, he was a co-investigator on the wcu poverty project. michael also researches the scholarship of teaching and learning, having published articles on experiential learning and civic engagement. he can be reached at mkmcdonald@email.wcu.edu. mailto:cclark@email.wcu.edu mailto:victoria@email.wcu.edu mailto:rlasher@email.wcu.edu mailto:mkmcdonald@email.wcu.edu global partners in education journal april 2014, vol. 4, no. 1, pp. 25-32 www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 25 impact of information and communication technologies on education delivery: the case of global understanding course at the university of jammu amit mahajan university of jammu, india prof. i.v. malhan central university of himachal pradesh, india abstract in the growing globalized, highly competitive and turbulent world, understanding and adopting the best practices in various cultures plays a crucial role in surviving and thriving. information technology facilitates global accessibility of information, diffusion of cultures, online delivery of education and just in time learning. this paper portrays the learning experiences and understanding of students undergoing global understanding course at the university of jammu in context to their intercultural experience, their knowledge of handling computers and perceptions of different levels of students on online delivery of education. the paper provides an analysis of information furnished by students on problems, benefits and convenience of online learning. introduction advances in information and communication technologies (icts) have had a profound influence on the way we do delivery of education and learn. besides compact storage and quick retrieval of learning resources, developments in icts helped linking information with information, packaging and repackaging of information, development of more aesthetic learning material, distribution of learning resources over networks and facilitated real time learning. increased communication and sharing of knowledge and experiences among a global community of students, quick sharing of ideas through video conferences, blogging, tweeting, and other social networking sites is taking place. information is being directly streamed in smart class rooms to provide access to the most appropriate and comprehensive learning resources. collaborative tools such as wikisare making possible the creation and accumulation of need based content that helps to meet the repetitive information requirements of several users. the voice over internet protocol is helping learners to instantly exchange information through word of mouth. a teacher can not only simultaneously deliver a lecture in several classrooms in the institution but also deliver the same lecture across universities existing on different continents. developments in information communication technologies have helped to http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal april 2014, vol. 4, no. 1, pp. 25-32 www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 26 overcome the barriers of geographical distance and facilitated democratic access to educational resources. the ongoing digitization of print documents and development of institutional digital repositories further enhanced access to large volume of learning resources. the open access movement and development of accumulated research resources such as biomedcentrum are enabling free access to desired learning resources. open source content creation software packages such as joomla! and druppal help to create and manage educational content. software package such as moodle serve the need to manage educational resources. educational institutions are using open source software packages like dspace to create institutional repositories and greenstoneto develop digital libraries. besides enhancing access to learning resources, use of icts has increased communication with students, authorities and administrators. students are able to use computing power and access networks when and where they want on the university campus. wi-fi and wimax are providing increasing freedom for internet access anywhere in the campus including the classrooms. students with the intention of learning and continuing their education through distance mode, students with disabilities and students interested in learning from their homes and employees from their offices are facilitated by the internet to access the learning resources. learning on the go may receive greater attention with growing time constraints, greater need for learning, increasing competition and availability of more learning resources. conscious that mobile learning may eventually come to mean learning from a cell phone or a personal digital assistant, researchers at stanford university's learning lab have studied the possibility of teaching people anything useful in sessions as short as a few minutes at a time (cairncross, 2002). the pedagogical development thus is taking place in response to technological advances and emerging new learning spaces and requirements. in a split second, learners can retrieve and access learning resources through search engines on any subject under the sun. video conferencing and chatting facilitate live exchange of ideas and information. technology has offered comprehensive learning resources and conveniences but actual learning depends upon individual's efforts, training and motivation to take advantage of what is available. we have an ocean of learning resources that can be used and the sky is the limit for learning. computing power is increasingly shifting to personal space with the growing availability of hand held computing devices and smart phones. content creation is also more or less personalized as ideas are now boxed in blogs. with the increasing availability of choice based credit systems in universities and need based e-learning programs, learning is also becoming more focused, skill centered and personalized. although advancing technologies, greater content and more choices have made the learning process more learner centric, the very process of learning is predominantly a human interactive course of action. it involves information sharing, prior domain knowledge to understand new concepts and to absorb and assimilate new learning. it requires explanations, instructions, mentoring, reason, logic, consent and dissent, and acceptance of ideas according to learners' mental framework and background. it requires expert assistance to know what is at the other end of the tunnel. it needs co-studying and http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal april 2014, vol. 4, no. 1, pp. 25-32 www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 27 information sharing to know various perspectives and to grasp multiple points of views. according to the views of alexander (2004) and ayers and grisham (2003), it has transformed higher education without transforming the places which set the standards for higher education. massive efforts are required for online education to meet the demands for learning in the hyper competitive globalized world. networking and collaborations are emerging as efforts for providing more effective institutional framework for facilitating learning as well as individual level means for sharing ideas and facilitating collaborative learning. educational institutions are undergoing metamorphosis to stay competitive and provide state of the art education. as the funding requirements for quality education and commercial interests grow, educational institutions have started functioning like corporate houses. in the emerging competitive educational scenario, they are collaborating and building strategic alliances for delivery of need based and high quality sustainable education. “co-operate to compete as a strategy of ‘collabotition’ (collaboration + competition) will be a critical strategy for colleges and universities in the future” (casanovas, 2010, p. 76). technology has also enabled personalization of such sharing of information and facilitated choice for connectivity and networking through social networking tools such as face book, twitter, linkedin, etc. there is now an enormous number of social networking based learning resources where learners can find content, tutors and words of wisdom. students and others on the social network are tending to make more use of social networking sites rather than email for their communication requirements. educational technologists helped to develop a variety of tools and artificial intelligence techniques that enhance learning and comprehension of the information delivered in various fields. companies are using such methods for delivery of education and to effectively train their staff. for instance, one well known giant manufacturer of aircraft engines has developed a simulation of a running boeing 777 engine. students have been found to learn ten times better than they do from an instructor using audio-visual equipment (cairncross, 2002). encyclopedia britannica's e-learning tool names smartmath not only better equips the teacher to deliver learning but also enhances students' understanding of mathematics. as knowledge and ideas are largely becoming resources to provide a competitive edge over others, many companies not only invest in technologies but also encourage their employees’ work specific learning, for their capacity building and performance enhancement. some companies have seen a very positive impact of e-learning. unilever, a big british household goods company, tracks the results of e-learning in an attempt to evaluate them. the company argues that e-learning has helped its sales staff to produce more than us$ 20 million in additional sales (hoekstra, 2001). in the globalized and hyper competitive business environment, companies are attempting to understand cultural traits, value systems, beliefs and behavior patterns of societies where increasing interconnectivity is leading to instant exchange of information and diffusion of cultures. the spread of fast food restaurant in india and yogic practices and http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal april 2014, vol. 4, no. 1, pp. 25-32 www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 28 ayurveda based herbal medicines in the western world are some instances of the cultural diffusion. studying and understanding the culture and work practices of different parts of the world help businesses to make choices and adopt the best practices. the importance of understanding cultures and societal moral philosophies is not only increasing for effective communication with distant colleagues and bpo work, but also for marketing of products and services. this study focuses on the online global understanding course (guc) which is being offered at the university of jammu, jammu (tawi). students registered for this course were asked to provide feedback regarding their level of learning, intercultural encounters and experiences of online delivery of education. online education helps in acquisition of knowledge, helps to eliminate obsolete ideas, and facilitates learning the best practices across different cultures, and thus has great relevance for learners in the contemporary world. the guc is aimed at students who wish to learn and understand other cultures through online education. this course is helpful for any major where communicating with diverse populations is a key for success in the chosen career pursuit. as far as the course content is concerned, the guc gives an opportunity for scholars to learn and understand different societies, without voyaging. in this course scholars join forces for the span of the course accommodating and respecting cultural values and permitting an atmosphere of trust to develop. this trust helps to impart information, suppositions, qualities, mentalities and passions. students exchange information with one another regularly to understand each other’s customs. this coordinated dialogue advances the sense of fellowship. students scrutinize one another’s daily papers to learn what is going on in their associate society. moreover students develop a joint paper. this joint endeavor educates them how to work in a team. when distant learners collaboratively learn, they figure out similarities, look at positive practices in other cultures and also identify the negative distinctions. this helps them to have a broader point of view and learn the good features of other societies. the participants learn to interact effectively in a culturally diverse interactive environment. this prepares people to think deliberately about not just what they express, but how they state it. moreover, scholars learn how to listen, so they fathom the significance of the expressions as well as the state of mind and passions that accompany them. this course uses various information communication technologies which are useful for facilitating online education. for instance, it uses centra: an online education software tool which gives students a classroom feel where students chat, talk, and view presentations, use white boards to write and express, hand raise to ask questions and reply. skype and polycom are used for video exchanges. the mirc is used for chat, and students’ blogs are created to share their views and information. objectives this study was undertaken with the following objectives in mind: • to study the students’ level of knowledge for handling computers and the internet related programs. http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal april 2014, vol. 4, no. 1, pp. 25-32 www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 29 • to study the experience of students undertaking guc at the university of jammu including the intercultural experience. • to know the satisfaction level of students who pursued the guc and to study the impact of icts on online education. method participants five batches of students registered for the guc course at the university of jammu, jammu were studied. a total of 41 students registered for this course were studied, 26 males and 15 females. of these students, 7 were less than the age of 20 years, 18 belonged to the age group of 21-25 years, 14 were from 26-30 years and 2 were beyond the age of 30 years. as far as the qualifications of participants are concerned, 18 were graduates, 16 were postgraduates and 7 were just 12th pass. materials a questionnaire was developed and used to collect data. the questionnaire included 13 different elements of study (table 1) and another element was included for students’ suggestions. the lowest anchor point 1 represented strongly disagree and the highest 5 represented strongly agree. procedure after the completion of course for every batch of students, questionnaires designed for the purpose of this study were distributed among the students. questionnaires for data collection were distributed to 45 students and 41 students returned the questionnaires duly filled. the learning center where this course was conducted was also visited to make on the spot observations regarding the learning activities of students participating in the guc course. the participants were asked to freely and sincerely comment so that, in addition to other objectives, this course may be further improved. student input was also used to improve infrastructural facilities at the learning center. results in order to study the impact of the course, various factors taken into consideration were knowledge of computers before the course, their past experience of interacting with the students abroad, the need of moderator during interaction, evaluation of online education vs. traditional education, the technology used for the course is up to the expectation or not, efficiency of the technology used during the course, scope of information that has been exchanged during the interaction, problems faced by students and suggestions to improve, over all experience and satisfaction level of the students, etc. the data are summarized in table 1. http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal april 2014, vol. 4, no. 1, pp. 25-32 www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 30 table 1 impact of guc on learners descriptive statistics mean sd 1. basic knowledge of handling computers and online interaction 5.00 0.00 2. first experience of interacting with students abroad. 4.41 1.43 3. are you satisfied with what you have learned online? 4.82 0.54 4. interaction was moderated by the coordinator or self-driven 4.29 1.14 5. course has helped you to established interpersonal links with the people you have exchanged information shared through this online interaction. 4.85 0.69 6. programme enriched learning in your own area of study. 5.00 0.00 7. online education is better than traditional offline learning. 4.53 0.95 8. technology used in the course is appropriate for e-learning. 4.29 1.36 9. course met your expectations. 4.63 0.91 10. the enabling technology worked fine during the course period. 4.56 0.77 11. recommended this course to others. 5.00 0.00 12. information exchanged during interaction with distant students. 5.00 0.00 13. cultural and communication barriers experienced in interaction. 3.97 0.79 table 1 indicates that the mean value of basic knowledge of handling computers and online interaction is 5.0, which means that all the students were familiar with these skills. most of the students agreed that this was their first experience interacting with students from other countries whereas some of the students had experience interacting through online chatting and social networking. ninety-seven percent of the students were satisfied with their online interaction experience. students rated it worthwhile knowing about something sitting far away from the place of delivery of education which was interesting and they learned many things. the same percentage of the students were satisfied with the course, the rest few were of mixed views. some students recommended increasing the duration of interaction and some faced other issues such as blurred images and http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal april 2014, vol. 4, no. 1, pp. 25-32 www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 31 broken voices during interaction. eighty-six percent of respondents said that the interaction was moderated while fourteen percent said it was self-driven. ninety-seven percent of respondents said that this online interaction has helped them to establish interpersonal links. they learned about the socio-cultural life of different countries. they had opportunities to share their views and ideology with the students abroad. students also saw change in themselves and were encouraged to establish relations with new people. eighty-six percent of respondents found the technology used for e-learning was appropriate while the rest did not agree with this. they assumed that the technology should be further upgraded. eighty percent of students who opted for the course experienced communication and cultural barriers. dialect and language problem seemed to be one of the factors interfering with students’ ability to understand some questions, particularly when interacting with chinese, russian, and mexican students. due to this they were unable to discuss the issues effectively. most of the students agreed that the technology worked fine during the course period. all of the students responded that they will recommend the course to others. ninety percent of students said that online education is better than traditional offline learning, and 92 percent of them reported that this course of study met their expectations. all the students exchanged information during interaction with distant students and all of them also reported that this program enriched learning in their own area of study. discussion the global understanding course run at the university of jammu is taken by learners from diverse backgrounds and levels of education ranging from pre-college students to management, computer science, law, dental, and tourism students. basically the students who really consider that understanding global culture may help them in their professional career registered for this course. most of the learners mentioned that they were really benefited by this course. for instance, a student of law appreciated the course delivery on climate change and reported that this course helped him to understand environmental laws and to look at the issue of climate change from the legal perspective. similarly the mba students mentioned that in the era of globalized, highly competitive and turbulent business environment, it is very important to have adequate understanding of global cultures and society and potential customers from all over the world. they mentioned that it is important to have sufficient information and to do knowledge-intensive work to really compete in the hyper competitive business environment. the learners were also of the view that the time duration of this course should be extended and there should be a well-defined calendar for various courses, and the university resource center should strictly adhere to that calendar. the majority of the students however were satisfied with the course and the learning outcomes and some of them even felt very excited when they communicated with their counter parts abroad. this course has also helped them to establish interpersonal contacts and further exchange the information with their friends abroad. it has had another positive effect of developing the culture of cross-cultural collaborative learning and working together on various issues of common and current concern. the learners very frequently exchanged their ideas and even made their joint presentations on various important issues and had a feeling that http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal april 2014, vol. 4, no. 1, pp. 25-32 www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 32 information technology has overcome the barriers of space and time. they mentioned that student will enjoy this course much more if sound quality is improved. references alexander, s. (2004). an e-learning ecology. e-agenda 2004 roundtable. retrieved from http://www.griffith.edu.au/conference/eagenda2004 ayers, e. l., & grisham, c. m. (2003). why it has not paid off as we hoped (yet). educause review, 38, 40-51 cairncross, f. (2002). the company of the future. watertown, ma: harvard business review press. casanovas, i. (2010). exploring the current theoretical background about adoption until institutionalization of online education in universities: needs for further research. electronic journal of e-learning, 8, 73-84. retrieved from http://www.ejel.org/volume8/issue2 hoekstra, j. (2001). three in one. online learning, 5, 28-32. about the authors amit mahajan is working as system analyst (it) in the university of jammu, jammu, india. he had an experience of more than 12 years in the field of ict and computer networks. he is m.sc electronics, mca. presently he is pursuing doctoral programme in computer science. besides this he has obtained industrial certifications like ccna, mcp, mcsa, ccnsp (cyberoam certified network and security professional) and associate wipro accredited service engineer. he can be reached at amit.mahajans@gmail.com. prof. i.v malhan is a professor and dean, school of mathematics, computers & information science, central university of himachal pradesh, dharamshala, (hp) india176215 . he has published more than 100 research papers and 9 books. he has guided 8 ph.d and 6 m.phil students. around 6 students are registered for ph. d. he had received many national and international awards. he has held various administrative positions over the years. he can be reached at imalhan_47@rediffmail.com. http://www.gpejournal.org/ http://www.griffith.edu.au/conference/eagenda2004 http://www.ejel.org/volume8/issue2 mailto:amit.mahajans@gmail.com mailto:imalhan_47@rediffmail.com global partners in education journal april 2014, vol. 4, no. 1, pp. 16-24 www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 16 curriculum integration through partner collaboration: a us/ uk bachelor’s towards master’s initiative jenifer cushman ohio university zanesville, usa tom kyle university of leeds, uk abstract global learning is an emerging imperative for the higher education in the twenty-first century. in the context of the work of jane knight, susan buck sutton, and daniel obst towards internationalization, strategic partnerships, and collaborative degree programs, a uk and us institution are working through challenges to create a new kind of partner degree that could be a model for liberal arts colleges in particular. with the standpoint that, as institutions of higher education work together to enhance global learning, they can be most effective by adopting a collaborative rather than competitive approach, international officers at the partner institutions are engaging faculty and departments across the institutions to formalize and streamline the bachelor towards master’s degree across a number of disciplines. already in 2013, a pilot student who studied abroad in the uk while working on her undergraduate degree at a liberal arts college has returned to the study abroad site to complete her master’s degree in museum studies. it is hoped that the fruit of such efforts will attract domestic students interested in global learning as well as international students unfamiliar with the concept of a liberal arts college, and will form the basis of future collaborations towards curriculum integration, perhaps through technologically-facilitated learning. introduction global learning is an emerging imperative for the higher education in the twenty-first century. peter stearns (2009) notes that a substantial majority of students seeking colleges “claim that global education opportunities… [are a] significant factor in choice of college” (p. 40), even as organizations such as the association of american colleges and universities (aac&u) encourage institutions to re-envision the academic program for the twenty-first century. at the recent aac&u “global learning in college: asking big questions, engaging urgent challenges” conference, david paris (2013), aac&u’s vice president of the office of integrative liberal learning and the global commons spoke to the need for new curricular pathways. echoing the spirit of “dancing with robots” by frank levy and richard murnane (2013), who emphasize that “teaching today’s foundational skills requires changing how core subjects are taught” (p. 25), paris advocated for shaping the curriculum around the global themes facing our world today, connecting courses that touch problems from several angles. http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal april 2014, vol. 4, no. 1, pp. 16-24 www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 17 in her important work on the internationalization of higher education, jane knight (2008) addressed some of the twenty-first century forces that shape higher education and internationalization, listing the bologna process as an example of major reform (p. 7). the spirit of collaboration present in the bologna process is central to internationalization. as institutions across the globe work together to enhance global learning, they can only be effective by adopting a collaborative rather than competitive approach. as david kirp (2003) recognizes, the competitive business model is not adequate for higher education. “analogies between higher education and the private sector or government shouldn’t be pushed too far” (p. 113), he acknowledges, wondering: “can a university maintain the intellectual world that thomas jefferson sought to represent… if learning becomes just another consumer good?” (p. 145). of course, collaboration between institutions of higher education must begin with strategic priorities. susan buck sutton and daniel obst (2011) introduce their developing strategic international partnerships by emphasizing the importance of approaching partnerships strategically, arguing “unequivocally for greater and more creative use of international partnerships by institutions of higher learning” (p. xiv). partnerships, they say, are being asked to engage in curriculum building and course enhancement (p. xv). naturally, curriculum integration of global learning is only achieved through collaboration, specifically collaboration between academic departments and faculty members. one possible outcome of faculty collaboration is collaborative degree programs, which knight (2008) lists as one of a number of internationalization strategies that have become landmarks since the 1990s (p. 3). in joint and double degree programs, daniel obst and matthias kuder (2009) highlight the “emergence of collaborative degree programs, such as dual diplomas, joint degrees, consortia, and other forms of curriculum cooperation” (p. xiii). in this same volume, christi degen and carsten klenner (2009) outline a double master in business administration with partners of the university of cologne (p. 135). degen and klenner’s example is typical for collaborative degree programs, which are often in the area of business and management. aware of the need for models in the humanities and for liberal arts colleges, juniata college in central pennsylvania, usa and university of leeds, england, uk are enhancing global learning through international collaboration by exploring innovations that are possible as a result of their thriving direct exchange relationship. these targeted efforts have resulted in a partner bachelor’s degree for leeds students studying at juniata, and more recently a partner master’s degree for juniata graduates at leeds. certainly both partners have faced challenges along the way, but the lessons learned and, more importantly, the resulting model can be useful for others in the field. global learning at juniata at juniata, study abroad is purposefully integrated into student courses of study. inspired by the institutional promise to provide juniata graduates with experiential learning opportunities related to each student's course of study, faculty and staff work http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal april 2014, vol. 4, no. 1, pp. 16-24 www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 18 with counterparts abroad to cultivate global learning opportunities with international partners, including partner degrees and technologically-facilitated learning. specifically, faculty members collaborate on curricular initiatives that also yield research partnerships and sabbatical sites, for example. since courses and grades transfer from partner sites, juniata has developed poe (major) study abroad advising guides and course equivalency lists that match to partner institutions. one result of faculty engagement in international efforts is that international exchange students at juniata are eligible to participate in a partner bachelor’s degree if they study two semesters at juniata. a number of these agreements are reciprocal, for example “the juniatabocholt transatlantic double degree in international management” outlined by cushman (2009) in obst and kuder’s anthology. more recently, juniata faculty are looking to the promise of technologically-facilitated instruction for global learning opportunities. although juniata’s institutional commitment to online learning is not yet articulated, a number of faculty members are learning from the suny collaborative online international learning (coil) model to engage with international partners. as sarah guth (2013) explains in the final report for the nehfunded globally networked learning in the humanities project, “coil (also referred to as globally networked learning or virtual exchange) is not a technology, but rather a new approach to teaching and learning that brings together geographically distant instructors and students from different lingua‐cultural backgrounds to communicate and collaborate through the use of online communication tools” (p. 2). from older “distance learning” and itv technologies to more recent video conferencing platforms, juniata globallynetworked learning initiatives have included student engagement in intercultural communication with a russian partner, spanish with mexican partners, computer science with a german partner, and digital video media with british and irish partners. it is envisioned that faculty members will increasingly interact with international partners through technology to cultivate shared student projects, team-taught courses, and, ultimately partner degrees. internationalism at leeds as one of the largest universities in the uk, the university of leeds’ journey towards internationalization has developed in a variety of ways. the range of benefits (including but not exclusively financial) of receiving students from overseas has meant international recruitment has been a long established tenant of leeds’ strategy. as a research intensive university there has also been a great deal of international collaboration at the research level – as membership of the worldwide universities network suggests. in recent years, increased attention has been placed on internationalization at home by trying to broaden the opportunities for all leeds students to infuse their studies with a global perspective – whether by building international dimensions into curricular materials or encouraging students to participate in some form of overseas activity. although comparative data is scarce, it is believed that leeds has one of the most active undergraduate exchange programs in the uk. students also have the opportunity to participate in language assistant placements (usually at european schools assisting in teaching english as a foreign language) or work placements http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal april 2014, vol. 4, no. 1, pp. 16-24 www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 19 overseas. a recurring challenge at an institution the size of the university of leeds is simply being aware of the huge range of international activities that may be going on at any given time – although a summary of research and industry links and a list of current exchange partners are useful in this regard. the juniata-leeds partnership juniata first began its relationship with leeds in the 1990s through an exchange partnership with an affiliated institution ripon college, now york st. john university. initially conceived as an honors study abroad site for juniata students, leeds eventually began sending students to juniata after the first of a number of juniata delegations visited leeds in 2008. as official international partners, leeds students were eligible to participate in the juniata partner bachelor’s degree, a program whereby students from direct exchange partners who meet the criteria and successfully complete two semesters of specific courses at juniata may receive a bachelor’s degree. connecting faculty members is central to the successful partnership, and juniata and leeds regularly engage in interactive visits on both sides. connecting academic departments more deliberately and encouraging faculty discourse concerning curricular matching thus empowers faculty members to integrate the study abroad experiences more intentionally into student courses of study. with increasing student and staff mobility on each end, conversations about possible joint initiatives became increasingly concrete, and have culminated in the most recent manifestation, a bachelor towards international master’s degree. under this master’s initiative, a juniata graduate enrolls in a master’s program in a department at leeds they encountered already as an undergraduate exchange student. in the final form of the program, juniata students would be admitted to juniata and, by fall sophomore year, as part of the study abroad application process, students would declare their intention to pursue an international master’s degree program. students would preliminarily apply to the leeds department’s master’s degree program as part of the juniata study abroad application process. approved students would spend their junior year at leeds undertaking the fundamentals of the partner department’s master’s degree. students would return to juniata for the senior year, graduate with a bachelor’s degree from juniata, and then return to leeds to complete the master’s degree. there are inherent advantages to the student with this model: juniata students are well supported in their first year at leeds as undergraduates on an existing exchange, so that they return after juniata graduation to an international site with which they are already familiar. very few resources and little structural and curricular change are needed, and nothing is imposed from above; only interested departments participate. the us bachelor-toward-uk master’s initiative recently entered the applied stage. in 2013, a pilot student who studied abroad at leeds during spring 2012 while working on her undergraduate degree at juniata has returned to leeds to complete her master’s degree in museum studies. the student took three classes in the university of leeds school of fine art, history of art and museum studies in her junior year, before returning to juniata for senior. upon graduating from juniata spring 2013, the student http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal april 2014, vol. 4, no. 1, pp. 16-24 www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 20 returned to leeds and is currently studying towards an ma in art gallery and museum studies, which should be completed by august 2014. one factor that contributes to the viability of a partner master’s degree is the fact that (in common with many uk institutions) the entry requirements to leeds masters programs are intentionally broad in scope, entailing the equivalent of an upper second class uk degree in any ‘related’ subject. the focus of the entry requirements is on the classification and quality of bachelor degree awarded rather than the specific program and course content of the degree. this means the need for intensive curriculum ‘matching’ is not particularly pressing, which reduces the complexity of the arrangement and does not place additional burdens on the student to take the ‘right’ courses. in the case of the pilot, the student’s familiarity with the faculty, university, city and pedagogic culture were the key factors in facilitating a smooth transition through the joint program rather than the need to follow a narrowly-defined program of study. similarly the successful completion of the juniata bachelor degree to the required standard was the critical factor in confirming suitability for the master’s program at leeds rather than the specific course content on the study abroad semester or the juniata bachelor degree as a whole. despite a certain amount of flexibility in the academic content, a sustained period of discussion and negotiation was required to ensure the international masters concept was sound. crucially, faculty and staff from both leeds and juniata with the appropriate knowledge of their university programs were involved in site visits to facilitate face-to-face discussion. with this pilot student, the program promises to broaden global learning opportunities and enhance institutional collaboration. international officers at both institutions are engaging faculty and departments across the institutions to formalize and streamline the bachelor towards master’s degree across a number of disciplines. it is hoped that the fruit of such efforts will attract domestic students interested in global learning as well as international students unfamiliar with the concept of a liberal arts college. benefits, challenges, and lessons learned it is important to note that this initial foray has come only after much back-and-forth travel and conversation over the course of a number of years. while some resource investment, specifically in the form of travel funding, is necessary for such initiatives to be successful, the benefits to both institutions are substantial. when faculty members and departments develop solid relationships with specific international partners, faculty collaboration, sabbatical sharing, and student exchange increases. possibilities for creative collaborations grow; for example, the departmental connections resulting from the international master’s program could also be used to develop international distance education courses, either by technologically linking courses taught at juniata and leeds, or by exploring models for online courses such as those developed by suny coil. in the area of enrollment and retention, benefits exist for both domestic and international students with the international master’s program. the program could prove to be a http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal april 2014, vol. 4, no. 1, pp. 16-24 www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 21 particularly appealing recruiting tool for juniata, which is primarily an undergraduate institution, as it highlights the advantages of a us liberal arts education to students perhaps unfamiliar with the model, as excellent preparation for graduate school. for some international populations, the specific combination of us bachelor’s and uk master’s is especially desirable. finally, possibilities for degree cohorts could aid recruitment and retention. for leeds, the program is, in effect, a graduate recruiting strategy. specific partner departments can develop solid relationships with departments at juniata, which can increase faculty collaboration and exchange, as well as numbers of exchange students from juniata. recruiting students from the us to uk masters programs is a difficult but rewarding activity – master’s students from the us are typically quite successful at leeds, but can be hard to attract. leeds is likely to be a less well known city to most american undergraduates than (for example) london, cambridge or edinburgh, so the opportunity to recruit from a pool of students who already have familiarity with the city is a valuable one. the relationship with juniata (exchange agreements and the joint masters model) in particular is a key element of leeds’ wider internationalization activity where the university is looking to build wide-ranging and deep collaborations with a relatively small number of high quality institutions around the world. the obvious differences in size and academic profile between the institutions heighten the complementary nature of the relationship. certainly as with any intercultural, distance partnership, challenges exist in the juniata/ leeds model. since the most important aspect of the partnership appears to be the face-to-face conversations, funding and faculty motivation are first and foremost. the most pressing need in establishing five-year international master’s degrees in multiple academic areas is funds for faculty members in interested departments to travel to compare and coordinate curricula. it was the early involvement of academic staff in a specific field that enabled the partner master’s concept to take flight so swiftly. because of the decentralized structure of many european universities, us institutions do well to focus initially on only one or two academic areas when establishing a double degree with a european partner. the “bottom-up” approach will reap the quickest rewards, as disparate academic divisions in european institutions tend to function relatively autonomously, and sometimes even run their own international offices independently of the larger institution. other difficulties exist, of course, primarily the financial concerns of students, but also the logistical intricacies of enrolling in an institution abroad. ultimately, it is still daunting for a us student to consider graduate study abroad. for this reason, it could be desirable to establish a number of short-term scholarships as a developing partnership takes shape, to generate interest in the program and encourage students to iron out potential stumbling blocks. it is also important for departments on both sides to be flexible regarding required courses, including timing of course offerings and acceptance of courses and credits from the partner institution. this flexibility may be more difficult with science and engineering subjects which may have more stringent pre-requisites at the master’s degree level than their counterparts in the arts and humanities. finally, it is unfortunately the case that institutional change seldom comes quickly. such an http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal april 2014, vol. 4, no. 1, pp. 16-24 www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 22 initiative, dependent as it is upon multiple conversations and constituencies may get relegated to the back burner during its development. moreover, with staff turnover what it is, the momentum may be easily lost if those committed to the project move away from one of the institutions. future possibilities with a leeds delegation to juniata autumn 2013, and a follow-up from juniata to leeds summer 2014, it is expected that new efforts will emerge. with further and closer collaboration between faculty members and courses, as well as departments and programs, perhaps facilitated through technology, joint degree collaborations become more likely. knight (2008) acknowledges the importance of communication technologies to partner collaboration, as they “are enabling a far larger percent of students to have international contacts and access to information. distance and time are no longer barriers” (p. 7). other possibilities for partnership development also exist. leeds students could join juniata faculty-led short-term domestic and international programs, and leeds could look to develop its offerings in this area and open these to juniata students. like most uk institutions leeds has relatively little faculty-led activity and could benefit from juniata’s experience. ultimately, the partnership could result in the development of true joint degrees at the undergraduate level, such as a 2+2 with online components. international partnerships that are connected in this way at the departmental and course level are more likely to be vibrant and long-lasting, and are ultimately one of the best models for the curriculum integration of global learning in the twenty-first century. http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal april 2014, vol. 4, no. 1, pp. 16-24 www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 23 references cushman, j. (2009). the juniata-bocholt transatlantic double degree in international management. in d. obst & m. kuder (eds), joint and double degree programs: an emerging model for transatlantic exchange (pp. 129-132). new york, ny: institute of international education. degen, c., & carsten k. (2009). elevating existing study programs through the integration of double degrees: the double master in business administration at the university of cologne. in d. obst & m. kuder (eds), joint and double degree programs: an emerging model for transatlantic exchange (pp. 135-141). new york, ny: institute of international education. guth, s. (2013). the coil institute for globally networked learning in the humanities: final report. retrieved from http://coil.suny.edu/sites/default/files/case_study_report.pdf. kirp, d. l. (2003). shakespeare, einstein, and the bottom line: the marketing of higher education. cambridge, ma: harvard university press. knight, j. (2008). higher education in turmoil: the changing world of internationalization. global perspectives on higher education (vol. 13). rotterdam, netherlands: sense. retrieved from https://www.sensepublishers.com/media/475-higher-education-in-turmoil.pdf. levy, f., & murnane, r. j. (2013). dancing with robots: human skills for computerized work. retreived from third way next website: http://content.thirdway.org/publications/714/dancing-with-robots.pdf obst, d. & kuder, m. (eds). (2009). joint and double degree programs: an emerging model for transatlantic exchange. new york, ny: institute of international education. paris, d. (2013, october). re‐forming liberal education: remapping and integrating general education, the major, and the student experience. paper presented at the association of american colleges and universities (aac&u) global learning in college: asking big questions, engaging urgent challenges conference, providence, ri. stearns, p. n. (2009). educating global citizens in colleges and universities: challenges and opportunities. new york, ny: routledge. sutton, s. b., & obst, d. (eds). (2011). developing strategic international partnerships: models for initiating and sustaining innovative international linkages. new york, ny: institute of international education. http://www.gpejournal.org/ http://coil.suny.edu/sites/default/files/case_study_report.pdf https://www.sensepublishers.com/media/475-higher-education-in-turmoil.pdf http://content.thirdway.org/publications/714/dancing-with-robots.pdf global partners in education journal april 2014, vol. 4, no. 1, pp. 16-24 www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 24 about the author dr. jenifer cushman is campus dean at ohio university zanesville. formerly international dean and associate professor of german at juniata college, winner of the 2012 nafsa senator paul simon-award, cushman earned her phd in german from the ohio state university. she engaged in the university of minnesota study abroad curriculum integration effort as a faculty member at umm. one of the first association of international education administrator’s presidential fellows, she now mentors for the program, chairs the 2014 simon committee, and is a contributor to the recent nafsa publication "improving and assessing global learning.” dr. cushman can be reached at cushmanj@ohio.edu. tom kyle has worked at the university of leeds since 2007, initially in the study abroad office before moving into their international marketing team in 2010. tom graduated with a ba (hons) in music for the university of nottingham and is currently studying part-time towards an ma in management of international higher education at edge hill university. he can be reached at t.kyle@adm.leeds.ac.uk. http://www.gpejournal.org/ mailto:cushmanj@ohio.edu mailto:t.kyle@adm.leeds.ac.uk global partners in education journal april 2014, vol. 4, no. 1, pp. 5-15 www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 5 the effect of cross-cultural videoconferencing on efl learners’ english production mariko eguchi university of shimane, japan abstract unlike english as a second language (esl) learners, english as a foreign language (efl) learners do not have genuine interaction in english with native english speakers in their daily lives. this environment prevents them from receiving comprehensible input and output, often leading to poor english proficiency among efl learners. as a way to improve the situation, efl researchers are eyeing the benefits of videoconferencing as it can bring english speakers into the classroom. however, previous literature on videoconferencing in the efl context has not investigated the role of information gap as a motivator for students to engage in active english discussion. the present study investigated whether cross-cultural videoconferencing is more effective for efl learners’ english production than uni-cultural videoconferencing by comparing a cross-cultural videoconferencing discussion between japanese and mexican students with a uni-cultural videoconferencing discussion between two groups of japanese students. the results indicated that the japanese students’ english production as well as negotiation of meaning increased when they talked with the mexican students. the findings are consistent with the hypothesis that information gaps between japanese and mexican cultures are an important factor for generating active discussion in english, and this study suggests that cross-cultural videoconferencing can be an effective tool for efl learning. introduction one of the challenges for english as a foreign language (efl) learners is the lack of faceto-face interaction in english with native speakers of english. unlike english as a second language (esl) learners, efl learners in contexts such as korea, japan, and china rarely have an opportunity to converse with english speakers in their social settings. since there are few native english speakers in their societies, these learners treat english as an academic subject rather than as a tool of daily communication. they memorize english using books, cds, or dvds. they practice manipulating english forms through drills in the classroom. they do communicative activities with their peers to accomplish communicative goals they are given by their instructors. however, the lack of real-time close interaction in english poses serious problems for efl learners in terms of input and output. efl learners who study english as a subject for exams do not have an environment in which they communicate meanings in english. http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal april 2014, vol. 4, no. 1, pp. 5-15 www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 6 according to krashen (1985), learners acquire language through a sufficient amount of comprehensible input, and this is the single most important part in acquiring a second or foreign language. without comprehensible input, or linguistic exposure slightly higher than the learner’s own ability level, learners would not be able to understand the meaning of a message. however, the above-mentioned efl environment does not provide them with enough of it. it is true that they can receive input from stories and movies in the form of books and dvds. however, extensive input is not always comprehensible for efl learners without face-to-face interactions with english speakers who can modify their speech to make the input comprehensible. another important principle of second language acquisition is comprehensible output, advocated by swain & lapkin (1995), which helps learners advance their second language proficiency by enabling them to notice their linguistic problems. the comprehensible output hypothesis states that learning occurs when learners realize that they cannot make themselves understood. however, in a social context where english speakers and english interactions are rare, an efl learner lacks opportunities to produce output or test comprehensibility using feedback from english speakers. japanese english learners represent a good example of these challenges. they study english for six years throughout junior and senior high school, but their english proficiency is generally very low. japan is a monolingual country containing very few english speakers. in order to increase the english proficiency of japanese college students, the japanese government and individual universities are now encouraging college students to study abroad. if they live and study in english-speaking countries, they will have opportunities to interact with english speakers and improve their english proficiency. however, this option is costly, and few students can afford it. one possible solution is to bring english speakers into the classroom via videoconferencing. videoconferencing is a synchronous communications technology that allows people in different locations to meet and talk to each other. high-quality audio and video enable participants to feel almost as if they are interacting face to face in the same room. the educational potential of videoconferencing has received much recent attention in efl research. shiozawa (2005) conducted a survey after english videoconferencing sessions between participants in japan and thailand, and reported that the learners were motivated to communicate in english and felt their english skills improved. owada (2005) designed a course involving videoconferencing between japan and korea and reported that more than 80% of the students felt their speaking and writing abilities improved after videoconferencing. lin (2007) found that taiwanese participants reported improved language skills after videoconferencing sessions with japanese partners. videoconferencing seems to benefit efl learners’ english abilities without requiring that they leave the classroom. however, no study has explored why videoconferencing positively increases english ability. are participants so excited with the new technology that they want to speak english? do they improve because they are emotionally attracted to the counterparts in http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal april 2014, vol. 4, no. 1, pp. 5-15 www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 7 a foreign country and feel like talking with them in english? or are they so curious about topics addressed during videoconferencing discussions that they speak english a lot? could it be information gaps created by cross-cultural encounters that encourage the participants to engage in active discussion? this study intends to explore the effect of information gaps created by cultural differences on efl learners’ english production. because it can connect people in different cultures in real-time interaction, videoconferencing can provide natural information gaps. when the participants discuss cultural differences and similarities, they will notice one another’s unexpected reactions and differing perspectives. such cross-cultural experiences can increase their willingness to seek more information. this process will promote active discussion in english and ultimately facilitate language learning. the function of information gaps as a motivator is widely known in communicative language teaching. according to nunan (1989), “small-group, two-way information gap tasks” (p. 64) are effective to motivate students—even less confident students—to engage themselves in speaking. klippel (1984) states that active language learning can be induced by presenting students with missing or muddled information: discrepancies can arouse the curiosity of a student, and learning is most effective when the learners are actively involved in the process. indeed, curiosity has been recognized as an important motive that drives people to learn new things, and such curiosity can be stimulated when students are aware of gaps in knowledge (loewenstein, 1994). the purpose of the present study is twofold. the first is to describe a course called “global understanding” (gu), which is a course where college students from around the world meet online synchronously, mainly via videoconferencing, to discuss topics related to their lives in order to deepen cross-cultural understanding. the second is to report on a study that tested whether cultural differences work as a motivator for students to engage themselves in active discussion, assuming active discussion will lead to learning english. a small-scale comparison was made between a cross-cultural discussion and a unicultural discussion, both of whose data were collected via videoconferencing. description of the global understanding course the global understanding course is a cross-cultural understanding course in which students around the world discuss issues online synchronously. the first pilot of gu was conducted in 2003 by east carolina university, us (chia, poe, & yang, 2011). since its success, the number of partners has grown to include more than 40 institutions from 26 countries across the world. the university of shimane, japan, joined the network in january 2010. because of the importance of visual cues during social interaction, chia et al. (2011), the originators of the course, decided to use real-time videoconferencing technology to bring face-to-face cross-cultural experience into the classroom of each partner university. they also decided to use internet relay chat (irc) that supported one-to-one synchronous http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal april 2014, vol. 4, no. 1, pp. 5-15 www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 8 text discussion. irc allows each student to deeply connect to his or her partner, complementing the limitations of group video discussion. gu invented a novel method to overcome the differences in the academic calendars of the partner institutions. not all universities in the world start the first semester in september. some start in august, or october. for example, spring semester in japan is between april and july, while it is between january and may in us. these differences limit bilateral collaboration between japan and us because there is only one month of overlapping schedule. east carolina university, on the other hand, created a system for each partner to be linked with three partners during the semester, taking advantage of the calendar differences. for example, the first 4-5 videoconferencing links might be paired with united states, then the second 4-5 links with china, and the third 4-5 links with russia. all these countries have different academic calendars. in this way, a country like japan whose academic calendar is very different from other countries can participate in the global project. since the core goal of gu is to help students become more tolerant of cultures around the world, improving english ability is not the focus of the course. nonetheless, gu provides an ideal place where efl learners can learn english, because it is designed to facilitate students’ understanding of other cultures through active discussion in english. in each set of 4-5 links, the first link is devoted to getting to know each other better: students introduce each other, and instructors give lectures about each culture. during the subsequent links, the students lead 30-minute group discussions about topics such as college life, family, traditions, religion, stereotypes, and prejudice. then they continue to discuss individually using irc. the whole class is divided into two groups, a and b. while a group students sit in front of the camera, b group students text-chat in front of the computer. after 30 minutes, they change places. they repeat the process in the subsequent links. after engaging in 4-5 links with one country, they meet another country for another round of 4-5 links. the students are absorbed in talking about topics, and they forget that they are also studying english. by the end of the semester, they have become familiar with the discussion questions and have gained fluency in speaking about them in english. gu also has a mechanism to encourage students to communicate outside of the classroom. students are required to communicate with their partners via email two or three times a week. they are assigned to work on collaborative projects with their partners. the students must work together to complete their joint projects, the process of which increases english interaction between partners outside of the classroom. a great feature of gu in light of foreign language acquisition is that it provides participants with natural information gaps. since the students are matched with others from a different cultural background, they are more likely to ask each other questions. they have enough in common to feel familiar with each other as young college students, as well as different enough to be curious about each other as foreigners. such natural information gaps lead them to have more comprehensive input and output through negotiation of meaning, which is considered to promote leaning english. http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal april 2014, vol. 4, no. 1, pp. 5-15 www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 9 method participants eight japanese students took gu as an elective course in fall 2012. they were three juniors and five seniors, aged between 20 and 22, four of whom were female and four male. all of them had received more than nine years of english education at school, but their english listening and speaking abilities varied from very limited to fluent. they were all born and raised in japan. the eight japanese students were split into two groups; group a consisted of one female student and three male students, while group b consisted of three female students and one male student. there were seven mexican students in gu at universidad de monterrey, mexico in fall 2012. the three students in that class’s a group were participants in this study. there were two female students and one male student, ranging from freshmen to seniors, aged 20 to 22 years old. they were all born and raised in mexico but were fluent and accurate speakers of english, having received bilingual education. design and procedure as an exploratory study, a cross-cultural videoconferencing discussion between the japanese and the mexican students was compared with a uni-cultural videoconferencing discussion between the two groups of the japanese students. as mentioned before, gu partner universities typically have 4-5 links in a semester. the first meeting is for the students to get to know each other by introducing themselves and receiving lectures from the instructors. the second link focused on discussion of college life. this study recorded the third link, when the mexican and japanese students were scheduled to discuss the topic of family and traditions. first, a uni-cultural videoconference between a group and b group of the japanese students was recorded. they engaged in a discussion about the issues of family and traditions in japan using two videoconferencing units in two different rooms in the same building. then, about an hour after the local videoconference, a cross-cultural videoconference between a group of the japanese students and the mexican students was recorded. they discussed the issues of family and traditions both in japan and mexico. both recordings lasted for 25 minutes. both the japanese and mexican students lacked a prior understanding of the families and traditions of the other culture. the japanese students listened to a short lecture about mexican geography and general information before the link, while the mexican students spent two hours reading and giving presentations of general facts on japan that they had found on the internet. hypothesis it was hypothesized that the japanese participants would produce more english in the cross-cultural discussion than in the uni-cultural discussion. the cultural differences http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal april 2014, vol. 4, no. 1, pp. 5-15 www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 10 between japan and mexico would reveal more information gaps, which would encourage the participants to produce more english. they would want to know more about the others, want to explain their views more, and clarify their understanding about the others. therefore, it was expected that english production and negotiation of meaning by japanese students would increase when they talked with the mexican students. in the uni-cultural discussion, on the other hand, japanese students would produce less english, because sharing the same culture would probably reduce the willingness to elaborate on their opinions or to ask for clarification questions. english production by the number of utterances english production was measured by the number of utterances produced by the students. one utterance is defined as speech given by a student in one conversational turn. one utterance may be a group of a few words, or a group of sentences. in order to count the utterances, the videoconferencing sessions were recorded and transcribed into text data. each utterance was marked with the initials of the speaker, and the totals were tallied in order to find out who produced how many utterances. negotiation of meaning by the number of questions asked negotiation of meaning was measured by the number of questions asked by the students. one question is defined as speech given by a student in a form of question. questions are recognized by rising intonation or inverted subject-verb position. questions include standard discussion questions provided in the gu manual. the students exchanged questions such as “at what age do children leave their parents’ house?” they also asked spontaneous questions to clarify or confirm meanings. results english production by the number of utterances table 1 shows the number of utterances in the japanese uni-cultural discussion by the two groups of students. table 1 number of utterances in uni-cultural discussion a group b group t 19 n 3 mi 6 yr 9 ma 1 mr 8 d 6 yk 3 in the uni-cultural exchange, the total numbers of utterances in groups a and b were 32 and 23, respectively. the average numbers of utterances per member of each group were http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal april 2014, vol. 4, no. 1, pp. 5-15 www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 11 8 and 6, respectively. there was a lot of side conversation in japanese among the participants of each group. the utterances spoken in japanese were not counted. student t was the most fluent, and he spoke a lot in english, dominating the rest of the members. the number of utterances in the cross-cultural discussion between the group a japanese students and the mexican students is shown in table 2. table 2 number of utterances in cross-cultural discussion japanese mexicans t 19 l 39 mi 18 m 32 ma 2 j 33 d 1 in the cross-cultural exchange, the total numbers of the utterances are 40 for the japanese and 104 for the mexican students. the average number of utterances for the japanese students was 10, while that of the mexicans was 34. compared with the number of the japanese students’ utterances in the uni-cultural exchange, the results are mixed. at the level of averages, the cross-cultural discussion seemed to increase the number of students’ utterances from 8 to 10. however, on the individual level, the student t showed no change, mi increased her output a lot, ma showed almost no change, and d decreased his output. negotiation of meaning by the number of questions asked the number of questions asked in the uni-cultural discussion between the two groups of japanese students is shown in table 3. table 3 number of questions asked in uni-cultural discussion a group b group t 5 n 0 mi 0 yr 0 ma 0 mr 0 d 0 yk 0 in the uni-cultural exchange, the total numbers of questions asked in each group were 5 and 0. group a and b averaged 1 and 0 questions, respectively. student t introduced the questions described in the gu manual, and everyone took a turn giving their own http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal april 2014, vol. 4, no. 1, pp. 5-15 www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 12 answers. they did not raise any spontaneous questions in english. they asked questions in japanese, but those questions were about how to say ideas in english. table 4 shows the number of questions asked in the cross-cultural discussion by the group a japanese students and the mexican students. table 4 number of questions asked in cross-cultural discussion japanese mexicans t 6 l 13 mi 5 m 7 ma 1 j 6 d 0 in the cross-cultural discussion, the total numbers of questions asked were 12 for the japanese and 26 for the mexican students. the average was 3 for the japanese students and 9 for the mexican students. compared with the number of the japanese students’ questions in the uni-cultural exchange, the result seems to show a positive increase. in the cross-cultural discussion, students’ average number of questions increased from 1 to 3. on the individual level, the students t and ma showed an increase of 1. mi had an increase from 0 to 5 questions, but d was quiet in both cultural settings. table 5 shows the total number of utterances and questions by the japanese students in both settings. in terms of utterances and questions asked, the numbers increased in the cross-cultural setting compared with those in the uni-cultural one. table 5 total number of utterances and questions asked by japanese students uni-cultural setting cross-cultural setting utterances 32 40 questions 5 12 discussion the data showed that the japanese participants produced more utterances and questions when they spoke with mexicans than with their japanese peers. in the uni-cultural discussion, they produced 32 utterances and 5 questions, while they produced 40 utterances and 12 questions in the cross-cultural discussion. these results are congruent http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal april 2014, vol. 4, no. 1, pp. 5-15 www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 13 with the information gap theory of second language acquisition. they seem to support the hypothesis that japanese students would produce more language and negotiate meaning more when they interact with a culturally different group of people than with those who share the same culture. however, it is too early to conclude that the increased english production and negotiation of meaning by the japanese participants were triggered by their perception of missing information and their willingness to fill the gaps. there may be other possible explanations for the participants’ enhanced speech production in the cross-cultural interaction. for example, they might have felt more comfortable with the mexican students than with the other japanese students, as the japanese students perceived the mexicans as more outgoing and relaxed. therefore, the japanese students’ perceptions of the mexican students and their own japanese peers must be investigated. this study has a number of limitations. first, it used a small number of participants, and only one combination of cultures was compared. it is possible that japanese students were affected by the energy and speaking speed of the mexican students, not by information gaps created by cultural differences. if japanese are paired with people who produce fewer words, they may produce less english. in order to find out why crosscultural videoconferencing is effective in efl learning, more studies should be conducted incorporating a larger number of participants and a variety of combinations of cultures. in addition, a detailed investigation of the language data should be conducted to find out what type of information gaps seem to cause what type of negotiation of meaning. although the results of this study cannot be generalized because of its small sample size and the limited variety of cultures, this study still supports the effectiveness of crosscultural videoconferencing in english on efl learning in light of english production and negotiation of meaning. cross-cultural videoconferencing in english is an excellent opportunity for english learners to have real-time interaction with english speakers. with the help of videoconferencing that supports synchronous face-to-face interaction, efl learners can increase comprehensible input and output from a variety of english speakers in the world without leaving the classroom. international videoconferencing courses in english such as gu satisfy the need of efl learners for authentic communication stated by klippel (1984): for learners who are studying english in a non-english-speaking setting it is very important to experience real communicative situations in which they learn to express their own views and attitudes, and in which they are taken seriously as people. (p. 5) in the age of globalization, the ability to communicate in english is important to exchange ideas and overcome stereotypes and prejudice. a long-term study abroad in an english speaking country is the ideal way for efl learners to acquire english skills, but the financial burden is too big a barrier for most learners. bringing english speakers into the classroom to discuss cultural differences is a cost-effective alternative method, and programs like gu offer innovative new ways to incorporate authentic cross-cultural http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal april 2014, vol. 4, no. 1, pp. 5-15 www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 14 interactions into foreign language learning. the examination of a wider variety of cultural combinations could provide additional insights into the value of videoconferencing and other technologies for communicative language learning. indeed, teaching english through synchronous face-to-face english interaction may one day be a norm for twentyfirst century efl education. references chia, r., poe, e., & yang, b. (2011). history of global partners in education. global partners in education journal, 1, 3-7. klippel, f. (1984). keep talking: communicative fluency activities for language teaching. cambridge: cambridge university press. krashen, s. (1985). the input hypothesis: issues and implications. torrance, ca: laredo publishing company. lin, c. (2007). efl college students’ perceptions of video-conferencing-assisted english learning. english teaching and learning, 31, 77-116. loewenstein, g. (1994). the psychology of curiosity: a review and reinterpretations. psychological bulletin, 116, 75-98. nunan, d. (1989). designing tasks for the communicative classroom. cambridge: cambridge university press. owada, k. (2005). the effective use of videoconferencing in cross-cultural english language instruction. proceedings of the 9th conference of pan-pacific association of applied linguistics. retrieved from the pan-pacific association of applied linguistics (paal) website: http://www.paaljapan.org/resources/proceedings/paal9/pdf/owada.pdf shiozawa, y. (2005). strategic use of videoconferencing in intermediate efl. journal of the faculty of international studies, 16, 103-114. kanagawa; bunkyo university, faculty of international studies. swain, m., & lapkin, s. (1995). problems in output and the cognitive processes they generate: a step towards second language learning. applied linguistics, 16, 371-391. http://www.gpejournal.org/ http://www.paaljapan.org/resources/proceedings/paal9/pdf/owada.pdf global partners in education journal april 2014, vol. 4, no. 1, pp. 5-15 www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 15 about the author mariko eguchi is a professor of english language education at the faculty of policy studies, the university of shimane, japan. she received her ba and ma in british and american literature from seikei university, tokyo, and ma in communication and theatre from the university of illinois at chicago. she has been teaching the global understanding, a cross-cultural understanding course through videoconferencing, since 2009. she has been editor-in-chief of real reporter, an international english language newspaper since 2003. she can be reached at ma-eguchi@u-shimane.ac.jp. she would like to thank professor ana cristina salinas from universidad de monterrey as well as her students for their providing information. this research was supported by jsps grants-inaid for scientific research (kaken-hi), (fy2012-fy2013, grant number 24520634, principal investigator: mariko eguchi) http://www.gpejournal.org/ mailto:ma-eguchi@u-shimane.ac.jp microsoft word 10-46-3-ed global partners in education journal april 2011, vol.1 no.1, pp. 21-29 21 journalism education for contemporary challenges: global understanding through virtual classroom manisha pathak-shelat niti desai-chopra maharaja sayajirao university of baroda, india abstract this article shares the success story of our participation in east carolina university’s global understanding through virtual classroom (guvc) project and reflects upon some key issues emerging out of this experience. we were part of the initiative for three years (2006-2008) and linked with seven different universities during the period. the presentation is from a journalism education perspective, based on our experience as lead teachers in the project, combined with students’ feedback through a focus group discussion held with them. the article shares the same spirit with which we participated in the project. our belief that journalism educators need to break away from the conventional approach and focus on critical selfreflection and cultural sensitivity that can improve understanding of transnational social and cultural issues, stood reinforced after participation in this project. the article seeks to answer the following research questions: what are student perceptions of the project with reference to educational gains? does participation in the project have any influence on the cultural sensitivity and participants’ attitude about other cultures? has participation enhanced their understanding of other cultures? what are the insights from the project with reference to future directions of journalism education? we found that despite many challenges and some critical issues, ‘global understanding through virtual classroom’ helped future journalists develop cultural sensitivity and a comprehensive perspective that are now essential qualities of meaningful journalism. we thus remain convinced of the relevance of the guvc project in today’s constantly evolving global education scenario. note: the authors wish to thank prof. lewis friedland, prof. hemant shah and the qualitative research group at the school of journalism and mass communication, university of wisconsin-madison for their valuable suggestions during the process of writing this paper. both the authors have contributed equally in project management and writing of this paper. introduction journalists and journalism education programs cannot exist in a vacuum. they are products of their time and are shaped by the worlds in which they grow and function. journalism education today has to respond to the changing world scenario dominated by globalization, multiculturalism, and exciting new technologies on one global partners in education journal april 2011, vol.1 no.1, pp. 21-29 22 side and growing ethnic conflicts, economic inequalities, an endangered environment and threats to world peace on the other. globalization, super efficient transportation, and new media technologies like the internet make the world appear smaller and without boundaries. the new generation, especially in asia, look at themselves more as ‘global citizens’ and are ready to navigate territories beyond the familiar. there are, however, harsh questions and harsher realities lurking behind the glowing façade of globalization and the promises offered by the new media technologies. human dignity, freedom and diversity of expression accompanied by responsibility and mutuality between cultures are some of the signs of a healthy global society. it has been more than three decades since the macbride commission report (1980), many voices, one world, about imbalances in international communication flows but some of the issues addressed there have still remained unresolved. in fact, the pun on the original title, many worlds, one voice, aptly summarizes the current world scenario. “signatories of people’s communication charter are mindful that in spite of the so called ‘information revolution,’ today’s reality shows an increasing gap between the world’s information-rich and information-poor countries, and between the information-rich and information-poor sector within the societies” (hamelink, 1994, p.152). sean o’siochru, director general and treasurer of the macbride roundtable on communication has pointed out the concerns regarding threats to diversity of expression in today’s global society: the commercialization of media and concentration of media ownership erode the public sphere and fail to provide for cultural and information needs, including the plurality of opinions and the diversity of cultural expressions and languages necessary for democracy. this occurs not only in the conventional media business, but is beginning also to affect the internet. (o’siochru, 1999, theme 3: diversity of expressions). what is important then to be true citizens of a truly global society is the understanding of the world as a mosaic of many different cultures and yet the same human concerns; and making the commitment to uphold freedom, dignity and equity of citizens. today we all need to understand how the world is interconnected and to appreciate its diversity and complexity. we also have to ensure that the new media technologies are used in responsible ways and contribute to democratization of communication upholding the “right to communicate” mission of the new world information and communication order (nwico). to a great extent, this applies to journalism education and working journalists as well. background-participation by the faculty of journalism and communication in the virtual classroom project journalism education in india saw its beginning more than half a century back. “the first training effort in the indian sub-continent was by prof. p. p. singh at the university of punjab, lahore (now in pakistan) during 1941-42” (eapen, 1991, para. 2). “in free india it was at hislop christian college, nagpur university that a fullfledged journalism department was organized in 1952-53” (eapen, 1991, para. 4). today every major university in india boasts of at least one journalism program, a degree or a diploma, and at several prime institutions programs are available up to doctoral level. the quality and relevance of these programs, however, have been questioned again and again over the years. as eapen (1991) rightly comments: global partners in education journal april 2011, vol.1 no.1, pp. 21-29 23 india has strongly articulated during the 1970s for a new world information and communication order (nwico), but had taken little follow-up action in the academic aspects of education in communication. arguments for a new order had to be accompanied by efforts at the grassroots level of professional instruction. university approaches still remain rather frozen at the pre-nwico stage. course contents have not substantially changed, nor the books used in support of undergraduate and graduate courses. this is not a specifically indian lacuna. the saarc [south asian association for regional cooperation] region, of which india is an important component, suffers from the same maladies. (eapen, 1991, para. 6) the faculty of journalism and communication (fjc), the youngest faculty in the maharaja sayajirao university of baroda, vadodara, in india was established in 1992. it is one of the youngest journalism education programs in india. in a way this late beginning proved to be a blessing in disguise. right from the beginning the faculty could formulate a curriculum relevant to the contemporary demands and developed a cross-media convergent approach to communication education. the global understanding through virtual classroom (guvc) project added an interesting dimension to the curriculum by introducing a new teaching methodology and enhanced international interaction. the one year post-graduate bachelor’s program offered earlier was later in 1997 updated to a full time four semester master’s program. admission to the limited twenty seats for students is through a competitive entrance procedure. students, most of who are usually fresh graduates, have a diverse background. they belong to different states of india, speak different languages at home and have their first degree in any of the following subjects: sciences, commerce, humanities, fine arts, performing arts, home science, languages, or even engineering. preparing professional media persons, journalists, communication practitioners or researchers is a challenging task today when “change” is the buzzword. it is all the more challenging for institutions in developing countries because globalization and their own home-scenario often impose contradictory demands. asian professionals today are expected to be successful in the global context and at the same time be faithful to their roots, values, culture and socio-economic needs. the aim of the faculty is to produce competent and confident media professionals who are familiar with the state of the art information and communication technologies and are also adept at technical skills. at the same time, they should also have grounding in finer areas like culture, philosophy and ethics. today’s media professionals need to be aware of the local grass root realities but not without an international perspective and global world view. though students today live in a global society of diverse cultures and customs, their understanding of these cultures is often limited to 30-second news clips they see on television. the experience of living and studying in other countries is a valuable one but due to financial and other limitations it is not possible for most students to do that. under the circumstances it became very interesting for the students as well as teachers to participate in the global understanding through virtual classroom project. global partners in education journal april 2011, vol.1 no.1, pp. 21-29 24 india-peru-gambia-usa partnership 2006: a case study the guvc project is designed in such a way that a world cultures course at east carolina university (ecu) gets partnered with three other cultures. while ecu is meeting with one culture, the other two cultures are meeting so that students from all four countries develop a broad view of the world. ideally four consecutive weeks are devoted to each of three cultures; with three weeks of video link. the warm-up process, though, starts much before the actual classes begin. lead teachers from each university play an important role in carrying out the course. the lead teachers constantly keep in touch and jointly make decisions about how they would like to conduct the course within the broad framework of the project. the course is designed in such a way that the lead teachers have flexibility to tailor it to suit the needs and resources of their own institutions. the technology support person from each university maintains a close link with the partnering university’s tech person. the fjc, the maharaja sayajirao university of baroda (msub), vadodara, india joined the project in 2005. the global understanding curriculum was found highly relevant for the students of fjc and it became the first faculty in the university to join the guvc project. eighteen students in the first year of the two year master’s degree program in communication studies participated in the program. the guvc project was made a part of the core paper on ‘orientation to contemporary society’. in the 2005-2006 round, fjc-msub, was partnered with east carolina university (ecu), usa, and a university each in peru (san ignacio de loyola university) and the gambia (university of the gambia). the ecu team visited msub to facilitate establishment of the infrastructure and plan the logistics and academic aspects with university administrators and the lead teachers. the india-usa-peru-gambia linking was slotted for the spring semester (january to april) 2006. a focus group discussion (fgd) was conducted with students after the entire round of linking, closing ceremony and assessment were over. this gave interesting insights into how these students evaluated their experience of their participation in the project. out of 18 journalism and communication students who participated in the guvc project, 14 students took part in the focus group discussion. the following three key findings emerged from the discussion that lasted for about two hours: 1.) all the 14 participants agreed that the global understanding through virtual classroom project was highly relevant as part of the journalism/communication degree program. they also said that given an opportunity they would participate in such a program again. (“but without tests and logs!!”) following are some statements made by students during the fgd, quoted verbatim: “journalists create reality for people. deeper understanding of different cultural realities and the process of socio-cultural phenomena are important for effective journalism.” “journalists need information, perspective, objectivity and open minds. the course helps in developing all the four aspects.” global partners in education journal april 2011, vol.1 no.1, pp. 21-29 25 “i learned to become less judgmental and realized that there could be different points of view on any issue.” “this experience has helped me become a better, more authentic reporter”. “the course builds communication skills and confidence level crucial for professional journalism.” on the whole all the students felt that technology in communication was more freeing than inhibiting. 2.) all the students described the experience in positive terms. the frequently used phrases were: “…a complete learning experience, new experience, unique, enriching, interesting, thought provoking, and eye opening…, etc.” students expressed that the course contributed in several different ways, viz. providing interesting exposure; increase their knowledge and information about peru, usa and gambia; increase in their knowledge about india; building a good world perspective as the countries represented different continents; breaking certain myths and stereotypes; building confidence as communicators, especially communication with foreigners; building very good friendships; developing a more accepting (non-judgmental) mindset by appreciating the role of social background of a person; improving their skills in handling new technologies; and ultimately building their own selfesteem. represented below are a few more quotes of participating students expressing their thoughts: “knowing about other cultures was very enriching. earlier we thought ours is the only culturally rich country but peruvian culture impressed me a lot.” “i have started questioning many of our practices. i am experiencing a kind of inner conflict since i participated in the program.” “it was shocking for me initially when my gambian partner talked about polygamy but then i realized that one could also be happy that way.” “we realized that young people everywhere are different and yet so similar!” “the interaction helped us know our own country better. indian diversity was very fascinating to our partners and the most difficult for us to explain.” “the best part was that everything was one-to-one. it was so much better than just reading a book.” 3.) there were three limiting factors mentioned by participants which in their opinion marred the experience to some extent. they were: (a) lack of enthusiasm and response of some participants from partner countries, (b) technology failure on some occasions, and (c) inadequate time to explore certain complex themes to their logical end. discussions only at the superficial level, technological problems, and difficulty in understanding strange accents were cited as some limitations of video conferencing. on the contrary, some students appreciated the directness of the one to one conversation and the spontaneity and holistic discussion made possible by the video conferencing. an element of trust, credibility and instant rapport were other benefits of video conference. (“it wouldn’t have been the same project sans video conferencing.”) global partners in education journal april 2011, vol.1 no.1, pp. 21-29 26 students who rated “chat” high appreciated the depth of information shared. (“sometimes even drifting away from the main discussion provided new information.”) students who rated emails high liked the option of being able to write at leisure and at length, taking one’s own time and scope for editing. they felt that emails provided a better method for systematic information sharing. the emphasis on the one-to-one partnering and correspondence between students is indeed a unique concept which worked very well. eleven out of 14 students are still in touch with their partners from other countries. all of them expect to remain in touch in the future. five students have acknowledged close friendship with at least one partner. reflections and key issues emerging out of the experience our experience of the program clearly supports the observation that the guvc project has successfully provided universities across the world a virtual collaborative environment where they can discover, explore and engage between cultures. we also found that with globalization and increasing commercialization of media, such global projects provide an excellent alternative to hear citizen voices directly with an option to discuss, challenge and debate. much of the information we receive about the world around us is either influenced or controlled by the media, including television, newspapers, and radio. other than information we personally take in, our view of the world is largely shaped by the way in which information is presented by these media outlets. (barker, 2005, para. 2) we look at our students as future media professionals who would consciously or subconsciously contribute to the ‘pictures in the head’ of the people about the world they have not experienced. if, as media professionals, their own world view is limited and hazy, the pictures they paint will also suffer from these limitations. the guvc project has shown a direction towards widening the world view of our future media persons. the project not only provided an opportunity for students to learn firsthand about three world cultures, but it also gave an excellent opportunity to showcase and discuss indian culture with young citizens from three different countries. our 16 years of experience in journalism and communication education has shown us that students have always found “hands-on” learning experiences more meaningful than only theoretical inputs. being able to access the latest state of the art equipment and understand the entire process of video conferencing, networking, use of high-tech cameras and other equipment was of immense benefit to the faculty teachers and students. it was very interesting to observe the students struggling to establish their ‘indian’ identity and in the process discovering fresh facets of their own country and culture. each student in the class was a unique combination of several different aspects: a different language, background, socioeconomic stratum, gender, and religion. in that sense, each had a different voice. but in global context, each of them was labeled ‘indian’ and the expectation was of hearing one voice, the indian voice. as one of the students expressed during the discussion, “…as a future journalist it was a very valuable training to arrive at some global partners in education journal april 2011, vol.1 no.1, pp. 21-29 27 understanding of an issue in the midst of conflicting arguments, each genuine in its own right. one could appreciate a situation from many different angles rather than gulping down information as simplistic pre-packaged capsules.” as an offshoot of the guvc experience, the lead teachers also initiated valuable discussion on ‘cultural sensitivity vs. upholding universal human rights and human dignity.’ we have realized that while the ‘virtual experience’ is new and has its own attraction, very soon virtual classrooms and video conferencing will be common learning formats. theorization, value orientation, acquiring knowledge and the application of it all will have to remain the central focus of any academic course. as journalism educators we will have to be vigilant about this. according to a journalism researcher, mass communication educators generally adopt one of two distinct approaches to new technologies: incorporation or experimentation. some educators try to incorporate new technologies into existing journalistic norms and practices. brynildssen (2002) quotes huesca (2000) advocating “against ‘mere incorporation.’ instead, he argues that the academy must be willing to reinvent journalism education and experiment with ‘practices that are congruent with the imputed properties of cyberspace’.” “huesca encourages educators to be ‘flexible, creative, and open-minded experimenters who are not wedded to given conventions of journalism’.” (brynildssen, 2002, economic and technological challenges, para. 3). economic and technological challenges in keeping with the idea, we have already experimented with ecu to use the same technology in conducting an international lecture exchange program. we coordinated for a lecture session with ecu in a way that there were subject experts delivering lectures, and a number of approximately 20 students as recipients on both ends. the title of the talk we delivered was development support communication in india: the role and relevance of traditional and folk media. the first part of the lecture explained the conceptual framework of development support communication, elaborating its relevance for india and also for any country dealing with issues of socio-cultural-economic-political change. the second part of the lecture gave an overview of traditional and folk media from different regions of india and discussed some of the more evolved and popular folk theatre forms. the lecture was accompanied by a multi-media presentation including clips of bhavai (a local folk form) performed by students of the fjc. another lecture delivered in the second segment of the session by a media law expert traced the history of journalism and media laws in india including the new laws and changes made over time to suit the changing media scenario and new media technologies. at the ecu end, an expert delivered a lecture on the first amendment and freedom of expression. following the lectures there was an interactive session between the groups on both sides. this experience turned out to be truly interesting and beneficial for everyone involved. through similar lecture exchanges on varied themes, students in different universities can benefit from inputs by teachers from different institutions of the world. global partners in education journal april 2011, vol.1 no.1, pp. 21-29 28 journalism educators have to give a serious thought to the role of journalists in the times to come. do we want journalists to merely report the events or also participate in creating conducive environments for internal and international conflict resolution? if journalists are supposed to play a proactive role in world peace and international understanding, courses like global understanding become an essential part of the journalism education. howard (2005) pleads a case for conflict-sensitive journalism: one doesn’t have to be a war correspondent to recognize that journalism and news media can incite violent conflict. … less recognized, however, is the potential for journalism to influence conflict resolution. and less resolved is whether it should play that role. is there such a thing as conflict-sensitive journalism? (to be clear, journalism here means reporting that seeks international standards of media reliability such as accuracy, impartiality or fair balance, and social responsibility.) although [not significantly recognized] in the daily grind of news and in journalism education, the reality is that reliable journalism contributes to conflict reduction. it is, indeed, automatic or innate.” (howard, 2005, the case for conflict sensitive journalism, para. 1 & 2) “reliable reporting, and responsibly written editorials and opinion, do things such as establish communication among disputant parties, correct misperceptions, identify underlying interests and offer solutions. the media provides an emotional outlet. it can offer solutions, and build confidence.” (howard, 2005, the case for conflict sensitive journalism, para. 4) in our opinion journalism education programs have to expand their vision to incorporate conflict sensitive journalism in the near future. the global understanding through virtual classroom project can serve as a basis for the technology and course format to facilitate this expansion. after all, education and technology have to strive toward the same end goal; that of making our world a better place for all. references barker, p. (2005). large-scale communication. in g. burgess & h. burgess (eds.), beyond intractability. conflict research consortium, university of colorado, boulder. retrieved from http://www.beyondintractability.org/essay/large_scale_communication/ brynildssen, s. (2002). a review of trends in journalism education (eric digest #178, edo-cs-02-09 december 2002). retrieved from eric clearinghouse on reading, english, and communication website: http://www.indiana.edu/~reading/ieo/digests/d178.html eapen, k. e. (1991) journalism education and textbooks in saarc countries. retrieved from http://www.uta.fi/textbooks/india_saarc.html [the basis of this paper is an ipdc-supported survey conducted by prof. k.e. eapen, prof. b.s. thakur and dr. b.p. sanjay during 1989-90 under the auspices of the professional section of the iamcr.] global partners in education journal april 2011, vol.1 no.1, pp. 21-29 29 hamelink, c. (1994). trends in world communication: on disempowerment and selfempowerment. penang, malaysia: southbound and third world network. howard, r. (2005). global journalism ethics: conflict sensitive journalism in practice. retrieved from center for journalism ethics, school of journalism & mass communication, university of wisconsin-madison website: http://www.journalismethics.ca/global_journalism_ethics/conflict_sensitivity_in_ practice.htm huesca, r. (2000). reinventing journalism curricula for the electronic environment. journalism & mass communication educator, 55(2), 4-15. macbride commission (international commission for the study of communication problems). (1980). many voices, one world: towards a new, more just, and more efficient world information and communication order. paris, france: united nations educational, scientific and cultural organization (unesco). o’siochru, s. (1999). voices 21: a global movement for people’s media and communications in the 21 st century (transnational broadcasting studies, issue 2). retrieved from the adham center for television journalism (american university in cairo) website: http://www.tbsjournal.com/archives/spring99/documents/congress/congress.ht ml about the authors manisha pathak-shelat has experience in communication practice, education and research, with special interest in civic engagement, development support communication, youth media cultures, media education, and gender. currently she is pursuing her second doctorate at the school of journalism and mass communication, university of wisconsin-madison. she is also involved in a multi country youth media participation project sponsored by the academy of finland. she has taught at universities in india and thailand. awards include shastri indocanadian faculty research award, salzburg seminar fellowship and tata fellowship for research on contemporary india. she can be reached at shelat@wisc.edu and manishashelat@gmail.com. niti desai-chopra is senior assistant professor in the faculty of journalism and communication, the m.s.university of baroda, vadodara, india. she completed her doctorate in 2003, and has over 18 years of experience in teaching and evolving media education curriculum at the post-graduate level. her areas of interest include communication theorization, development communication, information communication technologies, and contemporary media trends and phenomenon in context of globalization and cross-cultural communication. recent awards include salzburg global seminar fellowship (2007) and nuffic netherlands organization for international cooperation in higher education fellowship (2010). she can be reached at n_chopra1@yahoo.co.in. summimng up: first experience of four cis universities in implementing a cross-cultural internet project global partners in education journal april 2013, vol. 3 no. 1, pp. 70-78 www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 70 summimng up: first experience of four cis universities in implementing a cross-cultural internet project alla l. nazarenko ludmila g. sizykh victoria a. fandei faculty of foreign languages lomonosov moscow state university elena a. malashenko faculty of medical ecology sakharov international university of ecology svitlana l. bobyr department of pedagogy and flt methodology shevchenko chernihiv national teacher training university baktygul zh. kurmanova department of the kazakh language aktuybinsk state university named after kudaibergen zhubanov abstract the article describes the first experience of four universities of the commonwealth of independent states (cis) in conducting an international intercultural project based on the use of information and communication technologies (ict). the goal of the project for the students was to introduce the traditions of hospitality existing in their cultural world to all the partners and to increase their own crosscultural awareness. implementing the project method with active use of various technologies including telecommunication systems, wikispaces.com, video technologies, etc. made it possible to solve a number of didactic tasks and get promising results. introduction the rapid development of information and communication technologies (ict) has affected all spheres of human activity and social institutions including education. first and foremost, education could not but adopt new technologies for their literally miraculous possibilities in terms of providing access to the richest educational and cultural resources existing in the world and the ability to ensure communication with colleagues in any corner of the globe to discuss mutually interesting issues. making proper didactic use of ict can contribute to raising the standards of education, increasing its quality and efficacy. it also opens up new opportunities for organizing cooperation and collaboration between universities enabling them to tackle issues topical for the whole globalized world. global partners in education journal april 2013, vol. 3 no. 1, pp. 70-78 www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 71 apart from that, today’s children and grandchildren were born in the age of ict, so they can handle them easily. they are even called “digital aborigines” and they expect that schools and universities will provide the electronic environment so "natural" to them. the domain of linguistic education has its own benefits from incorporating technologies into teaching and learning foreign languages and cultures. teachers and students can search the internet for the information they need without going to their university / city library. the world wide web is a boundless "library" where one can find any text and authentic materials in any language. the technologies can connect people from different cultures, speaking different languages, so learners can benefit from communicating with native speakers, discovering nuances of language usage which might be unknown to their non-native teachers. knowing foreign languages and, first of all, english is surely a must for people who live and realize themselves as professionals in a globalized information society. but knowledge of a language, however excellent, is not enough for complete understanding of one's partner who has a different cultural background. neither is language knowledge alone enough to avoid relying on false stereotypes that people are rather frequently inclined to do and which nearly as frequently deceives them and puts them into an awkward situation. one should definitely know his/her partners’ culture's peculiarities so as not to touch upon some delicate subject or theme, and not to unconsciously offend or insult their counterpart with speech behavior or body language inappropriate in that other culture. teaching the basics and laws of cross-cultural communication is also one of the tasks of contemporary linguistic education. with all these aspects in mind, in 2004, american colleagues from east carolina university (nc, usa) started “global understanding”, an intercultural internet project involving several universities around the world, which has successfully been working and growing since that time. lomonosov moscow state university (lmsu) has had the honor and pleasure to be a part of this program since 2005 (nazarenko & sizykh, 2009). the idea, goal and participants of the intercultural internet project our previous experience at lmsu gave an impetus to organize a project which would involve university students from four countries of the former soviet union: belarus, kazakhstan, russia and ukraine. the project was initiated by the faculty of foreign languages and area studies of lmsu and implemented by a team headed by prof. alla leonidovna nazarenko, doctor of philology, head of the linguistics and information technologies department. from the cis, the team included dr. elena alexandrovna malashenko, director of the language centre, head of the foreign languages department of the faculty of medical ecology of the international university of ecology named after a.d. sakharov (minsk, belarus); baktygul zhakenovna kurmanova, doctor of pedagogy, head of the department of psychology and pedagogy, aktobe state university named after kudaibergen zhubanov (kazakhstan); svitlana leonidivna bobyr, doctor of pedagogy, head of the department of pedagogy and methods of foreign language teaching, chernihiv national teacher training university named after t.g. shevchenko (ukraine). each of them monitored a group of students from their university. global partners in education journal april 2013, vol. 3 no. 1, pp. 70-78 www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 72 a reason for starting the project among cis states is that cis peoples have a lot in common in terms of their history. after the collapse of the ussr many ties were lost. however, the logic of globalization presupposes/dictates their communication and interaction in various spheres, especially as they are close neighbors. besides, the russian language is still present in their lives: the parents and grandparents of today's students nearly all know it, so in many families it is not something alien. in quite a few universities of these countries it is on the curricula, so we were lucky to have a language which could be readily used as a lingua franca. but, history separated these nations belonging once to the same country/state. new generations grew up out of direct contact with each other, in different environments. thus, now young people in these countries know very little about each other's cultures. the idea behind the project was to bridge this gap and to introduce them and their cultures to each other. within the project, the subject of discussion was "traditions of hospitality". the reason was that in real life, acquaintance with a stranger who is introduced to a person or to his / her family or home, often starts with welcoming this "guest”, paying special attention to him / her, showing respect and trying to please. this idea was introduced to students on the four sides and the main principles of cross-cultural interaction were explained to them: friendly attitude to the partners, tolerance to their "otherness" as representatives of other cultures with their specific characteristics, recognition of their right to be different as part of a multicultural diverse world. once more it was emphasized that in our modern globalized world people cannot live in seclusion in their unique civilization. humankind has already stepped over many borders separating and dividing them and modern society needs communication, joint discussions and joint decisions. to be able to perform successfully in this world people need to know about their counterparts. they should behave properly, both verbally and non-verbally. these needs are to be met by education. we consider this project as a modest contribution to the great task of education. it is noteworthy to stress again that the implementation of the project became possible thanks to modern information and communication technologies which enabled the participants to have video conferences at an agreed time (across time zones), to see (“meet”) each other, exchange information on the suggested topic and to ask and discuss various questions. the value of this intercultural on-line project is difficult to overestimate: the participants gained an experience which deserves a comprehensive and thorough analysis. this paper is a preliminary attempt to tackle this task. the history and the didactic value of the project method the project method is not new in education. it came into being in 1920 in the usa. it is also known as the task-based or problem-solving method. the founders of this method were the american philosopher and educator john dewey, his followers w. h. kilpatrick, e. collings, j. stephenson, and e. thorndike. they were seeking ways to stimulate students’ independent thinking and striving to teach them skills required to manage a knowledge organization that makes students active participants in the learning process. john dewey (1997) defines reflection as the active, persistent and careful consideration of any belief or supposed form of knowledge in the light of the grounds that support it and the further conclusions to which it tends. e. collings global partners in education journal april 2013, vol. 3 no. 1, pp. 70-78 www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 73 (1926) pointed out that student are especially attracted by the ability to reach a new unknown goal (a target incentive) and to go through the experience of activity. j. stephenson, who is famous for his concept of potential abilities, insisted that effective and adequate response to the unknown and varying circumstances assumes morality, prudence, self-confidence, ability to run risks and readiness to learn from one's mistakes (stephenson & york, 1998). russian contemporary followers of the project-based methodology (polat, 2013) further developed the idea to be implemented with the use of ict. summarizing common definitions, the project could be qualified as a scale creative task which assumes an important and long-term organized (often extracurricular) authentic information gathering and research activity. in the course of the discussion the students crucially examine, compare and contrast acquired information and then format it. the project presupposes the availability of the specific final product in the form of papers, movies, presentations, etc, produced by the students. the students are given carte blanche to choose any method of goal attainment. project work is characterized by high interactivity (“communicativity”) and assumes the expression of students opinions, feelings, decision-making and personal responsibility for the result. such highly personalized involvement of students accounts for a highly emotional spirit of educational activity. basic didactic principles of the project working on the project we leaned on the basic principles of project-based learning such as the methodological (interactivity, integrated learning), psychological (zone of proximal development, learner-centered education) and didactic (problem-based learning, collaborative learning, individualization). the interactive methodology groups the students, promotes communication and discussions and favors the learner’s active role. integrated learning is the integration of students’ knowledge and practical skills in various fields of activity and the development of their interdisciplinary and critical thinking. the principle of students’ zone of proximal development’ (mcleod, 2012) refers to a problem-solving task which exceeds their cognitive abilities at the moment they start the project/task. the learner-centered approach focuses on the student as an agent of the educational process (barraket, 2005) the principle of problem-based learning (barge, 2010) stimulates students’ research and creativity, the use of nonstandard thinking techniques, and the ability to take the initiative and independently plan their actions which would further develop their cognitive skills. collaborative learning presupposes not only motivation to collaborate, but also the students’ cooperation and lively participation in communication activity during the project preparation process. individualization is a principle which recognizes that every person possesses unique psychological characteristics. the teacher should organize students’ work focusing on their individual capabilities, interests and needs. the stages/phases of the project the project consists of a set of stages or phases. each phase deals with definite tasks. v.v. kopylova (2005) suggests seven phases: preparation, planning, research, analyzing, sharing the results, project evaluation report and future project planning. we highlighted three main stages in our project: preparation (including global partners in education journal april 2013, vol. 3 no. 1, pp. 70-78 www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 74 planning), implementation (including research, processing the information, actual work on creating a ‘product’ and analysis of it) and the final stage – link with and presentation of the ‘product’ to the partners. the time for the completion of the project was one month. during the preparation stage (one week) the main goal of the teachers who monitored the project in the partner universities was to motivate students and create teams. enrollment in the project was on a voluntary basis. at the first meetings with potential participants teachers explained the idea of the project and its place and role in the context of global intercultural communication available due to modern ict. it was also made clear that students would be given a free hand as to the choice of the format of their ‘final product’ whether it was to be a powerpoint or prezi presentation or a video based on their own scenario. the students became familiar with the necessary elements of their work (looking for pertinent information and its processing according to the task of the project, compiling plans and writing scenarios, preparing costumes for theatrical actions if necessary and so on). they asked many questions about the details of the project. at the initiative of the russian partners an e-learning resource site on the platform of wikispaces.com was created to support academic management, methodological activity and the process of creative work of all the participants in the project. the choice and successful use of this platform were determined by its philosophy based on the principles and key ideas of constructivism: 1. it is not possible to transfer knowledge to students 'as it is'. it is only possible to create learning conditions and environments for the successful construction of knowledge. the wiki technology contributes aptly to the realization of this idea as it provides learners with the possibility to participate actively in cooperative website content compiling (rudakova, 2006). 2. learners are supposed to be “actors” of the cognitive process and maintain interaction with each other based on their preceding cognitive and empirical experience. this principle is supported by the availability of a large number of communication tools: public messaging service, built-in discussion forum, etc. with the help of which learners can exchange opinions, post their suggestions and comments, questions, etc. 3. education is a social process. the principles of social constructivism are reflected in the possibilities to organize learning web-communities or groups and to establish and maintain interaction which is necessary for the effective cognitive process (nazarenko, sizykh, fandei, 2012). the didactic features of the wikispaces platform were also taken into consideration. one of the most important features is the efficacy of presenting academic information: it is possible to upload files of different formats (audio, video, graphics, text documents), to create links to external and internal internet resources and so on. electronic educational resource (eer) “culture for understanding” created on the platform of wikispaces.com (http://culture-for-understanding.wikispaces.com/) contains general information about this project (conceptual foundation, learning goals and tasks, issues for discussion), tutorial and reference materials referring to the theme of the project and a special section for publications of the final products http://culture-for-understanding.wikispaces.com/ global partners in education journal april 2013, vol. 3 no. 1, pp. 70-78 www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 75 of all participants. communication within the framework of the project among learners and between learners and teachers was also realized through the site. at the implementation stage, which lasted about three weeks, the teams had once and for all been shaped (the students made a decision to stay or to leave the project) and the functions of each participant were defined. the russian, ukrainian and belarusian students chose to create a video of some theatrical performance. they drafted scripts, discussed the versions and then they dramatized, rehearsed, and prepared the scenery and theatrical costumes for the selected version. the students from kazakhstan preferred to work on a powerpoint presentation, so they concentrated on the plan of it, the search for appropriate thematic pictures, selecting the national ornaments and on writing the explanatory texts. within groups in each university (which acted as ‘national teams’) the roles were distributed by the students themselves: some sought pertinent information, if necessary translated texts they found, adapted them in compliance with the goal of the project and the strict time limit, wrote scenarios and scripts and rehearsed their shows being aware of the internet specifics (sound signal, etc). others, more technically experienced, were involved in the recording of video and making slide presentations. they made all sort of things: recorded video clips, took photos, selected and matched the background music, dubbed and tried to make it brief and representative. they were also concerned with finding a noise isolated place with suitable lighting to make video-recordings of good quality. yet another part of a team worked on the costumes and props. since the project was held soon after easter, the ukrainian and belarusian students, for instance, decided to decorate their tables with ethnic embroidered towels, easter cakes, painted easter eggs, and a sheaf of wheat. the ukrainian towels and painted easter eggs on ribbons were hung upon the wall. belarusian students presented a video clip of a short theatrical show which started with greetings addressing all participants and were followed by a scene of welcoming visitors to a belarusian home. they laid the table using a tablecloth and dishes decorated with ethnic ornaments. they wore ethnic clothes and surprised the participants from the three other countries by speaking the belarusian native language. belarusian is an eastern slavonic language with about 7.5 million speakers in belarus. it is closely related to russian and ukrainian as they all have the same basis – the old russian language. so these three participants could feel that they were part of a single culture and have much in common. russian students also chose a video format to introduce their own perception of the given topic “traditions of hospitality”: as russia is a multinational and multicultural country and there exist various customs of hospitality in different regions, it is impossible to describe traditions of all nationalities at the same time. they thought that presenting traditions of only one or two nationalities would seem unfair of other nationalities. so they found a compromise: they decided to present the “hospitality of a town” to a foreigner. the choice of the format of presentation (a video clip) was justified by the fact that this way of presenting information is very dynamic. the students discussed all stages of the project elaboration and analyzed it in the section “project design” on the wiki site. global partners in education journal april 2013, vol. 3 no. 1, pp. 70-78 www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 76 in their powerpoint presentation students from kazakhstan dwelt upon the plentiful traditions of greeting a male guest in a kazakh home, of treating him with great respect and honor and a feast of national cuisine. their slides were artistically framed with ethnic ornaments and the presenters wore national dress. the climax of the project was certainly the final stage, i.e. the video link with partners and presentation of the ‘products’ (all the students’ presentations can now be viewed on the wiki site: culture-for-understanding.wikispaces.com). this stage demonstrated not only the tangible outcome of students’ work but also how students were excited, how deeply they were motivated and dedicated, and how much they wanted to present their culture in the most understandable way. they were eager to show generous hospitality as one of the characteristic features of their peoples, to promote their culture and make their partners like it. technical problems that sometimes prevented them from performing with the best quality were taken very close to heart. summing up the intercultural project of four countries’ universities was our first trial, a pilot project. to be able to make a broad generalization the experiment should be repeated several times. still some positive didactic outcomes could be clearly seen even after this single experience. they can be summarized as follows:  high motivation of the students, which is the “engine” and the “catalyst” of learning. it was reflected in students’ enthusiastic independent work on the project and their strong desire to continue the collaboration in the next academic year;  undoubted academic achievements due to purposeful work with a big amount of information and learning a lot about their cultural heritage;  progress in terms of their cross-cultural awareness and competence as a result of the interaction with their partners and learning from their presentations about other cultures;  increase in their critical thinking ability expressed in the intention to improve their performance in the future on the basis of the critical assessment of their final ‘products’ and conclusions taken;  further development of their cognitive skills, their ability to research and analyze which revealed itself in their writing and publishing scholarly articles and giving papers at scientific conferences. apart from the above mentioned it is also worthwhile to accentuate that organization of such intercultural projects with the use of the information and communication technologies is a powerful tool of education and upbringing of the younger generation in the spirit of a respectful attitude towards the diverse cultures of the contemporary globalized world. the first ‘lessons’ of the pilot project provided a strong challenge for all the participants to continue. at the same time, it was also recognized that some improvements should be made in terms of more detailed planning and analyzing every step of the project implementation. global partners in education journal april 2013, vol. 3 no. 1, pp. 70-78 www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 77 references barge, s. (2010). principles of problem and project based learning: the aalborg pbl model. denmark: aalborg university. retrieved from http://www.pbl.aau.dk/digitalassets/33/33124_pbl_aalborg_modellen.pdf barraket, j. (2005). teaching research method using a student-centered approach? critical reflections on practice. journal of university teaching and learning practice, 2, 64-74. retrieved from http://jutlp.uow.edu.au/2005_v02_i02/barraket004.html collings, e. (1926). opit raboti amyerikanskoy shkoli po myetodu proyektov [the experience of using project method at an american school]. moscow: novaya moskva. dewey, j. (1997). psihologiya y pyedagogika mishlyeniya [how we think; translation from english]. moscow: sovyershyenstvo. kopylova, v. (2005). myetodika proyektnoy raboti na urokah angliyskogo yazika [the methodology of project work at english lessons]. moscow: drofa. mcleod, s. (2012). zone of proximal development. retrieved from http://www.simplypsychology.org/zone-of-proximal-development.html nazarenko, a., & sizykh, l. (2009). from interpersonal international communication – to global understanding. proceedings of the 2nd gpe annual conference (pp. 10-14). beijing: china agricultural university press. nazarenko, a., & sizykh, l., fandei, v. (2012). a socio-constructivist approach to enhancing students’ learning and participation in the “global understanding” project. edulearn12: 4th international conference on education and new learning technologies: conference proceedings (pp. 5226-5229). barcelona, spain: international association of technology, education and development (iated). isbn 9788469534915. polat, e. myetod proyektov [project-based method]. retrieved from http://distant.ioso.ru/project/meth%20project/metod%20pro.htm rudakova, d. (2006). razvitiye communikativnoy kulturyi na osnovye ispol'zovaniya informatsionno-communikativnyh tyehnologiy [development of the communicative culture on the basis of ict]. in s. gudylina, k. tikhomirova, & d. rudakova (eds.), obrazovatyel'niye tyehnologii xxi vyeka [educational technologies of the 21st century] (pp. 111-118). мoscow: izdatyel'stvo institoota sodyerzhaniya i myetodov oboochyeniya rao. stephenson, j., & york, m. (1998). capability and quality in higher education. london: kogan page. about the authors alla l. nazarenko, phd, is full professor, head of the department of linguistics and information technologies and serves as vice-dean at the faculty of foreign languages and area studies at lomonosov moscow state university. she lectures in british history and culture and theory and practice in distance education. dr. nazarenko is a fulbright alumnus and holder of “the msu professor-online” grant of 2012. she has authored about 70 publications (including a monograph and textbooks) on linguistics, functional stylistics, esp, russian as a foreign language, cross-cultural communication, distance education and e-learning. http://www.pbl.aau.dk/digitalassets/33/33124_pbl_aalborg_modellen.pdf http://jutlp.uow.edu.au/2005_v02_i02/barraket004.html http://www.simplypsychology.org/zone-of-proximal-development.html http://distant.ioso.ru/project/meth%20project/metod%20pro.htm global partners in education journal april 2013, vol. 3 no. 1, pp. 70-78 www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 78 website: https://sites.google.com/site/ffllingvit/about/staff/alnazarenko e-mail: anazarenkoster@gmail.com ludmila g. syzikh is a senior teacher at the faculty of foreign languages and area studies at lomonosov moscow state university. she is the teacher of the global understanding course at lmsu. her areas of interests include intercultural communication, distance learning and efl. e-mail: lgsyzikh@gmail.com viktoria a. fandei is a phd lecturer at the faculty of foreign languages and area studies, lomonosov moscow state university. her areas of interests include intercultural communication, efl, blended learning and distance learning. e-mail: insatiable_in@mail.ru elena a. malashenko, phd, is an associate professor and head of the foreign languages department at international sakharov ecological university in minsk, belarus. she lectured as an english teacher in germany for three years and on return from germany as an english teacher for twenty years in the various regions of the former ussr. under the supervision of professor e.s. polat, she wrote her thesis on ‘methodological basis of distance translator training in the system of further education’. the software for the project was provided by american charity organization ‘’project harmony’’. elena malashenko is an author of about 40 publications (including a monograph and textbooks) on language teaching methods, esp, distance education and e-learning. e-mail: elena_malashenko@ymail.com svitlana l. bobyr, phd is an assistant professor and head of the pedagogy and fl teaching methodology department at chernihiv taras shevchenko national pedagogical university, ukraine. she lectures in methodology of fl teaching, methodology of research work, efl teacher’s culture of speech, and introduction to specialization. she is vice-president of tesol-ukraine and the author of more than 100 publications. she is also the author of 3 optional courses – efl teacher’s culture of speech, logical accentuation of the english speech and introduction into specialization. e-mail: sabobyr@ukr.net baktygul zh. kurmanova, phd, doctor of pedagogy, professor, head of the department of psychology and pedagogy, k.zhubanov aktobe state university, kazakhstan. she lectures on methodology of kazakh language teaching, on information technologies in teaching languages and on psychology and pedagogy. e-mail: baktigul_2001@mail.ru https://sites.google.com/site/ffllingvit/about/staff/alnazarenko mailto:anazarenkoster@gmail.com mailto:lgsyzikh@gmail.com mailto:insatiable_in@mail.ru mailto:elena_malashenko@ymail.com mailto:sabobyr@ukr.net mailto:baktigul_2001@mail.ru global partners in education journal april 2012, vol.2 no.1, pp. 57-67 www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 57 the university of the gambia’s participation, experience, and challenges in the global understanding project cajetan nnaocha1 school of arts and sciences university of the gambia, the gambia abstract this article reflects on the university of the gambia’s participation, experience, success story, and challenges in the global understanding (gu) project initiated by east carolina university (ecu) in 2003 (chia, poe, & yang, 2011). the university of the gambia (utg) has been a member of the gu project since 2004 and their participation has been one of immense benefits, which are worth sharing. this article is based on my practical experience of the gu project and its umbrella organization, global partners in education (gpe) at the utg and on feedback from utg students who have participated in the project. reflecting on our experience in the gu project will bring to the fore the unique nature of utg being situated in a developing country with few infrastructures. this article will serve as an incentive for improving on their successes and confronting our challenges to create a better participation in the gu project in the near future. the writer argues that to thrive in today’s globalized learning environment, students need to complement their academic and career learning with the international skills that will allow them to understand and work in a global community. globalization of education has become a means to an end (nayyar, 2011). introduction globalization and global education have become veritable means through which the world has been compacted into a global village. today, integrating regional studies into the global perspective is now a recurring issue. in an attempt to teach all places across time, technology and teachers ensure coverage. and in order for students to see a less compartmentalized world that reflects global interaction, as well as later global exchanges, curricular integration is now essential. to succeed in today’s global education environment, students increasingly need to complement their academic and career learning with the international skills that will allow them to understand and work in a global community. this is because globalization 1 the author sincerely thanks prof. muhammadou kah, president of the university of the gambia for his invaluable support toward the gu project, professors rosina chia, jami leibowitz and biwu yang of the east carolina university for their useful suggestions to the university of the gambia toward the entire gpe/gu programmes and for their support/advice in the writing of this article. all errors contained herein are, however, mine. global partners in education journal april 2012, vol.2 no.1, pp. 57-67 www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 58 of education and education of globalization has become both means and ends in themselves. as we forge ahead towards global integration and unity, global education has become an essential exercise. with improvements in technology, distance education is emerging as a formidable proponent and could potentially even the playing field in terms of educational access. in order to determine the viability of using technology to deliver education, a historical participation of utg in the gu project, its benefits and challenges is explored. this article provides an introspective analysis of the students’ perception of distance learning via the gu project. it also reveals the strengths and challenges, as well as the factors associated with collaborating with international universities through distance learning as a means to increasing access to education in the gambia. the gu project is a multicultural programme initiative of ecu for promoting harmony and co-operation among universities in different parts of the world (chia et al., 2011). the utg has been an active member of the gu project since 2004. participating in this project has come with a lot of benefits and challenges which are worth sharing. global partners in education (gpe), the parent organization to the gu project, has become a medium of establishing international activities, projects and programmes. since its inception, gu/gpe has witnessed tremendous growth and success in global academic initiatives using internet based technology (through a virtual classroom setting), thereby justifying the use of information communication technology (ict) as a cost effective way to rapidly set up a global network of education partners. it has thereby facilitated the sharing of curriculum, pedagogy, programmes, projects and administration within its partner universities. in the gu course, partner interactions take the form of videoconference and irc chat where students engage one another in discussions on college life, customs/traditions/culture, religion, meaning of life, prejudice and stereotypes, music, language etc. the outcome is that global education is breaking away from the traditional methods and focusing on critical self-reflection and cultural thoughtfulness that can improve understanding of multinational, social, and cultural issues which make students become well-informed global citizens. in our contemporary times we need to understand how the globe is interrelated and to appreciate its diversity and complexity. this article is based on feedback received through group discussions with utg students who participated in the gu course over the years. participation process for the gu virtual link the gu course at utg is not open to all students. being a developing country with low infrastructure, not all students have basic computer knowledge. as a result, any intending students must undergo basic computer training and orientation organised by the it department of the university before they can be eligible for the course. in effect, the course is not open to first year students who are expected to undergo basic computing as a prerequisite to taking the gu course. global partners in education journal april 2012, vol.2 no.1, pp. 57-67 www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 59 for the actual gu classes, test links are conducted by the technical directors of the partner institutions before the first session with a view to detecting and correcting any technical error that may affect the actual link. prior to the commencement of classes, students are required to attend a meeting where they are familiarized with the videoconferencing system. some of them have never had class in a virtual format and so, are generally nervous and inquisitive about the whole process; hearing their voices or seeing their faces on the camera. students are also briefed on the purpose of the global understanding class and expected learning outcomes. prior to each link, a forum on the utg digital planet (a course management system) is created for students to discuss their own ethnic cultures and identify the relevant ones to showcase. this brainstorming exercise gets the students ready to answer questions from their fellow students in other countries. finally an assignment titled “examine the place of gu class in the face of globalized education” is given to students at the end of the global link experience. this is an assessment that calls for comprehensive information on the perceived successes and challenges of the programme which are later presented in the form of student presentations. the aim of this activity is to engage all the students in organized work where they share and exchange ideas they have learnt from the programme. presenting their assignments is considered necessary and appropriate, as stager (2005) suggests that knowledge is better constructed if shared by participants in a social context. the gu project is implemented in such a way that each member institution is partnered with three other institutions from different regions of the world. each institution meets with each of the three partner institutions consecutively so that students from all four countries develop a broader view of the world around them. typically six consecutive videoconference links are allocated to each of the collaborative partnerships between member institutions. professors from each institution introduce the course and determine the direction of the class which may be either videoconference or skype. and when neither works (as may be the case sometimes), all students work in irc chat. the lead professors constantly keep in touch and jointly make decisions on how they would like to conduct the course within the broad framework of the project bearing in mind the peculiarity of the partner institution. the course is framed in such a way that the lead professors have flexibility to tailor it to suit the needs and resources of their own institutions. the technical support person from each institution maintains a close link with the partner institution’s technical person to ensure a smooth connection. the gu project started in 2003 and utg joined a year later which has added a new dimension to utg’s learning. for example, the project through the classroom link has added an interesting dimension to the curriculum by introducing a new teaching methodology and enhanced international interaction. virtual classroom interaction before participating in the gu project was only read about in books. more so, many global partners in education journal april 2012, vol.2 no.1, pp. 57-67 www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 60 students at utg take this course either as a major or minor requirement for their degrees; depending on the degree programs pursued. this proves the importance students attach to the gu programme. since utg’s participation in the gu project, more than eighty students have participated and passed through the programme. and it is interesting to note that some of the utg students who have passed through the programme still attend links during their free periods to refresh and enrich their knowledge more. the gu project has become a household name at utg particularly amongst many participating schools like ict and arts and sciences. in all, the gu project has been variously described by our students in positive lights. benefits emerging out of utg’s participation in the gu project the students have unanimously acknowledged that their participation in the gu project has enhanced their various degree programmes. they have gained access to educational opportunities not typically available in the gambia or in the traditional classroom set-up. before now, their learning activities were limited to the four walls of the traditional classroom environment where they were only absorbers and listeners. but now they are contributors in the gu setting. some of their comments in this regard are: “the global education project is breaking down the walls of traditional classrooms.” “it gives us opportunities to socialize and interact with different international students.” “gu takes you from where you are to where you may not have been.” “gu is education without borders.” “gu is a catalyst which quickens global learning.” “gu is a potential pillar for global education growth.” the programme has also contributed in various ways in arousing students’ interests on international issues, building global good will, and enhancing their knowledge and perspectives about the partner countries that constitute the gu. working with these diverse countries no doubt has enhanced their knowledge about the world. certain myths, prejudices or stereotypes about “the other” have been dispelled. similarly, gu virtual links in the era of globalization and technological advancement have achieved the aim of helping to increase understanding and tolerance of other cultures and broadened their social horizon. in a student’s words: with gu, my bias and stereotypes are gone. i learned about diverse cultures which have replaced misconceptions. i had earlier thought that developed countries, especially usa and china have no culture and tradition. but now, i have found that after all these are countries with rich cultures which are preserved and respected. greater understanding of other participants in their diversity has been created as well. students are of the view that the gu project is surely one of the quickest ways of promoting literacy, understanding and inter-cultural exchanges and appreciation of the diversity and complexities of the world. “through it we can live in harmony, peace and co-operation despite our diversities. i learned to become less critical about others and global partners in education journal april 2012, vol.2 no.1, pp. 57-67 www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 61 realized that there could be different points of view on any issue,” commented one student. the understanding of issues from different perspectives among the students has been one of the laudable gains of the project. students are no longer narrow minded; rather they are culturally conscious and sensitive to controversial international issues. a case in point was when a utg student asked about the issue of taiwan and tibet independence. their partners explained that both taiwan and tibet are part of china and that it is not something up for discussion. in the course of virtual classroom links some students expressed culture shock, a kind of re-orientation one experiences when he or she encounters a new culture. for instance, we found out that some countries do not pay bride price in marriages, practice monogamy and do not have extended family systems, as we have them here in the gambia. as for us, “we were brought up and live in communal and extended family structure – a family group knit together which includes not only parents and children but also uncles, aunts, grandparents etc.” in the gambia, the tradition is that the groom pays a determined amount as a bride price and a man can marry as many as four wives. we were surprised that this does not happen in some other countries. nevertheless, we realised that different countries have different cultures. this is a kind of re-orientation for our students. the gu goodwill has exposed the students to knowledge of other countries and issues on globalization. in this era of globalization, global education has become the main activity that will bring us to the level we want to be. students have acquired knowledge about other countries that have made them become global citizens. in our contemporary time we live in a globalized society with diverse cultures and traditions, and students understanding of these cultures are often limited to what they see, read and watch on television. and the prospect of living and studying in other countries of the world is treasured but due to financial and other constraints, it is not possible for most students to just do that. given the situation, it becomes necessary and interesting for students to have that unique experience of meeting other students through the gu virtual classroom links. represented below are a few quotes of participating students expressing their thoughts: “it has exposed me to the issues and facts about global learning.” “gu gives easy and increased access to information resources.” “gu is like iron sharpening iron.” the gu programme has facilitated skill and personal development among students. it has achieved the aim of helping to increase students’ language skills and personal development. as some of them are language students, it is an important opportunity that will enhance their careers. some of them confided in me their plans in the near future to purse a course of study in global issues. the gu programme is inculcating in our students, knowledge, skills, values and changes in behaviour that will make it easier for them to adapt to any new environment around the globe. we have recognised that while the utg virtual experience is new and has its own attraction, very soon virtual classrooms and video conferencing will be common and permanent learning structure in our university. global partners in education journal april 2012, vol.2 no.1, pp. 57-67 www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 62 utg students have benefited immensely through the gu programme. for instance, their typing speed and awareness have increased through constant usage and chatting on computers with their partner students. some of their comments were: “the programme has improved my language and technical skills through interaction.” “the course has made me a better user of the english language.” “my reasoning and critical thinking has been widened.” it has developed my skills of responding to questions and issues.” “global understanding project is surely one of the quickest ways of promoting literacy.” “the gu project has helped me to experience international education and language learning.” for example, they have learnt that ‘ni hao’ is how you are in chinese language while ‘laye’ is come. their use and application of the latest ict on the global link have enhanced their technical know-how and global friendliness. as one of the students exclaimed, “gu project has made my years in the university meaningful and rewarding!” as another student said “i can now operate our utg e-learning gadgets and connect universities without assistance from our technical person when we want to link.” watching our technical man operate the various ict equipment has been very beneficial. this programme has helped students to acquire friendships and develop closer and stronger relationships. gu is all about meeting and interacting with people which creates friendliness and goodwill. to some of our students, the gu project has given them the rare privilege of meeting with students with integrity and value. not only making friends but elements of trust, credibility and instant rapport were other benefits of video conference. the gu has helped to develop a network of relationships that may prove beneficial for their futures. these were some students’ comments: “gu is a channel of creating rapport and friendliness.” “it provides opportunities for effortless social interaction.” “gu is collegiality in practice.” “surely through gu, the march towards achieving the vision of making the world really a ‘global village’ is on the track.” “i have many ‘toubab’ friends (gambian local name for white men) around the world now.” the gu project has created the spirit of self-reflection in the minds of our students which is a step towards an independent mind and thinking. indeed, the gu project calls for a moment of self–reflection and stock taking of the personal self. they are no longer imagining what the rest of the world looks like; rather they have seen and experienced it. for one student; “the gu project has made me to question some of the harmful cultural practices in africa such as female genital mutilations (fgm), polygamy, belief in witchcraft, re-incarnation, etc.” in the same vein, our technology person has benefited hugely from the gu project. for instance, through the gu project he has acquired new technical skills, it knowledge, learned how to set up e-learning, how to trouble shoot networks and the project has kept him abreast with the latest technological equipment/infrastructure. in fact, in the words of our network administrator, pa sara drammeh, the gu project has made me what i am today technologically. learning from a computer mediated expert like elmer poe and a data network and global partners in education journal april 2012, vol.2 no.1, pp. 57-67 www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 63 information security expert, biwu yang at east carolina university has been such a wonderful experience! his diligence and eagerness to learn these things and work to develop this course in the face of the infrastructure challenges at utg has, in 2011, fetched him the first ever annual gpe technology personnel award. in general, the gu project has broadened students’ general knowledge, selfdevelopment and awareness to enhanced self–confidence and esteem. it has helped students to work in peaceful and harmonious ways with other students from different nationalities, continents and races; especially when they engage in group assignments and seminars in a school setting where we have students from different countries of the world; having developed awareness of group dynamics and personal sensitivity towards others. the students described their general positive experience in these ways: “gu is really enjoyable!” “the experience is good.” “gu is flexible, rewarding, accessible, eye opener.” “gu is the place to be.” “gu leads and others follow.” despite the different cultural background amongst the gu students, they tolerate each other’s peculiar nature and operate with the principle of “unity in diversity.” one student had once said that “the gpe has come to unite us through gu despite our differences. the gu project emphasises those issues that unite rather than separate us through education.” in all, the students perceived and scored the gu project very high. it has transformed and benefitted them in several ways. the students in their direct comments described gu as: “gu has changed the face of education.” “gu is a potential source of global education growth.” “gu is synonymous with knowledge sharing and dissemination.” “gu project introduces us to modernity.” “gu is education on wheels.” the gu project in general has achieved the vision of creating a network where students from different countries have the opportunity to become global citizens and to function effectively in a globalized community. the students believe that the gu project has achieved the three fold objective providing global awareness; enhancing positive global attitude; and acquiring real global collaborative experience. challenges in the utg’s participation experience successful virtual classroom links in themselves cannot operate in a vacuum or isolation. it is a function of an inter-related technology and the human factor. these factors are critical in the gu project as it can mar or make it. despite the success story in our gu project, we are still confronted with some basic challenges. the factors which challenge utg’s participation in the gu project are in the area of infrastructural facilities/equipment and the human factor. our inability to match our infrastructure/equipment with the developed countries which use the latest facilities in their virtual classes remains a challenge. this explains why sometimes we are not heard or seen clearly by our partner universities during links. global partners in education journal april 2012, vol.2 no.1, pp. 57-67 www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 64 other similar challenges are inadequate computers, lack of regular access to the internet, low bandwidth and regular power failure. there are human challenges as well; for instance, the inability to prepare for the virtual class in time and other anomalies prevalent at utg as a university in a developing country with a poor education budget. in terms of infrastructure/equipment challenges, utg is at the verge of procuring state of the art equipment that will address these challenges. it is interesting to note that our partner universities have not abandoned us in the face of these challenging situations. they have always assisted us by making useful suggestions on how we can have successful links. for instance they have suggested to us to use either skype or irc when connection through h.323 videoconferencing was not available. at one occasion we were given a web camera by our parent body, ecu, to boost our links. more importantly, our partner universities have always scheduled test links to help us have hitch free links. the challenges of few computers at utg are solved by dividing students into groups. instead of allowing all students to go in the ‘chat room’ at the same time we divide them into two groups; one group will be in class discussion in videoconference, while the other will be on chat. this has always worked out successfully. other challenges are communication issues such as grappling with understanding some unfamiliar english accents during virtual class discussion. to solve this challenge, our students are currently undergoing a course of study in sociolinguistics/phonology. before now, understanding english accents from the original english speakers has been an issue among students; especially when they come in contact with exchange programme students who visit utg from europe or america. many students at utg are not subscribers of the gu course as they are not computer literate and are not likely to get some interactions on chat rooms, emails etc. however, utg is overcoming this challenge with the making of basic computing a compulsory course for all students of the university. the gu project is a chain of actions. what affects one affects all. therefore, students’ challenges are not in isolation. for instance, when we experience network breakdown it affects all and sundry. sometimes our students’ hope of having a virtual class is dashed either because of power failure or the human factor. nothing is more challenging than when students are ready to learn and do not have that opportunity due to some factors that can be handled and solved. this remains a daunting issue at utg. however, sometimes we use the missed link period to reflect on our previous class links and at some other times we brainstorm on how to improve on our links. most of our challenges are man-made. however one unique challenge students face is that they do not have access to computers except during the gu class. this makes it impossible for students to have constant contact with partners after the official link hours. some students said “what may make the gu project meaningful is its regularity.” “they should not whet our global partners in education journal april 2012, vol.2 no.1, pp. 57-67 www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 65 appetite and leave it to dry.” “we need more of these links and more access to computers.” “we should not be cut off from our friends overseas.” students appreciate the directness of the one–on–one conversation and the spontaneity and holistic interaction that characterised the video conferencing. for one, it has enabled them to have direct and instant feedback which is very essential in the gu project. funny enough, one student in one of the classes asked, “as we have north and south carolina, do we also have west carolina?” but he was answered and told that there are only north and south carolina. some students preferred and rated emails high, as in their view, e-mails had the advantage of helping them interact with their partner students. others preferred chatting due to its speed of response and enhancement of their computer literacy and typing speed. to most of them, before now, their computer awareness and typing speed were very low; as they do not have constant access to computer usage. now due to constant interaction via chatting on internet following the opportunity offered by gu project, they are becoming proficient in the use of computers. in the same vein, they felt that communicating via emails provided a better method for orderly and comprehensive information distribution and sharing. the stress on one-to-one partnering and correspondence between students is indeed an exceptional idea which worked appreciably well. most utg students are still in close touch with their partner students from gu member countries. and there are indications of continuing relationship among students. although distance learning will not be effective for every student and for every situation, it offers a useful way to increase accessibility to education for many people that may have previously been denied the opportunity to pursue global education. what then can be improved in the gu course to provide even better benefits? i believe that both the lead teacher in the gu project and the students can benefit from the process of accessing and responding to student pre-course expectations. teachers can benefit from knowing before the course begins what their students expect of them. they then have the opportunity to adjust their tutoring style or manage the students’ unrealistic expectations to a more appropriate level. the students benefit from sharing their concerns and expectations of service with the teacher who will be directing them and shaping the way in which the service is provided (stevenson & sander, 1998). the end result should be greater satisfaction with, and improvement in, the quality of service delivery of gu project for all concerned. conclusions with the help of new technology we have seen increased interaction between and among universities. the introduction of virtual and digital education by gu now transcends not only classrooms but geopolitical borders; thereby challenging the traditions of a system that have been in place since ages (capalbo, 2012). the use of virtual links in global learning is a potential bright spot in the current gu project. as it global partners in education journal april 2012, vol.2 no.1, pp. 57-67 www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 66 stands today, the number of utg students who subscribe to gu course is on the rise. the course has made them learn to understand and respect one another’s cultures, languages and beliefs and that is what the global understanding project is projecting across the globe. the gu project has revealed some pertinent directions that will help mould our future global leaders. this is through decolonising their mind-set about their perception of other cultures/peoples. the gu project has provided a brilliant occasion for our students to acquire direct information about the cultures of other countries while at the same time showcasing their own cultures. i argue that to succeed in today’s global environment, students increasingly need to complement their academic and career learning with the international skills that allow them to understand and work in a global community. globalization of education and education of globalization has become both means and ends in themselves (capalbo, 2012). we should humanize the gu course by focusing on the students and not the delivery system. after all, technology does not always teach distance learners, but effective lead teachers and technology administrators do (dzakiria, 2004). in the near future, utg hopes to build on their acquired experience from the gu project. this, it intends to do by procuring more infrastructure/equipment and improving on our delivery services and other noticeable human lapses. references chia, r., poe, e., & yang, b. (2011). history of global partners in education. global partners in education journal, 1, 3-7. dzakiria, h. (2004). technology does not always teach distance learners, but effective distance teachers do. malaysian online journal of institute of technology, 1, 6081. retrieved from http://pppjj.usm.my/mojit/ capalbo, r. (2012). global education brief. globalization 101: a project of the suny levin institute. retrieved from http://www.globalization101.org/uploads/file/education/education2011.pdf nayyar, d. (2011). globalization and markets: challenges for higher education. in global university network for innovation (eds.), higher education in the world 3 (pp. 40-50). uk: palgrave macmillan. retrieved from http://upcommons.upc.edu/revistes/bitstream/2099/8115/1/nayyar.pdf stager, g. (2005). towards a pedagogy of online constructionist learning. proceedings of the world conference on computers in education. stellenbosch cape town, south africa. retrieved from http://www.stager.org/articles/onlineconstructionism.pdf stevenson, k., & sander, p. (1998). improving service quality in distance education. retrieved from http://www.eurodl.org/materials/contrib/1998/stevenson/index.html http://pppjj.usm.my/mojit/ http://www.globalization101.org/uploads/file/education/education2011.pdf http://upcommons.upc.edu/revistes/bitstream/2099/8115/1/nayyar.pdf http://www.stager.org/articles/onlineconstructionism.pdf http://www.eurodl.org/materials/contrib/1998/stevenson/index.html global partners in education journal april 2012, vol.2 no.1, pp. 57-67 www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 67 about the author cajetan ifeanyi nnaocha is a senior lecturer in the school of arts and sciences, university of the gambia. he received his ma in african history from the university of lagos, nigeria. he is currently pursuing his doctorate degree at st. clements university, british west indies. he has teaching experience spanning over 18 years and coordinates the distance learning of his university. his areas of research interest include colonial legacies, nation building, economic history, global education, and international boundaries. he can be reached at cnnaocha@utg.edu.gm. mailto:cnnaocha@utg.edu.gm global partners in education journal june 2015, vol. 5, no. 1, pp. 27-37 http://www.gpejournal.org/ issn 2163-758x 27 on-line videoconferences: how to make intercultural collaboration effective for all participants svetlana a. minyurova svetlana g. krylova nadezhda s. rudenko ural state pedagogical university, russia abstract on-line videoconferences with students from different cultures is a form of learning which provides participants of the global understanding course with unique opportunities for studying english and investigating other cultures. current research highlights advantages of the internet as well as videoconferencing technology for foreign language acquisition. however, these advantages might manifest themselves at maximum only if all the participants are actively involved in intercultural collaboration with their partners. the experience of ural state pedagogical university (uspu) testifies that there are a number of factors which may decrease activeness of interaction which means less learning effectiveness of videoconferencing technology for students. the article considers three groups of such factors which were observed during the global understanding course: objective, language, and psychological ones. the paper also analyses reasons for these factors and suggests psychological and pedagogical techniques aimed at compensation for their influence. introduction the global understanding course provides students with an opportunity to be involved in synchronous intercultural interaction in english with students from all over the world (chia, poe, & yang, 2011). thanks to modern technology participants of the project do not have to change their place of residence and incur extra costs. collaboration is carried out through such information technology tools as chats, social networks, emailing, and on-line videoconferencing. among them on-line videoconferences are the most effective in drawing academic collaboration closer to the real interaction and in providing students with detailed information about the other culture. however, our experience shows that face-to-face collaboration is more difficult for non-native speakers. we suggest that it might be determined by a number of factors. firstly, participants should be prompt enough to respond to questions with the english language they have at disposal. secondly, they should speak in the presence of other people including strangers, which is a rather stressful situation for some people. while observing students during on-line conferences the authors noticed different degrees of involvement of students in collaboration. since involvement in active intercultural collaboration influences the use of all advantages of such collaboration for foreign language learning and culture investigation, the authors decided to focus on factors which may lead to decrease of such involvement during on-line videoconferences. the http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal june 2015, vol. 5, no. 1, pp. 27-37 http://www.gpejournal.org/ issn 2163-758x 28 authors differentiate at least three groups of such factors: objective, language, and psychological ones (individual and group factors). the paper analyzes content and reasons for each group of factors in detail and suggests several ways that might reduce their undesirable influence. objective factors the term “objective” indicates the origin of these factors highlighting their independence from persons’ intentions and actions. on-line interaction is carried out in the environment which has its own objective characteristics: spatial, temporal, and technical. the authors’ experience proves that effective on-line interaction might be influenced by such factors as time difference and quality of videoconferencing determined by technology. time difference description of the problem during the global understanding course the authors witnessed the situations as well as students’ utterances which drew our attention to the importance of such a factor as time difference in countries of partner-universities. below are the examples of influence of time difference factor on students’ interaction. e.g., students from one partner university have a link at 8.00 am (local time), while students from another partner university have their class in the afternoon. from the perspective of dynamics of physiological indicators time period from 8.00 am to 12.00 is a period of maximum physiological and psychological activity during 24 hours (bünning, 1969). on the other hand, 8.00 am is the beginning of classes, which is the so-called stage of inclusion in work. this stage lasts from several minutes to an hour and manifests itself in gradual increase in ability to work up to the optimal level (egorov & zagryadskyi, 1973). students with a more extended stage of inclusion in work may demonstrate less activity during the first morning class. therefore students from a partner-university might observe that some of their partners are less active. videoconference creates an illusion that all the participants are present at the same place and at the same time in the same conditions. as a result, participants unintentionally ignore time difference. that is why students who attend the global understanding class in the afternoon and as a result feel more able to work might consider behavior of their less active partners unusual. according to attribution theory by fritz heider (1958) people have motivation to explain other people’s behavior by the behavior or actions of others towards themselves, especially if such behavior seems unusual or differs from their expectations. besides, attribution theory says that people tend to underestimate influence of the situation on other people’s behavior and account for the reasons by inner dispositions (interests, attitudes, moods)—the socalled fundamental attribution error (ross, 1977). consequently, students whose local time is the afternoon may subconsciously interpret their partners’ behavior, for whom it is the morning time, as a lack of interest. since collaboration is a two-way process, such interpretation may influence participants’ behavior. misinterpretation may lead not only to misunderstanding but also to decrease in collaboration intensity. http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal june 2015, vol. 5, no. 1, pp. 27-37 http://www.gpejournal.org/ issn 2163-758x 29 at first we suggested that time difference factor should be taken into consideration only when difference in local time between partner universities exceeds 8 hours. however, later we came to a conclusion that for the adequate interpretation of partners’ behavior it is not absolute difference in local time that matters but difference in time of day when videoconference takes place: morning-afternoon, afternoon-evening, morningevening. possible solutions to prevent unconscious tendency to “extrapolate” their local time onto videoconference partners we employed a very simple technique: we reminded the students before each video session what time it is at the moment in a partner university. thanks to it uspu students understood reasons for late coming and slow involvement in collaboration of their partners whose class started in the morning. as a result they did not perceive such behavior as a lack of interest or disrespect. we also used this technique to avoid false interpretation of long breaks in e-mailing. if the time difference is considerable, e-mail sent by a uspu student may be delivered to their partner only late at night or early in the morning. their partner cannot respond promptly enough because he/she is sleeping at night and goes to university in the morning. besides, sometimes partners cannot answer straight after the classes, for example, if they have a lot of homework. in its turn their answer may be delivered to the sender also at night which prolongs time between sending an e-mail and receiving the answer. as a result of all these time shifts even diligent pen-pal partners may produce an impression of being indifferent and undisciplined. therefore, it is crucial to discuss possible period of delay connected with time factor before the collaboration. according to the authors’ experience, such discussion improves psychological atmosphere of intercultural collaboration and decreases tendency of wrong interpretation of partner’s behavior. quality of the video description of the problem during group on-line videoconferences participants can only see video images of the partners’ faces. in case there is a picture of the whole group due to technical conditions, images of separate faces become very small. that is why it is almost impossible to differentiate mimic movements on a speaker’s face. mimic movements (together with gesticulation and pantomimic) provide the interlocutor with information about their partner’s emotional state, preferred type of relationship, desired level of communication (andreeva, 2009). difficulties relating to differentiation of mimic movements lead to loss of information which could contribute to speech utterances (andreeva, 2009). referring to edward t. hall’s concept (1976) of high context and low context cultures we may assume that lack of non-verbal information might interfere with understanding one’s interlocutor only for representatives of high context cultures such as russia. the reason is that communication in high context cultures (сhina, japan, france) depend on the context of non-verbal component of communication to a larger extent, while in http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal june 2015, vol. 5, no. 1, pp. 27-37 http://www.gpejournal.org/ issn 2163-758x 30 low context cultures (usa, scandinavia, germany) communication is focused on verbal messages (hall, 1976). possible solutions quality of video images is an objective factor, however, its influence might lead to such psychological consequences as deterioration of understanding of one’s interlocutor. measures that might allow to compensate for the influence of this factor are the following: it might be effective to use zoom of the video camera to make the image of the speakers’ face bigger. in authors’ view, influence of this factor is not significant. that is why, if understanding among students is satisfactory, it is possible to ignore this factor. language factor description of the problem language factor is all the factors regarding knowledge and use of the foreign language. the basic means of communicative interaction during videoconferences is the english language. low proficiency students are less active in intercultural collaboration because of limited instrumental opportunities for such collaboration. in uspu global understanding classes are heterogeneous: one half of participants are students of foreign languages department while the second half includes both students majoring in sciences and humanities. although the english language is integral part of the curriculum, number and quality of classes is insufficient for successful intercultural communication. possible solutions one of the ways to enhance students’ english language competence is to increase the number of tasks carried out in the english language. undoubtedly, participation in the global understanding course enhances level of language competence. all the participants study ethnographic materials about culture of partner countries, read newspaper articles and write essays in english. they also practice their speaking skills during local classes. however, students who do not major in english may lack confidence to ask a question and participate in discussion. such students are offered to prepare mini-reports on one of the subtopics in written form in advance. a readymade text in front of the eyes allows the student to feel more prepared to take part in collaboration. the authors realize that this technique may lead to decrease in spontaneity as well as in value of videoconference as form of learning. on the other hand, students acquire positive experience which influences their readiness for collaboration in further video sessions. at the same time authors’ experience proves that language proficiency is not always in direct proportion to students’ activity during videoconferences. among participants of the project we could observe students with limited vocabulary and knowledge of basic grammar rules who actively collaborated with their partners. that could be accounted for by psychological factors. http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal june 2015, vol. 5, no. 1, pp. 27-37 http://www.gpejournal.org/ issn 2163-758x 31 psychological factors psychological factors are further subdivided into two groups. the first group includes individual psychological factors—individual characteristics of participants of the global understanding course which manifest themselves in interpersonal collaboration. the second group includes group psychological factors which describe group’s influence on person’s behavior. individual psychological factors description of the problem videoconferencing technology allows to bring on-line collaboration closer to real faceto-face collaboration. therefore, individual psychological characteristics will manifest themselves to a larger extent in such type of collaboration rather than in anonymous forms of internet collaboration (email, chats). however, not all individual psychological characteristics manifest themselves equally in interaction between people. one of such characteristics which significantly decreases student’s involvement in collaboration is shyness. shy people are afraid of strangers because they do not know what could be expected from them. they try to avoid situations of interpersonal communication as well as actions which may draw attention to them (zimbardo, 1977/1990). representatives of other cultures are not only strangers but also people with other value system and social norms. that is why it is possible to suggest that discrepancy in their behavior and expectations of the “shy” representative of the other culture might be wider in comparison with situations of collaboration within their own culture. therefore, such manifestations of shyness as fear and avoidance of interpersonal collaboration might be more obvious in intercultural contacts than in contacts with representatives of one’s own culture. the authors’ observations show that participation of such students in face-to-face collaboration amounts to formal presence at videoconferences. at the same time shy students are actively involved in other forms of intercultural collaboration, e.g. emailing. they also fulfill tasks which require use of written english. this way they partially compensate for lower grades for participation in videoconferences. however, this problem is not very serious because there are few really shy students. as a rule, in russian student groups it is one person per a group of sixteen people. such people stand out because of their reticence. possible solutions obviously, shyness of separate students as a psychological problem cannot be solved within educational process. however, we could suggest some steps which may help shy students to enhance level of their activity in intercultural collaboration during videoconferences. while designing these steps we defined shyness as insufficiently formed social skills (zimbardo, 1977/1990). it means that a shy person avoids interaction with other people because he/she does not know how to initiate and support contact and he/she is afraid to look ridiculous. to make forthcoming collaboration more predictable and as result less frightening for shy students, like in the case with low proficiency students, we offer them to prepare and rehearse aloud a mini-report on each topic of the videoconference. it is also possible to inform shy http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal june 2015, vol. 5, no. 1, pp. 27-37 http://www.gpejournal.org/ issn 2163-758x 32 students beforehand that a group leader will ask him/her to talk during the videoconference which increases personal responsibility for the given commitments. to stimulate participation of shy students in on-line interaction it is important to use both verbal (praise) and non-verbal (eye contact between a student and a teacher, nodding, smile) techniques. it is important for all students, especially for those students who are afraid of demonstrating their activity. group psychological factors: influence of the environment description of the problem a group psychological factor which may lead to decrease in student’s involvement in intercultural collaboration during videoconferences is the presence of others. during videoconferences students interact with peers from their culture as well as students from partner university. in the presence of other people a person is worried about the impression he/she produces on people around which leads deterioration of complex actions (cottrell, wack, sekerak, & rittle, 1968). communication in english is a challenging type of activity for students with low competence in the english language. that is why they might experience more difficulties while making utterances in the presence of others. such failures may lead to their passive participation in collaboration. on the contrary, for those students who are familiar with interaction in english and used to it, presence of others may have a positive effect contributing to the improvement of their communicative activity (the so-called social facilitation effect). possible solutions while choosing the ways to compensate for influence of the environment we referred to the conclusions by r. zajonc, who stated that in the presence of others the dominant response will be enhanced (zajonc & sales, 1966). therefore it is necessary to enhance the level of communicative skills so that communicative activity acquires character of dominant reaction in the situation of intercultural interaction. group psychological factors: group formation description of the problem influence of the second group psychological factor is significant since participants of the global understanding course are members of an academic group which is a type of a small group. in a student group as well as in any other group there is change over time which is referred to as “group’s development” in social psychology. there are various models of group’s development. authors of several popular models of group’s development claim that at the first stage group members get familiarized with one another and establish relationships (fisher, 1970; tuckman & jensen, 1977). emotional state of group members is characterized as a primary tension (fisher, 1970). such tension arises since group members are surrounded by new unfamiliar people and they do not know what should be expected from them. besides, at the first stage group norms regulating communication within the group have not been defined http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal june 2015, vol. 5, no. 1, pp. 27-37 http://www.gpejournal.org/ issn 2163-758x 33 yet. the authors suggest that at the first stage of group dynamics within the global understanding course participants may also experience emotional tension, and uncertainty of communication rules influences students’ behavior as well as each participant’s activity during on-line collaboration. this situation is especially topical for students in russia. in russian universities a student attends all the classes within the same academic group. that is why becoming a member of a new group as well as the corresponding adaptation is a less familiar task for russian students rather than for students from other countries. possible solutions to compensate for this factor we have a two-hour class “acquaintance training” before links as such. this training session is aimed at further effective collaboration of group members and includes following objectives: 1. decrease of emotional tension in the group through acquaintance of group members with one another; 2. defining goals and expectations from participation in the project by group members. “acquaintance training” creates conditions for more active participation of each group member in group work during class session especially during videoconferences. meeting members of the group before the links makes the situation more clear and predictable. realizing personal goals regarding participation in the project forms motivation for more active participation. since “acquaintance training” is an educational one to a greater extent, a professor in charge of it does not necessarily have to possess psychological background. while choosing the exercises one may use, for example, a short guide “500 tips for trainers” (race & smith, 1995, 1996). at the beginning of the class students may be offered simply to get to know one another by introducing themselves one by one (students talk about what they find important). then students are paired up so that they may ask and answer questions about each other. after that each member introduces his/her partner to the group. it is easier for students to talk about their partner to the group rather than about themselves. they may also describe their partner’s merits about which the partner himself/herself would keep silent because of shyness. according to the authors’ experience, the tasks which require physical activity are emotionally positive and useful. for example, the group is offered to divide itself into subgroups according to some characteristic. it is worth beginning with outward characteristics which are available for immediate perception such as eye color or clothes details. then it is possible to proceed with more complex characteristics identification of which demands interaction with each other (who likes spaghetti, who would like to spend a holiday on the caribbean islands, who likes singing in the bathroom, etc.) (race & smith 1995, 1996). it is also possible to divide group members into subgroups (not more than four people) to find out their goals and expectations with respect to the project. as soon as each subgroup formulates their goals and expectations, all the ideas should be discussed by the whole group. sheets of paper with written goals and expectations should be kept until the end of the course – they may be used for final discussion during the last class. http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal june 2015, vol. 5, no. 1, pp. 27-37 http://www.gpejournal.org/ issn 2163-758x 34 group psychological factors: differentiation of roles description of the problem the third group psychological factor is determined by distribution of roles in an academic group. differentiation of group members takes place in any small group during the very first stage, the criterion for differentiation is group members’ abilities and skills which are necessary for acquisition of the group goal (wilke & wit, 2001). observing students’ behavior during on-line videoconferences the authors also discovered that participants’ roles in intercultural collaboration varied. almost in every global understanding group leaders may be clearly defined during the first links (approximately 3-5 people in a group of 16 students). regardless the fact whether they are actually appointed as formal leaders of discussion or not they get actively involved in collaboration, and the level of their activity remains equally high during the whole link. on the whole, such leaders are a positive factor for both the group and the project since they provide uninterrupted on-line collaboration which in its turn leads to the accomplishment of the project’s goals. on the other hand, active communication of group leaders decreases activity of the rest of group. they agree to be passive listeners because they doubt whether they will be a success in comparison with group leaders. since role distribution gets stable along with the group development, gap in the use of videoconference opportunities by active and passive participants widens. the authors suggest that other professors also observed such cases of active collaboration between 2-3 students from each partner university. the rest of the group remains passive demonstrating only non-verbal communication. besides, there are differences in space arrangement: active participants choose to sit closer to the video camera while “listeners” prefer background position. the authors suggest that division of group members into passive and active ones is more probable in large groups because in such groups there are more opportunities “to hide behind other people’s backs”. in our opinion, the situation when two relatively small sub-groups on either side interact with each other during the videoconference limits participants’ opportunities in enriching their ideas about another culture. obviously, each participant while answering their partner’s questions or reporting about some aspect of his/her own culture introduces subjective and therefore incomplete point of view. in order to obtain a complete image of some object one should have an opportunity to investigate it from various angles. by analogy, in order to have a complete idea about another culture it is important to listen to a number of opinions, not only to points of view of the most active students. this is one of the reasons why we think it is crucial to provide active involvement of all students in videoconferences. possible solutions to provide participation of all students in on-line videoconference it is possible to use experience of group discussion management accumulated by social psychology. since only one student is chosen as a class leader during videoconferences, it is worth reminding him/her about the necessity to involve all group members in verbal interaction with students from the partner university. it is also advisable to make a class leader familiar with particular techniques which may be effective in regulating activity of group members. if there are too active students in the group, a leader may shift http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal june 2015, vol. 5, no. 1, pp. 27-37 http://www.gpejournal.org/ issn 2163-758x 35 attention to other participants using such expressions as: “this is one point of view. are there any other opinions on the problem?” (krueger, 1988). in order to activate shy students who do not speak a lot and speak in a low voice it is advisable to strengthen eye contact, let them feel that their opinions are equally important and interesting, invite them to answer the question calling them by their first names. as soon as a participant has said something, it is easier for him/her to participate in the conversation again. on the whole, the role of the class leader is to equal everybody’s activity in on-line collaboration: suspend too active students and involve passive ones. since each student should experience the role of a class leader, it is important to form an idea about effective supervision of the discussion. after each videoconference students may reflect upon effectiveness of the class leader’s actions in organizing discussion. in conclusion we would like to mention one more factor which does not lead directly to decrease in students’ activity in on-line collaboration with students from a partner university but may be used to enhance the degree of students’ involvement in such collaboration. this is evaluation: correlation between the number of points a student may receive for participation in videoconferences and the number of points for the whole course. for example, if participation in videoconferences brings 20 points at maximum, and the sum total of points for the course is 400 points, then even if a student is only present at videoconferences without demonstrating any activity, he/she may have the highest grade for the whole course (≥ 360 points). such correlation of points is reasonable for those students who are native speakers of english because participation in videoconferences is natural speech activity for them. for speakers of other languages it is crucial to increase the number of points given for immediate intercultural collaboration so that they cannot get the highest grade in case they remain passive in this type of activity. in the above mentioned example the number of points should be increased up to 40 points. we do not consider that the grade should be the leading motive for participation in the project. nevertheless, the number of points for each type of activity draws students’ attention to significance of this type of activity for the acquisition of the goals of the global understanding course. perhaps, the authors could be criticized for being too particular about psychology of the education process. the authors together with prospective critics share the point of view that students are responsible enough for their involvement in learning. at the same time if we know how to improve the situation to make the learning process more effective, we should employ our knowledge. conclusion the idea of the authors of the global understanding project to provide students from all over the world an opportunity to immediately collaborate with each other by means of videoconferences is very productive. students have a chance without any financial or time costs to perfect their language competence and enrich their idea of the world diversity through collaboration with native speakers of english as well as representatives of other cultures. however, the authors’ experience shows that immediate cross-cultural collaboration is a necessary but insufficient condition which helps to achieve the project’s goals. students do not always use potential of intercultural communication fully because of the range of factors. some of these factors are not consciously realized by students but influence their behavior which http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal june 2015, vol. 5, no. 1, pp. 27-37 http://www.gpejournal.org/ issn 2163-758x 36 leads to decrease in their activity in cross-cultural collaboration. professors involved in the global understanding course should investigate these factors and choose adequate means which may help to reduce negative effect from these factors. summing up our observations of students of ural state pedagogical university participating in the global understanding project we discovered a number of factors which may lead to decrease in students’ activity in immediate intercultural collaboration with the use of videoconferencing technology. that is why we focused our efforts on the search of psychological and pedagogical means which would allow to compensate for the influence of these factors and help students use all the advantages of on-line collaboration. the authors offered and tried out the following techniques: drawing students’ attention to differences in time zones and associated behavioral variations during intercultural collaboration; helping students to overcome language and psychological barriers through setting simpler communicative goals so that they could be involved in intercultural collaboration and obtain positive experience; exercises aimed at facilitation of group formation, building more comfortable emotional atmosphere in the group, reduction of fear of talking in the presence of unfamiliar people during the first class; making discussion leaders familiar with techniques which may allow to involve those group members who prefer passive role; stimulating the role of evaluation by increasing the number of points given for participation in videoconferences throughout the course. we clearly realize that there are other psychoeducational techniques which may allow to enhance students’ activity in intercultural collaboration during videoconferences. however, techniques described in this paper proved to be effective while organizing students’ work during the global understanding course in uspu. perhaps some of these techniques reflect peculiarities of the russian culture and mentality and therefore will be less effective with students from other cultural backgrounds. this question needs further discussion. references andreeva, g. m. (2009). social psychology. moscow: aspekt. bünning, e. (1969). rhythms of physiological processes. moscow: mir. chia, r., poe, e., & yang, b. (2011). history of global partners in education. global partners in education journal, 1, 3-7. retrieved from http://www.gpejournal.org/index.php/gpej/article/view/11/7 cottrell, n. b., wack, d. l., sekerak, g. j., & rittle, r. h. (1968). social facilitation of dominant responses by the presence of an audience and the mere presence of others. journal of personality and social psychology, 9, 245–250. egorov, a. s. & zagryadskyi v. p. (1973) psychophysiology of mental labour. leningrad: nauka. fisher, b. a. (1970). decision emergence: phases in group decision-making. speech monographs, 37, 53-66. hall, e. t. (1976). beyond culture, new york: doubleday. heider, f. (1958). the psychology of interpersonal relations. new york: wiley. krueger, r. a. (1988). focus groups. a practical guide for applied research. newbury park, ca. sage. http://www.gpejournal.org/ http://www.gpejournal.org/index.php/gpej/article/view/11/7 global partners in education journal june 2015, vol. 5, no. 1, pp. 27-37 http://www.gpejournal.org/ issn 2163-758x 37 race, p. & smith, b. (1995, 1996). 500 tips for trainers. london: kogan page limited. ross, l. (1977). the intuitive psychologist and his shortcomings: distortions in the attribution process (pp. 173-220). in l. berkowitz (ed.), advances in experimental social psychology (vol. 10). new york: academic. tuckman, b. w., & jensen, m. a. (1977). stages of small-group development revisited. group & organization management, 2, 419-427. wilke, h. & wit, a. (2001). group performance (pp. 445-478). in m. hewstone & w. stroebe (eds.), introduction to social psychology: a european perspective (3rd ed.) oxford: blackwell. zajonc, r. b. & sales, s. m. (1966). social facilitation of dominant and subordinate responses. journal of experimental social psychology, 2, 160-168. zimbardo, p. g. (1977/1990). shyness: what it is, what to do about it. reading, ma: addison-wesley. about the authors svetlana a. minyurova is a professor of chair of general psychology, a provost of ural state pedagogical university (yekaterinburg, russia). she holds a post-doctoral degree in psychology. her primary research focus is psychology of self-development, psychology of self-awareness, psychology of personal-professional development. she can be reached at minyurova@uspu.ru. svetlana g. krylova is an associate professor of chair of social psychology, conflictology and management, institute of psychology at ural state pedagogical university (yekaterinburg, russia). she holds a doctoral degree in psychology. her primary research focus is social psychology, psychology of advertising, interpersonal understanding, psychological aspects of communication. she can be reached at s_g_krylova@mail.ru. nadezhda s. rudenko is an assistant professor of chair of english language, teaching methods and translation at ural state pedagogical university (yekaterinburg, russia). she holds a doctoral degree in english language teaching. her primary research focus is self-access in efl, intercultural communication. she can be reached at nadya_rogotneva@list.ru. http://www.gpejournal.org/ mailto:minyurova@uspu.ru mailto:s_g_krylova@mail.ru mailto:nadya_rogotneva@list.ru microsoft word integrating ict for the global understanding program formatted global partners in education journal april 2011, vol.1 no.1, pp. 30-36 30 integrating ict for the global understanding program maliha meziane hadjira kara terki abou bekr belkaid university of tlemcen, algeria abstract nobel laureate herbert simon (as cited in bransford, brown, & cocking, 2000) noted that there is a change in the definition of “knowing” which is shifting to the ability to find and understand information. in this sense, technology allows us to retrieve information and treat it in a different way which is the reason why teaching with the integration of new tools has been of special interest to many researchers. moreover, information and communication technologies (ict) receive particular attention when adapted to education. in this article, we will shed light on the way the global understanding (gu) course has been adapted by abou bekr belkaid university of tlemcen, and describe the tools that have been added. we will also provide a student review of the pros and cons of ict in the classroom. introduction the global understanding course is a cross-cultural program launched by east carolina university (ecu) for promoting peace and understanding in different parts of the world. since 2005, abou bekr belkaid university of tlemcen (uabt) has participated as a partner country. each semester, many students subscribe mainly to enhance their learning of the english language, but also to get to know other peoples throughout the world. in order to respond to the growing number of students interested in joining the global understanding course, students must pass a computerized test adapted from english as a second language (esl) textbooks (intermediate level), followed by an interview. the test encompasses twenty-one multiple choice questions associated with a small text for reading comprehension, as well as other questions related to vocabulary and grammar (see figure 1). once they score 50% or above, the students are directed to the teacher in charge of the gu courses for an interview. during this meeting, the teacher analyses the oral skill of the students as well as other traits, like personality (introvert, extrovert), leadership, open-mindedness and the ability to accept contact with a person from another culture (another race, gender, religion; …etc). the selection is balanced as an equal number of boys and girls are preferred with a total of fourteen students. global partners in education journal april 2011, vol.1 no.1, pp. 30-36 31 figure1: computerized test of english intermediate level in uabt elearn platform. before the courses start, the students are required to attend a local meeting where they have enough time to introduce themselves and become familiarized with the videoconferencing system. the majority have never had class in a virtual environment, so they are generally nervous when initially hearing their voices or seeing their faces on the camera. since the local students don’t know each other, a camera is given to them in order to take group photos. this has a helpful effect on the students’ behavior, as they respond positively while they get acquainted, exchange, share and comment on the photos in the secure environment of the elearn platform. next, the uabt technical team gives the selected students a login and a password to access uabt’s elearn platform (http://elearn.univ-tlemcen.dz). this platform is a virtual learning environment (vle) (also called a learning management system), a powerful addition to any distance learning classroom. in the vle, the teacher integrates some web 2.0 tools like chat, forum, blog, wiki, e-portfolio, podcast, a space to upload files, etc. which increase literacy skills. like a social network, it enables the students to be in contact with each other as well as the teacher who responds to their questions. o’reilly (2005) described web 2.0 as an essential shift in the internet tools available and the way these tools are being used. he claims that web 2.0 tools are more collaborative and have a shorter learning curve than original internet tools, essentially lowering the threshold for participation. the learning process fitzgerald (2004) believes that ict in the classroom offers opportunities for new types of learning and cognitive approaches (see also dede, 2009). clearly, using distance learning opens many pedagogical possibilities for students. one of the aims of the distance learning centre (centre de télé-enseignement, http://cte.univtlemcen.dz/), where uabt students attend the virtual links, is to use technology to improve the quality of learning and contribute towards increasing effectiveness and global partners in education journal april 2011, vol.1 no.1, pp. 30-36 32 efficiency of the educational process. we notice that technology increases the learners’ autonomy as well as motivation, being a “brand new” environment to them. nikolov and nikolova (2008) note that technology is “rewiring” the students’ brains. further, prensky (2001a,b) describes young learners who have grown up with technology as “digital natives” who are keen on collaborative learning and all that maintains digital connections with others. this is as compared to the “digital immigrants” who did not grow up with technology and, even if adopted, will always have the “accent” of an immigrant. prior to each link, the teacher launches a forum on the uabt elearn platform, where the students discuss their own culture and identify the most important points. this enables them to be aware of their own culture, and also get ready to debate the questions with their partners from other countries. subsequently, the gu course exposes students to another learning environment as they meet the teacher twice to discuss and clarify the mistakes they made in the forum and blog posts in the elearn platform as well asthe online interaction with the partner students in the distant country. after one week, the students express readiness, motivation and willingness to work in this virtual environment. consequently, we introduce a podcast activity as a tool to improve their english. making a cross-cultural podcast the use of podcasts has been extended to a considerable number of fields, such as, tourism, entertainment, advertising, library research and education (lakhal, khechine, & pascot, 2007). while podcast content can include audio, video and image materials (rossell-aguilar, 2007), it may sometimes be used only with audio material and other times with video and media content as sometimes labeled “videocast”. when applied to education, psycholinguists have found that unlike reading and writing, listening is instinctual (clark & walsh, 2004). brief podcasts can be useful for preparing students for class by addressing their preconceptions about the material (chan & lee, 2005). chan, lee, and mcloughlin (2006) have suggested best practice recommendations for podcasts: consider an initial purpose; make a short lively podcast composed of many voices rather than one monologue; and originality. while according to peter rawsthorne (2009) ”…computers and computing offer profound opportunities to learn new things, old things in new ways and construct knowledge in ways that would be inaccessible without access to technology.” throughout the gu courses, different topics are discussed like college life, family, traditions, meaning of life, stereotypes and prejudices. at the end, the students are required to submit a cross-cultural report about what they learned from the different countries they ‘met’ through the videoconference links. the aim of this activity is to engage all the students in an organized work group where they share and exchange ideas, be involved during the links, and have fun, because we believe that edutainment (education with entertainment) is very motivating. therefore, submitting their report as a podcast appeared to be a little demanding but very appropriate, as global partners in education journal april 2011, vol.1 no.1, pp. 30-36 33 stager (2005) suggests that knowledge is better constructed if shared by participants in a social context. to ensure the success of this activity, the teacher introduces the basic ways of making podcasts in the uabt elearn platform by uploading different slide shows, videos and tutorials. the first step is to write an outline, then each student should record his part and then include representative photos. the teacher advises using audacity; an open source tool to record speech, and windows movie maker; a built-in software in computers using microsoft windows to edit photos and make short movies. upon request, the uabt tech team is also helpful for guiding students. students prepared a lot of questions that they asked during the links or by emailing their international friends, and then collected pictures from the internet. after that, they arranged the photos according to the script they wrote following a logical chronology where each student recorded his or her speech. a review of ict in the gu course the final podcast submitted in the uabt elearn platform was well made technically with an instructive content. all students participated in this activity, and the content met the topic needs (comparing cultures). all of the students agreed that it was: “fun, creative, artistic, original, and personal.” unexpectedly, the podcast also included some recorded voices of their international friends and the students used other professional tools than the ones suggested by the teacher (like photoshop). they also added soft music in the background and the movie had a lot of artistic effects. this demonstrates their engagement and effort in completing this task. once the global understanding course was over, the teacher asked the students individually about their feelings towards this course and the challenges of using ict in the classroom. note that some students gave general comments while others went into details. hence, the comments listed below have been grouped and adapted and do not constitute a complete record of all their statements.  individual pace of studying  almost direct feedback  motivation and high stimulation for studies  modern way of teaching  education is linked to entertainment  excitement to know about another culture  as the role of the teacher is transparent during the course, learners’ autonomy increases.  opportunity to practice the language in-situ with native speakers.  more opportunities for discussion (with the different tools, videoconferencing, , chat, forum, blog, social network…etc)  a community of learners for innovation and teamwork  enjoying the podcast activity  some declared to continue making podcasts for other purposes. global partners in education journal april 2011, vol.1 no.1, pp. 30-36 34 on the other hand, some disadvantages are unavoidable, like:  technical issues which hinder the natural-like way of talking  lack of personal contact despite the face-to-face interaction.  time consuming and efforts demanding (especially for the podcast).  mixed feelings of anxiety and the curiosity towards the otherness.  topics are limited and repeated with every session. conclusion the number of uabt students interested in participating to the global understanding course is ever increasing. this program constitutes a “demystified window on the world.” it enables uabt students not only to know about other cultures, but also to enhance their knowledge of the english language in natural-like situations. the use of ict tools in education stands as a “bridge” since most of the students are already accustomed to internet tools. when applied in the classroom, they no longer view their learning process as formal and authoritative, but rather view it as following an “edutainment” philosophy. thus, they make friends and keep in contact with them even when the gu courses are over, whatever the time and geographic location they are in. yet, it also proves that when the course is over, students continue to learn even without a teacher or any course requirements. they also become motivated to communicate in english with friends, and they are engaging in meaningful exchanges of information outside of the classroom. references bransford, j., brown, a., & cocking, r. (eds.). (2000). how people learn: brain, mind, experience, and school. washington, dc: national academy press. chan, a., & lee, m. j. w. (2005). an mp3 a day keeps the worries away: exploring the use of podcasting to address preconceptions and alleviate pre-class anxiety amongst undergraduate information technology students. in d. h. r spennemann & l. burr (eds.), good practice in practice: proceedings of the student experience conference (pp. 58-71). wagga wagga nsw, australia: charles sturt university. retrieved from http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/summary?doi=10.1.1.115.1023 chan, a., lee, m., & mcloughlin, c. (2006). everyone's learning with podcasting: a charles sturt university experience. in l. markauskaite, p. goodyear, & p. reimann (eds.), proceedings of the 23rd annual conference of the australasian society for computers in learning in tertiary education: who’s learning? whose technology? (pp. 111-120). sydney: sydney university press. retrieved from http://www.ascilite.org.au/conferences/sydney06/proceeding/pdf_papers/p171 .pdf clark, d., & walsh, s. (2004). ipod-learning. [whitepaper]. brighton, uk: epic group. global partners in education journal april 2011, vol.1 no.1, pp. 30-36 35 dede, c. (2009). theoretical perspectives influencing the use of information technology in teaching and learning. in j. voogt and g. knezek (eds.), international handbook of information technology in primary and secondary education: vol. 20 (pp. 43-62). new york: springer. fitzgerald, r. n. (2004). ict: challenges for creative learning. new horizons in education, 50, 16–23. lakhal, s., khechine, h., & pascot, d. (2007). evaluation of the effectiveness of podcasting in teaching and learning. in g. richards (ed.), proceedings of world conference on e-learning in corporate, government, healthcare, and higher education (pp. 6181-6188). chesapeake, va: aace. nikolov, r., & nikolova, i. (2008). distance education in schools: perspectives and realities. in j. voogt & g. knezek (eds.), international handbook of information technology in primary and secondary education. new york: springer. o’reilly, t. (2005). what is web 2.0: design patterns and business models for the next generation of software. retrieved from o’reilly media website at http://www.oreillynet.com/pub/a/oreilly/tim/news/2005/09/30/what-is-web20.html?page=1 prensky, m. (2001a) digital natives, digital immigrants. on the horizon, 9(5), 1–6. prensky, m. (2001b). digital game-based learning. new york: mcgraw-hill rawsthorne, p. (2009). podcasting and pedagogy. retrieved from http://www.slideshare.net/prawsthorne/podcasting-pedagogy-presentation rossell-aguilar, f. (2007). top of the pods—in search of a podcasting ‘‘pedagogy’’ for language learning. computer assisted language learning, 20, 471-492. stager, g. (2005). towards a pedagogy of online constructionist learning. in proceedings of the world conference on computers in education. stellenbosch cape town, south africa. retrieved from http://www.stager.org/articles/onlineconstructionism.pdf global partners in education journal april 2011, vol.1 no.1, pp. 30-36 36 about the authors maliha meziane is an associate teacher of english language at abou bekr belkaid university of tlemcen, algeria. she received her ba in english language and ma in sociolinguistics at abou bekr belkaid university. she also works as a tutor of distance learning in the "centre de tele-enseignement" at the same university, where the main task is the integration of ict tools in education. she tries to set up virtual classrooms with different universities around the world. she can be reached at m_meziane@mail.univ-tlemcen.dz hadjira kara terki is a teacher of computer sciences in abou bekr belkaid university of tlemcen, algeria. she graduated as an engineer in computer science “software engineering” from the university of oran (algeria) and got her magister in computer science “knowledge and information systems.” she is completing her doctorate on “requirement engineering in e-learning.” hadjira kara terki is an accomplished researcher in e-learning and has contributed to many scientific projects related to information and communication technology in education. she is the webmaster of the abou bekr belkaid university website and is responsible for the distance learning centre “centre de télé-enseignement.” she can be reached at h_karaterki@mail.univ-tlemcen.dz. global partners in education journal june 2015, vol. 5, no. 1, pp. 4-14 http://www.gpejournal.org/ issn 2163-758x 4 russian-american collaboration in art therapy and psychology: methods and outcomes barbara faye parker-bell marywood university, usa tatiana vaulina tomsk state university, russia abstract the purpose of this paper is to share the experience of the development of international collaboration related to exchanging information and expanding understanding of art therapy and culture between russian and american universities. the paper describes some of the existing differences between russian and american understanding of art therapy that becomes one of the catalysts for the development of international projects between two universities, marywood university, scranton, pennsylvania, usa and tomsk state university, tomsk, russian federation. the authors share their own experiences of building and implementing international projects to build cultural awareness using art methods, and in increasing understanding of the field of art therapy and psychology in both countries. additionally the authors address the challenges that were faced, and report methods and outcomes of the projects. collaborative program development is discussed as an example of cultivating global awareness and internationalization of teaching and learning processes in modern universities. introduction in 2008, a russian psychology faculty member, currently at tomsk state university, tomsk, russian federation and an american art therapy faculty member from marywood university, scranton, pa, usa, embarked on a journey of educational collaboration related to exchanging information and expanding understanding of art therapy and culture. a time-limited pairing of faculty members for fulbright research purposes proved to be the beginning of six years of further collaboration and international exchanges. these faculty members, as well as the administrators of marywood university and tomsk state university, recognized that global and multicultural issues in psychology, art therapy, and social work have become more and more significant for modern professionals who live in a world that no longer has informational boundaries. both marywood university and tomsk state university acknowledge the trend of globalization in their mission statements. according to their respective mission statements, marywood university (2014) aspires to train “global citizens” in an interdependent world, and tomsk state university (2014) seeks to develop “international http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal june 2015, vol. 5, no. 1, pp. 4-14 http://www.gpejournal.org/ issn 2163-758x 5 partners” for joint research and educational programs. globalization is a factor that many educational institutions consider important. altbach, reisberg, and rumbley (2009) define globalization as: …the reality shaped by an increasingly integrated world economy, new information and communications technology (ict), the emergence of an international knowledge network, the role of the english language, and other forces beyond the control of academic institutions. internationalization is defined as the variety of policies and programs that universities and government implement to respond to globalization. these typically includes sending students to study abroad, setting up a branch campus overseas, or engaging in some type of inter-institutional partnership. (p. iv). hovland (2009), the director of global learning and curricular change at the association of american colleges and universities (aacu) asserts that its programs support faculty and administrators’ efforts to create “curricular, cocurricular, and integrated experiences that enable all students—those who study abroad and the vast majority who do not—to approach the world’s challenges and opportunities from multiple perspectives and to wrestle with the ethical implications of differential power and privilege” (p.4). hovland suggests that universities provide students with multiple experiential opportunities to address global issues so that the students will be prepared to practice global skills in the real world. typically, undergraduate general education or liberal arts education courses serve as fertile environments for initial global learning experiences. graduate level professional training programs may have a different focus for their global learning. for example, lattanzi and pechak (2012) assert that many medical professions “recognize the need to embrace globalization and maximize its potential” (p.55). goals such as establishing global standards in medical education and supporting health professionals’ recognition of responsibilities related to global health and wellness concerns drive training programs to include global components. lattanzi and pechak report that early efforts in global international exchanges regarding physical therapy involved the exchange of instructors from the two countries. a few clinical instructors were trained to work in the non-us countries and provided education at the host countries’ clinical sites, and faculty from the international programs received continuing education training at us based educational programs. since that time, educational partnerships between international professional training institutions have grown to include exchanges of students and faculty and collaborative research efforts. methods for exchanges have also grown to include video and web conferencing and web courses that feature collaboratively designed curricula. around the world, the profession of art therapy exists in many different forms and stages of development. stoll (2005) notes that the american art therapy association of the usa, and the british association of art therapists (baat) in great britain have led the world in developing art therapy as a profession and establishing its educational standards for their home nations. as a result of growing international interest in the field, representatives of these associations have often visited other nations to provide information and training to http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal june 2015, vol. 5, no. 1, pp. 4-14 http://www.gpejournal.org/ issn 2163-758x 6 students abroad. additionally, many international students have studied in the usa or great britain with the purpose of returning with information that will help them build the art therapy profession in their home countries. stoll (2005) surveyed international art therapists affiliated with art therapy associations and 49 individual art therapists from 7 countries around the world with the goal of better understanding their professional experiences. stoll’s findings verified that international art therapists frequently practice in isolation without benefit of formalized recognition of art therapy. surveyed art therapists reported that they often struggled to practice art therapy within national systems that did not acknowledge art therapy as a profession. moreover, many of these art therapists reported that they were one of very few people in their home nations trained to practice and advocate for the profession of art therapy. therefore, one of stoll’s recommendations was to establish an international group to support art therapists establishing art therapy as a profession in their home countries. stoll also reviewed the status of art therapy development in many countries including the russian federation. she suggested more educational exchanges and support were needed to further art therapy around the globe. potash, bardot, and ho (2012) supported the development of international art therapy educational standards that could be adopted in a culturally relevant manner to assure the quality of training and commonality of professional expectations and ethics for practitioners. based on their work in india and hong kong, potash, bardot, and ho concluded, “training programs around the world have a common need to respond to the challenge of how to provide knowledge in a way that is accessible, adheres to professional standards, and promotes the field” (p.143). however, given that art therapy is not yet conceived as a separate profession in many countries around the world, it may be harder to assure that global standards are being considered or met. furthermore, the development of global standards becomes more complex given that countries conceive health, art, and helping roles and services in a variety of ways. in countries where art therapy is less established and training opportunities are less available, professionals such as social workers and psychologists have reached out for art therapy training (kalmanowitz & potash, 2010). in these cases, the professionals seeking training may not be looking to become art therapists, but are looking to incorporate art based interventions in their professional work with others. naturally, there have been ethical debates regarding whether or not art therapists should train others, or to what extent art therapists should train those who will not practice as professional art therapists. art therapy educators acknowledge that art therapists are not the only mental health professionals that use visual arts media in the context of therapy. however, they assert that specialized, extensive training in art therapy is required to competently practice as an art therapist. if one has not been involved in comprehensive art therapy training that meets professional educational standards, one should not call the work they are doing art therapy. kalmanowitz and potash suggested establishing the training of other types of international professionals as a means to promote “sensitive use of artmaking, responsible use of artmaking, and ethical use of artmaking” (p. 22). when sharing art therapy knowledge with others, kalmanowitz and potash suggest that one must ensure that artmaking in helping contexts is used well and not misrepresented as http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal june 2015, vol. 5, no. 1, pp. 4-14 http://www.gpejournal.org/ issn 2163-758x 7 art therapy. furthermore, they stress the importance of keeping training participants grounded in their own professional disciplines. in the usa and russia, concepts regarding art therapy differ widely. as stated above, in the usa, art therapy is defined as an independent field of professional work. “art therapy is a mental health profession in which clients, facilitated by the art therapist, use art media, the creative process, and the resulting artwork to explore their feelings, reconcile emotional conflicts, foster self-awareness, manage behavior and addictions, develop social skills, improve reality orientation, reduce anxiety, and increase self-esteem” (american art therapy association, 2014a). in russia, art therapy is defined as “a system of psychological and mental-physical interventions based on clients’ (patients’) involvement in artistic expression and establishing therapeutic relationships. it can be used with therapeutic, preventive and rehabilitation goals with people having mental or physical disorders or those with psychosocial limitations” (russian art therapy association as cited in ecarte, 2013, p.90). the main differences between the two nations’ art therapy frameworks relate to the breadth of health concerns addressed by practitioners, the diversity of theoretical constructs that inform art therapy approaches, and the specificity and depth of training that art therapy practitioners receive. in contrast to the american view of art therapy as a distinct independent profession, art therapy in russia is considered to be a modality or approach utilized within the psychology profession. significant differences between the usa and russia also relate to approaches to art therapy training. in the usa, training occurs within independent graduate level art therapy educational programs. while us students’ specific graduate degree titles may vary at different educational institutions to express program philosophies and license preparation, core art therapy curricula reflect nationally established standards for art therapy education (aata, 2014b). only students that have completed the educational requirements and obtained supervised post-graduate experience are eligible for registration and certification as art therapists (atcb, 2014). in contrast, in the russian federation, art therapy methods are practiced by psychologists and other health professionals. art therapy is not recognized as a distinct profession and there are no separate professional educational programs for art therapy training (karkou, marinsone, nazarova, & vaverniece, 2011). consequently, art therapy courses tend to be offered to psychology students as elective classes in psychology education programs. additionally, educational methods in the two nations related to psychological and art therapy content differ. for example, art therapy classes offered in us educational programs are supported with practical experience. the american art therapy association educational standards (aata, 2014b) require that students engage in, at minimum, 700 hours of supervised practicum experience to help them integrate theoretical knowledge and to prepare them with practical techniques. in russia, preparation for professional psychology careers tends to be dominated by expectations that students master theoretical constructs. russian teachers focus on theoretical approaches to psychological work, but relatively little time is spent on practicing applications of theories, or supervision of practical work. it has been important for the us co-author to be aware of the russian http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal june 2015, vol. 5, no. 1, pp. 4-14 http://www.gpejournal.org/ issn 2163-758x 8 emphasis on theory and the russian students’ potential discomfort with more art-based experiential learning processes due to their lack of experience in that area. this report describes a broad range of projects which focused on art therapy content and tools and how the relationship between two international universities evolved over time. both authors believe that long-standing collaborative relationships between international universities can provide rich outcomes on multiple levels. the authors recommend that those interested in initiating international collaboration cultivate personal determination, flexibility, and awareness, as they garner support from their university systems. first exchanges prior to the collaboration, the co-authors had limited awareness of differences between russian and us concepts and methods regarding art therapy education. serendipitously, the opportunity for sharing information about art therapy content and educational methods occurred in 2008-9, with the granting of a fulbright scholarship to the russian psychology faculty member and co-author of this article. the purpose of the scholarship and designated time at marywood university was to support the faculty member’s research related to art therapy theory and practice in the us. as plans for the russian faculty member’s arrival at marywood university, scranton, pa, usa were implemented, it quickly became clear to the co-authors that conceptions of art therapy content and art therapy differed in each other’s academic systems and home nations. yet, for the purposes of the fulbright scholarship, the goals were traditional in terms of international exchange. traditionally, an international scholar or student is invited to participate in preexisting educational offerings in the host country for an extended period of time. in this situation, the graduate art therapy program, faculty, students, classes, and program resources were made available to the visiting scholar so she could return with information about us art therapy theory and practice to her home country. the host faculty member’s goal was to coordinate and provide support for the visiting scholar’s learning. as the relationship between the faculty members grew and the visiting faculty member’s interactions with students and faculty members within the program expanded, the two authors could see the potential for cross-cultural exchanges that would extend both parties’ and their schools’ conceptions of art therapy, creativity, psychology, and russian and american cultures. however, the co-authors realized that additional, less traditional methods of exchange, those that do not rely on extended visits of faculty members, would be needed to foster further exchange of information. it is rare for faculty or students to have long-term learning opportunities abroad, and even shorter-term study abroad experiences can be difficult to integrate into graduate education due to curricular requirements and lack of student funding. the co-authors recognized that technological educational methods may help them meet their goals. therefore, as representatives of russian and american education systems, the authors of this article began work to bridge the existing gap of art therapy understanding in each home country, and to bring knowledge and multicultural awareness to the authors’ respective academic communities. http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal june 2015, vol. 5, no. 1, pp. 4-14 http://www.gpejournal.org/ issn 2163-758x 9 beyond the fulbright experience the authors determined they would begin their international collaborations via technological means to demonstrate positive outcomes of collaboration with limited or no costs to each university. both co-authors had ready access to technologically enabled classrooms to support such activities. therefore, immediately following the completion of the visiting scholar’s fulbright experience, plans were made to link the two faculty member’s students through experiential activities and skype communication. at this early stage of collaboration, the goals did not relate to advancing art therapy knowledge, but to exploring how art therapy methods could be utilized to help students examine their perceptions and increase awareness about people from other cultures. as a result, in spring 2010, two classes of students from a multicultural issues in art therapy class at marywood university and an international experience of youth politics class at tomsk state university participated in an exchange of ideas about their perceptions of russian/siberian people and culture and north american people and culture. prior to the skype conversation, 12 us students and 7 russian students were asked to create an art work that reflected their understanding of the other cultural group. during the live skype conversation, students shared their artwork and their perceptions with one another (in english). after both groups shared their artwork and their reflections, time was allotted for related questions. students learned how to make inquiries to acquire accurate information about cultural practices and experiences of which they were less familiar. students in both classrooms related that they were surprised by the other groups’ perceptions, and became more aware of the potential inaccuracies of their cultural assumptions. bolstered by positive student feedback from the skype experience, the two faculty members aimed to expand opportunities for exchange and cross-cultural learning. the goal of the next project was to provide faculty members and students from art, art therapy, and psychology programs at both institutions, as well as the general public, an opportunity to see differences and similarities in thinking and practice of psychologically oriented and creative professions in russia and the usa. at this point, goals did not approach training participants in art therapy techniques. the authors selected teleconference technology as the best vehicle to provide a larger audience with exposure to ideas from russian and american scholars. planning for global perspectives in creativity, art, art therapy, counseling, and psychology (2011), a series of three live teleconferences between the two universities, began in 2010, and was implemented in 2011. with support of university administrations, a call for paper presentations was made at both schools. papers were selected and translated, presenter biographies gathered and translated, and a web-site and blog were built so that both school groups could access teleconference materials prior to the conferences in either russian or english. blog interactions were conducted in english. marywood university provided funding and support for text translation and the building of the teleconference website and blog. http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal june 2015, vol. 5, no. 1, pp. 4-14 http://www.gpejournal.org/ issn 2163-758x 10 in total, seven marywood university faculty presenters and six tomsk state faculty presenters were assigned teleconference dates to present their materials. during the teleconferences, simultaneously held at 8am in pennsylvania and 7pm in tomsk, presenters briefly summarized their papers and fielded questions from both audiences. each co-author served as discussion moderator for their home university. tomsk state university generously provided two translators so that discussions could be simultaneously translated into english or russian for both audiences. dialogues among participants (students, faculty, administrators, and a few people from the public) were lively and thought provoking. approximately 100 people attended the events at marywood university, and 60 participants attended on location at tomsk state university. behind the scenes: relationship building & developing support it is important to note that organizing larger exchange events can be complex, and must include a focus on building relationships and trust between the parties involved. in the summer of 2010, prior to the spring 2011 teleconference series, the us co-author met psychology faculty and administration in tomsk, russian federation to build support and interest in the global perspectives project. during that visit the us scholar was invited to attend a tomsk state university hosted conference on cognitive science as tomsk state’s guest, and to present on art therapy topics to interested students and faculty. prior to arriving in tomsk, the us scholar needed to garner support from her own administration in order to receive funding for travel. travel arrangements also involved obtaining a formal invitation to visit from tomsk state university. this formal invitation, which goes through several levels of approval processes in the russian federation, is needed well in advance of the trip due to complicated visa processes for travel to russia. both sides worked hard to coordinate the 2010 visit to tomsk and the us faculty member’s efforts to travel to the russian federation appeared greatly appreciated. this process substantially verified both parties’ commitment to collaborative projects. dialogues among the co-authors and their administrators followed, and the success of the teleconference events in early 2011 led to a formal memorandum of understanding between the two universities in april 2011. the memorandum outlined the purpose of collaboration between the two universities, which was focused on promoting mutual collaboration in education and scientific research, exchange of students, faculty and research scholars, joint research activities, and exchange of scientific material and information. furthering relationships and exchanges during the course of the next few years more traditional guest/visitor/scholar student visits were arranged at both universities. the us co-author returned to tomsk in late fall 2011, to present at a regional conference and to provide workshops and presentations regarding art therapy approaches to tomsk state students and faculty members, and regional professionals. the us co-author re-visited tomsk state university in 2013 to provide more master’s classes to provide exposure to art therapy concepts and to work with faculty members and administration on future research projects. http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal june 2015, vol. 5, no. 1, pp. 4-14 http://www.gpejournal.org/ issn 2163-758x 11 in 2012 and 2013, the russian co-author returned to marywood university along with undergraduate and graduate psychology students to support further interaction, cultural exchanges, and to advance russian students’ understanding of art therapy research and techniques. in 2012, the us co-author designed a 3-week program where students were integrated into existing art therapy and psychology classes with marywood university students. through integration in the classrooms, russian students were able to experience a different educational climate. additionally, when russian students participated in art therapy and psychology classes at marywood, marywood students were provided opportunities to dialogue with students about russian culture and experiences. for example, during an introduction to family art therapy class, marywood students read articles about family life cycles as described by american and russian authors (patterson, williams, edwards, charnow, & garuf-grounds, 2009; varga, 2003) and then discussed similarities and differences with the russian participants. based on dialogues with students from the us and russia, the program succeeded, at minimum, at increasing students’ awareness of differing world views. unfortunately, an attempt to bring us students to tomsk state university and the tomsk region was less successful. in may 2012, a study abroad course proposal was developed by the us co-author to support bringing marywood students to tomsk state university in the summer of 2013. the course was cross-listed and included one marywood psychology faculty member and the co-author as instructors. the course was designed to offer a cross-cultural experience and study abroad opportunity for marywood university students to examine similarities and differences in us and russian cultures and the applications of counseling, psychology, and art therapy in both countries. however, the elective course did not attract a sufficient number of students to balance expenses. it was at this juncture that differences in support for international study were noted. at marywood university, graduate students have to rely on their own family or financial aid to fund their international travel and coursework. us graduate students may be less likely to study abroad due to multiple obligations and concerns about completing requirements in a 2-year time span. some students found russian visa processes to be intimidating. others may have had misconceptions regarding the nature of siberia. in contrast, russian students traveling to marywood were financially supported by tomsk state university. additionally, russian students appeared to have more flexibility in their studies as they visited marywood in the midst of a traditional semester. regarding finances, since visits to the usa were not construed as courses, there were no additional course load payments for the russian faculty member. therefore, there were no concerns about having a specific number of students to justify trips. in spite of this setback, collaborative plans continued. the us author traveled to tomsk in the summer of 2013 to meet with tomsk state university faculty and administration. during this time, plans were established to create a 3-week summer academic and cultural program for russian undergraduate and graduate students of tomsk state university and other academic institutions in siberia, to be held at marywood in 2014. other plans, such as investigation into developing a joint master’s degree program in art http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal june 2015, vol. 5, no. 1, pp. 4-14 http://www.gpejournal.org/ issn 2163-758x 12 therapy and counseling were started. institutional research agendas and options for joint research projects were also identified, and plans to continue exchanges of faculty to support participants’ professional development were confirmed. in light of the continued collaboration between the two universities and the projects ahead, and for the achievements regarding the development of international relationships between the universities, in september 2013, the us co-author was awarded the status of visiting professor at tomsk state university. cross-cultural exchange and professional training the evolution of the collaboration led the co-authors to consider concerns beyond crosscultural and academic exposure and into the realm of ethics. when planning a 3-week russian summer academic and culture program, the co-authors determined that a significant amount of students’ time would be spent in the classroom with an emphasis on art therapy education. students would be exposed to academic content and the experience of techniques related to that content. after significant planning and attention to logistical arrangements, in august of 2014, the russian summer academic and culture program at marywood university was successfully completed. participants included 14 students and 2 faculty members selected by tomsk state university. all participants resided on campus. student levels ranged from undergraduate to doctoral levels and students’ academic specialties related to psychology, human resource development, linguistics, and architecture. care was taken in providing instruction to students which delineated differences between being acquainted with an art or counseling process vs. being competent to administer such processes. students were encouraged to consider the use of artmaking as intervention within the framework of their own theoretical understanding and practical capabilities of their professions. for example, the russian student who studied to be a linguist was encouraged to consider how the use of art may help her teach language. similarly, students who studied human resource development were encouraged to explore how art may be used to support problem-solving in a work setting. oftentimes, students appeared surprised by the power of self-examination through art. these experiences seemed to alert students to the need for care in considering using art-based options with others. outcomes & recommendations an essential part of conducting long-term collaborative programs is the evaluation of program outcomes. initially, evaluation of programs was informal, based on responses from students, faculty, and administration. more recently, formal evaluation methods have been used to obtain information from participants in regards to learning outcomes and program efficacy. for example, summer program participants completed evaluations immediately following the summer program and an additional evaluation four months later. responses will be analyzed to guide future planning. overall, the co-authors believe they have fulfilled the missions of their universities by http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal june 2015, vol. 5, no. 1, pp. 4-14 http://www.gpejournal.org/ issn 2163-758x 13 assisting students to become global citizens and by building international partnerships. questions still remain in terms of how the two schools may bridge the gap of educational and cultural systems as they collaborate on research and develop means of training russian students in art therapy content and processes. each of the co-authors has been changed personally in terms of cultural awareness and skills in working with and achieving outcomes with others outside their own culture. additionally, the russian coauthor has incorporated both content and experiential teaching techniques within her classrooms. finally, in 2014, the russian co-author was awarded and completed an international education fulbright in the us to support her efforts in developing international partnerships. references altbach, p. g., reisberg, l., & rumbley, l. e. (2009). trends in global higher education: tracking an academic revolution. a report prepared for the unesco 2009 world conference on higher education. paris, france: united nations educational, scientific and cultural organization. retrieved from http://www.uis.unesco.org/library/documents/trends-global-higher-education2009-world-conference-en.pdf american art therapy association. (aata). (2014a). american art therapy association webpage. retrieved from http://www.americanarttherapyassociation.org/aataaboutus.html american art therapy association. (aata). (2014b). masters education standards. retrieved from http://www.americanarttherapyassociation.org/ art therapy certification board. (atcb). (2014). about the credentials. retrieved from http://www.atcb.org/public/aboutthecredentials european consortium for arts therapies education (ecarte). (2013). the professional context of arts therapies in russia. retrieved from http://www.ecarte.info/membership/directory/russia.htm global perspectives in creativity, art, art therapy, counseling and psychology. (2011). official web-site of the global perspectives teleconferences available at http://marywoodandtomsk.wordpress.com/ hovland, k. (2009). global learning: what is it? who is responsible for it? association of american colleges & universities (aacu) peer review, 11, 4-7 kalmanowitz, d., & potash, j. s. (2010). ethical considerations in the global teaching and promotion of art therapy to non-art therapists. arts in psychotherapy, 37, 20-26. karkou, v., martinsone, k., nazarova, n, & vaverniece, i. (2011). art therapy in the postmodern world: findings from a comparative study across the uk, russia, and latvia. the arts in psychotherapy, 38, 86–95. lattanzi, j.,b., & pechak, c. m. (2012). educating globally-minded physical therapist students: curriculum strategies to equip the next generation. journal of physical therapy education, 26, 55-60. marywood university. (2014). marywood university mission statement. retrieved from http://www.marywood.edu/about/mission/ patterson, j., williams, l., edwards, t. m., charnow, l., & grauf-grounds, c. (2009). essential skills in family therapy: from the first interview to termination (2nd. ed.). http://www.gpejournal.org/ http://www.uis.unesco.org/library/documents/trends-global-higher-education-2009-world-conference-en.pdf http://www.uis.unesco.org/library/documents/trends-global-higher-education-2009-world-conference-en.pdf http://www.americanarttherapyassociation.org/aata-aboutus.html http://www.americanarttherapyassociation.org/aata-aboutus.html http://www.americanarttherapyassociation.org/ http://www.atcb.org/public/aboutthecredentials http://www.ecarte.info/membership/directory/russia.htm http://marywoodandtomsk.wordpress.com/ http://www.marywood.edu/about/mission/ global partners in education journal june 2015, vol. 5, no. 1, pp. 4-14 http://www.gpejournal.org/ issn 2163-758x 14 new york, ny: the guilford press potash, j. s., bardot, h., & ho, r. (2012). conceptualizing international art therapy education standards. the arts in psychotherapy, 39, 143-150. stoll, b. (2005). growing pains: the international development of art therapy. the arts in psychotherapy, 32,171-191 tomsk state university. (2014). about tsu. retrieved from http://tsu.ru/english/about_tsu/ varga, a. (2003). family therapy and family life cycle in russia. in k. ng (ed.), global perspectives in family therapy: development, practice, trends, (pp. 105-114). new york, ny: brunner-routledge. about the authors dr. barbara parker-bell is an associate professor in the department of visual arts at marywood university in scranton, pa. she is the director of the graduate art therapy program and cooordinator of the undergraduate art therapy program. in addition, dr. parker-bell is a visiting professor at tomsk state university, tomsk, russian federation. dr. tatiana vaulina is an associate professor of general psychology of the psychology department of tomsk state university in tomsk, russian federation http://www.gpejournal.org/ http://tsu.ru/english/about_tsu/ global partners in education journal june 2015, vol. 5, no. 1, pp. 1-3 http://www.gpejournal.org/ issn 2163-758x 1 from the editorial board: many people have worked hard to bring this issue of gpej to press. we wish to thank all of the authors who submitted papers and all of the reviewers who took precious time out of their busy schedules to provide constructive feedback to the authors. we were fortunate to have mariko eguchi from the university of shimane in hamada, japan, serve as our guest editor for this issue. her expertise and support were invaluable. we are pleased to announce that, for the first time, this issue of gpej includes a special section comprised of student essays along with the regular peer-reviewed papers. mariko eguchi provides an introduction to the special student section which follows the regular papers. we sincerely thank all who have served on the editorial and review boards over the past two years. your reviews are essential to maintaining the quality of every issue of gpej. finally, it saddens us to announce that publication of gpej will be suspended for at least the next two years. unfortunately, the current economic climate has resulted in significant cut-backs and organizational reprioritization that do not allow for the resources required for the review and publication process. we thank all who have supported the journal in the past and we look forward to resuming publication as soon as resources allow. editor in chief marion eppler east carolina university greenville, nc, usa guest editor mariko eguchi university of shimane hamada, japan managing editor jami leibowitz east carolina university greenville, nc, usa technical editor biwu yang east carolina university greenville, nc, usa http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal june 2015, vol. 5, no. 1, pp. 1-3 http://www.gpejournal.org/ issn 2163-758x 2 associate editors blakely brooks east carolina university greenville, nc, usa heidi luchsinger east carolina university greenville, nc, usa cynthia deale east carolina university greenville, nc, usa irina swain east carolina university greenville, nc, usa review board chris brighton krosno state college krosno, poland jessica chen shandong university shandong, china rosina chia east carolina university greenville, nc, usa vivian covington east carolina university greenville, nc, usa elizabeth crawford university of north carolina at wilmington wilmington, nc, usa rai d’honore east carolina university greenville, nc, usa marion eppler east carolina university greenville, nc, usa marina falasca universidad tecnológica nacional buenos aires, argentina susan fournier cesar ritz college le bouveret, switzerland anna hammershoey university college northern denmark aalborg, denmark anders justenlund university college northern denmark aalborg, denmark jami leibowitz east carolina university greenville, nc, usa laura levi altstaedter east carolina university greenville, nc, usa shu mou teachers’ college of beijing union university beijing, china noureddine mouhadjer université abou bekr belkaid tlemcen, algeria maría luisa mu customized training services lima, peru http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal june 2015, vol. 5, no. 1, pp. 1-3 http://www.gpejournal.org/ issn 2163-758x 3 maj-helen nyback novia university of applied sciences vaasa, finland nilüfer pembecioğlu istanbul university istanbul, turkey rita rodabaugh east carolina university greenville, nc, usa nadya rudenko ural state pedagogical university yekaterinburg, russia donald schoffstall johnson & wales university charlotte, nc, usa sol sierralta patron universidad esan lima, peru john southworth east carolina university greenville, nc, usa kathrin ullrich universidad regiomontana monterrey, mexico sean white ryukoku university kyoto, japan vadim zyubanov tomsk state pedagogical university tomsk, russia http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal april 2013, vol. 3 no. 1, pp. 79-92 www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 79 it’s a small world: creating global networks across content areas sasha reese jennifer horgan indiana university of pa, usa abstract the intersection of interdisciplinary instruction (idi) and global education is the framework for educators in both basic and tertiary education to create authentic and engaging learning environments. web 2.0 is the media that can make it happen. segregated subject areas can become integrated through global project work and attention to the connections that need to be made between technology, pedagogy, and content knowledge in 21st century classrooms. global project networks such as iearn and epals serve as catalysts for creating global experiences at any grade level. introduction in a large, suburban vocational school in southern new jersey, students crowd around a laptop squeezing into the webcam viewfinder for their friends in ghana to be able to see them for the first time. students in mrs. lock’s tenth grade english class just began using the international education and resource network (iearn) and epals this school year, and the classroom environment has changed dramatically. mrs. lock has been able to incorporate concepts from mathematics, social studies, science, technology, and english all in one unit, and keep her thirty-one tenth grade students engaged and learning through blogging, podcasting, and videoconferencing. classroom projects, which incorporate technology, coupled with a global component have the potential to transform the educator and student experience. over the past decade, schools across the united states have begun to implement technology across content areas. however, the most exciting development has been in the ability to create interdisciplinary instruction through web 2.0 (gowers, 2009). global project based learning embeds interdisciplinary studies in its framework. according to mcdonald and czerniak (1994), the key components of interdisciplinary studies include students’ abilities to see concepts from multiple perspectives and greater depth, to integrate problem solving, and to build creativity and communication skills. additionally, the thematic organization of ideas within interdisciplinary studies can be a powerful tool, which adds a “dimension of experience” that creates valuable experiences for students and teachable moments for educators (mcdonald & czerniak, 1994, p. 9). differentiation and personalized learning can occur with ease within global global partners in education journal april 2013, vol. 3 no. 1, pp. 79-92 www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 80 based idi projects, and can connect learning to society for authentic teaching (mcghee, 2001). this article will examine the use of global project based learning to connect content areas and create authentic learning experiences for students. it will discuss the effectiveness of utilizing real world interdisciplinary projects. next, global project networks and communities such as iearn and epals will be discussed. finally, it will provide ways to develop and implement global projects in both basic and tertiary classroom environments. a rationale for interdisciplinary instruction interdisciplinary instruction, or idi, is an approach that consciously strives to combine language and methods from more than one discipline in order to explore a central topic (jacobs, 1989). therefore, effective idi should culminate in learning activities that simultaneously improve student performance related to standards in two or more disciplines (mohnsen, 2011). there are many positive reasons to implement idi into the classroom. the use of idi reinforces the relevance of the subject being taught by purposefully linking it with other disciplines (combs & white, 2000; mcdonald & czerniak, 1994). content areas are integrated rather than being kept isolated from each other. idi allows for collaborative student work, as well as more opportunity to integrate reading, writing, and critical thinking skills than traditional approaches. therefore, learning is authentic and connected (hall, 1995). mohnsen (2011) suggests that interest in one subject may be improved through the use of idi activities. students may begin to see connections between subjects and therefore transfer information from one discipline to another. effective idi should be an enhancement of the current comprehensive curriculum, not a replacement of curriculum elements. there are many benefits of interdisciplinary instruction. the research suggests that idi promotes greater student involvement and interest, improves teacher morale, and leads to increased student achievement (combs & white, 2000; michelson & sriraman, 2009). through the study of one major theme across disciplines, students are offered information from a fresh perspective. they are encouraged to discover new insights and synthesize relationships between ideas and disciplines. effective use of idi can encourage critical thinking skills and creativity, as well as promote the development of lifelong learning skills (duerr, 2008). the typical structure of the american public school systems is to create levels of basic education: elementary, middle, and secondary. these schools are comprehensive in nature and enroll students from diverse background and ability levels (organization of u.s. education, 2008). interdisciplinary instruction is commonly used in elementary and middle school settings, but is often abandoned in high school (combs & white, 2000). this is likely due to the internal structure of elementary and middle schools, which typically provide common planning time to teachers and the flexibility to combine classes for a co-teaching experience. it could certainly be an effective tool in the secondary setting, but the departmentalized, bell-driven structure there is an global partners in education journal april 2013, vol. 3 no. 1, pp. 79-92 www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 81 impediment to its implementation (combs & white, 2000; duerr, 2008). as a result of the secondary school structure, idi can be seen as a way to address the concerns of fragmentation and isolated discipline-centered, skill instruction (what is interdisciplinary/cross curricular teaching?) blair’s (2011) study with undergraduate students in a studio/workshop setting shows student perspectives of the benefits of idi in higher education as well. at completion of the idi project students identified the following elements as strengths of interdisciplinary group work: “building larger networks and relationships that can be beneficial on a personal and professional level, learning from other disciplines, learning new skills, working in a team, learning more about your own methods and finding ways to improve it, and gaining cultural knowledge from other students” (blair, 2011, p. 43). the strengths of the project are reflective of how students will have to adapt to attain 21st century employment and to be competitors in a global world (bottery, 2006). several different models can be employed based on the instructional goals and desired outcomes. idi may be designed according to different models such as parallel instruction, cross disciplinary instruction, or infusion (juliano et al., 2002). it may occur for the length of the course or for the duration of a particular unit (jacobs, 1989). global instruction, designed to get students thinking about the big picture, can be accomplished by using a combination of parallel and cross disciplinary instruction. figure 1 illustrates the connection between parallel instruction, cross-disciplinary instruction, and global education. parallel instruction involves teachers delivering synchronized instruction of a common topic or concept, which allows students to draw connections between the two disciplines through shared assessment (juliano et al., 2002). for example, a unit focused on world war ii and the holocaust in a 9th grade history class would be taught at the same time students are reading and discussing the diary of anne frank in english class. while parallel instruction relies almost solely on delivery of connected content in multiple disciplines, cross-disciplinary instruction depends on team teaching or common planning. cross-disciplinary projects are also more thematic and problem based than those associated with parallel instruction. an example of cross-disciplinary instruction would be a health teacher and a science teacher co-teaching a unit on healthy eating. the health teacher might focus on different aspects of nutrition and exercise, while the science teacher focuses on the physiological aspects of leading such a lifestyle (national consortium on health science & technology education, 2007). while any combination of disciplines is acceptable and encouraged in idi, it appears the most common combinations include social studies and language arts, as well as science, mathematics, and technology. these pairings lend themselves well to the creation of idi units (combs &white, 2000; duerr, 2008; hall, 1995; sumrall & shillinger, 2004). the final type of idi, infusion, is the most difficult to implement. it requires deep knowledge and understanding of multiple disciplines by one teacher. for example, to implement infusion while teaching a unit on world war i, the teacher must have in-depth knowledge of language arts, history, political science, engineering, geography, and the arts. global partners in education journal april 2013, vol. 3 no. 1, pp. 79-92 www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 82 it should also be noted that idi is not, according to jacobs, a panacea. there are tradeoffs and limitations that must be addressed. adequately and effectively implementing of idi in any form requires a great deal of commitment, planning, and organization (jacobs, 1989). there are often factors present beyond control of the teacher, which may limit the quantity and quality of idi. such factors include state and local mandates regarding testing, pacing, and the adopted curriculum in place (brand & triplett, 2012). full awareness of these limitations is essential for successful implementation in basic education. while commitment and planning may still be an issue in higher education, the restrictions of testing and curricular choices evident in basic education are not. idi as described above certainly offers positive outcomes; perhaps the addition of a third element would make idi even more effective for our 21st century students. as bottery states “thinking at the global level deepens our understanding and broadens our possibilities” (bottery, 2006, p. 96). combining interdisciplinary instruction with global instruction is the step that will lead our students into the future. figure 1: interdisciplinary instruction using technology to create a global classroom education should equip students to be responsible citizens and workers. a purposeful education prepares student to live in the future, and to examine issues and offer solutions that are creative and imaginative. global literacy is necessary to complete this vision. it has the ability to bring students closer to a world that they are normally isolated from in the traditional classroom setting. the project-based models utilized in global classroom networks allow educators to combine multiple content areas and utilize cutting edge technologies (boondee, kindrakarn, & sa-ngiamvibool, 2011). connecting students to other cultures can transform fear and lack of knowledge into understanding, and can serve as a catalyst for lifelong learning (demski, 2008; gowers, 2009). in the united states, the common core standards and the technological pedagogical content knowledge (tpack) framework for teaching are both current trends in educational technology. educators can still follow the mandates of the state standards for content areas, while incorporating meaningful learning experiences for students. in parallel instruction: focusing on a common topic or concept across disciplines cross-disciplinary instruction: two or more subject areas addressing a common theme global context : study of human beliefs and values, global systems, history, and cross cultural understanding, global partners in education journal april 2013, vol. 3 no. 1, pp. 79-92 www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 83 this type of learning environment teachers can allow students to make choices about their learning which impact accountability and leadership. students from kindergarten through higher education can benefit from honing skills in creativity, problem solving, critical thinking, and collaboration while learning to use web 2.0 tools. several different types of web 2.0 tools such as skype, wikis, blogs, imovie, discussion forums, and podcasts can be used as the media to conduct global educational exchanges (gowers, 2009). while the choice of media is the catalyst for student engagement, the importance of global exchange rests on the opportunity to build a relationship of understanding through collaboration and inquiry. it is important that educators understand the difference between multicultural education (mce) and global education (ge) as well. there are many similarities between mce and ge, however, the main difference is that mce “examines issues within the context of the nation in which students live, and ge looks outside the nation of residence” (lucas, 2010, p. 212). both mce and ge deal directly with issues of cultural diversity, human rights, and prejudice reduction. global education is unique because it seeks to build global citizens who are knowledgeable about both local and global issues and interested in finding ways to solve challenging problems. to prepare for global education and interdisciplinary unit work, educators must gain awareness and social responsibility in the following areas: ecological and political awareness, service to the public and local community, attention to accountability, building trusting relationships, a commitment to transparency, and a greater degree of self-refection and thoughtful evaluation of practice (bottery, 2006). the mindset of the educator must mirror what is expected from students. educator preparation is crucial in developing a successful global project. initial and ongoing professional development, as well as peer leaders and mentors are necessary components in global and technological project success. global projects incorporate common core standards inquiry and curiosity are at the heart of global classroom projects, and with the adoption of the common core standards educators will need to reexamine the intersection of pedagogy, technology, and content. forty-six states in the united states have adopted the common core standards. one might question how these standards differ from anything that we have seen before and why the adoption was necessary. the common core standards for grades six through twelve are separated by content and include english language arts, mathematics, reading and writing for science and technical subjects, and reading and writing for history and social studies. the common core standards are the united states attempt at developing a national component to education. in the united states, individual states govern curricular decisions, so there is a discrepancy between what students learn from state to state and even school to school. inconsistency of this magnitude is not fair to students and places them at a disadvantage. global partners in education journal april 2013, vol. 3 no. 1, pp. 79-92 www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 84 the common core standards also differ from previous standards because they incorporate 21st century skill sets designed to build communication, collaboration, creativity, critical thinking, and problem solving skills. the standards include components which directly address 21st century skills such as credibility, reliability, and validity of sources, technology and publication, evaluation and integration of multiple sources from different types of media, gathering relevant information from multiple authoritative print and digital sources, and making strategic use of digital media in presentations (pa common core standards, 2012). to illustrate the connection between the common core standards and global classroom projects consider the possibilities presented by a cultural exchange via video conferencing. communication, collaboration, and creativity are at the forefront of any global exchange. when mrs. lock decided to begin a global project with her 10th grade students the first step she took was communicating with her students about their global interests. once students decided on ghana, mrs. lock used the international education and research network to find partners to work with her students. after a partner was found, students had to decide on a web 2.0 platform to create their projects and exchange information. the class chose a class blog and the discussion forums in iearn as means of collaboration and communication. through the sharing of life stories, creation of avatars and content, and generation of discussion questions students were critically thinking and problem solving. all of these important steps should take place before embarking on a conferencing experience. the use of multiple forms of media also emerges from global project exchanges. communicating across continents requires a great deal of creativity and variety in presentation. while using word documents, power point presentations, and pdf files can suffice, it is necessary for students to learn to navigate and construct within new technologies such as imovie and voicethread. these technologies offer a third dimension that power point does not. students are able to use video, audio, images, and text to create. the content connection: technology, pedagogy, and content knowledge the tpack framework seeks to guide instruction to the ideal recipe for technology, pedagogy, and content knowledge. figure 2 provides an example of how each component of tpack ties into global project learning. web 2.0 technology is the medium for the projects. flexibility in pedagogy is created by how educators choose to use the technology for instruction and assessment. because global projects are usually problem based, they lend themselves to interdisciplinary planning and collaborative teaching. global projects are also grounded in individualization and attention to real world tasks. the content knowledge component of the tpack framework is accomplished through interweaving 21st century skill development, interdisciplinary studies, and global education. for example, 21st century skills include critical thinking, communication, collaboration, and creativity (partnership for 21st century skills, 2011). creative global partners in education journal april 2013, vol. 3 no. 1, pp. 79-92 www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 85 assignments, instruction, and assessments provide students with opportunities to hone these skills while creating meaningful projects related to the students’ own interests. the tpack model also values and encourages collaboration between educators. the purpose of interdisciplinary or cross disciplinary teaching is to “build community and promote curricular integration” (national middle school association, 1996, p 29). through interdisciplinary instruction students should be able to see the connections between content areas, and the content’s connection to real world activities and scenarios. pedagogically, educators must make a conscious decision to connect multiple disciplines and reflect on current practice. at the basic education level, co-teaching, team teaching, and academic teaming should increase (reed & groth, 2009). this will allow experts in each academic content area of the project to contribute, and provide a high quality of instruction in each discipline. in tertiary education, instructors meet by department and should make a conscious effort to plan projects, which may be used in conjunction with other courses. for example, an instructor teaching college composition i teams with a nursing instructor for a research project. a project is created where the class must compare and contrast the experiences of nurses in the united states versus nurses in other countries around the world. as a team, the instructors search for nurses in france and turkey willing to serve as guest speakers. via videoconferencing technology, such as skype or oovoo, the students observe the speakers, ask questions, and use the interview opportunity as the basis for their research projects. figure 2: tpack in action developing and implementing interdisciplinary global instruction global instruction requires extensive planning to be successful and to produce meaningful learning outcomes. one way that global exchanges occur is through webconferencing. the first steps in preparing students for a live web conference includes establishing pre-existing knowledge, developing questions for inquiry, and conducting research to answer inquiry questions (quillen, 2010). for example, mrs. lock began by •focus on 21st century skills •integration of multiple content areas •global education content • interdisciplinary planning • team teaching •individualization •authenticity pedagogy •podcasts •blogs •video conferences • multimedia •discussion/chats technology global partners in education journal april 2013, vol. 3 no. 1, pp. 79-92 www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 86 asking her students to think about countries of interest, and compiled a list of those options. she then took her choices to iearn and created a discussion forum in the teacher collaboration area requesting participation from secondary level schools only. she received inquiries from schools in both ghana and afghanistan and was able to set up exchanges with each. a challenge in live video conferencing with countries around the globe is the time difference, but this can be averted with careful planning. through the exchanges students were able to improve their reading, writing, speaking, and listening skills, while also working on concepts from history and geography. throughout the unit, students participated in discussion forums online where they wrote about the typical american school day, culture, and languages. this informal learning occurred naturally. students read about the lives and cultures of their partners in other countries and were intrigued by the similarities and differences. students shared the information that they learned via the discussion forums in small and large groups, created posters and wikis, invented avatars, and worked collaboratively to research new information they wanted to learn and questions to drive discussion during scheduled video conferences. the power in the project came from mrs. lock’s enthusiasm and excitement and the students’ engagement. both iearn and epals provide teachers with a database of existing projects to join and begin as well. it is easy to search for specific grade levels, subject areas, and languages. teachers can also use the existing discussion forums to search for current partners, since the projects are all ongoing. figure 3 provides a brief description of iearn, epals, ecoach, and takingitglobal, as well as links to each resource. while mrs. lock enjoyed using the projects for content related projects, she also was able to find light-hearted and fun ways to get students interested in learning. one such project was a christmas card exchange with students in taiwan. again, students used the message boards to get to know each other and were assigned students in the taiwanese classroom to write to. students wrote letters, drew pictures, and decorated the cards. while the project was holiday related, it also taught students about taiwanese and chinese culture. school climate can changed dramatically as a result of participation in global projects. while mrs. lock was the sole educator at her school participating in global projects and thematic interdisciplinary projects, the initiative soon spread to other teachers within her school. mrs. lock believed in the benefits of global projects enough to meet with administration and request a school membership to iearn. the principal was on board, and mrs. lock began offering professional development sessions in iearn, epals, and using skype to set up video conferencing events. mrs. lock focused on building global projects and various examples of idi into her existing english curriculum. however, if teachers have more curricular freedom they will be able to use a project as the basis for an entire unit of study. an example of an interdisciplinary project, which can be used with grades one through ten is the great bean race project from epals. it combines geography, science, mathematics, and english. the project takes place over a timeline of four weeks and is “a competition global partners in education journal april 2013, vol. 3 no. 1, pp. 79-92 www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 87 among classrooms from different countries to see which collaborative team can grow the tallest plant” (baskota, 2012). students are expected to design and conduct a controlled bean plant experiment and investigate for ideal growth conditions. students take daily growth and temperature measurements in a log and take weekly digital pictures. each week, student teams compare their plants’ progress with other classrooms. the interdisciplinary nature of the project is seen through assessments and assignments involving scientific investigation, experimentation, measurement, calculations, photography, observational drawings, and written tasks. at the end of the experiment students are expected to discuss what might have caused the difference in their plant’s growth. the common consideration points to climate and geography, thus the incorporation of social studies. the great bean race project was created by a school in kathmandu, nepal, and sought partners from anywhere in the world for participation. if there is a specific type of assignment or project that educators are looking for that has not yet been created, they are invited to create it. instructors and educators in all instructional areas can create their own global projects to share with the world and utilize websites like iearn and epals to find collaborative partners to do so. for example, an earth science instructor at the basic or tertiary level would like to examine science in daily life in different geographical locations. the instructor wishes to provide students with the opportunity to write about science from a unique perspective. the catalyst for this assignment is annie dillard’s memoir, “finding science in an american childhood” (educational broadcasting corporation, 2004). the memoir is based on dillard’s experiences growing up in pittsburgh, and discusses interest in rock collection, the properties and formation of rocks, and changes in the earth’s crust. the instructor would like students to share their own interest in science by choosing a science related topic and connecting it to their geographical locations and or childhoods. for the assignment to be authentic, meaningful, and real, students are asked to share their writings with a partner class via email, wiki, class website, etc. the element of audience is a powerful incentive to produce and create quality work (combs & white, 2000). many of the available projects for global education and idi initiatives target k-12 education; however, there are important implications for higher education. according to brigham (2011), global citizenship is a way of understanding how the world works, linking our lives to others, exercising political rights, critically thinking, and challenging injustice. in order for students to be prepared to work and live in a global world they must possess knowledge of it, acknowledge social injustice and act upon it, and learn to collaborate and problem solve in a variety of contexts both face to face and online. global projects can give students practice in this arena before they enter the public sphere and competitive employment. enough tolerance: a framework for understanding when mrs. lock began her global classroom experimentation, she was not sure how her ideas would be received by faculty, staff, and students. she began global partner work with iearn in around the time that barack obama was elected to the presidency. global partners in education journal april 2013, vol. 3 no. 1, pp. 79-92 www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 88 she decided to start small, and invited students to participate in the national writing project’s letters to the next president project. the assignment fit well into the tenth grade persuasive essay curricular requirement and provided students with a national audience. students were required to use the letters to the next president website to research their chosen candidate, and had to choose three issues of concern that they wished to speak about with the president. letters were drafted and peer edited, and during the research and writing component students debated often about their chosen candidates stance on abortion, immigration, military involvement, and healthcare. figure 3: finding global partners overall, the academic writing that emerged from the project was a success, and students enjoyed reading student work from around the country on similar issues. they spread the word to classmates and teachers saying, “google me.” there was a sense of pride that emerged from both the face to face and electronic audience (duerr, 2008). however, this was also the first time that international issues of discrimination came to light. some students had strong feelings about the possibility of president obama’s foreign heritage and voiced forceful prejudiced opinions equating all iraqis to terrorists. the stark realization is that students across the globe “see images and hear opinions about complex global issues, but are seldom well equipped to process this information” (gowers, 2009, p. 41). influences within the home and school community shape students’ perceptions and they do not always possess the factual information needed to make an informed decision. perhaps this is where global education may serve us bestas an arena to interact with, and learn from, people from all over the world. in the process, we will share and develop new perspectives. at first, mrs. lock’s invitation to a global exchange was not warmly welcomed by her students. they were irritated and confused. they asked questions like, “why do we have to talk to people from africa? how are we going to talk to them? do they even speak english?” to combat their aggravation, mrs. lock met their questions with iearn •largest non-profit global network serving 130 countries •iearn.org takingitglobal • developing global citizens through social action •www.tigweb.org epals •safe social learning network for elementary and secondary students •epals.com my ecoach •global project based learning resource list for teacher searching for multicultural and multiclassroom projects •http://my-ecoach.com/online/webresourcelist.php?rlid=6499 global partners in education journal april 2013, vol. 3 no. 1, pp. 79-92 www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 89 questions. she asked her students to consider what they knew about ghana, afghanistan, and india. unfortunately, most of the information that the students produced was prejudiced and based on stereotypes absorbed from social media, television, and movies, and their own ignorance. students realized how little they actually knew about international cultures, religions, and geography, and chose to continue with no further protest. solomon and schrum (2007) suggest that educators must consider the implications of 21st century content areas such as global awareness, financial literacy, civic literacy, and health awareness. global awareness potentially leads to understanding. therefore, tolerance of other cultures should not be the goal of global instruction, because it implies a continued ignorance and misunderstanding of culture. the end goal, must be global understanding, knowledge, and mutual respect. simple tolerance is not enough for today’s global community. ultimately, a paradigm shift is necessary to equip students to live a culturally diverse world. by definition, tolerance implies enduring not accepting, understanding, and empathizing. the concept of empathy is not present within the curriculum in american schools, but it should be. educators who seek to build this ideology within students prepare them to be responsible global citizens and powerful agents for change far beyond the four walls of the classroom (hollingsworth, didelot, & smith, 2003). the most effective action that can be taken to change classroom climates is for the educator to consistently speak up and address misunderstandings and stereotypes as they occur (new resources from teaching tolerance, 2012). conclusion global educational projects have the potential to provide students with skills that they will be able to use in daily life and careers beyond the four walls of the classroom. communication, creativity, critical thinking, and collaboration skills are an integral part of working and living as a global citizen in the 21st century. while some would say “the world has changed,” the philosophy should be that it is changing and evolving daily. current pedagogical practices must change to “equip students for the interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary world they are inhabiting” (blair, 2011, p. 33). the spillage of knowledge into the student vessel is a concept of the past and the shift to constructivist and connectivist ideologies is necessary to create classrooms, work spaces, laboratories, and communities for the future. interdisciplinary instruction provides opportunities for deeper learning and engagement. learning networks such as iearn and epals make it easy to find projects, students, and educators in a safe and secure online environment. the importance of global learning reaches beyond knowledge that can be assessed and measured. its most powerful component is its ability to shape the life-long learner and to broaden the narrow mind. reflection on one’s own perspective and learning to understand the diverse perspectives of others is a common occurrence in global project work. instead of memorizing facts and dates, taking assessments, and losing the information, a lasting impression is made, and perhaps a lasting relationship built. knowledge is global partners in education journal april 2013, vol. 3 no. 1, pp. 79-92 www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 90 solidified because it is experienced in the context of real world experiences and in collaboration with others. mrs. lock and her students have kept in contact with mr. abdul makail and the students from his school for boys in afghanistan because there was a sincere interest born out of their project work. communication with individuals from diverse backgrounds is a necessary part of life’s journey and building these skills at any age is imperative to successful schooling, employment, and global citizenry (bottery, 2006). to provide students of all ages with these tools requires providing educators with professional development and peer mentoring opportunities. proper planning, teaming, and curriculum development are imperative in interdisciplinary instruction and global education. we are living in a global world. we should be designing global instruction. references baskota, n. the great bean race. (2012). epals. retrieved from http://www.epals.com/project-detail.php?id=8dd7b4a1-5ea8-4c29-84d1aac9c4c4183 blair, b. (2011). elastic minds? is the interdisciplinary/multidisciplinary curriculum equipping our students for the future: a case study. art, design, & communication in higher education, 10, 33-46. boondee, v., kindrakarn, p., & sa-ngiamvibool, w. (2011). a learning and teaching model using project based learning on the web to promote cooperative learning. european journal of social sciences, 21), 498-506. bottery, m. (2006). education and globalization: redefining the role of the educational professional. educational review, 58), 95-113. brand, b., & triplett, c. (2012). interdisciplinary curriculum: an abandoned concept? teachers and teaching: theory and practice, 18(3), 381-393. brigham, m (2011). creating citizen and assessing outcomes. journal of global citizenship & equity education, 1. retrieved from http://journals.sfu.ca/jgcee/index.php/jgcee/article/view/27/10 combs, d. & white, r. (2000). there’s madness in these methods: teaching secondary methods students to develop interdisciplinary units. the clearing house, 73, 282-286. demski, j. (2008). e-palling around. t.h.e. journal. retrieved from: http://thejournal.com/articles/2008/11/01/epalling-around.aspx duerr, l. (2008). interdisciplinary instruction. educational horizons, 86, 173-180. partnership for 21st century skills (2011). framework for 21st century learning. retrieved from http://www.p21.org/overview gowers, m. (2009). connecting youth--making a difference around the world. education review, 21, 41-46. hall, a. (1995). using social studies as a basis for interdisciplinary teaching. the state of reading, 2, 23-28. educational broadcasting corporation. (2004). high school lesson plan: finding science in an american childhood by annie dillard. retrieved from http://www.thirteen.org/edonline/concept2class/interdisciplinary/lp_high.html http://www.epals.com/project-detail.php?id=8dd7b4a1-5ea8-4c29-84d1-aac9c4c4183 http://www.epals.com/project-detail.php?id=8dd7b4a1-5ea8-4c29-84d1-aac9c4c4183 http://journals.sfu.ca/jgcee/index.php/jgcee/article/view/27/10 http://thejournal.com/articles/2008/11/01/epalling-around.aspx http://www.p21.org/overview http://www.thirteen.org/edonline/concept2class/interdisciplinary/lp_high.html global partners in education journal april 2013, vol. 3 no. 1, pp. 79-92 www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 91 hollingsworth, l. a., didelot, m. j., & smith, j. o. (2003) a framework for teaching children empathy and responsibility. journal of humanistic counseling, education, and development, 42, 139-149. jacobs, h. h. (1989). interdisciplinary curriculum: design and implementation. alexandria, va: association for supervision & curriculum development. juliano, j., jones, c. t., mccarty, t., barrett, j. r., burbridge, a., hiatt, m... coates, m,. fogler, d. e., parker, p., koff, s., mcgreevy-nichols, s., & richard, b. (2002). authentic connections: interdisciplinary work in the arts. the consortium of national arts education associations. 1-10. lucas, a. g. (2010). distinguishing between multicultural and global education: the challenge of conceptualizing and addressing the two fields. the clearing house, 83, 211-216. mcdonald, j., & czerniak, c. (1994). developing interdisciplinary units: strategies and examples. school science and mathematics, 94, 5-10. mcghee, j. j. (2001). developing interdisciplinary units: a strategy based on problem solving. school science and mathematics, 101, 380-389. michelson, c. & sriraman, b (2009). does interdisciplinary instruction raise students’ interests in mathematics and the subjects of natural sciences? the international journal of mathematics education, 41(, 231-244. mohnsen, b. (2011). authentic interdisciplinary instruction: raising the bar. strategies, 24, 18-20. national consortium on health science & technology education. (2007). implementing interdisciplinary, integrated curriculum units for health science and biomedical program of study. retrieved from http://www.healthscienceconsortium.org/docs/unit_overview.pdf national middle school association. (1996). nmsa research summary # 4: exemplary middle schools. columbus, oh: author. retrieved from http://www.hup.sjsu.edu/faculty/susanwilkinson/content/179/5%20nmsa%20re search%20summary%204.pdf new resources from teaching tolerance. (2012). teaching tolerance, 42, 58-59. organization of u.s. education: the school level. retrieved from http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/edlite-index.html pa common core standards. (2012). standards aligned system. retrieved from http://www.pdesas.org/standard/commoncore quillen, i. (2010). web conferencing finds a niche in the elementary grades. education week, 29(29), 12. reed, d. k. & groth, c. (2009). academic teams promote cross-curricular applications that improve learning outcomes. middle school journal. 40, 12-18. solomon, g., & schrum, l. (2007). web 2.0 tools, new schools. washington, d.c: international society for technology education. sumrall, w. j. & schillinger, d. n. (2004). a student-directed model for designing a science/social studies curriculum. social studies, 95, 5-10 http://www.healthscienceconsortium.org/docs/unit_overview.pdf http://www.hup.sjsu.edu/faculty/susanwilkinson/content/179/5%20nmsa%20research%20summary%204.pdf http://www.hup.sjsu.edu/faculty/susanwilkinson/content/179/5%20nmsa%20research%20summary%204.pdf http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/edlite-index.html http://www.pdesas.org/standard/commoncore global partners in education journal april 2013, vol. 3 no. 1, pp. 79-92 www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 92 ______________________________________________________________________ about the authors sasha reese is a special educator at a cyber charter school in pennsylvania. she is also an adjunct english instructor for burlington county college in new jersey. sasha has been an educator for the past seven years. prior to entering the classroom, sasha worked with children with autism in the home and school setting. sasha is a doctoral candidate at indiana university of pa. she can be reached at kbfs@iup.edu. jennifer horgan is a doctoral candidate in the curriculum and instruction program at indiana university of pennsylvania. she earned a masters degree in history from iup in 2005. she also has more than twelve years experience in teaching various courses in history and geography at the junior and senior high level. she can be reached at j.l.horgan@iup.edu. mailto:kbfs@iup.edu mailto:j.l.horgan@iup.edu global partners in education journal april 2013, vol. 3 no. 1, pp. 1-2 www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 1 greetings from the editorial board of gpej: it is hard to believe that this is already our third edition of the journal! the number of papers submitted has increased with each edition, and we are receiving manuscripts on a broad range of topics. topics have included the global understanding course as well as other approaches to global education. with the increasing number of submissions comes an ever increasing workload for the editors. our work would not be possible without the support of reviewers who give generously of their time to provide feedback on the manuscripts. we thank all the people who have provided reviews for the first three editions of gpej, and we have listed their names and institutions below. we are always searching for new reviewers to help ensure the quality of gpej. if you are interested in serving as a reviewer for gpej or if you have questions, please contact gpeinfo@ecu.edu. here is a link to instructions for reviewers if you would like to learn more about the peer review process. http://www.gpejournal.org/custom/docs/reviewguidelines.pdf finally, we have an important announcement. for future editions of gpej, a guest editor will join our staff for a one-year term through publication of the next edition of gpej. alla nazarenko from lomonosov moscow state university has graciously agreed to serve as our first guest editor. welcome aboard alla! thank you all for your continued support for the journal. gpej review board david batts east carolina university greenville, nc usa jessica chen shandong university shandong, china rosina chia east carolina university greenville, nc, usa patch clark east carolina university greenville, nc, usa marion eppler east carolina university greenville, nc, usa luci fernandes east carolina university greenville, nc, usa rukhsana hassan fatima jinnah women university rawalpindi, pakistan ahmed ibrahim pharos university of alexandria alexandria, egypt li jin shandong university shandong, china misty kirby university of north carolina at wilmington wilmington, nc, usa mailto:gpeinfo@ecu.edu http://www.gpejournal.org/custom/docs/reviewguidelines.pdf global partners in education journal april 2013, vol. 3 no. 1, pp. 1-2 www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 2 jami leibowitz east carolina university greenville, nc, usa heidi luchsinger east carolina university greenville, nc, usa mary lewis north carolina agricultural and technical state university greensboro, nc, usa carolina maiochi faculdade de jaguariúna jaguariúna city, brazil parikshat singh manhas university of jammu jammu-kashmir, india brian meager new york university new york, ny, usa maliha meziane université abou bekr belkaid tlemcen, algeria noureddine mouhadjer université abou bekr belkaid tlemcen, algeria alla nazarenko lomonosov moscow state university moscow, russia judy neubrander western carolina university cullowhee, nc, usa cajetan nnaocha university of the gambia banjul, the gambia mariella olivos rossini universidad esan lima, peru jo phipps east carolina university greenville, nc, usa elmer poe east carolina university greenville, nc, usa jerono rotich north carolina agricultural and technical state university greensboro, nc, usa elaine seeman east carolina university greenville, nc, usa doris shih fu jen catholic university new taipei city, taiwan kathrin ullrich universidad regiomontana monterrey, mexico sean white ryukoku university kyoto, japan john williams east carolina university greenville, nc, usa władysław witalisz krosno state college krosno, poland biwu yang east carolina university greenville, nc, usa vadim zyubanov tomsk state pedagogical university tomsk, russia educational leadership and the e-learning paradigm global partners in education journal april 2012, vol.2 no.1, pp. 42-56 www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 42 educational leadership and the e-learning paradigm cheryl bostrom bethel university, usa abstract school systems today need leaders who are technologically savvy and can navigate the online environment. they must also have skills ranging from financial and human resource management to outcomes measurement, and government relations—all with a solid grounding in ethics and personal conviction. some educational leaders are concerned that the online environment does not have the same high quality as the campus environment, but comparing campus and online classes may be like comparing apples and oranges because there are differences in the type and caliber of learners who choose one delivery model over the other, and there are differences in personality and communication skills of campus instructors and online instructors. after careful consideration of the potential benefits and challenges of the e-learning paradigm, it is reasonable to conclude that when it is done well, e-learning can be authentic and active. quality online programs and global partnerships enable best practices institutions to develop professional adult educators and invest in faculty development of scholar-practitioners. introduction in the doctor of education program at bethel university, dr. craig paulson and the program faculty are preparing educators for the rigor and challenges of educational leadership. paulson understands that school systems need leaders who have a wide range of skills and a solid grounding in ethics and personal conviction. they must also be globally and technologically savvy. a unique aspect of bethel’s program is its cohort model and delivery system that is transforming learners from around the world into public intellectuals. learners participate in three summer residencies and complete the remainder of the course work online. the purpose of this article is to provide a review of benefits and challenges to e-learning as a resource for future educational leaders and for researchers in the pedagogy of e-learning. e-learning is a broad term that refers to electronically supported learning in higher education and k-12 schools. e-learning is naturally suited for institutionally sponsored distance education which began at illinois wesleyan university in the late 1800s (california distance learning project, 2005). fast forward to the invention of the world wide web, and the plato (programmed logic for automated teaching operations) system designed for computer based education in the early 1960s. originating at the university of illinois-urbana, the plato system pioneered the online community global partners in education journal april 2012, vol.2 no.1, pp. 42-56 www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 43 comprising forums, message boards, email, chat rooms, instant messaging, remote screen sharing, and multiplayer games (woolley, 1994). e-learning has evolved since then. however, some educational leaders remain concerned about distance education and the expanding online environment, mainly because they do not believe it can have the same high quality as the campus environment. comparing campus and online classes may be like comparing apples and oranges because there are differences in the type and caliber of learners who choose one delivery model over the other, and there are differences in personality and communication skills of campus instructors and online instructors. the variation in functionality and usability of technology including technical support staff, institutional server reliability and capacity, and the learners’ computers (bender, 2003) also impede a direct comparison. after careful consideration of the potential benefits and challenges of the e-learning paradigm that are discussed in this article, it would be reasonable to conclude that elearning can help higher education administrators who are on the verge of making decisions about offering online programs, and k-12 teachers who are experimenting with activities that involve technology. when it is done well, e-learning can be authentic and active. bender’s (2003) description of the ideal online learners is accurate: they seem to be a curious mix of independence in terms of being self-motivated, and a definite willingness to interact and collaborate. the ideal online instructors seem to be those who enjoy writing and do it well, practice a socratic approach to teaching, personalize education, and are prepared to spend more time teaching online than they are used to spending in the campus classroom. the most effective online instructors are prepared to develop a comfort level and competence in using technology, so that technical frustrations can be minimized. the potential benefits of e-learning the online learning environment can be beneficial in many ways, and the ideal courses for online delivery are those with the most potential for discussion, such as courses in the humanities, social sciences, and writing. e-learning also seems to fit adult learners who need to balance family, work, and education (bender, 2003). the basic approach for an existing face-to-face course does not need to change when converting to an online course; however, the technique changes. preserving the quality of a course need not mean finding an exact translation of what an instructor has always done in the past. in a face-to-face course, the instructor is a “sage on stage.” in an online course, the instructor is a “sage on page” who must pay particular attention to nuances in style, attitude, and intonation (ko & rossen, 2004, p. 12). using a constructivist model to promote active learning with adults in a college classroom, however, king (1993) argued for a “guide on the side” approach (para. 4). in other words, the instructor is more of a facilitator or moderator than what ko and rossen (2004) referred to as an “expert from whom all knowledge flows” (p. 13). exercises are fashioned to emphasize learner collaboration and deemphasize the traditional role of the instructor (ko & rossen, 2004). the perception of the online instructor as less formal may help global partners in education journal april 2012, vol.2 no.1, pp. 42-56 www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 44 instructors to engage in a lengthier debate and better challenge ideas than might be feasible on campus. adult learners may appreciate more equality between the instructor and learner (bender, 2003). ko and rossen (2004) asserted that chickering and gamson’s (1991) seven researchbased principles for good practice can be accomplished in the online learning environment. these seven principles include: 1) encourage contact between learners and faculty; 2) develop reciprocity and cooperation among learners; 3) encourage active learning; 4) give prompt feedback; 5) emphasize time on task; 6) communicate high expectations; and 7) respect diverse talents and ways of learning. shelton and saltsman (2005) agreed that e-learning provides global access to learning, and accommodates different learning styles through interactive media delivered via the internet; it allows access to another culture on its own terms (ko & rossen, 2004) and the capability to better serve learners from educationally underserved areas (bender, 2003; ko & rossen, 2004) such as nontraditional, rural, and other learners (zemsky, 2007). e-learning can be authentic learning which is defined as an approach to teaching and learning that promotes higher-order thinking, and encourages learners to gain new knowledge and skills that build on ideas connected to the real world (bender, 2003; herrington, reeves, & oliver, 2010). the online learning environment offers convenience and freedom in when, where, and how the course is delivered, as well as the opportunity to offer specialized and advanced degrees (bender, 2003; ko & rossen, 2004). it overcomes the limits of place and time (zemsky, 2007). bender suggested there is a continuous cycle of four processes when learning takes place: experience, reflection, conceptualization, and planning. another benefit to online learning is these phases of learning can occur in different and perhaps more authentic environments. a constructivist approach is amenable to online learning (glatthorn, 2000; lucas, 2001). “constructivism is a theory of learning based on the principle that learners construct meaning from what they experience; thus, learning is an active, meaning-making process” (glatthorn, 2000, p. 6). the constructivist alternative challenges online courses to be project-based, requiring the learner to find, analyze, and synthesize materials found on the web, or to extrapolate meaning and conclusions from readings, discussion questions, and cohort members (lucas, 2001). learners are enabled to construct their own knowledge (collison, elbaum, haavind, & tinker, 2000). this theory is important to higher education curriculum because it enables learners to access knowledge that is used in solving open-ended, contextualized problems (glatthorn, 2000). the e-learning environment brings people from around the world together. it extends and fosters critical reflection time; provides an opportunity to compose thoughtful, probing contributions; leaves little room for disengaged learners to “hide”; and it allows access to vast resources through hyperlinks for comparison or research (collison et al., 2000). online learners can feel protected by anonymity. they are not interrupted when formulating responses, can respond when they feel inspired, and there is less hierarchy in terms of gender and racial differences (bender, 2003). global partners in education journal april 2012, vol.2 no.1, pp. 42-56 www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 45 in the online classroom, instructors can avoid anxiety over gaining and sustaining learners’ interest over the time slot; remembering learners’ names; setting up the room; looking stupid or blanking out. concerns are removed about wearing comfortable clothing and shoes; lacking inspiration; allowing enough time for traveling to and from class; and finding a parking space. it’s also easier to encourage every learner to participate and allows quiet learners to participate without being intimidated by domineering ones (bender, 2003). posting lectures online frees learners to concentrate on what is being communicated. learners can review the material in its original form or catch up on material they missed because of illness or absence. instructors can reevaluate older and possibly out of date course materials, improve organization and coherence, and increase comprehension when adapting a face-to-face course to online. online tools such as email and virtual office hours can improve the flow of communication in the areas of counseling, advice, mentoring, and support (ko & rossen, 2004). it is important to note that some learners might feel resistant to online group work, being unable to conceptualize it, but in fact it is far more convenient to work asynchronously as a group online than it is in the real world, where there are all sorts of scheduling issues to agree upon. role-playing fits superbly online (bender, 2003). in online discussions, learners are able to relate education with experience, which according to dewey (1938) is the optimal path to true learning. if a learner has missed an online synchronous conversation, the online conversation is archived and can therefore still be read after it has occurred. this is superior to having missed a meeting in physical space and time. online chat is exciting and engaging. time goes by quickly, and the instant gratification keeps the learners’ attention. it is familiar and easy for learners who are used to instant messaging, and it may appeal to nonlinear thinkers. synchronous conversations fit the net generation lifestyles and habits (bender, 2003). ruhleder and twidale (2000) presented similar key concepts of teaching and learning that can be accomplished in the online classroom. these concepts include the opportunity for learners to focus on collaboration, be reflective, benefit from the successes and mistakes of fellow learners, and learn by doing rather than in the abstract. true assessment is possible on a variety of challenging and rigorous learning activities on which learners receive frequent feedback and gain a sound idea as to how they are performing. instructors who are supported by training can foster critical reflection and individual and collaborative learning that rivals, and may even exceed, traditional settings for instruction (collison et al., 2000). learners are given better access to certain faculty members and this helps dislodge bottlenecks for required courses (zemsky, 2007). according to zemsky (2007), e-learning eases communication for some learners; attracts learners who are more motivated; improves institutional flexibility; adds enrollments without the cost of new facilities; makes new markets for institutions and promotes risk-taking; and provides opportunity to experiment and share resources. some opponents may argue that e-learning cannot engage all five senses. conversely, global partners in education journal april 2012, vol.2 no.1, pp. 42-56 www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 46 bender (2003) asserted that “not making use of all five senses may indeed lead to fewer distractions and greater ability to concentrate purely on the connections of thoughts and concepts” (p. 158). in the 2002 sloan consortium research report, faculty and learners reported high levels of satisfaction with online courses. they reported a high degree of interaction, easy access to online reference material, and thought online learning led to effective learning (bender, 2003). online education does not have an artificial learning environment as a result of scheduled time for learning to take place. learners log on when they are ready to learn. learners who are used to very large lecture halls may benefit from more personal attention online and from the diversity of learning opportunities that each medium potentially provides online. resources are available throughout the duration of the course, increasing the opportunity for continued thought, reflection, and meta cognition because each learner can work to some extent at his or her own best pace (bender, 2003). e-learning develops writing skills (collison et al., 2000). often the generally slower act of writing rather than speaking allows time for new ideas, thoughts, and important connections to be made and communicated. online learners acquire an important set of skills: express themselves with clarity in written form; work meaningfully from a remote location (telecommuting and conducting online research); develop skills of collaboration and interaction with others, despite the distance (bender, 2003). lucas (2001) made a significant point when she wrote that the increase in educational opportunities available via the internet makes it essential that valid methods for assessment be determined by the instructor and/or institution, and communicated to the learner at the outset of the program. this is a benefit to the entire institution. the results of two nonscientific focus groups conducted with learners at the master’s level at bethel revealed additional benefits and all of their responses corroborated those already mentioned. the participants cited as benefits: the access to electronic resources in the library and on the internet; convenience for learners who travel; and learners are allowed to learn at their own pace and can delve more deeply into issues. additionally, learners can interact with people outside the u.s.; they do not have to listen to people spouting off and can access only what is helpful or interesting to the learner; the ability to flex their schedule which can change from week to week; learners can participate in their pajamas; and virtual classrooms relieve campus space issues. from the review of literature and the results of the focus groups, a summary of the potential benefits of the e-learning paradigm is provided in appendix a. the potential challenges of e-learning based on the preceding review of literature and bethel focus group results, it is apparent that the online learning environment can be beneficial in many ways. however, there are also significant challenges that should be considered. before the challenges are explored, it should be noted that newcomers to online teaching and learning are likely to exaggerate the computer expertise and infrastructure required. an global partners in education journal april 2012, vol.2 no.1, pp. 42-56 www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 47 online instructor only needs a basic familiarity with computers and the internet to be effective. besides, “techies don’t necessarily make the best online instructors. an interest in pedagogy should come first, technology second” (ko & rossen, 2004, p. 16). also, institutions may not ever be able to provide the level of support to which faculty think they are entitled (ko & rossen, 2004). it is not just the faculty who have expectations about technology support. in a panel discussion facilitated by temares (2005), several expectations that today’s learners have were brought to light: safe and convenient access (high-speed wireless available across campus and virus protection); access to software to complement course work; professors who are fluent in current technology; 24-hour labs and assistance; electronic access to professor ratings; more social networking software; text-messaging abilities with professor; more of an interactive learning environment; professors who are responsive and engaging for all learning styles; and learners do not seem to feel much responsibility (illegal file sharing and tying up the network). other challenges of online education include the fact that efficacy may vary according to discipline or field of study, and academic libraries are anxious about their role in teaching and learning, the need to expand entrepreneurial roles, and the pressure to produce new services. in the online classroom, instructors may have anxiety over using technology; knowing less about technology than the learners do; losing command of the class; becoming tied to the computer (lacking boundaries); making sure tone/personality is coming through; engaging all learners; being unprepared; building community; not being able to meet the same outcomes when adapting a face-to-face course to an online course (bender, 2003). also, adapting a face-to-face course for online is initially time consuming for the instructor, especially online lectures (ko & rossen, 2004). there are benefits to cross-cultural exchanges online; however, there are also some obstacles. some of these obstacles include: language of instruction (including the textbook); cultural patterns of learning; differing guidelines regarding writing; rules about plagiarism and originality, and ideas about time and frequency of communication; realtime activities because of differing time zones; limited internet access and unstable telephone connections in some countries; observing different religious and secular holidays (ko & rossen, 2004). synchronous online conversations favor fast typists, not necessarily the best learners. this type of conversation can feel a little hectic and disjointed as several conversations can be going on at the same time. messages have to be short; there is little chance to correct spelling and grammar mistakes. it is difficult to allow time for silence and for a reflective environment and learning in depth. there may be an extra challenge for disabled learners (bender, 2003). in a panel discussion facilitated by zemsky (2007), the perception that online learning discourages active learning was cited as a challenge to the e-learning paradigm. other challenges raised by the panelists include the following: it discourages peer-to-peer socialization opportunities; requires more academic support to help learners succeed; limits use by older people who are not familiar with technology; restricts financial aid opportunities that may not be available for e-learners; curbs a professor’s ability to global partners in education journal april 2012, vol.2 no.1, pp. 42-56 www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 48 communicate passion for his or her subject; increases work for faculty members; creates more intellectual property issues and security issues. all instructors, whether on campus or online, need to remember that every use for an educational purpose is not a fair use. for example, instructors hand out copies of the same newspaper article year after year without permission. new technologies, however, are increasing the potential for copyright infringements (crews, 2003; shaw & shaw, 2003). also, information on the web is of variable quality because there are no standards of control as to what is posted (bender, 2003). similar to the results of the two nonscientific focus groups conducted with learners at the master’s level at bethel, participants revealed additional challenges to e-learning and corroborated some of those already mentioned. if learners use the computer at work, they do not always feel like working on the computer when they get home. learners’ technology levels vary, and they cannot see people’s faces and what they look like (unless using video conferencing or a roster with photos). the lack of verbal and nonverbal queues makes the handling of conflict and controversy more difficult. having an online discussion is much more time-consuming, and it is difficult to establish boundaries, especially if learns are not self-motivated. learners may not feel the same level of accountability to be prepared for class, and faculty may feel like they can never turn their computer off. focus group participants mentioned that organizations are skeptical about the credibility of an online education and favor hiring people with faceto-face degrees. therefore, offering an online degree may hurt a school’s reputation if the program is not accredited. these concerns should be addressed in the formation of online postsecondary programs, as well as high school activities that foster relationships with global partners. from the review of literature and the results of the focus groups, a summary of the potential challenges of the e-learning paradigm is provided in appendix b. conclusions several contradictions can be identified related to the potential benefits and challenges in the e-learning environment. for learners, the online classroom provides global access to learning, but limits real-time activities because of differing time zones. the online classroom provides the capability to better serve learners from educationally underserved areas such as nontraditional and rural, but limits participation in some parts of the world because of connectivity. it is more convenient to work asynchronously as a group online than it is in the real world where there are all sorts of scheduling issues to agree upon, but this makes some learners feel resistant to online group work. the online classroom helps learners feel protected by anonymity, but leaves little room for disengaged learners to “hide.” it fits net generation lifestyles and habits (synchronous conversations), but limits use by older people who are not familiar with technology. for some, the e-learning environment eases communication, but for others it makes the handling of conflict and controversy more difficult when there is a lack of verbal and nonverbal queues. additionally, the online classroom develops the learners’ writing skills, but it favors fast typists and not necessarily the best learners. global partners in education journal april 2012, vol.2 no.1, pp. 42-56 www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 49 for instructors, the online classroom allows instructors to avoid anxiety over gaining and sustaining learners’ interest over the time slot, but generates anxiety over being unprepared. instructors can retain the basic approach of an existing course when adapting it for online, but it takes a considerable amount of time (especially online lectures). the online classroom assists instructors in remembering learners’ names and to encourage every learner to participate, but it makes instructors uneasy over how to build community. for administrators, the online classroom relieves campus space issues and adds enrollments without the cost of new facilities, but induces pressure to produce new services. while e-learning generates new markets for institutions, some organizations remain skeptical about the credibility of an online education. the online classroom provides opportunities to experiment and share resources, but it causes academic libraries to be anxious about their role in teaching and learning. finally, the e-learning environment improves institutional flexibility, but it restricts financial aid opportunities that may not be available for e-learners. offering online programs will continue to assist educational institutions in becoming preferred providers and leading innovators in the area of e-learning. it is possible to organize for growth in infrastructure and programs, and to be a best practices institution that develops professional educators and invests in faculty development of scholarpractitioners. still, for schools to be characterized by online good practice will require administrators to understand that “the medium is not the message, but instead is an alternative way of communicating the message, that message being the content of what is being taught and learned” (bender, 2003, p. 165). administrators will also need to employ instructors who are energized about online teaching and learning, and have a desire to be educationally progressive (bender, 2003). technology is a compelling force that is transforming education. however, paulson, ed.d. program director at bethel university, summarized the definitive purpose of elearning: “the issue isn’t the need for more technology, but using it in a way that enhances global relationships and learning.” in conclusion, the future of education is global. providing a global education means learners are comfortable navigating the virtual world. they are also effective at solving problems alongside people from different cultures and perspectives. references bender, t. (2003). discussion-based online teaching to enhance student learning: theory, practice, and assessment. sterling, va: stylus publishing. california distance learning project. (2005). what is distance learning? retrieved from http://www.cdlponline.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=whatis&pg=3 chickering, a., & gamson, z. (1991). applying the seven principles of good practice for undergraduate education: new directions for teaching and learning. hoboken, nj: jossey-bass. http://www.cdlponline.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=whatis&pg=3 global partners in education journal april 2012, vol.2 no.1, pp. 42-56 www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 50 collison, g., elbaum, b., haavind, s., & tinker, r. (2000). facilitating online learning: effective strategies for moderators. madison, wi: atwood publishing. crews, k. d. (2003). copyright and distance education: making sense of the teach act. change, 35, 34-39. dewey, j. (1938). logic: the theory of inquiry. new york, ny: holt. glatthorn, a. a. (2000). the principal as curriculum leader (2nd ed.). thousand oaks, ca: corwin press. herrington, j., reeves, t. c., & oliver, r. (2010). a guide to authentic e-learning: connecting with e-learning. new york, ny: routledge. king, a. (1993). from sage on the stage to guide on the side. college teaching, 41, 3035. ko, s., & rossen, s. (2004). teaching online: a practical guide (2nd ed.). new york: houghton mifflin. lucas, s. r. (2001). assessment of learning outcomes in an online environment. academic exchange quarterly, 5, 63-69. retrieved from http://www.thefreelibrary.com/assessment of learning outcomes in an online environment.-a083034552 ruhleder, k., & twidale, m. (2000). reflective collaborative learning on the web: drawing on the masterclass. first monday, 5(1). retrieved from http://firstmonday.org/htbin/cgiwrap/bin/ojs/index.php/fm/article/view/742/651 shaw, m. h., & shaw, b. b. (2003). copyright in the age of photocopies, word processors, and the internet. change, 35, 20-27. shelton, k., & saltsman, g. (2005). an administrator’s guide to online education. greenwich, ct: information age publishing, inc. temares, m. l. (2005). askthestudents.com: 4 views from the front line. the chronicle of higher education, 52, b15-b18. retrieved from http://chronicle.com/article/askthestudentscom-4-views/31973/ woolley, d. r. (1994). plato: the emergence of the online community. retrieved from http://thinkofit.com/plato/dwplato.htm zemsky, r. (2007). e-learning: successes and failures. the chronicle of higher education, 53, b20-b23. retrieved from http://chronicle.com/article/e-learningsuccesses-and/33193/ http://www.thefreelibrary.com/assessment%20of%20learning%20outcomes%20in%20an%20online%20environment.-a083034552 http://www.thefreelibrary.com/assessment%20of%20learning%20outcomes%20in%20an%20online%20environment.-a083034552 http://firstmonday.org/htbin/cgiwrap/bin/ojs/index.php/fm/article/view/742/651 http://chronicle.com/article/askthestudentscom-4-views/31973/ http://thinkofit.com/plato/dwplato.htm http://chronicle.com/article/e-learning-successes-and/33193/ http://chronicle.com/article/e-learning-successes-and/33193/ global partners in education journal april 2012, vol.2 no.1, pp. 42-56 www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 51 appendix a potential benefits of the e-learning paradigm benefits benefits for learners  facilitates discussion, particularly in humanities, social sciences, and writing courses  allows adult learners to balance family, work (especially those who travel), and education  is appreciated by adult learners who desire more equality between the instructor and learner  emphasizes learner collaboration and deemphasizes the traditional role of the instructor  encourages contact between learners and faculty  develops reciprocity and cooperation among learners  makes assignments conducive to active learning  provides channel for prompt feedback  emphasizes time on task  shows respect for diverse talents and ways of learning  provides global access to learning  fosters critical reflection and individual and collaborative learning that rivals, and may even exceed, traditional settings for instruction  accommodates different learning styles through interactive media delivered via the internet  allows access to another culture on its own terms  provides capability to better serve learners from educationally underserved areas such as nontraditional, rural, and other learners  promotes higher-order thinking  encourages learners to gain new knowledge and skills that build on ideas connected to the real world  offers convenience and freedom in when, where, and how the course is delivered, as well as the opportunity to offer specialized and advanced degrees  overcomes the limits of place and time  allows phases of learning (experience, reflection, conceptualization, and planning) to occur in different and perhaps more authentic environments  challenges online courses to be project-based, requiring the learner to find, analyze, and synthesize materials found on the web, or to extrapolate meaning and conclusions from readings, discussion questions, and cohort members  enables learners to construct their own knowledge  accesses knowledge that is used in solving open-ended, contextualized problems  facilitates interaction with people outside the u.s. global partners in education journal april 2012, vol.2 no.1, pp. 42-56 www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 52  extends and fosters critical reflection time  provides an opportunity to compose thoughtful, probing contributions  helps learners feel protected by anonymity  lessens interruptions when formulating responses  allows learners to respond when they feel inspired  limits hierarchy in terms of gender and racial differences  allows quiet learners to participate without being intimidated by domineering ones  frees learners to concentrate on what is being communicated in posted lectures  allows review of the material in its original form or catch up on material they missed because of illness or absence  improves the flow of communication in the areas of counseling, advice, mentoring, and support with using online tools such as email and virtual office hours  is more convenient to work asynchronously as a group online than it is in the real world, where there are all sorts of scheduling issues to agree upon  suits interactive assignments such as role-playing  relates education with experience  appeals to nonlinear thinkers  engages learners in online chat, which is familiar and easy for learners who are used to instant messaging  fits net generation lifestyles and habits (synchronous conversations)  focuses on collaboration  gives learners the opportunity to benefit from the successes and mistakes of fellow learners  allows an opportunity to learn by doing rather than in the abstract  eases communication for some learners  attracts learners who are more motivated  leads to fewer distractions and fosters a greater ability to concentrate purely on the connections of thoughts and concepts when not making use of all five senses  allows easy access to vast resources through hyperlinks for comparison or research and online reference material  eliminates the artificial learning environment as a result of scheduled time for learning to take place  enables learners to work at their own pace and to log on when they are ready to learn  encourages learners to delve more deeply into issues  facilitates more personal attention  allows diversity of learning opportunities that each medium provides  increases the opportunity for continued thought, reflection, and meta cognition because resources are available throughout the duration of the course  develops writing skills  develops skills of collaboration and interaction with others, despite the distance, global partners in education journal april 2012, vol.2 no.1, pp. 42-56 www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 53 permitting learners to work meaningfully from a remote location  allows time for new ideas, thoughts, and important connections to be made and communicated because the act of writing is slower than speaking  makes it essential that valid methods for assessment be determined by the instructor and/or institution, and communicated to the learner at the outset of the program  enables learners to “listen” only to what is helpful or interesting to the learner  learners can participate in their pajamas benefits for instructors  assists in communicating high expectations  helps instructors engage in a lengthier debate and to better challenge ideas when the perception of the online instructor is less formal (guide on the side)  allows instructors to retain the basic approach for an existing face-to-face course  prompts instructors to reevaluate older and possibly out of date course materials, improve organization and coherence, and increase comprehension when adapting a face-to-face course to online  allows instructors to avoid anxiety over gaining and sustaining learners’ interest over the time slot  assists instructors in remembering learners’ names  eliminates the need for room set-up  helps instructors avoid looking stupid or blanking out  removes concerns about wearing comfortable clothing and shoes  reduces the need to respond when lacking inspiration  eliminates travel time to and from class  eliminates the need to find a parking space  benefits for administrators  relieves campus space issues  provides better access to certain faculty members which helps dislodge bottlenecks for required courses  improves institutional flexibility  adds enrollments without the cost of new facilities  generates new markets for institutions  promotes risk-taking  provides opportunity to experiment and share resources global partners in education journal april 2012, vol.2 no.1, pp. 42-56 www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 54 appendix b potential challenges of the e-learning paradigm challenges challenges for learners  makes some learners feel resistant to online group work, being unable to conceptualize it  lacks engagement of all five senses  causes newcomers to online teaching and learning to exaggerate the computer expertise and infrastructure required  builds expectations for safe and convenient access (high-speed wireless available across campus and virus protection)  creates disappointment when institutions are not able to provide the level of support to which think they are entitled  triggers expectations for access to software to complement course work  increases expectations for 24-hour labs and assistance  leads to desire for electronic access to professor ratings  raises hope for more social networking software  produces desire for more of an interactive learning environment  increases expectations for professors to be responsive and engaging for all learning styles  requires learners to be more responsible (illegal file sharing and tying up the network)  affects various disciplines or fields of study differently  brings challenges to online cross-cultural exchanges in the area of language of instruction (including the textbook)  requires an understanding of cultural patterns of learning  requires an understanding of differing guidelines regarding writing  requires an understanding of rules about plagiarism and originality  triggers a variety of ideas about time and frequency of communication  limits real-time activities because of differing time zones  leads to frustration when internet access is limited and phone connections are unstable in some countries  makes it more important to observe different religious and secular holidays  favors fast typists, not necessarily the best learners (synchronous online conversations)  feels hectic and disjointed as several conversations can be going on at the same time (synchronous online conversations)  requires synchronous messages to be short; there is little chance to correct spelling and grammar mistakes  makes it difficult to allow time for silence, for a reflective environment, and learning in depth (synchronous online conversations) global partners in education journal april 2012, vol.2 no.1, pp. 42-56 www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 55  produces extra challenges for disabled learners  discourages socialization opportunities in person  requires more academic support to help learners succeed  limits use by older learners who are not familiar with technology  creates more intellectual property issues and security issues  affects learners’ motivation if they use the computer at work; they do not always feel like working on the computer when they get home  constrains communication when learners cannot see people’s faces and what they look like (unless using skype, google video chat, or a roster with photos)  makes the handling of conflict and controversy more difficult when there is a lack of verbal and nonverbal queues  requires more time to engage in an online conversation  makes it difficult to establish boundaries, especially if learners are not selfmotivated  influences learners’ level of accountability in being prepared for class  limits participation in some parts of the world without internet connectivity  leaves little room for disengaged learners to “hide” challenges for instructors  makes it necessary to teach learners that information on the web is of variable quality because there are no standards of control as to what is posted  takes a considerable amount of time to adapt a face-to-face course for online initially, especially online lectures  curbs a professor’s ability to communicate passion for his or her subject  increases work for faculty members  involves teaching learners with varying levels of technology expertise  ties instructors to the computer (lacking boundaries)  creates anxiety over knowing less about technology than the learners do  increases fear over losing command of the class  triggers concern over making sure tone/personality is coming through  creates apprehension over engaging all learners  generates anxiety over being unprepared  makes instructors uneasy over how to build community  causes anxiety over not being able to meet the same outcomes when adapting a face-to-face course to an online course challenges for administrators  forces administrators to deal with the perception that online learning discourages active learning  restricts financial aid opportunities that may not be available for e-learners  makes some organizations skeptical about the credibility of an online education and favor hiring people with face-to-face degrees  hurts a school’s reputation if it is offering an online degree program that is not global partners in education journal april 2012, vol.2 no.1, pp. 42-56 www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 56 accredited  causes academic libraries to be anxious about their role in teaching and learning  creates the need to expand entrepreneurial roles  induces pressure to produce new services about the author cheryl bostrom teaches in the graduate school at bethel university. she holds a doctor of education in educational administration degree and studied abroad in turkey to complete her dissertation titled, diffusion of internationalization in turkish higher education: a comparative case study at ankara university and gazi university. her work was published in the journal of studies in international education. cheryl has a k12 principal license, a master of arts in communication degree with an emphasis in intercultural communication, and a master’s certificate in teaching english as a foreign language. cheryl also has first-hand experience in 19 countries outside the united states. her core beliefs and values include a commitment to building trust with people of different cultures and internationalizing postsecondary education. she can be reached at c-bostrom@bethel.edu. mailto:c-bostrom@bethel.edu global partners in education journal april 2012, vol.2 no.1, pp. 25-41 www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 25 cross-cultural collaborative online learning: if you build it, will they come? sue-jen chen edward j. caropreso university of north carolina wilmington, usa chao-li hsu wenzao ursuline college of languages, taiwan, province of china junfeng yang hangzhou normal university, china abstract this study, based on cultural and social constructivist learning theories, investigated the effects of implementation of the cross-cultural online collaborative learning (cocl) model to guide educators in designing effective cross-cultural online collaborative learning environments and experiences. twenty-eight chinese and 37 u.s. students participated in online discussions involving cultural and instructional topics. an attitude survey was administered to assess students’ overall attitudes, feelings, and opinions about their cross-cultural collaborative online learning experiences. the study results support the overall conclusion that if we “build it” students will “come” together. introduction global internet connectivity and online communication provide opportunities for people from different cultural, professional and personal backgrounds to work together as members of various groups. academic institutions continue to pursue ways for students from diverse contexts to develop the knowledge and skills needed to succeed in 21st century global society. students should learn and develop both cultural awareness and appropriate communication and collaboration skills to effectively interact with people from different cultures. although online education provides opportunities for culturally diverse teachers and learners to work together, participants’ cultural contexts may influence behavior and affect interactions and learning in collaborative online learning situations. global partners in education journal april 2012, vol.2 no.1, pp. 25-41 www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 26 in view of the need of a model to guide the design and development of an online learning environment and activities for cross-cultural collaborative learning, we first devised the cross-cultural online collaborative learning (cocl) model grounded in social-cultural learning theories and based on empirical data (chen, caropreso, & hsu, 2008; chen, hsu, & caropreso, 2006). we then implemented the model to design an online course for u.s. and chinese college students’ collaborative learning delivered through blackboard vista. the purpose of the study was to evaluate an implementation of the cocl model in a cross-cultural online collaborative learning context. this paper presents the results of the study investigating the following questions: 1. what are students’ attitudes, feelings, and opinions about their cross-cultural collaborative online learning experience? 2. what are the differences between u.s. and chinese students in their crosscultural collaborative online learning experience, if any? theoretical framework and related literature individuals from different cultures engage in and expect different communication practices and behaviors during interactions in learning environments (timonen, kuittinen, & pitkänen, n.d.). understanding cross-cultural interactions involves studying links between culture and communication (bonk & cunningham, 1998; defleur & ballrokeach, 1982; parrish & linder-vanberschot, 2010; uzuner, 2009; vygotsky, 1978). culture and perception individual knowledge construction is based on the combination of prior experience and social interaction with sophisticated and competent people with whom individuals interact through the use of language or socio-cultural dialogue (duffy & jonassen 1992; jonassen, 1999; vygotsky, 1978); the context in which learning occurs is foremost to the learning itself (mcmahon, 1997). culture is learned, therefore, culture becomes the context for teaching and learning. culture reflects a set of common events, values, attitudes, beliefs and behaviors for any particular group of individuals. such individual outcomes are the result of specific learning experiences (hyun, 2006; miraglia, law, & collins, 1999; uzuner, 2009). since education necessarily occurs within culture (bruner, 1996), culture significantly influences instructional planning and design. rothstein-fisch, trumbull, isaac, daley, and perez (2003) reflected vygotsky’s (1978) perspective about the mediating role of language and social experience in the development of individual knowledge. they stated, “what counts as knowledge or knowing, methods of teaching, and means of evaluating students’ learning are all culturally defined … ways classroom activities are organized and … teachers communicate reflect and foster certain cultural values (p.124).” global partners in education journal april 2012, vol.2 no.1, pp. 25-41 www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 27 people behave according to their perceptions of the world. cultural experiences affect social perception and therefore people’s communication with each other, including the potential for misinterpretation based on social misperception (rohrlich, 1983; samovar & porter, 2002; wang, 2007). oddou and mendenhall (1984) noted that individuals demonstrate preferences for members of a perceived in-group over an out-group; that the basis for group identification may vary, including factors such as ethnicity, occupation, and religion; and an inverse correlation between frequency of contact between members of cultures and the amount of stereotyping. knowledge construction and person perceptions will be likely to influence subsequent learning, potentially further reinforcing perceived distinctions. such socio-cultural influences could significantly affect teaching and learning in cross-cultural learning situations. thus, the learning environment must be supportive and resourceful to facilitate knowledge construction and application (chen, hsu, & caropreso, 2005). communication how we come to know ourselves and our world involves complex social processes of communication (dewine, gibson, & smith, 2000); this is also the fundamental context within which learning occurs. broome (1981) noted that the expectation for communication differences appears to be the basis for most research and reflection on intercultural communication. rothstein-fisch et al. (2003) studied the potential for shifting teachers’ cognitive orientation with respect to their students’ cultural orientation from one of individualistic to a more collectivist orientation as the result of explicit training. they discovered that significant shifts in teachers’ perspectives resulted from training in the socio-cultural norms and beliefs of their students’ cultures, and these shifts in attitude and orientation lasted long beyond the period of the training in the study. the communication context of internet-based virtual communication typically involves written rather than spoken interactions, which lack socio-cultural cues (roald, 1999) and orderliness (allwood & schroeder, 2000) of face-to-face interactions. understanding based on appropriate interpretation of print text will more likely occur when participants come to the situation with the required cultural capital to allow for mutual, reciprocal understanding (roald, 1999). even when participants strive for effective communication management, online written conversations were not comparable to conversations in the real world of face-to-face communications (allwood & schroeder, 2000). rogers, graham, and mayes (2007) studied the potential influence of culture in asynchronous learning from the perspective of instructional designers. their findings that instructors’ awareness of the potential differences between cultures does not necessarily mean this knowledge is integrated into the design of online courses further supports the need for overt attention to the relationship between culture and communication. teng (2005) studied taiwanese and u.s. students’ online communication. her findings suggest that a heightened sense of belonging to the learning environment and global partners in education journal april 2012, vol.2 no.1, pp. 25-41 www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 28 confidence in communication competence led to a greater likelihood of acquisition of cross-cultural communication skills; also, an increased sense of belonging to the learning community led to heightened confidence during communication with others. in another study of the potential cultural influences on learning and communication involving chinese and finnish human resource development practitioners’ views in a cross-cultural e-learning course, slotte and tynjälä (2005) concluded that an effective learning environment required creating a learning context that supported communication and collaboration based on strong pedagogical insight and management. since communication appears to be bound by cultural context, collaboration occurs only if communications were understood within the context and carried out through interactivity. the primary challenge for collaboration was the team members’ failure to understand the cultures of their partners. cross-cultural online collaborative learning (cocl): a model overview constructivists propose that meaningful learning must involve authentic tasks that require intentional information processing and knowledge construction within the context of active collaboration between teacher and learners and amongst learners. a constructivist learning environment must provide opportunities and tools for learning and communication to facilitate interaction and collaboration (jonassen, howland, moore, & marra, 2003). therefore, an effective cross-cultural online learning environment must be supportive and resourceful, providing experiences that facilitate individual knowledge construction and application. also, effective cross-cultural online learning tasks and activities must provide opportunities for dynamic and reciprocal communication, interactions, and collaborations that facilitate knowledge co-construction between teacher and learners and among learners prior to and during instruction. based on constructivist theory and empirical framework, we proposed the cocl model to guide the design of a cross-cultural online collaborative learning environment and activities (chen et al., 2006). the following graph (figure 1) illustrates the model’s components and how these components interact. the model addresses two major design components intended to support and facilitate learning: the learning environment and learning activities. each component involves several significant features: 1. designing a supportive and resourceful online learning environment by providing: a. technical, learning, and social supports to build student competence and comfort with technology, instructional content, and members of the learning community, and b. rich and appropriate resources to support learning needs. 2. designing opportunities for dynamic and reciprocal learning activities, involving communication, interactions, and collaborations prior to and during instruction between instructors at both sites (teacherteacher), among students within the global partners in education journal april 2012, vol.2 no.1, pp. 25-41 www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 29 cultural group and across cultural groups (studentstudent), and between teachers and students within the same cultural group and across cultural groups (teacherstudent) to promote learning. figure 1. cross-cultural online collaborative learning model. t = teacher, s = student,  = interaction. implementation of the model the cocl model was used to design the learning environment and activities for an undergraduate unit in an online course hosted by a u.s. university. chinese and u.s. students worked collaboratively to study culture and instructional technology issues delivered through blackboard vista. the model was implemented in four stages described below. stage 1: preinstructional planning instructors must acquire knowledge of target learners and their cultural backgrounds so that they will be able to accurately and effectively interpret, respond to, and manage students’ online communication. it is equally important for instructors to acquire collaborative skills to effectively work together to design and deliver instructional material and activities. the experience of working together may also foster the two instructors’ communication and collaboration skills. the instructors at both sites collaborated to identify the cross-cultural online collaboration learning goals, time frame, ideas for learning tasks and activities. t t t s s s site a instructor site b instructor site a students site b students teaching reciprocal communication learning global partners in education journal april 2012, vol.2 no.1, pp. 25-41 www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 30 1. learning goals were established based on 4.c. and 4.d. of u.s. national educational technology standards for teachers (nets-t): a. promote and model digital etiquette and responsible social interactions related to the use of technology and information. b. develop and model cultural understanding and global awareness by engaging with colleagues and students of other cultures using digital-age communication and collaboration tools. 2. a collaboration period of one month was established due to chinese and u.s. time and academic calendar differences. 3. the learning tasks and activities were designed to start with a course orientation followed by group learning and discussion of cultural and instructional technology issues, and conclude with a post-learning attitude survey. stage 2: instructional planning collaborative planning involved the following instructor decisions: 1. creating a photo class roster including student names, college ranks, majors, and personal photos, to be used in self-introduction during course orientation for community building; 2. student self-enrollment into one work group consisting of 5-6 members of both cultures per group; 3. using course orientation to provide blackboard technical training, cultural orientation, and opportunity to get to know each other through student selfintroduction; 4. using blackboard to house learning activities, for example asynchronous online forums for social activities (getting to know each other through self-introduction) and learning activities (educational technology integration), blogs for cultural orientation, e-mail for post-instructional survey submission. the u.s. instructor designed the course content and activities in blackboard as the online learning environment. the chinese instructor and students were enrolled in the blackboard as guests to participate in the online collaboration. stage 3: designing the learning environment and activities support systems. the intent of providing technical, learning, and social support systems was to build students’ comfort with technology, instructional content and group membership. several examples for each support are listed below. global partners in education journal april 2012, vol.2 no.1, pp. 25-41 www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 31 technical supports.  blackboard orientation and technical support sites provided by blackboard inc. and the office of e-learning at the u.s. university.  “ask the instructor” and “s.o.s. community support” forums provided in discussion board for all class members to ask, give, and receive help from the instructor and other students.  step-by-step “how-to” job aid for each of the tools required for working in the course provided in the course resources page.  tutorials and handouts for technology tools and software applications provided in the course resources page.  technical faq, helpdesk contact information provided in the course resources page.  a customized online technical training module focusing only on the communication and production tools needed by the cross-cultural learning. learning support.  various learning resources such as content specific resources, online library, students work examples provided in the course resources page.  groups formed to support each other’s learning.  provided online and offline instructor office hours. social support.  social lounge and other discussion forums designed to provide opportunities for social presence and interaction. the lounge is open any time for students to introduce themselves to get to know other students, drop a leisure note or carry out a continuous conversation, bid farewell, etc.  groups formed to provide social support to members of group and the learning community.  embedded collaboration and interaction in group-supported projects; assigning grades for team contribution and collaboration.  encouraged collaboration and interaction among group members to gain multiple perspectives and solutions. resources. the following are examples of resources provided to assist students in acquiring knowledge about cultures of group members as well as using tools to facilitate comfortable communication and collaboration for working together as a learning community.  language/communication resources: online multi-lingual dictionaries, language translators, thesaurus, commonly used acronyms and idiomatic expressions, and virtual writing/editing centers.  culture/context resources: providing online encyclopedias for culture-specific knowledge bases, chinese and u.s. culture websites, videos, photos, etc. global partners in education journal april 2012, vol.2 no.1, pp. 25-41 www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 32  learning content resources: provided online tutorials for various kinds of training, and productivity tools (such as software applications) for completing assignments. course orientation the course orientation consists of blackboard technical training, getting acquainted with the course site, getting to know other students, and cultural orientation. blackboard technical training and getting acquainted with the course site are designed in the same package to help students become familiar with blackboard log-in procedures, blackboard course site structure, tools to be used for learning and communication required by the course, and resources for technical help. all the activities are hands-on with reference resources. getting to know other students required students to post a message in the “social lounge” class forum for self-introduction, to greet the class and to respond to greetings posted by other members in the same group and at least three posts by other class members. this activity lasted for one week. cultural orientation was a blog that involved discussion and sharing opinions about cultural awareness and sensitivity, parent expectations, and cultural holidays. students were provided with web resources related to these topics for discussion. students were encouraged to find additional resources and to use their personal experiences in this discussion. cultural orientation lasted for one week. learning tasks and activities students were required to complete assigned readings about integrating technology into curriculum and participated in a group forum to discuss the topic and share or compare the current state of educational technology integration in their respective countries. a set of discussion activity specifications together with some sample questions were provided to guide the discussion. this unit learning activity lasted for two weeks. stage 4: instructional delivery modeling, coaching, and scaffolding instructional strategies were used to support delivery of instruction and manage learning activities through two-way communication, interaction, and collaboration between instructors (teacherteacher), among students (studentstudent), and between teachers and students (teacherstudent) as indicated in figure 1. frequent reciprocal communication flowed continuously between the instructors about the process and products of students’ learning; at the same time, two-way communication, interaction, and collaboration took place among students within the same cultural group and across cultural groups. during instruction, a learning global partners in education journal april 2012, vol.2 no.1, pp. 25-41 www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 33 community was established through instructor and student communication and interaction at both sites between all participants. method participants undergraduate students from courses taught at a state university in the southeastern u.s. and a provincial normal university in china participated in this study using webenhanced instruction involving online discussions about both cultural and academic topics. sixty-five students (all members of all participating courses) took part in this research, including 28 chinese (10 males and 18 females) and 37 u.s. (6 males and 31 females) students. most u.s. students were classified as juniors, with some sophomores and seniors; ages ranged from late teens to mid-40s. chinese students were designated as juniors, ages ranging from late teens to early 20s. instructional activities instructional activities were jointly planned. since instruction was delivered via blackboard vista hosted by the u.s. site and english was the principal language for communication, instruction was primarily delivered by the u.s. instructor. however, both instructors monitored and coached their own group’s learning activities and managed local logistics. time differences typically resulted in asynchronous online discussions to better accommodate students’ schedules at both sites. all students from both sites self-enrolled into one of ten groups consisting of 5-6 members: 2-3 chinese and 2-3 american students per group. one week prior to formal instruction, chinese students received blackboard technical training and “getting acquainted with the course site” orientation, which american students had completed at the start of the semester. after chinese students joined the class, all students were instructed to complete the “getting to know other students” activities by greeting each other at the social lounge, and to participate in the cultural orientation blog. refer to the course orientation section for details. students then participated in the technology integration unit involving two weeks of group online learning and discussion. after the instructional unit, students bid farewell to each other at the social lounge. each instructor administered a survey to their respective classes at the conclusion of the online collaboration designed to assess student attitudes, feelings, and opinions about their cross-cultural, collaborative online learning, based on approximately four weeks of online interactions involving a combination of cultural, social and academic experiences. global partners in education journal april 2012, vol.2 no.1, pp. 25-41 www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 34 assessment a mixed-method design involving the collection and analysis of both qualitative and quantitative data was used to address the research questions (richey & klein, 2007). a multi-part survey was designed to yield both data types. the american instructor developed a two-part the survey that was administered to both classes to assess students’ overall attitudes, feelings, and opinions about their crosscultural collaborative online learning experiences. part a provided quantitative data from responses to 14 five-point likert scale items (5=strongly agree, 1=strongly disagree). the chinese students’ survey included an extra item, q0: “i felt comfortable using english to communicate with my american team members.” part b asked students to use three adjectives to describe their overall cross-culture online collaborative learning experience, the basis for the qualitative data analyses. our first research question about students’ overall attitudes, feelings, and opinions about their cross-cultural collaborative online learning experiences was addressed via a descriptive analysis of the discrete, ordinal, categorical data. our second research question, assessing the potential differences in responses between the students related to country, was addressed via a mann-whitney u-test, a nonparametric test for two independent samples. descriptive analysis of categorical data was used to reinforce and clarify results from the quantitative analysis. based on the implementation of the cocl model, we expected positive reports about students’ cross-cultural online experiences (the 1st research question); in addition, we expected the mann-whitney test to yield non-significant results, indicating no significant differences between these two groups (the 2nd research question). results table 1 presents the results for the attitude survey for u.s. and chinese students, both overall and by country. table 1 median and mode for survey quantitative questions no survey items median mode 0 i felt comfortable using english to communicate with my american team members. (chinese students only) 4.00 3a all n=65 u.s. n=37 china n=28 all n=65 u.s. n=37 china n=28 1 i had no technological problem using blackboard for online learning and communication. 4.00 5.00 3.00 5 5 3 global partners in education journal april 2012, vol.2 no.1, pp. 25-41 www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 35 2 course resources (e.g., utilities, tutorials, handouts, sample work) helped support my learning needs. 4.00 5.00 4.00 4 5 3a 3 critiquing blog showcase helped me gain different perspectives and broaden my knowledge. 4.00 4.00 4.00 4 4 4 4 blog comments helped improved my work and learning. 4.00 3.50 4.00 4 4 4 5 social lounge helped acquaint me with class peers. 4.00 4.00 3.00 3 4 3 6 cultural blogs helped foster cultural awareness for cross-cultural learning. 4.00 4.00 4.00 4 4 4 7 i had much experience working with students from other country before this cross-cultural online learning experience. 2.00 2.00 2.00 2 2 2 8 i felt i was connected with my group to talk and learn together online 3.00 3.00 3.00 4 4 4 9 i felt i was connected with the class to talk and learn together online 4.00 4.00 3.50 4 4 3a 10 the discussion with foreign peers contributed to my learning of subject content. 4.00 3.00 4.00 4 3a 4 11 this cross-cultural collaborative learning contributed to my life experience. 4.00 4.00 4.00 4 4 3 12 this cross-cultural collaborative learning helped expand my global perspectives. 4.00 4.00 4.00 4 4 4 13 i would like to have similar crosscultural online discussions in other courses. 4.00 4.00 4.00 4 4 4 14 overall, my cross-cultural online learning experience was positive. 4.00 4.00 4.00 4 4 4 note. 3a multiple modes occurred for 3 and 4. the table displays only 3, the smallest value. table 2 presents the summary results of the categorization of part b qualitative data. we decided that an effective strategy to address our research questions would be to use three global categories to interpret students’ descriptive data. we believe the two fundamental categories, “positive” and “negative,” would be generally understandable; we included a third category, “neutral,” anticipating the use of adjectives that could not be clearly judged as representative of either category. we derived criteria for our interpretations of these three categories from dictionary.com, a readily available online global partners in education journal april 2012, vol.2 no.1, pp. 25-41 www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 36 english language resource that provides a wide array of inputs, including a variety of dictionary citations, word etymologies, and common usage. after discussing specific criteria for judging terms to be either “positive” or “negative,” we independently rated all 169 terms; terms not clearly classifiable as either positive or negative were categorized as neutral. our initial agreement rate was 94.6% (163/169 terms); we resolved differences by discussion resulting in 100% agreement on the categorization of all 169 terms. table 2 percentage of categorized adjectives for survey qualitative question response rates response categories overall u.s. china positive 82.2% (139/169) 82.57% (90/109) 81.67% (49/60) neutral 11.24% (19/169) 9.17% (10/109) 15.0% (9/60) negative 6.5% (11/169) 8.26% (9/109) 3.33% (2/60) note. n = 169 terms (all but one u.s. participant provided 3 terms as per directions); u.s., n = 109; china, n = 60. discussion the overall context for discussing our results reflects two important points based on part a of the survey: q0 (chinese survey) indicates that chinese students generally felt comfortable using english to communicate with u.s. peers, suggesting few perceived language constraints; q7 (prior experience) indicated that both groups had similarly limited prior experience working with students from other cultures before this crosscultural online learning experience, suggesting some degree of equivalence across participants in reactions to the implementation of the cocl model. our first research question addressed students’ overall interpretations of their crosscultural collaborative online learning experience. survey results from both parts a (table 1) and b (table 2) indicate that overall, students had very positive experiences. in particular, part a q9 (felt connected with the class), q11 (contributed to life experience), q12 (expanded global experience), q13 (desire other similar online experiences) and q14 (overall experience) clearly indicate that students across all groups believed that they significantly benefited from their collaborative online learning experiences. part b results (table 2) reinforce this interpretation, both overall and across countries, with greater than 81% of all adjectives being positive and less than 7% of all adjectives being negative; neutral terms typically described aspects of their experiences that were procedural or related to implementation without a clear evaluation or judgment. examples of frequently occurring positive adjectives included: interesting, fun, helpful, and valuable. most negative adjectives were typically stated only once; some examples include: boring, overrated, unsatisfied, and aggravating. neutral adjectives, also typically stated only once, included: quick, project oriented, global partners in education journal april 2012, vol.2 no.1, pp. 25-41 www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 37 enigmatic, and experienced. the cocl model as implemented for this course appears to strongly contribute to positive learning experiences for both u.s. and chinese students. several aspects of the cocl model asked in part a of the survey help clarify the overall results. for example, q3 (critiquing blog showcase), q4 (blog comments), and q6 (cultural blogs) reflect specific features of the model that contributed to students’ overall positive experiences within and across cultural groups. our second research question addressed potential for culture-related differences in collaborative online learning experiences; we anticipated no differences based on the implementation of the cocl model. as can be seen in table 1, on 12 of 14 items (85.7%) students from both groups responded similarly; only two of 14 items resulted in significant differences between the two student groups by country, qs 1 and 2. overall this outcome reinforces the interpretation of generally positive influences of the cocl model on students’ learning experiences. but, significant differences were detected for q1 and q2 based on the mann-whitney u test. q1, related to technology experiences, revealed significant differences between u.s. and chinese students, u = 280.00, z = -3.32, p < .001. such differences may have resulted from the u.s. students’ greater familiarity with blackboard as the university’s designated online learning system and they had used the system for learning in this course for more than 2 months before the chinese students joined them. chinese students were using blackboard for the first time in their learning experiences. this difference in familiarity with the technology may have been reflected in chinese students’ degree of neutral ratings (mdn = 3, mo = 3). the relatively brief training introducing the blackboard environment and tools before the collaboration began may have been insufficient to build needed comfort and skills in using technology for learning. though u.s. students indicated significantly less technological difficulty, on average neither group appears to have perceived significant limitations related to blackboard use. q2 results, relating to course resources, revealed significant differences in the perceived degree of support provided by available online resources, u =255.50, z = 3.69, p < .000; chinese students rated resources less positively. many of the online resources were intended to support student learning for the entire semester, not just the period of cross-cultural collaboration. u.s. students were exposed to and potentially more familiar with online resources prior to their online collaborations with their chinese partners, therefore, potentially having a more positive interpretation based on a longerterm exposure and opportunity to review, understand and apply these resources. apparently, for the chinese students resources not being directly used during the collaboration were perceived to be irrelevant and therefore not supportive of their learning. despite the statistical difference, chinese students on average rated course resources nearly as positively as u.s. students. differences appear to be related to the degree of neutral ratings (mo = 3) of course resources. global partners in education journal april 2012, vol.2 no.1, pp. 25-41 www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 38 conclusions cross-cultural collaborative online learning guided by cocl model facilitates dynamic and reciprocal communication and interaction resulting in positive learning outcomes. the three support systems specified in the model must be implemented with sufficent time for training to build comfort with and skill in using technology to engage in communiucation and learning. in addition, providing sufficient time for members to engage in social activities will foster comfort and further interaction in online communication and learning. students must be informed about the availability of resources that support learning and be required to use the resources as part of the learning activities. selecting interesting and engaging topics will allow for increased interaction and enhanced communication and learning. finally, learning tasks should be loosely-structured (no fixed answer) providing the opportunity for knowledge coconstruction; 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(2007) designing online courses that effectively engage learners from diverse cultural backgrounds. british journal of educational technology, 38, 294311. http://www.immi.se/intercultural/nr10/teng.htm http://cs.joensuu.fi/~jtimon/publications/electra_final.pdf http://www.irrodl.org/index.php/irrodl/article/view/690/1273 global partners in education journal april 2012, vol.2 no.1, pp. 25-41 www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 41 about the authors sue-jen chen is an associate professor of instructional technology in watson school of education at the university of north carolina wilmington. she has a ph.d. in educational research focused on instructional systems from florida state university. she teaches courses on instructional design and evaluation, instructional technology, and instructional video production. dr. chen’s research interests include learning theories and application, online learning and communication, learning environment design, cross-cultural collaboration, and technology integration into teaching and learning. she can be reached at chensj@uncw.edu. edward j. caropreso is an associate professor of education in the specialty studies department of the watson school of education, university of north carolina, wilmington. he has a ma and phd in educational psychology from the university of georgia, athens. he teaches undergraduate and graduate courses on educational psychology, human development and learning, and educational research. his current research interests involve online learning, cognition and cognitive development, and teacher professional development. eddie can be reached at caropresoe@uncw.edu. chao-li hsu is an associate professor of foreign language education at wenzao ursuline college of languages, taiwan. she received her doctoral degree in educational research from florida state university. she is also director of the center for faculty development at wenzao where she tries to help faculty members use innovative teaching methods, apply instructional technology, produce digital materials, and engage in research in order to achieve excellence in teaching quality. she can be reached at 97004@mail.wtuc.edu.tw. junfeng yang is a lecturer of educational technology in educational technology center at hangzhou normal university, china. he is currently pursuing a doctorate of educational technology at beijing normal university. he can be reached at yangjunfengphd@gmail.com. mailto:chensj@uncw.edu mailto:caropresoe@uncw.edu mailto:97004@mail.wtuc.edu.tw mailto:yangjunfengphd@gmail.com global partners in education – expanding the scope of understanding through folktales, fables and theatre arts global partners in education journal april 2012, vol.2 no.1, pp. 68-81 www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 68 note from editor: global partners in education is an organization that unites partner institutions around the globe through technology so students can learn about each other from each other. the primary activity of this organization is the global understanding program (chia et al, 2011). however, additional activities have stemmed from these collaborations. patricia (patch) clark, a theatre professor at east carolina university, reports on one such activity. in 2008, prof. clark began working with gpe partner institutions in the global classroom to enhance her youth theatre course. since then she has worked with partner institutions in peru, russia and beijing during which time students exchange folk tales from their respective cultures. this report focuses on the collaboration between patch clark and her students and the students of universidad san ignacio de loyola in lima, peru which resulted in a youth theatre production called “all aboard south america!”. expanding global understanding through the theatre arts patch lee clark1 east carolina university, usa abstract the school of theatre and dance in the college of fine arts and communication at east carolina university (ecu) collaborated with universidad san ignacio de loyola (usil) in lima, peru gathering children’s stories, folktales, fables and myths which were then transformed into theatre performances for school children, teachers and families across eastern north carolina. in 2009, the collected stories were used in an original children’s musical, all aboard south america! produced at ecu and the turnage theater in washington, n.c. the value of sharing the dramatization of folktales, fables, and myths gathered in the global classroom with intergenerational audiences across the state of north carolina served not only to expand the educational experience of all participants, but also broaden audience exposure to the artistic interpretation of collective tales indigenous to south america. the exchange between theatre students enrolled in youth theatre i at ecu and students enrolled at usil and the subsequent development of a children’s theatre musical is the focus of this article. 1 the author wishes to thank liliana cheneder rueda, maria luisa mu hoyos and karin sialer perez, students and personnel at universidad san ignacio de loyola in lima, peru for their dedication and contributions to the class and the sharing of their folktales, fables and myths. also appreciation is extended to dr. linda high, east carolina university school of music who prepared the music and served as musical director for all aboard south america! and dr. jon wacker and his students also from the ecu school of music for their musical accompaniment. global partners in education journal april 2012, vol.2 no.1, pp. 68-81 www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 69 introduction all countries and cultures share in having folktales, fables, and myths and legends as part of their oral and written cultural heritage. many cultures share slight variations on the same children’s stories. in linking with peru and learning about the folklore of spirits chasing wanderers in the jungle, we were able to compare our popular tale of the headless horseman created by american short story writer, washington irving in the legend of sleepy hollow. the sharing of children’s stories creates a bond of understanding with various countries, students and cultures as they have all have had experiences either as children or young adults in listening to stories told to them by mothers, fathers, grandparents or other members of the family. the examination of both similarities and differences in fables and folktales improves understanding of new cultures by comparing variations of the story as it relates to its corresponding culture. the popular children’s story of cinderella is universal and has many culturally specific versions. for example, in india the title of this popular story is how the cowherd found a bride, while in china it is yeh-hsien, aschenputtel in germany and poor turkey girl from the native american, zuni tribe (sierra, 1992, pp. 114, 6, 20). all have in common the story of an unfortunate character who, through various circumstances, becomes the celebrated heroine in the end. each of the versions also offers the readers and viewers a glimpse of how the journey of the characters and the moral of the story is expressed through cultural experiences and vision. sierra attests to the longevity and, thus, continuing significance of these childhood stories: the first cinderella story to be written down, in around the year 850 a.d., was the chinese tale of yeh-hsien. even earlier, nearly two thousand years ago, a greek writer told an egyptian king who searched for the unknown owner of a beautiful sandal. neither of these seem like the fairy tales we are used to reading in books, but they give us an idea of how old and widespread cinderella tales really are (sierra, 1992, p. 4). support for the study of tales indigenous to certain countries and cultures are expressed by one researcher performance artist who, while gathering kurdish tales concluded, “the stories, poetry, songs, ritual speech, literature and syntax of language store the collective intellectual achievements of a culture and supply us with unique perspective on fundamental problems of the human condition” (edgecomb, 2008, p. xii). the second phase in studying multicultural tales and the subsequent sharing through live performance is highly supported by numerous expert directors and playwrights in the area of children’s theatre. in good theatre for children it is essential that both playwrights and directors show the story through dramatic action rather than telling it through talk and static pictures. the director, along with the actors, must plan for continual, motivated movement illustrating the dramatic situations global partners in education journal april 2012, vol.2 no.1, pp. 68-81 www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 70 of the characters. children are uninterested in dull, motionless scenes and become bored with characters who wander about the stage aimlessly, moving just to keep the production lively (jennings & harris, 1998, pp. 89). many of the multicultural stories gathered from the linking sessions with peru, such as el tunche, el tunche and the three shovels contain this very type of animated and interesting action and characters which actively engage children’s audiences in the performance. once children become interested in the story being acted out on stage, they then begin to learn and experience knowledge about other cultures through the dramatization of global tales. with this premise in mind, the sharing and performance of global stories, that the school of theatre and dance at ecu conducted videoconferences or “links” with usil for three years. the goals for this classroom linking were to gather stories from peru and transform them into dramatic scripts to be shared in the public schools and the community at large. a second goal was to encourage cultural exchange between students at usil and ecu through in-class video conferencing and e-mail exchanges including discussion of not only childhood stories and theatre arts, but politics, food, economics, education, family traditions, and day-to-day life. students and faculty asked partners at usil for stories they remembered from childhood, folktales, fables and myths that might have been passed down from generation to generation. once collected, stories were transformed into performance pieces for children and the community and shared through live presentation both in the schools and in larger theatre venues. throughout the collaboration, students shared stories, music, dance, children’s games, ideas about politics, religion, the arts, customs, education, and ecology. we also explored global awareness through a unit entitled your footprints on the earth and videos prepared by the students at usil. further ideas and topics which students created in the youth theatre i classroom at ecu which they then explored through videoconferencing and e-mail with partners at usil included becoming a leader in one’s own country, ideas for long-range collaborative projects, similarities and differences in education, family upbringing and customs, creation of a new poem or story and learning phrases and words of each other’s languages. methodology this project has become part of an already established course, youth theatre i, in the school of theatre & dance, and continues, when possible, into youth theatre ii class. in preparation for the linking process, students in youth theatre i at ecu brainstorm to develop questions students would like to ask their partners in peru and discuss what ecu students already know about peru. global partners in education journal april 2012, vol.2 no.1, pp. 68-81 www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 71 during linking sessions with usil, ecu students posed their questions, responded to questions asked by partners, listened to stories and songs, and learned about children’s games in peru. the information collected regarding stories, songs, and children’s games was then discussed. outlines for scenes were then created by ecu school of theatre and dance faculty, patch clark, who, upon completion of the outlines, then collaborated with dr. linda high, school of music faculty at ecu, on scene development and music. the development of the final version of the script took approximately six months to research, develop, rehearse, and then finally perform. the process included collecting, researching and reviewing stories, dances, and information recorded during linking sessions and the gathering of additional information found in joyner and music libraries at ecu. once the script was near completion, a writing contest for eastern north carolina public school students was implemented to encourage research and playwriting with south america as the theme. over 80 stories were submitted by school-aged children and reviewed by university theatre and music faculty with 7 being chosen for inclusion in the script. theatre faculty revised the stories the children had submitted, crafting them into scenes which then became a part of the finished script. upon completion of the script, ecu students researched, compiled and prepared a teacher’s study guide which was sent to all schools attending the production of all aboard south america!. finally, the original children’s theatre musical was presented at wright auditorium on the campus of ecu in greenville, n.c. on november 13th and in the schools in eastern north carolina and at the turnage theater in washington, north carolina on november 14th, 2009. the resulting dramatized fables and folktales continue to be shared with children in the public schools, at libraries and arts and educational conferences. all aboard south america! theatre students at ecu embraced the opportunity to hear peruvian stories passed down through generations that encompassed the jungle, the cities and towns, rainforest and ruins of peru. students from usil discussed the importance of lake titicaca and shared the many versions of tales which surround the lake. they also talked about the magical quality of dragonflies. one peruvian student shared that if one saw a dragonfly on a certain day, the next day or two would bring good luck. yet another stated that her grandmother passed down the belief that the dragonfly came bearing a message from a recently deceased loved one. stories and myths about dragonflies developed into the character in all aboard south america! (clark & high, 2009) named libelula who led professor pontificator and his students through the ruins of machu picchu on a search for the hidden diaries of an early explorer. the story shared in class about lake titicaca became the three shovels and was performed for over 3,000 children in eastern north carolina. appendix a contains a scene from all aboard south america! illustrating how the myth of the dragon fly, which originated as a discussion in the global classroom between ecu and usil students, was transformed into an actual major character in the play. this excerpt also illustrates global partners in education journal april 2012, vol.2 no.1, pp. 68-81 www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 72 some of the research and information students learned about south america including carnival, penguins, and machu picchu. also included is the full story of the three shovels which, again, originated as a shared story in the global classroom and then became fully developed as one of the representative stories in the full script. the musical went on to present several stories indigenous to south america. the three shovels was one of many stories shared with children in eastern north carolina and became a favorite tale. the story, told by students at usil in lima peru to ecu students via the global classroom, had a huge impact not only in the theatre, but in the university and elementary classrooms as well as this one particular story was performed throughout the schools, thus exposing children to a story from peru. university students were actively engaged in the research for costumes, set, props, music and performance aspects as part of this project and production, thus exposing them to the geography, customs, textiles, language and music of peru. the professor and ecu students transformed the tale into a storybook theatre drama (see appendix b) which, in turn, became a part of the children’s musical, all aboard south america! and toured throughout the elementary schools in eastern north carolina. to see a recording of the performance of the three shovels, please go to http://myweb.ecu.edu/cfac/clarkp/aasa.html. at the end of the play, the characters sing yet another song of departure, goodbye my friend to the dragonfly which can be viewed at the following link: http://myweb.ecu.edu/cfac/clarkp/aasa2.html. the power of collaborative global storybook theatre the power of a live performance, the participation by ecu and usil students and the elementary and middle school students all add to a world community effort of understanding through artistic interpretation and performance. curriculum goals for theatre arts in the public schools were also included as part of the project, parts of which are defined as: a theatre art in the public schools teaches the basic life skills, thinking skills and personal qualities which develop an understanding of the ideas, attitudes, beliefs, and feelings of diverse people in different times throughout history as communicated through literature and theatre (ncdpi, n.d.). aesthetic and artistic appreciation for theatrical performances was shared with the students from usil as they were shown a dvd of the production, all aboard south america! which included the stories they had originally shared and also dances and the development of the major character of libelula the dragonfly. jennings (2005), a children’s theatre director, discusses the importance of live theatre as a vehicle for sharing and developing creative performances: http://myweb.ecu.edu/cfac/clarkp/aasa.html http://myweb.ecu.edu/cfac/clarkp/aasa2.html global partners in education journal april 2012, vol.2 no.1, pp. 68-81 www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 73 the theatre is a place of possibility, of hope, of transformation. it is a home for your imagination. i hope that the theatre becomes a launching pad for their dreams and plans, ideas and arguments. the theatre is that great place where you get to collaborate with others to make a kind of magic that brings people together; that lets them see themselves anew and breathe in the bigness of what it means to be human in all its mad complexity (jennings, 2005, p. xxiii). ecu student responses global classroom youth theatre i students from the ecu classroom enjoyed the exchanges and reported in their journals that they discovered how similar they were to students at usil, learned a wealth of information about lima, peru and south america in general, and gained a new appreciation for a country foreign to their own. their responses included the following testimonies to the success of the linking process: i will definitely be keeping in touch with my global pen pals as well as masha and matti, our foreign exchange students. what an enlightening and humbling experience this semester has been. it has taught me that we are not alone in this world. there are many others out there that may not speak the way we do, but they love the same things we do and cherish the same values and experiences. i hope to carry on the global linking next semester in the youth theatre class as well. i believe that every field of study could benefit from these linkings, professionally and personally. the global experience and exchange with peru was amazing! i learned a great deal about their culture, interests, and lifestyles through our connections. i also learned a great deal about my own culture and country through the connections i had to actually think about the history of our stories and tall tales. that is something i've not done since i first learned the tales in grade school! it ironically made me more patriotic and understanding of our differences in cultures. i feel that i was able to give an actual personality and face to peru by interacting with the students there. it is so important for us to be able to connect visually and to interact with other students to really make an impact and to make it real. the experience humbled me to an extant because it allowed me to physically see that there are other students in other countries furthering their education as well. our country is not the center of the world. we are all in it together. it was amazing! i can't wait to link again this semester. with more time and connections, i think we'll be able to form more meaningful relationships and conversations to further the education of everyone involved. global partners in education journal april 2012, vol.2 no.1, pp. 68-81 www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 74 the impact of this new methodology on the teacher and students the importance of this collaborative model reaches beyond the walls of the classroom at the university level as young students in the elementary and middle schools are involved in the process of learning about another country either through researching, writing, or as an audience member viewing tales from around the world. university students gain a broader appreciation for cultures other than their own through the shared appreciation of stories and cultures. they also learn new vocabulary associated with the stories. this kind of expression may help in the area of cultural understanding as the stories which are indigenous to each country are passed down either orally or in written form via e-mail and shared with classes at other universities, thus preserving cultural tales and the tradition of the storyteller as the author. the advantages of this model include the addition of the global classroom experience which enhances the curriculum beyond gathering tales from books. students learn about the country and culture from where the story originated by extending their learning to not only hearing the stories told by those in the original country, but also by discussing other related topics. the results of the course reach beyond the campus and classroom as the stories are carried out into the schools and performed for children, teachers, and the community at large. and the effects are ongoing. ecu students paired with usil students continue their interaction beyond the class via e-mail sharing stories and exchanging information about their respective countries, thus continuing their building of understanding and sense of community. there are challenges to this type of collaboration. however, through cooperative planning and e-mail exchanges between faculty and students, many of those challenges can be overcome. for example, the change in the united states to daylight savings time, required schedule changes in order to accommodate the change in time and linking sessions with peru. efforts to coordinate linking sessions were also sometimes a challenge due to holidays, school closings, and unscheduled interruptions. providing each other with school calendars is a tremendous help which aids in the overall planning of linking sessions and helps to avoid missed sessions due to conflicting schedules. the impact of this new methodology on teacher’s work includes a renewed vision of learning and discovery as the shift transforms from that of teacher directed to teacher and student shared learning and discovery. the teacher becomes the moderator and rather than presenting an expert model, instead leads through the modeling of discovery and inquiry while involved in the linking process. thus, the teacher models learning through interaction with the partner country and subsequent culture. the impact of the global classroom on the development of theatre arts performances has been farreaching in its capacity to transform stories to the stage, engage children and audiences in cultural heritages other than their own and bring about an understanding of another country through rich and entertaining tales of wonder. sharing global stories with children shapes the understanding of future juveniles and adults and brings about a whole new culture of world view. impact upon teacher training includes the study guides prepared by students and the research and writing conducted by elementary and global partners in education journal april 2012, vol.2 no.1, pp. 68-81 www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 75 middle school students as they to contribute to an original script. and finally, it gives a sense of pride as the stories are passed down for generations and reaffirms a cultural heritage to be shared by all through theatre arts performances of folktales, fables and myths. future best practices for theatres arts includes working towards a collection of stories from around the world to be shared by all for further understanding and appreciation for a global culture rich in heritage, tradition and stories. references chia, r., poe, e., & yang, b. (2011). history of global partners in education. global partners in education journal, 1, 3-7. clark, p., & high, l. (2009). all aboard south america!. produced at wright auditorium, ecu and the turnage theater, washington, n.c. for artssmart and family fare series, rudolph alexander performing arts series, college of fine arts and communication, school of theatre and dance. edgecomb, d. (2008). a fire in my heart: kurdish tales. westport: libraries unlimited. jennings, c. (2005). theatre for children. new york: st. martin’s press. jennings, c., & harris, a. (1988). plays children love (vol. ii). new york: st. martin’s press. north carolina department of public instruction (ncdpi). (n.d.). north carolina standard course of study: theatre arts curriculum. retrieved from http://www.dpi.state.nc.us/curriculum/artsed/scos/theatrearts/index sierra, j. (1992). the oryx multicultural folktale series: cinderella. westport: oryx press. appendix a scenes from all aboard south america! including libelula as a major character and the three shovels mark oh, yes. we’d all like to know your name. libelula my name is libelula which means… mark dragonfly in spanish! libelula yes! yes! that is correct! and i have come with a message – you must go to the ruins of chichen itza in mexico to receive the next clue to help you find the lost journal of violet cressy-marcks. from there we will travel into south america into brazil and from brazil into bolivia and then on to chile and you must look for the penguins! http://www.dpi.state.nc.us/curriculum/artsed/scos/theatrearts/index global partners in education journal april 2012, vol.2 no.1, pp. 68-81 www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 76 chris you mean they have penguins in south america? libelula oh, yes! they live along the coast of peru and chile and they will have a clue for you! and you must go to brazil in time for carnival! jamie what’s carnival? chris i remember reading about carnival. it’s a great celebration that’s held once a year. with lots of singing and dancing. libelula that is correct! and from there we will finally go to peru to the lost city of machu picchu. jamie the lost city! just like el dorado? libelula yes, but you must be very careful and never go to the next point before you get a message from me. i will always be the one to guide you on your journey. so, for right now are you ready to go on an adventure? everyone yes! libelula (gesturing out to the audience ) is everyone ready to join us on our excellent adventure? all yes!!! (music “all aboard for south america”) all aboard for south america, we’re going to have some fun. all aboard for south america, our journey’s just begun mysteries and wonder and mayhem is going to be our quest. we don’t know if we’ll find them, but we’re going to do our best. we’ll take a train we’ll take a boat global partners in education journal april 2012, vol.2 no.1, pp. 68-81 www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 77 we’ll take a plane we’ll go by goat we don’t know how we’re going to go (and we’re gonna’ make a showing,) so come on now let’s all go. all aboard! libelula excellent! now – i must be on my way to find our next instructions. so, i will meet you at chichen itza! come quickly and, oh, there’s one last thing i forgot to tell you. be very careful not to talk to any banditos! jamie banditos? libelula yes, banditos! they are also in search of the lost journals and if they find them, they will sell them for gold and they will be lost to the world forever! mark we’ll be careful, libelula! libelula adios! and be careful! i will see you in mexico! the dragonfly song the dragonfly is calling, calling, calling, calling, calling, calling, calling, us to come. and we must follow, follow, follow, follow, follow, follow, follow, follow, on. the dragon fly, the dragon fly must hurry, hurry on its way. the dragon fly, the dragon fly, we must follow it today. appendix b the three shovels a peruvian folktale collected during the fall 2008 semester of youth theatre i in the school of theatre and dance at ecu by patch clark, and link with liliana cheneder rueda, director, language department at usil characters: narrator farmer farmer’s friend god or goddess of the lake the water (two people to hold the fabric to represent water) global partners in education journal april 2012, vol.2 no.1, pp. 68-81 www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 78 narrator once upon a time there was a young man with an old rusted shovel that was very dear to him. one day while walking by the magical lake in peru, he dropped his shovel into the water and it sank. everyone kerplunk! young man oh, no! i can’t swim. how can i get my shovel? narrator then suddenly, the goddess of the lake rose up out of the water. goddess of the lake young man, why are you so upset? young man i have lost my shovel in the lake and i shall never see it again! goddess of the lake why is your shovel so important to you? young man i am very poor and without my shovel, i will not be able to feed my children. goddess of the lake i will dive down into the water and look for it! narrator the goddess of the lake disappeared into the murky waters of the magical lake. when the goddess reappeared, she presented a shiny silver shovel to the young man. goddess of the lake here you are my child. here is the shovel you lost. narrator the young man’s eyes widened as he admired the shimmering silver shovel. young man goddess of the magical lake. i am pleased that you have found such a wonderful shovel. but i am afraid to say that this shovel is not the shovel i lost. my shovel was rusted and full of holes. this shovel is made of pure silver and while it is worth much, it is not my own. global partners in education journal april 2012, vol.2 no.1, pp. 68-81 www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 79 narrator the goddess of the lake smiled at the young man’s honesty. goddess of the lake forgive me, my child. i will search some more. narrator the goddess of the lake went into the depths of the lake once more but this time she returned with a shovel more splendid than the one before. the goddess presented a shovel made of pure gold, encrusted with the finest diamonds and rubies. goddess of the lake here you are my child. this must be the shovel you lost! narrator the young man could hardly speak. he had never seen such riches. young man i regret to say that this is not my shovel. it is very beautiful, but my shovel is rusted aluminum and its handle is made of wood. i am sorry to have troubled you. narrator the young man began to weep and turned to walk home. he wondered how he would be able o provide for his family. the goddess of the lake called to him. goddess of the lake young man, stop your crying. you have shown that you are honest and true of spirit. for that, you shall be rewarded. here my child, i give you all the shovels, including the one you lost. narrator the young man was so overjoyed that he went to tell his friend. (young man adlib telling friend about his experience.) his fried wanted to have the same riches so he took his old shovel and purposely threw it into the lake! everyone kerplunk! friend oh no! my shovel is lost in the lake! how will i ever provide for my family? narrator once again the goddess of the lake appeared from out of the water. goddess of the lake dear friend, what is troubling you? global partners in education journal april 2012, vol.2 no.1, pp. 68-81 www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 80 friend i have lost my shovel in the lake. goddess of the lake the goddess of the lake reached into the depths of the lake and brought up a shovel make of pure gold and silver. friend yes, yes! this is mine! thank you for finding it for me! narrator the goddess of the lake knew that the man was not telling the truth and was furious! goddess of the lake for your dishonesty, you will receive nothing…not even your own shovel! narrator so the young man learned his lesson the greed does not pay! song three shovels i've got three shovels and i've got none. i've got three shovels. not even one. to have three shovels, as you can see, you must be as honest as you can be. i've got three shovels one's made of gold i've got three shovels not even mold to have three shovels, as you can see, you must not lie, but tell the truth, and be as honest as you can be. song goodbye my friend goodbye my friend, it’s time to go. the dragonfly has lead us on our way. adios my friend, now we must part we hope to come another day. global partners in education journal april 2012, vol.2 no.1, pp. 68-81 www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 81 goodbye my friend, it’s time to go. the dragonfly has led us on our way. adios my friend now we must part we hope to come another day. about the author patricia “patch” clark, is an associate professor and coordinator for the theatre for youth and theatre education programs at ecu. she is the founder and director of the ecu storybook theatre which tours to schools, libraries and festivals and appears as part of ecu’s artssmart and family fare series. she has directed the lion, the witch, and the wardrobe; james and the giant peach; seussical the musical; the stinky cheese man; charlotte’s web; the legend of sleepy hollow; the jungle book; and the secret garden and written and directed tales from around the world; my hero reaching for the stars; the runaway bear; all aboard america!; and all aboard south america!. educational leadership and the e-learning paradigm global partners in education journal april 2012, vol.2 no.1, pp. 12-24 www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 12 the preparation of globally competent teachers: a comparison of american and australian education policies and perspectives misty m kirby university of canberra, australia elizabeth o. crawford university of north carolina wilmington, usa abstract this study entailed a comparative analysis of the teacher preparation standards in the state of north carolina, usa, and the new national professional standards for teachers in australia as related to the global competencies of licensed teachers. specifically, the authors conducted a content analysis of the policies that govern teacher education and licensure relative to global competence. university faculty members in both regions were also interviewed to determine teacher educators’ perceptions of these policies. results indicate that much remains to align policy with practice, particularly as applied to the role of teacher educators in preparing their students per governmental requirements, as well as how states evaluate new teachers by professional standards. additionally, operationally defined, shared language regarding k-12 teachers’ global competence must be developed for use by all stakeholders. introduction in 2010, u.s. secretary of education arne duncan asserted: we must improve language learning and international education at all levels if our nation is to continue to lead in the global economy; to help bring security and stability to the world; and to build stronger and more productive ties with our neighbors. (para. 40) secretary duncan’s statement underscores the importance of american students’ global awareness and related skills needed for the workforce. because teachers are largely responsible for such preparation, there is an urgent need to ensure that teachers, too, are globally competent. despite this, some assert that schools (faculties) of education have been slow to incorporate teacher education competencies reflective of contemporary global issues and perspectives, as well as requisite 21st century literacy skills, within teacher preparation programs (e.g., agnello, white, & fryer, 2006). global partners in education journal april 2012, vol.2 no.1, pp. 12-24 www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 13 this study entailed a comparative analysis of the teacher preparation standards in the state of north carolina (nc), usa, and in the state of new south wales (nsw) in australia, as related to the global competencies of licensed teachers. the authors also analyzed how teacher educators in nc and nsw interpret global competence in preservice teachers, including their role perception in facilitating the development of this competence (crawford & kirby, 2011). research questions guiding this study included: (1) what do state policies in north carolina, usa and in new south wales, australia require in teacher preparation as related to the global competence of k-12 teachers? (2) how do teacher educators define global competence? (3) what do teacher educators perceive to be their roles in preparing teachers for global society? this paper specifically highlights research query one, what state and national policies require in teacher preparation as related to the dimensions of global competence of k-12 teachers. a sub-question included: how do teacher educators interpret state and national policies and standards relating to the global competence of licensed teachers? a review of the literature on global competence resulted in predetermined knowledge and skill-based competencies, as well as dispositional attributes, by which the authors analyzed the respective policy documents and teacher educators’ perceptions as elucidated through face-to-face interviews. literature review the preparation of teachers with a global perspective is considered an “absolute priority” (burch, 1997, p. vii). this priority is reflected in numerous state and national standards in the u.s. and other nations. for example, in the u.s., the national council for accreditation of teacher education (ncate) 2008 standards mandate teacher preparation programs to infuse global perspectives in their programs, courses, field experiences, and other related areas. specifically, standard 4 pertaining to teachers’ abilities to work with diverse students states that “candidates must develop knowledge of diversity in the united states and the world, professional dispositions that respect and value differences, and skills for working with diverse populations…” as well as “reflect multicultural and global perspectives that draw on the histories, experiences, and representations of students and families from diverse populations” (ncate, 2008, p. 36). a few years earlier in their march 2005 position statement “integrating a global perspective into teacher education,” the american association of colleges for teacher education (aacte) also underscored the importance of preparing teachers for a global society in which they can teach successfully in multicultural settings and as they prepare young people for global citizenship (aacte, 2005). there is, therefore, a common emphasis in u.s. policy statements on developing global perspectives and cross-cultural understandings in preservice teachers. despite this emphasis, american teacher preparation programs continue to lack focus on the impact of internationalization on practice (agnello et al., 2006). a similar emphasis on developing globally competent teachers is evident in australia. in 2008, education ministers across australia, including the current prime minister julia global partners in education journal april 2012, vol.2 no.1, pp. 12-24 www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 14 gillard (who was then deputy prime minister and minster for education) crafted the melbourne declaration on educational goals for young australians with explicit guidance for the nation’s education system to enable young people to remain competitive in our rapidly shrinking world. while acknowledging challenges in educating all youngsters, this declaration centered around improving educational outcomes as a means to improve the lives of the younger australian generation through equitable and excellent schools that nurture “successful learners, confident and creative individuals, and active and informed citizens … [who] are responsible global and local citizens” (ministerial council of education, employment, training, and youth affairs, 2008, p. 7). to ensure success and competitiveness on a global level, australian policymakers seek to improve student experiences by improving teacher quality. the melbourne declaration and national partnership on improving teacher quality provided the impetus for the national professional standards for teachers, which were released in february, 2011 from the australian institute for teaching and school leadership (aitsl, 2011). prior to the release of these standards, the similar new south wales’ institute of teacher (nswit) standards were the policy document of concern to the teacher educators in the australian study. measuring the impacts of a globally focused university education on future practice is considered challenging both conceptually and operationally (e.g., stearns, 2009), largely due to the absence of standardized terminology. nonetheless, the emphasis on global competencies in american and australian teacher preparation programs merits examination. through a review of the literature, the authors developed a framework from which to analyze educational standards and teacher educators’ perceptions of global competence. dimensions of global competence were categorized by knowledge, skills, and dispositions, or competency domain (see table 1). table 1 dimensions of global competence by knowledge, skill, and disposition competency domain dimensions knowledge global interdependence global issues and problems human diversity perspective consciousness technology knowledge understanding of interdisciplinary, global connections to curriculum world regions global partners in education journal april 2012, vol.2 no.1, pp. 12-24 www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 15 skill creative thinking skills critical thinking skills communication skills with subcategories cross-cultural skills digital literacy skills second language skills social and political action skills disposition comfort with ambiguity and unfamiliar situations concern for environment and sustainability curiosity empathy justice and fairness open-mindedness to new ideas and experiences self-awareness self and others as change agent value and respect for diversity sources: agnello, white, & fryer (2006); ambe (2006); andrews (1999); arida (2007); asia society (2009); burch (1997); campbell-patton & mortenson (2011); dyer (2006); hanvey (1982); hunter (2004); kagan & stewart (2004); kirkwood (2001); marginson (1999); merryfield (1995); oxfam (2006); pike & selby (1988); suárez-orozco (2005) methods in order to understand the policies that education agencies establish to support preservice teacher preparation in the area of global competence, the authors conducted a preliminary analysis of the nc standards, nsw standards, and the australian national standards (aitsl). first, leximancer, a software analytical tool that focuses on language processing, highlighted broad themes in the texts by identifying the context and providing the user with graphics on the relationships and meanings of the documents’ words. second, nvivo 8, a qualitative data analysis tool, was used to analyze both the nc policy document, as well as the australian policy documents to determine how the standards fit into the competency areas that emerged from the review of the literature. the authors also studied nc and nsw teacher educators’ perceptions of their regions’ respective policy documents as pertaining to the global competence of licensed teachers. a convenience sample of eight teacher educators, four from an nc university and four from a university located in the australian capital territory (which utilized nswit as its accreditation body) participated in this study. they included teacher educators who prepare teachers across the k-12 spectrum. global partners in education journal april 2012, vol.2 no.1, pp. 12-24 www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 16 approval for this study was obtained from the university of north carolina, wilmington, usa and the university of canberra, australia. the human subjects committee in the u.s. determined that this study was in compliance with the appropriate ethical standards and was exempted from formal review. in australia, the committee approved the work to gather this research through formal review. participation in this study was optional and participants could withdraw at any time without penalty. data collection and analysis primary policy documents were used to examine the requirements in teacher preparation as related to global competence. standardized, open-ended, face-to-face interviews afforded additional data. the policy documents and interview data were analyzed through content analysis. the program leximancer was utilized to analyze the text across each of the two policy documents: the nc professional teaching standards, and the graduate teaching standards, which is the entry level accreditation for teachers meeting the professional teaching standards through nswit. after the national professional standards for teachers was released, this document, too, was analyzed using leximancer. the analysis was performed to determine concepts and themes regarding the mandated preparation of preservice teachers in the area of global competence. finally, both nc professional teaching standards and the national professional standards for teachers (australia) were further analyzed using nvivo 8 in order to determine connectivity and relevancy to the various global competencies as defined and refined in this study. results what do state policies in north carolina, usa and in new south wales, australia require in teacher preparation as related to the global competence of k-12 teachers? global competence in the context of this study is based on a review of the literature and includes specific knowledge, skills, and dispositions. in the u.s., growing emphasis on the global competencies of k-12 teachers is evident in the professional standards at the state and institutional levels. in june 2007, for example, nc revised its nc professional teacher standards (ncpts), creating a “new vision of teaching” (ncptsc, 2007, section a new vision of teaching). these standards highlight the ability of classroom teachers to be explicit about embedding global awareness in the core content areas and to ensure that their students are “globally competitive for work and postsecondary education and are prepared for life in the 21st century” (ncptsc, 2007, section standard 1). although standard 1 is skill-focused, none of these skills are explicitly related to global competence as defined in this study. further, nc teachers must demonstrate cultural awareness and understanding of the role of human cultures in shaping global issues (ncptsc, 2007, section standard 2), as well as participate in professional development that “reflects a global view of educational practices” (ncptsc, 2007, section standard 5). the language of the ncptsc reflects elements global partners in education journal april 2012, vol.2 no.1, pp. 12-24 www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 17 of 21st century teaching and learning as outlined by the partnership for 21st century skills of which nc is a partner state (p21, 2010). the north carolina standards for elementary grades teacher candidates reflect this expectation for the global competence of preservice teachers (ncpdi, 2009). across the globe, australia is well known for its global education initiatives. spurred on by federal and local money for innovative teaching, schools have taken the charge seriously to prepare their students so they may contribute to society on a global level (actdet, 2007; mceecdya, 1999; mceetya, 2008). the global education project (2008) introduced a framework for global education in schools. this work built on a statement from the australia government’s foreign-aid program (ausaid) based on the input of more than 100 organizations and individuals entitled global perspectives: a statement on global education for australian schools. the aitsl national standards aim to demonstrate australia’s commitment to teacher-quality improvement grounded on the principle that teachers have a “direct impact upon student achievement” (aitsl, 2011, p. 1). in nc, there is a clear focus on students, teachers, and instruction throughout the nc professional teaching standards. teachers are expected to: relate content to other disciplines, promote global awareness and its relevance to the subjects they teach…demonstrate their knowledge of the history of diverse cultures and their role in shaping global issues…facilitate instruction encouraging all students to use 21st century skills [global awareness is in the content]…and participate in continued, high quality professional development that reflects a global view of educational practices. (ncpts, 2007, pp. 1-4) students (as connected with the key terms teachers and instruction) emerged as the strongest connecting theme across the standards document, with students being referred to 59 times in connection with teachers and instruction, establishing the importance of the student-teacher relationship in the role of instruction. learning emerged as the second strongest theme as it related to the student, data, and needs. this theme is logical in light of learning being student-focused and data-driven, as is required with federal mandates through the no child left behind (nclb) act of 2001. nclb (2002) proposed that every child can learn and schools would be held accountable for that learning as measured by state-sponsored examinations. one of the goals of nclb is to increase student achievement so that students become more productive citizens and are able to compete in today’s global environment. importantly, there is a balance between what teachers need to know (knowledge), what they are able to do (skills) and the attitudes they should bring to the classroom (dispositions). the term global is cited seven times throughout the five standards in the nc document (ncpts, 2007), where the term mostly relates to the content taught and developing awareness in students that is cross disciplinary in nature. standard 3 uses the term global partners in education journal april 2012, vol.2 no.1, pp. 12-24 www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 18 global four of the seven times and directs teachers to “recognize the interconnectedness of content areas/disciplines” as part of the mandate that “teachers know the content they teach” (p. 3). further, teachers are to “promote global awareness and its relevance to the subjects they teach” (p. 3). finally, teachers are expected to understand the overall standard course of study and be able to work with students in connecting that content to the 21st century content, “which includes global awareness; financial, economic, business and entrepreneurial literacy; civic literacy; and health awareness” (p. 3). regarding knowledge-based competencies, nc teachers are expected to have an awareness of human diversity, perspective consciousness (or recognition of different perspectives or points of view; see hanvey, 1982), technology knowledge, understanding of interdisciplinary, global connections to the curriculum, as well as knowledge of world regions. additionally, teachers are expected to “recognize the interconnectedness of content areas/disciplines” (p.3), which arguably requires both creative and critical thinking on the teachers’ part, as well as the ability to communicate effectively (digitally and non-digitally) with those of different cultures. teachers must “help students develop critical thinking and problem solving skills” (p. 4), “establish a respectful environment for a diverse population of students” (p. 3), as well as “integrate and utilize technology in their instruction” (p. 4). the dispositional competencies, those most difficult to measure, are not explicitly required, although open-mindedness, selfawareness and value and respect for diversity can be inferred through one of its standards. standard 2 requires that “teachers establish a respectful environment for a diverse population of students” (p. 2) and advocates that “teachers embrace diversity in the school community and the world” (p. 2). in contrast, the aitsl national professional standards for teachers do not explicitly address global competence throughout its seven standards at the graduate teacher stage. the clear focus in this document is on knowledge and skill. interestingly, neither the word global nor the notion captured by this term appear in the graduate teacher stage standards or focus areas (aitsl, 2011). referring to knowledge-based competencies, australian graduate teachers are expected to display competence in human diversity and, arguably, perspective consciousness and world regions. teachers will “demonstrate knowledge of teaching strategies that are responsive to the learning strengths and needs of students from diverse linguistic, cultural, religious and socioeconomic backgrounds” (aitsl, 2011, p. 8), as well as “demonstrate broad knowledge and understanding of the impact of culture, cultural identity and linguistic background on the education of students from aboriginal and torres strait islander backgrounds” (p. 9). importantly, teachers also will focus on understanding and respecting “aboriginal and torres strait islander people to promote reconciliation between indigenous and non-indigenous australians” (p. 11) through a demonstration of a “broad knowledge of, understanding of and respect for aboriginal and torres strait islander histories, cultures and languages” (p. 11). it can be argued that in order to demonstrate this focus area, a teacher must be able to have global partners in education journal april 2012, vol.2 no.1, pp. 12-24 www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 19 both perspective consciousness and knowledge of world regions, which the authors deduced from the literature as additional knowledge-based competencies. australia’s graduate teachers must “implement teaching strategies using ict to expand curriculum learning opportunities for students” (aitsl, 2011, p. 11), so technology knowledge is assumed as teachers are required to demonstrate skill in fitting technology into their content and pedagogical knowledge. skill-based competencies are more included as teachers are required to have cross-cultural skills in order to fulfill a focus area of standard 2, “know the content and how to teach it” (p. 10). like their nc counterparts, graduate teachers in australia must demonstrate cross-cultural skills in order to “understand and respect aboriginal and torres strait islander people to promote reconciliation between indigenous and non-indigenous australians ” (p. 11). interestingly, under the old nswit standards, students from non-english speaking backgrounds were included, but this aspect did not make it to the national document. graduate teachers in australia are directed to value and respect diversity as they are in nc. how do teacher educators interpret state and national policies relating to the global competence of licensed teachers? like classroom teachers, teacher educators are inclined to interpret policies as the policies align with their existing beliefs and practices (merryfield, 1997). how teacher educators perceive the policies and standards that govern their preparation of teachers was determined by interviewing four teacher educators in each region. participants were asked, “what are your perceptions of [your respective] education policies and standards in terms of preparing teachers to be globally competent?” one american teacher educator observed that state policies had not yet trickled “down to the university level” and that even if they do, “thoughtful, insightful professors” may not adhere to the state mandates. regarding the state’s policy, this teacher educator declared, “i don’t know how much it really impacts us.” another american teacher educator declared that the teacher standards were “kind of pie-in-the-sky, put together by committee, and i just haven’t found them very helpful.” a third american teacher educator supported this idea: “we, the state in general, have no clue what we’re doing. we have this amorphous, ‘we’re going to prepare teachers to prepare students for the international world’ and we have no clue what that means.” further, a fourth teacher educator spoke of his concern regarding the mismatch between curriculum and assessment, although he did acknowledge that the curriculum in nc was currently undergoing alignment to the standards. he, too, expressed a concern over the resources provided in schools to help teachers meet these new standards, “the resources behind that [the mandate]…at the district level may be iffy or scattered…but we really don’t have a choice. it’s now what we’re supposed to be doing and being evaluated by.” global partners in education journal april 2012, vol.2 no.1, pp. 12-24 www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 20 australian teacher educators also expressed concern over how the policies and standards of governing bodies in education are implemented and evaluated. one australian teacher educator commented: while i understand the need to have graduate teacher standards and to have people who are making sure that there’s a kind of broad spectrum of skills and knowledge and attributes the teachers are required to embed in their courses, i can’t stand the way it actually comes out in practice and the way it gets translated into checklists and dot points which just encourage compliance more than honoring it in the spirit so i’ve got nothing to say …[about explicitly addressing nswit requirements] apart from i know that i do it in the spirit of compliance. this checklist mentality was voiced by another australian teacher educator who expressed concern that some of the dispositions of global competence are often overlooked because of the difficult issue of how to assess these qualities in teacher candidates: they [nswit] weren’t looking for that as a tick…they just were looking at the key learning areas, in other words maths, science, literature, sose (studies of society and environment), science, tech ed, etc., and as long as you’ve got those then that’s fine – and behavior management. in contrast, another australian teacher educator asserted that policy set by state standards are valuable in that they: helped to refocus…and to put some accountability into teacher education courses; that we’re not just a law onto ourselves – we just teach our units according to what we want but that there is a set of broader goals and outcomes out there that we need to make sure we’re achieving. discussion teacher preparation program standards outline the knowledge, skills, and dispositions required of licensed teachers. it is evident following a review of the american and australian documents that the foci differ. reflecting the impact of globalization on education policy, contemporary teacher program standards in nc address explicitly the importance of global competencies of k-12 teachers, whereas teacher program standards to date in australia are not explicit regarding the ways in which new teachers must be trained in order help their own students “compete in the global economy on knowledge and innovation” (mceetya, 2008, p. 4). although the ncpts have been quite explicit regarding the necessity of k12 teachers’ abilities to build global competency in their own students, teacher educators are struggling with what that means for them, owing, perhaps, to little explicit guidance on global partners in education journal april 2012, vol.2 no.1, pp. 12-24 www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 21 meaningful ways to nurture global competency in their classes and degree programs, as well as instruments to measure the knowledge, skills, and dispositions required when preservice teachers are applying for certification to meet the professional standards. in contrast, nswit and aitsl standards tend to focus on demonstrable behaviors rather than knowledge and dispositions that are less tangible. here, there appears to be disagreement among faculty members regarding what is the most appropriate way to help train the next generation of teachers. how will this perception change as the national standards document becomes fully implemented? moreover, what types of instruments are appropriate to use in order to assess the knowledge, skills, and dispositions needed to earn accreditation and advance as a teacher? these questions and more are yet to be explored. while teacher educators in both countries acknowledge benefits and drawbacks of their respective government standards, they seem to value very little the attempt to standardize pre-service teacher education. perhaps more involvement of the governing body’s part to draw a wider swath of stakeholders when creating policy documents would aid in better communication. since the locations under study have existing policies in place, the governments and schools of education may wish to provide workshops discussing the implementation of the policies in an effort to refine and clarify areas of confusion. further study of the relationships between government and schools (faculties) of education could provide a snapshot of the nature in which these two institutions collaborate. conclusion in this study, teacher educators in nc, usa and nsw, australia highlighted the disconnect between what governments and accrediting bodies are seeking in beginning teachers and the work that goes on in teacher training in these institutions. based on this research, the authors conclude that stakeholders and policy makers have much work ahead of them in conceptualizing, codifying, and evaluating teacher preparation as related to global competence. the participants in this research study, and the extant body of literature presented, demonstrated a need to develop a consistent, shared language regarding global competence, both in literature and in policy. finally, working with teacher educators may be of benefit in order for these teachers to be involved, be heard, and add value and authenticity to the process in an effort to be explicit about their role in preparing teachers for a global society. it is hoped that the findings of this study illuminate gaps where more discussion and action are needed regarding alignment between policy and practice for teacher educators and preservice teachers. references agnello, m. f., white, d. r., & fryer, w. 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(2004). putting the world into world-class education: introduction. phi delta kappan, 86, 195-196. kirkwood, t. (2001). our global age requires global education: clarifying definitional ambiguities. social studies, 92, 1-16. marginson, s. (1999). after globalization: emerging politics of education. journal of education policy, 14, 19-31. ministerial council of education, employment, training, and youth affairs (mceetya). (2008). melbourne declaration on educational goals for young australians. retrieved from http://www.mceetya.edu.au/mceecdya/melbourne_declaration,25979.html merryfield, m. (1995). institutionalizing cross-cultural experiences and international expertise in teacher education: the development and potential of a global education pds network. journal of teacher education, 46, 1-9. merryfield, m. (1997). a framework for teacher education in global perspectives. in m. merryfield, e. jarchow, & s. pickert (eds.) preparing teachers to teach global perspectives: a handbook for teacher educators (pp. vii-ix). thousand oaks, ca: corwin press, inc. ministerial council for education, early childhood development and youth affairs (mceecdya). (1999). adelaide declaration on national goals for schooling in the twenty-first century. retrieved from http://www.mceetya.edu.au/mceecdya/adelaide_declaration_1999_text,28298.ht ml national council for accreditation of teacher education (ncate). (2008). ncate unit standards in effect 2008. retrieved from http://www.ncate.org/standards/ncateunitstandards/tabid/123/default.aspx national council for accreditation of teacher education (ncate). (2010). ncate glossary. retrieved from http://www.ncate.org/standards/ncateunitstandards/ncateglossary/tabid/477 /default.aspx no child left behind (nclb) act of 2001, pub. l. no. 107-110, § 115, stat. 1425 (2002). north carolina department of public instruction (ncdpi). (2009). standards for elementary grades teacher candidates. retrieved from http://www.ncpublicschools.org/ north carolina professional teaching standards commission (ncptsc). (2007). north carolina professional teaching standards. retrieved from http://www.learnnc.org/ncpts/2009-pts/pts1/ oxfam. (2006). education for global citizenship: a guide for schools. oxford: oxfam gb. partnership for 21st century skills (p21). (2010). retrieved from http://www.p21.org/ pike, g. & selby, d. (1988). global teacher, global learner. london: hodder and stoughton. stearns, p. (ed.). (2009). educating global citizens in colleges and universities: challenges and opportunities. new york: routledge. suárez-orozco, m. m. (2005). rethinking education in the global era. phi delta kappan, 87, 209-212. http://www.mceetya.edu.au/mceecdya/melbourne_declaration,25979.html http://www.mceetya.edu.au/mceecdya/adelaide_declaration_1999_text,28298.html http://www.mceetya.edu.au/mceecdya/adelaide_declaration_1999_text,28298.html http://www.ncate.org/standards/ncateunitstandards/tabid/123/default.aspx http://www.ncate.org/standards/ncateunitstandards/ncateglossary/tabid/477/default.aspx http://www.ncate.org/standards/ncateunitstandards/ncateglossary/tabid/477/default.aspx http://www.ncpublicschools.org/ http://www.learnnc.org/ncpts/2009-pts/pts1/ http://www.p21.org/ global partners in education journal april 2012, vol.2 no.1, pp. 12-24 www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 24 about the authors misty m. kirby, a recent ph.d. graduate of the college of william and mary in williamsburg, va, usa, is an assistant professor in the faculty of education at the university of canberra, australia. she teaches courses in education foundations and curriculum. a former nyc classroom teacher, her research interests include equity of education for students in urban schools and other high poverty areas, organizational attributes that overpower low student ses on achievement, student retention, education policy and global education. she can be reached at misty.kirby@canberra.edu.au. dr. elizabeth o. crawford is an assistant professor at the university of north carolina wilmington (usa). she holds a ph.d. degree in curriculum leadership from the college of william and mary. her primary research focus is global education in the elementary setting, including contemporary educational policy and effective means to infuse global issues in one’s existing curriculum. she can be reached at crawforde@uncw.edu. mailto:misty.kirby@canberra.edu.au mailto:crawforde@uncw.edu gpe vii – may 2014 the seventh annual conference of the global partners in education (gpe), gpe vii, will take place at universidad regiomontana, in monterrey, mexico, from may 12-18, 2014. this year's topics feature new initiatives, best practices, and training needs for professors and technical support teams. in addition, the discussion about collaborative projects, ongoing alternative projects and the use of the gu wiki site will continue. this gathering will help improve the global understanding program and allow gpe members to improve participation at their home campuses, form new alliances, and take gpe to the next level of global cooperation. the conference setting, in the heart of the city of monterrey, allows visitors to learn about mexican history and completely immerse into the local culture. within the vibrant industrial center of mexico, participants will not only get an idea about today’s mexico, but taste the rich culinary diversity and learn about ancient and colonial history. visit universidad regiomontana to enjoy the famous mexican hospitality. ¡los esperamos! for more information visit our website http://thegpe.org ~ gpe vi – 2013 ~ gpe vi, the sixth annual meeting of the global partners in education was hosted by and held on the campus of krosno state college in poland on may 13-17, 2013. gpe members from around the world convened to discuss opportunities and issues to enhance and expand their collaborative activities. discussions ranged from the creation of two new pilot courses, global english and global leadership, to several issues associated with providing the essential pedagogical and technical training for all partners. participants were selected to present on scholarly topics and open discussion session enriched the activities. after-hour discussions and informal late night sessions allowed partners to renew friendships and to explore new ideas. krosno, at the intersection of eastern and western europe and steeped in history was an ideal site for the conference. ksc proved to be most hospitable and accommodating throughout the conference. a cultural field experience provided enriching information that will be useful to the partners in understanding the various cultural influences to the region. ~ new courses ~ this year gpe piloted two new global courses, global english and global leadership. global leadership was taught in collaboration with partners from east carolina university, u.s.a., shandong university, china, and ural state pedagogical university, russia. in the global leadership course, students actively engaged with their partners to understand and apply the diverse methods of leadership around the world. global english was taught in collaboration with partners from covenant university, nigeria, east carolina university, u.s.a., krosno state college, poland and lomonosov moscow state university, russia. this course examined the development of english as a global language and its implications for effective intercultural communication. the course helped students develop a critical awareness of other varieties of english around the world. additionally students learned how social, political, economic and geographical factors influence the process of language change and how speakers adapt to living and working in today’s global and culturally diverse world. we plan to develop more of these types of discipline specific collaborative courses in the future. we welcome ideas for new initiatives and look forward to more partners becoming involved. ~ gpe awards ~ congratulations to the 2013 annual gpe award winners. after careful consideration, the 2013 gpe awards committee selected the following winners: the excellence in technical support award łukasz sanokowski, krosno state college, poland the excellence in teaching award nadezhda sergeevna rudenko, ural state pedagogical university, russia the institution of excellence award universidad regiomontana, mexico – accepted by kathrin ullrich while special congratulations go to our award winners, all those who were nominated deserve recognition for their outstanding work in the gpe organization. excellence in technical support nominees: • devin barger, zachary cooper, east carolina university, u.s.a. • rodrigo soto estrop, universidad de monterrey, mexico • vadim gaponenko, dmitrii ogorognikov, maritime state university, russia • wajeeh joodi kadhim, kufa university, iraq • eslam khatab, pharos university of alexandria, egypt • łukasz sanakowski, krosno state college, poland • guangwei zhang, shaanxi normal university, china excellence in teaching nominees: • chris brighton, krosno state university, poland • nataliya boyjo, lyudmila pokrovskaya, maritime state university, russia • kalpana chavan, st. xaviers institute of education, india • marion eppler, luci fernandes, sylvie henning, jami leibowitz, heidi luchsinger, jo phipps, rita rodabaugh, sachiyo shearman, irina swain, john williams, east carolina university, u.s.a. • charles iruonagbe, covenant university, nigeria • khouloud khatib, lebanon international university, lebanon • rebecca keedi, modern university of business and science, lebanon • nadya rudenko, ural state pedagogical university, russia • ana cristina salinas, universidad de monterrey, mexico • ludmila sizykh, lomonosov moscow state university, russia • maria olivia villarreal solano, universidad de monterrey, mexico • paulina teran, universidad del pacifico, ecuador • ivana trajanoska, university american college skopje, macedonia • kathy ullrich, universidad regiomontana, mexico • jessica yali chen, shandong university, china • vadim zyubanov, tomsk state university, russia 2013 award committee members: jonathan mori bustos, esan, peru marion eppler, east carolina university, u.s.a. jami leibowitz, east carolina university, u.s.a. alla nazarenko, lomonosov moscow state university, russia please submit news about your institution or programs to gpeinfo@ecu.edu new partners currently gpe has 59 member institutions in 30 countries in 5 continents. this year alone, over 3500 students around the world have participated in gpe programming. we give a warm welcome to the new gpe partners who have joined us this year: • azad jammu and kashmir university, pakistan • beijing union university, china • centre especific d’educacio a distancia de la comunitat valenciana, spain • china university of politics and law, china • hochschule helibronn – schwabisch hall, germany • jagiellonian university, poland • kyrgyzstan-turkey manas university, kyrgyzstan • universidad continental, peru • universidad mayor, chile • universidad rosario, colombia announcement gpe viii will be hosted by shaanxi normal university (snnu) in xi’an, china in may 2015. we hope to see you there. gpe v 2012 gpe v, the fifth annual conference of the global partners in education will be convened at east carolina university on may 7 and will be adjourned may 11, 2012 in greenville, north carolina, usa. early attendance numbers indicate that many partners will be gathering to discuss such issues as renewal of the charter, consideration and adoption of guidelines for the revised collaborative project, the results of this year’s partner evaluation process, and becoming active in research and with the gpe journal. this conference will have a special focus for administrators on global leadership and will feature world renowned leadership speaker tommy spaulding. the award for teacher, technology personnel, and institution of the year will be presented and f2f sharing time will be included in the agenda. the cultural event will acquaint participants with the unique aspects of “down east” life. for more information visit http://thegpe.org  ~ gpe iv – 2011 ~ gpe iv, the fourth annual conference of the global partners in education was held “in the cloud” may 9 – 11, 2011. with sessions beginning at 6:00 am edt, the virtual conference afforded all members the opportunity to participate using streaming audio, video, and chat. in the conference the core document that describes the conduct of global understanding as well as an assessment plan for partner links and activities was approved. virtual poster sessions and presentations were contributed by participants. while not as personal as the previous face to face gpe conferences gpe iv was memorable! ~ gpe awards ~ winners of the 1st annual gpe awards were announced this past may at gpe iv. the outstanding teaching award was rewarded to lin bu, of shaanxi normal university. pa sara drammeh of the university of the gambia received the award for outstanding technology personnel. jessica chen accepted the award for outstanding gpe partner institution on behalf of shandong university. congratulations to all of the winners. winners for the 2nd annual gpe awards will be announced this may at gpe v. ~ new partners ~ please submit news about your institution or programs to gpeinfo@ecu.edu gpe has experienced tremendous growth this year. in this past year the following institutions have joined the gpe organization: covenant university, nigeria; henan polytechnic university, china; igbinedion university of okada, nigeria; jimma university, ethiopia; maltepe university, turkey; mats university, india; modern university for business and science, lebanon; st. aloysius college, india; st. xaviers institute of education, india; university of tours, france; and urals state pedagogical university, russia. welcome to all our new institutions, faculty, technology personnel, and students. gpeinfo@ecu.edu title global partners in education journal april 2014, vol. 4, no. 1, pp. 1-4 www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 1 from the guest editor: dr. alla l. nazarenko lomonosov moscow state university moscow, russia the contemporary world is dialectical: centrifugal and centripetal forces affect it, uniting and at the same time disuniting it, getting it globalized as well as discrete. vectors representing an enormous array of interests point in different directions. countries, nations and people must adapt to this to survive. they have to understand each other... understanding is a way to compromise, to have a thoughtful attitude, and careful thinking. to reach understanding on a global scale is an impossible mission. but persistent, constant, and multiple efforts can accumulate a big potential. according to logical reasoning quantity will turn into quality. the global understanding program is one such effort. having been started at the very beginning of the xxi century by east carolina university, this initiative was first supported by 3-4 like-minded universities. now, 10 years later, it is global partnership in education, a world-wide association having partner-universities in 30 countries around the world. students meet each other in a virtual environment; they talk about their lives and interests, their differences and similarities, their native cultures, traditions and customs. many of them, "travelling" via telecommunication, for the first time in their life "visit" africa and latin america, china and india and,yes! russia, and many more "exotic" places about which they frequently have rather limited and stereotypic ideas. this is just the case with russian students from moscow state university's department of languages. we have been in the gu program since 2005 and over time our experience has distinctly changed msu students and teachers. we cannot imagine our academic life without having this course on the curriculum of the department. the course is a genuine testing ground for communication across cultures. students learn how to apply their theoretical knowledge in cross-cultural communication in practice, in real communication with their peers from various corners of the world. it gives them competence and confidence, helps overcome anxiety and breaks false stereotypes, a great obstacle to mutual understanding. we are ardent supporters of the noble idea of the program. it should continue, it should grow. grow both in the number of participants and in the scope of knowledge acquired by them. it should be strengthened by more creative activities, boosting student interest and motivation to obtain deep knowledge of the world they live in and of each other. this is a true path to global understanding. http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal april 2014, vol. 4, no. 1, pp. 1-4 www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 2 from the editorial board: thank you to all those who continue to support the gpej through submitting articles, reviewing, and serving as editors. we especially want to thank dr. alla l. nazarenko who served as our first guest editor. she and her team did an exceptional job. for issue five, we welcome, dr. mariko eguchi from the university of shimane in hamada, japan, as our guest editor. we look forward to working with her. as gpej continues to grow, so must our editorial team. starting with issue five, we will change the structure of our editorial board and have four new associate editors working with us. we hope that through these changes we will be able to provide better service to the journal and its readers. finally, as always, we want to thank all those who have reviewed for the journal over the past two years. your reviews are an essential component of the final product you see in each and every issue. guest editor alla nazarenko lomonosov moscow state university moscow, russia editor biwu yang east carolina university greenville, nc, usa associate editors marion eppler east carolina university greenville, nc, usa jami leibowitz east carolina university greenville, nc, usa leslie pagliari east carolina university greenville, nc, usa http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal april 2014, vol. 4, no. 1, pp. 1-4 www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 3 gpej review board david batts east carolina university greenville, nc usa chris brighton krosno state college krosno, poland rosina chia east carolina university greenville, nc, usa patch clark east carolina university greenville, nc, usa vivian covington east carolina university greenville, nc, usa elizabeth crawford university of north carolina at wilmington wilmington, nc, usa vera a. dugartsyrenova lomonosov moscow state university moscow, russia marion eppler east carolina university greenville, nc, usa charles iruonagbe covenant university ota, nigeria li jin shandong university shandong, china sergey s. khromov moscow state university of economics, statistics and informatics moscow, russia misty kirby university of north carolina at wilmington wilmington, nc, usa jami leibowitz east carolina university greenville, nc, usa mary lewis north carolina agricultural and technical state university greensboro, nc, usa heidi luchsinger east carolina university greenville, nc, usa brian meagher the college board new york, ny, usa shu mou teachers’ college of beijing union university beijing, china noureddine mouhadjer université abou bekr belkaid tlemcen, algeria maría luisa mu customized training services lima, peru http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal april 2014, vol. 4, no. 1, pp. 1-4 www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 4 alla l. nazarenko lomonosov moscow state university moscow, russia judy neubrander western carolina university cullowhee, nc, usa cajetan ifeanyi nnaocha university of the gambia serekunda, the gambia maj-helen nyback novia university of applied sciences vaasa, finland femi olufunmilade igbinedion university of okada okada, edo state, nigeria nilüfer pembecioğlu istanbul university istanbul, turkey uliana m. proshina lomonosov moscow state university moscow, russia rita rodabaugh east carolina university greenville, nc, usa jerono rotich north carolina agricultural and technical state university greensboro, nc, usa nadya rudenko ural state pedagogical university yekaterinburg, russia elaine seeman east carolina university greenville, nc, usa doris shih fu jen catholic university new taipei city, taiwan john southworth east carolina university greenville, nc, usa irina swain east carolina university greenville, nc, usa ludmila g. syzikh lomonosov moscow state university moscow, russia mary nyangweso wangila east carolina university greenville, nc, usa sean white ryukoku university kyoto, japan biwu yang east carolina university greenville, nc, usa vadim zyubanov tomsk state pedagogical university tomsk, russia http://www.gpejournal.org/ supporting internationalization at state comprehensive universities: global partners in education journal april 2014, vol. 4, no. 1, pp. 33-40 www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 33 the international campus as prototype for international collaboration: south korea’s incheon global campus anne schiller and minkyung park george mason university, usa abstract institutional leaders drawn to the idea of opening new campuses overseas are often hindered by expense and concerns including that faculty there will be unable to remain engaged in research. this article focuses on how one international development project, the establishment of incheon global campus (igc) in incheon, south korea, has been based upon a novel partnership model with potential to reduce expenses incurred by any single higher education institution and promote research. the objective of the incheon global campus project is the creation of a dynamic, multiinstitutional, truly international campus. in this consortium model, an alliance of foreign institutions cooperates in various dimensions of academic, research, and extracurricular activity on a shared campus site. participants leverage and combine respective strengths, experiences and expertise, among themselves and with a local foundation that manages campus operations. the igc case suggests that a consortia approach to the operation of overseas campuses may better the odds for the mutual success of foreign universities and local managers, as well as enhance an overall international development initiative in important ways. introduction the american council for education’s 2012 report, mapping internationalization, suggested that comprehensive internationalization involves six key activities including “collaboration and partnerships.” an internationalization effort that particularly requires collaboration is establishing an offshore or branch campus (lane & kinser 2012). depending upon circumstances, establishing an offshore campus can involve partnerships with foreign governments, businesses, or other universities. without start-up funds or the authority to spend state monies abroad, many institutions are unable to consider offshore campuses as part of their global portfolio. some institutions seek to overcome this obstacle by taking a fresh approach. this article focuses on the establishment of incheon global campus (igc) in incheon, south korea, which is based upon a novel multi-partner model. the partnerships will potentially reduce expenses incurred by any single institution and developers while contributing to the creation of a dynamic international campus experience that supports students, faculty, and the community in which it is located. in this consortium model, an alliance of foreign institutions cooperates in various dimensions of academic and extracurricular activity on a shared campus site. participants leverage and combine respective strengths, experiences and expertise among themselves and with a local foundation that manages http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal april 2014, vol. 4, no. 1, pp. 33-40 www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 34 campus operations. the igc case suggests that a consortia approach to the operation of overseas campuses may better the odds for the mutual success of foreign universities and local managers, as well as enhance an overall international development initiative in important ways. the incheon higher education hub development project one of the world’s newest cities, songdo is built on 1,500 acres of reclaimed land near the incheon metropolitan area. korea’s ambitious plans for a higher education hub began with the designation of the incheon free economic zone (ifez), one of korea’s six free economic zones (kfez). ifez was designated as korea’s first free economic zone in 2003 and has been working on infrastructure development ever since. this mega construction project is considered “the largest private real-estate development in history” (lindsay, 2010), and called the “city of the future” because of the smart and green technologies integrated throughout the city (day, 2012). the songdo city project is motivated by the korean national government's partnerships with localities to drive regional economic development. new songdo city, located within the ifez, already includes a business district, research complex, residential area, commercial and shopping areas, schools, cultural amenities, and green spaces. songdo’s higher education hub is a key part of the city’s plans for self-sustainability. this ambitious project was motivated by the rapid changes and growth of korea’s economy over the last half-century. yet the success of the korean economy has been based largely on applied technologies rather than original and innovative technologies (sgu foundation, 2012). korea is now challenged by other rapidly growing countries in asia, and has yet to obtain a significant competitive platform alongside the most advanced countries in the world. its circumstances are often referred to as the “dangerous nutcracker situation” (sgu foundation 2012). increasing globalized competition has impelled korea to explore new growth engines for their economy with both knowledge-based and culture-based creative industries. new songdo city is attempting to become a regional hub by bringing in knowledge-based industries (e.g., bio-industry, it industry, and creative technology industries), research centers, and educational institutions. eventually, korea hopes to take the lead in these industries to serve growing demand from the emerging asia market, also creating a necessary fundamental shift in the korean economy. in this context, incheon global campus will play a central role in fostering future leaders and a modernized workforce in those areas by collaborating with respected universities from around the world. incheon global campus songdo city’s focal point is a truly international university designed to be comprehensive and academically competitive. cutting-edge campus facilities, including an auditorium, gym, lab facilities, academic buildings and faculty housing are under construction on 75 acres, and will be completed by 2020 (sguc). over one-third of the facilities are now completed and operational. degree programs from up to ten foreign universities will be offered at the igc. the programs are non-duplicative by design and are operated independently; yet at the same time, the universities will share campus resources, http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal april 2014, vol. 4, no. 1, pp. 33-40 www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 35 including libraries, classrooms, cafeteria, dormitories, faculty housing, and fitness facilities, as well as some aspects of administrative and student services. the campus is managed by the incheon global campus foundation (igcf), comprised of civic officials, business leaders, and university representatives. the collaboration between the foreign institutions and the foundation is one of the unique features of this development model. the foundation itself was established by the incheon metropolitan city government, and its board is chaired by the mayor of incheon city. the foundation consists of three primary divisions: facility operation, support, and marketing, with twenty-one staff and three executives as of march 2014. the foundation manages both academic and residential facilities, including student and faculty housing, the health clinic, a guesthouse, parking structures, auditoriums, recreational facilities, the central library and the book store. the foundation also runs student activities that involve multiple foreign universities as well as activities and support programs provided by individual institutions. freshmen orientation for housing and campus life is being jointly held by the foundation and the institutions. student affairs managers from each institution work with a foundation counterpart to enrich student experiences on campus. as the overall student population grows, administrators also anticipate the organization of athletic and other tournaments between igc students and other university teams. other exemplars of the collaboration between the foundation and foreign universities are found in the technological classroom support and marketing teams. smart boards and smart platforms in classrooms have all been provided by the foundation, and the classroom and instructional technologies are serviced by a distinct it staff for each institution. the foundation's own it team plans to work closely with those of the participant institution to build the it infrastructure for the library. regional information sessions have been hosted by marketing teams from the foundation collaborating with recruiting teams from the participant institutions. the foundation promotes both the incheon global campus as well as each individual institution, building the collective image of incheon global campus while providing each participant institution the ability to promote its own brand. finally, at the executive level, the songdo campus presidents group is a newly established policy-making body that has been founded to collaborate with the foundation president. various working committees comprised of representatives from each entity will plan and implement agreed upon policies after approval from the home campus or other entity in charge of operations. as of this writing, four foreign universities are part of the songdo alliance universities group: george mason university, state university of new york (suny), university of utah, and ghent university (belgium). these four institutions have formed a consortium that collaborates in many aspects of operations for the igc, and each university has taken voluntary leadership for specific initiatives such as language programs, library management, information technologies (it), and classroom technologies. alliance partners meet regularly at one another’s home institutions, in korea, and via teleconferencing. as the songdo project moves forward, the frequency of contact has http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal april 2014, vol. 4, no. 1, pp. 33-40 www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 36 increased, as has the number of inter-institutional subcommittees reporting to the alliance senior leadership at each university. two universities are already in operation: mason korea and suny korea, with the other two, ghent university and utah’s asia campus, slated to open in songdo in late 2014 (eun-ji, 2014). internationalization is deeply embedded in their individual campus missions. more than a collection of different foreign universities operating independently in the same space, igc is a true convergence of multiple institutions implementing an innovative model of educational collaboration. other foreign institutions have been approached by the igc foundation as potential campus co-residents, and their presence would increase the internationality of the songdo experience even further. songdo will not be an “american” university abroad; rather, it is a resolutely and demonstrably global higher education hub. leveraging benefits and addressing challenges igu’s status as the centerpiece of a new korean research and business hub development initiative models a path toward including branch campuses more intentionally as part of international development projects. successful offshore campuses provide universities with a “strong promotion opportunity” and enhanced visibility (macdonald, 2006, p. 207). sharing services dramatically reduces the financial and human resources necessary to launch and maintain a second campus for all parties. the consortium course-sharing agreement broadens the range of courses available to students and helps them remain on track for timely graduation. as at songdo, consortia share recruitment initiatives, as differences between their degree programs preclude direct competition. when consortium partners join forces, opportunities to foster a vibrant intellectual life increase exponentially. while only a handful of faculty may be sent from the home campus of any one institution, the presence of consortium colleagues fosters the establishment of communities of practice and other professional development opportunities (wenger, mcdermott, & snyder, 2002). consortium members can collaborate in joint research activities and the organization of conferences and lecture series as institutional partners reinforce one another’s efforts. another potential advantage is the enhanced internationalization of the branch campus itself. at songdo, for example, negotiations are currently underway with russian and dutch institutions that appear likely to join the us and belgian universities already in place. furthermore, because each foreign institution in songdo must pass a rigorous accreditation review by korea’s ministry of education (moe) prior to opening, the universities are considered accredited institutions in korea and eligible to compete for government research funds. there are clear advantages for the host partners as well. igcf has created an advanced and unique educational system using this consortium model. the consortium can import high quality faculty and instruction to the igc. korea can therefore recruit more international students to their country and reduce the educational cost for citizens and residents who want to study at foreign institutions. according to yonhap news agency, koreans spent 3.9 billion us dollars studying abroad in 2013 (“students’ overseas spending,” 2014). education in foreign countries is a large contributor to korea’s service sector trade deficit. providing a world-class education and employment opportunities with http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal april 2014, vol. 4, no. 1, pp. 33-40 www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 37 the many international companies located in songdo, such as samsung and cisco, will “help korea retain its own students and stem the brain drain that happens when they send their own high-quality students to foreign institutions abroad” (dessoff, 2012). sguf can eventually go beyond “brain drain to brain circulation” to what wildavsky (2012) called “brain growth” through the successful management of this consortium and global university in korea. of course, an operation of this scale is not without challenges. for the developers, the lengthy deliberations of foreign partners concerning whether and when to launch at songdo has meant under-utilization of purpose-built facilities, occasioning some local controversy. also, in some quarters, the project is considered unstable because enrollment quotas have not been met. in fact these quotas are fiveto ten-year goals, so that particular criticism reflects a misunderstanding of recruitment plans rather than a failure of the project. for foreign university partners, a pressing concern is their desire to be afforded greater involvement in the selection of future university partners. involvement would allow them to assist in the development of a comprehensive plan that facilitates general education course-sharing and the creation of research centers in areas of related interests. another challenge has been maintaining commitment to the non-duplication of programs within the alliance. shifting priorities and changing leadership at home institutions could potentially put this fundamental principle in jeopardy, with consequences for whether, and how, collaboration can be sustained. beyond the obvious challenge of a language barrier, misunderstanding and miscommunication stemmed from cultural difference adds another layer of complexity. different styles of negotiation sometimes generate misunderstandings about the intent of partners and jeopardize the trusting relationships between partners. for example, a korean partner may politely defer questions to avoid putting problematic issues on the table. western partners may perceive that strategy as avoidance or concealment. particularly when contentious issues or conflicts arise in the course of negotiation, differences in negotiation styles hinder the solution and progress of the negotiation, which inefficiently delays overall progress of the project. lack of official communication channels among the participant institutions is another challenge in obtaining updates and sharing information. coordination of facilitating the multi-lateral communication between entities will be crucial to successful collaboration another challenge is the fundamental difference in conceptualization and definition of “contract.” the korean perspective prioritizes verbal communication, while the western perspective prioritizes written communication. in this situation, cross-cultural understanding and interpersonal diplomacy are required. finally, there are different expectations about college students. what is acceptable and even encouraged in the united states is beyond the pale in south korea. for example, mixed-gender housing, with men and women living in adjacent rooms, is commonplace in the united states. on incheon global campus, male and female student dormitories are separated by wings, floors, or even into separate buildings. http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal april 2014, vol. 4, no. 1, pp. 33-40 www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 38 concluding note among the most pressing questions faced by international education leaders is how to educate students to be global citizens (stearns, 2008). in crafting internationalization plans for us institutions of higher education, we must hold in mind the expectations of what john zogby has termed the “first globals” generation to spend significant time abroad (loveland, 2010). the establishment of overseas campuses is a visible commitment to internationalization that creates new opportunities for student learning and for direct international experience. while some institutions have decided not to invest in overseas campuses (redden, 2014), others are devoting much time and talent to these local-global initiatives. it has been noted that “there can be many benefits to partnering with a local institution” in realizing a branch campus (harding & lammey, 2011, p.77). to that point, this article has highlighted a case where the “local institution” is, in fact, a group of fellow foreign universities co-partnering with a local organization in an innovative international development experiment 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(2010, may-june). the first globals generation: an interview with pollster and commentator john zogby. the international educator: retrieved from http://www.nafsa.org/_/file/_/mayjun10_voices.pdf redden, e. (2014, march 12). bucking the branch campus. inside higher ed. retrieved from http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2014/03/12/amid-branch-campusbuilding-boom-some-universities-reject-model songdo global university campus (sguc) (english-language version). retrieved from http://www.sgu.or.kr/sgu/eng/main.htm songdo global university foundation. (2012). focus on songdo global university. unpublished document. stearns, p. (2008). educating global citizens in colleges and universities: challenges and opportunities. new york, ny: routledge. students’ overseas spending slides as their numbers drop. (2014, february 2). yonhap news agency. retrieved from http://english.yonhapnews.co.kr/business/2014/02/02/8/0503000000aen201402 02001600320f.html wenger, e., mcdermott, r., & snyder, w. (2002). cultivating communities of practice: a guide to managing knowledge. cambridge, ma: harvard business school press. wildavsky, b. (2010). the great brain race: how global universities are reshaping the world. princeton, nj: princeton university press. about the authors dr. anne schiller is vice president for global strategies and professor of anthropology at george mason university. she earned her b.a. in anthropology at the university of virginia and her m.a. and ph.d. in anthropology at cornell university. her research among indigenous peoples in the rainforests of indonesian borneo has been supported by fellowships and grants from the fulbright foundation, the wenner-gren foundation, the national geographic society, and others. her current studies concern identity and social change in florence, italy. she has authored books and numerous scholarly articles and chapters based on her findings. before coming to mason, dr. schiller served as director of international programs and director of the international studies in the college of humanities and social sciences at north carolina state university. dr. schiller can be reached at schiller@gmu.edu. dr. minkyung park is assistant vice president for international campus operations in the office of global and international strategies at george mason university, where she coordinates university-wide planning and management for mason’s international campus in songdo, south korea. as an associate professor of tourism and events management http://www.gpejournal.org/ http://www.herdsa.org.au/wp-content/uploads/conference/2006/papers/macdonald.pdf http://www.herdsa.org.au/wp-content/uploads/conference/2006/papers/macdonald.pdf http://www.nafsa.org/_/file/_/mayjun10_voices.pdf http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2014/03/12/amid-branch-campus-building-boom-some-universities-reject-model http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2014/03/12/amid-branch-campus-building-boom-some-universities-reject-model http://www.sgu.or.kr/sgu/eng/main.htm http://english.yonhapnews.co.kr/business/2014/02/02/8/0503000000aen20140202001600320f.html http://english.yonhapnews.co.kr/business/2014/02/02/8/0503000000aen20140202001600320f.html mailto:schiller@gmu.edu global partners in education journal april 2014, vol. 4, no. 1, pp. 33-40 www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 40 at the college of education and human development (cehd), dr. park’s research specializes in the social impact of tourism and visitor management in tourism and recreation settings. partnering with various agencies nationally and internationally, she is involved with diverse research projects and has produced over 60 publications in a combination of journal articles, book chapters, professional conference proceedings, and technical reports. dr. park can be reached at mparka@gmu.edu. http://www.gpejournal.org/ mailto:mparka@gmu.edu assessment of the socio-perceptive component of students' intercultural competence in the global understanding class: a pilot study of russian students' view of americans global partners in education journal april 2013, vol. 3 no. 1, pp. 36-48 www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 36 assessment of the socio-perceptive component of intercultural competence: a pilot study of russian students' view of americans svetlana a. minyurova svetlana g. krylova nadezhda s. rudenko ural state pedagogical university, russia abstract this article describes a pilot study of changes in russian students’ stereotyped views of americans resulting from their involvement in intercultural interaction. exactness of perception of an intercultural communication partner is considered to be an index of the socio-perceptive component of intercultural competence (kupavskaya, 2008; sadokhin, 2009). this index indicates the effectiveness of students’ participation in the global understanding course (chia, poe, & yang, 2011). seven students of ural state pedagogical university aged 18-20 years old participated in the study. the global understanding course, which lasted for four weeks, consisted of intercultural communication between russian and american students. the students discussed culturally-relevant topics such as college life, cultural traditions, and family, the meaning of life, and stereotypes and prejudices. each class session included live discussion in small video groups, one-to-one keyboard chat and e-mailing. to assess the shifts in russian students’ views of americans, the authors employed a projective technique of constructing “collages” (minyurova, 2002). this technique enables the researcher to reconstruct a person’s subjective attitude to objects and events of the surrounding world in a symbolic form. russian students made two collages during local classes, one prior to videoconferencing with american students and one a week after. collages made before the links reflected the following image of american students: attention to physical shape; significance of studies, work, and rest; individualism; comfortable life conditions. the authors used two major characteristics to assess the changes in perception: completeness and personification of images. the paper discusses reasons why the hypothesized changes were not statistically significant. introduction the global understanding course provides opportunities for global intercultural interaction among students with the help of virtual teaching environment (chia et al., 2011). according to the world conference on higher education (1998), intercultural communication is a key requirement for the quality of higher education in the xxi century. since the global understanding course is a regular course that is taught in a number of disciplines, there is a practical goal to assess the effectiveness of the course with respect to its relevance to the higher education objectives. recently the ministry of education and science of the russian federation recommended a competence-based approach to evaluate the quality of educational programs at universities (khutorskoi, 2002). russian researchers of the competence-based global partners in education journal april 2013, vol. 3 no. 1, pp. 36-48 www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 37 approach state that the idea of competence-based education appeared in 1970s in the usa (zimnyaya, 2006). the forerunner was chomsky (1965), who introduced the term “competence” within language theory. further hymes (1972) introduced the term “communicative competence” having included the component of social conditions in linguistic competence. later on the term “competence” was used to describe social skills and habits that are vital for existence in modern society (hutmacher, 1996; raven, 1984). researchers singled out various types of competence for various types of activities: professional-pedagogical competence (kuzmina, 1990), professional competence (markova, 1996), and pedagogical competence (mitina, 1998). currently russian researchers define competence as an integral characteristic which reflects a person’s readiness and ability to effectively carry out activity in a certain subject area. each academic discipline leads to achievement of a certain level of competence which is considered as an index of the quality of education. the basic type of students’ activity in the global understanding course is intercultural interaction. that is why the authors suggest measuring the level of intercultural competence as a means of assessing the effectiveness of the course. the authors’ approach to interpretation of intercultural competence accounts for the choice of measuring procedure. currently there are many definitions of intercultural competence, and intercultural communication is a multidisciplinary phenomenon which is investigated in philosophy, sociology, psychology, philology, and culturology. there are a number of terms which are close in meaning to the term “intercultural competence” in russian studies, namely: “ethno-social competence” (krysko, 2002), “ethno-cultural competence” (kupavskaya, 2008), “foreign language communicative competence” (krasilnikova, 2009), “polycultural competence” (khazova & khupsarokova, 2009), and “intercultural communicative competence” (sheina, 2010). despite the variety in terminology these terms are not independent as they include informatively close components. since intercultural competence is revealed in the process of intercultural interaction, the authors consider as most relevant those models of intercultural competence that take into consideration psychological regularities of communication processes. the concept of communication by andreeva (2003) may serve as theoretical basis of such a model. andreeva singles out three aspects within communication structure: informative, interactive, and perceptive. the informative aspect, or communication as such, consists of information exchange between interlocutors. the interactive aspect amounts to exchanging knowledge and ideas as well as actions. the perceptive aspect implies perception and mutual understanding between partners (andreeva, 2003). in american and european social psychology, the corresponding term for social perception is “social cognition” (andreeva, 1999; bruner, 1974). similar to andreeva’s (1999, 2003) approach to the structure of communication, the authors single out three aspects in intercultural competence, namely, informative, interactive, and socio-perceptive. informative competence is defined as the skills to use verbal and non-verbal means for rendering information, and includes knowledge of vocabulary and grammar (which corresponds to chomsky’s (1965) “linguistic competence”); knowledge of culturally-conditioned meaning of non-verbal means; and use of verbal and non-verbal means to formulate utterances corresponding to the communicative goal. socio-perceptive competence includes skills of adequate assessment of the interlocutor’s psychological characteristics, awareness of global partners in education journal april 2013, vol. 3 no. 1, pp. 36-48 www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 38 influence of ethnic stereotypes on the assessment of the interlocutor; interpretation and anticipation of the reasons for their behavior; and awareness of how the interlocutor assesses you as a partner. interactive competence is connected with coordination of actions in the process of communication, namely social norms existing in this culture, skills to manage communicative interaction (to initiate conversation, stress respect for the interlocutor) (sheina, 2010); and skills to regulate one’s emotional state for overcoming the language barrier. elements of informative and interactive aspects of intercultural competence are constituent parts of intercultural competence models offered by linguists (hymes, 1972). however, exact perception, assessment and understanding of a partner are crucial for successful communication as well (kupavskaya, 2008; sadokhin, 2009). that is why it is essential to include the socio-perceptive aspect in communicative competence structure. sadokhin (2009) singles out socio-cultural, communicative and linguistic aspects of intercultural competence. one of the components of the socio-cultural aspect is knowledge and understanding of peculiarities of a partners’ lifestyle, their national-psychological characteristics. kupavskaya (2008) includes components dealing with social perception and social cognition in cognitive aspect of ethno-cultural competence. they are the ability to adequately categorize and interpret peculiarities of both one’s own culture and a partner’s culture. at the first stages of intercultural communication participants base their perception and assessment of their partners on ethnic stereotypes, which are simplified schematic images of ethnic groups. ethnic stereotypes include general typical characteristics of representatives of an ethnic group which make them different from another group. such stereotypes form expectations regarding interaction with representatives of the ethnic group. since particular representatives of an ethnic group demonstrate various degrees of stereotype characteristics, the expectations may collapse. this may result in misunderstanding or even disappointment (stephanenko, 1999). presumably, misunderstanding is more probable if stereotypes have been formed not as a result of immediate intercultural interaction but based on information received from secondary sources. the authors suggest that immediate intercultural interaction should lead to specification of ethnic stereotypes: some characteristics may be excluded and new characteristics may be included in a stereotype. enhancing exactness of ethnic stereotypes promotes better understanding of a partner’s behavior and consequently contributes to intercultural competence development. besides, the authors suppose that immediate intercultural interaction may change the direction of a stereotype, making it more favorable. direction of an ethnic stereotype is mainly defined by immediate contact with particular representatives of a given ethnic group rather than by relationships between the two ethnic groups. thus, the authors suggest that exactness of assessing a partner in intercultural communication is an important component of the socio-perceptive aspect of intercultural competence. since exactness of assessing a partner depends on content and direction of an ethnic stereotype, it is logical to use methods of investigation of ethnic stereotypes to study the socio-perceptive aspect of intercultural competence. traditionally, to investigate stereotypes (ethnic, professional, sex, and age groups) two types of methods are used: 1) control list of adjectives, where participants of the research are offered a list of personal global partners in education journal april 2013, vol. 3 no. 1, pp. 36-48 www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 39 characteristics among which they should choose five most typical of the target group (katz & braly, 1933); and 2) psycho-semantic methods (participants of the research are offered a set of scales (from – 3 to + 3); the poles of the scales represent opposite characteristics, e.g. sociable-reserved. according to the scale participants evaluate most typical characteristics of the group (petrenko, 1988). however, these methods have a number of limitations in their use. firstly, they are aimed at assessing only personal characteristics. an image of a group may include other objects which are associated with the culture. secondly, the procedure of direct assessment leads to distortions since it requires immediate expression of attitudes toward another group. thirdly, verbal techniques enable the researcher to assess only consciously realized aspects of experience with respect to another culture. to overcome these limitations qualitative methods are employed in social-psychological research. qualitative methods are aimed at a more complete investigation of phenomenological images of the phenomenon under study. as distinct from quantitative methods, they are characterized as non-standardized ones (melnikova, 1994). the main aim of qualitative methods is to access values and attitudes that the respondent may not be aware of, and to investigate a broad spectrum of ideas, emotional reactions, and personal meanings regarding the object under study (bogomolova, nelnikova, & folomeeva, 1994). the “collage” technique belongs to qualitative methods. it was based on a technique taken from the arts. this technique consists of choosing materials and arranging them together into a new form. in psychology, the “collage” technique is traditionally used as an art-therapy method to work with subjective ideas and experience. it is based on a psychodynamic approach (kopytin, 1999). “collage” has also been used to investigate a person’s image of the world (minyurova, 2002). the methodological base for using “collage” to investigate a person’s image of the world is interpretation of an image as a “perceptive utterance about the world” (petrenko, 1975). the ”collage” technique amounts to the following procedure. respondents are asked to make an individual collage on the topic “i in the world”, using photos and pictures from magazines and newspapers. such collages reflect subjective perception of the world in symbolic form. visual images chosen for the collage reveal the actual subjective attitudes of respondents to the world and themselves (minyurova, 2002). after making collages, respondents are asked to write a commentary answering the question “what does it mean for me?” commentaries make it possible to clarify the meaning of subjective attitudes. in social psychology research, the “collage” technique has certain advantages over psychological drawing techniques. while making a collage, respondents use ready-made material from mass media which reflects group ideas and allows respondents to investigate common tendencies with respect to the object under study (minyurova, 2002). at the same time, the “collage” technique has limitations which are typical for all projective techniques. projective techniques are considered poor psychometric tools because of low reliability and inconsistency in data interpretation. enhancing validity and reliability of projective techniques may be possible with the use of an empirical scheme for interpretation and qualitative-quantitative methods of data processing (for example, content-analysis). global partners in education journal april 2013, vol. 3 no. 1, pp. 36-48 www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 40 stereotypes about other ethnic groups may be viewed as part of a subjective image of the world. that is why the “collage” technique may be used to investigate stereotypes, but with modified instructions. the “collage” technique gives an opportunity to investigate changes in stereotypes before and after interaction with particular representatives of another ethnic group (with the use of internet-based technologies). the authors hypothesized that the content of stereotypes should become more exact. the authors expected the two changes: 1) increased complexity of the content of stereotypes on account of including new characteristics, 2) greater “personification” of stereotypes on account of increase of human images and decrease of symbolic objects associated with the culture under study. more exact view of another ethnic group is considered by the authors as an index of development of socio-perceptive aspect of intercultural competence. a more exact image of another ethnic group forms more realistic expectations regarding the behavior of representatives of this group, thus, providing more favorable conditions for attaining understanding in intercultural communication. method participants a pilot study of russian students’ views of american students involved 7 students who took the global understanding course. the students were 1st, 2nd, and 3rd year students in the foreign languages department and psychology department at ural state pedagogical university. their ages ranged from 18 to 20 years old. the students did not have prior experience in such intercultural projects. american students were from east carolina university. the interaction lasted for four weeks (march-april 2012). each class session included live discussion in small video groups, one-to-one keyboard chat and e-mailing within given topics. procedure the authors suggested that communication with particular representatives of another culture would lead to changes in the stereotypes about that culture. since the usa was a partner-country, the study was aimed at investigation of russian students’ views on americans. to study the characteristics of a partner’s image, the technique “collage” was used (minyurova, 2002). the students were given the following instructions: “now each of you will have a chance to do an interesting, creative activity. in front of you there is a sheet of whatman paper, magazines, pencils, scissors, glue. you have 40-60 minutes to make a collage on the following topic ’an american student: how do i view them’. relate to your life experience, knowledge, feelings. each of you is allowed to work at your own pace, putting on the sheet of paper everything you find necessary and anywhere you like. while working, try not to discuss what you are going to do”. the first collage was made prior to intercultural interaction. the second collage was made a week after the last link day. after the collage was finished, students were instructed to number every element of their collages. further, they evaluated the elements of their collages which introduced human images using five scales. scale names corresponded to the five basic human factors, the so-called “big five” personality traits (costa & mccrae, 1992): 1) neuroticism, n, 2) extraversion, e, 3) global partners in education journal april 2013, vol. 3 no. 1, pp. 36-48 www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 41 openness to experience, o, 4) agreeableness, a, and 5) conscientiousness, c. instead of “neuroticism” the authors used the polar term “emotional stability”, which seems to be more comprehensible for students not majoring in psychology. the students used a five-point scale (from 1 characteristic is not expressed to 5 – characteristic is clearly expressed). a scaling procedure was used to investigate the subjective meaning of separate elements of the collages. assessment to evaluate the results, the authors used a content analysis procedure. content analysis is a method designed to transfer qualitative information into the language of figures. the aim of this pilot study was to investigate changes in perception of partners during intercultural communication. categories for the content analysis were identified by the authors from the visual images displayed on the collages. the authors realize that this approach decreases the degree of generalization of the results. the authors calculated frequency of occurrence for each category, counting all instances across the collages. having studied the contents of collages made before and after intercultural interaction, the authors identified three types of object classes (а—people, в— objects, с—words, phrases) and their subclasses. a list of subclasses is provided in table 1 in the results section. then the authors calculated frequency of occurrence for each class and subclass in the collages made before and after intercultural interaction. the authors used two additional criteria: general number of images in a collage and proportion of people in the images. the first criterion reflects completeness of respondents’ perception of the group under study. interpretation of the second criterion is debatable. in the authors’ opinion, increase in the proportion of people in comparison with the proportion of inanimate objects confirms changes in the perception of another group. symbolic objects are an abstract characteristic of other cultures in general. human images reflect more concrete images of people constituting a cultural group. that is why the authors think that an increase in the proportion of people in the images may be considered as transfer from a more abstract to a more concrete perception of another culture group. such a result is viewed as a logical consequence of immediate personal interaction with representatives of a certain culture group. results table 1 lists the frequency of occurrence for all the coded categories in the collages. the general number of objects and images ranged from 3 to 22 (м = 11.3, sd = 6.3) before intercultural interaction and from 5 to 17 (м = 9.4, sd = 3.8) after intercultural interaction. a wilcoxon signed ranks test for two related groups showed that the average number of objects and images before and after the course were not significantly different (р = 0.2). the authors suggested that the number of objects in collages might be interpreted as completeness of perception (in the present study – perception of american students). the authors expected an increase in this index as a result of the enriching experience of immediate personal intercultural communication. perhaps this indicator requires another approach to its interpretation. if collages are considered as utterances in a symbolic language, then the general number of images in the collages may be interpreted as an indicator of global partners in education journal april 2013, vol. 3 no. 1, pp. 36-48 www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 42 individual “speech” productivity, which is probably a stable personality characteristic independent from situational influences. proportion of people in the images in the collages ranged from 0.4 to 1 (м = 0.53, sd = 0.22) before intercultural interaction and from 0.22 to 0.88 (м = 0.64, sd = 0.23) after intercultural interaction. this difference was not statistically significant (р = 0.4). table 1 frequency of representation of categories and subclasses in the collages before and after intercultural interaction in the global understanding course frequency of occurrence category before the course after the course а — people 49 (47.1%) 60 (62.5%) а1 — spheres of activity 17 (34.7%) 22 (36.7%) а11 — intellectual activity (studies, work) 4 (23.5%) 6 (27.3%) а12 — sport, fitness 6 (35.3%) 3 (13.6%) а13 — party, gathering 4 (23.5%) 8 (36.4%) а14 — walk 1 (5.9%) 3 (13.6%) а15 — food 2 (11.8%) 2 (9.1%) а2 — character of interaction 32 (65.3%) 38 (63.3%) а21 — group 7 (21.9%) 13 (34.2%) а22 — pair 4 (12.5%) 2 (5.3%) а23 — single 21 (65.6%) 23 (60.5%) в — objects 40 (38.5%) 22 (22.9%) в1 — computer (and accessories) 3 (7.5%) 1 (4.55%) в2 — audioand video equipment 4 (10%) 2 (9.1%) в3 — luxuries 3 (7.5%) 1 (4.55%) в4 — sport equipment 0 2 (9.1%) в5 — books 0 1 (4.55%) в6 — toys 1 (2.5%) 1 (4.55%) в7 — food 7 (17.5%) 0 в8 — interior objects 13 (32.5%) 1 (4.55%) в9 — cosmetics, perfumery 2 (5%) 3 (13.6%) в10 — animals 2 (5%) 0 в11 — architectural buildings 2 (5%) 2 (9.1%) global partners in education journal april 2013, vol. 3 no. 1, pp. 36-48 www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 43 в12 — symbolic objects 33 (7.5%) 8 (36.4%) с — words, phrases 15 (14.4%) 14 (14.6%) с1 — in the russian language 15 (14.4%) 5 (35.7%) с11 — personality’s characteristics 8 (53.3%) 4 (80%) с12 — spheres of activity 5 (33.3%) 1 (20%) с13 — preferences 2 (13.3%) 0 с2 — in the english language 0 9 (64.3%) с21 — personality’s characteristics 0 2 (22.2%) с22 — spheres of activity 0 5 (55.6%) с23 — preferences 0 2 (22.2%) when the work on collages was over, students were asked to number elements of their collages in category a (people) and to scale them according to the “big five” factors. the students used a five-point scale (from 1 characteristic is not expressed to 5 – characteristic is clearly expressed). table 2 contains average values for each factor before and after intercultural interaction. emotional stability and openness to experience were rated highest and agreeableness was rated lowest before intercultural communication. after the intercultural interactions, the agreeableness ratings increased substantially. table 2 average values of evaluation of class a – people elements of collages average ratings for “big 5” scale before the course after the course emotional stability 4.3 4.7 extraversion 3.9 4.4 openness to experience 4.3 4.2 agreeableness 2.8 3.7 conscientiousness 3.9 3,.4 discussion the goal of the authors’ pilot study was investigation of changes in russian students’ stereotyped views of americans resulting from their involvement in intercultural interaction. the authors viewed this objective as part of a more general perspective which was to evaluate changes in intercultural competence. level of competence is considered an integral index of student learning in a course or program (khutorskoi, 2002; zimnyaya, 2006). since the global understanding course is based on intercultural interaction, the criterion of effective participation in the course is level of intercultural competence. in the authors’ opinion, there are two reasons to expect an global partners in education journal april 2013, vol. 3 no. 1, pp. 36-48 www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 44 increase in intercultural competence for students taking the global understanding course (chia et al., 2011). firstly, it is enrichment of personal experience through immediate interaction with representatives of other cultural groups. secondly, the discussion focused on questions common and significant for every culture (college life, cultural traditions, family, the meaning of life, and stereotypes and prejudices). since intercultural competence reflects a person’s ability to effectively realize intercultural communication, the authors employed andreeva’s (2003) model of communication as a basis for distinguishing aspects of intercultural competence. they are informative, socio-perceptive and interactive aspects (andreeva, 2003). the authors emphasized the socio-perceptive component because exact perception, evaluation and understanding of a partner is a necessary condition for successful communication (kupavskaya, 2008; sadokhin, 2009). in the beginning of intercultural interaction, perception and evaluation of a partner is based on stereotypes. stereotypes are simplified and generalized ideas about other ethnic groups. the authors singled out two points of scientific interest: 1) investigation of russian students' views of american students; 2) changes in these views as a result of intercultural interaction. to answer the two questions, the authors used a “collage” technique (minyurova, 2002). a collage reflects a person’s subjective attitudes toward various objects and events in a symbolic form. russian students made collages on the topic “an american student: how do i view them”. use of the “collage” technique enabled the authors to analyze visual images which reflect russian students' views of american students. to assess changes in perception, the students produced collages twice, before intercultural interaction with american partners and a week after the last link. the information retrieved from the collages was analyzed with the help of content-analysis. in order to investigate russian students' view of american students, the authors analyzed the frequency of occurrence of different classes and subclasses found within the images (table 1). in collages produced before intercultural interaction, the frequency of occurrence of objects in class “a-people” and class “b-objects” did not differ (47.1% and 38.5% respectively). in collages produced after intercultural interaction, the frequency of occurrence of objects in class “a-people” was greater than for class “b-objects” (62.5% and 22.9% respectively). the authors consider these images of people and objects as an index which reflects perception of other cultural groups. inanimate objects reflect abstract ideas about another culture in general, whereas images of people reflect more particular ideas about people constituting the cultural group. in the present research, changes before and after intercultural interaction were not statistically significant. perhaps it might be due to the limited sampling. however, the authors consider that there are some positive changes in perception of another cultural group regarding specificity and personification. frequency of occurrence of class “c-words, phrases” remained the same. the fact that the number of words and phrases in english in collages after intercultural communication increased does not immediately relate to characteristics of a partner. however, that may confirm the development of language skills as a result of intercultural interaction. global partners in education journal april 2013, vol. 3 no. 1, pp. 36-48 www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 45 in collages before intercultural communication, the most frequently occurring objects were the following: а12—sport, fitness (35.3%), а11—intellectual activity (studies, work) (23.5%), а13—party, gathering (23.5%), а23—single (images of separate people) (65.6%), в8—interior objects (32.5%), с11—personality’s characteristics (53.3%). these results demonstrate that stereotyped views russian students have of americans includes such characteristics as importance of keeping fit, significance of studies, work and rest; individualism; and comfortable living conditions. verbal means of expressing characteristics of personality were noted only in two collages. that is why the authors consider them as an indicator of individual peculiarities of respondents. in collages after intercultural communication, the most frequently occurring objects were the following: а13—party, gathering (36.4%), а11—intellectual activity (studies, work) (27.3%), а23—single (images of separate people) (60.5%), в12—symbolic objects (36.4%), с11—personality’s characteristics (80%), с22—spheres of activity (55.6%). the most significant changes were increases for subclasses в12 and с22. symbolic objects (в12), including ones connected with macdonald's brand, reflect stereotyped images of american preferences regarding fast food. presence of objects of subclass с22 in the collages confirms activity in various spheres of life. thus, could the authors conclude that russian students' views of americans became less stereotyped as a result of their experience of intercultural communication? in order to answer this question it is necessary to carry out additional research to investigate stereotyped views of a greater number of participants. as a reference standard the authors used description of stereotyped views of americans provided in psychological research (krysko, 2002). stereotypes of americans include such ideas as enterprise and initiative, energetic assertion, self-reliance, value of life success, honesty, kind-heartedness, directness in showing positive emotions, being lawabiding, and love for sport (krysko, 2002). among the enumerated characteristics, the “collage” technique allowed the researchers to single out only love for sport (subclass а12—sport, fitness) in collages before intercultural communication. perhaps one of the reasons is that the majority of characteristics within a stereotype are abstract. it might have been difficult for respondents to find corresponding visual images. that is why the authors cannot provide a definitive conclusion regarding the degree of stereotyped views that russian students have of american students, nor for the changes resulting from intercultural interaction. in order to investigate subjective meaning, the students were asked to evaluate elements of their collages which introduced human images using the “big five” personality scales (costa & mccrae, 1992). as table 2 indicates, before intercultural communication the most significant were “emotional stability” (4.3) and “openness to experience” (4.3), and the least significant was “agreeableness” (2.8). after intercultural communication, the most significant were “emotional stability” (4.7) and “extraversion” (4.4), and the least significant was “conscientiousness” (3.4). the most noticeable increase was for “agreeableness” (from 2.8 to 3.7). it is possible to suppose that emotional stability (calmness, self-confidence, insensitivity) is a stable characteristic of american students as viewed by russian students. the increase for “agreeableness” is a result of a particular intercultural communicative situation. global partners in education journal april 2013, vol. 3 no. 1, pp. 36-48 www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 46 in the course of the research the authors faced a number of limitations regarding the use of the “collage” technique as an instrument of assessment of a socio-perceptive component of intercultural competence. the first limitation is alternative interpretations of the results. the second limitation is less completeness of the results in comparison with verbal methods. most of the characteristics are abstract ones and difficult for visualization. a technical limitation is processing of superfluous visual information the authors are planning to design a more compact procedure for evaluating level of the socio-perceptive component of intercultural competence as an indicator of effective participation in the global understanding project. the authors consider ability to exactly evaluate a partner taking into consideration not generalized stereotyped ideas but individual manifestations of the partner as a main aspect of the socio-perceptive component. the authors single out a number of reasons why russian students' views of americans did not change. the first reason is connected with the limitations regarding the use of the “collage” technique mentioned above. the second reason is a limited number of participants. the third reason is stability and rigidity of ethnic stereotypes to new information (stephanenko, 1999), that is why it is hardly possible to anticipate drastic changes within a relatively short period of time. on this basis the authors are planning to move from evaluating changes in characteristics of a particular group to evaluating a more universal indicator connected with ability to exactly assess a partner from other culture. for example, one of the possible indicators is a decrease in ethnocentric attitudes. in that case it might be advisable to prolong the interval between initial and final measurement and carry them out in the beginning and in the very end of the course. conclusion before intercultural communication russian students' views of americans included such characteristics as importance of keeping fit; significance of studies, work and rest; individualism; and comfortable living conditions. a stable characteristic which was evaluated as an overt one before and after intercultural interaction was emotional stability which means calmness, self-confidence, insensitivity. no changes regarding decreases in stereotyped views that russian students have of americans was discovered. the supposition about increase in completeness of ideas resulting from experience of intercultural interaction was not supported. the tendency regarding increases in personification and exactness of russian students' view of americans was revealed. to summarize, the “collage” technique does not allow the researcher to receive complete and exact data regarding respondents’ ability to exactly assess a partner in intercultural communication. the authors are planning to investigate a more generalized index connected with ability to exactly assess a partner regardless their cultural identity. moreover, a more compact method of evaluating such an indicator should be designed. however, the authors believe that assessment of the socioperceptive component as well as students' intercultural competence in general may be included in evaluation of activities in the global understanding class. global partners in education journal april 2013, vol. 3 no. 1, pp. 36-48 www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 47 references andreeva, g. m. (2003). social psychology. moscow: aspekt press. andreeva, g. m. (1999). to the problem of social perception. world of psychology, 3, 15-23. bogomolova, n. n., melnikova, o. t., & folomeeva, t. v. (1994). focus-groups as a qualitative method in applied socio-psychological research (pp. 193-196). introduction to practical social psychology. a study guide for higher educational establishments. moscow: nauka. bruner, j. (1974). beyond the information given: studies in the psychology of knowing. london: allen & unwin pty., limited. chia, r., poe, e., & yang, b. (2011). history of global partners in education. global partners in education journal, 1, 3-7. retrieved from http://www.gpejournal.org/index.php/gpej/article/view/11/7 chomsky, n. (1965). aspects of the theory of syntax. cambridge, massachusetts: mit press. costa, p. t., jr., & mccrae, r. r. (1992). revised neo personality inventory (neopi-r) and neo five-factor inventory (neo-ffi) professional manual. odessa, fl: psychological assessment resources, inc. hutmacher, w. (1996). key competencies for europe — a secondary education for europe. report of the symposium berne, switzerland, 27-30 march, 1996. strasbourg, france: council for cultural co-operation (cdcc). hymes, d. (1972). on communicative competence. in j. b. pride & j. holmes (eds.), sociolinguistics: selected readings (pp. 269-293). new york: harmondsworth. katz, в., & braly, k. w. (1933). racial stereotypes of 100 college students. journal of abnormal and social psychology, 28, 280-290. khazova, s.a., & khupsarokova, a.m. (2009) educator’s polycultural competence. maikop: globus. khutorskoi, a. v. (2002). key competences and educational standards. internetjournal “eidos”. retrieved from http://eidos.ru/journal/2002/0423.htm kopytin, a. i. (1999). basics of art therapy. st. petersburg: lan. krasilnikova, v. e. (2009). foreign language communicative competence in research of russian and foreign scientists. yaroslavskyi pedagogicheskyi vestnik, 1, 179-184. krysko, v. g. (2002). ethnic psychology. a study guide for higher educational establishments. moscow: akademia. kupavskaya, a. s. (2008). development of teenager’s ethno-cultural competence through socio-psychological training. dissertatsiya doktora psihologicheskikh nauk. kuzmina, n. v. (1990). professionalism of a teacher and industrial training master. moscow: vysshaya shkola. markova, a. k. (1996). professionalism psychology. moscow: znanie. melnikova, o. t. (1994). qualitative methods in social psychology. introduction to practical social psychology (pp. 182-192). a study guide for higher educational establishments. moscow: nauka. minyurova, s. a. (2002). technique “collage”: research of psychological peculiarities of a person’s image of the world. prakticheskaya psihologiya. annual. volume v: abstracts of the regional scientific-practical conference, 28 – 30 march, 2002. yekaterinburg: ural state pedagogical university. http://www.gpejournal.org/index.php/gpej/article/view/11/7 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/noam_chomsky http://books.google.com/books?id=u0ksbfqagu8c http://eidos.ru/journal/2002/0423.htm global partners in education journal april 2013, vol. 3 no. 1, pp. 36-48 www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 48 mitina, l. m. (1998). psychology of professional development. moscow: flinta. petrenko, v. f. (1988). psychosemantics of perception. dissertatsiya doktora psihologicheskikh nauk, 19.00.01. moscow: moscow state university. petrenko, v. f. (1975). semantic analysis of sensuous image (pp. 268-293). perception and reality. moscow: moscow state university. raven, j. (1984). competence in modern society: its identification, development and release. unionville, new york: royal fireworks press. sadokhin, a. p. (2009). intercultural competence: essence and mechanisms of development. dissertatsiya doktora kulturologicheskikh nauk, 24.00.01. moscow. sheina, i. m. (2010). intercultural communication as a dispaly of linguistic and cultural experience. avtoreferat doktora philologicheskih nauk. moscow. stephanenko, t. g. (1999). ethnopsychology. moscow: institute of psychology ras, “akademichesky projekt”. world conference on higher education. (1998). world declaration of higher education for the twenty-first century: vision and action. retrieved from http://www.unesco.org/education/educprog/wche/declaration_eng.htm zimnyaya, i. a. (2006). key competences – a new paradigm of the result of education. pedagogika, 3, 34-42. about the authors svetlana a. minyurova is a professor of chair of general psychology, a director of the institute of psychology at ural state pedagogical university (yekaterinburg, russia). she holds a post-doctoral degree in psychology. her primary research focus is psychology of self-development, psychology of self-awareness, psychology of personal-professional development. she can be reached at minyurova@uspu.ru. svetlana g. krylova is an assistant professor of chair of social psychology, conflictology and management, institute of psychology at ural state pedagogical university (yekaterinburg, russia). she holds a doctoral degree in psychology. her primary research focus is social psychology, psychology of advertising, interpersonal understanding, psychological aspects of communication. she can be reached at s_g_krylova@mail.ru. nadezhda s. rudenko is an assistant lecturer of chair of the english language, institute of foreign languages at ural state pedagogical university (yekaterinburg, russia). she holds a doctoral degree in english language teaching. her primary research focus is self-access in efl, intercultural communication. she can be reached at nadya_rogotneva@list.ru. http://www.ffl.msu.ru/img/pages/file/avtoreferaty/sheina_avtoreferat_10_1.doc http://www.ffl.msu.ru/img/pages/file/avtoreferaty/sheina_avtoreferat_10_1.doc http://www.unesco.org/education/educprog/wche/declaration_eng.htm mailto:minyurova@uspu.ru mailto:s_g_krylova@mail.ru mailto:nadya_rogotneva@list.ru global partners in education journal april 2012, vol.2 no.1, pp. 1-11 www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 1 a cultural immersion experience for nursing students anne marie jones judy neubrander marie huff western carolina university, usa abstract this research study explores the effects of an intense cultural immersion experience on nursing students’ cultural attitudes. students were exposed to an intense ten day clinical cultural experience in a developing country in south america. they were pre-tested on their cultural attitudes using cushner's inventory of cross-cultural sensitivity (iccs), they completed guided journal experiences during the trip, and they took the same inventory, post experience. although quantitative results were not statistically significant, their quantitative journals indicate a significant change in cultural attitudes. introduction while there is not a tremendous body of research concerning overseas travel courses for nursing students, there is agreement in the literature that cultural immersion experiences can enhance students’ ability to effectively treat individuals from a variety of cultural backgrounds (button, green, tengnah, johansson, & baker, 2005; callister & cox, 2006; thompson, boore, & deeny, 2000; wood & atkins, 2006; lee, 2004). studies show that international immersion experiences promote both personal and professional growth and increase students’ levels of cultural competence as they begin to examine their own worldviews and develop a more global perspective regarding health care systems outside of the united states (evanson & zust, 2006; walsh & dejoseph, 2003). in addition, these experiences help students to have a better understanding of the impact that culture has on health care beliefs, practices, resources, and access to care (thompson et al., 2000). students are facing shifting demographics and cultures as people from all corners of the globe move between and among various communities throughout the world. thus, cultural competence is an important attribute for any discipline that wishes to work effectively across these diverse cultures. becoming culturally competent means developing an enhanced awareness of our own cultural assumptions as well as learning to interact and communicate respectfully with people who are different from us. while classes on cultural diversity and cultural competence are often incorporated into global partners in education journal april 2012, vol.2 no.1, pp. 1-11 www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 2 academic curricula, an international travel immersion experience can promote deep and meaningful learning as students apply what they have learned in the classroom, engage in complex problem solving activities, and observe real world problems. the goal for this immersion experience in a developing country was to expose students to cultures different from their own and to educate them about health care disparities. a secondary goal was to provide health care services to a population that has limited or no access to health care (campbell, campbell, krier, kuehlthau, hilmes, & stromberger, 2009). the literature suggests that there are a number of potential benefits for students who participate in international learning experiences. lee (2004) states, “international experiences offer a vital opportunity to explore other ways of thinking and living” (p. 121). caffrey, neander, markle, and stewart (2005) found that students participating in an immersion experience gained much more in their perceived cultural competencies. students may also expand their awareness of nursing in the global community (walsh & dejoseph, 2003) as they “broaden their perspectives on nursing practice and its culture” (grant & mckenna, 2003, p.534). evanson and zust (2006) as well as button, et al. (2005) concluded that short-term immersion experiences can enhance students’ cultural competence as well as have lasting effects on their personal and professional lives. zorn, ponick, and peck (1995) found that exposure to cultural diversity through international study programs positively influences cognitive development. through the personal challenges involved, students experience development and growth as well as build their confidence (lee, 2004). heuer and bengiamin (2001) described many aspects of culture shock that students experience during an international experience. in addition to experiencing some culture shock, students begin to examine their biases and question the values of their society (levine & perpetua, 2006). the immersion experience setting ecuador was chosen as the site for this international experience. ecuador lies at the equator in south america between colombia and peru, with the pacific ocean as its western border. with a population of nearly 14 million people, ecuador is approximately the size of the state of nevada. it is an ethnically and biologically diverse country of stunning beauty. political instability and corruption have plagued ecuador’s history and contributed to its status as a “developing” country. access to health care is extremely limited for a large majority of the population due to financial issues as well as availability of facilities, providers, and resources. typical diagnoses on the medical mission include scabies, parasites, diabetes, hypertension, malnutrition, pneumonia and tuberculosis (lopez-cevallos & chi, 2010). planning and preparation six months prior to the trip students were oriented to the country of ecuador, the culture, and the history of the country. students were involved in discussions about global partners in education journal april 2012, vol.2 no.1, pp. 1-11 www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 3 cultural diversity and the challenges of entering into a different culture and providing culturally sensitive nursing care. students gathered over-the-counter medications and toiletries such as soaps, toothpaste and toothbrushes to donate to the citizens of ecuador. students were also provided with detailed instructions on what they should bring with them, as well as the safety precautions they should follow while in ecuador. the trip our team consisted of two nursing faculty and 14 students, including ten undergraduate nursing students, two nutrition students, one recreational therapy student and one student who was majoring in communications and spanish. other team members included two physicians, four registered nurses, a medical assistant, and five nonmedical personnel. during the ten days we were in ecuador, six medical clinics were set up in diverse locations including clinics near the coast in a river village, deep in the ecuadorian jungle, and in the mountainous region. the students served in all six medical clinics. in addition to clinic days, students experienced sightseeing and shopping in otavalo, home of the largest outdoor market in south america. the last day of the trip students were assigned to observe the delivery of healthcare in a large hospital in quito. medical clinics consisted of six stations:  vital signs/triage station;  assessment/treatment stations;  ear-wash station;  reading-glass dispensary station;  pharmacy;  patient education station students were rotated through each station in two hours shifts to provide them the opportunity to observe different practitioners’ techniques of assessment as well as to get hands-on experience with triage, obtaining patient histories, physical assessment, earwashing, assessing the need for reading glasses, and dispensing medications. they also conducted patient education on topics such as clean drinking water, handwashing, proper care of teeth, prevention and treatment of seborrheic dermatitis and other skin conditions, dangers of smoking, and breast self-examination. prior to the trip students had identified pertinent learning needs and created posters and other teaching aids to enhance patient learning. translators were available at each station to assist with communication. method purpose the purpose of this research was to assess the impact of an international educational experience on nursing students’ cultural attitudes. global partners in education journal april 2012, vol.2 no.1, pp. 1-11 www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 4 participants participants included ten bachelor of science in nursing (bsn) students in their first year of nursing courses, one recreational therapy student, two nutrition students, and a student double majoring in spanish and communications from a regional comprehensive university in the eastern united states. participants self-selected by registering for a three credit hour course that involved 10 days of international travel to ecuador to participate with a traveling medical unit. all participants were female, aged 20-22; nine were white of non-hispanic origin and one student was hispanic. two students had previously traveled to a developing country. fourteen students who did not participate in the travel course volunteered to serve as a comparison group. the two groups were very similar in terms of age, gender, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, and previous exposure to developing countries. inventory data collection methods included a demographics questionnaire and cushner’s (1986) inventory of cross-cultural sensitivity (iccs). the iccs measures five aspects of cross-cultural sensitivity using a 7-point likert scale on a 32 item self-report inventory: cultural integration, behavioral scale, intellectual interaction, attitudes towards others, and empathy. loo and shiomi (1999) state that the cushner inventory is promising as a tool to measure multidimensional conceptualization of cross-cultural sensitivity, although it does not demonstrate strong reliability and validity based on its limited use. data collection after obtaining irb approval from the university to conduct the study, students were provided with informed consent, and written agreement to participate was obtained. the inventories were administered to two groups: one group of bsn students who were traveling to ecuador, and a comparison group of bsn students who were not participating in the international course. (the nutrition students, however, did not take the iccs). three weeks after returning from the experience, the inventory was again administered to both groups. in addition to completing the iccs, students who participated in the course kept a reflective journal in which they wrote on a daily basis from departure until the date of return to the united states. at the end of the trip, these journals were independently reviewed by each researcher to familiarize them with their overall content. the journals were then reread a second time and common themes were identified for the purpose of organizing and reporting the results. all of the recurring themes identified in the results section were those that emerged from the data and from the researchers’ informal debriefings with the students while they were still in ecuador. the spanish and communication major was not required to journal. global partners in education journal april 2012, vol.2 no.1, pp. 1-11 www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 5 results results of the iccs indicated a positive trend in attitudes toward cultural differences in the travel group, although not statistically significant. mean scores on the iccs for the participant group were 155.7 (sd = 18.00) for the pretest and 159.66 (sd = 15.58) for the posttest (p = .54). mean scores on the iccs for the comparison group were161.00 (sd = 22.80) for the pretest and 154.91 (sd = 22.62) for the posttest (p = .81). when a t-test was performed to compare the two groups’ change in cultural attitudes (as measured by the iccs), there was no significant difference (p = 0.23). reflective journals similar to one of the themes identified by evanson and zust (2004), a number of comments in the students’ journals reflected either confirmation or questioning of their choice of nursing as a career. some examples of student comments are included below. i absolutely love working with those who are truly in need, whether this be in america or other places, i know this is what i want to do. all of the time spent thus far has given me a wonderful view of what i want to do with my career and that is serving the underserved, those who need it the most. i have struggled for the past few months in the attempt to discover where i am supposed to go within the field of nursing. i think this week god finally showed me where i am meant to be. i want to work as a missionary nurse, not just in ecuador, but everywhere. i can’t explain it but something just feels so right about this. i would never want to do pediatrics, but after this trip i believe i may have more of a calling for it than i thought. i have enjoyed the trip and it has been nothing but an amazing experience, but i believe that this type of mission nursing is not where i need to be with my life. i enjoy bedside nursing too much and that is where my heart truly is. other themes noted included students’ expression of their new experience of being a “minority,” as well as frustration with language barriers when trying to communicate with those seeking care. i realized that for the first time in my life i was the minority. it was strange and slightly awkward to see the natives here stare as we made our way through the airport with an army of luggage and crew. global partners in education journal april 2012, vol.2 no.1, pp. 1-11 www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 6 the language barrier makes me nervous. how am i going to be effective helping these people learn when i can’t even speak their language? i love seeing the different people. but at the same time i feel very removed from their lives, and not as connected because i can’t speak to them or get to know them or comfort them like i would normally do for my patients. it is very aggravating! i am determined to make myself learn more spanish! (mas espanol!) i feel like i could do so much more for them if i knew spanish. ….but it was very poor, my communication with these people. i now wish i would have taken some more spanish classes or paid better attention! many also expressed amazement at the safety hazards for children present everywhere. during our bus rides, we often observed small unsupervised children playing in the busy roads; others would be playing on high rickety-appearing porches with no railing to prevent falls. it was also shocking to see a little girl, less than two, playing with a machete as if it were an umbrella, and no parents running after her. another theme that emerged was related to students’ feelings of helplessness. several students commented that they were bothered by our inability to treat many of the conditions with which patients presented. for instance, we saw multiple patients suffering from tuberculosis, but unfortunately did not have the medications to treat them. the students also identified a significant heart murmur while assessing a small girl. the physicians diagnosed her with a severe valvular defect. obviously, our team was helpless to treat her at that time. others expressed concern about the short term “fixes” and what happens to these patients after we leave. that is what i feel so awful about providing health care to these villages. we come in and care for them, give them the medicine and the treatment they need, and then we leave with the hopes that they will become better and that they follow through with the treatment. i still have to wonder about the people we see who really need further medical care. sure we tell them that they need to be seen by a specialist, but i wonder how may of them actually follow through with this advice. like today, we saw a little 6 year old boy with an undescended testicle. he was told that he would require surgery, and if not then he may later develop cancer. i wonder how many people are actually capable of receiving the care which they deserve. i fear for those who never receive the care which they need, and what their final outcome will be. i find global partners in education journal april 2012, vol.2 no.1, pp. 1-11 www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 7 myself upset and angry knowing that some people will never live the life they deserve because of their lack of healthcare resources. some students commented on the health disparities they observed and many expressed how we (americans) take so much for granted. i viewed the life of other peoples’ worlds today and realize, as i have before, we in our americanized society, take so much for granted. i have traveled a bit in my life so far experiencing the “uncomforts” of life outside our box, however, the lack of “cushy” accommodations continues to leave an impression on me every time. we don’t realize how spoiled we can be at times. along the way there were random houses. they were just one room with straw roofs. i’ve always known some people live this way but today made it a reality. i thought about how much i take for granted. i get to go home, but this is their home and they will be staying. life will continue to go on for them whether i’m there or not. the conditions that most of the people live in aren’t even fit for animals. it absolutely breaks my heart. i wish there was more that i could do for these people. i also have to keep in mind that this is their way of life and it wouldn’t be right for me to impose my way of life on them just because i think it’s better. america is so blessed! it’s sad to see their lack of knowledge and healthcare in comparison to us. i think it has made us appreciate a lot more and not take as much things for granted. i am thankful for my home and my family, the healthcare system in america. i take for granted so many things in life that these people i’ve been in contact with will never know of. i believe americans take our healthcare system for granted; we should all be grateful for the best of doctors and nurses we have in the states. journal entries towards the end of our travel reflected student feelings of being changed by the experience of the travel course. i will be forever changed after i leave this journey and i look forward for the opportunities that will be presented because of this week. global partners in education journal april 2012, vol.2 no.1, pp. 1-11 www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 8 i have been challenged as a nurse, as a christian, and as an individual. this has been the most rewarding and amazing experience of my life. i will definitely leave this trip with some heavy memories, ones that will change my life forever. part of me wanted to be back at home, and part of me wanted to stay. discussion and implications although the iccs was of limited value in this study and did not show significant change in students’ cultural attitudes, the student journal entries told a different story. changes were noted in the areas of personal and professional growth – in confirmation or redirection of career choices and goals. our study supports wros and archer’s (2010) findings that students who participate in international experiences have opportunities for significant personal and professional growth. students were forced to examine their own value systems as they came face to face with the disparity of resources in third world countries compared to the plethora of health resources available in the united states. students seem to learn that we all are connected as human beings, despite our cultural differences, and some students expressed appreciation for the “simplicity” of life found within this culture. they also expressed a newfound appreciation for the material and positional wealth of their own cultures. edmonds (2010) found similar results with students traveling to england and dominica. student journaling provided the researchers with a strong indicator of students’ thoughts and attitudes related to culture. tabor, carter, kovar, & ramsing (2008) used both journaling and nightly discussions to assess student’s attitudes regarding cross-cultural issues. after our experience we offer advice to other educators who are planning to facilitate an international travel course and who wish to do research in this area. first, researchers/instructors should have a clear idea of their own goals and objectives ahead of time. (we were interested in the impact of the trip on student attitudes.) after selecting a destination, make sure students spend time learning about the country and culture they will be visiting. instruct students to begin writing their impressions of what they have learned through their research, to describe what they hope to learn from this experience, and to identify any questions they may have about the people and culture. when they return from the trip they can then respond to their pre-trip journal entries as they discuss how their travel experience met their expectations. while “free flow” journaling should be encouraged, instructors may also want to provide some guided questions for students to respond to as part of their daily journal entries. for example, instructors may ask students to (1) share a daily event (e.g., what happened; what they did), (2) write what they thought and felt about this event, and (3) write how this experience challenged or validated their own cultural beliefs. within a few weeks of returning from the trip instructors could also meet with the students as a group and share the themes that they found within the students’ journals. students could then global partners in education journal april 2012, vol.2 no.1, pp. 1-11 www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 9 share any additional reflective thoughts and feelings they have about their experience through a focus group type setting. providing students with structured questions for the journals and setting up a post trip debriefing focus group would strengthen the overall qualitative study and provide valuable feedback to the instructors. an international travel course that provides students hands-on clinical experiences with a population that has limited access to healthcare fosters students’ personal and professional growth. more opportunities for these types of courses need to be made available in nursing and other academic programs. additionally, it would be beneficial for schools to develop a variety of types of experiences, such as in hospitals, established clinics, and community health outreaches in conjunction with a crosscultural experience. taking groups of pre-licensure and advanced practice nursing students with physical therapy, nutrition, medical, and other health science students could enhance interdisciplinary teamwork and provide more comprehensive care to the population being served. references button, l., green, b., tengnah, c., johansson, i., & baker, c. (2005). the impact of international placements on nurses’ personal and professional lives: literature review. journal of advanced nursing. 50, 315-324. caffrey, r. a., neander, w., markle, d., & stewart, b. (2005). improving the cultural competence of nursing students: results of integrating cultural content in the curriculum and an international immersion experience. journal of nursing education, 44, 234-239. callister, l. c., & cox, a. h. (2006). opening our hearts and minds: the meaning of international clinical nursing electives in the personal and professional lives of nurses. nursing and health sciences, 8, 95-102. campbell, c., campbell, d., krier, d., kuehlthau, r., hilmes, t., & stromberger, m. (2009). reduction in burnout may be a benefit for short-term medical mission volunteers. mental health, religion and culture, 12, 627-637. edmonds, m. l. (2010) the lived experience of nursing students who study abroad: a qualitative inquiry. journal of studies in international education, 14, 545-568. evanson, t. a., & zust, b. l. (2004). the meaning of participation in an international service experience among baccalaureate nursing students. international journal of nursing education scholarship, 1, 1-14. evanson, t. a., & zust, b. l. (2006). “bittersweet knowledge”: the long-term effects of an international experience. journal of nursing education, 45, 412-419. grant, e., & mckenna, l. (2003). international clinical placements for undergraduate students. journal of clinical nursing, 12, 529-535. heuer, l. j., & bengiamin, m. i. (2001). american nursing students experience shock during a short-term international program. journal of cultural diversity, 8, 128134. lee, n. j. (2004). the impact of international experience on student nurses’ personal and professional development. international nursing review, 51, 113-122. global partners in education journal april 2012, vol.2 no.1, pp. 1-11 www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 10 levine, m. a., & perpetua, e. (2006). interational immersion programs in baccalaureate nursing education: professor and student perspectives. journal of cultural diversity, 13, 20-26. loo, r., & shiomi, k. (1999). a structural and cross-cultural evaluation of the inventory of cross-cultural sensitivity. journal of social behavior and personality, 14, 267-278. lopez-cevallos, d. f., & chi, c. (2010). assessing the context of health care utilization in ecuador: a spatial and multilevel analysis. health services research, 10. doi:10.1186/1472-6963-10-64 tabor, r. g., carter, d. m., kovar, m., & ramsing, r. (2008). international service learning, journal of dental hygiene, 82, 49. thompson, k., boore, j., & deeny, p. (2000). a comparison of an international experience for nursing students in developed and developing countries. international journal of nursing studies, 37, 481-492. walsh, l. v., & dejoseph, j. (2003). “i saw it in a different light”: international learning experiences in baccalaureate nursing education. journal of nursing education, 42, 266-272. wood, m. j., & atkins, m. (2006). immersion in another culture: one strategy for increasing cultural competence. journal of cultural diversity, 13, 50-54. wros, p., & archer, s. (2010) comparing learning outcomes of international and local community partnerships for undergraduate nursing students. journal of community health nursing, 27, 216-225. zorn, c. r., ponick, d. a., & peck, s. d. (1995). an analysis of the impact of participation in an international study program on the cognitive development of senior baccalaureate nursing students. journal of nursing education, 34, 67-70. global partners in education journal april 2012, vol.2 no.1, pp. 1-11 www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 11 about the authors anne-marie jones received her bsn from the university of north carolina at chapel hill in 1982 and began her career working in cardiac nursing and stepdown units. after several years and assignments in the us air force, ms. jones completed her msn with a focus in critical care nursing from uthsc san antonio. for the past 10 years, she has been a nurse educator, working primarily with first year nursing students in foundational didactic and clinical courses. she holds the nln certification for nurse educators, and serves as the junior team coordinator for the bsn program at western carolina university. besides teaching, ms. jones' areas of interest include international nursing experiences in developing countries and end-of-life nursing care. she can be reached at ajones@email.wcu.edu. dr. judy neubrander received her masters of science in nursing, with a focus in adult health and nursing education from the university of kansas in 1994. in 2002 she received her doctorate in adult and community college education from north carolina state university. she is a certified hospice and palliative care nurse and a palliative care fellow from harvard school of medicine. she became an elnec trainer in 2001. she became a certified nurse educator in 2006. she completed her certification as a family nurse practitioner in may of 2009. she currently teaches courses in nursing theory, roles and issues, ethics, nursing education, test and measurement and dying and palliative care. she serves as the director of the graduate programs at western carolina university school of nursing. her areas of interest and research include endof-life care, gerontology, international missionary/volunteer services and adult education. one of her goals is to help the neediest of the world both at home and abroad. she can be reached at jneubrander@wcu.edu. dr. marie t. huff is an asheville native who came to wcu in 1998. she earned her master of social work degree from the university of georgia in 1986 and her ph.d. from the university of south carolina in 1998. before becoming associate dean in 2008, dr. huff was a faculty member in the department of social work and served as department head from 2006-2008. dr. huff has over ten years of social work practice experience is in the field of mental health with adolescents and their families. she was employed as a clinical social worker and maintained a part-time private practice in georgia. her teaching and research interest include addictions and cultural competence in mental health practice. she can be reached at mhuff@email.wcu.edu. mailto:ajones@email.wcu.edu mailto:jneubrander@wcu.edu mailto:mhuff@email.wcu.edu global partners in education journal june 2015, vol. 5, no. 1, pp. 51-57 http://www.gpejournal.org/ issn 2163-758x 51 non-native users and global classrooms as a tool for language learning victoria amores universidad del pacifico, ecuador abstract the global understanding program is an initiative of east carolina university (ecu) in greenville, north carolina, usa. universidad del pacifico (udp) in quito, ecuador is one of the participants. participants in the program utilized tools such as videoconference and real time chatting in order to help non-native students develop and express their ideas on cultural themes related to their native countries. participants were motivated by this interactive experience, which allowed them to share ideas with students from different countries in a synchronized time. themes of participant discussions included prejudice, stereotypes, college life, religion, traditions, among others. these discussions provided nonnative speakers from udp the opportunity to orally communicate in english with their global classroom partners, and increase their fluency and written skills in english. the global partner program also allowed for redevelopment of the english language curriculum at udp. bilingual spanish-english instructor in universidad del pacifico were essential to successful mediation of the communicative events. global partners the global understanding program offers students at partner universities the opportunity to learn about different cultures in face-to-face interactions. a main objective is to provide for periodical meetings where students from all over the world can get together; learn from each other experiences about the reality of their countries. these periodic meetings (or “links”) are held various times during a semester between universities as diverse as universidad regiomontana in mexico, university of shimane in japan, istanbul university inturkey, hochschule heilbronn in germany, covenant university in nigeria, among others. according to class schedules and global time zones, universities partner with each other for approximately three or four weeks during the year. participants in global understanding use communication technologies (namely, videoconferencing and chat sessions) to interact with international partners in real time. topics generally include themes such as college life, family, cultural traditions, religion, the meaning of life, and stereotypes and prejudices of their respective countries; participants are encouraged to share their views and opinions openly in order to facilitate communication and cross-cultural understanding. at the end of each link students collaborate with their peers from the partnering university on a project. (e.g., a song, a poem, a nursery rhyme/traditional children`s song) that reflects something they both value http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal june 2015, vol. 5, no. 1, pp. 51-57 http://www.gpejournal.org/ issn 2163-758x 52 in relation to one of the cultural themes. students also choose two or three people from each culture (past or present) and describe their contributions to society, or interview their parents to define the major changes between their parents’ generation and their own. these projects are a culmination of the research and session linking experiences between participants from both universities. each semester native spanish-speaking students from universidad del pacifico (udp) in quito, ecuador link with native english speaking students from east carolina university (ecu) in greenville, north carolina, usa. sessions between these institutions take place twice per semester, but each time with different groups of participants. during all meetings with partnering universities in the global understanding program, students at these institutions encounter authentic learning and personal growing experiences that they would not otherwise obtain. however, english as foreign language (efl) teachers at udp observed the greatest advancements in language acquisition through encounters with ecu, most likely because of the interactions with native english speakers. these sessions were successful because udp english learners were interested in understanding their north american partners’ culture more clearly as well as interested in expressing themselves fluently about their own culture in english. in addition, these interactions provided the efl teachers in ecuador an opportunity to use the english native speaking participants at ecu as language models. the nonnative students at udp demonstrated positive results in their english language acquisition and u.s. cultural understanding throughout their encounters with peers at ecu throughout meetings of the global partners program. link session preparation pre-linking preparation is essential for ensuring a successful and effective interaction. participant preparation can include introductions, common practices of videoconferencing protocols, and pre-conferencing rehearsals (comber, lawson, gage, cullum-hanshaw, & allen, 2004), and, as may be necessary for cross-cultural and crosslinguistic encounters, some level of language and cultural training. the following section describes the main components of the preparation process, which included technological training, language training, and rehearsal. technology before students gain access to the communicative tools of the global classroom, teachers at udp train participants on how to properly use videoconferencing, chatting and email, as these technologies require a different set of communicative skills than those found in traditional language classrooms (hafner, chik, & jones, 2013). pre-conference preparation is intended to help students feel more confident in their communicative abilities—especially regarding english—and provide for more productive encounters. participants communicated synchronously either through videoconferencing using the polycom videoconferencing tool or via real-time chatting using the mibbit webchat tool. http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal june 2015, vol. 5, no. 1, pp. 51-57 http://www.gpejournal.org/ issn 2163-758x 53 each group of participants uses either the chat forum or the videoconferencing forum for one hour. they then switch their conferencing tool for the second hour so that each group uses both videoconferencing and chat. all groups used email for asynchronous communication, which provided access to their international partners outside of class in order to interchange ideas or information on a regular basis. the students use e-mail in order to decide what to do for their collaborative project and to work together for the final presentation. an advantage of videoconferencing is that it enables participants to utilize paralinguistic cues such as facial expressions and gestures in order to facilitate comprehension. however, since gestures may not be cross-culturally applicable (galloway & rose, 2015), participants need training to understand the meaning of these gestures. students are trained to interpret facial expressions for meanings such as understanding, confusion, and approval. they are instructed to speak loudly and slowly when presenting their ideas, and they are even instructed on appropriate seating arrangements. in addition, teachers learn the technical steps to use the polycom as well as how to avoid ttt (teacher talking time) while video-conferencing. teachers learn to move around the classroom and help students understand their global partners’ comments by paraphrasing some of the ideas. on the other hand, an advantage of chatting is that it can occur outside of the time frames arranged by the participating institutions through resources such as facebook, google and others. similar to face-to-face conversation, chatting occurs in a real-time environment in which users must negotiate meaning by modifying their written output (shrum & glisan, 2011). while chatting is limited in that it is more likely to improve written rather than spoken communicative abilities (grgurovic, 2011), chat sessions have the advantage of being able to be downloaded, which efl teachers may later reference in order to focus on the grammar, vocabulary and syntax inconsistencies with nonnative students. language and preparation the level of english proficiency for udp participants ranged from beginner to advanced, or from a1 to b1 on the common european framework for reference for languages (cefr, n/d). these differences presented challenges for the efl instructors at udp who were monitoring the global understanding sessions. for instance, efl teachers sometimes faced a lack of motivation, especially among participants who are not proficient enough to communicate fluently with their peers. preparation of vocabulary and grammatical structures ahead of global understanding sessions helped nonnative speakers develop their abilities in formulating appropriate questions and questioning techniques. the preparation sessions also provided udp participants with general knowledge about the cultural realities of their ecu partners. appropriate content preparation seemed to increase udp student motivation, especially after their interactions during the first inter-institutional conferencing. the udp global understanding coordinator is responsible for maintaining the schedule, assigning a teacher to each class, and organizing the meetings. at udp classes are held http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal june 2015, vol. 5, no. 1, pp. 51-57 http://www.gpejournal.org/ issn 2163-758x 54 in spanish rather than english, as most instructors at udp do not speak english. however, the global understanding coordinator in udp must be an efl expert bilingual in both english and spanish in order to prepare the students for the meetings. groups are comprised of students with different proficiency levels of english, ranging from expanding to bridging. bridging level students are more competent and their learning processes are more accelerated than expanding students, and problems with pronunciation and grammatical structures are less frequent and therefore easier to accommodate. however, the majority of students at udp are in the expanding level, who may be described as long term language learners with high oral skills and low in literacy. they are usually competent in most everyday social interactions, use colloquial and social expressions with ease, remain silent or reluctant to take risks or be talkative and ‘sound good’. these students rely on support, visual cues, demonstrations and explicit language instruction on new content and have grammar, tense, word choice (alberta goverment k-12, 2013). because they have more linguistic interference from their l1 spanish, expanding level students require more tutoring before the link sessions. in some instances, it has occasionally been difficult to ensure a smooth and natural exchange of opinions because less-proficient nonnatives have had difficulties with expression despite their preparation for the sessions. at times, the nonnative udp participants were observed creating english words to convey their point of view or relying on spanish. efl teachers at udp need to be aware of the possibility of this linguistic interference in order to be able to address grammar and pronunciation issues prior to conferencing (comber et al., 2004). nonnative speakers in the expanding level need more class hours to prepare them for the links, so outside tutoring is provided prior to the linking sessions. tutoring sessions involve researching potential themes of conversation with each student on a one-on-one basis so that they can identify their main ideas. students first put these ideas on paper and then identify grammatical errors through peer-to-peer consultations. they subsequently complete revisions and the teacher gives a short lecture on each identified error. after the revisions and lecture, students practice their oral skills by researching and presenting on one of the cultural themes from the link session. finally, it has been observed that a bilingual spanish-english colleague at ecu can allow udp participants to express themselves more easily as well as help ecu participants better understand the main ideas by being able to address misunderstandings. also, nonnative participants seem to be less nervous, and less inhibited when a bilingual ecu teacher participates. overall, bilingual teachers at both institutions help both native and nonnative students and facilitate a more cooperative and communicative environment. udp’s coordinator—an efl professional—assigns groups of students to participate in the conferencing, organizes the meetings, guides the students through the conferencing process, and oversees pre-conferencing tutoring. efl students at udp rehearse their presentations before each of the link sessions. this practice allows students to review their language structures and vocabulary as well as build participant confidence prior to http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal june 2015, vol. 5, no. 1, pp. 51-57 http://www.gpejournal.org/ issn 2163-758x 55 their exposition in front of their partners. when nonnative students are prepared, l1 language interference is less likely to disrupt fluency—that is, not hesitating when speaking, being able to express a point with appropriate grammar structures, understanding others when spoken to, and generally not slowing down the flow of a conversation (cefr, n/d). the rehearsals enable nonnative participants to focus more intently on their message rather than the form during the videoconference sessions. successful communication: a shared responsibility throughout the sessions it was noticeable how bilingual spanish-english faculty could facilitate successful student-student interaction during the conferencing sessions. for instance, bilingual faculty in ecuador were able to prompt udp participants when they struggled to express themselves and could provide recasts to clarify potential areas of miscommunication or misunderstanding. bilingual faculty in the usa seemed to help udp students be less nervous and less inhibited. in addition, these faculty aided ecu participants in better understanding their conversation partners. yet while providing the nonnative participants preparatory language instruction benefitted interaction during the conferencing sessions, ensuring successful cross-cultural communication is not the sole responsibility of nonnative interlocutors. the success of an interaction depends on interlocutors’ ability to adapt to immediate communicative demands (firth, 1996), and in native/nonnative interactions it may frequently be necessary for native speakers to adapt to the communicative situation (jenkins, 2011). indeed, the communicative burden must be shared, and native participants must also prepare themselves both linguistically and culturally for the experience. based on daft and maric (2013), the following provides a list of ways native participants can prepare for cross-cultural communicative situations such as those of the global classroom: 1. avoid culturally narrow expressions, idioms, colloquialisms, slang, or too much humor 2. use simple words and, if possible and if known, use cognates 3. be careful with non-verbal language. do not, for instance, cover your mouth with your hand when speaking 4. likewise, pay attention to facial expressions and body language 5. speak slowly, carefully, and be sure to enunciate 6. pause in between main ideas in order to allow the listener time to consider what has been said and also ask questions 7. frequently check for comprehension and invite feedback; encourage interlocutors to re-cast what has been said 8. be aware of cues of misunderstanding, such as in appropriate laughter, continual nodding, silence, and polite smiling http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal june 2015, vol. 5, no. 1, pp. 51-57 http://www.gpejournal.org/ issn 2163-758x 56 conclusion a central goal of the global understanding program is to create a communicative environment where students can participate and learn to respect cultural differences. this objective is realized through videoconferencing and webchat sessions. yet the ability to successfully communicate through these technological forums needs to be developed and acquired with practice. udp students have shown a willingness to prepare for meetings by participating in language tutoring sessions, mock rehearsals, and researching on their conversational partners’ culture. it is essential for all participants in the global understanding program to understand that oral and written communication are essential to success of the program’s objectives, and that instruction in cross-cultural communicative behaviors can facilitate the exchange of information during interactions. participants must be willing to express themselves openly about the cultural themes of their country in order to develop a sense of friendship and community with their peers from the other universities. the supervising teachers are responsible for preparing participants for these interactions. the efl instructors at udp use the conferencing data (e.g., chat transcripts) to guide their post-conferencing instruction, identifying sources of miscommunication and using these as starting points for classroom discussion or other pedagogical interventions. during sessions, however, it has been observed that bilingual spanish-english teachers supervising the links at each institution can reduce misunderstandings, especially when native participants are involved. the bilingual experts can aid participants through recasts, paraphrasing, and providing cultural explanations. global partner universities include institutions from all over the world, but english is the language of communication during the links. although students from universidad del pacifico (udp) have met with other participants from universities around the world, some of the most challenging sessions were those with the native english speakers at ecu. this observation demonstrates how nativeness may actually impede some aspects of international communication and highlights the necessity of training all interactants— regardless of linguistic background—in international communication skills. references alberta government k-12. (2013). proficiency benchmarks. retrieved from http://www.learnalberta.ca/content/eslapb/documents/characteristics_of_english _language_learners.pdf cefr. (n/d). common european framework for reference for languages: learning, teaching, assessment (cefr). cambridge university press. retrieved from http://www.coe.int/t/dg4/linguistic/source/framework_en.pdf comber, c., lawson, t., gage, j., cullum-hanshaw, a., & allen, t. (2004). report for schools of the dfes videoconferencing in the classroom project. retrieved from http://archive.teachfind.com/becta/research.becta.org.uk/index22992.html?section=rh&catcode=_re_rp_02&rid=13659&pagenum=1&nextstart=1&pr int=1 http://www.gpejournal.org/ http://www.learnalberta.ca/content/eslapb/documents/characteristics_of_english_language_learners.pdf http://www.learnalberta.ca/content/eslapb/documents/characteristics_of_english_language_learners.pdf http://www.coe.int/t/dg4/linguistic/source/framework_en.pdf http://archive.teachfind.com/becta/research.becta.org.uk/index2299-2.html?section=rh&catcode=_re_rp_02&rid=13659&pagenum=1&nextstart=1&print=1 http://archive.teachfind.com/becta/research.becta.org.uk/index2299-2.html?section=rh&catcode=_re_rp_02&rid=13659&pagenum=1&nextstart=1&print=1 http://archive.teachfind.com/becta/research.becta.org.uk/index2299-2.html?section=rh&catcode=_re_rp_02&rid=13659&pagenum=1&nextstart=1&print=1 global partners in education journal june 2015, vol. 5, no. 1, pp. 51-57 http://www.gpejournal.org/ issn 2163-758x 57 daft, r. l., & maric, d. (2013). undestanding mangement (8th ed.).boston: cengage learning. firth, a. (1996). the discursive accomplishment of normality: on ‘lingua franca’ english and conversational analysis. journal of pragmatics, 26, 237-259. galloway, n., & rose, h. (2015). introducing global englishes. new york, ny: routledge. grgurovic, m. (2011). blended learning in an esl class: a case study. calico journal, 29, 100-117. hafner, c. a., chik, a., & jones, r. h. (2013). engaging with digital literacies in tesol. tesol quarterly, 47, 812-815. jenkins, j. (2011). accommodating (to) elf in the international university. journal of pragmatics, 43, 926-936. shrum, j., & glisan, e. (2011). teacher`s handbok: contextualized language instruction.boston: cengage learning. about the author victoria eugenia amores is the language department regional director and exchange program coordinator at universidad del pacifico. she is also the virtual classroom supervisor. http://www.gpejournal.org/ running head: co-authoring for collaborative learning in global understanding 56 co-authoring for collaborative learning in global understanding guangwei zhang shaanxi normal university, china author note guangwei zhang, school of history and civilization, shaanxi normal university. correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to guangwei zhang, school of history and civilization, shaanxi normal university, no. 620, west chang'an avenue, chang'an district, xi'an 710119, china. contact: zhangguangwei@snnu.edu.cn co-authoring for collaborative learning in global understanding 57 abstract collaborative learning can help students better understand the foundation of their knowledge. global understanding (gu) provides students with a remote collaborative learning platform with the aid of modern technologies such as video conferencing and social media applications. the students organize their ideas after discussion in class with their international partners and communicate with their partners through email, which is required during the collaborative project in gu. however, the communication by email is so asynchronous due to the time differences that it is not easy for partners to working together on the collaborative project. at times, misunderstandings occur due to the inconsistency in communication regarding their papers or presentation slides. nowadays, online co-authoring tools allow multiple users to work on the same document simultaneously allowing the users to see what their partners are typing in real time and how their partners generate and organize their ideas. besides the synchronous collaboration, the students can also work together asynchronously. the co-authoring tool creates an ideal environment for remote collaborative learning for gu. co-authoring for collaborative learning in global understanding 58 co-authoring for collaborative learning in global understanding global understanding (gu) is an important class for all the partners of global partners in education (gpe). it is an excellent remote collaborative learning community for the students from different countries to learn different cultures of the world. the knowledge that they gain from gu is important for them, but it is more important that the students can practice collaborative learning with foreign partners. they get a kind of procedural knowledge—how to collaborate—that would play a crucial role in their other studies as well as their career in the future, e.g. the students of shaanxi normal university (snnu) become more active and selfconfident in their study after attending the gu class. the gu students mostly use email to contact each other, which works perfectly in most of the cases. however, email is not an efficient collaborative tool. remote collaboration requires both effective communication and timely work sharing, which are discontinuous when attempted by email, which can result in misunderstandings and poor efficiency. we found that co-authoring tools perform better than email for collaborative learning in gu because all of the partners can work on the same documents synchronously or asynchronously as it also integrates communication and work sharing with the collaborative process. we discuss the advantages of applying co-authoring tools in gu especially for the collaborative project and its usage in the mentoring procedures. collaborative learning in global understanding “collaborative learning” is a situation in which two or more people learn or attempt to learn something together (dillenbourg, 1999). we consider gu as a kind of collaborative learning environment because all of the students must work on four specific topics with several co-authoring for collaborative learning in global understanding 59 foreign partners within a month. the students develop their knowledge about the culture of another country with the help of their partners. “… collaborative learning is based on the model that knowledge can be created within a population where members actively interact by sharing experiences and take on asymmetry roles” (mitnik, recabarren, nussbaum, & soto, 2009). each gu student generates his or her knowledge through group discussion in the following two forms: (1) topic based face-to-face talking through videoconference and text chatting in class and (2) email or social media communication outside of class. in this case, every student plays two roles: (1) offering help for his or her partner to better understand his or her country and (2) acquiring the knowledge of the partner country as much as possible from his or her partners. besides the group discussion of the four gu topics (i.e., college life, family and cultural traditions, religion and the meaning of life, and stereotypes and prejudices), all the partner students of the two universities must complete a collaborative project and present their work to the class on the final day of linking in videoconference. as a result, the students have more common knowledge of the culture of their partner countries after participating in the gu class. the increase of common knowledge is called knowledge convergence (jeong & chi, 1997), which can be used as an assessment method of the collaborative learning that takes place in gu. knowledge convergence in global understanding knowledge convergence occurs during collaborative learning and the collaborative interactions among partners who are responsible for the common knowledge construction, i.e. more communications equates to better knowledge convergence (weinberger, fischer, & mandl, co-authoring for collaborative learning in global understanding 60 2004; jeong & chi, 2007; zheng, 2017). knowledge convergence is found in different forms within collaborative learning such as resource homogeneity, process convergence, and outcome convergence (weinberger et al., 2004). the collaborative learning which occurs in gu involves almost all three aspects. the group discussion part relates to the first two aspects (i.e. resource homogeneity and process convergence) and the collaborative project is a kind of outcome convergence because the gu students are required to present their partners’ work. there are many studies on assessing collaborative learning through knowledge convergence quantitatively or empirically. the most important factor for productive knowledge convergence of collaborative learning is effective communication and work sharing among partners. the group discussion part of gu provides students with basic knowledge of the partner countries and the communication during this part is efficient most of the time because we have been applying a mature technology framework and the discussion is guided by the teachers. the collaborative project motivates collaborative learning in gu to occur much more intensely because the students need to choose a topic, prepare, and present the final work together with their partners to the class. the group discussion helps the students get the conceptual knowledge and the collaborative project provides an opportunity for students to gain procedural knowledge, including how to prepare for a paper, how to organize the idea of a paper, and how to write a paper, etc. as we know, the communication in the gu course is mostly based on email, and although students achieve their aim most of the time, misunderstandings still occur and it is not very efficient. it is of a similar case in the tutoring procedure between a teacher and his or her students. through our practice together with several partners in gu as well as in other courses, co-authoring for collaborative learning in global understanding 61 online co-authoring tools can solve this problem perfectly. in the past, when a teacher is mentoring a student in writing his or her thesis, the manuscript is sent back and forth by email many times between them. both the teacher and the students store many versions of the paper. at times, new versions might be overwritten with older versions by mistake. when we use online co-authoring tools, a shared document is created for all of the participants and stored on a server. all of the participants can view and edit the document at any time and even know how their partners make changes to the document. through the co-authoring procedure, a paper is generated, and the procedural knowledge they learn is more important than the cultural (conceptual) knowledge they gain (ertl, 2009). co-authoring tools co-authoring is considered a natural form of cooperative learning (chapman, leonard, & thomas, 1992). cooperative learning is not the same as collaborative learning, but they are similar in many aspects. therefore, we do not distinguish them for gu in this paper. nowadays, online co-authoring tools are widely used in companies. they provide users a tool for collaboratively working on the same document in real time. one can review other’s work and make some modifications, which should be noted with some colored fonts. we can see where our partners are editing and what they are typing in real time. there are many kinds of co-authoring tools we can use, for example, google docs, microsoft office, dropbox paper, zoho docs, overleaf, sharelatex, etc. google docs and zoho docs are similar creating and editing documents in microsoft office. overleaf and sharedlatex are latex-like authoring applications. latex is a famous document preparation system, widely used in technical and scientific document production. a detailed user guide can co-authoring for collaborative learning in global understanding 62 be found in (lamport, 1994). the free versions of these co-authoring tools are sufficient for gu collaboration. the microsoft office-like co-authoring tools are wysiwyg editors (i.e., what you see is what you get) and the latex-like tools are wytiwyg editors (i.e., what you think is what you get). we can use both of the kinds of co-authoring tools in gu and in different steps according to their characteristics. 1. office-like co-authoring tools: microsoft office is widely used all around the world. therefore, the office-like co-authoring tools are easier for the students to use. they are called wysiwyg text editors. the students can use them to collect materials and prepare their paper or presentation. 2. latex-like co-authoring tools: latex is a great typesetting system and wildly used in writing and publishing academic papers. most international journals and conferences provide their own latex templates. though they are not as easy as microsoft office-like tools, they let the authors focus on the content of the document rather than on the appearance. when students are writing a final report, they can use latex-like coauthoring tools and share their documents with their teachers. this can help improve thesis supervision. when we choose a co-authoring tool for gu, the accessibility to all of the partner countries is critical because not all tools can be accessed in all of the countries in the world. we have tested several tools with our partners and found that zoho docs and sharelatex are available in most countries. this could be taken into consideration when teachers decide to use co-authoring tools in their gu class. besides the co-authoring tools ability to improve collaboration efficiency, they can also keep track of editing history of the shared documents by co-authoring for collaborative learning in global understanding 63 the integrated version control system. version control it is important to keep track of all of the document versions for the collaborators before they get the final version. version control is widely used in source code management and different tools are used such as cvs, svn, and git. editing a document is similar to writing a piece of source code. however, it is not practical for students who have no idea how to use version control tools. therefore, the co-authoring tools with version control support would be useful. most of the on-line co-authoring tools support version control. keeping track of what several partners edit together would provide students the relevant details of how common knowledge is generated among them. when they find some errors or misunderstandings happen in the collaboration document, they can drop the current version and resume their work based on an earlier version. collaborative learning using co-authoring tools the co-authoring tool can significantly improve communication efficiency and the learning effects for collaborative learning in gu. we can use them for communication, work preparation, paper review, and supervision. 1. for communication communication among partners is essential for collaborative learning. it is currently achieved by using tools such as email, social media apps, and chat room software in gu courses. it is easy to find that the work sharing and communication are separated. some co-authoring tools, such as zoho docs, integrate communication functions so that students can chat with each other while they are editing their documents. everyone can see others’ work in real time, which co-authoring for collaborative learning in global understanding 64 is also a helpful for communication. therefore, the co-authoring tool is an ideal instrument for communication among partners and students can integrate co-authoring tools into their preparation of their collaborative projects in gu courses. 2. for presentation preparation the collaborative presentation is important for the students to show what they have learned and shared with other partners on a more personal level since they work in small groups of 2-4 students on average. it is an important part of collaborative learning in gu. the students have to prepare their presentations with their partners before presenting their projects to both classes during videoconference. traditionally, students do their part and the documents composed of all the partners’ work are sent back and forth between all the partners through emails which has been shown to be poorly efficient. however, the students can share their work and communicate with their partners in the online co-authoring tools’ environment. a shared document can be divided into several parts, each of which is for one partner to be responsible for at the very beginning. the final document is completed when all of the partners finish their parts. this method creates a virtual office for all of the partners. the efficiency would potentially be greatly improved. 3. paper supervision and review collaborative writing among students with co-authoring tools is useful. however, it is much more productive if it is used for paper review and supervision between teachers and students. the teachers would know what the students are working on, the problems they meet, and their research progresses. if the teachers share their academic papers in progress with their students, they would learn how to write an academic paper, which is much more meaningful than co-authoring for collaborative learning in global understanding 65 just telling what they should do as in traditional teaching. 4. teacher monitoring the students organize the email-based collaborations in gu, and it is usually out of the teachers’ control. the guidance from teachers can guarantee the learning effect, though the students play the leading role in collaborative learning. if we require all of the partner students to share their documents with their teachers, they can motivate students who delay their work to continue with the project, correct errors as well as comment when necessary. in this case, what the teacher sees is not only the final papers or presentations but also how they are generated. conclusion gu provides students an excellent remote collaborative learning platform for all of the partner universities of gpe. the co-authoring tool creates an ideal environment for remote collaborative learning for gu because it mixes effective communication and timely work sharing together. through the practices of snnu with several partners we consider it as an effective tool for improving the learning experience of gu. co-authoring for collaborative learning in global understanding 66 references chapman, a. d., leonard, j. j., & thomas, j. c. (1992). co-authoring: a natural form of cooperative learning. the clearing house, 66(1), 44–46. dillenbourg, p. (1999). what do you mean by collaborative learning. collaborative-learning: cognitive and computational approaches, 1, 1–15. ertl, b. (2009). conceptual and procedural knowledge construction in computer supported collaborative learning. in proceedings of the 9th international conference on computer supported collaborative learning volume 1 (pp. 137–141). rhodes, greece: international society of the learning sciences. retrieved from http://dl.acm.org/citation.cfm?id=1600053.1600074 jeong, h., & chi, m. t. h. (1997). construction of shared knowledge during collaborative learning. in proceedings of the 2nd international conference on computer support for collaborative learning (pp. 130–134). toronto, ontario, canada: international society of the learning sciences. retrieved from http://dl.acm.org/citation.cfm?id=1599773.1599788 jeong, h., & chi, m. t. h. (2007). knowledge convergence and collaborative learning. instructional science, 35(4), 287–315. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11251-006-9008-z mitnik, r., recabarren, m., nussbaum, m., & soto, a. (2009). collaborative robotic instruction: a graph teaching experience. computers & education, 53(2), 330–342. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2009.02.010 weinberger, a., fischer, f., & mandl, h. (2004). knowledge convergence in computer-mediated learning environments. effects of collaboration scripts. in annual meeting of the co-authoring for collaborative learning in global understanding 67 american educational research association (aera 2004) (p. 7). zheng, l. (2017). analyzing knowledge convergence in cscl: an empirical study, 33–46. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-1972-2_3 tf_template_word_windows_2010 global partners in education journal june 2015, vol. 5, no. 1, pp. 58-67 http://www.gpejournal.org/ issn 2163-758x 58 developing intercultural competence through mediated triple-intercultural classroom collaboration cathryn cushner edelstein emerson college, usa abstract intercultural competence (icc) describes individuals’ ability to effectively interact with people of other cultures in an appropriate manner. institutions of higher education around the world are invested in developing the icc of their students and to this end encourage participation in study abroad programs while simultaneously internationalizing the student population of their institutions. towards this goal, more recently, faculty have been asked to internationalize curricula contextually and experientially to develop student icc in the classroom. this article offers an experiential and pedagogical approach for faculty to consider in this initiative. this approach involves mediated collaboration, utilizing standard and social media platforms to allow communication between three diverse global classroom communities providing students with comprehensive intercultural experiences. this approach was utilized in fall 2013 with 105 students combined from the usa, romania, and fiji, and resulted in a rich experience for all participants. the icc development of the 35 students from the usa was measured over the semester using an icc assessment tool and results concluded impressive growth. with access to mobility imposing limits on student travel, it is critical that higher education look to alternative methods, such as the one described in this paper, to develop student icc. introduction students in higher education are often encouraged to enroll in courses that will help them develop their intercultural competence (icc) so they will be better prepared to engage in the global community upon graduation. for the purpose of this paper, this definition of icc will used: intercultural competence is the appropriate and effective management of interaction between people who, to some degree or another, represent different or divergent affective, cognitive, and behavioral orientations to the world. these orientations will most commonly be reflected in such normative categories as nationality, race, ethnicity, tribe, religion, or region (spitzberg & changnon, 2009, p. 7). intercultural communication curriculum is offered at many higher education institutions around the globe with development and improvement of student icc among its list of desired learning outcomes. many institutions have utilized study abroad programs to provide opportunities for students to experience cultural immersion and without a http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal june 2015, vol. 5, no. 1, pp. 58-67 http://www.gpejournal.org/ issn 2163-758x 59 doubt this has enabled students to experience first hand, different cultures, which has been proven to impact icc development. unesco states, at least 3.6 million students in 2010 were enrolled in tertiary education abroad, up from 2 million in 2000. east asia and the pacific is the largest source of international students, representing 28% of the global total. students from china make up one-half of this figure, or 17% of the total. the united states, australia, and japan are their main destinations for study. north america and western europe follows, accounting for 15% of those going abroad (uis, 2014). though the number of students around the globe engaged in studying abroad has increased significantly over the past decade, nafsa reports that just 1% of u.s. students traveled abroad in 2011/2012 for academic purposes (nafsa, 2013) with reasons commonly attributed to lack of access, high cost and availability of time. with this in mind, the onus is on professors in u.s. higher education and around the world to internationalize their curriculum to afford students the opportunity to learn about different cultures without traveling. of the 1% or 283,332 u.s. student participants, 64.8% were female and 76.4% were caucasian (institute of international education, 2013) indicating that a rather narrow segment of u.s. students are actually studying abroad. this data provides incentive for teachers to consider other means of developing their students’ icc, one that does not require travel, can reach the masses, is inexpensive and easy to execute. this paper describes an experiential and pedagogical approach to interculturalizing curricula using mediated collaboration between three diverse global classroom communities. access to mobility need not hinder icc development as tripleintercultural mediated classroom collaboration can advantageously affect learning outcomes in regard to intercultural skill development. outlined in the following paper is a review of one such collaboration between students in the united states, romania and fiji. additional content includes how faculty can create a triple-intercultural mediated classroom collaboration and considerations for introducing this concept to students. technology as a medium can be a powerful tool in creating intercultural experiences for students across the globe. use of mediated intercultural collaboration in icc development according to nafsa, “the united states sends far fewer students abroad to study than it receives from other countries to study in the united states” (johnson, 2013). the influx of international students entering u.s. classrooms provides one aspect of internationalizing classrooms, but course content and classroom experiences need to embrace internationalization as well. pedagogy often includes students reading culturally rich texts and viewing cultural documentaries in an effort to provide relevant worldview content and context. these methods however, are rather one-dimensional, as they do not allow students to bridge what they are learning with practical communication experiences. thus, the learning can be considered limited because they are not given the opportunity to transfer what they have read, discussed and viewed to real intercultural situations. the result is students have learned cultural theories and expanded their knowledge of global cultures, but they have not personally experienced intercultural communication. http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal june 2015, vol. 5, no. 1, pp. 58-67 http://www.gpejournal.org/ issn 2163-758x 60 the ability to effectively communicate with people from cultures different from one’s own is not natural for many, but a capacity that needs to be acquired and practiced. interpersonal communication, the ability to send a message so that the receiver decodes the intended message correctly, is made more challenging when a sender and receiver share little by way of cultural similarities. contact with other languages and cultures provides an excellent opportunity to foster the development of intercultural communicative competence (icc, or intercultural competence, for short). once intercultural contact has begun, icc development generally evolves as an on-going and lengthy process, occasionally with periods of regression or stagnation, but more commonly with positive results and no end point. (fantini, 2005, p.1). a course that states its learning outcome is to develop icc should provide students with access to intercultural communication experiences between its students and those from another culture(s). the use of mediation provides access for such learning experiences to take place. “internationalization has to join forces with new technologies and employment in general. combining this in practical applied studies, the entrepreneurs of tomorrow learn the use of modern technologies and the interconnection with a variety of people from different cultural backgrounds” (ullrich, 2013, p.66). triple-intercultural mediated classroom collaboration vs. traditional mediated intercultural classroom collaboration mediated intercultural classroom collaboration allows students to experience other cultures without leaving home. paired with a class from another culture, students can work either 1:1 with their respective cultural partners or as whole-classes (wc) working together. many classrooms around the world are engaging in ‘dual intercultural collaboration’—two classrooms, two cultures. a new concept for consideration is ‘triple-intercultural collaboration’, bringing three classrooms and three cultures together. the benefits of using this model are multifaceted as students in a triple-intercultural collaborative environment are able to learn about two cultures simultaneously, acquiring, strengthening and using intercultural communication skills among an even more diverse group of students. as with the dual-intercultural model, professors from three classes can choose which pairings (individual or wc) would be most beneficial for particular assignments. the addition of a third class, does make structuring the course more challenging, but careful preparation (see process below) provides for smooth execution. the benefits of involving three classrooms are twofold: 1. student icc development takes on a more multi-cultural focus, allowing for engagement with a myriad of cultural dimensions, and 2. wc discussions are made richer with additional multi-cultural perspectives. wc discussions using common materials such as texts and films as prompts, allow students to share how they all perceive social issues, traditions and beliefs in realhttp://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal june 2015, vol. 5, no. 1, pp. 58-67 http://www.gpejournal.org/ issn 2163-758x 61 time. whether 1:1 or wc, the exchanges offer students an experiential opportunity to understand and learn about others’ cultures. triple-intercultural classroom collaboration experience review during the fall semester 2013, in an effort to pilot a triple-intercultural experience for students enrolled in intercultural communication at emerson college, united states, i partnered with two professors, one at the university of the south pacific, fiji and the other at petroleum-gas university, romania. this partnership amongst the three of us required much collaboration to create assignments and activities that would be beneficial for all 105 students involved (35 per class). our academic disciplines were not the same, but there was an overlap in the desire to foster greater icc amongst our students. this commonality proved to be the incentive for all three of us to work collaboratively. as intercultural communication expert darla k. deardorff states, “it is through impactful experiences, where people are challenged to make sense of their new environment and accommodate to the differences, where they ultimately gain more sophisticated knowledge about other people and a feeling of being at home in a new context” (deardorff, 2009, p.16). as previously described, mobility to travel abroad is not an option for all, and most of the students involved in these three classes had little opportunity for this. thus, this virtual triple-intercultural exchange opportunity was attractive to these professors and their students. the following outlines the steps followed to create the triple-cross-cultural classroom collaboration: step 1. development of triple-intercultural collaboration partnerships i. initiated a query. located two professors outside of the united states with whom to form a collaborative partnership. utilized linkedin to obtain these partners. linkedin, the google+ community cross-cultural higher education collaboration and/or professional organizations are available to search for professors with whom to collaborate. each respondent was interviewed to confirm common interests, student enrollment numbers and coordination of semester dates. ultimately two professors, one from romania and one from fiji were selected. ii. began collaborating with the two other professors two months prior to the start of the semester to create assignments/projects and develop a timeline that worked for all classes. we utilized google documents, a shared online document platform and met online using google hangout to establish a working relationship. we divided the development of the assignments/projects between us and allowed feedback to be shared. we agreed on collaborative assignments for our students and additionally decided that we would: a. require that each student create and maintain a communication journal, “the process of exploring how journals assist their writers learn is commonly described in terms of how they can enhance reflection and reflective practice. reflection has been described as a process of turning http://www.gpejournal.org/ https://plus.google.com/u/0/communities/109753426577930168409 https://plus.google.com/u/0/communities/109753426577930168409 global partners in education journal june 2015, vol. 5, no. 1, pp. 58-67 http://www.gpejournal.org/ issn 2163-758x 62 experience into learning. that is, of exploring experience in order to learn new things from it” (boud, 2001, p.2). b. schedule time in our classrooms to share and discuss collaborative experiences. c. create a survey to elicit formal feedback requiring students to reflect on challenges and successes of their cross-cultural collaboration experience. iii. created student cultural partner pairs (figure 1) each of the three classes were divided in half, forming groups a and b. formed student 1:1 cultural partner pairs (scpp) (figure 2) to pair students, half of each class was paired with half of one of the other classes. http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal june 2015, vol. 5, no. 1, pp. 58-67 http://www.gpejournal.org/ issn 2163-758x 63 iv. created a list of the scpps on our shared document platform and inserted email addresses for each student. these email addresses were provided to students when actual student collaboration began. step 2. introducing triple-intercultural collaboration in the classroom i. administered the intercultural development inventory® (idi®) as an intercultural competence pre-assessment test to the u.s. students to assess their baseline icc prior to the start of the triple-intercultural collaboration. this allowed for the assessment of learning outcomes at the end of the semester. ii. introduced the triple-intercultural partnership concept to students; purpose, upcoming collaborative assignments, expectations, and discussed briefly which countries/cultures the class would be collaborating with. instructed students how to create and format their communication journals in which they would record an entry each time they attempted to contact their student cultural partner (scp) or received a message from their scp. considerations for journal entries included – modes of communication used, dates/time between messages sent and responses received, reflections of challenges and successes, needs for clarification (content and context), language, gender issues, religious issues, and general thoughts about their interactions. iii. on the predetermined start date, provided each student with the email address of their scp and instructed students to initiate contact with their scps by introducing themselves. allowed two weeks before providing the first assignment for students to get to know one another. in addition, allowed students to decide independently, with their scp how they would prefer to contact one another for future interactions—choices usually included email or facebook. time zone differences created a challenge for students, but as this is part of negotiating icc, students were left to navigate this independently. iv. provided students with their first assignment. the first assignment, an interview detailing life-cycle practices and their corresponding cultural significance allowed 1:1 interaction between scps and encouraged scps to learn about each other’s cultures. the assignment had a due date that all students (in all three classes) were expected to adhere to and they were explicitly told that they were to be active communicators in this process. collected the assignments and graded them accordingly. collected the communication journals at this time as well as part of the assignment. v. provided students with their second assignment. this assignment allowed students to interact as wcs. students from all three classes entered into a group discussion about the documentary, pray the devil back to hell (roco films educational), viewed by all the same week. the interactions were free flowing and remained open for a period of three weeks to allow time for development. the online platform, a private facebook group, was created and utilized for this discussion, as it was a platform available to all students. note: students in china do not have access to facebook, therefore if partnering with classes in china, a joint google document or the creation of a private google+ community could be used instead. http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal june 2015, vol. 5, no. 1, pp. 58-67 http://www.gpejournal.org/ issn 2163-758x 64 vi. once all assignments/projects concluded, an online survey was posted for students to complete. vii. administered the intercultural development inventory® (idi®) as a postintercultural competence assessment to ascertain learning outcomes for the u.s. students. discussion of icc learning outcomes and limitations of the triple-intercultural collaboration the purpose of this study was to discover whether mediated intercultural collaboration between students from three diverse cultures could affect the development of intercultural communication competence as much as students traveling abroad to study. the inspiration for the concept was based on the frequent lack of mobility most students encounter in regard to the ability to study abroad. as described in this paper, students from the united states, romania and fiji collaborated throughout a semester via mediated means to unite in studying. common assignments were used by the three professors from each of the three institutions of higher education. the assignments focused on discovery of the other cultures’ traditions, beliefs and values whilst encouraging the students to become acquainted on a personal level. each student maintained a communication journal that outlined their intercultural communication experiences detailing the challenges and successes of their interactions. these journals provided context to the experiences and were submitted to the professors with the assignments. the evaluation of this experience as a comparable means to engage students interculturally to improve icc was measured using the intercultural development inventory® (idi®). to establish learning outcomes among students in the emerson college course (n=35), the intercultural development inventory® (idi®) was administered as a preassessment at the start of the fall semester and again at the end of the semester as a post-assessment. i, cathryn edelstein have obtained a license to use the idi® from idi, llc. “the intercultural development inventory® (idi®) is a statistically reliable, cross-culturally valid measure of intercultural competence adapted from the developmental model of intercultural sensitivity” (hammer, 2011). the preassessment idi® group profile reflected perceived orientation (po) in the range of acceptance 122.28, developmental orientation (do) in the range of minimization 95.46 and a cultural disengagement resolved score of 4.10. the post-assessment idi® group profile reflected perceived orientation (po) in the range of acceptance 125.38, developmental orientation (do) in the range of minimization 102.19 and a cultural disengagement resolved score of 4.27. (visit www.idiinventory.com for more information regarding the idi® assessment) the results show an impressive group growth of 6.73 (do) points in the students’ overall intercultural competence. the evidenced increase of 6.73 points in one semester of the group’s do is quite meaningful when compared to a 2-point increase that was realized among students who participated in an afs 10-month study abroad program living with host families (hammer, 2005). according to that study by hammer in 2005 for the afs study abroad experience, “the afs students as a group improved their ds [developmental score] by 2 points” (hammer, 2005). http://www.gpejournal.org/ http://www.idiinventory.com/ global partners in education journal june 2015, vol. 5, no. 1, pp. 58-67 http://www.gpejournal.org/ issn 2163-758x 65 conclusion changes in attitude and improvement of icc skills occur over time through practice and experience. it is imperative that intercultural communication experiences become a part of icc pedagogy, and it is the responsibility of teachers to create curriculum for this to occur. faculty is most often the innovator of curriculum and most certainly the group responsible for delivering curriculum to students. as put forth in this paper, the opportunity to create a triple-intercultural collaboration initiative can be made available to students in any classroom, anywhere internet access and a common language exist between the participants. the collaboration is essentially cost-free (except for internet access), straightforward in its design, and uncomplicated to execute. approval by administrators should be fairly effortless as the gain in icc and the rich experience for students are primary considerations for any successful curricular endeavor. finally, it should be higher education’s mission to educate students to enter the world prepared and engaged intellectually, culturally and mindfully. with technology/mediation as a viable vehicle to engage with cultures across the globe, lack of access to mobility is no longer justifiable as a reason for students not to collaborate cross-culturally. “global learning is the combination of global reach, achieved through the use of modern technologies, and global perspectives, arising from the interaction of students and faculty living in different countries, to produce a global graduate for a global workforce” (rimmington, 2003, p.1). the workforce of the future needs people with strong icc skills. for this to occur, it is faculty who must create pedagogy to accomplish this. “taking advantage of the affordances of networking technologies that are cross borders, teachers have more opportunities to establish a cross-cultural online learning environment” (wang, 2011, p.244). utilization of the triple-intercultural collaboration model provides an appropriate, supportive and explorative structure for students’ icc skills to grow through mediated real-time communication. limitations the triple-intercultural collaboration initiative described in this article was a portion of the overall pedagogy, which additionally included research assignments with presentations, assigned readings, viewing of multiple videos and documentaries, presentations by visitors from other cultures and in-class exercises and lectures unrelated to the collaboration. with this in mind, the changes in the idi® results cannot be attributed solely to the triple-intercultural collaborative experiences. past semesters, during which triple-intercultural collaboration was not part of the pedagogy, the idi® was not administered, thus data that shows the impact of the tripleintercultural collaboration on idi® outcomes is not available. references boud, d. (2001). using journal writing to enhance reflective practice. new directions for adult and continuing education, 90, 9-18. retrieved from: http://pdf.aminer.org/000/244/712/using_technology_to_enhance_creative_actio ns_in_decision_making.pdf deardorff, darla k. (2009) the sage handbook of intercultural competence. thousand oaks, ca: sage. http://www.gpejournal.org/ http://pdf.aminer.org/000/244/712/using_technology_to_enhance_creative_actions_in_decision_making.pdf http://pdf.aminer.org/000/244/712/using_technology_to_enhance_creative_actions_in_decision_making.pdf global partners in education journal june 2015, vol. 5, no. 1, pp. 58-67 http://www.gpejournal.org/ issn 2163-758x 66 disney, a. e., reticker, g., fork films., roco films educational (firm), & columbia university. (2008). pray the devil back to hell. sausalito, calif: distributed by roco films educational. fantini, a. 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(2013). trends in u.s. study abroad. retrieved from http://www.nafsa.org/explore_international_education/advocacy_and_public_p olicy/study_abroad/trends_in_u_s__study_abroad/ rimmington, g. (2002-2003). global learning annual report 2002-2003. retrieved from http://api.ning.com/files/hrp0hmqajlcheqr5pn32bbawezxs8sg*muizz4yys2 m_/annualreport0203.pdf spitzberg, b. h., & changnon, g. (2009). conceptualizing intercultural competence. in d. k. deardorff (ed.), the sage handbook of intercultural competence (pp. 252). thousand oaks, ca: sage. ullrich, k. (2013). internationalization of college education – the role of new technologies. global partners in education journal, 3, 57-69. retrieved from http://www.gpejournal.org/index.php/gpej/article/viewfile/54/pdf unesco institute for statistics (uis). (2014). global flow of tertiary-level students. retrieved from http://www.uis.unesco.org/education/pages/international-studentflow-viz.aspx wang, c. m. (2011). instructional design for cross-cultural online collaboration: grouping strategies and assignment design. australasian journal of educational technology, 27, 243-258. retrieved from http://www.ascilite.org.au/ajet/ajet27/wang.html acknowledgements i wish to thank my colleagues, sky marsen phd, university of the south pacific, fiji /victoria university of wellington, new zealand and ionela neagu, phd, petroleumgas university of ploiesti, romania for their participation in this collaboration. http://www.gpejournal.org/ http://federationeil.org/documents/appendixe.pdf https://idiinventory.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/afs_study.pdf https://idiinventory.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/afs_study.pdf http://www.iie.org/en/research-and-publications/open-doors/data/us-study-abroad/student-profile/2001-12 http://www.iie.org/en/research-and-publications/open-doors/data/us-study-abroad/student-profile/2001-12 http://blog.nafsa.org/2013/03/18/why-dont-more-americans-study-in-europe/ http://blog.nafsa.org/2013/03/18/why-dont-more-americans-study-in-europe/ http://www.nafsa.org/explore_international_education/advocacy_and_public_policy/study_abroad/trends_in_u_s__study_abroad/ http://www.nafsa.org/explore_international_education/advocacy_and_public_policy/study_abroad/trends_in_u_s__study_abroad/ http://api.ning.com/files/hrp0hmqajlcheqr5pn32bbawezxs8sg*muizz4yys2m_/annualreport0203.pdf http://api.ning.com/files/hrp0hmqajlcheqr5pn32bbawezxs8sg*muizz4yys2m_/annualreport0203.pdf http://www.gpejournal.org/index.php/gpej/article/viewfile/54/pdf http://www.uis.unesco.org/education/pages/international-student-flow-viz.aspx http://www.uis.unesco.org/education/pages/international-student-flow-viz.aspx http://www.ascilite.org.au/ajet/ajet27/wang.html global partners in education journal june 2015, vol. 5, no. 1, pp. 58-67 http://www.gpejournal.org/ issn 2163-758x 67 about the author cathryn cushner edelstein is a senior scholar-in-residence, communication studies department, emerson college, boston, massachusetts, usa. she earned a b.s. in speech pathology and audiology from boston university and an m.a. in speech communication from new york university. she is the author of the book, excuse me, can you repeat that?: how to communicate in the u.s. as an international student, (2012, five star publications, az) and has presented at conferences on the subjects of intercultural communication and supporting international students in u.s. college classrooms. at emerson college since 2005, professor edelstein has taught intercultural communication, public speaking and professional communication courses for international graduate students. she can be reached at cathryn_edelstein@emerson.edu. http://www.gpejournal.org/ mailto:cathryn_edelstein@emerson.edu the origin of quarantine global partners in education journal – special edition december 2015, vol. 5, no. 2, pp. 24-31 http://www.gpejournal.org/ issn 2163-758x 24 the origin of quarantine wen nie school of history and civilization, shaanxi normal university abstract quarantine, a major breakthrough achieved by human beings in the battle with infectious diseases throughout history, is embedded in health practice and strictly related to plague ever since the 14th century. this term dates back to 1377, when the rector of the seaport of ragusa officially issued a 30-day isolation period for ships and 40 days for land travelers. during the next 100 years, similar laws were introduced in italian and french ports and they gradually assimilated other connotations with respect to their original implementation. through the measures taken by governments from infected regions and nations, we all know that the period for quarantine varies. whereas the original 40 days is not without a basis, instead, it has a strong association with the medical theory of hippocrates, the lenten season of the judeo-christian tradition, and the philosophical month in ancient western alchemy. in the absence of a targeted vaccine and according to medical theory, traditional belief and alchemical practice, quarantine formed the standard system and was relied upon for the 40-day period as one of the most effective general preventive intervention, which influenced people for centuries. keywords: quarantine, hippocrates, lent, philosophical month introduction the ebola virus is a contagious virus with a long history. recently (february 2014), there was an outbreak in west africa which drew close attention from all over the world (rajak, 2015 and who, 2015). the vice president of sierra leone himself was faced with the fate of quarantine because one of his bodyguards was diagnosed with the ebola virus and died days later (bbc news, 2015). this virus illustrates the relationship between man and disease. in the battle with infectious diseases throughout history, human beings have achieved a major breakthrough in four aspects: 1) the establishment of the quarantine system; 2) the discovery of pathogenic microorganisms; 3) the presence of specific medicine; and 4) the emergence of vaccine (zhang, 2003). quarantine, being of utmost significance, is embedded in health practices and is strictly related to the outbreak of the http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition december 2015, vol. 5, no. 2, pp. 24-31 http://www.gpejournal.org/ issn 2163-758x 25 plague, especially the black death which had a huge stimulus on the establishment of a permanent quarantine (schepin, 1991). historical background of quarantine the earliest record of quarantine can be traced back to 532 ad. during the justinian plague period when one hundred million people around the world deceased, the eastern roman emperor justinian decreed that all people from areas contaminated with the plague who were trying to enter the city of constantine, must be cleansed in special localities and then they would be awarded the health certificate (schepin, 1991). as early as 1127 ad, the 40-day period of quarantine appeared in venice in the outline of the first set of legislation about the plague (schepin, 1991). these regulations required businessmen and travelers coming from the levant (the eastern mediterranean region) to stay in the house of st. lazarus for 40 days before they were allowed to enter the city of venice. in 1403, venice established its first quarantine station (i.e., lazaret quarantine station). in quarantine, the sick could get treatment and those from affected areas needed to be isolated for 40 days and in some cases, the quarantine period could be extended. healthy people would be temporarily quarantined for 40 days although if any new cases appeared during the quarantine, there would be an additional 40 days of isolation (schepin, 1991). quarantine measures in preventing infectious disease were obviously a big step forward. these were the first attempts for preventing potential infectious diseases from spreading throughout the world and protecting local people from the infectious diseases carried by foreigners. according to previous research, quarantine was an ideal system because it included regulations, laws, personnel departments and finance supports, and it even had a legal impact (schepin, 1991). during those days, people treated quarantine as the only reliable way to prevent the invasion of infectious disease with great conviction and this sort of belief was continued for hundreds of years. the term quarantine was derived from the italian (quaranta giorni, byrne, 2008) and the development of the thoughts about modern international quarantine originated from the first international sanitary conference (held on july 23th, 1851), which had the purpose of drafting an agreement to protect all human beings from the cholera epidemic which had mounted since the 1830s. although isolation and quarantine are likely the oldest documented measures used to prevent infectious diseases, isolation differs from quarantine. the distinction was made by the cdc (centers for disease control and prevention) and was undoubtedly the most worthy of reference. this explanation was given by this authority which gradually was accepted by more scholars and reveals that isolation “is the measure taken to those who had specific infectious diseases and healthy people, to limit their actions, so as to prevent the spread of disease”; while quarantine inspection “is used for those who are exposed http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition december 2015, vol. 5, no. 2, pp. 24-31 http://www.gpejournal.org/ issn 2163-758x 26 to infection near the original, being vulnerable to infection, separate them and limit their action” (cdc, 2014). however, the concept of quarantine is changing constantly as mentioned in an essay written by gensini (2004). meanwhile, the oxford english dictionary also gives its definition which explains “isolation means the act of separating somebody; quarantine means a period of time when an animal of a person that has or may have a disease is kept away from others in order to prevent the disease from spreading” (hornby, 2010). in sum, although quarantine is of limited value, it still can play a useful public health role in properly circumscribed situations. concerning the origin of the forty-day quarantine period, some scholars feel that it was both related to the forty days of lent which represents a form of spiritual purification and a result of medical observation (kilwein, 1995). some scholars are inclined to regard forty days as a sufficient period for preventing the spread of infectious diseases (gordis, 1995). others believed it was closely related to the idea of “critical days”, an idea deriving from ancient greece that infectious diseases would continue to develop within 40 days (wang, 2013). although scholars referred to some conjectures, they seldom made deeper explanations of any of them. this article would like continue to explain this question in three aspects (i.e., medical theory of hippocrates, lent and ancient western alchemy), and attempts to gain some historical enlightenment from the discussion. quarantine and the medical theory of hippocrates hippocrates was one of the most famous physicians in ancient greece (daintith, 2009). he was born on the island of thasos around 460 bc. hippocrates was said to be born in a medical family with many generations of health practitioners, and the offspring of asclepius, the medical god in greece (novelli, 2011 and castiglioni, 2003). hippocrates preceded plato and aristotle, the two great men of the most notable figures in ancient greece, and out of respect he was regarded as “the great hippocrates”. galen, the most famous physician in ancient rome, treated hippocrates as "the medical sage" (hippocrates, 2007), and the medieval western world revered him as the "father of medicine" (hippocrates, 2007). owing to the efforts and theology made by him and his fellows, western medicine finally became a science and technology (du, 2006). hippocrates had two famous sayings: “cause drowsiness is a harbinger of illness”, “in every house where i come, i will enter only for the good of my patients, keeping myself far from all intentional ill-doing and all seduction.” (quoted from hippocrates oath, castiglioni, 2003). thus, as the founder of western medicine, his interpretation of the diseases and the corresponding measures would no doubt have a significant impact on the behaviors of europeans. fortunately, we could find mounds of evidence which proved the significance of a fortyhttp://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition december 2015, vol. 5, no. 2, pp. 24-31 http://www.gpejournal.org/ issn 2163-758x 27 day period for disease in the hippocratic collection. in one chapter on epidemics, he mentioned that when summer arrives and until the autumn, all kinds of fevers will begin to attack residents in thasos. these fevers were to last long since they were not very serious although they always seemed to affect the weaker to a greater degree than those who did not yet get the disease before (hippocrates, 2007). generally, fen li (分利), which is a term from chinese medicine which uses drugs to make patients perspire significantly in order to improve their health (zhang, 2014 and zhong, 2003), appears on the twentieth day, yet most patients see the improvement on the fortieth day and some on the eightieth day. for example, hippocrates recorded the condition of his patients, one of which was antioch (son of bruce in crito) whose fen li first happened on the fortieth day and then proceeded to get well afterwards (hippocrates, 2007). the great physician also mentioned that encephalitis could cause many residents to die during the period from around winter to the vernal equinox and it affects children and adults equally. what’s more, fen li appeared to some on the eleventh day, relapsed on the fortieth day, totally fen li began on the twelfth day. but, if the situation became worse, then the totally fen li appeared on the fortieth day (hippocrates, 2007). the medical theory of hippocrates dedicates the significance of the roles played by a forty days period in dealing with disease. it appears to be a turning point and situations improve if they will not get worse during the crucial forty days. when we put the status of hippocrates and his effects on medieval society into consideration, it is not so difficult to deduce this conjecture: the vital forty days from the medical theory of hippocrates directly influenced the origin of quarantine. quarantine and the lenten season of judeo-chrisian tradition the lenten season was well-known not only in judeo-christian world, which generally lasts for forty days from ash wednesday (the first day of lent) to easter. lent is a fasting season for christians so that they can be well prepared for the coming confession (strayer, 1986). it derived from a biblical story of when the spirit drove jesus out into the wilderness where he spent forty days and where he was tempted by satan. jesus was with the wild animals and the angles were ministering to him (mark 1:12) jesus endured hunger for the sake of human beings and he lived in the wilderness for forty days resisting the temptation of satan. why did the spirit put jesus in the wild for forty days and not twenty days or eighty days? in my opinions, forty days was a symbol which is significant in the christian world. although christian could not understand the mystery of the forty days, they believed that forty days was symbolic of the time period for rebirth which brought about change and hope. http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition december 2015, vol. 5, no. 2, pp. 24-31 http://www.gpejournal.org/ issn 2163-758x 28 actually, the number forty in common in the bible: • the lord went to destroy human beings then said “i will send rain on the earth for forty days and forty nights, and every living thing that i have made i will blot out from the face of the ground.” (genesis 7:4) • “the lord’s anger was kindled against israel, and he made them wander in the wilderness forty years, until all the generation that had done evil in the sight of the lord was gone.” (numbers 32:13) • “the people of israel again did what was evil in the sight of the lord, so the lord gave them into the hand of the philistines for forty years.” (judges 13:1) • following the will of god, “jonah began to go into the city, going a day’s journey. and he called out, yet forty days, and nineveh shall be overthrown!” (jonah 3:4) • when israel died in egypt, physicians will usually spend forty days to embalm the remains, “joseph commanded his servants the physicians to embalm his father. so the physicians embalmed israel. forty days were required for it, for that is how many are required for embalming.” (genesis 50:2) • when it comes to test someone, forty days or years also play an important part, moses stayed on the top of mount sinai for forty days and forty nights, (exodus 34:28) he tried to make an agreement with the lord for humans sake, “so i (moses) lay prostate before the lord for these forty days and forty nights, because the lord had said he would destroy you.” (deuteronomy 9:25) • “i myself stayed on the mountain, as at the first time, for forty days and forty nights, and the lord listened to me that time also. the lord was unwilling to destroy you.” (deuteronomy 10:10) • what’s more, in hebrews, there was a famous sentence, “your fathers put me to the test and saw my works for forty years.” (hebrews 3:9) all of the references above were quoted from bible and we see in christianity that the lord uses the number forty to destroy or remodel humans. these implications indicates that, in christianity, the lord would like to spend forty days and forty nights to destroy every living thing that he made in the world, and he was also going to punish a nation for forty years until the disappearance of the whole generation for their sins. when a test approaches, forty days or forty years seem to be the cost for survival. without denying of the influence that the bible has on the medieval european society, we have no reason to believe that judeo-christian tradition has no influence on the origin of quarantine. quarantine and the philosophical month in ancient western alchemy http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition december 2015, vol. 5, no. 2, pp. 24-31 http://www.gpejournal.org/ issn 2163-758x 29 western alchemy originated around the first century bc which gradually declined after its peak during the roman empire (hopkins, 1918 and leicester, 1982). however, alchemy was popular everywhere throughout western world in 9th-10th century ad. furthermore, alchemy theory became an essential part of scholasticism when arab countries had transformed it (yang, 2003). during the period of transition, alchemy was always the guiding principle of natural science, which had a direct impact on the emergence of early modern chemistry (legend, 2013). distinguished from alchemy in ancient china, the ancient alchemy discussed here was not aimed at refining elixir but to increase in wealth by turning base metals such as coppers, irons and leads into precious metals. throughout the origin of western and arab alchemy, we found two origins of ancient alchemy: the philosophy of ancient greece (or the natural philosophy) in 6~4 century bc and the ancient technology with astrology in mesopotamia. the real alchemy actually derived from the combination of greek philosophical thoughts and ancient egypt’s chemical technology. (yang, 2003) some crucial ideas determined the alchemist's behavior. they believed that any substance could be converted to each other. as aristotle once believed, everything was made of the original substance and the original material had two groups of contradictory features: cold and warm or dry and wet. the combination of the different original materials formed four basic elements: warm and dry materials produce fire, warm and wet materials produce gas, cold and dry material produce soil, and cold and wet materials produce water. and then the combination of the four elements could produce all things and the great variety of things lies in the different proportion of these four elements (miao, 1991). more importantly, during the process of refining the gold, a period named philosophical month was applied to ensure that there was enough time for the gold to be refined, which was usually forty days. the ancient alchemists believed that the period of forty days was a complete circle for the transformation and generation of the materials. this is similar to the process used by chinese alchemists when they refined elixir, they insisted that fortynine days could be sufficient for producing a fairy medicine. the forty days of the philosophical month for ancient alchemy was common during those centuries in which the forty days quarantine was utilized. conclusion the author argues that the medical theory of hippocrates, the lenten season of judeochristian tradition, and philosophical month in ancient alchemy have a direct impact on the emergence of the forty days quarantine period. although the reason is not always clear, future investigations into this issue are important. besides, those descriptions lead us to another world. when facing a plague, many historians tend to delineate the degree of the terrible disaster, to discuss how much impact the plague had on the whole society http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition december 2015, vol. 5, no. 2, pp. 24-31 http://www.gpejournal.org/ issn 2163-758x 30 and people’s lives, as well as the fear and the eager to escape from it. however, we begin to think about the other side of human’s spirits through this quarantine phenomenon. more specifically, the forty days period evident from medical experiences, biblical records and alchemy practice indicates people then struggling with the plague tenaciously, and extending their strong will to survive. references byrne, j.p. 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(2003). the magic alchemy. harbin: heilongjiang people’s publishing house, 1-8. zhang, da-qing. (2003). a brief history of the world infectious diseases. in a c a demic department of science and technology association,ed., collected papers of academic conference on sars, 9-11. zhang, zhongjing. (2014). guilin classical edition of shang han za bing lun. beijing: academy press, 135. zhong, xiao-lan. (2003). study on clinical application of fen li treatment mechanism of spleen experiment. dissertation for master’s degree. guiyang: guiyang college of traditional chinese medicine. http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal april 2013, vol. 3 no. 1, pp. 22-35 www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 22 online video-based interaction: a learning arrangement for english language learning noureddine mouhadjer tlemcen university, algeria. abstract nowadays, a great deal of research has been produced on the effects of an on-line environment on the language teaching and language learning process, where internet has been quickly and eagerly taken up by educators as both a tool and a medium for foreign language education. the type of teaching delivered in such classrooms is referred to as network-based language teaching (nblt), and the technologies most commonly used as either non-synchronous communication tools (such as e-mails), or synchronous tools (such as web-based videoconferencing, and chats). for that reason, this article takes a collaboration between tlemcen university from algeria and east carolina university from north carolina in usa as a case study to discuss the pedagogical implications of video-based communication, such as videoconferencing which distinguishes itself greatly from the other technologies, on foreign language learning. introduction: videoconference videoconferencing technology is a set of interactive telecommunication technologies which allow two or more locations to see and hear each other at the same time via twoway video and audio transmissions simultaneously. this rich communications technology, called also visual collaboration, offers new possibilities for schools and colleges to connect with guest speakers and experts, multi-school project collaboration, professional activities such as meetings and interviews, and community events. a videoconference system must have audio-visual equipment. this includes: video input (video camera or webcam), video output (computer monitor, television or projector), audio input (microphones), and audio output (usually loudspeakers associated with the display device or telephone). it needs, also, a means of transmitting information between sites (analog or digital telephone network, lan or internet). among the benefits of a visual connection, is that it is an interactive communication medium. it is almost like being there. the visual connection and interaction among participants enhances understanding and helps participants feel connected to each other. it supports collaboration among traditionally isolated institutions and builds relationships in a way that e-mail, telephone, or online chat systems cannot. the excitement of using new technology and interacting with other students or adults global partners in education journal april 2013, vol. 3 no. 1, pp. 22-35 www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 23 increases motivation, as students perceive video guests as important and are more conscious of their appearance and oral communication. videoconferencing makes, then, a face-to-face visit possible, when a live visit is not. by removing the need for students to travel, yet still providing a two-way audio and video link, videoconference is providing educational opportunities for interactions that would not otherwise exist, saving them time and resources. this allows students to have a greater opportunity to form meaningful relationships with others who may be very different from them. they learn, as well, important communication and management skills, e.g., when they see themselves on screen and realize that is how others see them; this may lead to dress change, posture change, and poise change, all for the positive. as mentioned in the abstract, this paper takes as example a telecollaboration between tlemcen university from, algeria and east carolina university from north carolina in usa, in a project called “global understanding”. it is a world-cultures course taught through virtual classroom where internet is used to allow partner countries from africa, asia, europe and the americas to have a direct personal experience through real-time videoconferencing, chat, and emails. the link is guaranteed by at least 256k ip regular internet connectivity, a videoconferencing camera, one internet connected computer with projector, one computer for backchannel communications and coordination, and 8 student computers co-located to classroom for in-class, real-time partner chat. the emphasis of the course is students’ interactions. each faculty is asked to give a 20-25 minute lecture on its own culture and the rest of the time is spent with students interacting with each other. all students are numbered from 1-16. at the very first class students are given an online pre-course survey and a post-survey in the end of the session. for each link students on each side are divided into two groups. group a (1-8) from each country will engage in video group discussion, and group b (9-16) will be in individual chats with their partners. halfway through the course, students from both groups change places. the topics for each discussion day are: family, college and education, cultural traditions, meaning of life, stereotypes and prejudices. if there are more than 5 links, the two teachers can decide which topic to add. pedagogical implications for videoconferencing use face-to-face communication would add a realistic element to the process of classroombased communication. videoconferencing would prepare learners to employ their skills of interaction in real time, which also involves the ability to acquire knowledge about the target culture (byram, 1997). using this technology, students will not only be able to interact and to write to their teachers or virtual classmates, but will also be able to hear and see them as well. yet problems such as the high cost of hardware and software and the poor quality of sound and images have kept the number of language teachers, who have so far experimented with videoconferencing in their classes, very low. more studies should, therefore, add to the isolated reports of videoconferencing that are global partners in education journal april 2013, vol. 3 no. 1, pp. 22-35 www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 24 beginning to appear in the nblt (network-based language teaching) area. it is believed that after identifying what videoconferencing actually involves, the different approaches to implementing the technology in the foreign language classroom will be considered. in our ‘global understanding’ project, videoconferencing leaves the teacher out of the equation completely and enables students to practice their language skills with native speakers from the target language. learners involved in such classes can improve their pronunciation, accuracy and fluency in the target language, like those involved in tandem exchanges, between students of french at monkeaton high school in england and students of efl (english as a foreign language) in a partner school in lille, france, who conversed every week on a one–to–one basis (butler & fawkes, 1999). the students were given access to desktop computers with videoconference capabilities and interacted with a prearranged partner, taking turns to speak in french and english. mcandrew, foubister, and mayes (1996) also engaged their english students of french in one–to–one videoconferences, to co-ordinate and prepare presentations and role-plays which they were going to have to perform together at a later date. in the light of this, we believe that videoconference-based interaction can be particularly beneficial for foreign language learning in the following ways: a) it supports a combination of interaction and reflection; b) it brings about more equal levels of participation between learners; c) it provides an authentic environment for learners; d) it facilitates the collaborative construction of knowledge; and e) it facilitates intercultural contact (belz, 2001; crystal, 2001; warschauer & kern, 2000). these characteristics will be discussed to show how they may contribute to the development of efl communicative competence. we will take our ‘global understanding’ project as an example to illustrate how our online conversations generate enough opportunities for our students to produce appropriate language. interaction and reflection advances in technology are constantly weakening any theoretical distinction between distance and face-to-face education, where learning is enhanced by the application of technologies and associated teaching and learning strategies. they consider videoconferencing as one technology that has considerable potential for education and training, and is portrayed as equivalent to face-to-face in effectiveness. mcloughlin (1995), for example, believes that the medium helps to enhance students’ sense of involvement, promote dialogue and interaction and foster collaboration between students in remote locations, where (70%) of students in her study regarded the opportunity to interact important and perceived the medium to be interactive. fulford and zhang (1993), too, think that interaction is a vital component for effective learning, i.e., when students have the opportunity to interact with one another and their instructors about the content, they have the opportunity to build within themselves and global partners in education journal april 2013, vol. 3 no. 1, pp. 22-35 www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 25 to communicate a shared meaning to ‘make sense’ of what they are learning. some of this can be portrayed in the following chunks of speech, exchanged between our students (referred to as tua: tlemcen university of algeria) and american students (referred to as ecu: east carolina university) students. 1tua#3: ok ecu#3, are you still practicing basketball? ecu#3: …ehhh, i like to play with my friends 2tua#2: what about your hobbies? ecu#2: ehhh… i want to read …and ..eh.. what else i want to do … i want to do laundry, i love laundry hehehehe 3tua#1: so what are the activities you practice outside, outside your lectures? …and you didn’t tell me what you study ecu#1: ok … i study geology …and geology is the study of rocks and minerals on the earth 4ecu#13 : alright. …how do you like the dorms? tua#13: ehh…isn’t good because you are far from your family … i miss my family 5tua#8: do you miss your family? ecu#8: i do, but at the same time i like to get away of them a little while 6tua#12: ((family)) what does it mean to you? ecu#5: family to me is that comfort zone 7tua#8: ok wes, what are your ambitions? ecu#8: as right now, complete college, get my education first and then work toward my future 8tua#12: how did you find the experience with us? … was it useful for you? ecu#13: yes global partners in education journal april 2013, vol. 3 no. 1, pp. 22-35 www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 26 … the experience was very useful for all of us i think 9tua#3: how do you consider the notion of family in the american society? ecu#3: yes my mum, my sister, me and my dog 10ecu#1: do you listen to any music from the united states? …and if so who do you listen to? tua#6: yes of course, we know american music through tv all the above examples fit into the question/answer category exchange. most of the time these questions were asked to try out different subjects during conversation to discover what topic their partners feel comfortable discussing (searle, 1969). the answers, on the other hand, give more information as clues to what the interlocutor might want talking about. videoconferencing, therefore, allows learners to interact with others and reflect on this interaction at their own pace and in real time, moving then from lower cognitive levels of learning, such as recognition and comprehension, to the higher levels of analysis, synthesis and evaluation (moore, 1993). it has an important contribution to the style and quality of learning which takes place on-line, where each one can learn from contributions of others and thereby is engaged in an interactional scaffold (peyton, 1999). the students’ reflections on their own on-line interactions help to focus students’ performances and to make learners more aware of what was required of them (feldman, konold, coulter, conroy, hutchison, & london, 2000). equal levels of participation videoconferencing brings about more equal levels of participation between learners than would normally a face-to-face interaction do, with respect to shy and outgoing students, high and low level status groups, and male and female participation (sproull & kiesler, 1991; warschauer, 1996), e.g., students who are shy or who are not confident in using the target language with native speakers are likely to contribute more to on-line intercultural exchanges than in face-to-face scenarios. the social dimension is reduced (coverdale-jones, 1998) compared to face-to-face interaction, i.e., groups from different cultures in an online contact will interact on a more ‘equal footing’ than they might in a face-to-face situation, thereby increasing the potential for an intense and honest process of interaction in which neither group is dominated by the other. likewise, salmon (2000) suggests that thanks to the egalitarian nature of online communication “existing hierarchies and relationships can change and even fade” (p. 19). she means that participants can interact together in ways which they would not want to, or would not be able to, if they were in a face-to-face environment. through online conversation, opportunities for ‘pushed output’ to acquire language are maximized with more equal participation than with face to face communication. by global partners in education journal april 2013, vol. 3 no. 1, pp. 22-35 www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 27 ‘pushed output’ swain (1985, 1995) denotes pushing learners to produce output that is precise, coherent and appropriate that can induce learners to engage in the kind of bottom-up processing necessary for extending inter-language grammar. there are potentially many ways of ‘pushing’ learners to produce such output but here we will be concerned with just one – the use of referential questions which require our students to provide information, give an opinion, explain or clarify. this will be illustrated in the following examples: 1)tua#4: about your question about the activities outside the class organized by our college … well it depends on the purpose and colleges … eh but as i know, our university organize eh… concerning sport something eh 2) ecu#4: what..in college what’s your grading scheme like? … what do you have to get to give like an a … what’s the grading like in your college? tua#1: we have marks …from 0 to 20, so if you get 15, it’s the best mark ... 15, 16, 17 it’s the best 3) ecu#5: you have to graduate high school, with a diploma or a certificate … and then you have to take a test called the sat ( … what about you?) tua#8: well in order to go to the college you must first have your baccalaureate exam … and it’s the key to allow you to enter to the university 4) tua#1: so i’m going to answer your question … well it exists but very secretly and discretely … and for me i think that it’s an unnatural relationship … i find it weird and bizarre in these examples we can see that the questions were nearly all opinion questions. they may have multiple answers, and require a higher level of thinking from our students. opinion questions are open-ended questions that are ideal for developing global partners in education journal april 2013, vol. 3 no. 1, pp. 22-35 www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 28 skills such as inferring, predicting, verifying and summarizing, as well as eliciting more language. if we look at our students’ performance we can notice that their attempts at target language production will help in the acquisition of new syntactic structures that they struggled to come up with. authentic input if there is no input, learning will never occur. when it comes to the learning of pragmatics, it becomes even more critical. as kasper and schmidt (1996) suggest, by definition pragmatic knowledge is particularly sensitive to the sociocultural features of a context. in foreign language learning contexts, learning occurs almost exclusively in classrooms where many teachers share the same l1 and cultural background as their students, and where only a limited range of social interactions is provided. in an online classroom, on the other hand, learners are exposed to sufficient and adequate input, e.g., more complex discourse organizations, more openings/closings, routines more complex than the typical irf (initiation, response, feedback) routine, and more discourse and politeness markers (lörscher, 1986; lörscher and schulze, 1988). through the examples provided by our online video-based conversations recordings we can see how these types of interactions provide a native-like speaking context. this can be done by looking briefly at the generated conversations and some of the features that contribute to their cohesion. cohesion helps us to make the difference between just a collection of utterances that do not relate to each other and a discourse that presents unity among the different chunk. according to halliday and hasan’s (1976) classification of cohesive devices, there are grammatical cohesive devices and lexical ones. grammatical cohesion is brought about by the use of grammatical techniques or processes such as reference, substitution, and ellipsis (moon, 1998). lexical cohesion, on the other hand, is achieved by the use of repetition, synonyms and lexical chains of topically related items. as examples of ellipsis, the following chunks will show how these are achieved. what is between brackets represents the missing part: 1-ecu#4: yeah, do you have pizza men? … do you guys? (do you have pizza men) 2-tua#8: i’m the partner of hopkins wes ... do you hear me ? ecu#8: yes i do (hear you) 3-tua#8: why you don’t like the dorms? ecu#8: eh,em not enough privacy, ehh not very nice, not very big so i’m struggling to get my own place (i don’t like the dorms because) global partners in education journal april 2013, vol. 3 no. 1, pp. 22-35 www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 29 4-tua#8: …do you miss your family? ecu#8: i do, but at the same time i like to get away of them a little while. (miss my family) 5-ecu#9: do you? (drink alcohol) tua#9: no, no it’s forbidden …it’s forbidden in our religion ecu#9: do you drink alcohol? 6-tua#14: no it is free, it’s free of charge ecu#14: ok … not here (it’s not free) 7-ecu#5: yes those are the sports we do have … we also have social organizations for students, as well tua#4: yes we do have things like that (‘things’ is a substitution for social organizations) from these examples, we can see that ellipsis (omission of elements altogether) and substitution (swapping elements) are used to have the effect that talk is jointly constructed through the successive borrowings from, and additions to, other speakers’ previous utterances. it shows that speakers start to know each other quite well and do not need to say every word specifically, i.e., ellipsis is used to create such a close atmosphere. this is the case among friends who have shared meanings and references and it hardly ever happens that the omission of certain elements confuses them. studies indicate, as in the case of length of residence in the target community, the length of participation in online links is positively correlated with level of achievement in various areas of pragmatic ability, e.g., conversational routines for pragmatic fluency, acceptance of l2-specific request strategies, decreased verbosity through the use of fewer external modifications, appropriate mapping of speech acts to speech events, and interpretation of conversational implicatures (blum-kulka & olshtain, 1986; bouton, 1992; house, 1996; olshtain & blum-kulka, 1985). online settings, then, provide both quantitatively and qualitatively richer input than non-online foreign language learning settings, and learners tend to show gradual convergence to ns pragmatic behavior as their length of participation in online links increases. furthermore, educators have begun to recognize the potential of exploiting this characteristic of the video-based links even further. they believe that engaging learners in online discussions with an authentic audience will allow them to express their own global partners in education journal april 2013, vol. 3 no. 1, pp. 22-35 www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 30 beliefs and opinions and present their own personal representations of their lives and home cultures. therefore, engaging learners in communication with a real audience about topics which are of relevance to their own lives and cultures holds potentials for intercultural learning, i.e., if learners know that their contributions to the interaction will be taken seriously by an authentic audience, then they may reflect more about themselves and their own culture and how they wish to see this presented to the outside world. in this context christian (1997) posits that: there is something compelling for students to be connected to other young people in different locations. part of it is …a desire to explain themselves, to make a statement about who they are as they discover themselves. (p. 63) collaborative construction of knowledge the online generated interaction is seen as leading to the collaborative construction of meanings and events, by engaging participants in an interactive process which leads to the collaborative construction of knowledge rather than the traditional transfer of information from one to the other. the online discourse can be seen as being highly suited to sociocultural approaches to language learning, as it brings learners to develop an understanding of culture through interaction and collaboration with others rather than simply through the transmission of facts figures about the target language culture by their instructor. van lier (1996) calls for a move away from the teacher controlled irf format of classroom interaction and instead for educators to focus more on a type of classroom interaction which he refers to as transformation. the word comes from the vygotskian belief that higher psychological functions are internalized from social interaction, and transformation refers to educationally transforming interaction whose content is determined by the learners themselves or is produced in response to the contributions of others. christian (1997) looked at the different types of interaction which occur in online learning environments and tried to identify which are the most suited to developing collaborative learning. he suggests that the value of such interaction happening in an online environment is that students are given an opportunity to discuss their lives and their views with distant partners who will not be so quick to judge and criticize them as their normal classmates might be which is not the case in normal face-to-face discussions. more important is that the generated interactions are co-constructed by both sides, native and nonnative as well. the nonnative learners, faced with their linguistic limitations when venturing new topics, collaboratively with their native partners build up their language through very special instances of help and conversation scaffolding. through the following examples, we will see evidence of the assistance our learners receive through collaboration or interaction with their english speaking partners. global partners in education journal april 2013, vol. 3 no. 1, pp. 22-35 www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 31 we will use the assistance steps listed in table 1, developed by ohta (2006), to see if the american students were able to assess their algerian partners’ needs, find appropriate assistance, and adjust the source of help if needed. table 1 assistance steps (adapted from ohta, 2006, p. 159) other-management assess helper assesses learner needs tailor helper provides developmentally appropriate assistance adjust helper adjusts assistance in response to learner needs withdraw helper provides less assistance as learner skill grows ecu#3 : what shall i say, …ehh. (assess) ecu#3: = what do you like to do for fun? (tailor) tua#3: this is just ( ) … kayla ...do you hear me? * : yeah tua#3: what do you suggest? ecu#3: … what did she say? … what do you like to do for fun tua#3: = yes, what d..do you suggest ecu#3: like..eh…[ reading, or sport] (adjust) ecu#3’s question, what do you like to do for fun?, was tailored and came after erring about what to say, as a sign of a phase of assessment of what type of question that might help her partner. she, then, ended up with an adjustment that includes some examples. ecu#3 was obliged to illustrate with examples, as contextual clues, to help her partner deduce the intended meaning. ecu#1: ok my question is, what is the popular major at your college? (assess) (tailor) … and why do you think it’s popular? tua#1: popular major? global partners in education journal april 2013, vol. 3 no. 1, pp. 22-35 www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 32 ecu#1: or what’s the course study that a lot of college kids like to study? (adjust) ecu#1’s question was tailored and then adjusted after bumping up with her partner’s linguistic limitations. her adjustment was in the form of a definition of the word major. ecu#1 was even obliged to carry on another adjustment by providing examples: tua#1: can you just specify a little …because we are specialized in studying english as a foreign language ecu#1: in college do most students study like biology or science, some study like history or business …what do most kids study? (re-adjust) intercultural contact culture learning is much more than the collection of information about the high arts, history and institutions of another country, but it is based on a definition of culture which is much more holistic and complex than that. learners, through videoconference, are engaged in awareness raising activities which will help to develop a more anthropological definition of culture and are encouraged to look beyond a cultural products and practices and look more at the significance which they hold for members of that culture, i.e., learners can develop their critical cultural awareness and look for the values and beliefs which underlie the facts and behavior which they learn about the other culture. this may help in avoiding instances of ‘culture clash’ as they significantly influence the outcomes of this exchange and the students’ attitudes to the target culture. one example of this is the following chunk from our online conversations, where religion was questioned. though a very critical issue, they could bring it to the table and ask about it. tua#8: how do you consider the american muslims and how do you accept them? ecu#13: yeah! i honestly think that there are many people who really, emmm for me personally seeing an american muslim is just like seeing an american jew or an american christian. that’s just their faith and it doesn’t even really come up as a problem. talking about each other’s religion and learning how to accept each other’s differences is very crucial for socio-cultural competence development. people are very supportive of global partners in education journal april 2013, vol. 3 no. 1, pp. 22-35 www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 33 their convictions and faiths, so any critical remark may close down any discussion, no matter how linguistically fluent is the interlocutor. conclusion efl learners in a network-based language learning environment, to a great extent, pick up not only language and linguistic skills but also cultural awareness. for this reason, it is important that both teachers and learners are made more aware of what online intercultural encounters involve. this can be done, first of all, by providing teachers with workshops which will sensitize them and raise their awareness of what network-based intercultural learning involves and what kind of language environment it affords. through these workshops they will be trained not only in how to find partners, but also in the other aspects of telecollaboration. students, too, have to be taught how to engage in online telecollaboration by being exposed to training materials which focus on the skills of cross-cultural research and collaboration. references belz, j. a. 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(2000). network-based language teaching: concepts and practice. cambridge, england: cambridge university press. about the author noureddine mouhadjer, a ph.d. in applied linguistics, heads the global virtual classroom project collaboration between ecu university in usa and tlemcen university in algeria. dr. mouhadjer is a lecturer of linguistics and teaches linguistics at the department of foreign languages, faculty of letters and languages, tlemcen university in algeria and his primary research interest pertains to communication technologies in linguistics. during his stint as a humphrey fellow from 2007-2008, dr. mouhadjer earned a certificate of achievement in technology and education and a certificate of achievement in the leadership series among others from penn state college, as well as a certificate in civic education from maxwell school of education in syracuse, during his fellowship in ny in fall 2011. his previous experience in civic engagement was when he served as a volunteer ambassador for international understanding and global education. he can be reached at teflist@yahoo.com. mailto:teflist@yahoo.com global partners in education journal june 2015, vol. 5, no. 1, pp. 15-26 http://www.gpejournal.org/ issn 2163-758x 15 in the classroom and beyond: expanding international experience past regular mobility chris dolan lebanon valley college, usa abstract this essay uses a case study approach in detailing programmatic changes recently made to the lebanon valley college (lvc) international studies program. we believe our newly revised program (renamed global studies) is innovative given its integration with efforts to internationalize the campus and focus on high impact learning experiences, namely study abroad, collaborative undergraduate research, internship opportunities, communityengaged learning, and a global independent research experience. the program might serve as a model for other colleges and universities that value graduating world-ready students and internationalizing their campuses. the overall goal of this study is to highlight the inclusion of deeper learning experiences and stronger alignment with college-wide international goals. introduction colleges and universities struggle to keep up with trends in international education and new ways of approaching internationalization. lebanon valley college (lvc) recently approved the conversion of its international studies program into global studies as part of an effort to modernize the major and minor and expand high impact learning opportunities for students. the international studies program required students to complete a study abroad experience, participate in collaborative undergraduate research or an internship, take advanced-level language, and choose a general thematic concentration in either international economics/politics or global society/culture. however, assessments indicated there were better ways of connecting the classroom with a wider array of learning experiences that take place well beyond it and to more effectively link the program to new college-wide strategic goals of internationalizing the campus and graduating world-ready students. assessment reports of the original program revealed that improvements could be made to benefit student learning experiences. first, given that the college was advancing a new vision statement and strategic plan emphasizing the development of skills necessary to compete and contribute in the world with more globalized curricular and co-curricular experiences, recruitment of international students, more high impacting programs, and stronger global career development options, we sought to realign the program with broader campus internationalization goals. second, given the presence of two distinct concentrations (politics/economic and culture), majors and minors were not being exposed to all content areas in the program. for example, students in international http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal june 2015, vol. 5, no. 1, pp. 15-26 http://www.gpejournal.org/ issn 2163-758x 16 economics/politics were not being adequately exposed to global socio-cultural issues, concepts, and theories and students in global society/culture were not being exposed to economics, trade and finance, or global politics and international relations theory. in other words, the two concentrations were resulting in a degree of specialization that was counterproductive to the interdisciplinary nature of the major. third, beyond the study abroad requirement, assessments demonstrated there were not enough high impact experiences available for majors. the previous program only provided one of two options for students: collaborative undergraduate research and internships. fourth, students were also not developing adequate information literacy skills since the previous program did not require the students to complete a course in research methods, since the research methods course in the previous program was optional for majors. as a result, students were not being exposed to the full range of methods appropriate for conducting research in the discipline. we responded to the call for a more international campus by aligning the program with new strategic global priorities of the college and the need to address curricular weaknesses by eliminating the two general concentrations, changing the program name from “international studies” to “global studies,” including more high impact experiences, and integrating classroom with more beyond the classroom experiences. every major must now take courses in global politics, economics, and intercultural cultural diversity, inquiry-based research methods, select three beyond the classroom experiences, and complete a community-engaged learning project in addition to pursuing study abroad and foreign language and are expected to play an integral part in furthering campus internationalization initiatives. the overall intention is for students to engage in a more unified intellectual experience with the potential to learn together as a cohesive global learning community from convocation to commencement and beyond. campus internationalization developing strong global programming is central to the identity of any institution that values inclusion, intercultural awareness, and preparing world-ready students (crichton & scarino, 2007; deardorff, 2006; stier, 2006). most colleges will enhance study abroad opportunities, foreign language study, and design globally-themed courses in major and general education programs (dolan, 2011). however, revisions made to the lvc global studies program sought to do much more by serving as a vehicle for internationalizing the campus and expanding student learning beyond the classroom. internationalization of the lvc campus was recently made a top priority in the lvc 20142015 strategic planning process. the college envisions our graduates acquiring competencies, experiences, and skills to compete and thrive on a global scale premised on commitments to diversity-initiatives, enrollment of international students, study abroad, and other high impact opportunities. global studies is central to these goals given that students in the program help recruit and retain international students, cultivate broader student interest in study abroad, engage in both curricular and co-curricular experiences, seek out internships which emphasize global-local connections, and participate in community-engaged learning experiences. http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal june 2015, vol. 5, no. 1, pp. 15-26 http://www.gpejournal.org/ issn 2163-758x 17 global studies students are very active in internationalizing all aspects of the lvc campus, especially helping to attract and retain international students. following the transformation of international studies into global studies, an informal "global ambassadors" initiative was formed that allows majors to work with the enrollment office to host international students visiting the campus. students interact with potential international students by explaining and answering questions about college academic programs, student activities, residential life, and career opportunities (hanover research, 2010). the global studies program also partnered with the center for global education, an administrative office at the nexus of academic affairs and student life that coordinates study abroad programs and lvc's international students, for outreach to students from both the u.s. and abroad. as "global ambassadors," majors work closely with the offices of global education, multicultural affairs, enrollment, and residential life to coordinate student life programming for both u.s. and international students. students participate in mentorship initiatives to address culture shock and other challenges in adapting to campuses and establishing friendships. the most significant challenges include mentoring new students adjusting to different classroom behaviors, new educational technology, study skills, the general education program, and understanding relationships with professors. global studies students, along with students from other majors, understand that students from abroad who interact and form friendships will better adjust to lvc and their new environment. however, students often encounter ignorance, cultural intolerance, negative attitudes, and a relative lack of sensitivity on campus. on the whole, global studies students help retain international and u.s. students building and maintaining a friendly and open campus by living and dining together, providing english language support, and writing and tutoring services. to further advance campus internationalization, global studies students created a global education club led by student officers. the club works to facilitate collaboration and support for both u.s. and international students with academic counseling, peer mentoring, cross-cultural workshops, intercultural celebrations, global food and coffee series, student research and study abroad presentations, and international films. the global studies majors, the center for global education, and the global education club work in a collaborative fashion to acclimate students, advance cross-cultural communication, develop and sustain friendships and a general sense of belonging, engage in community service activities and events, and promote global learning. global studies within and beyond the classroom the global studies program is organized with the department of history, politics, and global studies and is coordinated by one faculty director who is responsible for advising 28 majors and 4 minors (as of spring 2015). faculty from sociology, foreign languages, economics, and politics teach related courses in the program. the global studies curriculum exposes students to core learning principles and ideas while challenging them to meet and fulfill interdisciplinary goals. research demonstrates the effectiveness of http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal june 2015, vol. 5, no. 1, pp. 15-26 http://www.gpejournal.org/ issn 2163-758x 18 international and global studies programs in promoting global awareness and intercultural knowledge among students (abdullahi, kajberg, & virkus, 2007; braskamp & engberg, 2011; breuning & ishiyama, 2004; brown, pegg, & shively, 2006; gacel-ávila, 2007, 2009; hovland, 2005; johnston & edelstein, 1993; qiang, 2003). in particular, sperandio, grudzinski-hall, & stewart-gambina (2010) emphasize that true global learning takes place well beyond the conventional classroom. in essence, students learn best when linking new experiences with course-based concepts. globalized education, especially study abroad, challenges students to contend with perspectives outside of their own personal experiences and hopefully engage in ethical transformation (hovland, 2010). the conversion of international studies into global studies was premised on the broader intention of transforming the major into one now emphasizing global interactions, globallocal connections, and high impact learning opportunities in addition to the completion of coursework in political science, sociology, economics and foreign language. in doing so, it seeks to ground students’ development of core learning competencies on political, socio-cultural, and economic content while retaining a revised area of skills-based courses emphasizing communications, research, service, diversity, and integration. although assessment data revealed weaknesses in writing competencies, these were addressed by requiring all majors to enroll in experiential and collaborative learning opportunities and research methods as well as by converting the capstone seminar into an integrated research experience requiring majors to complete a career portfolio. while teaching and assessment instruments exist that can promote and measure change in one’s understanding of and tolerance for different cultures, global studies students would now be exposed to cultural diversity in the form of community-engaged learning, study abroad, and internships to develop essential learning outcomes in the areas of ethical reasoning and intercultural knowledge. student success in the program depends on embracing the interdisciplinary nature of the courses in sociology, politics, and economics, completion of six credits of foreign language at the 300-level, study abroad, and completion of three high impact experiences (9 credits) and the senior seminar in global studies. the revised foundational course for majors and minors is “magnitudes and dimensions of globalization,” which introduces students to the broad topic of globalization and its consequences as well as to the connections and interactions among individuals, organizations, and governments throughout the world. in the course, students are challenged to identify who has precisely what at stake in a globalizing world, the particular definitions or projects of globalization, and who loses. put simply, since globalization implies inequality, students must be challenged to consider viewpoints from a multitude of positions and discern the impact of globalization on people, governments, and economic systems. students analyze globalization with short writing assignments on the operations of global corporations, the impact of non-u.s. made products and services in their daily lives, intercultural diversity on campus, and news articles from global news sources. http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal june 2015, vol. 5, no. 1, pp. 15-26 http://www.gpejournal.org/ issn 2163-758x 19 in addition to these short writing assignments, global studies majors and minors must complete a community-engaged learning project.1 the project challenges students to make connections among global concepts learned in the course with issues, challenges, and problems impacting the local community and immediate region. the communityengaged project requires that majors develop working relationships with social advocacy and civil society groups in the community. these include non-profit agencies working to address sexual assault and gender discrimination, poverty, education, health protections for women and children, energy and the environment, and immigration and refugees. as the students participate with a local agency, they must document their experiences and complete a reflective paper explaining the roles and responsibilities of the agency or organization they worked with, social, economic, and political conditions in the community, and personal experiences in working with the population served by the organization. students are required to make connections and establish linkages between their experience and global concepts highlighted in the globalization course. the overall goal is for students to develop and sharpen their communications skills, understand the importance of global learning, and engage in service in the local community. the incorporation of community-engaged learning into the foundational course expands the importance of connecting global concepts and events with local action and enhances the practice of service in the curriculum. the community-engaged learning project challenges students to assess their own ethical values and the social context of problems, recognize ethical issues in a variety of settings, think about how different ethical perspectives might be applied to social dilemmas and consider the ramifications of alternative actions. following the conclusion of the foundational course on globalization, all majors are required to complete introductory and advanced level courses in economics, sociology, and politics. students must complete nine credits in economics, including microeconomics, macroeconomics, and international finance or trade. in sociology, students complete the introductory-level course and a course in diversity and intercultural communication. then, majors must complete six credits of politics, which includes conceptions of global power (international relations theory) and one course from the following: europe in the 20th century; comparative politics; human rights and international law; american foreign policy; contemporary global security; global politics of wealth and poverty; or special topics in global politics. majors must also complete six credits of foreign language at the conversational level (300-level) or above. furthermore, to enhance their information literacy skills, majors must complete a research methods course, in which they collect primary and secondary source material, differentiate peer-reviewed academic journals and texts from non-peer reviewed works, and understand the importance of inferential and descriptive statistical analysis and case study, archival, historical, ethnographic, and survey research. the course devotes several weeks to crafting rigorous literature reviews, collecting empirical data, and identifying legitimate and appropriate information. students are expected to produce research 1 students who declare the global studies major or minor after completing the foundational course are required to complete a community-based project in another required course for the major. http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal june 2015, vol. 5, no. 1, pp. 15-26 http://www.gpejournal.org/ issn 2163-758x 20 manuscripts that could be presented at an academic conference/professional meeting in the discipline or submitted for consideration of publication to undergraduate academic journals. every global studies major must also complete at least one study abroad experience offered by the campus study abroad office or in a program offered by another institution. this must be a full semester of study abroad or an approved alternative program, such as full semester-exchange programs, mini-terms (4 to 8 weeks), shortterm (4 weeks), or summer programs that may or may not be led by a member of the faculty. courses taken in off-campus programs can be accepted for credit to the global studies major, although approval for such credit is contingent on transfer equivalencies. in addition to study abroad, global studies majors must complete nine credits of so-called “global experiences.” these include a global independent research experience, collaborative undergraduate research, internships, european union simulation, and an honors thesis. the first is global independent research experience, in which global studies majors receive academic credit for initiating and completing an independent research project while studying abroad for at least one full semester. the student must draft a research proposal that includes the topic, outline, and tentative bibliography. the topic can be aligned with the study abroad experience, inspired by previous research, or consistent with the research interests of an lvc faculty member. successful completion of the project depends on communication between the student studying abroad and the faculty-supervisor. the idea for this option was inspired by brown university’s global independent study project, a unique program that provides undergraduate students the opportunity to conduct independent research under the supervision of a faculty mentor.2 the global independent research experience should facilitate the continuation of the student’s research after returning to lvc. however, this is a unique and different experience that demands a considerable degree of self-discipline and scholarly commitment on the part of the student. the experience combines study abroad with autonomous research by challenging students to conduct research and promote interactions with scholars through immersion in research opportunities in the actual environment. the overall goal for students is to learn concepts, theories, methods, data, and academic writing appropriate to the research goals of the major. the experience will also give students the opportunity to strengthen their information literacy and communication skills, improve global learning abilities, and develop a sense of awareness and competence of another culture. this will provide students a unique opportunity to advance their career prospects, develop an interest in graduate school, and build their cross-cultural skills beyond the classroom (see kuh, 2008). students can complete three credits of collaborative undergraduate research with the prerequisites of sophomore standing or above or permission of the instructor. students collaborate with faculty on actual research projects, learning the particular topic in the 2 brown university’s global independent study project can be found at: http://www.brown.edu/academics/college/special-programs/international-study/programs/global-independent-studyglisp http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal june 2015, vol. 5, no. 1, pp. 15-26 http://www.gpejournal.org/ issn 2163-758x 21 global studies discipline, understanding the social science research process, and making an original contribution toward the scholarly understanding of the subject. collaborative undergraduate research requires that global studies majors work closely with at least one member of the faculty. majors register for one credit each semester until they meet the three credit requirement and meet as a group with the professor over the course of the entire semester based on a regular, mutually-agreed upon schedule. the one credit of collaborative undergraduate research is separate and not attached to another course. in other words, it functions and operates as its own unique course. research projects provide an intensive experience for the student that complements, enhances, and even surpasses the traditional classroom since the experience normally involves presentation of research at an academic conference in the discipline. students are considered the primary collaborator-learners with faculty member as collaborator-advisors. the collaborative undergraduate research experience challenges students to conduct original research on the cutting edge of knowledge and promote interactions with scholars through an immersion in a collaborative research environment. as participants, students learn critical reasoning, research methods, theoretical principles related to the research area, and scholarly communication. the faculty and student collaborators are expected to produce a manuscript that could be presented at an academic conference/professional meeting or submitted for consideration of publication to an academic journal. students seeking less research intensive experiences can take three internship credits and be placed in a government agency, non-governmental organization, non-profit, or corporation. most students who pursue the internship experience do so at regional organizations, such as the world affairs council where they work in various capacities in organizing global education, corporate, foreign direct investment, community outreach, or public service programs. other regional internship opportunities exist at community resource centers, women’s and children’s health facilities, poverty relief, domestic violence intervention, and refugee and immigrant organizations. furthermore, students have the opportunity to seek out global internship opportunities while in a full semester study abroad experience. for example, the college’s study abroad programs in shanghai and valladolid, spain include internship placements for students. successful completion of any internship is contingent upon the student writing a reflective paper detailing the experience and linking it to major global concepts and ideas emphasized in the global studies program. another option allows students to participate in the popular european union simulation course, which offers students an enriching, hands-on, interdisciplinary exploration of the dynamic processes of policy formation in the core institutions of the european union. taught by faculty members from the politics department, the course prepares students for participation in the simulation held every november in washington d.c., organized by the mid-atlantic european union simulation consortium (meusc). this experiential learning program connects students, majoring mainly in politics and global studies, to eu policy makers and policy making in a unique way, utilizing the simulation experience to bridge the gap between the academic study of the e.u. and the actual political processes of e.u. decision-making bodies. as active simulation participants playing the http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal june 2015, vol. 5, no. 1, pp. 15-26 http://www.gpejournal.org/ issn 2163-758x 22 roles of ministers in a select e.u. member-state, students are engaged in relevant and topical discussions and debates in e.u. decision-making circles with a different and distinct theme every year. the global studies program culminates in an interdisciplinary capstone experience (synthesizing the global experience) based on the broader and more comprehensive learning goal of integration. the focus of the entire course is on the preparation and oral presentation of a professional portfolio project integrating student course work with study abroad and learning experiences beyond the classroom. the portfolio is designed to help students searching for career opportunities, graduate school applications, applications for scholarships or awards, and interviews for positions on committees and boards. in their portfolio projects, students must include items relevant to their specific career and vocational interests, namely a resume or curriculum vitae (for students interested in graduate school), professional statement of interests, and letters of recommendation. the portfolio provides students with the opportunity to represent and highlight their work on campus internationalization, internships, research and communications skills, foreign language abilities, intercultural knowledge, course assignments, presentations at professional conferences, study abroad, and community service. at the end of the semester, students present their completed portfolios targeted at potential employers or graduate schools. programmatic transformation there are significant downsides to creating and sustaining global programs focusing exclusively on the classroom. first, it tends to reinforce descriptive and passive learning, undervalues the importance of skills-based learning, and discourages students from making global-local connections and conceptual-practical linkages (khondker 2004; roudometof 2005). second, an exclusive focus on classroom-based experiences could lead students to learning in terms of box checking a sequence of courses. third, a mostly classroom-based program diminishes the value of requiring students to engage in local and regional communities in the form of community-engaged experiences (guarasci 1997). the mission of the lebanon valley college global studies program challenges students to synthesize research in contemporary global politics, economics, and society with study abroad, language, and collaborative undergraduate research, internships, communityengaged learning, and global independent research experience. learning outcomes now include:  integration: synthesizing concepts from courses with experiences and skills developed beyond the classroom.  objective: in the capstone research experience, students will integrate material from courses with experiences in study abroad and beyond the classroom in a major research paper.  global learning: engaging with global institutions, processes, and systems by culturally engaging with others to become aware of difference and inclusion. http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal june 2015, vol. 5, no. 1, pp. 15-26 http://www.gpejournal.org/ issn 2163-758x 23  objective: in study abroad, beyond the classroom experiences, and in courses, students will be exposed to political, social, and economic ideas and issues, which shape our world today.  communication: developing and expressing ideas in writing and delivering purposeful oral presentation to increase global knowledge and foster an understanding of the world.  objective: in introductory and writing-intensive courses, students will develop writing skills in global research papers and articulate ideas in oral presentations and lead discussions.  critical thinking: analyzing academic texts, reading unfamiliar information, and critically linking concepts with global issues and controversies.  objective: students will analyze and critically evaluate global ideas and points of view and recognize the difference between logical argumentation and non-sense.  information literacy: knowing when there is a need for appropriate information and identifying, evaluating, and responsibly sharing that information to address global problems.  objective: in writing intensive courses affiliated with the program, research methods, the senior capstone, and in collaborative undergraduate research, students will develop inquiry skills to address research questions, review literature, build theory, explain data, and suggest new courses of action.3 under this configuration, students are challenged to recognize global-local connections and to develop skills for careers in global education, non-governmental organizations, inter-governmental organizations, global corporations, governments, academia and law, journalism, and social advocacy, and graduate and law school programs. our intention is to deliver on these desired learning outcomes. in the classroom, students have successfully completed research projects on human rights, female genital mutilation, digital technology, poverty, and international and comparative education issues. beyond the classroom, students have engaged in internships while on study abroad and at the world affairs council, domestic violence and women’s health organizations, state government, and international trade and financial investment institutions. they have also completed community-engagement and service learning experiences through churches, environmental groups, poverty relief organizations, and sexual assault agencies. our recent graduates are now employed at non-profit organizations dedicated to social advocacy as well as colleges and universities in the areas of international student recruitment and admissions as well as international student coordination. students have also enrolled in graduate school programs with funded assistantships in international and comparative higher education, global studies, and international affairs and international law school programs. one recent graduate was 3 revised learning and objectives were adapted from value rubrics developed by the association of american colleges and universities (aac&u): http://www.aacu.org/value/rubrics/ http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal june 2015, vol. 5, no. 1, pp. 15-26 http://www.gpejournal.org/ issn 2163-758x 24 employed with a non-governmental organization and worked in kosovo on conflict resolution programs and analysis. we hope the revised program will continue to capture the student’s imagination that globalization is a process slowly unfolding over time with no singular way to understand the political, economic, and social evolution of the 21st century. concluding thoughts in order to build and develop experiential skills required for pursuing productive international careers and preparing them for global citizenship, programmatic revisions place greater emphasis on deeper learning experiences by requiring students to enroll in one less traditional classroom course and engage in additional learning opportunities beyond the classroom. consistent with desired learning outcomes, our revisions are designed to enhance particular core competences in synthesis and integration, critical thinking, information literacy, communication, and global learning while maintaining disciplinary rigor and requiring all majors and minors to be exposed to academic ideas and principles in international economics, politics, and sociology. while incomplete, the revisions made to the lvc global studies can hopefully serve as a model for colleges and universities, both large and small. our program endeavors to challenge students to place their global education within a broader context, one that includes curricular and co-curricular experiences. a strong international program should incorporate political, economic and cultural aspects of the global scene and, in the process, connect learning in the classroom to opportunities and experiences beyond it. students must be challenged to perceive global studies in terms of problems that can be understood and addressed with knowledge, skills, and practical solutions that enable students to address the global problems and challenges of the 21st century. references abdullahi, i., kajberg, l., & virkus, s. (2007). internationalization of lis education in europe and north america. new library world, 108, 7-24. braskamp, l. a., & engberg, m. e. (2011, summer/fall). how colleges can influence the development of a global perspective. liberal education, 97, 34-39. breuning, m., & ishiyama, j. (2004). international studies programs: for what purpose and for whom? a rejoinder to hey. international studies perspectives, 5, 400-402. brown, j. n., pegg, s., & shively, j. w. (2006). consensus and divergence in international studies: survey evidence from 140 international studies curriculum programs. international studies perspectives, 7, 267-286. crichton, j. a., & scarino, a. (2007). how are we to understand the ‘intercultural dimension’? an examination of the intercultural dimension of internationalisation in the context of higher education in australia. australian review of applied linguistics, 30, 4.1–4.21. dolan, c. j. (2011). from scratch: designing and implementing a new international studies program at a small college. international studies perspectives, 12, 428446. http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal june 2015, vol. 5, no. 1, pp. 15-26 http://www.gpejournal.org/ issn 2163-758x 25 deardorff, d. k. (2006). identification and assessment of intercultural competence as a student outcome of internationalization. journal of studies in international education, 10, 241-266. gacel-ávila, j. (2007). the process of internationalization of latin american higher education. journal of studies in international education, 11, 400–409. gacel-ávila, j. (2009). joint and double degree programmes in latin america: patterns and trends. the observatory on borderless higher education report. london, united kingdom. guarasci, r. (1997). community-based learning and intercultural citizenship. in r. guarasci & g. h. cornwell (eds.), democratic education in an age of difference: redefining citizenship in higher education (pp. 17-50). san francisco: josseybass. hanover research. (2010). best practices in international student recruitment and retention in anglophone countries. retrieved from http://www.hanoverresearch.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/best-practices-ininternational-student-recruitment-and-retention-in-anglophone-countriesmembership.pdf hoveland, k. (2005). shared futures: global learning and social responsibility. diversity digest, 8, 1-17. hovland, k. (2010). global learning: aligning student learning outcomes with study abroad. nafsa: association of international educators. retrieved from https://www.nafsa.org/uploadedfiles/nafsa_home/resource_library_assets/n etworks/ccb/aligninglearningoutcomes.pdf johnston, j. s., & edelstein, r. j. (1993). beyond borders: profiles in international education. washington, dc: association of american colleges and universities. khondker, h. h. (2004). glocalization as globalization: evolution of a sociological concept. bangladesh e-journal of sociology, 1, 1-9. kuh, g. d. (2008). high-impact educational practices: what they are, who has access to them, and why they matter. washington, dc: association of american colleges and universities. qiang, z. (2003). internationalization of higher education: towards a conceptual framework. policy futures in education, 1, 248-270. roudometof, v. (2005). transnationalism, cosmopolitanism and glocalization. current sociology, 53, 113–135. sperandio, j., grudzinski-hall, m., & stewart-gambina, h. (2010). developing an undergraduate global citizenship program: challenges of definition and assessment. international journal of teaching and learning in higher education, 22, 12-22. stier, j. (2006). internationalisation, intercultural communication and intercultural competence. journal of intercultural communication, 11, 1-12. http://www.gpejournal.org/ http://www.hanoverresearch.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/best-practices-in-international-student-recruitment-and-retention-in-anglophone-countries-membership.pdf http://www.hanoverresearch.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/best-practices-in-international-student-recruitment-and-retention-in-anglophone-countries-membership.pdf http://www.hanoverresearch.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/best-practices-in-international-student-recruitment-and-retention-in-anglophone-countries-membership.pdf https://www.nafsa.org/uploadedfiles/nafsa_home/resource_library_assets/networks/ccb/aligninglearningoutcomes.pdf https://www.nafsa.org/uploadedfiles/nafsa_home/resource_library_assets/networks/ccb/aligninglearningoutcomes.pdf global partners in education journal june 2015, vol. 5, no. 1, pp. 15-26 http://www.gpejournal.org/ issn 2163-758x 26 about the author chris j. dolan is professor of politics and director of global studies at lebanon valley college in annville, pennsylvania. he is the author or co-author of striking first, in war we trust, and the presidency and economic policy, as well as numerous articles in political science and international studies journals and chapters in edited books. http://www.gpejournal.org/ _ global partners in education journal june 2015, vol. 5, no. 1, pp. 38-50 http://www.gpejournal.org/ issn 2163-758x 38 exploring foreign language pre-service teacher beliefs: an international exchange experience laura levi altstaedter east carolina university, usa marina falasca universidad tecnológica nacional, argentina abstract this article explores the beliefs of two groups of students who teach and learn foreign languages at two major universities in argentina and the usa. specifically, it discusses how their prior beliefs and experiences shaped their teaching selves, and assesses the extent to which an international exchange experience about perceptions of foreign language teaching impacted their current beliefs. it is our contention that beliefs are “deeply personal and rooted in the culture and norms held by individuals and society” (tatto & coupland, 2003). however, this study has shown that preservice teacher beliefs were fairly similar across languages and cultures. the article concludes with a set of practical implications for teacher education programs. introduction there are multiple factors affecting the education of current and prospective foreign language teachers (bailey, 1996; borg, 2003; freeman & johnson, 1998; huhn, 2012; richards, 1998; roca de larios, 2002; watzke, 2007), including their cognition and beliefs. these, in turn, are influenced by both past and present educational experiences. according to tatto and coupland (2003), teacher beliefs are “one of the most prolific areas of research in teacher education” (p. 123). however, few studies have examined pre-service teachers’ beliefs and thinking in teacher education programs, which may be due to the fact that the construct is difficult to define. among the most widely cited studies on the topic are those by nespor (1987) and pajares (1992). the former has admitted that “we do not know very much about how beliefs come into being, how they are supported or weakened, [or] how people are converted to them” (p. 326). in turn, pajares (1992) has stated that “understanding the belief structures of teachers and teacher candidates is essential to improving their professional preparation and teaching practices” (p. 307). although some studies have focused on exploring pre-service teacher beliefs before and after their teaching practicum (ha chan, 2014; haigh, pinder, & mcdonald, 2006; zhang, 2012), there is scarce research that focuses on investigating teacher beliefs in the context http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal june 2015, vol. 5, no. 1, pp. 38-50 http://www.gpejournal.org/ issn 2163-758x 39 of foreign language teacher education programs. in an attempt to bridge this gap, the purpose of this study was to investigate pre-service teachers' prior experiences in learning a foreign language, how their perceptions and prior experiences might have shaped their teaching selves, and how international exchanges about perceptions of foreign language teaching might re-shape their current beliefs. conceptual framework there are many definitions of teacher beliefs in the education literature. according to aguirre and speer (2000), “beliefs are defined as conceptions, personal ideologies, world views and values that shape practice and orient knowledge” (p. 328). these conceptions and world views guide pre-service teachers’ decision-making processes and ultimately determine everything that happens in the classroom, including choice of activities, materials selection, and handling of student errors, among others. researchers have pointed out that pre-service teachers “have deeply grounded beliefs and attitudes about teaching and learning and expectations about the role of the teacher formed on the basis of their extensive experience as learners” (karavas & drossou, 2010). this apprenticeship of observation (lortie, 1975) describes the phenomenon “whereby student teachers arrive for their training courses having spent thousands of hours as schoolchildren observing and evaluating professionals in action” (borg, 2003). thus, it is believed that we teach the way we were taught or, at least, that “the obvious relationship between beliefs and teaching practices cannot be ignored” (diaz larenas, alarcon hernandez, vasquez neira, pradel suarez, & ortiz navarrete, 2013). some researchers have expressed that “the beliefs [pre-service] teachers hold are implicit, informal and embedded in their mental images of classroom practice” (karavas & drossou, 2010). in turn, others have stated that it is critical to develop an understanding of the structure of teachers’ beliefs in order to enhance their educational experiences and professional development (alarcon, diaz, tagle, ramos, & quintana, 2014), which can be accomplished by helping pre-service teachers identify and reflect upon their beliefs, as these can shape, influence and guide their classroom practices (cabaroglu & roberts, 2000; diaz larenas et al., 2013; karavas & drossou, 2010; northcote, 2009). despite the evident link between teacher beliefs and practices identified in the extant literature, a more in-depth review of the literature revealed that few studies have explored the connection between beliefs and perceptions about the self, both as teachers and students, especially in teacher education programs (northcote, 2009). in addition, few studies have focused on investigating the beliefs of in-service foreign language teachers (graham, santos, & francis-brophy, 2014) and pre-service foreign language teacher education majors (alarcon et al., 2014; diaz larenas et al., 2013). thus, the present study aimed to explore and identify the beliefs as foreign language learners, as well as personal beliefs about foreign language teaching, of two groups of students who teach and learn foreign languages at two major universities in argentina and the u.s. specifically, the purpose of this study was to investigate the following: a) what were pre-service teachers' prior experiences in learning a foreign language? http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal june 2015, vol. 5, no. 1, pp. 38-50 http://www.gpejournal.org/ issn 2163-758x 40 b) what were pre-service teachers’ perceptions about the teaching and learning processes in the foreign language classroom prior to the exchange? c) what was the impact of the exchange experience on pre-service teachers’ beliefs and perceptions about foreign language teaching and learning? method participants participants in this qualitative case study included students enrolled in two intact college foreign language teaching methods classes at two major universities, one in argentina and the other in the united states. undergraduate students pursuing a foreign language teaching degree at these universities are required to take the methods course prior to their teaching internship. the four female participants at the argentinean university were enrolled in a methods class that was held once a week and focused on methods and approaches of teaching english as a foreign language to native spanish speakers. on the other hand, the four female participants at the us university were enrolled in a methods class that was held twice a week and focused on methods and approaches of teaching modern foreign languages, namely, spanish, french and german, to native english speakers. research assumption following the methodological approach adopted by diaz larenas et al. (2013), the present study is based on the assumption that “beliefs influence the teaching practice” (p. 87) and therefore aims to explore if and how pre-service teachers’ prior experiences learning foreign languages shape their beliefs about teaching and learning foreign languages. instruments and procedure the preand post-survey questionnaires used in this study were adapted from richards and rodgers (2001) and larsen-freeman (2000). the pre-survey questionnaire administered before the exchange included open-ended questions regarding the following: pre-service teachers’ past experiences as language learners, as well as their personal beliefs and principles about foreign language teaching and learning, including the teacher’s role in the classroom, the nature of effective teaching and learning, the difficulties learners face and how these can be addressed, successful learning activities, as well as the structure of an effective lesson. the post-survey questionnaire administered after the exchange included open-ended questions regarding the following: (a) pre-service teachers’ contributions to the international exchange; (b) what they learned as a result of the exchange in terms of the teacher’s role in the classroom, the nature of effective teaching and learning, the difficulties learners face and how these can be addressed, successful learning activities, as well as the structure of an effective lesson; and (c) the impact of the experience on their current beliefs. http://www.gpejournal.org/ http://h global partners in education journal june 2015, vol. 5, no. 1, pp. 38-50 http://www.gpejournal.org/ issn 2163-758x 41 the exchange experience was conducted through skype on two different occasions. during the initial exchange, students introduced themselves and described their past experience learning a foreign language, their teaching experience, and their motivation to become a foreign language teacher. in a subsequent meeting, they discussed their answers to the pre-survey questions and exchanged views on various topics, for example, teaching strategies used across languages, and difficulties encountered by foreign language learners of english and spanish, among others. data analysis and discussion the data collected through the preand post-surveys were analyzed using nvivo in order to identify emerging themes in each of the categories in the surveys, which included: experiences as language learners, personal beliefs and perceptions about teaching, and personal beliefs and perceptions about learning. this section summarizes the most important findings. each of the three research questions that guided the present study is followed by relevant tables, which present the most salient themes that resulted from the data analysis. finally, a short discussion connects the information in the tables with pertinent quotes from the participants. what were pre-service teachers' prior experiences in learning a foreign language? when describing their experiences as language learners, pre-service teachers identified the themes listed in table 1 below. table 1 experiences as language learners language learner difficulties types of learning activities structure of lessons students’ role in the classroom teacher’s role in the classroom motivation translation grammar based passive in charge listening comprehension vocabulary activities source of knowledge grammar communicative activities communication grammar exercises regarding the first category that emerged in the data analysis, language learner difficulties, pre-service teachers expressed a deep concern for motivational factors, namely: “since we were expected to complete grammar exercises in writing, many of the students lacked interest in the subject and only learned the rules by heart but were unable to remember them after a short period of time.” likewise, they manifested that “listening was hard because [they] didn’t use to practice much,” which is a common problem among http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal june 2015, vol. 5, no. 1, pp. 38-50 http://www.gpejournal.org/ issn 2163-758x 42 foreign language learners in general (white, 1998). finally, they admitted to having had “[...] difficulties in matching gender and number, conjugations, and direct and indirect object pronouns.” in connection with the second category, types of learning activities, pre-service teachers claimed to have been mostly exposed to traditional grammar exercises and tests. in their own words, “most of the activities were drills focused on specific grammar points to practice each structure separately” and “we were evaluated on reading dialogues and translating them.” not surprisingly, they were not asked to engage in communicative activities. as one of them confirmed, “we had very few speaking activities.” with respect to the third category, structure of lessons, pre-service teachers said, “the teacher presented a topic and a text and then students completed activities.” according to richards and rogers (2001), this was the typical structure of a grammar-based lesson, where the main focus was on presenting a given grammar rule and the students were expected to practice the new grammar point through controlled activities such as memorization of dialogues and drills. regarding the fourth category, students’ role in the classroom, pre-service teachers claimed that “the role of the students was a very passive one and students participated in class only when they were asked to.” in keeping with the grammar-based classroom, the students were expected to adopt a passive role and the teacher remained in control (richards & rodgers, 2001). thus, pre-service teachers’ comments in connection with the fifth category, teacher’s role in the classroom, identified the teacher as the main source of knowledge. in their words, “the teacher directly instructed students at the front of the class.” as evidenced from pre-service teachers’ comments, there is a clear connection among the themes emerging from pre-service teachers’ responses to the questions in this section. specifically, the fact that teachers were in charge and the sources of knowledge in the classroom, while the students’ role was passive and consisted in asking questions when instructed to do so is closely related to and reflected in the structure of lessons and the types of activities that students completed: focus on grammar and drilling activities, rule memorization, and lack of listening and speaking opportunities in the classroom, among others. what were pre-service teachers’ perceptions about the teaching and learning processes in the fl classroom before the exchange? when describing their perceptions of teaching and learning foreign languages prior to the exchange, pre-service teachers identified the themes listed in table 2 below. http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal june 2015, vol. 5, no. 1, pp. 38-50 http://www.gpejournal.org/ issn 2163-758x 43 table 2 perceptions of teaching and learning foreign languages prior to the exchange language learner difficulties addressing language learner difficulties effective learning activities nature of effective teaching structure of lessons teacher’s role in the classroom selfconfidence opportunities to use the language based on learners' needs and interests consider learners' needs and interests plan that includes: activation of background knowledge, introduction/ coconstruction of new knowledge, guided practice, independent practice, closure consider learners' needs and interests applying what they learned error correction focus on language function recycling source of input motivation encouragement promote learner autonomy and critical thinking inductive approach foster learner autonomy and collaborative learning communicative skills opportunities for critical thinking authentic, real life, communicative input-rich learning environment facilitator pronunciation variety of activities promote critical thinking and communication promote use of target language for communicati ve purposes motivation regarding their perceptions on language learner difficulties, pre-service teachers identified some of the main difficulties that students typically face, as was reflected in http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal june 2015, vol. 5, no. 1, pp. 38-50 http://www.gpejournal.org/ issn 2163-758x 44 such comments as, “in my experience, the main difficulty students face is pronunciation.” moreover, they discussed how these difficulties should be addressed and claimed that “[…] the best way [these difficulties should be handled] is practice,” which is in keeping with the latest communicative teaching practices (richards & rodgers, 2001). concerning their perceptions on effective learning activities, their comments also reflected a strong preference for authentic, real life, and communicative activities, as was evidenced by such comments as, “learners should be provided with plenty of opportunities to use the language within appropriate contexts and situations, e.g. roleplays” and “successful learning activities are those which clearly reflect real life situations.” while discussing their perceptions on the nature of effective teaching, pre-service teachers claimed that teachers should “show [the learners] they can do it, celebrate their achievements, put their proficiency level in perspective,” which again points to the importance of motivation. moreover, they stressed the need to promote critical thinking and communication. in their own words, “students have to be engaged for effective learning to take place. the easiest way for this to happen is for teachers to incorporate the five cs and the three modes of communication.” as regards their perceptions about the structure of lessons, pre-service teachers showed great appreciation for the lesson planning frameworks used, which was reflected in such comments as “pace lessons are incredibly effective lesson/learning activities” and “the best lesson structure is the one that we studied: arc. this consists of four stages: application, comprehension and clarification, and reflection.” thus, they were fully aware that they should resort to a coherent lesson planning framework that would link and develop all of the language skills (richards & rodgers, 2001). finally, concerning the teacher’s role in the classroom, they admitted that teachers had to develop a different view of their own role in facilitating language learning. in their views, not only should “the teacher […] facilitate learning” but he/she should make real communication the focus of language learning. based on their responses, it was evident that pre-service teachers’ perceptions of how foreign language teaching and learning should be structured differed considerably from what they described as their prior experiences learning the language, thus contradicting the idea of apprenticeship of observation put forward by lortie (1975). what were pre-service teachers’ perceptions about the teaching and learning processes in the fl classroom after the exchange? when describing their perceptions of teaching and learning foreign languages after the exchange, pre-service teachers identified the themes listed in table 3 below. http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal june 2015, vol. 5, no. 1, pp. 38-50 http://www.gpejournal.org/ issn 2163-758x 45 table 3 perceptions of teaching and learning foreign languages after the exchange language learner difficulties addressing language learner difficulties effective learning activities nature of effective teaching structure of lessons teacher’s role in the classroom writing provide opportunities for practice based on students’ expectations effective lesson planning include activation of background knowledge facilitator, guide, model pronunciation provide encouragement foster critical thinking active role of students in the classroom based on student learning outcomes not the only source of knowledge grammar use l1 to provide explanations useful and interesting based on students' needs and interests inductive grammar instruction promote learner autonomy and positive learning environment provide strategies based on specific problems authentic material practice models structured, organized logically as shown by some of their responses, pre-service teachers’ perceptions after the exchange did not differ significantly from their perceptions before the exchange. not only did they talk about language learner difficulties, but they also discussed how these difficulties should be addressed. in their own words, “the difficulties are seen mainly in production. students don’t know how to speak, how to write.” thus, “teachers should focus on each learner’s problem and teach him strategies and ways to tackle that issue.” regarding effective learning activities, they further stressed the need to resort to authentic materials and tasks. moreover, they emphasized the need to take students’ expectations into account. as they put it, “if teachers are providing students with authentic materials and exercises, then both learning and teaching will be effective” and “knowing the aim of the students for learning the language narrows down many of the things to be done in the classroom to help the learner meet their expectations.” http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal june 2015, vol. 5, no. 1, pp. 38-50 http://www.gpejournal.org/ issn 2163-758x 46 in keeping with the ideas above, pre-service teachers’ comments concerning the nature of effective teaching focused on the importance of taking students’ needs and interests into account, which was reflected in such comments as, “effective learning takes place when teachers consider and are sensitive to students’ needs and interests. because students will feel motivated to learn when the topics are interesting and are connected with their real lives.” once more, they also highlighted the importance of careful planning on the part of the teacher, namely: “teaching and learning is a give and take process. it involves well-planned lessons from the teacher and being sure to have active learners in the classroom.” regarding their perceptions about the structure of lessons, pre-service teachers admitted that there is no single lesson planning framework that has been universally accepted. thus, “the structure of an effective lesson can be diverse and can change depending on what you are trying to teach. it should also vary but keep a similar structure so that students know what to expect [and] are also challenged to think in a different way.” however, they emphasized that “lessons should be clearly structured and logically organized” if they were to be truly effective. finally, pre-service teachers restated that the role of the teacher in the language classroom should be that of a facilitator, who creates a classroom climate conducive to language learning and promotes learner autonomy, both in terms of the content of learning as well as the processes they might employ. in their own words, “teachers should be flexible” and “students should become autonomous and independent; otherwise, they would automatically stop learning when the teacher is not there.” what was the impact of the exchange experience on pre-service teachers’ beliefs and perceptions about foreign language teaching and learning? after the exchange, pre-service teachers expressed that they felt they were part of a community learning about similar issues, only in different educational and cultural contexts. for example, they claimed, “i enjoyed feeling the sense of community that came from the fact that we were learning the same methods.” in addition, although they did not feel there was a significant change to the beliefs they already held about these topics and issues, they did state that the experience helped them realize that the strategies and approaches they were learning about could be applied when teaching other languages to foreign language learners. as some of them concluded, “i do not think that this experience changed my beliefs about foreign language teaching, but it did open my eyes beyond using the strategies we learned for just spanish or french” and “it is reassuring and fascinating to think about the same strategies being used across the world and that they are effective across languages,” “[...] most importantly, we exchanged ideas on what the best lesson structure to teach is, which also coincided with them. what we call arc they call pace, which is basically the same.” http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal june 2015, vol. 5, no. 1, pp. 38-50 http://www.gpejournal.org/ issn 2163-758x 47 conclusions as demonstrated by the results outlined before, pre-service teacher beliefs about teaching did not seem to originate from their personal experiences as students, i.e., they did not appear to teach or intend to teach the way they were taught; as one of them expressed: “we highlighted the difference between how we were taught in the past and how we are taught to teach currently.” this contradicts an important concept put forward by lortie (1975), namely apprenticeship of observation. in other words, there were significant discrepancies between the pre-service teachers’ beliefs about foreign language teaching and learning versus their experiences as learners. for example, translation and grammar exercises were highlighted as part of their experiences as learners whereas authentic, real-life and communicative activities were mentioned both during and after the exchange. moreover, pre-service teachers did not simultaneously seem to hold beliefs that were inconsistent or in conflict with one another. not only were their beliefs aligned with each other but also, and most importantly, with the field. for instance, both groups of students saw the teacher as a facilitator and the learners as active participants of the teachinglearning process. likewise, they did not favor translation and communicative teaching practices at the same time. perhaps the most important finding was that pre-service teachers’ beliefs did not vary across languages or cultures. not only were they able to identify similar problems for foreign language learners, such as the use of prepositions, but they also stressed the importance of communicative teaching practices as well as the need to cater for students’ interests. what is more, they found several parallels between the two lesson planning frameworks used, i.e., arc (scrivener, 1999) and the pace model (adair-hauck & donato, 2002). no doubt, the teacher trainers themselves may have contributed to re-shaping the preservice teachers’ beliefs by mirroring and promoting good teaching practices. this was an important limitation to the study, which was conducted after all the methods and approaches had been compared, contrasted and critically analyzed. apart from that, preservice teachers’ beliefs may also have been influenced by previous instructors and/or their participation in workshops or webinars. we must not overlook the fact that both groups of students had attended at least four other methodology-related courses before the exchange. implications and further research this study attempted to address a number of issues that were seen as relevant to a critical examination of how pre-service teachers’ beliefs are shaped in foreign language preservice education. given the results obtained, teacher trainers are urged to make preservice teachers’ beliefs a concrete focus of teacher education programs. http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal june 2015, vol. 5, no. 1, pp. 38-50 http://www.gpejournal.org/ issn 2163-758x 48 as exemplified by the different nodes or categories that resulted from analyzing preservice teachers’ responses, their beliefs play a fundamental role: they “shape the instructional decisions they make and, in turn, affect their relationships with students” (davis, 2006, p. 196). moreover, pre-service teachers’ beliefs influence teaching techniques and strategies, selection of instructional resources, as well as the structure of lessons, in effect determining what should be taught and how. given that teacher beliefs are so crucial in guiding their practices in the classroom, preservice teachers should be encouraged to reflect upon and identify beliefs that conflict with current best practices in the field and reconsider them, as well as identify those beliefs that match these best practices and hone them. many teachers engage in informal reflection about what goes on in the classroom at the end of each day, but a more formal approach to critical reflection needs to be adopted—reflection that is not only structured or guided but also consistently done throughout the course, i.e., “reflection-on-action (after-the-event thinking) and reflection-in-action (thinking while doing)” (finlay, 2008). although it is time-consuming, without reflection pre-service teachers will never know if they need to change or not. thus, they must be given the necessary time to reflect upon “how their personal and teaching identities affect their attempts to facilitate classroom interactions” (davis, 2006, p. 212) and instructional practices. above all, teacher trainers must receive adequate training. if they intend to guide preservice teachers and help them uncover their beliefs, they must be receptive to their needs. not only must they be trained in areas such as effective teaching techniques, providing on-going and meaningful feedback to pre-service teachers, but they must also be able to reflect upon their own teaching practices and uncover the rationale behind them. this may require teacher trainers to answer a number of questions, such as those proposed by the office of faculty and instructional development at qatar university (http://www.qu.edu.qa/):  “what kind of classroom atmosphere do i create?  what kinds of questions do i ask?  is my classroom spontaneous or is it predictable?  are my students involved?  why didn't a lecture go over well?  why did a lecture work?” (p. 1) further research might look into the effect that reflection may have in changing or shaping pre-service teacher beliefs. future studies may also compare and contrast pre-service teacher beliefs across other languages and cultures, particularly during the initial phase of training. more research into the nature of pre-service teacher beliefs at the beginning phase of training would be important for teacher educators in foreign language teaching education programs to train and equip pre-service teachers for their upcoming tasks and responsibilities as foreign language teachers. http://www.gpejournal.org/ http://www.qu.edu.qa/ global partners in education journal june 2015, vol. 5, no. 1, pp. 38-50 http://www.gpejournal.org/ issn 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(2012). the beliefs practicum students bring to their classes regarding language teaching. asian journal of literature, culture and society, 6, 42-76. about the authors laura levi altstaedter is currently an assistant professor of hispanic studies in the department of foreign languages and literatures at east carolina university. she is also coordinator of the foreign language teacher education program at ecu. she received an ma and phd from virginia tech, and an ma.ed. from wake forest university. she has published articles on foreign language pedagogy in argentina and the usa. marina falasca is instructor of tefl methods and related courses at universidad tecnológica nacional and i.e.s. en lenguas vivas “juan ramón fernández.” she is also a member of the efl advisory board at utn. she received an ma from virginia tech and an m.ed from south dakota state university. she has published articles on foreign language pedagogy in argentina, australia, and the u.s. http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition december 2015, vol. 5, no. 2, pp. 66-76 http://www.gpejournal.org/ issn 2163-758x 66 opportunities to study abroad in ecuador nicole jironza santana universidad del pacífico, ecuador abstract fifty years ago, studying abroad for ecuadorian people was something completely unrealistic. this could be due to the fact that learning another language was unattainable for the generation of our grandparents and parents (forty to sixty years old) and the need to expand knowledge of other cultures was not considered important. today, the trend is different. the objective of this research is to show the different opportunities that ecuador offers to students for study abroad, and to let the students who want to study in universities worldwide know about these opportunities. introduction approximately fifty years ago, studying abroad for ecuadorian people was unthinkable and something that probably didn't appear realistic, like a dream that would never be fulfilled. even just the thought of learning another language was illogical and difficult to understand for the generation of our parents and grandparents (approximately generations starting from the 40s). their parents simply considered it unnecessary and this is because education was limited and the need to broaden their horizons was not considered important. nowadays, that situation has changed because globalization has allowed the world to relate to each other by providing more opportunities to anyone who wants to know and learn. this is a great option used by many ecuadorians. beforehand, similar to the rest of the world, only people with vast economic resources had access to quality education outside of ecuador. only a few people had the opportunity to travel abroad and meet people, expose themselves to new experiences and learn different cultures. ecuador was considered an underdeveloped country, not only because of the lack of advanced technology that the developed world enjoyed, but also by the very limited education opportunities and the lack of resources to acquire them. there were no networks between ecuador and the world. ecuador was not on the “radar” of many countries although there were economic agreements with other countries like the united states but they never set up cultural exchange agreements. there were agencies to assist with the ease of scholarships, especially for students from low, lower-middle and middle socioeconomic status although everything was very hierarchical. now everything has changed. http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition december 2015, vol. 5, no. 2, pp. 66-76 http://www.gpejournal.org/ issn 2163-758x 67 history and education eight years ago, when the government of current president rafael correa began, he amended the ecuadorian constitution by including the need to improve education by broadening horizons and social justice where everyone is entitled to all, regardless of race, ethnicity or economic status and that's how ecuador began to wake up, to improve, and be known to the world. there was a specific goal: to improve the production model. his reasoning was that if ecuadorians acquired and used their improved knowledge within the country, the production model would change almost entirely. this would allow ecuador to no longer be an underdeveloped country and to become a developing country. as a result, teachers enhanced their knowledge inside as well as outside the country, new schools were created, assessed the level of universities, new organizations helped students to get scholarships and 4 universities of technology were created. the president rafael correa began with the implementation of social justice, then proceeded with the creation of two institutions that would evaluate educational institutions such as senescyt institutions and iece were created to annually grant scholarships to students twice a year according to their needs. senescyt (secretary of higher education, science, technology and innovation): senescyt is a government organization that is responsible for evaluating the academic progress of students and educational institutions (schools, colleges, universities) (http://www.senescyt.gob.ec/). they are personally responsible to assess knowledge and apply full funding scholarships abroad. iece (ecuadorian institute of educational credit): iece is a government enterprise that provides loans and grants to students who wish to study abroad and do not have money for it (http://www.iece.fin.ec). depending on the scholarship and the country where they want to travel to, they will provide funding, whether partial or total, and even award scholarships to study at language schools both within and outside the country. millennium schools the creation of millennium universities (http://educacion.gob.ec/unidades-educativasdel-milenio/) allows the study of technological sciences for the country's development, e.g., sciences as nanotechnology, petrochemical, biosciences, software engineering, among others, which are the disciplines that have been well received. the investment in them is great in order to change the production matrix in the country. within the millennium schools, there are 2 classes. colleges with the help of foreign countries, nowadays the "millennium schools" are schools with technology, equipped laboratories of chemistry, physics, computers, classrooms with smart boards, synthetic pitches, canteens, among others (figures 1 and 2). http://www.gpejournal.org/ http://www.iece.fin.ec/ http://educacion.gob.ec/unidades-educativas-del-milenio/ http://educacion.gob.ec/unidades-educativas-del-milenio/ global partners in education journal – special edition december 2015, vol. 5, no. 2, pp. 66-76 http://www.gpejournal.org/ issn 2163-758x 68 figure 1. classroom at a millennium school (skyscrapercity.com) figure 2. millennium school (skyscrapercity.com) universities universities where research, science, technology and innovation are present. these universities are: yachay: known as the “city of knowledge”, its purpose is to research new technologies including the generation and dissemination of scientific knowledge (http://www.educacionsuperior.gob.ec/yachay/). it includes the construction of a http://www.gpejournal.org/ http://www.educacionsuperior.gob.ec/yachay/ global partners in education journal – special edition december 2015, vol. 5, no. 2, pp. 66-76 http://www.gpejournal.org/ issn 2163-758x 69 university model as a city the first university town in ecuadorwith its own research laboratory and attracting foreign investors in high technology (figure 3). figure 3. “city of knowledge” (source: ministry coordinator of production, employment and competitiveness) ikiam: its main objective is to generate knowledge, research and information for use in the development of technological alternatives for the responsible use of natural resources fulfilling two expectations: strengthening the human talent and preserve the nature (http://www.amazoniactual.com/inicio/) (figure 4). figure 4. ikiam (source: www.andes.info.ec) http://www.gpejournal.org/ http://www.amazoniactual.com/inicio/ global partners in education journal – special edition december 2015, vol. 5, no. 2, pp. 66-76 http://www.gpejournal.org/ issn 2163-758x 70 unae: college for teachers, their purpose is to get the best teachers in the country (http://www.unae.edu.ec/la_instit) (figure 5). its main goal is to contribute to the preparation of human resources in relation to the education system to build a just, free and democratic society. figure 5. unae (source: www.educacion. gob.ec) uniartes: university of the arts, the purpose is to promote the construction of dialogues, identities and intercultural artistic production (http://www.culturaypatrimonio.gob.ec/uniartes/) (figure 6). uniartes was created for ecuadorians to hone their talents in painting, etc. and can benefit from the art to make significant changes in society. figure 6. uniartes (source: www.culturaypatrimonio.gob.ec) http://www.gpejournal.org/ http://www.unae.edu.ec/la_instit http://www.culturaypatrimonio.gob.ec/uniartes/ http://www.culturaypatrimonio.gob.ec/ global partners in education journal – special edition december 2015, vol. 5, no. 2, pp. 66-76 http://www.gpejournal.org/ issn 2163-758x 71 agreements between countries ecuador has educational agreements with over 70 countries worldwide (http://redbecarios.senescyt.gob.ec/) (table 1), funding scholarships offered between ecuador and other countries depending on the career, the duration and the university type. previously, almost all scholarships were offered to the usa, but eventually ecuador has opened ways to study all around the world. scholarships are most applicable for science and technology to countries like china, korea and many parts of europe. there are different types of scholarships. scholarships common globe scholarships for study in higher education with high standards of academic quality at international level, with the aim of strengthening the ecuadorian talent in various fields of knowledge (http://programasbecas.educacionsuperior.gob.ec/descripcion-del-programa8/). table 1 networks between ecuador and the world countries north america canada united states mexico puerto rico central america guatemala costa rica jamaca barbados trinidad and tobago panama latin america colombia peru bolivia argentina chile uruguay brazil europe germany austria belgium http://www.gpejournal.org/ http://redbecarios.senescyt.gob.ec/ http://programasbecas.educacionsuperior.gob.ec/descripcion-del-programa-8/ http://programasbecas.educacionsuperior.gob.ec/descripcion-del-programa-8/ global partners in education journal – special edition december 2015, vol. 5, no. 2, pp. 66-76 http://www.gpejournal.org/ issn 2163-758x 72 spain switzerland russia italy macedonia england poland hungary finland holland asia and oceania turkey singapore malaysia japan israel india egypt korea china indonesia thailand australia africa kenya zimbabwe source: senescyt by: nicole jironza universities of excellence the ministry of education aims to provide scholarships to those who wish to study the upper level in the most prestigious institutions of higher education in the world, and best of all, this program does not have an age limit (http://programasbecas.educacionsuperior.gob.ec/descripcion-del-programauniversidades-de-excelencia-2015/). researchers scholarships finances fourth level studies in foreign universities that are part of research projects in universities, public polytechnics and research institutes in ecuador (http://programasbecas.educacionsuperior.gob.ec/descripcion-investigadores-2015/). the goal is to train ecuadorian researchers. http://www.gpejournal.org/ http://programasbecas.educacionsuperior.gob.ec/descripcion-del-programa-universidades-de-excelencia-2015/ http://programasbecas.educacionsuperior.gob.ec/descripcion-del-programa-universidades-de-excelencia-2015/ http://programasbecas.educacionsuperior.gob.ec/descripcion-investigadores-2015/ global partners in education journal – special edition december 2015, vol. 5, no. 2, pp. 66-76 http://www.gpejournal.org/ issn 2163-758x 73 teach english this scholarship was created for all ecuadorians who want to be teachers of english or related to the improvement of english teaching activities (http://programasbecas.educacionsuperior.gob.ec/ensena-ingles/). the aim is to improve knowledge of the teacher and he learns new teaching methodologies. scholarships university teachers it aims to improve the professional skills of teachers and increase the academic level in universities, and thus transform the higher education system of the country with research centers (http://programasbecas.educacionsuperior.gob.ec/becas-para-docentesuniversitarios/). for main headline teacher, university teachers are obliged to get the phd postgraduate degree in order to practice their profession and be dean of faculties or rector as appropriate. postdoctoral scholarships this scholarship program allows all phds to strengthen its research capacity (http://programasbecas.educacionsuperior.gob.ec/becas-para-posdoctorado/). usually, these scholarships are offered to phds who are contributing to the development of research and scientific production. agencies sponsoring scholarships • unesco (united nations educational, scientific and cultural organization): provides training abroad with partial funding. • oas (organization of american states): offers postgraduate studies and training in these areas (table 2): • onu (united nations) offers postgraduate courses in different areas; the most common is for teachers, with total and partial funding. • itto (international tropical timber organization). offers postgraduate courses in different areas, with total and partial funding • cyted (science and technology for development): offers postgraduate research partially funded. • fulbright: offers postgraduate courses in different areas, the most common is for teachers, with total funding. • aecid (spanish agency for international cooperation for development): provides training in social sciences, life sciences, manufacturing and innovation, customs, budgeting, research and planning, among others. with partial funding. http://www.gpejournal.org/ http://programasbecas.educacionsuperior.gob.ec/ensena-ingles/ http://programasbecas.educacionsuperior.gob.ec/becas-para-docentes-universitarios/ http://programasbecas.educacionsuperior.gob.ec/becas-para-docentes-universitarios/ http://programasbecas.educacionsuperior.gob.ec/becas-para-posdoctorado/ global partners in education journal – special edition december 2015, vol. 5, no. 2, pp. 66-76 http://www.gpejournal.org/ issn 2163-758x 74 • daad (deutscher akademischer austausch dienst): offers postgraduate and doctoral programs, full and part-financing. • eu-lac (eu-lac foundation): the type of study is research, with total funding. • rae (royal spanish academy): offers training, funding is partial. table 2 training and postgraduates of oas training telecommunications entrepreneurship iso risk management climate change water resources ecotourism technology tourism environmental impact value chain gender equality total and partial funding postgraduates flacso unesco-ihe vrije universiteit brussel (vub) university of the west indies university of manchester international institute of social studies (iss) total and partial funding source: senescyt, international organization “oas” by: nicole jironza these are the institutions that provide with the sponsor of each scholarship offered; institutions have slowly been part of ecuador's needs for study abroad is concerned. each of these institutions offer support to better prepare ecuadorian students, something important to stand out from all of them is the way in which the institutions can support either a full or partial scholarship. sometimes, if you going directly to these organizations, you can get a lot faster grant, either by learning languages and cultures, to work or study; and in some cases even allow you to choose the time you want to study. with all these organizations to support education, as personal opinion, i think all those barriers that http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition december 2015, vol. 5, no. 2, pp. 66-76 http://www.gpejournal.org/ issn 2163-758x 75 bound our parents to study elsewhere are disappearing, and now we have opportunities we can take, just depends on you. international baccalaureate this is a pedagogical-educational approach that seeks to prepare young graduates to live in a globalized and interconnected world (http://educacion.gob.ec/bachilleratointernacional/). in other words, its purpose is to prepare students to recognize and understand this reality and have skills and knowledge to meet this challenge. this program takes about 2 years to complete. nowadays, 17 schools are enrolled in this program, but so far nine already have the program and another 8 are in process. the international baccalaureate organization and their schools are present on five continents with more than 3500 schools. embassies embassies also provide scholarships with some offering full scholarships for financing either to study languages or higher degree studies. one of them is the embassy of taiwan, which provides full scholarships in language and higher degree studies. in addition, there are language schools that are associated with the embassies to provide full scholarships after the sixth level of study and with successful academic performance. one of the language schools in ecuador is siyuan, a school of chinese mandarin. discussion and conclusion through research conducted by universities, ministries, language schools and various embassies in ecuador, it has been considered important to break these types of barriers for ecuadorians. since the government under the leadership of rafael correa began in 2007, education qualifies as a fundamental aspect for strengthening and developing the country. in ecuador, it has been through social justice that many organizations as senescyt and iece were created to provide scholarships to good students. they created the international baccalaureate in order to send high school graduates abroad. also, embassies and language schools located in ecuador offer scholarships. the financing depends on the institution and the type of study that students are going to pursue. finally, the government has built four new universities called "cities of knowledge" in order to generate technological knowledge within the country to change the production model. even with a small but relevant data set, “ecuador is the country with comparatively more investment in education in relation to other countries to latin america, with more than 9 billion dollars invested. in addition, president rafael correa continues to support this investment (gallegos, 2014).” to conclude, education programs, particularly opportunities for studying abroad, have improved over the years. ecuador has crossed barriers for further development in order to strengthen human talent. the programs in ecuador are currently excellent because http://www.gpejournal.org/ http://educacion.gob.ec/bachillerato-internacional/ http://educacion.gob.ec/bachillerato-internacional/ global partners in education journal – special edition december 2015, vol. 5, no. 2, pp. 66-76 http://www.gpejournal.org/ issn 2163-758x 76 these investments in education allow all people of all ages regardless of social stratum to access a scholarship to learn a new language or pursue a college education. in addition, all have the opportunity to access scholarships in the city and the college of choice. furthermore, even teachers are able to pursue phds and that ultimately improves the quality of education and allows for the further development of ecuador in innovation, science and technology, which will have a significant impact on the production model. references gallegos, d. (2014). ecuador es el país de américa latina que más invierte en educación superior. el cuidadano. http://www.gpejournal.org/ gallegos, d. (2014). ecuador es el país de américa latina que más invierte en educación superior. el cuidadano. accolades this year, the global understanding course and global partners in education received two awards recognizing its innovation in international education and student success. in december 2014, the global understanding program received 3rd place in the “presence learning” category of the 2014 wharton-qs stars reimagine education awards (http://reimagine-education.com/thewinners). the reimagine education awards recognize innovative higher education programs that enhance student learning and employability. twenty-one programs out of 427 submissions from top universities and enterprises around the world were selected to receive awards by an international panel of 25 expert judges. dr. jami leibowitz, interim director of global academic initiatives at east carolina university, us, accepted the award on behalf of the program. the work of gpe was also recognized by the north carolina association for international educators (ncaie) as an innovative and exemplary international education program. ~ gpe viii – 2015 ~ the eighth annual conference of global partners in education (gpe) was hosted this past may by shaanxi normal university (snnu), in xi’an, china. the conference was held on the snnu campus from may 11-13, 2015 and then a cultural excursion including visits to the terra cotta warriors, famen temple, and xi’an city tours from may 14-16, 2015. gpe members representing countries including the netherlands, poland, japan, turkey, usa, brazil, pakistan, germany, russia, france, mexico and, of course, china gathered to discuss important administrative issues regarding gpe, ways to improve programming, and new areas for collaboration. one key issue discussed was the proposal of a gpe membership fee. those in attendance recognized the necessity of a nominal fee and approved going forth with the proposal. other issues discussed included creating universal course objectives and improving assessment of the global understanding course, the development of student clubs, and new technologies that may be explored including the incorporation of a social network system (sns). for the first year, students also participated in the conference. students from china, us, and turkey were in attendance. students presented papers and added a new perspective to the conversations, greatly contributing to the overall activity. in addition to discussing issues relevant to the gpe organization and global understanding classes, our host provided participants the opportunity to immerse themselves in chinese culture. demonstrations of traditional chinese arts and crafts as well as visits to the university museum were enjoyed by all. we look forward to seeing more of our gpe colleagues at gpe ix to be hosted by ural state pedagogical university, in ekaterinburg, russia in may of 2016. promoting positive educational opportunities http://reimagine-education.com/the-winners http://reimagine-education.com/the-winners new partners currently gpe consists of 64 member institutions in 32 countries on 5 continents. this year, approximately 4500 students around the world participated in gpe programming. we would like to welcome those partners that joined gpe this past year: • faculdade jaguariuna, brazil • faculty of industrial engineering novo mesto, fini • ivan franko lviv national university, ukraine • puññāsāstra university of cambodia, cambodia • universidad latina de america, mexico • university of talca, chile announcement gpe ix will be hosted by ural state pedagogical university, in ekaterinburg, russia in may of 2016. we hope to see you there. ~ global issues virtual student research conference ~ spearheaded through collaboration between christopher brighton at krosno state college and heidi luchsinger at east carolina university, this year, gpe held the first global issues student virtual research conference from march 23 – 27, 2015. thirty-five undergraduate and graduate students representing 11 partner institutions presented their scholarly work on topics including language and linguistics, health, film, gender, tourism, education, and business, among others. faculty members from participating institutions served as moderators as students discussed their works with conference attendees and other members of their panel promoting a cross-cultural dialog on important topics of our time. students who presented were then given the option to submit their papers for publication in a special issue of gpej devoted to the conference proceedings. ~ honoring our founders ~ this year marked the 10th year since east carolina university founded and began offering the global understanding program. since that time, there has been much growth and many changes, all guided by our now retired founders, dr. rosina chia and dr. elmer poe of east carolina university along with the contributions of dr. meng fanxi at one of our founding partner institutions, china agricultural university. gpe members helped to honor our founders by submitting messages and memories of the founders themselves and the program that they developed. these messages were then presented to the founders in commemorative boxes at a special ceremony during the gpe viii conference. to ensure that their valuable contributions will always be remembered, the names of the annual gpe awards have been changed to: • the elmer c. poe excellence in technology support award • the rosina c. chia excellence in teaching award • the meng fanxi institution of excellence award additionally we recognized china agricultural university, shaanxi normal university, and university of the gambia for being involved in the program for 10 years. special recognition goes to bu lin and zhang guangwei from shaanxi normal university and pa sara drammeh at the university of the gambia for their personal commitment to the program for all those years. ~ gpe awards ~ congratulations to the 2015 annual gpe award recipients. after careful consideration the 2015 gpe awards committee selected the following to receive awards: the elmer c. poe technical support of excellence award antoine bordeau, françois rabelais university of tours, france giulliana abanto, universidad san ignacio de loyola, peru the rosina c. chia excellence in teaching award adeela rehman, fatima jinnah women university, pakistan the meng fanxi institution of excellence award krosno state college, poland although only 3 awards were given, all those who were nominated deserve recognition for their outstanding efforts. nominees for the elmer c. poe excellence in technology support award • andy heath, east carolina university, usa • autumn hopkins, east carolina university, usa • javaid iqbal, fatima jinnah women university, pakistan • adnan kilinç, istanbul university, turkey • amit mahajan, university of jammu, india • siddharth patel, east carolina university, usa • the technical team of istanbul university, turkey (adnan kilinç and berk uzunoğlu) nominees for the rosina c. chia excellence in teaching award • ricardo ernesto buitrago rubiano, universidad rosario, colombia • heidi luchsinger, east carolina university, usa • noreddine mouhadjer, university abou bekr belkaïd, algeria • luis navarro, universidad san ignacio de loyola, peru • irina swain, east carolina university, usa • the teaching team at krosno state college, poland (christopher brighton and katarzyna dziemian) • the teaching team at modern university of business and science, lebanon (vanessa chehade, rebecca keedi, and diana khalek) • the teaching team at universidad latina de américa (paloma pardo and luis vargas) 2015 award committee members: • christopher brighton, krosno state college, poland • alabel lavalle, universidad san ignacio de loyola, peru • jami leibowitz, east carolina university, usa please submit news about your institution or programs to gpeinfo@ecu.edu for more information visit our website http://thegpe.org global partners in education journal – special edition december 2015, vol. 5, no. 2, pp. 1-2 http://www.gpejournal.org/ issn 2163-758x 1 introduction to gpej special edition on gic the global issues conference (gic) was inspired by the conversations and interactions of students during the global understanding programme. as an instructor in krosno state college, poland, i have always been impressed by the range of discussions and the talks the students become involved with. it was not that the students were only talking about college life or stereotypes, but they were talking about their ideas, hopes for the future and interests. the more i have worked on the gu programme, the more i have understood the similarity of interests and similarity of research being conducted by the students in our partner institutions around the globe. this is why the gic was created to bring together students and to provide them with a forum to share their ideas, thoughts, interests and research. most importantly, the gic is the student arena for the students to showcase their work and see that they are not alone in the work they are doing. global issues are exactly as that: issues which are important to the entire world. the success of the conference is down to the work of two groups of people. firstly, there are the students who wrote and delivered their papers in a virtual environment. for many students this was their first conference and opportunity to present their ideas. as one student said: “thank you very much, that's a great time, and one of the most fantastic moments i've ever had.” secondly, the gic could not have happened without the background work of the student supervisors. they were responsible for helping, arranging and organising the students to keep to the deadlines. and feedback was again positive: “it was a great opportunity of learning for all of us, and no doubt the discussions are very productive and intellectual”. of course, we cannot forget the students who participated in the sessions and got involved in discussions and debates on their topics. as the conference organisers prepare the special edition of the gpej it is easy to understand the enthusiasm and importance of the project to the students and participating institutions. the range of papers covering global health, global tourism, women’s issues, films, language and linguistics and global education provides a clear example of the participant’s interests and ideas. not only are the topics touching upon important issues that are shaping our current society, but they are topics that future generations will be involved in. we also cannot forget that for the gic to be a truly global conference we needed presenters from around the world. the conference presenters came from: krosno state college, poland; east carolina university, usa; shaanxi normal university, china; beijing union university, china; ural state pedagogical university, russia; lomonosov moscow state university, russia; universidad del pacífico, ecuador; fatima jinnah women university, pakistan; kyrgyzstan-turkey manas university, kyrgyzstan; http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition december 2015, vol. 5, no. 2, pp. 1-2 http://www.gpejournal.org/ issn 2163-758x 2 universidad regiomontana, mexico; universidad continental, peru; and covenant university, nigeria. i would like to extend my warmest thanks and appreciation to everyone involved in all the institutions, especially heidi luchsinger and jami leibowitz at east carolina university and prof. grzegorz przebinda at krosno state college for their support and work to help me make the gic a reality. dr. chris brighton guest editor, global issues conference proceedings krosno state college, poland http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal april 2013, vol. 3 no. 1, pp. 3-21 www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 3 nobel women: drama pedagogy for global citizenship education dorothy e. blanks university of tennessee, usa abstract in response to the need for teacher training in global citizenship education (gce), a workshop was designed and led for a group of teacher educators at a large, southeastern university in the united states. research-based instructional approaches for teacher training in global education were combined with the oxfam (2006) gce framework, drama pedagogy, and the lives of women who have won the nobel peace prize. the result was a workshop that encouraged teachers to include elements of gce in their teaching, as well as the belief that the individual can make a difference. introduction global citizenship education (gce) is a vital part of educating today’s youth. this, in part, means encouraging children to broaden their world views to encompass not only their immediate surroundings, but the world at large. “for our children to live successfully and peacefully in this globalized world, we need to help them develop the appropriate skills, knowledge, attitudes and perspectives” (reimers, 2008, p. 25). in order for students to understand the interconnected nature of global relationships, however, teachers must first be aware of the concept of global citizenship. considerable training is needed in this area. for example, robbins, francis and elliot (2003) found that while three quarters of trainee teachers agreed that global citizenship should have a high priority in the secondary school curriculum, only 35% felt confident to contribute to the teaching of global citizenship. there is agreement among global educators that equipping pre-service teachers with the tools, conceptual frameworks, and authentic information for teaching with a global perspective is imperative (haakenson, savukova, & mason, 1999; kirkwood, 2001; osunde, tlou, & brown, 1996). as zhao (2010) states, “this requires a new generation of teachers who are able to act as global citizens, understand the global system, and deliver a globally oriented education. to prepare this new generation of teachers, we need a teacher education system that is globally oriented” (p. 429). review of the research in response to the need for teacher training in global citizenship education (gce), a workshop was designed and led for a group of teacher educators at a large southeastern university in the united states. the researcher first analyzed the relevant global partners in education journal april 2013, vol. 3 no. 1, pp. 3-21 www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 4 literature in the field for teacher training gce. these research-based instructional approaches were combined with the oxfam (2006) gce framework, drama pedagogy, and the lives of women who have won the nobel peace prize. the result was a workshop curriculum that encouraged teachers to include elements of gce in their teaching, as well as encouraging the belief that the individual has the power make a difference. the oxfam framework for global citizenship education components of global education were first described by hanvey (1976), and have been expanded upon and refined since then. oxfam’s (2006) outline of global citizenship education was selected for the basis of this research. the oxfam framework divides global citizenship education into three categories, each with five or six sub themes: (1) knowledge and understanding, (2) skills, and (3) values and attitudes. the sub themes of knowledge are social injustice and equity; diversity; globalization and interdependence; sustainable development; and peace and conflict. the skills to be developed are critical thinking; ability to argue effectively; ability to challenge justice and inequality; respect for people and things; and cooperation and conflict resolution. the values and attitudes to be encouraged are a sense of identity and self-esteem; empathy; commitment to social justice and equity; respect for diversity; concern for the environment; and the belief that people can make a difference. the oxfam (2006) component that was of primary importance to the workshop was the belief that one can make a difference. it was this sense of self-efficacy and empowerment that was most important to be encouraged with the nobel women readers’ theater (nwrt) curriculum. as banks (2004) stated, “when we teach students how to critique the injustice in the world, we should help them to formulate possibilities for action to change the world to make it more democratic and just” (p. 300). if we teach students to critique the world without hope of making a difference, we may leave students disillusioned and without agency (freire, 2000). teacher training in gce solid research has been conducted on effective ways to train teachers in global education by avery (2004), haakenson et al. (1999), merryfield (1998), bacon and kischner (2002), and appleyard and mclean (2011), to mention a few north american researchers. avery (2004) identified six components of teacher education programs that can contribute to world-mindedness. the first component was the need to help teachers and students understand the development of their own perspectives as well as the perspectives of others. this concept, known as perspective consciousness, was first expressed by robert hanvey (1976). it is the awareness that one‘s own culture, family, acquaintances, and experiences have an impact on how each of us interprets the world. the second component identified by avery (2004) was that global issues need to be incorporated into teacher education courses because most u.s. citizens are not acutely aware of international issues. third, teachers should be prompted to understand young people‘s perspectives about social and political issues. fourth, global partners in education journal april 2013, vol. 3 no. 1, pp. 3-21 www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 5 teacher education programs should introduce teachers to methods that will enable students to make correlations among concepts. this refers not only to the need for interdisciplinary instruction, but also helping students to make connections between ideas. the fifth component is that teachers should be provided the ability to analyze school materials to understand how the nature of citizenship is established in these materials. not only must students be encouraged to critically evaluate source material, teachers also must be critical consumers of educational material. avery‘s (2004) final component is that american teacher education programs should help teachers develop the ability to understand the difficulties marginalized groups go through in developing civic identities, both within the united states and around the world. figure 1 teacher training in ge instructional strategies haakenson et al. (1999) outlined three steps in preparing pre-service teachers to teach with a global perspective. teachers must first gain knowledge of the world and perceptual understanding. teachers in training must also be exposed to a myriad of instructional strategies that promote knowledge of the diverse world. finally, they must be personally committed to globalizing their teaching approaches. merryfield (1998) and bacon and kischner (2002) stated that preparing teachers to teach from a global perspective included having cross-cultural experiences, cooperative learning, interdisciplinary thematic instruction, problem-solving tasks, experiential learning and community based learning. research by appleyard and mclean (2011) found that best practices for professional development in gce included consistent use of pedagogies such as experiential learning and explicit modeling; targeted instruction in specific intellectual, affective, and action domains of gce; providing pre-service teachers with opportunities to practice and reflect on the implementation of gce in classroom teacher training in ge instructional strategies appleyard & mclean (2011); avery (2004); bacon & kischner (2002); haakenson et al. (1999); kirkwood (2001); merryfield (1998) type of activity active & experiential appleyard & mclean (2011); bacon & kischner (2002); merryfield (1998) cooperative appleyard & mclean (2011); bacon & kischner (2002); merryfield (1998) problembased bacon & kischner (2002); kirkwood (2001); merryfield (1998) reflective appleyard & mclean (2011) type of content interdisciplinary bacon & kischner (2002); merryfield (1998) crosscultural bacon & kischner (2002); merryfield (1998) controversial issues bacon & kischner (2002); merryfield (1998) global partners in education journal april 2013, vol. 3 no. 1, pp. 3-21 www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 6 settings; and developing collaborative networks of support. these approaches to teacher education (see figure 1) were considered when designing the global education workshop. drama pedagogy drama can be a powerful pedagogical tool, especially for affective learning like building attitudes. it is a multidimensional, multi-skilled, holistic approach to learning that simultaneously evokes and extends students’ intellectual, social, emotional physical, moral, creative, communicative, and aesthetic abilities (verriour, 1994). types of dramatic activities include short plays, readers’ theater, simulations, mock trials, reenactments, role play, choral reading, and other strategies that draw students into the action of their own learning (turner, 2004). the integration of drama into the social studies provides a vehicle with benefits for both social science and language arts. reading and writing skills are developed through historical dramas (almeida & cullum, 1994; howlett, 2007). students that act out history enhance their understanding of historic content (howlett, 2007; kelin, 2005; mattioloi & drake, 1999). the benefits of using drama in the social studies have major implications for global education. these benefits include perceiving a sense of connection, approaching a situation from multiple points of view, thinking critically, and examining issues, ideas, values, and perspectives from a safe position (chilcoat & ligon, 1998; kelin, 1997; morris, 2003; obenchain & morris, 2001). morris (2003) concluded that, through plays, students studied questions raised in the past and applied them to current social problems. students thought critically about interconnections between well known people and important issues. obenchain and morris (2001) also spoke about connectedness; they found that the use of melodramas had students addressing multiple perspectives, examining values, and making historical connections across time and space. chilcoat and ligon (1998) found that through drama students explored the meaning of self-determination and activism, and that the lessons were a forum for discussion of real problems and a means for social action. kelin (1997) had upper elementary students use dramatic role play and improvisation to explore the american decision to use the bikini atoll for nuclear testing. through the use of drama, students practiced skills of community, participation, cooperation, collaboration, problem solving, and decision making (gay & hanley, 1999). women who have won the peace prize women who have won the nobel peace prize were chosen as the basis for the drama curriculum. they were likely subjects to represent the concept that one individual could make a difference in the world. alfred nobel was an inventor in the 19th century, best known for the invention of dynamite. a friend, bertha von suttner, encouraged nobel to give financial support to the peace societies of the 1890s, and he promised the baroness that he would “do something great” for the movement (abrams, 1994, p. 83). in establishing his prizes, he specified that the peace prize was to be given “to the person who shall have done the most or the best work for fraternity between nations, for global partners in education journal april 2013, vol. 3 no. 1, pp. 3-21 www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 7 the abolition or reduction of standing armies, and for the holding and promotion of peace congresses” (abrams, 1994, p. 83). the first peace prize was presented in 1903, and since then has been awarded to 79 men and fifteen women (http://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/peace/laureates/). the selection committees, made up of past prize winners and international world leaders, have made awards to six distinct types of recipients: international organizations; successful national officials working in an international context while pursuing legal solutions to conflict; peace activists working in an international context, some with, but many without governmental approval; individuals nonviolently seeking justice, freedom, security, or rights as a preliminary to peace; leaders who have used or sanctioned the use of force but who have agreed to a peace settlement; and altruists who render exemplary service to others. there has been at least one nobel woman in each category except the first, that of an international organization (see table 1). table 1. women who won the nobel peace prize name year country criteria topic bertha von suttner 1905 austrian empire peace activist anti-war writer jane addams 1931 united states peace activist hull house emily green balch 1946 united states peace activist pacifist against the world wars betty williams mairead corrigan 1976 northern ireland peace activist end civil war mother teresa 1979 macedonia/india exemplary care aid poor alva myrdal 1982 sweden national official nuclear disarmament aung san suu kyi 1991 burma/myanmar non-violent justice against military dictatorship rigoberta menchu tum 1992 guatemala renounces force indigenous rights jody williams 1997 united states peace activist ban land mines shirin ebadi 2003 iran non-violent justice legal rights for oppressed wangari muta maathai 2004 kenya non-violent justice environment/reforesta tion tawakkol karman 2011 yemen non-violent justice freedom of press ellen johnson sirleaf 2011 liberia national official end civil war/economic leymah gbowee 2011 liberia non-violent justice end civil war in selecting four nobel women for readers’ theater script development, care was taken to have representation from different peace prize criteria, as well as geographic variety. http://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/peace/laureates/ global partners in education journal april 2013, vol. 3 no. 1, pp. 3-21 www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 8 with this in mind, rigoberta menchu, alva myrdal, shirin ebadi, and wangari maathai were selected for further gce curriculum development. the nobel women workshop design the purpose of the workshop was to educate the participants about gce, and to demonstrate how drama pedagogy could be used in their classrooms to encourage global citizenship with their students. the underlying components of the workshop were threefold: the elements of gce as described in the oxfam (2006) framework, the use of drama pedagogy, both for teacher and student pedagogy, and women who have won the nobel peace prize as role models for global citizenship. the research on teacher training for global education of merryfield (1995, 1998), haakenson et al. (1999), avery (2004), and appleyard and mclean (2011) was utilized in designing the teacher training activities in the nobel women workshop. table 2 lists in the first column the recommendations for global pedagogy that are displayed graphically in figure 1. the second column of table 2 relates how those strategies were incorporated into the nobel women workshop activities. the workshop activities are described in detail in the next section. table 2 workshop design teacher training instructional practices/researcher workshop activity instruction in ge and gce (appleyard & mclean, 2011; avery, 2004; haakenson et al. 1999; kirkwood, 2001)  defining ge/gce  categorizing oxfam gce components  discussion  written reflections cross-cultural experiences (appleyard & mclean, 2011; merryfield, 1995)  nobel phone call from nobel woman background  video of hummingbird  readers’ theater of wangari maathai cooperative learning (appleyard & mclean, 2011; merryfield, 1995)  definition building of gce  categorizing oxfam gce characteristics  paired phone calls  discussions  readers’ theater practice and production. interdisciplinary thematic instruction (merryfield, 1995)  readers’ theater is la/ss  activities of wangari maathai are science and social studies problem-solving (kirkwood, 2001; merryfield, 1995)  categorizing oxfam gce characteristics  discussion of rt incorporation and oxfam application global partners in education journal april 2013, vol. 3 no. 1, pp. 3-21 www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 9 experiential learning (appleyard & mclean, 2011; merryfield, 1995)  nobel phone calls  hummingbird and nobel women readers’ theater reflection of practice (appleyard & mclean, 2011)  journal reflections each day  discussion of rt application, day 2  final discussion of oxfam chart. controversial issues (merryfield, 1995)  nobel women readers’ theaters:  rigoberta menchu: indigenous rights  alva myrdal: scientific ethics, nuclear weapons disarmament  wangari maathai: environmental protection, dynamics of power  shirin ebadi: rape, blood money, legal protection against injustice the gce workshop lesson plan the workshop was divided into three broad strands. the goal of the first strand was to develop a common understanding about what gce is, based upon the oxfam (2006) framework. this was accomplished by defining ge and gce, categorizing the oxfam components of gce, and relating a personal story based on one of the components. the second goal was to have the participants become familiar with women who had won the nobel peace prize, which was accomplished through the activity of the nobel phone call. the third goal was to use drama pedagogy to explore these topics. a video of one of the nobel women, wangari maathai, was used for an example readers’ theater script. finally, four readers’ theater scripts, each about a different nobel women, were performed in the workshop by the participants. the lesson plan for the workshop is available in appendix a. the nobel women workshop workshop logistics the workshop was given to a graduate level education course titled “drama and storytelling in the classroom” on two successive thursday evenings in september, 2012. on the first evening, all nine students enrolled in the class were present. on the second evening, six of the students attended. participants the participants’ ages varied widely. three were over 40, two were between 30 and 40, and four were between 20 and 25. they were a diverse group in terms of their teaching experience, degree program, and subject matter and grade level. two students were working on doctorate degrees, and seven were working towards their master’s degrees. one participant was trained in k-12 studies, two were secondary school, three upper elementary, and three lower elementary. when asked their primary content area, one declared history his specialty, one stated art, one math, one special education, and the remaining five wrote general or elementary education. two of the global partners in education journal april 2013, vol. 3 no. 1, pp. 3-21 www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 10 participants were asian; the other four were caucasian. six of the nine declared that they had lived or traveled overseas, and four stated they spoke a language other than english. workshop activities defining gce. the goal of the first strand was to develop a common understanding of gce. the first activity in the workshop was for participants to define global education and global citizenship education. they were asked, individually, to write down words and phrases that came to mind. the one word that was written on each paper was “culture”. in most cases, that was the only descriptor. the participants further crafted their definition through discussion with a partner. finally, the whole group came together to contribute pieces to the whole definition. categorizing the oxfam components. next, partners were given an envelope with strips of paper, each containing one of the subthemes from the knowledge, skills, and attitudes of gce. in addition, “global citizenship education,” “knowledge,” “skills,” and “phrases” were written on strips. each pair was asked to sort and classify the concepts, and was given a hierarchical outline to place the terms in. for example, the pairs were intended to classify all of the knowledge components together: diversity; peace and conflict; social justice and equity; sustainable development; and globalization and interdependence. they were not, actually, expected to be able to accomplish this classification without assistance; the activity was intended to spark discussion about the meaning of the terms and phrases. after the pairs were provided with the information that “knowledge, skills, and attitudes” were the three main headings, they were able to complete the activity successfully. personal narratives. the third activity was the first that involved a dramatic activity. each participant was asked to relate one of the sixteen gce concepts to his or her own life, and tell a “personal narrative story” that related the experience. in every case, participants were able to describe how the oxfam tenants had been important at some time in their lives. for example, one pakistani woman talked about diversity. she had been raised in a wealthy household in her home country, and felt that she had been fully aware of the american culture of elvis and movies, and vinyl records. another participant, mr. c, also discussed value and respect for diversity. he talked about his experience in the military, and how his unit had been comprised of various ethnic and regional groups. they did not mix socially together. mr. c related, “one day, a korean guy named kim talked 30 or 40 of us in the unit into coming to his place for a little r and r (rest and relaxation). after that, the racial lines were down, and we really became a team.” another participant, ms. k, related her personal story to peace and conflict. she described an incident that occurred during the two months she spent in mexico living in an orphanage. “one night there was machine gun fire… the next day, half a mile away, the hotel wall was found covered with bullet holes from drug cartel infighting.” another participant, ms. v, focused on sense of identity and social justice. she told a global partners in education journal april 2013, vol. 3 no. 1, pp. 3-21 www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 11 story about her family emigrating from north vietnam. after they moved to america, they were very poor. according to ms. v, they did not have a television or books. when she was 10, the family revisited hanoi, vietnam. “then i realized what poor really was! they had no beds, no blankets…. after that, we never complained to our parents anymore!” ms. g. related her experience to cooperation and conflict resolution as well as peace and conflict. her narrative concerned visiting east berlin, before the fall of the berlin wall, and what it meant to her to go from prosperity to a militarized zone of poverty. ms. t. discussed being a marine posted in japan, on the oxfam topic of peace and conflict and ability to challenge injustice. she described how welcoming the country had been to the american troops, until three soldiers raped a little japanese girl. after that episode, the relationship cooled between the military and the host country. according to the participants in later interviews, the stories were powerful. not only did they come to know each other deeply for the first time, but many realized that they did, in fact, know about global citizenship. it had been important in their lives, and would be important to their students. one avenue for future research would be to replicate this activity with a participant group that had less experience overseas. nobel phone calls. participants were again paired up, and each group was given a biography of one of woman who had won the nobel peace prize; wangari maathai, shirin ebadi, rigoberta menchu tum, or alva myrdal. they were asked to embark on another dramatic activity. this time, they were asked to synthesize the information in the biography and create a skit where the nobel prize winner was receiving a phone call, informing her that she had won the prize. this activity was designed to educate the participants about the lives and accomplishments of the nobel women within a limited time frame. each pair analyzed the essential life details of one nobel woman, and presented that information to the rest of the class in a dramatic way. maathai and the hummingbird. the next step in the workshop was to describe to the participants the drama pedagogy called readers’ theater. the members of the class learned that readers’ theater is an activity where students enact a play script with as much emotion as possible, but without having to memorize parts, prepare sets or props, or even prepare costumes. students do, however, practice the script and the repetition involved in the preparation has been shown to help in the comprehension of complex ideas (allington, 1983; dowhower, 1987). an example was developed using a video of a nobel woman, wangari maathai. a two minute video was shown with dr. maathai narrating a fable, i will be a hummingbird, which is available on youtube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-btl654r_py). the message of the fable from japan is that, while all the other animals of the jungle stood and watched in despair, the little hummingbird tried to do its best to put out the forest fire. a readers’ theater script of i will be a hummingbird, written by the workshop leader, was acted out by the participants. an explanation for how to convert a variety of media and print sources into readers’ theater scripts followed. in addition, topics like age level, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-btl654r_py global partners in education journal april 2013, vol. 3 no. 1, pp. 3-21 www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 12 reading ability, and dramatic interpretation were discussed. the script of the readers’ theater can be found in appendix b. nobel women readers’ theater scripts. the final drama activity of the workshop was the distribution and class presentation of four more readers’ theater scripts. each pair selected a nobel woman script to “teach” the class. interestingly, in each case, the partners chose the same woman that they had selected for the nobel phone call. each script was acted out, and the use of the theme for various grade levels was discussed. results and discussion the question of most import for the teacher training was what impact the workshop might have on the participants’ belief that they could make a difference, for better, in the world. three types of data addressed this issue: two questions on a preand postsurvey, written reflections by the participants after each workshop, and interviews that followed the workshop. survey data two questions were posed in the surveys that asked participants if they felt individuals in general and students in particular could make a difference in global issues. in response to the belief that individuals can make a difference, 78% of the participants strongly agreed and 22% agreed before the workshop. after the workshop, 83% strongly agreed, and 17% agreed with the statement. these results reflect a high degree of optimism and self-efficacy in the participants. however, none of the participants strongly agreed that their students perceived they could make a difference. in fact, preand postsurvey responses were 44% and 56% neutral or in disagreement. that is a perception worth pursuing in future research. interview and reflection data each participant, through interviews and workshop reflections, provided data in response to the questions about making a difference. there were two main types of responses. one strand addressed whether students would feel empowered by the curriculum. the second strand described the feeling of empowerment by the participants themselves. written reflection and interview data from one participant, mr. c, is used to illustrate these two points. students’ beliefs. as a high school administrator and former history teacher, mr. c commented that the belief that one can make a difference was one of the most important of the oxfam components. he reflected that students need to feel concern for others, and also feel that they have the power to address complex problems. the most important aspects of global citizenship education to address with students are interdependence and the belief that people can make a difference. global partners in education journal april 2013, vol. 3 no. 1, pp. 3-21 www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 13 in my teaching experience, i have found students, like most people, are quite self-centered and unconcerned about the welfare of the people around them. and sadly, the students i have encountered who do feel concerned for their fellow man tend to believe that the problems they face are too large and complex to be fixed… it (the curriculum) gives a focus to the study of the people of the world, brings the problems faced by people around the planet to light, and shows that individual people can make a difference. encouraging in students the belief that they can make a difference in the world, for the better, was the most important desired outcomes of the nwrt curriculum. teachers’ beliefs. the second strand in the data indicated that many of the participants were inspired, themselves, by the nobel women workshop. when asked what he had learned about gce during the workshop, mr. c cited increased optimism and inspiration. he spoke about aging, and how he had come to focus on those close to him, rather than the wider world. and it may be a cynical nature, but you know, i think as time wears on, and you get a little bit older… as i got a little bit older… i came to the point where, you know, i'm just one person. what can i do? i'm just gonna go on. i'm going make myself comfortable and happy, and those who are immediately around me… i'm going try to take care of them. but from reading the biographies of the nobel women, and some of them extremely young-it makes me feel extremely old- and what they were able to accomplish and the courage that they had… not only was i exposed to different cultures, something outside of what i thought of, something that i saw in documentaries … or taught in the classroom, i was exposed to that. but i was also kind of inspired by the fact that these individual people-who were not working towards a prize, they weren't working towards a prize-they were working in anonymity mostly, simply for the fact that they wanted to make their lives, and the lives of others, and of the world if they could, a better place. and i think that optimism is something that is the key to actually improving our situation, as defined by everyone around us. the stories of the nobel women had impressed upon him the power of the individual, the anonymous, to make the world a better place. at a later point in the interview, mr. c talked about a sense of helplessness to combat complex problems. interviewer: so are you saying that through those stories you did feel more empowered? mr. c: oh yes, definitely. i would say definitely. i think there was also… as i think back, it was maybe more of a feeling of helplessness and maybe a sense of just not knowing what to do… for a specific reason-i think of a specific problem, a global problem like the rainforest being cut in brazil. and it's easy to say …. “man, that's gotta stop!” but when you really narrow your focus, when you really zero in just a little bit more… there are some people who are making their livelihoods who are not wealthy fat cats (people of money and power). there are global partners in education journal april 2013, vol. 3 no. 1, pp. 3-21 www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 14 poor people who are making–who are feeding their families-by cutting down the rainforests…. so there's a helplessness in that. you say, “man, we gotta stop these fat cats from cutting the forest…” and then you might hear in the background this little tiny voice that says, “hey, i got to eat, too.” so what do you do? the problem seems so big sometimes….there's a helplessness there. but when you read the stories, and especially when you go in depth with the stories like we did in the workshop, i did feel inspiration. and i felt a little motivation, too, maybe even by comparison… i had little bit of jealousy that these people were able to do something here. some of the global problems are very complex. as mr. c said, it is not just the “fat cats” who profit from cutting down the rain forest. even so, through the stories of the nobel women, this participant felt motivated and inspired to make a difference himself. the lives of nobel prize winning women were incorporated into readers’ theater scripts with the purpose of providing a gce curriculum for teachers. the primary outcome of the workshop was to promote the oxfam attitude, the belief that the individual can make a difference. it appears from the data just discussed that there was some success in this arena. conclusion if one accepts the premise that global citizenship education is important, then it follows that the training of teachers in gce must also be important. the purpose of nobel women: readers’ theater for global citizenship education was to create a workshop that combined a framework of gce, a powerful pedagogy of drama, and the curricular topic of nobel women to encourage teacher understanding of gce, as well as a curriculum to use with students. this workshop lesson plan and curriculum package has good potential for teaching about global citizenship education at all levels. the next logical step for future research is to investigate the application of nobel women readers’ theater scripts in elementary and secondary classrooms in the hope that students, too, will feel 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(1996). persisting and common stereotypes in u.s. students’ knowledge of africa: a study of preservice social studies teachers. the social studies, 87, 119-124. http://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/peace/laureates/ global partners in education journal april 2013, vol. 3 no. 1, pp. 3-21 www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 16 oxfam (2006). key elements of global citizenship. retrieved from http://www.oxfam.org.uk/education/global-citizenship/key-elements-of-globalcitizenship. reimers, f. m. (2008). preparing students for the flat world. education week, 28(7), 24-26. robbins, m., francis, l. j., & elliott, e. (2003). attitudes toward education for global citizenship among trainee teachers. research in education, 63, 93-98. turner, t. n. (2004). essentials of elementary social studies. boston, ma: pearson. verriour, p. (1994). in role: teaching and learning dramatically. ontario: pippin. zhao, y. (2010). preparing globally competent teachers: a new imperative for teacher education. journal of teacher education, 61, 422-431. about the author dorothy blanks is a doctoral candidate (abd) at the university of tennessee in teacher training: social studies. her experience living and teaching in eastern europe and asia for two decades has resulted in a commitment to global education. http://www.oxfam.org.uk/education/global-citizenship/key-elements-of-global-citizenship http://www.oxfam.org.uk/education/global-citizenship/key-elements-of-global-citizenship global partners in education journal april 2013, vol. 3 no. 1, pp. 3-21 www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 17 appendix a workshop lesson plan goal: the goal of the workshop is to promote greater knowledge and positive attitudes about teaching global citizenship. objectives:  students will be able to define ge and gce by writing a class definition of the terms.  students will be able to identify the knowledge, skills, and attitudes of gce by completing a graphic organizer with 80 percent accuracy.  students will explore the use of drama pedagogy to teach gce by participating in a readers’ theater about a woman who has won the nobel peace prize.  students will evaluate the effectiveness of the nwrt curriculum by responding to journal prompts eliciting their feedback. classroom activities and procedures: day 1 (3 hours) 1. definition: as individuals, students will be asked to write a definition of global education and global citizenship. volunteers will offer ideas as the whole class builds a definition. a definition will then be handed out and compared with the class description. (purpose: to understand the meaning of ge and gce) 2. matching: pairs of students will be handed an envelope with 19 strips of paper which each contain one of the items from the oxfam gce topics on knowledge, attitudes, and skills. students will be asked to organize these phrases in any way that is logical to them, and then create a graphic organizer that highlights the relationships between the words and phrases. afterwards, students will explain their go to the class. the oxfam chart will be handed out and compared with student results. (purpose: understand the components of gce) 3. personal narrative storytelling: each participant will be asked to tell a personal narrative story that relates to one of the 16 categories of gce. the workshop leader will first model this technique by telling the story “hauli go home” which is related to the ideas of diversity/peace and conflict, and respect for people and things. (purpose: to relate the themes to their own lives, reflecting upon and personalizing the experience, as well as developing a sense of community and trust within the workshop participants.) 4. workshop participants will be paired up, and each set of partners will be given a brief biography of a nobel woman. they will be required to draft and perform a short telephone call between the nobel committee and the nobel global partners in education journal april 2013, vol. 3 no. 1, pp. 3-21 www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 18 woman that conveys as much information as possible about that particular nobel peace prize. (purpose: to gain biographical knowledge of the nobel women) 5. reflection: what do you know now that you didn’t know when you came in the room? is there anything you can take forward with you into the classroom or your life? (purpose: reflect and analyze experience) day 2 (3 hours) 1. readers’ theater: definition (hand out) (purpose: what is readers’ theater?) 2. readers’ theater: example. show the two minute video clip of wangari maathai telling the hummingbird folktale. have student volunteers perform the hummingbird readers’ theater. (purpose: model readers’ theater development) 3. discussion: how might you incorporate readers’ theater into your level and subject? (purpose: help students analyze the usefulness of the pedagogy) 4. nobel women rt: jigsaw groups are given scripts of their nobel women. time is given to practice and prepare. 5. groups perform readers’ theater for the class. (purpose: experience rt and gce) 6. reflection: imagine student reaction to the topic of gce, the pedagogy of readers’ theater, and the lives of nobel women. discuss the implications for your teaching. (purpose: reflect and analyze uses of nwrt in the classroom) 7. return to the oxfam chart. individually, then in pairs, then as a whole group, think about what methods you might use with your students and your topics in order to actively engage students in being world citizens. (purpose: review components of gce and link to own class design) assessment: formative: participation in discussions, matching/categprozomg, and drama activities. summative:  reflection journals  post survey global partners in education journal april 2013, vol. 3 no. 1, pp. 3-21 www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 19 modification: modification to instruction will be made on an individual basis. materials: pre and post surveys paper and pencils chart paper/markers/white board envelopes with oxfam strips oxfam categories handout nobel women biographies nobel women guiding questions reflection questions: day 1 and day 2 readers theater handout: definition you-tube: wangari maathai hummingbird video hummingbird readers theater nobel women rt scripts global partners in education journal april 2013, vol. 3 no. 1, pp. 3-21 www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 20 appendix b i will be a hummingbird script narrator: once, all the whole forests of africa were on fire. it was a huge blaze! the animals ran to the edge of the flames and looked on in despair. the most powerful creatures of the jungle stood together in quiet discussion. the lion, the tiger, the leopard, the elephant and the rhinoceros were joined by many others including the giraffe and zebra. they looked on in despair as the trees of africa burned. leopard: hey guys! we got a big problem here! big! big problem! elephant: we’ve got an emergency, that’s for sure! our home is on fire. zebra: my food is on fire! tiger: the rivers and streams are all evaporating! what am i supposed to drink? lion: my shade trees are burning. how am i supposed to stay cool in the heat? where am i supposed to take my nice afternoon nap? but i’m helpless against a fire that big! leopard: maybe so, but i don’t see how. hey, tiger, you go do it right now! tiger: roar! i may be the fiercest of all creatures, but there is nothing i can do against this blaze! how about you, king? any ideas? lion: who me? i may be the king, but i’ve got a very precious mane of hair that is likely to go up in smoke if i get to close! i’m powerless! narrator: the animals noticed a blur moving between the river and the burning trees. the little hummingbird thought, “i’m going to do something. i’m going to do the best that i can.” the big animals snickered, then turned back to ponder the fire. tiger: mr. rhino? your skin is thick and hard to burn… how about it? rhino: oh, come on, tiger, you know that my eyesight isn’t worth a darn. what about the giraffe? giraffe: ever heard of “stop, drop, and roll?” you’re supposed to stay down low in a fire! my head is up in the treetops, where the fire is hottest and the smoke is the worst. i’m helpless in a situation like this one! narrator: while the most powerful beasts of the forest argued, one little creature was at work. in fact, this bird flew so fast that its wings were a blur. the hummingbird, one of the tiniest creatures in africa, flew to the limpopo river and took one tiny drop of water in its beak. then it flew to the fire and deposited the drop on one spark. back and back went the hummer, returning to the fire each time with one tiny drop. finally, the larger creatures seemed to take notice. global partners in education journal april 2013, vol. 3 no. 1, pp. 3-21 www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 21 elephant: hey, hummer! buddy! whatcha doin’? are you nuts? are you insane? tiger: you are way too little! what can you do? rhino: yeah, birdie! give it up! you’re wasting your breath! narrator: the hummingbird didn’t waste its breath responding, even though she was very tempted to point out that the elephant had a nice big trunk, and the rhino had a huge mouth that might be a big help in carrying water. the lion was king of the jungle. if he were to help, others would join in. never mind, thought the hummingbird. i can only choose my own actions. lion: what a crazy bird! elephant: yeah! what a dodo! tiger: she sure is working hard. what a wasted effort! narrator: it took the hummingbird a long, long time. she made thousands of journeys from the river to the forest and back. one tiny area of the fire, on the eastern edge, began to wane. the elephant went to investigate. elephant: hey, guys! look here! i think that hummer might just have the right idea. narrator: the elephant went to the river, filled his nose full of water, and sneezed it all over the south side of the flames. it didn’t make much difference, but perhaps… elephant: come on, guys! if a little bugger like the hummer can make a difference on the fire, imagine what we can all do! narrator: the powerful creatures of the forest joined together. they decided that they would rather be hummingbirds, after all. global partners in education journal – special edition december 2015, vol. 5, no. 2, p. 99 http://www.gpejournal.org/ issn 2163-758x 99 conclusion to gic special issue after having just finished the final edits on this collection of papers, i am inspired by two aspects of this process: • the major effort that all of our authors put into writing, revising, and finalizing their papers and how they openly received feedback on their papers. • the fact that even though 90% of our authors are non-native english speakers, everyone persevered so that they could clearly express their views, research, and ideas for the future to a global audience. this collection of papers shares the passion and open minds from students in russia, nigeria, pakistan, ecuador, china, the united states, kyrgyzstan, and poland. by their initiatives and energy, our global culture will doubtlessly be guided in very positive directions. the message shared by all of these papers is that we need to continue to work towards progress whether it is intercultural communication, living conditions, health issues, education, or equal rights for women. every country around the world struggles with these same issues and there is no reason to believe that we cannot help each other reach better outcomes. i want to thank all of our authors. you were a joy to work with and i hope to work with you all again in the future. best of luck to everyone in the future, heidi m. luchsinger, phd editor, global issues conference proceedings east carolina university, usa http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition february 2020, vol. 8, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org/ issn 2163-758x 13 global understanding as the rosetta stone of global education: gu fitting within the spanish educational system and knowledge brokering initiatives from vocational training programs. cristina álvarez villanueva, maría mercedes jiménez vilallonga, reyes felip cuevas & maria del carmen molés juste ies f. ribalta, valencia, spain abstract f. ribalta is taking part for the first time in the international global understanding program. in this presentation we would like to show the outcomes at an initial stage regarding its fitting within the spanish education system. at this stage, students take part outside their formal curriculum, as they are involved in different forms of education: upper secondary school (night school and distance learning baccalaureate) and vocational training programs (blended and face-to-face tuition). the data compilation from students with different profiles show that the feasibility and advisability of including gu as part of the formal curriculum should be explored. moreover, the two-way exchange of information and views from gu college students and our students from social work and community services programs is an added value for the quality, depth and frankness of discussion. introduction over the years, the spanish education system has progressively included foreign language courses in its multilingual plan, following the european union's objective of the europe 2020 strategy1. until the 90s, the first foreign language most taught was french, however, this changed with society and has moved to second place, english occupying the first place2. throughout student’s life up to university, they receive in 1 the study of a first foreign language and, at least, the knowledge of another one. 2 the change was brought about by the organic law on education (loe) of 2006 and, subsequently, by the organic law for the improvement of educational quality (lomce) in 2013. as arroyo indicates, it is established the "key competences to be acquired by students in "linguistic communication" referring to official and foreign languages; they include as one of the principles of the educational system the promotion of plurilingualism, and as an objective of the same the training in at least one foreign language and its promotion from the second cycle of infant education» (arroyo, 2013, p. 7). http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition february 2020, vol. 8, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org/ issn 2163-758x 14 each course a few predetermined hours of this language. this also happens in vocational training. however, today's globalized and technological society requires going deeper into other languages in order to connect with people from other cultures. however, the students' understanding of them is often based on what the media, series or films transmit to them. on the other hand, despite the existence of this need, not everyone can travel to study abroad. for this reason, we believed that the global understanding international program was an ideal proposal to be able, not only to practice the language, but also to assimilate the cultural differences. aligned perfectly with the commitment of our cultural and linguistic immersion school, this virtual mobility has been carried out during the current academic year with the expected success. however, this program was implemented on a voluntary basis. thus, the participants (both teachers and students) came outside their academic schedule to carry out the experience. after an in-depth analysis, we concluded that inserting the program into the offered vocational training programs was possible and would give greater value to the results. thus, the thesis that we develop in this article and that we find is the following: the integration of global understanding in the vet higher technician in sociocultural and tourist animation is possible and improves the communicative and linguistic competence in foreign languages of our students. stages the different phases of the investigation that we have carried out have been the following: figure 1. research stages the initial phase from which we started was not barren. the project coordinator had previously participated in the program in another school. when she transferred it to the f. ribalta, she had already made a previous analysis of the situation, with the aim of incorporating it into the vet studies -that is to say, the original thesis had already been put forward. thus, in phase 0 we had the knowledge and firm approaches to verify with the initial proof of implementation of the program. http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition february 2020, vol. 8, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org/ issn 2163-758x 15 the next step would be to verify that the implementation of the program in our center was doable. for this purpose, we did not unite during this academic year in an experimental way. in order to do this, the participants were carefully chosen, and the work was organized into 3 committees:  management committee: made up of the coordinator, the head of distance learning studies, and the head of vocational training studies. they would be in charge of everything related to the choice of students, the location of the program in the operation of the center, as well as its promotion both to distance education and vocational training.  academic committee: made up of english teachers in vet studies. they would carry out the sessions with the students, both the initial training and the connections. in addition, they would help in the search for participating students.  technical committee: made up of teachers from the it department and the center's ict coordinator. this team was responsible for the technical functioning of the connections, the good condition of the equipment and the quality of each link. figure 2. work structure in research. with this distribution, a strong and well-organized working structure was achieved. the collaboration of all the components has been fundamental, as well as a fluid communication based on coordination meetings and the use of emails and messaging. the main feature is that it was offered voluntarily, i.e., outside of school hours. in this way, students who signed up had to make the effort to stay one more hour at the center or go to school earlier, in order to participate. the same happened with the participating teachers, that we have worked in a voluntary way outside our working hours and with no major objective than to offer an added value to our center and students. more specifically, they were summoned half an hour before the connections to be able to organize the session, review with them the different topics they had prepared to ask questions and resolve last-minute doubts. during the sessions, the teachers were simply moderators. coordinator academic committee techcnical committee management committee http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition february 2020, vol. 8, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org/ issn 2163-758x 16 on the other hand, the students who signed up for each batch of connections were not always the same, although many wanted to repeat. this was also a difficulty, as the whole mechanics had to be explained again and they only benefited from the program once. as indicated above, the target of this program was vet students. thus, during the first two synchronous connections, they were offered only to them. however, because of the schedule, it was difficult for the students to participate, as most of them worked and did not fit in. thus, it was decided to widen the range of participants in the third synchronous connection, and it was offered to older students who were studying high school, in its three modalities (day, night and distance). the participation, in this case, was overwhelming since the connections coincided when they finished their classes. figure 3. positive feed learned. we test below a set of asynchronous connections (agu) to see if it might be of interest for our purpose of incorporating it into the vet educational system. the result was adequate, but we reserved it for distance learning. we believe that the experience of face-to-face debates is unique. therefore, we discarded this option to include it in the vet. figure 4. positive feed learned ii with all this, the formula was sought to fit into the educational system of vocational training offered by the center •expand the range of participants beyond vet students positive feed learned • connections must be embedded in the school schedule positive feed learned • asynchronous connections are more suitable for elearning positive feed learned • the same group of students during all the connections of the course is advisable positive feed learned http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition february 2020, vol. 8, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org/ issn 2163-758x 17 findings (vet system) the following training cycles are taught in our training centre: figure 5. vet offer in ies f.ribalta the vet chosen was "sociocultural and tourist animation", hereinafter known as "tasoc". there are several reasons for this:  more hours of english than in the other courses  best adapted curriculum to gu program: o needs in the tourism sector to improve language skills o concordance with the cultural section of the studies and cultural immersion offered by the program  students of over 18 years of age, motivated and ready (if not already) to enter the labour market.  ad-hoc training of professionals in transversal skills  direct relationship with the labour market tasoc belongs to the professional branch "sociocultural and community services" (royal decree 1684/2011 of 18 november (boe 27/12/11). this is a higher vocational education program of 2000 hours in duration, distributed in 2 academic years. in both years some subjects are taught in english. specifically, in the first year, the compulsory subjects are "technical english i", with a total duration of 96 hours (3 hours per week) and "english" with the same duration3. in the second year, there is the continuation, "technical english ii", this time with 40 hours during the year (2h weekly)4. 3 these are "hours reserved for teaching in english", which in some cycles are used to reinforce any other module you choose to teach in this language. this is not the case in this cycle, so they are used to reinforce the linguistic competences of the students. 4you can see the drilldown of hours in the following extract from the regulation: http://www.ceice.gva.es/documents/161863064/162743699/anisocturloe3h.pdf/d90ba6a2-c44d-40349e22-0117601e675c higher level vet sociocultural animation and tourism (f) social integration (b) (f) primary education (b) (f) promotion of gender equality (f) intermediate level vet attention to people in a situation of dependency (b) (f) methodology (b) blended-learning (f) face-to-face learning http://www.gpejournal.org/ http://www.ceice.gva.es/documents/161863064/162743699/anisocturloe3h.pdf/d90ba6a2-c44d-4034-9e22-0117601e675c http://www.ceice.gva.es/documents/161863064/162743699/anisocturloe3h.pdf/d90ba6a2-c44d-4034-9e22-0117601e675c global partners in education journal – special edition february 2020, vol. 8, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org/ issn 2163-758x 18 1st year hours /week hours /year 2nd year hours /week hours /year english 3 96 technical english ii 2 40 technical english i 3 96 figure 6. table with the hourly distribution and by english modules in tasoc as for the professional modules, it has the following structure: 1st year 2nd year the methodology of social intervention (128h) activities of leisure and free time (120h) group dynamics (96h) tourist entertainment (140h) animation and cultural management (224h) youth information (100h) community development (96h) the socio-educational intervention of young people (100h) the context of socio-cultural animation (128h) first aid (40h) training and work guidance (96h) company and entrepreneurial initiative (60h) training in centers of work (400 h) socio-cultural animation tourist project (40 h) figure 7. table with the professional modules of tasoc below is a possible relationship with the global understanding programme for those relevant components. gu fitting gu is an english-language real-time video conferencing and chat programme involving 57 institutions from 27 countries around the world. it offers opportunities to interact and collaborate with students from europe, asia, america, and africa. in this way, the students of our center could learn about other cultures without having to travel, through activities and a platform. the promotion and use of our co-official languages, valencian and spanish, would come from the knowledge of foreign languages (english). as indicated by the organizing institution, east carolina university, “gu provides personal, global experiences that open student http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition february 2020, vol. 8, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org/ issn 2163-758x 19 perspectives about other cultures and build the knowledge, skills and attitudes necessary to thrive in a global multicultural society”5. real-time video conferencing and chat sessions are developed with students from foreign universities on pre-established topics, such as life at the school or educational campus, cultural traditions and festivals, the family, the meaning of life, tourism and holidays, commemorations and major events in each country, helping to dispel stereotypes and prejudices. according to ecu, after taking the course, students demonstrate increased perspective taking and decreased intercultural communication anxiety. the project promotes the acquisition of basic skills and the development of students as european citizens: • linguistic and communicative competence: improvement of communicative skills. students must demonstrate that they can use linguistic conventions appropriate to each context or situation. • competence in learning to learn: students will become aware of their ability to learn a foreign language and will develop their own resources that promote and encourage learning (motivation and development of new skills). • competence in social and citizenship learning: through contact with new cultures and countries, students will understand that they are part of a global culture. the project develops skills directed towards the respect and acceptance of stereotypes and differences, the basis of a democratic coexistence. • competence in information processes and ict use: the use of communication and information technologies allows communication with people from all over the world. it is important for students and teachers to be exposed to new ict tools and moodle collaborative modules. • personal autonomy competence and knowledge and interaction with the world around us: learning a foreign language contributes to the acquisition of this competence because it promotes collaborative and cooperative learning. as indicated, “global understanding is a course which fits into any academic program; it is taught in real time with multiple cultures”. however, never before had attempts been made to fit into the spanish education system. gu and the tasoc vet objectives therefore, the spanish education regulations on the tasoc course look for those elements that may be coincident. with regard to the curriculum (dogv nº. 8129 of the 18/09/2017 (p. 32774-32808), article 7 indicates this: 5 for more information, see http://www.ecu.edu/ http://www.gpejournal.org/ http://www.ecu.edu/ global partners in education journal – special edition february 2020, vol. 8, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org/ issn 2163-758x 20 “in order for students to know the english language, both orally and in writing, which allows them to resolve situations involving the production and comprehension of texts related to the profession, to know the advances of other countries, to make proposals for innovation in their professional field and to facilitate their mobility to any european country, the curriculum of this training cycle incorporates the english language in an integrated way in two professional modules from among those that make up the entire training cycle.” this fits in fully with the mechanics of the programme itself, where students must "face" a rigorous direct debate, dealing with issues relevant to the cycle, such as college life, family and cultural traditions, the meaning of life & religion, and stereotypes. on the other hand, article 8 (ibid) reads: “the regional ministry with competences in these vocational training courses will favor the development of innovation projects, as well as teaching programming models and didactic materials, which will facilitate the development of the curriculum for the teaching staff.” we have incorporated the global understanding programme into an educational innovation project for the globalization of cultural and linguistic knowledge, "go ccl!", approved by the conselleria d'educació (department of education for the region) this academic year 2018/19. gu and the english professional module as for the professional module "english", it is indicated that one of its contents is: “e) identification and interpretation of the most significant cultural elements of the foreign language countries (english): – assessment of socio-cultural and protocolary norms in international relations. – use of formal and functional resources in situations requiring socioprofessional behaviour in order to project a good image of the company. – recognition of the foreign language in order to deepen knowledge that may be of interest throughout personal and professional life. – use of appropriate registers according to the context of the communication, the interlocutor and the intention of the interlocutors.” (ibid) as well as, of course, the improvement of the communicative, linguistic and cultural capacity in in the english language. both are fully in line with the purpose of the programme. gu and professional module of group dynamization the professional module "group dynamization" has: “c) selection of communication techniques: http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition february 2020, vol. 8, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org/ issn 2163-758x 21 – the communication process. characteristics and functions: group interaction, feedback, interpersonal communication and communication in large groups. – elements in the communication process. – styles of communication. assertiveness. – communication systems. types of communication: verbal, non-verbal and written. – application of new communication technologies. – barriers in communication. – most common difficulties. communication and disabled people. location of the barriers: in the animator, in the user and in the environment. – strategies for overcoming barriers and strengthening communication. – basic social communication skills. – general characteristics of basic communication skills. – behavioral guidelines in the attention to participants. – active listening. – types of strategies to evaluate the different communication systems.” (ibid) precisely the videoconference creates a barrier for the communication: the different accents of the participants, the added noises of environment, the failures of sound that can be for the use of environmental microphones, the variable registers that are found. all this means that the students must use active communication strategies. as well as to develop skills to maintain the protocols of a debate, with an active listening or respect for the shifts. in addition, it is indicated that: “d) organization and generation of work teams: – coordination and dynamization of work teams within an organization. – teamwork. – horizontal and vertical communication in the work team. – strategies for the distribution of tasks and functions. – techniques of motivation and support in the development of the functions of the members of the work team. – conducting meetings. types of meetings. techniques. – techniques of information, motivation and orientation within the work team. – training of the people who are part of the team on the rules of the activities and facilities. – supervision and monitoring of tasks and functions. – the work environment. problems related to the work environment. burning. moobing. – assessment of the promotion of equality in the generation of work teams. – assessment of the importance of communication and coordination processes within a work team.” (ibid) the collaborative work that students must present at the end of the round of connections is an added effort. they strengthen their cooperation and teamwork skills, with the added difficulty of collaborating with a colleague who has only been seen in videoconferences and who has a different culture and mother tongue. it thus fulfils several of the above points. http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition february 2020, vol. 8, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org/ issn 2163-758x 22 in this sense, they must be able to resolve conflicts during this teamwork, as well as throughout the communicative process (either by videoconference or chat) and, as mentioned above, be able to hold a debate on sensitive issues: “e) implementation of conflict resolution strategies: – individual and collective conflicts in the group. causes and effects on group integration. the character of the conflict: functional and dysfunctional. types of conflicts of tasks, relationships and processes. – decision making. phases of the decision-making process. – the attitudes of groups to conflicts. – techniques for conflict management and resolution. – negotiation and mediation. – the debate, problem-solving and cognitive restructuring. – techniques and procedure. – importance of communication strategies in the solution of group problems.” (ibid) gu and the professional module of animation and cultural management the contribution that the programme would make to this module would be of great relevance, highlighting the following: “a) characterization of the cultural intervention: – the concept of culture. – culture and society. current situation. – globalization and its impact on culture [...]. – cultural needs and demands. cultural market. indicators. cultural habits. sources of information on cultural habits. – segmentation of the cultural market. typology of cultural users or consumers. procedures for studying the preferences of cultural users or consumers. – importance of information and communication technologies in cultural management.” (ibid) precisely the culture is one of the strong points of the programme since immersion in it is made with the excuse of practicing the language. gu and the professional module of social intervention methodology in its contents it stands out: “a) determination of methods, techniques and tools for analysing reality: – methods and techniques of social research and social intervention. – analysis of the main sources and systems for recording information: observation; the interview; the questionnaire and the survey; sociometric techniques; documentary compilation. – elaboration and application of information collection instruments. – possibilities and limitations of the different techniques and instruments. http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition february 2020, vol. 8, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org/ issn 2163-758x 23 – sources of information. – reliability and validity of the information. – use of icts in social research. – data analysis and interpretation. – assessment of the ethical aspects of information collection.” (ibid) in one of the programme discussion topics, "prejudices" should be analyzed if the information obtained is true or is modified by subjective criteria. thus, they must apply certain aspects of the information record, such as observing non-verbal communication, analyzing the data obtained and being aware of the source of the information, both that the students receive and that which they themselves offer. gu and the professional module of context of sociocultural animation the most similar to the programme is the following content: “a) contextualization of socio-cultural animation: – characteristics of the current society. – models of social policies and the welfare state. the current situation in spain: the administrative, legislative and jurisdictional framework. models of intervention in the european union – analysis of models of sociocultural intervention in today's society. – non-formal education. – socio-cultural animation and non-formal education. – importance of the configuration of today's society in the development of socio-cultural animation.” (ibid) it is precisely these topics that are discussed in the networking sessions, both in writing and orally. proposal after a detailed analysis, the key points of the proposal to frame the global understanding programme in the vet system of our centre are shown: – fit the global understanding programme into the first year cfgs tasoc "english" course – make a maximum of 3 connections per course (one per term) – make connections during school hours – to have the whole group of 1st class of tasoc and to open the places that could be missing for students of baccalaureate. they would be out of school hours but it would allow a margin of voluntariness and freshness. – replace the half hour before preparation with the use of the previous module sessions, preparing and working on the contents of the global connection. – compensate participation in the programme with part of the qualification of the english module. specifically, it would mean the substitution of the oral exam of the subject. conclusions http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition february 2020, vol. 8, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org/ issn 2163-758x 24 • the hypothesis put forward at the beginning is feasible. • we will frame the global understanding programme in the professional module of the first course of the superior degree formative cycle of sociocultural animation and tourism. • its viability has been empirically confirmed, with the selection of students from this cycle participating in the different connections carried out this academic year. • its viability has been verified theoretically, verifying the transfer of knowledge between the curriculum of the cycle and its contents and competences. references arroyo, j., vázquez, e., rodríguez, f., arias, r. & vale, p. (2013). la enseñanza de las lenguas extranjeras en el sistema educativo español. curso 2012/13. madrid, spain: ed. secretaría general técnica de la subdirección general de documentación y publicaciones del centro nacional de innovación e investigación educativa del ministerio de educación, cultura y deporte, colección eurydice españa-redie. cniie. (n.d.). retrieved from http://www.educacionyfp.gob.es/educacion/mc/cniie/inicio.html generalitat valenciana. conselleria de cultura, educació i ciència. decret 120/2017, of 8 september, del govern valencià, decret 120/2017, of 8 september, del govern valencià (2017). valència. dogv. (n.d.). retrieved from http://www.dogv.gva.es/es eurydice. (n.d.). retrieved from https://eacea.ec.europa.eu/nationalpolicies/eurydice/index_en.php_en áreas. (n.d.). retrieved from http://www.ceice.gva.es/es/web/educacionroyal decree 1684/2011 of 18 november (boe 27/12/11) (2011). retrieved from http://www.boe.es/boe/dias/2011/12/27/pdfs/boe-a-2011-20272.pdf state agency official state gazette (boe). retrieved from https://www.boe.es cristina álvarez villanueva, phd, ies f. ribalta, computer science department, castelló de la plana, spain, combines her work as ict teacher with academical research. she is head of e-learning studies and lecturer. she is expert in new technologies adapted to education (face-to-face, blended&distance learning), in educational quality and in intangible assets valuation. she holds a cum laude doctorate in business and institutional communication and a master's degree in new trends and communication processes. she is telecommunications engineer. her doctoral thesis received the extraordinary doctoral award in communication http://www.gpejournal.org/ http://www.educacionyfp.gob.es/educacion/mc/cniie/inicio.html http://www.dogv.gva.es/es https://eacea.ec.europa.eu/national-policies/eurydice/index_en.php_en https://eacea.ec.europa.eu/national-policies/eurydice/index_en.php_en http://www.boe.es/boe/dias/2011/12/27/pdfs/boe-a-2011-20272.pdf https://www.boe.es/ global partners in education journal – special edition february 2020, vol. 8, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org/ issn 2163-758x 25 sciences. she held positions of responsibility and management in business strategy&development, in telecommunications companies. she was in the expert committee that drew up the first standard for the brand monetary valuation (une 418001:2015). nowadays she is a member of the panel of experts of the evaluation and control unit of the spanish service for the internationalisation of education. she has participated in many educational innovation projects and published several books and articles in specialized journals and congresses. email: crialvil@gmail.com mercedes jiménez vilallonga, institut francesc ribalta, english department, castelló de la plana, spain, is currently teaching english to vet students at institut francesc ribalta secondary high school. she loves both teaching and office work and she has been alternating positions in her professional career. she started working as a bank clerk before obtaining a degree in translation and interpreting studies at the university of granada and she also worked as a police station interpreter and clerk while further studying before obtaining her degree in english philology at university jaume i of castelló de la plana. as part of her studies, she took part in exchange programmes with the university of wolverhampton (uk) and the university of salford (uk). twelve years ago she joined the teaching profession and was working at different secondary and high schools in cuenca and castellón provinces when she faced a new challenge and got a position as the education advisor at the spanish embassy in stockholm (sweden) for five years. email: mjimenezv@iesribalta.net reyes felip cuevas, institut francesc ribalta, english department, castelló de la plana, spain, is a teacher of english at institut francesc ribalta secondary high school. she obtained a degree in translation and interpreting studies at university jaume i of castelló de la plana (spain). she finished her degree at universität heidelberg (germany) as an exchanged student. before starting her professional career, she obtained a post as a language assistant in leeds and then finished a postgraduate course on teaching modern foreign languages at leeds university (uk) and a postgraduate course on teaching spanish as a foreign language at universitat de valència (spain). she has been teaching english, french and german at a high school in tarragona, where she was head of the foreign languages department and in charge of the school’s magazine amongst other projects. she is currently teaching english to vet students at ribalta high school and cocoordinating the erasmus+ abroad internships. email: reyes.felip@iesribalta.net carmen molés juste, is the chief of vocational training, institut francesc ribalta, castellón de la plana (spain). although she obtained a law degree at the university of valencia (spain), she has always been more interested in teaching than in legal issues. therefore, carmen has been working as a teacher in different high schools (in the area of training and career guidance) for thirty years and has been involved in educational international programmes. e-mail: carmen.moles@iesribalta.net http://www.gpejournal.org/ mailto:crialvil@gmail.com mailto:mjimenezv@iesribalta.net mailto:reyes.felip@iesribalta.net mailto:carmen.moles@iesribalta.net running head: integrating new online tools 22 integrating new online tools to enhance cross-cultural communication in an international educational telecommunication project “global understanding” victoria a. fadeeva lomonosov moscow state university, russia author note victoria aleksandrovna fadeeva, candidate degree in teaching, senior teacher at linguistics & it department, faculty of foreign languages and area studies, lomonosov moscow state university. correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to victoria a. fadeeva, 119192, russia, moscow, lomonosovskii prospect, 31, bldg. a. foreign languages and area studies, lomonosov moscow state university. contact: vickyfadeeva@gmail.com integrating new online tools 23 abstract this paper explores the technical features and didactic characteristics of two online tools (voicethread and todaysmeet) which have been found to be effective for developing the communication and collaboration skills of students as well as promoting their engagement outside of the language classroom. to meet these goals, the developers have created both of these tools as cloud applications. in other words, there is no software to install as they work within any modern updated web browser and on almost any internet connection. the main focus of this article is on the experience of implementing these online tools in a blended language course: “information technologies in cross-cultural communication” which is based on a cross-cultural program named “global understanding”. a number of voicethread practical activities with the objective of developing the abovementioned skills were used in the classroom and are discussed in this article as well. conclusions drawn from this research indicate that voicethread activities encourage language learners to develop listening comprehension, speaking skills, and to enrich their knowledge of the subject with the help of their peers' previous experience. todaysmeet chatrooms provide a place to discuss conversation questions during online meetings and to negotiate collaborative projects (topics and content) asynchronously. keywords: voicethread, todaysmeet, innovative online tools, distant learning, blended learning, information and communication technologies, icts in foreign language teaching, listening and speaking skills, communication and collaboration skills integrating new online tools 24 integrating new online tools to enhance cross-cultural communication in an international educational telecommunication project “global understanding” introduction rapidly developing technologies have transformed all spheres of our lives with education not being an exception. current educational systems tend to include more distant, blended and collaborative models. integrating innovative online tools into the learning process creates opportunities for learners to develop their autonomy, flexibility, creativity, critical thinking and problem-solving skills as well as their communication and collaboration skills. as for educators, there are obvious advantages for implementing new online tools in the course delivery process including: time-saving (all materials are online), the growing number of students who can enroll in the course, flexibility in management, overcoming limitations of classroom time and space, easier management of a variety of learning styles, tracking feedback, creating backchannels, etc. when we consider the role of information and communication technologies (icts) in foreign language teaching, it is evident that modern icts help to connect people living in different cultures and speaking different languages. they contribute to the development of communicative and cross-cultural skills, providing types of practice required to enhance each of these skills. this paper describes the experience of implementing media-based discussion via voicethread and text-based discussion via todaysmeet in a blended learning course, “information technologies in cross-cultural communication”, in order to enhance student cross-cultural interaction inside and outside of the classroom. description of the course “information technologies in cross-cultural communication” the course “information technologies in cross-cultural communication” is designed to improve students' cross-cultural, informational and communicative competences through integrating new online tools 25 communicating with the representatives of other cultures by means of icts. it is based on the international project “global understanding”, initiated by east carolina university (usa) (http://www.ecu.edu/cs-acad/globalinitiatives/course.cfm), in which lomonosov moscow state university has been participating for over 11 years. today, “global understanding” (gu) is a freshman-level course offered through both international studies and anthropology courses. the program provides a unique format for students where they can communicate with their peers through live video conferencing and chat technologies without leaving a classroom. partner countries swap in a round-robin fashion during a semester so that each culture is partnered with two or three cultures, one at a time, for approximately 4 weeks. students discuss a number of set topics e.g., college life, cultural traditions and family, meaning of life and religion, stereotypes and prejudices and carry out collaborative projects with their individual foreign partner. in addition to live video links where students speak with each other onscreen, there are local introductory and summary classes before and after classes with each partner university, where students discuss what they have actually learnt about the culture and traditions of their partner country. as a result of mutual dialogue and interaction, students become more culturally aware and develop important skills for their future intercultural communication opportunities. due to serving as learning sources for each other since there is no textbook to rely on, students exchange adequate, relevant and reliable information by means of a target language. however, the experience has shown that russian students have difficulties expressing their ideas about their native culture and country in a foreign language due to various reasons (i.e., age, different backgrounds, level of school education, psychological barriers in speaking english as a second language, etc.) and are therefore not actively engaged in live video discussions. consequently, it was decided to create a supporting online course (http://moodle.ffl.msu.ru/course/view.php?id=6) using moodle lms to prepare our students http://moodle.ffl.msu.ru/course/view.php?id=6 integrating new online tools 26 for more efficient and fruitful participation in the project. the combination of a supporting course in moodle and local classes (i.e., both live videoconferences and chats when all russian students and the teacher are physically present in one classroom in addition to traditional faceto-face introductory and summary classes) illustrates the blended nature of the course “information technologies in cross-cultural communication”. moodle lms, being a unifier of cutting-edge asynchronous and synchronous communicative tools as well as a means for creating learning content, provides a lot of advantages for both learners and teachers which were already discussed in previous articles (nazarenko, sizykh, & fandei, 2013). nonetheless, it lacks a tool for developing speaking and listening skills simultaneously while using visual support at the same time. thus, it was decided to use voicethread (http://voicethread.com) which provides a visual-centric and participatory learning environment to supplement the course designed primarily in moodle. voicethread (vt) is a cloud application which allows for the creation of no more than 5 vt projects in a free account and the uploading of over 50 different types of media where a student can add voice, text and video (web-camera) comments as well as upload files as comments. moreover, comments can be moderated by the creator of the project who can make them viewable to all the participants of the discussion or make them hidden when they are left as direct replies. participants of vt can doodle on the slides when recording their comments, use multiple online identities (e.g., a teacher, a friend, an imaginary hero) and share the discussion with others. in addition, projects can be accessible via a link or be embedded in a lms. voicethread practical activity used in the course the aim of this activity was to develop students' speaking and listening skills, especially in expressing their opinions as well as increasing students’ engagement and breaking psychological barriers in speaking english as a second language. the group consisted of 10 http://voicethread.com/ integrating new online tools 27 students. the equipment necessary to implement this activity included an internet-connected computer with a microphone and a free voicethread account for the instructor. each student is required to create a free voicethread account which requires an email address and a name. in our case students already have accounts because they learn voicethread as a part of university it course. a voicethread project with 4 slides (https://voicethread.com/share/7919579/) was required with each slide containing a thoughtprovoking image with a question from the teacher which was uploaded using text and voice commenting. the rationale behind this activity was that students have different abilities in speaking and listening skills. it may well be that those who hesitate in speaking because of natural shyness or lack confidence in english fluency may express themselves more confidently. for instance, they may adopt a new online identity (voicethread feature available for all license types). in addition, students can practice speaking as many times as they like before sharing it with their teachers and groupmates, allowing them to improve their pronunciation, language use, etc., using a voicethread function by making multiple recordings before saving one. they also have an opportunity to work asynchronously at whatever pace and time is convenient for them. moreover, by listening to each other speaking english on the topics that are relevant to them, they develop listening comprehension skills and enrich their learning experience from the previous students' along with the instructor's guided responses. as far as student engagement is concerned, due to a highly interactive discussion, learners collaborate more actively, expressing their ideas on the topic and constructing common knowledge of the subject. thus, they become more involved in the learning process. furthermore, they receive peer voice feedback as well as the teacher's guided questions which keeps them motivated and encourages them to continue media-based discussion. https://voicethread.com/share/7919579/ integrating new online tools 28 prior to attending class, it is required that students already have some experience in working with voicethread from an it university course (i.e., by studying web 2.0, voicethread is included and is a part of the curriculum). however, if needed, it is still recommended to provide them with tutorials and handouts describing basic options of the cloud application. before taking part in voicethread discussion, students should have studied informative texts on the relevant subjects, created sample questions to be discussed during live communication, viewed topic-based mind maps and completed tasks aimed at mastering thematic vocabulary (i.e., studying the glossary and doing a quiz on matching terms and their definitions), all of which are moodle based tasks. next, students carefully study the task explanation in moodle (voicethread task). the voicethread tool is integrated in moodle, so there is no need to open the cloud app in a separate tab and it is enough to be signed into your voicethread account (figures 1 and 2). figure 1. voice thread tool as viewed within moodle. integrating new online tools 29 “dear students, please, study the first slide and give an answer to the question "how do you think your culture is perceived by the rest of the world”? your answer should last for no less than 2 minutes. please, listen carefully to the answers of your peers, by tapping the play button at the bottom of the screen or identity images in the conversation channel on the left side of the voicethread, discuss your ideas, leaving a voice comment to their audio posts. to do it, tap the plus button at the bottom of the first slide, then choose a microphone button and agree to use microphone to record your message. start speaking, when you see a red signal and a button stop recording. to stop recording press the button stop recording. you can save it if you're satisfied with your answer or cancel, if you want to try again”. figure 2. voicethread task description on the topic “stereotypes & prejudices”. integrating new online tools 30 afterwards, the teacher may wish to give feedback on anything she/he noticed in terms of the use of language. the students might receive individualized text or voice feedback about their responses via direct replies in vt. the effectiveness of voicethread pre-class media-based discussion is measured during live communication with foreign partners by the content and structure of students’ answers to the discussed questions. since tracking the progress of students in live communication during the fall semester, it should be noted that their speaking skills improved on a number of ways: fluency and coherence, linguistic range, accuracy and pronunciation. surely, our attempt of integrating vt in the course to enhance a student's communication skills is not the only option of using this web-tool in the gu project and there might other ways to implement it such as: • a video/audio welcome greeting recorded by students/teachers. • introductory materials/presentations accompanied by text/audio/video comments. • video/audio/text student or teacher feedback on the gu course. • a place to work on collaborative projects. • plan b for topic discussions (when synchronous communication is not available due to various reasons such as technical problems or the time difference). we already tested this option with ecu in the spring semester 2017 when the time difference and daylight savings time change didn’t allow us to have scheduled classes. (https://voicethread.com/share/6282780/). taking into account the abovementioned features, voicethread provides certain benefits for education. it promotes highly interactive and engaging discussions as well as creates a sense of being a member of a virtual classroom. it also facilitates collaborative learning by allowing for multiple commenting options for people with different learning styles. todaysmeet practical activity used in the course integrating new online tools 31 according to the core requirements of the gu project, synchronous chat in class should be provided by irc client programs such as mirc. however, mirc in fact turned out to be inconvenient because it requires software to be installed on certain pcs and seems to be rather outdated for students who are used to chatting via mobile applications (e.g., whatsapp, viber etc.) or social networks (e.g., facebook messenger). the latter doesn’t allow teachers to monitor discussions which is a disadvantage for this particular project. misunderstanding might become a reason for a cultural conflict between students and their counterparts therefore it should be tracked and prevented. in order to meet the demands of both sides, it was decided to integrate todaysmeet (https://todaysmeet.com) in the course as a substitute for the irc client program with our first partner (utalca) in a fall semester of 2016. todaysmeet provides space where group conversations are collected and shared in one place from anywhere in the world with no software to install. open chatrooms can be accessed via public/private links or embedded in a lms (moodle, haiku etc.). there were 10 chatrooms (figure 3) created under a teacher account where each pair of students was provided with a private link to enter the rooms for synchronous online communication during the link time. they could also use it asynchronously for regular communication outside of class or as a place to discuss collaborative projects because all of the messages in chatrooms were stored until the room is closed. the teacher could monitor the discussion by joining the room or reading a script available for downloading while the room is open. the time limit for a room to function varies from 2 hours to one year. integrating new online tools 32 figure 3. example of chatrooms in todaysmeet. the analysis of students' feedback has shown that most students like this tool for several reasons: all the messages are collected in one place, there is an opportunity both for synchronous and asynchronous online communication, and the transcript can be downloaded. taking into consideration the abovementioned features, todaysmeet provides certain benefits for education such as expanding language classroom, embracing the backchannel, making access to transcripts more readily available, monitoring discussions, providing a common space for discussion, and facilitating synchronous/asynchronous online communication. conclusion to sum up, it should be noted that the voicethread practical activity helped students to purposefully acquire knowledge of relevant semantic fields and plan their speech strategies to fulfill communicative tasks. moreover, students develop listening comprehension skills and enrich their knowledge of the subject with the help of their peers’ previous experience and teachers' guidance. todaysmeet chatrooms create space for synchronous or asynchronous online communication where students can discuss all topic related questions or their integrating new online tools 33 collaborative projects. with all things considered, it should be concluded that the innovative online tools voicethread and todaysmeet made it possible to intensify and to enhance students’ communicative and collaborative skills necessary for effective cross-cultural communication. references integrating new online tools 34 nazarenko a.l., sizykh l.g., & fandei v.a. (2013) teaching through technologies: communicative and information competences. global partnership in education journal, 1(3), 8-12. global partners in education journal – special edition december 2015, vol. 5, no. 2, pp. 41-45 http://www.gpejournal.org/ issn 2163-758x 41 educational values in kyrgyzstan: their transformation and challenges zyinat esenalieva kyrgyz-turkish ‘manas’ university, kyrgyzstan abstract kyrgyzstan has an interesting history in the frame of education. in the 1920's, education was the last thing people valued. but today, they are ready to give their savings to get a good education. that's why teachers and trainers are doing their best to learn effective ways of providing a good knowledge. currently, teaching methodology is facing a crucial problem. even though teachers are being taught different interactive and collaborating methods of teaching, most teachers do not show this in practice. the aim of most private schools is to prepare global citizens and this is a new and unique attitude in my country. i believe that our positive results from encouraging our students to take part in the learning process will promote interactive learning in other schools. my research illustrates these challenges as well as the changes of educational values. education is simply the soul of a society as it passes from one generation to another. ~ g. k. chesterton introduction kyrgyzstan is a young and developing country that declared it independent from the soviet union in 1991. my grandparents say that in the past 25 years, kyrgyzstan has undergone significant development. it is a country where most young people are eager to get a good education and the country is slowly learning how to provide one. the importance of education in today’s society is great, especially in terms of intercultural communication. many young people are eager to learn languages because they see the opportunities that this knowledge provides. “one will never have obstacles in life if he knows at least one foreign language” is today’s most used phrase and becoming a kind of proverb in our society. even parents are encouraging and supporting their children to learn the english language. i have lived and graduated from a school in the small town of toktogul, kyrgyzstan. during my school years, i had no the idea what the university was because there were only a few students who continued their studies and went on to universities. many things have changed in a positive way since then. now, all students get good information about the higher education and the access to internet is getting possible in towns. it helps students http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition december 2015, vol. 5, no. 2, pp. 41-45 http://www.gpejournal.org/ issn 2163-758x 42 to develop his or her interest independently. the development of technology and raising number of parents and students who are expecting new things from school, make teachers look for different ways of teaching to keep the class interesting. the kyrgyz epic and literature from ancient times, kyrgyz people told stories and proverbs, sang songs and lullabies to their children. they took their sons and daughters to listen to manaschy (i.e., singers of manas). in fact, the kyrgyz do not have epic singers but they have manaschi instead. this was how the kyrgyz people were educating the next generation when they were nomadic. the great epic manas (köçümkulkïzï, 2005) preserves the whole tradition and background of the kyrgyz people. it is considered to be the epitome of oral creativity as all stories were sung impromptu by different manaschys. and even today, the way in which they use the language with hundreds of stylistic devices and literary words wisely put together in seconds always leaves the audience in astonishment. the kyrgyz nation is unique because it enriched their literature in the absence of a written language. as our great writer chingiz aitmatov notes: "if other nations displayed their past culture and history in written literature, sculpture, architecture and art, the kyrgyz people expressed their worldview, pride and dignity, battles and their hope for the future in epic genre." chingiz aitmatov (1928-2008) owned a highly respected place in kyrgyz literature and generally in educational world (the aitmatov academy, 2013). he was a kyrgyz author who wrote both in russian and kyrgyz, and is considered the best-known writer of kyrgyzstan. his short stories and short novels provide a vivid account of life in the ussr. he writes in lyrical yet simple prose that draws heavily on folklore but yet remains contemporary in its essence. his short novels have been widely read and translated. one of his novels, the first teacher (1961), is a deeply moving and at times sad story which tells how the young activist, dyuishen, returned to his village to spread the knowledge that he gained through a more formal education system. he called on the community to create schools in the 1920s after the revolution and assembled pupils for them. he did not fear going against the customs of the mountain-dwellers. dyuishen cleans out and repairs the abandoned to the stables of a former landowner and helps children to make their way to school while even ‘burning’ (freezing) their feet as they crossed the icy stream. some children have to be carried and others ride piggy-back. he also bravely comes to the defense of the best student, altynai. years later, she thinks back to the emotions that she had felt as a child: “back then we probably all loved our teacher – for his humanity and his dreams for our future. although we were children, i think we were aware of all that even then. otherwise, what would have led us to make such a long journey every day and climb up that steep hill, panting in the wind or caught up in the snowdrifts? we went to school of our own accord. nobody forced us to go. nobody would have made us freeze in that cold shed, where any breath formed a coating of white frost on our faces, hands and clothes”. the adult hero recalls those years of her childhood, which as she herself acknowledges, had such a powerful influence on the rest of her life. http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition december 2015, vol. 5, no. 2, pp. 41-45 http://www.gpejournal.org/ issn 2163-758x 43 duishen, the first teacher, struggled to convince others of the bright future of the country by obtaining knowledge. many people lived in darkness before his struggle, and education removed this darkness. a nation is nothing without education. it is considered essential to life. it helps us to enrich our inner world and to improve ourselves. education can teach us as individuals or communities the good things and the bad. the benefits of education are boundless. the importance of education in today’s society is great especially in terms of intercultural communication. “one will never have obstacle in life if he knows at least one foreign language” is now a common phrase and has become a kind of proverb. even parents are encouraging and supporting their children to learn english and other foreign languages. sadly, there are many older people who missed their chance of learning because of the lack of recourse in their time. the oldest visitor of the american center where i used to do volunteer teaching was 40. earlier in his life, it would have been silly to frequent educational centers. now, many people are eager to learn languages because they see the opportunities that this knowledge provides. ongoing language education strengthens the relationships between the countries, creates friendships between people from different parts of the world, and, most of all, and helps us to enrich our outlook through communicating with other nations. children’s literature in kyrgyzstan as our country is in a process of developing, we should not forget that children’s literature is an important part on the way to prosperity. currently, kyrgyzstan is struggling with children’s literature. twenty years after independence, most of the book publishers were privatized and they stopped publishing books for children. only in the past two or three years, the government and many ngos are working hard to develop the genre. this is a blessing, as the roots of education must develop early in life. chingiz aitmatov, expressing high value to a fairytale’s importance on educating young generation, noted: “in our civilized century of technology, no one wants to believe in fairytales, but [we are] not about to throw away fairytales as unnessesary thing. if we do this, it will be foolishness from the side of humankind. we cannot refuse our history. fairytales are the experience of the past, and we should learn to keep our fairytales.” books can take children to the completely different world and improve their imagination there. by reading children learn a lot about the world, humanity, what is good and what is bad and many other things. providing this opportunity for children we will form the foundation of a strong person, strong family, and strong country. as we say, many things are done and still many things need to be done. for example, books like 'white fang' by jack london, 'the giver' by lois lowry and 'little house on the prairie' by laura ingalls wilder are translated into kyrgyz. currently, many other works of foreign literature are being translated for our children. i strongly believe that kyrgyzstan will succeed in this struggle. http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition december 2015, vol. 5, no. 2, pp. 41-45 http://www.gpejournal.org/ issn 2163-758x 44 the education system in kyrgyzstan in kyrgyzstan, every child has the right to a public education. it is mandatory until the 9th grade. state schools do not charge any money for the education. children start school at age 6. the general education program has three divisions: grades one through four, grades five through nine, and grades ten and eleven. after graduating the 9th grade, students can leave the school although they also lose the right to study at a university or continue their studies in an upper secondary school or a specialized secondary school. . to qualify for the university, one must graduate from 11th grade from within the public program and pass the compulsory test in particular subjects. the biggest impact of the soviet system is the language of instruction which continues to be russian. as the kyrgyz system separated from russia, there have been strong political movements to change the school curriculum and to introduce more kyrgyz culture into the school program. more specifically, there is interest in including kyrgyz language study and a focus on kyrgyz history, culture, art, music, and literature. the result of these attitudes shows that the usage of kyrgyz is gradually increasing. the ministry of education organizes competitions, supported by foreign donations, to develop kyrgyz language. for example, american children's books are being translated into kyrgyz with the support of american embassy. there is a significant support from the foreign countries after the independence. america has contributed a lot and is still helping to develop education through the u.s. a.i.d programs and u.s. information agency programs. additionally, many students of urban and rural places are improving their english and worldview with the help of peace corps volunteers. turkish universities and lyceums are working with a perfect system and method of education also improving the quality of education. teaching methods in kyrgyz schools teaching humanity to young people always has been very important for kyrgyz people. manas, the great epic of the kyrgyz, played a significant role as the best tool to educate young generation. it enriched millions of little children's world when there was no other source of education. with coming of formal education, students started to go to schools, read books, make researches and learn about their history. they have been striving to improve their knowledge in the sphere that they were interested in because education was promising a good future. most of graduate students were sent to russia to develop their knowledge. the methodology must be very neat as education became a source of the life. the more effective the methodology, the education is of greater quality. most private schools and education centers put a huge emphasis on quality teaching methods. the first reason for this is that the private education market is getting more competitive, and second reason is that their main aim is to prepare global citizens. a global citizen is the person who will be able to speak more than one foreign language and learns about that culture. a good school tries to inform the student about the world efficiently and make him or her ready for intercultural communication. that is why, in kyrgyz private schools, students have http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition december 2015, vol. 5, no. 2, pp. 41-45 http://www.gpejournal.org/ issn 2163-758x 45 computer classes and learn english language from the first year of school. this is a new and unique attitude in my country. compared with local schools, there is not much difference with private schools. the education system and programs are similar. the only advantages of private schools are providing extra lessons after lunchtime and different kind of clubs. there are special centers where teachers learn new methods and ways of effective teaching. teacher centered vs. student centered approaches have radically altered teachers. from the soviet union, teachers and students got used to the teacher centered method. even though teachers are being taught different kinds of interactive and collaborating methods of teaching, most teachers do not show this in practice. the main reason is that there is no opportunity at many schools and universities. for example, teachers attend special trainings to learn how to use the interactive board but because of the lack of interactive board they cannot use it during the class. compared with public schools, private ones have much more convenience; computer rooms with new computers, free internet and extra intensive lessons. compared with local schools, there is not much difference with private schools. the education system and programs are similar. the only advantages of private schools are providing extra lessons after lunchtime and different kind of clubs. conclusions today, when the government is paying much more attention to education, many things are getting better. a lot of schools and universities have already provided a comfort such as heaters in classrooms during the winter, new computers for it classes etc. in addition, the guiding to new interactive methods of teaching inspired both teachers and students teachers who were educated in ussr period are still facing this challenge. it is difficult for old-generation teachers to change teaching habits of directive teaching that they have been teaching for their whole life. nevertheless, i believe in our positive results by encouraging our students to take part in the learning process that will create interactive learning where they also will start to feel the responsibility for the class. as nelson mandela once said, education is the most powerful weapon, which you can use to change the world. we are trying to make a little but meaningful contribution to our country’s development. moreover, i am proud being a part of the society where the number of young teachers is growing and so many young people are eager. and in this long learning, let us keep our eyes always on the stars. references aitmatov, c. (1961). the first teacher. köçümkulkïzï, e. (2005). the kyrgyz epic manas. retrieved from http://www.silkroadfoundation.org/folklore/manas/manasintro.html the aitmatov academy (2013). retrieved from: http://www.aitmatovacademy.org.uk/chyngyz_aitmatov/index.html http://www.gpejournal.org/ http://www.silkroadfoundation.org/folklore/manas/manasintro.html köçümkulkïzï, e. (2005). the kyrgyz epic manas. retrieved from http://www.silkroadfoundation.org/folklore/manas/manasintro.html running head: benefits of developing friendships 68 benefits of developing friendships with international partner students in a global understanding course marion a. eppler fiona scott east carolina university, usa author note marion a. eppler, department of psychology, east carolina university. fiona scott correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to marion a. eppler, department of psychology, east carolina university, greenville, nc, 27858, usa. contact: epplerm@ecu.edu benefits of developing friendships 69 abstract this study used assessment data from a global understanding (gu) course to examine the impact of intercultural interaction when students feel that they have developed close friendships. the gu course follows empirically-based guidelines for reducing prejudice, and even though it provides students with a unique opportunity to interact with different cultural groups, this contact does not automatically benefit all students. however, when students develop close friendships with their international partners during the gu course, as many of these students do, then they reap the benefits described in the research literature as important for reducing prejudice— increased knowledge about outgroups, decreased communication anxiety, and increased perspective taking. benefits of developing friendships 70 benefits of developing friendships with international partner students in a global understanding course the purpose of this study was to assess outcomes for students participating in a global understanding (gu) course. this course was designed to provide college students with international experiences while they remained on their home campuses (chia, poe, & yang, 2011) and it presently involves the collaboration of faculty, administrators, and technology personnel from more than 60 institutions in 30 countries—a group called global partners in education. each gu class is scheduled to work with two or three partner countries in blocks of six to nine linking days per country. during a block of linking days, students communicate with international partners in real-time small discussion groups via videoconferencing (figure 1) and also in individual chat rooms. topics for discussion are designed to progress from easy “safe” hhn students with their ecu partners (germany) ecu students with their hhn partners (usa) figure 1. students who participated in videoconference discussions from hhn and ecu. topics (e.g., personal introductions, college life, family structure, holidays, and cultural traditions) to more challenging “controversial” topics (e.g., meaning of life, religion, stereotypes and prejudice). students are assigned to work with one or two partner students from each of the benefits of developing friendships 71 partner countries in a given semester. in addition to in-class interactions, students are required to engage in email (or other social media) exchanges with their assigned partners, and to complete a small collaborative project that is jointly presented on the final linking day. intercultural interactions are not automatically beneficial opportunities to interact with partner students from multiple countries presumably increases knowledge and understanding of cultural differences. however, intercultural interactions are not always beneficial and sometimes attitudes may become more negative after interactions (spencer-rodgers & mcgovern, 2002). for example, our gu students sometimes initially assume that intercultural communication will be easy but then they experience communication challenges which increases their uncertainty and anxiety. or sometimes they begin with such a high level of communication anxiety that discussions remain on a superficial level and they only feel comfortable interacting with international peers when they are discussing cultural similarities or safe topics. learning to engage in meaningful intercultural interactions is a developmental process and students’ level of intercultural maturity plays an important role (king & baxter magolda, 2005). the development of intercultural maturity has both cognitive and emotional components. the cognitive components include developing a more complex understanding of cultural differences, an ability to change perspectives, and a desire to understand challenges to one’s personal beliefs. the emotional components include being able to accept cultural differences without feeling threatened by them. research suggests that people who are less interculturally mature react to anxiety and discomfort in interactions by disengaging and avoiding (king, baxter magolda, & masse, 2011). in contrast, people who are more interculturally mature use anxiety and discomfort as a cue to explore, which leads to increased engagement and greater benefits of developing friendships 72 appreciation for other perspectives. thus, with increased intercultural experience, students’ progress from assuming that knowledge is either right or wrong to an increasing acceptance of uncertainty and awareness of multiple perspectives. the highest level of intercultural maturity is reflected by the ability to not only consider alternative cultural viewpoints, but to consciously shift from one perspective to another. intergroup contact theory and reducing prejudice racial conflict in the usa has prompted decades of research by american social psychologists on the causes and cures for prejudice (pettigrew, tropp, wagner, & christ, 2011). much of this research has been guided by allport’s (1954) intergroup contact theory. allport outlined four necessary conditions for contact between groups to result in decreased prejudice: (1) the groups must have equal status during the contact, (2) the groups must share common goals, (3) the contact must involve cooperation rather than competition, and (4) the contact must be sanctioned by authorities or law. although allport’s four conditions do enhance the positive effects of contact between groups, they are not necessary conditions for reducing prejudice (pettigrew et al., 2011). instead, the primary factors that mediate the effects of intergroup contact on prejudice are reduced anxiety and increased empathy (pettigrew et al., 2011). how does contact between groups help to reduce prejudice? intergroup contact increases knowledge about other groups, decreases anxiety about interactions, and increases empathy and perspective taking (pettigrew et al., 2011). increasing one’s knowledge about other groups helps to challenge ethnocentrism. people learn to understand reasons for different norms and customs, so they are less likely to believe that their own norms and customs are the natural way that everyone should behave. negative assumptions about outgroups can be corrected when new information arises which contradicts those assumptions. we feel uncomfortable when we hold benefits of developing friendships 73 conflicting views (cognitive dissonance) and we are motivated to restore internal consistency by resolving the conflicting attitudes (gawronski, 2012). intergroup contact also helps to decrease communication anxiety by reducing uncertainty (neuliep & mccroskey, 1997). in unfamiliar situations, it can be difficult to predict how the interaction will proceed and how best to respond. this, in turn, decreases motivation to interact and acts as a barrier to effective communication and cultural understanding. intergroup contact helps people to understand other points of view (cognitive component) and to feel empathy (emotional component). both facilitate increased motivation for interaction, tolerance, conflict resolution, and decreased ethnocentrism and prejudiced attitudes. cross-group friendships are particularly important, and they have greater impact on reducing prejudice when they are of longer duration and more intimate (sharing personal information) (pettigrew et al., 2011). friendship creates many of the conditions that make intergroup contact effective. for example, friendship usually involves equal status interactions and cooperation in working toward shared goals, three of allport’s (1954) conditions. and positive feelings toward a single friend improves attitudes toward the entire group (pettigrew et al., 2011). even indirect contact may reduce prejudice, such as having a friend who has a close outgroup friend (pettigrew et al., 2011). the purpose of this study was to use the gu assessment data to test whether changes in intercultural competence, communication anxiety, and perspective taking were greater for students who developed stronger friendships with their international partners during the gu course. benefits of developing friendships 74 methods participants during the spring 2016 and fall 2016 semesters, 1244 students from 38 universities in 22 countries took the assessment survey for the gu course. participants for this study were 576 students who completed both the pretest and posttest surveys. these students ranged in age from 16 to 23 (91% were 18-23) and 67% were women. this was the first time taking a gu course for 95% of the participants, 88% had never studied abroad, and 46% had never traveled outside their home country. materials the gu assessment survey included measures of communication anxiety, perspective taking, and other items created for the purposes of assessing intercultural competence and course satisfaction. the item used to establish the groups for comparison was: “i feel that during this global understanding course i have developed a close friendship with at least one student from another country.” students responded by choosing either yes or no. the intercultural communication apprehension scale (neuliep & mccroskey, 1997) is a self-report measure of the level of anxiety that people experience when communicating with people from different cultures. the scale consists of 14 items rated on a 5-point likert scale with 1 = strongly disagree and 5 = strongly agree. half of the items were reverse scored so that a higher average score indicates greater levels of anxiety. this measure was used on both the pretest and posttest surveys. the social perspective taking motivation scale (gehlback et al., 2008) is a self-report measure of how often people attempt to understand the thoughts and feelings of others. the scale consists of 7 items rated on a 5-point likert scale ranging from 1 = almost never to 5 = almost all benefits of developing friendships 75 of the time. higher average scores indicate greater perspective taking motivation. this measure was used on both the pretest and posttest surveys. additional items were created to assess intercultural competence, as well as students’ satisfaction with interactions with their international partners and with the gu course. a few of the items were used on both the pretest and posttest surveys, but most were used only on the posttest survey. participants indicated strength of agreement with the items using 7-point likert scales ranging from 1 = strongly disagree to 7 = strongly agree (with the exception of a few items, as indicated in the tables). relevant items are included in the results section along with the corresponding analyses. procedure the gu assessment was administered in english as an online survey. it was taken by students as close as possible to the first and last days of the gu course (before interactions with any international partners and after the conclusion of all interactions with international partners. analyses included only students who completed both the pretest and posttest surveys. results for all analyses, students were divided into two groups, those who responded yes (64%) versus no (36%) to the item concerning whether or not they developed a close friendship with at least one student from another country during the gu course. for measures that were included on only the posttest survey, data were analyzed with t-tests comparing the two friendship groups. for measures that were included on both the pretest and posttest surveys, data were analyzed with 2 (pretest vs posttest) x 2 (close friend group vs no friend group) mixed factorial anovas. means, standard deviations, and results of the statistical tests are presented in table 1 for the ttests and table 2 for the anovas. benefits of developing friendships 76 increased knowledge on the posttest, students indicated strength of agreement with the statement, “i have learned a great deal about other countries and their cultures during this global understanding course.” the close friend group expressed stronger agreement with this statement than the no friend group. also on the posttest, students were asked, “compared to the beginning of the class, how interested are you now in reading about or listening to international news?” and “…, how interested are you now in traveling to different countries?” these items used a 5-point likert scale ranging from 1 = much less to 5 = much more. after completing the gu course, the close friend group was more interested in international news and traveling to different countries than the no friend group. on both the pretest and the posttest, students rated the statement, “i make extra effort to learn about other countries and cultures during my free time.” this item was rated on a 5-point likert scale ranging from 1 = never to 5 = all of the time. there was a significant increase in how often students engaged in learning about other countries from pretest to posttest for the close friend group, but no change for the no friend group. decreased anxiety intercultural communication anxiety decreased after taking the gu course. both friendship groups showed a significant decrease in communication anxiety. the two groups did not differ on the pretest, but the close friend group showed lower communication anxiety on the posttest than the no friend group. making international friends during the gu course also benefitted students who are anxious or uncomfortable interacting with local peers or speaking during class. this was assessed with two items on both the pretest and posttest surveys: “i feel anxious or benefits of developing friendships 77 uncomfortable interacting with other students in my classes when i do not know them.” and “often i feel anxious or uncomfortable speaking up during class time.” there was a significant decrease in anxiety after taking the gu course for both items for the close friend group, but no change for the no friend group. increased perspective taking perspective taking increased after taking the gu course for all students, although this finding was relatively weak. however, several items on the posttest supplemented this finding. students were asked, “how often did you and this partner [the one with whom they felt they had developed the closest friendship] talk about topics where you had different opinions or disagreed?” the choices were never (1), rarely (2), sometimes (3), or often (4). students in the close friend group were more likely than the no friend group to have discussed topics where they disagreed. students rated strength of agreement (7-point scale) with, “the global understanding class helped me to understand different perspectives.” they were also asked, “compared to the beginning of the semester, my overall view of this partner’s country:” and the choices ranged from 1 = became much more negative to 5 = became much more positive. compared to the no friend group, the close friend group felt more strongly that the gu class helped them to understand different perspectives, and they reported more positive views of their partners’ countries. enjoyment of the gu experience all course satisfaction measures were higher for the close friend group than for the no friend group, including quality of interaction with partners, amount of written communication outside of class time, real-time discussions (both videoconferencing and chatrooms), email contact, desire to continue interaction with partners, overall satisfaction with the course, interest benefits of developing friendships 78 in taking more gu courses, and number of times they have recommended the gu course to others. table 1 results for comparison of the two friendship groups on posttest items survey item close friendship group (m & sd) no friendship group (m & sd) t df p learned a great deal about other countries & cultures (scale 1-7) 6.02 (.91) 5.78 (1.05) 2.89 563 .004 interest in international news (scale 1-5) 3.98 (.93) 3.71 (.87) 3.38 553 .001 interest in travel to other countries (scale 1-5) 4.35 (.89) 4.17 (.97) 2.29 557 .022 discussed topics where opinions disagreed (scale 1-4) 2.88 (.80) 2.65 (.78) 3.30 565 .001 understand different perspectives (scale 1-7) 6.03 (.88) 5.70 (1.13) 3.92 564 .000 view of partner’s country (scale 1-5) 4.30 (.73) 4.01 (.78) 4.44 567 .000 quality of interaction with partners (scale 1-7) 5.85 (1.18) 5.30 (1.32) 5.11 568 .000 amount of written communication (scale 1-7) 5.68 (1.26) 4.92 (1.45) 6.53 567 .000 real time discussion via videoconferencing (scale 1-7) 6.09 (1.08) 5.81 (1.16) 2.87 566 .004 real time discussion via chat room (scale 1-7) 5.84 (1.25) 5.43 (1.37) 3.59 564 .000 benefits of developing friendships 79 email contact (scale 1-7) 5.51 (1.48) 4.55 (1.54) 7.34 567 .000 desire to continue interaction with partner (scale 1-7) 5.95 (1.08) 4.53 (1.31) 13.94 566 .000 overall satisfaction with course (scale 1-7) 6.20 (.86) 5.66 (1.25) 6.09 562 .000 interest in taking more gu courses (scale 1-7) 6.19 (.91) 5.57 (1.40) 6.31 562 .000 how often recommended gu course (never, once, a few times) 2.72 (.52) 2.34 (.77) 6.85 562 .000 table 2 results for 2 (pre-post) x 2 (friendship groups) anovas survey item = make extra effort to learn about countries and cultures (scale 1-5) close friend group no friend group pretest posttest pretest posttest 3.14 (.91) 3.37 (.87) 2.85 (1.00) 2.90 (.92) • pre-post main effect significant, f(1,560) = 12.10, p = .001. • friendship group main effect significant, f(1,560) = 29.16, p = .000. • interaction significant, f(1,560) = 5.46, p = .02. • pre-post difference not significant for no friend group, but significant for close friend group. • the two friendship groups were significantly different on both the pretest and posttest. benefits of developing friendships 80 intercultural communication anxiety measure (scale 1-5) close friend group no friend group pretest posttest pretest posttest 2.19 (.64) 2.00 (.61) 2.27 (.65) 2.14 (.60) • pre-post main effect significant, f(1,541) = 44.17, p = .000. • friendship group main effect significant, f(1,541) = 5.03, p = .025. • interaction not significant, f(1,541) = 1.54, p = .214. • pre-post difference significant for both friendship groups. • the two friendship groups were not significantly different on pretest, but were significantly different on posttest. survey item = feel anxious interacting with local peers (scale 1-7) close friend group no friend group pretest posttest pretest posttest 3.48 (1.56) 3.00 (1.60) 3.82 (1.82) 3.53 (.92) • pre-post main effect significant, f(1,287) = 12.62, p = .000. • friendship group main effect significant, f(1,287) = 6.21, p = .013. • interaction not significant, f < 1. • pre-post difference not significant for no friend group, but significant for close friend group. • the two friendship groups were not significantly different on pretest, but were significantly different on posttest. survey item = feel anxious speaking up in class (scale 1-7) close friend group no friend group pretest posttest pretest posttest 3.44 (1.67) 2.87 (1.64) 3.67 (1.78) 3.40 (1.77) benefits of developing friendships 81 • pre-post main effect significant, f(1,287) = 16.17, p = .000. • friendship group main effect significant, f(1,287) = 4.29, p = .039. • interaction not significant, f(1,287) = 2.14, p = .144. • pre-post difference not significant for no friend group, but significant for close friend group. • the two friendship groups were not significantly different on pretest, but were significantly different on posttest. perspective taking measure (scale 1-5) close friend group no friend group pretest posttest pretest posttest 3.81 (.67) 3.86 (.70) 3.70 (.70) 3.75 (.72) • re-post main effect significant, f(1,551) = 3.90, p = .049. • friendship group main effect marginally significant, f(1,551) = 3.79, p = .052. • interaction not significant, f < 1. discussion although the gu course provided students with a unique opportunity to develop firsthand knowledge about cultural differences without leaving campus, previous research and anecdotal observations make it clear that these interactions are not always beneficial. the main findings of the present study, based on the gu assessment data, are that the gu experience is significantly more beneficial when students develop close friendships with international peers. students who reported that yes, they did have a close friendship with at least one of their gu partners, also self-reported that they learned more, had stronger interest in continuing to learn more, were able benefits of developing friendships 82 to consider different viewpoints, and felt less anxious during intercultural interactions than students who said that they did not form any close friendships during the gu course. the gu course is structured to follow empirically-based guidelines for reducing prejudice (allport, 1954; pettigrew et al., 2011). it is designed to encourage the development of intercultural friendships. students engage in multiple live small group discussions and they are assigned to continue and expand their discussions with specific individuals. early discussions focus on topics that are relatively easy and safe as students first get to know each other. this should help students cope with the many uncertainties present in intercultural interactions, thus reducing anxiety. as students become more comfortable in their interactions, the door opens for exchanging knowledge and personal experiences. this helps students to begin considering different viewpoints, particularly when discussing topics on which they have differing opinions. students have equal status throughout their interactions and they work together toward common goals. cooperation and deeper perspective taking are encouraged via the assignment of a collaborative project. these features of the gu course helped students to reap the benefits described in the research literature as important for reducing prejudice—increasing knowledge about other cultures, increasing the ability to consider different viewpoints, and decreasing intercultural communication anxiety. one ongoing challenge for the gu program is finding ways to foster the development of intercultural maturity by helping students cope with the discomfort of cognitive dissonance so that it promotes growth rather than inhibition and avoidance. benefits of developing friendships 83 references allport, g. w. (1954). the nature of prejudice. reading, ma: addison-wesley. chia, r., poe, e., & yang, b. (2011). history of global partners in education. global partners in education journal, 1, 3-7. gawronski, b. (2012). back to the future of dissonance theory: cognitive consistency as a core motive. social cognition, 30, 652-668. gehlbach, h., brown, s. w., ioannou, a., boyer, m. a., hudson, n., niv-solomon, a., maneggia, d., & janik, l. (2008). increasing interest in social studies: social perspective taking and self-efficacy in stimulating simulations. contemporary educational psychology, 33, 894-914. king, p. m., & baxter magolda, m. b. (2005). a developmental model of intercultural maturity. journal of college student development, 46, 571-592. king, p. m., baxter magolda, m. b., & masse, j. c. (2011). maximizing learning from engaging across difference: the role of anxiety and meaning making. equity & excellence in education, 44, 468-487. neuliep, j. w., & mccroskey, j. c. (1997). the development of intercultural and interethnic communication apprehension scales. communication research reports, 14, 145-156. pettigrew, t. f., tropp, l. r., wagner, u., & christ, o. (2011). recent advances in intergroup contact theory. international journal of intercultural relations, 35, 271-280. spencer-rodgers, j., & mcgovern, t. (2002). attitudes toward the culturally different: the role of intercultural communication barriers, affective responses, consensual stereotypes, and perceived threat. international journal of intercultural relations, 26, 609-631. internationalization of college education – the role of new technologies global partners in education journal april 2013, vol. 3 no. 1, pp. 57-69 www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 57 internationalization of college education – the role of new technologies kathrin ullrich universidad regiomontana, mexico abstract each day the world is more connected and the population and companies think that international experience increases students’ professional capacities in the areas of communication, flexibility, innovations and ambitions among others. it is the duty of institutions of higher education to ensure that graduates have received a complete training, including skills to cope with globalization. while only a small percentage of graduates actually have the opportunity to take part in an international program abroad during their studies, internationalization of the home campus offers many possibilities. allowing and inviting professors to participate in global education, universities must think of implementing a comprehensive strategy to modernize teaching methods and train global citizens. introduction society believes that it is the obligation of universities to offer young people an education that prepares them to face the challenges of a globalized world. this preparation of young people by universities necessarily includes an international vision. some efforts have been made to internationalize the campus environment, but a real change from regionally focused teaching to true international education is missing. traditionally universities have demonstrated some international mission (foskett & maringe, 2010), but they do not seem to keep up with the current reality. most academic institutions lack a straightforward internationalization strategy. more or less, what is done by universities seems to be an answer to existing opportunities; planning, if any, is expressed only within development policies or guidelines (de wit, jaramillo, & knight, 2005). the point of departure is the word “internationalization”. its definition is unclear. some people even think of internationalization as expanding the university to new international markets by recruiting international students. this can be done by exporting education through virtual programs or even through new university campuses abroad (the so called campus franchising; compare van der wende, 2007). generally speaking, internationalization includes all the aspects that enrich college life with intercultural elements, such as direct international experience on trips, contacts with international students on campus, foreign points of view in textbooks, use of a second language in the classroom, visiting professors, and so on. global partners in education journal april 2013, vol. 3 no. 1, pp. 57-69 www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 58 internationalization also happens through mobility, flexible curriculum, and activities in the university environment to present the student with cultural diversity. these intercultural activities link the theoretical learning with real life diversity. the use of modern information and communication technology (ict) can also help create international learning settings. ict is internet-mediated communication, including various videoconference systems, chat and social networks. about 80% of students report having social network profiles and over 50% use social networks frequently (mikal & grace, 2012). while mikal and grace speak of the millennial generation. it can be assumed that most college students are from this age group. ict has been identified as a way to support students during the culture shock experienced on exchange programs (mikal & grace, 2012). it has also been used sporadically for networking within the classroom. there are many options to use ict to create modern international settings and foster intercultural cooperation. this helps the internationalization of colleges and universities and meets the needs of students regarding international training. internationalization and globalization training needs today are not the same as 50 years ago. today´s students live in an information society. living in the modern society of information and knowledge means being interconnected on all levels and facing the challenges of globalization, which is not synonymous with internationalization. the word globalization refers to the changes of the society, the formation of a society of information, ways of mobility, integration of markets and also political, economic and socio-cultural changes. (compare wächter, 2000) reichert and wächter (2000) confirm this idea that: “globalization refers to forceful changes in the economic, social, political and cultural environment, brought about by global competition, the integration of markets, increasingly dense communication networks, information flows and mobility.” (p.10) internationalization on the other hand is the answer to this change. it looks for ways to face the challenges of globalization (wächter, 2000). many authors (e.g., de wit et al., 2005; ramirez, 2011) have wondered about the purpose of internationalization. it seems to be the key concept, but still there are no answers yet. de wit et al. formulate some important questions: “what is the purpose of internationalization? what are the expected benefits or outcomes? what values underpin it? who are the main actors, stakeholders, and beneficiaries? what are the positive consequences, the unintended results, and the negative implications? is internationalization a passing fad?” (p. 350) there are many unanswered questions. finding the answers is important to develop a comprehensive internationalization strategy and will help to reach the goal of truly facing globalization. within the era of the global economy as a result of globalization, it makes no sense to train students for the local market (wächter, 2000). while the purpose of internationalization is defined accordingly as preparing young professionals for global environments, no consensus has been reached about the definition of internationalization itself. “… there is a great deal of confusion about what it global partners in education journal april 2013, vol. 3 no. 1, pp. 57-69 www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 59 (internationalization) means. for some people, it means a series of international activities, such as academic mobility for students and teachers; international linkages, partnerships, and projects; new international academic programs and research initiatives. for others it means delivering education to other countries using a variety of face-to-face and distance techniques and such new types of arrangements as branch campuses and franchising.” (knight, 2008, p. 1) the traditional concept of internationalization: mobility programs historically internationalization is understood widely as the mobility of individuals (e.g. otten, 2000 or altbach & knight, 2007). a key or important part to mobility is international programs (e.g. study abroad) for students. including such an experience on the resume not only shows future employers intercultural competence, but also adaptability, autonomy, maturity and leadership abilities. in this context, internationalization is traditionally seen as a service provided by a specific area, i.e. the international office of the university. the international office provides study abroad trips to students and works in close proximity with the academic fields, but the study plan itself remains untouched by international viewpoints and other intercultural encounters (nilsson, 2000). although few students go on study abroad programs, growth of participation in international student mobility programs is expected to increase from 2 million students participating now to 15 million within the next 10 years, due to the awareness of students about the importance of functioning in multicultural environments (altbach & knight, 2007). even though some believe that the importance of mobility decreases because of the existing international environment (kehm & teichler, 2007), without a doubt, traditional mobility programs will remain a tool for internationalization of individuals; however, changes in international programs are to be expected. internationalization will be better integrated in study plans and directed towards a bigger public inside the universities. there are some initiatives to offer international experiences to more than one student at a time. group programs are done usually as academic study trips of a few weeks of length. yet short term programs lack the typical exchange experience as students tend to stay in their group and are guided throughout the whole experience. typically students on a study abroad experience benefit from being in a completely different environment and having to face day to day challenges by themselves. this increases the above mentioned skill of adaptability to different work environments. staying in a group with members of the same cultural background and with a professor taking care of unexpected throwbacks reduces the development of new skills and can only serve to awaken the interest of the student to search for other international experiences. even considering group travel, the larger part of the student community still remains without contact to the internationalization efforts of the university. usually only about 5-10% of the students can leave home for a considerable amount of time and participate in a semester abroad experience (of course the numbers worldwide differ extremely, with only 3% participation in the us (engle & engle, 2001), 25% participation in germany (siems & suermann, 2012) or mexico, where there is a huge difference in participation numbers between public and private universities global partners in education journal april 2013, vol. 3 no. 1, pp. 57-69 www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 60 (compare patlani, http://www.patlanimexico.org/). as shown in studies of avila, with only 4% of students participating in study abroad, latin america has in general very low student mobility (avila, 2007). probably the maximum that a university can hope for is to have around 20% of graduates with direct international experience. of course while there are incredible examples like 54% of international participation in the europa university viadrina of frankfurt oder, a university located directly on the border, (weber, 2010), unfortunately this is the exception. this is due to obstacles students face when they consider studying abroad. the efforts of the family supporting the extra expenses for traveling and living cannot be underestimated. altbach and knight (2007) found “most of the world’s more than 2 million international students are self-funded, that is, they and their families pay for their own academic work.” (p. 294). families make huge sacrifices to make study abroad possible and there will always be many students without the possibility to participate. aside from finances, other reasons for not being able to participate in study abroad programs include family and work related issues. what can institutions of higher education do if not all students can travel to get international experience? being a trained professional today includes knowing what is going on outside of the direct environment, not only to know there are other cultures, but to understand the context of the professional fields in a global environment. the changes brought on by globalization demand an international profile and a network of contacts, provided during college education and contributing to a global economy by putting the international dimension into teaching (foskett & maringe, 2010; gibbs & maringe, 2008). universities search to fill the gap in education and include an international point of view into the curricula. now that faculties begin to understand that the traditional teaching methods need to be re-done and completed with international elements, new ideas are needed and the question about “internationalization at home” arises. internationalization at home the classic definition of internationalization at home is knights´(1993): “the process of integrating an international dimension into the research, teaching and services function of higher education.” (as cited in wächter, 2000, p. 5). for the first time internationalization is not reduced to study abroad travel, but looks for local options to bring international aspects into the students’ regular environment. de wit et al. (2005) clarifies that internationalization at home wants to add the international concepts to a traditional education. to the point, wächter confirms that internationalization at home is any internationally related activity with exception of the traditional mobility of students and staff (wächter, 2000, p.10). in other words, internationalization at home is any innovative and creative way that professors and universities can think of incorporating international components into the classrooms. there are no limitations or end of possibilities. more possibilities are likely to emerge every day, especially when global partners in education journal april 2013, vol. 3 no. 1, pp. 57-69 www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 61 thinking of the modern world applications within the information society. examples of these types of activities are discussed later in this paper. the modern internationalization concept the five most important aspects of internationalization in this broader sense including traditional mobility and internationalization at home are (1) to recruit international students. this aspect is very important in commercial universities as it opens new markets. (2) the mobility of students and university staff. traditional mobility and especially student exchange programs are the core of internationalization. these study abroad experiences are highly valued within the labor market as they increase not only the cultural awareness, but help students to develop maturity and problem solving skills. it makes them effective communicators, leaders and team players. (3) cooperation between professors of different institutions and countries becomes increasingly important and allows sharing knowledge, co-teaching and using intercultural projects and dynamics in class. (4) the development of global research partnerships and (5) an international curriculum, from minor changes in the content to a complete re-design of learning methods (foskett & maringe, 2010). developing an international curriculum means including lectures of regional studies and global topics, raising the awareness of the need for bior multilingualism, having internationally trained professors who share their experience with students about the need for intercultural understanding and an outcome based approach such as students’ competences. all those efforts lead to young professionals trained to face the challenges of globalization as described above. for many universities expanding the marketing strategy to attract international students is important. this tendency can be seen especially within younger universities without a research division (foskett & maringe, 2010). marketing attracts students from developing countries to universities in the first world. english speaking countries receive most of these students with universities high in global rankings getting the largest portion (van der wende, 2007). interestingly there is a tendency for international students to stay in their country of study professionally, resulting in academic loss in their countries of origin. however, within the criteria of training students to be better prepared for a globalized environment, the recruitment of international students for profit is not analyzed. but, having those international students sharing their point of view within the classroom helps to create a diverse environment and plays into other elements of internationalization. internationalization today within the institutions of higher education in order to set the correct internationalization strategy within a university, the student profile is of major interest. the student population has suffered important changes. traditionally students used to present similar socioeconomic patterns, but with time, two groups, 1) the already internationally active (internationalized) students and 2) first generation college students, can be detected and will demand attention and the correct type of education. global partners in education journal april 2013, vol. 3 no. 1, pp. 57-69 www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 62 first, universities already have internationalized students. without the need for the university to act, students have looked for internationalization by themselves, and entered the universities already globalized. they have fully understood the importance of learning a second language and demand opportunities for growth in a very specialized level from their universities. they are looking for academic study abroad options that not only offer a first insight into other cultures but offer new specialized knowledge in the academic field. they want added value to the content taught at the home university. students want to grow not only in cultural aspects, but also academically. look at the recent studies of kehm and teichler (2007): “many students newly entering higher education have already experienced stays abroad or have gained knowledge about other countries through the media and actual encounters with people from other countries in their daily life that the “added value” of study abroad is most likely decreasing.”(p. 271) this is the top group of students. global citizens of this kind do not require internationalization with basic mobility programs; they need different international programs challenging them academically. they will search for special offers adding value in any aspect of their studies, not only through isolated experiences in a mobility program. those students need the opportunity to get involved in specific activities and training global leadership skills that are highly connected to their academic sectors. adequate programs, such as those offered through the free trade alliance education foundation, can include international competitions related to the field of study, such as, for example, an international business plan development contest. then there is the increasing group of students from a lower socioeconomic level and whose families traditionally have no involvement in university education. these first generation college students, now more and more at universities, will not participate in study abroad experiences for different reasons and will need internationalization at home tools. “if internationalization cannot be realized to a higher degree, internationalization efforts of higher education institutions will lead to a polarization of winners and losers.” (kehm & teichler, 2007, p.271). ramirez (2011) reported a similar observation. this important thought underlines the importance of finding appealing international education options not only for the top group of students but for all students. this will increase the employability of the entirety of the college population. applying internationalization at the campus universities have a myriad of possibilities to internationalize the study environment and offer intercultural experiences to their student populations. some methods stand out and should be examined further. generally speaking, universities can put into place activities to create an international feeling on campus. this means international activities not related to the global partners in education journal april 2013, vol. 3 no. 1, pp. 57-69 www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 63 study plan. they can also foster internationalization of the curriculum, such as the incorporation of international aspects into course work. the experiences on campus not directly related to course work that create an international environment can be free time activities with exchange students, language cafes, international brochures and newspapers in waiting areas, foreign movies on campus and so on. such learning experience through meetings with international students and other contacts with international contexts within the campus raises the perception of their own culture and values and it trains the ability to act efficiently and appropriately in multicultural endeavors (nilsson, 2000). then there is the international curriculum. sometimes the expression internationalization at home and internationalization of the curricula seem to overlap (beleen, 2011). however, internationalization includes both international activities of any kind at the campus and international coursework directly leading towards an international curriculum. without a doubt the key to internationalizing students lies within the curriculum. the curriculum is the logical starting point to look for a change towards global education. pacheco (2009a) underlines the need: the curriculum used to be abstract and without links to real life, students developed their aptitudes more in individual work than together, teachers and students do not connect with experts outside the classroom doors as part of their general learning process, and the majority of the academic institutions’ work is being separated from the communities’. while pacheco states the need of both internationalized curricula and an international environment, he puts emphasis on the curricula. de wit et al. (2005) offers a variety of ideas for the revision of academics: new programs with international topics, an international dimension in already existing courses, language training, regional studies, joint programs, including international students with active roles into the class, virtual mobility, international professors, conferences and much more. some topics of importance are mentioned below: teaching in a second language teaching in a second language trains linguistic abilities and brings a foreign point of view into the classroom because books in other languages usually have foreign authors. especially in latin america, students, professors and staff members lack in language preparation and are not always aware of their deficiencies in successfully expressing themselves in a second language (de wit et al., 2005). offering courses in another language invites students to learn about their limitations, trains linguistics and practices the class context in the specific language of the academic field. the limitation on finding bilingual teaching staff is a challenge. visiting professors visiting professors provide an excellent opportunity to bring the world to the classroom. unfortunately the costs of teacher mobility are high and the lack of budget limits this option. furthermore, the students remain in the same environment, with the same classmates, so the experience is reduced. global partners in education journal april 2013, vol. 3 no. 1, pp. 57-69 www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 64 internationally trained professors and the international classroom you can create a proactive learning environment by combining elements. teaching in a second language and using an international teaching body together with interculturally aware local professors and a correct use of diversity brought in by international students at the campus, offers a promising mix. the degree of internationalization of the curriculum always comes back to what is delivered by the professors who are directly in touch with the students and deliver their core education. it is therefore disturbing to see the lack of international training of our professors and in many cases the reluctance of the academy to embrace internationalization (brandenburg & federkeil, 2007; de wit et al., 2005). you cannot expect the classroom to get internationally colored and ask teachers who themselves have never received the opportunity to study abroad and are used to a mono cultural teaching style to do otherwise (teekens, 2000). additional training is crucial. investing in teacher training allows for the creation of real international classrooms as teekens (2000) describes as the final goal. she uses the expression of the international classroom for an active diversity realized between domestic and international students guided by the professor to reflect on the topics from a variety of views. exchange students from different parts of the world can create this enriching environment inside their universities (compare with otten, 2000; gibbs & maringe, 2008). it must be said that it is not an easy task to nurture and raise students´ contributions. a high level of organization and sensibility is needed to offer such a discussion platform. by themselves, students do not participate. this has been shown in a research exercise in german universities, where more than 60% of the students did not show interest in getting together with foreign students even if a high number of foreigners existed. only those who had previously participated in exchanges and international experiences were keenly interested in intercultural get together (bargel, 1998). because the majority of students will not pursue internationalization on their own, budgeting for intercultural teacher training is of great importance. the global classroom taking again the idea to create a real intercultural environment within the classroom walls, new technologies can offer creative and sustainable solutions. on one hand ict have taken away the barriers between countries and through cell phones, email or videoconference have minimized the cultural shock during an exchange, offering contact and escape to the known environment in any moment just a click away (teekens, 2006). on the other hand, the same technologies support the internationalization of the curriculum, closing distances through easy, economic and sustainable communication. online programs often suffer drop-outs, because studying online is a very lonely experience (wächter, 2000). however, combining new technologies with traditional courses offers a wide scale of possible projects without boundaries (gibbs & maringe, 2008; de wit et al., 2005). of course it cannot be entirely the same experience as actually going on traditional mobility. the “touch and the smell” as teekens (2006) calls it, is lacking, but of all the internationalization tools, the use of different ict options seems to be the most comprehensive one. global partners in education journal april 2013, vol. 3 no. 1, pp. 57-69 www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 65 the initial program “global understanding” was created by east carolina university in 2003 and offers education with real time direct personalized intercultural experiences between students who otherwise probably would not have gotten in contact with other cultures during their studies. students from two or more countries exchange information using videoconference and chat. the videoconferencing program gives the international experience that students otherwise would not get. “global understanding” has shown that virtual cooperation between classes is possible with little effort and basic technology available throughout the planet. this initiative is currently followed by more than 50 universities around the world who joined the global partners of education (gpe) organization and work on projects for intercultural cooperation. “we believe gpe has helped to accomplish our vision of creating a network where students from a wide range of countries have an opportunity to become global citizens and to function successfully in a global community. we believe that the global academic projects carried out among the gpe partners have indeed made progress on achieving our three fold goal of providing global awareness; enhancing positive global attitude; acquiring great global interactional experience through collaborative projects.” declare chia, poe and yang (2011, p. 6), the founders of the project. while gpe has several latin american partners, technology here is still used more to exchange information on a national level (avila, 2007). the next step to fully immerse into the possibilities is yet to be done. the creation of international classrooms (either in the classical local way with on campus international students or using ict and opening up the boundaries between universities of two or more countries) has to be planned and implemented. pacheco (2009b) dreams: “let´s imagine as well an educational environment that is no longer reduced to the four walls of the classroom, but that goes on to the homes, to the community and to the whole world, in a way that each element of society takes an active part in the decision making process of the academic sector as well as the financial, value-related and service devices to the different geographic regions. all this comes together to a real global village.” the future of internationalization within universities looking into the many internationalization possibilities, it is obvious that a strategy is needed to coordinate efforts. an academic institution must understand the importance of internationalization and implement actions from a higher level. the change cannot come only from the international offices. a wider vision is needed, including all the aspects and requirements of the information society. the majority of universities understand the need to show students how to work with new technologies, entrepreneurship, today´s labor market and international topics in one way or the other, but through separated points, not as a whole, combining those aspects. it is duty of the universities to plant knowledge of society within a global context the use of new technologies speaking several languages global partners in education journal april 2013, vol. 3 no. 1, pp. 57-69 www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 66 the international experience (leiva, as cited in ramirez, 2011). how to reach this knowledge for students? it is clear that the questions about internationalization and the impact on the student in facing global challenges in real life are answered through global thinking within institutions of higher education. the opportunity to get the international message to the students lies within the university, especially in the curriculum. the primary goal is to improve the intercultural abilities of students and offer them better academic college training (schröder & sehl, 2010). in other words, graduates must have the abilities that employers look for: leadership, adaptability, teamwork skills, and efficient communication, to fit in different work environments. the majority (teichler, 2012; teekens, 2006; smithee, 2012; helemann, 2010; beelen, 2011; lauterbach, 2010) agree with the idea of preparing students for a global world through internationalization. that means providing the future leaders with cognitive, emotional, ethical and multicultural skills. deardoff (2004) analyzes: “ultimately, though, a key benefit of internationalization is that institutions produce graduates with the skills, attitudes, and knowledge necessary to lead and serve effectively in a multinational and multicultural world.” (p. 12) to reach this goal, internationalization has to join forces with new technologies and employment in general. combining this in practical applied studies, the entrepreneurs of tomorrow learn the use of modern technologies and the interconnection with a variety of people from different cultural backgrounds. even if some think that virtual education makes it impossible to communicate emotions and harms education (claes & preston, 2010), the truth is that students need to get familiar with new technologies and intercultural diversity not only in their free time, but especially in a professional context. including ict and internationalization into daily coursework promises a real preparation. conclusion the world today is more connected every day. for students, having an international experience increases professional abilities and intercultural awareness and creates more effective communicators better at working in teams. above all, it creates a global workforce that is adaptable to different environments and has creative problem solving skills. the importance of internationalizing education is therefore undeniable. a comprehensive institutionalized strategy for including the entire student community into internationalization efforts has to be found. this international strategy must go further than just traditional mobility because of the limits that cannot be overcome for the majority of students. finding the correct international tools guarantees that a student trained “at home” has no disadvantages because of exclusion or inequality from the mobility options. if the interest of the universities is the formation of competent professionals prepared to work in a labor market with cultural diversity, the university should think of the impact of teaching techniques on the student. in other words, universities have to identify the attributes of graduates to look for because companies search for it in global partners in education journal april 2013, vol. 3 no. 1, pp. 57-69 www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 67 graduates regarding adaptability to today´s challenges of globalization. preparation of students should meet the needs of the employers. this means universities need to focus on modern teaching techniques. universities of the future have to include internationalization and new technology use according to the mentioned real life needs. this way the internationalization of the academic world is no longer a theoretic construct and starts contributing to the formation of students. research about these topics is still in its beginnings. as internationalization is traditionally understood as the mobility of individuals, most studies follow this line of thought. reality within universities is different: only a very insignificant number of students actually participate in mobility programs. it is now the task of the institutions to internationalize the campus, using tools that are able to reach all students without exception. through the fusion of internationalization and new technology there are many opportunities. the question of its limitations and the outcomes need an answer in order to create international education and form global citizens. references altbach, p. g., & knight, j. 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(2010). benchmarking als instrument der hochschulentwicklung für den bereich internationalisierun.g internationalisierung von hochschulen. ergebnisse eines deutschösterreichischen benchmarking-verfahrens, pp. 1-49, hannover, germany: hochschul informations systemgmbh. http://www.ur.mx/linkclick.aspx?fileticket=egltnugc1bw%3d&tabid=2792&mid=7929 http://www.ur.mx/linkclick.aspx?fileticket=egltnugc1bw%3d&tabid=2792&mid=7929 http://www.ur.mx/linkclick.aspx?fileticket=nn5kxv2gqr0%3d&tabid=2792&mid=7929 http://www.ur.mx/linkclick.aspx?fileticket=nn5kxv2gqr0%3d&tabid=2792&mid=7929 http://www.aca-secretariat.be/fileadmin/aca_docs/documents/reports/globalisation-oth-enl-t07.pdf http://www.aca-secretariat.be/fileadmin/aca_docs/documents/reports/globalisation-oth-enl-t07.pdf http://www.aca-secretariat.be/fileadmin/aca_docs/documents/reports/globalisation-oth-enl-t07.pdf global partners in education journal april 2013, vol. 3 no. 1, pp. 57-69 www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 69 siems, d., & suermann, f. (2012, june 28). jeder vierte deutsche student geht ins ausland. die welt. retrieved from http://www.welt.de/dieweltbewegen/article107282781/jeder-vierte-deutschestudent-geht-ins-ausland.html. smithee, m. b. (2012). finding leadership for the internationalization of u.s. higher education. journal of international education and leadership, 2(1). retrieved from http://www.jielusa.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/finding-leadershipsmithee-1-27.pdf. teekens, h. (2000). teaching and learning in the international classroom. iah postion paper, eaie (pp. 29-34). amsterdam, netherlands: drukkerij raddraaier. teekens, h. (2006). internationalization at home: a background paper. in h. teekens (ed.), internationalization at home: a global perspective (pp 7-18). the hague, netherlands: nuffic. teichler, u. (2012). international student mobility in europe in the context of the bologna process. journal of international education and leadership, 2(1), 113. retrieved from http://www.jielusa.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/international-studentmobility-in-europe-in-the-context-of-the-bologna-process1.pdf. van der wende, m. (2007). internationalization of higher education in the oecd countries: challenges and opportunities for the coming decade. journal of studies in international education, 33(3/4), 274-290. wächter, b. (2000). internationalization at home – the context. iah postion paper, eaie (pp. 5-15), amsterdam, netherlands: drukkerij raddraaier. weber, p. (2010). der abbau von mobilitätshemmnissen als erfolgsfaktor für die internationalisierung – am beispiel der europa universität viadrina. en: schröder & sehl: internationalisierung von hochschulen. ergebnisse eines deutsch-östereichischen benchmarketing verfahrens. his forum hochschule 8, pp. 125-136. about the author kathrin ullrich is the international programs coordinator at universidad regiomontana in monterrey, mexico. being in charge of both traditional mobility programs and internationalization at home strategies, she focuses on elements of daily education allowing the majority of students to see their professional field in an international context. from the beginning, she brought live videoconferences to universidad regiomontana classrooms, accompanying the global understanding course with other videoconference projects. she is convinced that global education using new technologies will support students’ personal and professional development. she can be reached at kullrich@mail.ur.mx. http://www.welt.de/dieweltbewegen/article107282781/jeder-vierte-deutsche-student-geht-ins-ausland.html http://www.welt.de/dieweltbewegen/article107282781/jeder-vierte-deutsche-student-geht-ins-ausland.html http://www.jielusa.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/finding-leadership-smithee-1-27.pdf http://www.jielusa.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/finding-leadership-smithee-1-27.pdf http://www.jielusa.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/international-student-mobility-in-europe-in-the-context-of-the-bologna-process1.pdf http://www.jielusa.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/international-student-mobility-in-europe-in-the-context-of-the-bologna-process1.pdf mailto:kullrich@mail.ur.mx global partners in education journal – special edition december 2015, vol. 5, no. 2, pp. 3-9 http://www.gpejournal.org/ issn 2163-758x 3 how to reduce stereotypes: intercultural communication in volunteer work camps alla nazarenko ludmila sizykh adelina bilalova lomonosov moscow state university abstract international volunteer work camps are places where people are united by one goal. volunteers have to communicate on a daily basis as they live together and are involved in practical work projects. in late 2013, adelina bilalova (a 4th year student of lomonosov moscow state university, lmsu, russia), participated in the global understanding course. the aim of this article is to share how the intercultural communication skills obtained by her in this course facilitated her work at her first volunteer experience in a work camp in senftenberg, germany, where she volunteered for two weeks. as a student in the intercultural communication department at lmsu, she wanted to obtain some scientific evidence to support her hypothesis that during interactions between representatives of different cultures, by getting to know each other, people can easily abandon their prejudices and stereotypes of other cultures and obtain skills for multicultural communication. everyday communication with peers eventually leads to discrediting many myths (i.e., negative stereotypes) related to various countries. eventually, this can promote a better understanding of modern life in a multicultural world of which russia is a significant part. when coming across anything new or not well-known (e.g., different people or other cultures), it is natural for a person to refer to his/her background knowledge of this phenomenon and compare this perspective with the new situation. adelina bilalova (a 4th year student of lomonosov moscow state university, lmsu, russia) was no exception. with her own background knowledge on other cultures, she was interested to find out how real life correlates with her knowledge of these cultures and evaluate cultural stereotypes. we know international mutual understanding is essential for communication and that negative stereotypes threaten communication therefore one of the most effective ways to avoid this is to be tolerant, polite, and show empathy. that is why adelina decided to focus on stereotypes and learn about ways of overcoming them in order to achieve a deeper and more accurate understanding of other cultures. http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition december 2015, vol. 5, no. 2, pp. 3-9 http://www.gpejournal.org/ issn 2163-758x 4 this article describes adelina bilalova’s personal experience with intercultural communication in light of her previous study of the theory of intercultural communication at lmsu. her first experience was obtained virtually during her participation in the global understanding course in late 2013. later on, it assisted her with her work at a volunteer camp for two weeks in senftenberg, germany, where her intercultural communication competence and skills were further developed. participation in the first student global issues conference has also contributed to her further development as a future specialist in the field of intercultural communication. we’d like to thank the conference organizers and the founders of the global understanding program for promoting friendly and open relationships between people from various cultures. background stereotypes are used to categorize a group of people. harper (2006) writes that psychologists abbate, boca, and bocchiaro offer a definition: “1. a stereotype is a cognitive structure containing the perceiver’s knowledge, beliefs, and expectancies about some human social groups.” stereotypes can be positive or negative although most of them are negative: “2. they usually jeopardize intercultural communication and take on a negative tone. this is because stereotypes tend to overgeneralize the characteristics of a group of people. for example, we know that not all asian students are hardworking and intelligent, and that there is no large group of people in which everyone is lazy.”2 there is a native american saying: ‘we should not judge another person until we have walked two moons in his moccasins’, which means that empathy is an ability to imagine how you would feel when “wearing the shoes” (i.e., experiencing the life) of someone else. we believe that it is the key to successful communication. furthermore, teachers of intercultural communication should assist in developing this ability in their students. they need to think about and analyze other people‘s behavior from different points of view but always with desire to understand and not to judge. the global understanding course, together with our students’ academic studies at lmsu, helps them in a variety of ways. they learn the importance of understanding other cultures, as well as valuable skills, tools and methods of intercultural communication. this allows them to have a better understanding of other peoples’ national peculiarities, have more tolerant attitudes towards the representatives of other nations, and understand their cultural and personal differences. shortly after taking the global understanding course, adelina went to senftenberg, germany, where she worked in a volunteer camp and where this experience stood in good stead. adelina worked there with german children for two weeks organizing activities, parties, visits to the zoo, museum trips, guided tours, playing the drums and singing, etc. on a daily basis, adelina had to communicate with people from different countries and thus with different attitudes. but she was already aware that it is normal and tried to understand different perspectives. adelina attended this work camp through the german organization international youth http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition december 2015, vol. 5, no. 2, pp. 3-9 http://www.gpejournal.org/ issn 2163-758x 5 services – voluntary services all over the world (ijgd). ijgd organizes international work camps in germany and in about 70 countries worldwide (www.ijgd.de): “each work camp assembles a group of young people between 16 and 26. the group lives together and works about 25 hours a week in non-profit projects. all groups work voluntarily and without payment. they organize their free time activities and their daily tasks together...these camps take place in cooperation with cities, local authorities and just as much with independent associations, initiatives and organizations, primarily in the summer season. the groups work in nature and environmental protection, construction and renovation, in the social and pedagogical field or in cultural projects. furthermore, ijgd offers work camps with specific thematic emphasis (work & study, art, media, camps for women and camps for teenagers).” cultural stereotypes, intercultural communication, and working together this work provided a healthy boost for adelina’s self-confidence and life satisfaction. in addition, it also turned out to be a great opportunity so far as intercultural communication is concerned. adelina did not realize how useful and helpful it would be for her and this was surprising to her. below is given her view on this experience: “being a student of the intercultural communication department at lomonosov moscow state university, i attended lectures on the theory of multicultural communication and studied many other courses related to this issue. i knew and agree with spitzberg and cupach (1984) that “communication competence is the ability to choose a communication behavior that is both appropriate and effective for a given situation. interpersonal competency allows one to achieve their communication goals without causing the other party to lose face. the communication model includes three components: 1) knowledge, 2) skill, and 3) motivation.”1. i had some knowledge and some skills. i had great desire to communicate with representatives of other cultures as it is going to be my profession.” “so alongside with my wish to work as a volunteer, i wanted to practice intercultural communication and see how it all works in real life. for example, i wanted to find some scientific evidence and prove my hypothesis, that during and due to direct interactions between representatives of different nations people can more easily get rid of their prejudices and stereotypes related to representatives of other cultures.” no doubt, adelina and other participants faced challenges with their daily communication during their work at the volunteer camp in germany because the volunteers were from various countries around the world. for example, there were significant differences in pronunciation. in other cases, it was complicated for adelina to understand what participants from east asia really meant because they used metaphors which were commonly used in their home countries. on the other hand, participants from european countries were very straightforward. in addition, some of the participants commonly used modal verbs such as should or must, which appeared rude to some participants. this http://www.gpejournal.org/ http://www.ijgd.de/ global partners in education journal – special edition december 2015, vol. 5, no. 2, pp. 3-9 http://www.gpejournal.org/ issn 2163-758x 6 might be connected to the common syntactic structures in some languages and not with behavior. camp volunteers worked together in a variety of ways. for example, three group leaders from germany, tanzania, and ghana organized a so-called ‘welcome party’ which was during the first evening of the camp. the first task for fifteen young people was to split duties while preparing dinner which they managed to decide on within one hour. most discussions were held after lunch and before lunch since this was the only time when they had breaks when all the participants were together except for dinner. for some participants, it was a difficult task to fully listen to other volunteer camp participants, but day by day, everyone became more polite, tolerant and patient. at the very first meeting, they had to decide the best way to plan evening activities and expenditures. for example, they had to decide what should they do with the 70-euro residential budget, but they managed to solve the problem and ordered 15 pizzas for dinner. what is more, they worked in two shifts. one team worked with children by entertaining and educating them while another team helped the group leader by choosing activities, making plans for cultural evenings, and cooking national dishes (e.g., turkish, russian, chinese, italian, etc.). once a week, there was a meeting where it was decided how to split responsibilities equally and three group leaders organized round-table discussions. there were some misunderstandings concerning food excesses and activity preferences but in general, the work with children and the outdoor evening activities ran smoothly. everyone seemed eager to help each other by getting used to living in an international setting. it was also decided to have national evenings, where all participants were making presentations about their native culture. on the final day of the camp, everyone left feedback notes for every participant and some participants gave out souvenirs from their hometowns. changing stereotypes for camp volunteers from her previous experience from taking the global understanding course in late 2013, adelina knew that this issue of stereotypes is important because as a rule, our knowledge about other countries is very limited. stereotypes are mostly based on some commonplace ideas which are often untrue although some stereotypes can reflect some phenomena correctly. we share the opinion that in general, most stereotypes are harmful to the process of communication and interaction between nations as they impose needless biases against other people and often with no reason. how can we break down those prejudices? adelina was surprised to discover that during her work at the camp, it turned out that some stereotypes were disproven, for example: • germans don’t often observe the time. she believed that punctuality is one of the main characteristics of a german national character. • not all italians tend to be lazy • not all british are reserved • many chinese tend to be tidy and neat http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition december 2015, vol. 5, no. 2, pp. 3-9 http://www.gpejournal.org/ issn 2163-758x 7 • many people of african background can sing and dance well adelina’s peers at the camp from other countries also admitted that they had changed their old stereotyped perceptions of people from some countries. partners from china said that typical stereotypes of germans are that they often drink, eat sausages, and that they are reserved and don’t have a sense of humor. but after some time, as they told adelina, those stereotypes changed. the stereotype that germans tend to be direct, seemed to have been confirmed although this stereotype is not negative and so there is no threat in it. once again, how can we break down those prejudices? first of all, we should want to do this. the development of mankind proves that people have always wanted just to learn more about the world. even in the years of the ussr, people learned foreign languages, read books in their original language, watched bbc documentaries which were shown in some tv programs dedicated to other countries, managed to listen to some foreign radio stations and so on. russia’s older generation’s stereotypes of britain and the usa were mainly formed on the basis of classical literature – shakespeare, dickens, dreiser, faulkner, fitzgerald, hemingway and many others. nowadays, in russia, people have many more opportunities to learn about other cultures and people from their everyday modern life (e.g., the internet and mass media). we can also read books, watch films and, of course, travel, although many people cannot afford it. anyway, the best way to find true information about a country and its people’s mindset is to make the acquaintance of people from other countries. adelina used this chance while working in the volunteer camp. what helped the camp participants to overcome misunderstanding? one of the american researchers in the field of stereotypes, gordon allport, suggested that group interactions are needed to improve relations between the group members. according to allport (1979), “common goals within a particular situation, intergroup cooperation as well as the support of state and local authorities are needed for successful communication and understanding.” adelina’s stay in the volunteer camps has confirmed his theory 100%. everyone’s commitment to volunteer work and common goals helped them find the appropriate way of communicating in an international setting. conclusion thanks to her work in the volunteer camp, adelina came to the conclusion that we should accept the diversity of the world and be prepared for investigating this world. today, there are different means for achieving this. most of us have a good approach to different sources of information. we believe that teachers should encourage students to broaden their view on the world and take part in different international projects. at the same time, teachers should provide students with the necessary knowledge of theory, methods of processing information with new it technologies, skills and competences of intercultural communication to make their way to achieving their aims faster and easier. adelina’s experience is a fine example of this approach. she was lucky to get such an experience with multi-cultural communication in a very productive and methodologically correct http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition december 2015, vol. 5, no. 2, pp. 3-9 http://www.gpejournal.org/ issn 2163-758x 8 succession i.e., the study of the theory of intercultural communication, virtual practice (global understanding course), and then actual practice (volunteer camp in germany). we wish more students could follow adelina’s example. in addition, adelina had a chance to apply her theoretical knowledge while working in a volunteer work camp where people were united by one noble goal and were fulfilling one useful task. in the course of working together, volunteers learned more about each other and others’ cultures. what is important to emphasize is that this was a very natural process which was interesting and therefore suitable for the young participants. they were learning about life and each other in a very easy and pleasant way. participation in international volunteer work camps and sharing their ideas on various aspects of life with people from different countries gives us a better and more objective understanding of modern life in a multicultural world. the more we learn about each other, the shorter the path is to this mutual understanding. postscript: volunteer opportunities in russia these international work camps are worldwide. one can find them in all parts of the world –latin america (e.g., costa rica, ecuador, guatemala), north america (e.g., canada), africa (e.g., ghana), asia (e.g., india), and in various other countries. but not many people know that there are plenty of volunteer opportunities in russia and each year all kinds of volunteer camps are being opened. the types of programs vary from teaching languages, studying natural resources, social work, and cultural events. representatives of different nations are welcome to come to russia and discover our culture which offers a unique combination of western and eastern civilizations. for centuries, russia has been living under the influence of both which has made a great impact on the formation and development of the russian mindset. work in social and eco-camps gives volunteers a chance to find more information about russian history, traditions, and culture. direct communication with people can help develop positive stereotypes (i.e., russians are open-hearted and hospitable) and get rid of negative ones (e.g., all russians wears fur hats or ushankas, they drink a lot, and are against laughter). more information can be found at the following websites: • http://www.kraskidetstva.ru/submenu/kak-nas-podderzhatj/ • http://www.sodvo.ru/about/a_camp_with_sodrujestvo/ • http://www.club-volonterov.ru/en • http://www.greatbaikaltrail.org/ • http://www.ijgd.de/ the most popular volunteer destinations are those in which participants work in youth centers, orphanages, summer camps in moscow, kazan, rostov-on-don, samara, ulyanovsk, anapa, novosibirsk etc. volunteers who are fluent in english are assigned to a group of children for the entire session of a camp. as for eco-volunteering, nearly every national reservation attracts volunteers from all countries. for instance, the international youth centre of nerekhta hosts experienced volunteers of all ages who are willing to work http://www.gpejournal.org/ http://www.kraskidetstva.ru/submenu/kak-nas-podderzhatj/ http://www.sodvo.ru/about/a_camp_with_sodrujestvo/ http://www.club-volonterov.ru/en http://www.greatbaikaltrail.org/ http://www.ijgd.de/ global partners in education journal – special edition december 2015, vol. 5, no. 2, pp. 3-9 http://www.gpejournal.org/ issn 2163-758x 9 with children. another popular location for volunteer work camps is lake baikal which is a very interesting place to visit. it is situated in south-east siberia and is 3.15 million hectares. lake baikal is the oldest (25 million years) and deepest (1,700 m) lake in the world. it contains 20% of the world's total unfrozen freshwater reserve. known as the 'galapagos of russia', its age and isolation have produced one of the world's richest and most unusual collections of freshwater faunas. this is of exceptional value to evolutionary science. each year hundreds of volunteers from various cultures travel there to help scientists and gain valuable experience in cross-cultural communication. references allport, g. w. (1979). the nature of prejudice. reading, mass: addison-wesley pub. co. http://www.nerehta-planeta.ru/international/ harper, m. g. (2006). ethical multiculturalism: an evolutionary concept analysis. advances in nursing science, 29 (2), 110–124. spitzberg, b. h., & cupach, w. r. (1984). interpersonal communication competence. beverly hills: sage publications. www.uky.edu http://www.gpejournal.org/ http://www.nerehta-planeta.ru/international/ global partners in education journal april 2014, vol. 4, no. 1, pp. 41-63 www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 41 incorporating global projects into teacher education: a look at practices and perceptions of preservice and mentor teachers terry k. smith western illinois university, usa abstract global projects can be a significant training ground for teacher education students by providing authentic professional experiences that cannot be duplicated in the college classroom. in global projects, teacher education students are situated to learn and use new technologies, to interact with veteran teachers in distant locations, and to practice a global perspective. this qualitative study examined the perceptions of teacher education students and their clinical mentor teachers while working together in a multi-school global project. the study’s purpose was to uncover beneficial practices and experiences that could improve teacher education in light of the challenges of teaching in today’s global environment. this study supports prior research showing that technology used with project-based learning enhances engagement and promotes deliberate practice in areas such as global awareness, technology use, communication, and collaboration. data and results suggest a number of benefits from incorporating global projects into teacher education programs. preservice teachers in the study showed active participation beyond the physical classroom as they communicated with global partners using a variety of digital media. mentor teachers reported effective learning experiences, new professional contacts in other countries, and the desire to engage in global projects again. introduction global expectations of new teachers expectations for content knowledge mastery, effective pedagogy, and improved technology skills have become a major focus for teacher education programs in recent years and is well documented (carroll & resta, 2010; chen, 2010; dilworth, donaldson, george, knezek, searson, starkweather & robinson, 2012; longview foundation, 2008; us department of education, 2010; zhao, 2010). these expectations have led to teacher education programs across the united states being subject to the same kinds of standards-based scrutiny that drives k-12 education today. assessments of teacher candidates, such as stanford university’s testing instrument called the edtpa, are used increasingly in colleges and universities as a rigorous examination of teacher competencies linked directly to professional licensing (darling-hammond, 2007; mehta & doctor, 2013; national launch of edtpa, 2013). http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal april 2014, vol. 4, no. 1, pp. 41-63 www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 42 but while competencies in content knowledge and pedagogy are a major focus, another dimension of expectations is being placed on new teachers: the idea of global competence in a connected world (jensen, searson & yildiz, 2011; o'connor & zeichner, 2011; suleiman, 2013; villegas & lucas, 2002; zhao, 2010; zeichner, 2010). a global perspective implies a responsibility for teachers to have a broader level of knowledge, a world view beyond their own classrooms and cultures. today’s teachers need to create learning experiences for an ever changing diverse society. this is a call for teacher candidates to be able to differentiate their teaching across cultures and different ways of thinking. it means not only understanding that people across the globe have views that can be quite different than those in the united states, but also being prepared to teach with this global perspective. suleiman (2013) wrote that teachers should be able to “undertake their instructional roles effectively as they lead students to become empowered citizens who interact meaningfully and successfully in various global contexts. this can be done through providing multiple learning opportunities to all students in a culturally responsive way” (p. 36). but since “teacher training programs are often among the least internationalized programs on american college and university campuses” (longview foundation, 2008, p. 5), a change in teacher education is needed. we need teachers who are globally competent, teachers who can model global citizenship, and can create educational activities designed to engage students beyond the classroom to connect with other parts of the world (longview foundation, 2008; zhao, 2009; zhao, 2010). having a non-stereotypical, meaningful understanding of the world is at the base of what has been termed global competence. this competence is illustrated by curiosity and awareness of how other people and nations function. in educating for global competence: preparing our youth to engage the world, mansilla and jackson (2011) argue that globally competent individuals should be able to do the following: 1. investigate the world beyond their immediate environment, framing significant problems and conducting well-crafted and age-appropriate research. 2. recognize perspectives, others’ and their own, articulating and explaining such perspectives thoughtfully and respectfully. 3. communicate ideas effectively with diverse audiences, bridging geographic, linguistic, ideological, and cultural barriers. 4. take action to improve conditions, viewing themselves as players in the world and participating reflectively. (p. 11). a global approach to teaching necessarily requires that teachers are knowledgeable with technology (jacobs, 2010; zhao, 2010). the challenge extended to institutions of teacher education, then, is how to go about structuring contextual experiences with technology that lead to global practices for our newest teachers. university experiences compared to school classrooms in typical university teacher education programs, students are required to take course work in educational technologies and may have used or been exposed to collaborative http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal april 2014, vol. 4, no. 1, pp. 41-63 www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 43 technology such as video conferences, google docs, blogs, wikis, or social network applications. teacher education students are likely to have used or to have been exposed to interactive white boards, clickers for polling, and mobile devices such as tablets and smart phones with specific educational applications. some universities blend the technology into coursework showing how to apply technology with specific content, while others have stand-alone technology classes leaving the classroom application up to the teacher education student – an inconsistency across schools of education that researchers say needs to be improved and geared toward explicit technology use in academic content areas (ertmer & ottenbreit-leftwich, 2010; russell, bebell, o'dwyer, & o' connor, 2003; liu, 2011). the situation can be as equally inconsistent in public school settings (aldunate & nussbaum, 2013), that is, the level of technology, projects, and hands-on learning varies widely based on many factors including the skill level of the classroom clinical teacher, the guide and mentor for the student teacher. student teachers, placed with competent, technology-using mentors, show more success in using technology in their placement classroom (doering, hughes, & huffman, 2003; liu, 2011), but finding an adequate number of technology-savvy mentors to meet the needs of teacher education programs is an ongoing challenge (radinsky, lawless, smolin & newman, 2005; strudler, archambault, bendixen, anderson & weiss, 2003). integrating content leads to project based learning when teacher education students enter their clinical classrooms, they are expected to use a variety of active, hands-on techniques learned in their methods courses. additionally they are taught and encouraged to integrate content when possible. for example, a teacher might create a context for teaching reading using science texts or web sites about plants, or might teach math using social studies resources for latitude, longitude and world time zones. as teachers integrate and create active ways to teach across content areas, they find themselves in a natural position to introduce project-based learning, which is also an effective approach to global learning (bonk, whiting, jung, kim, altuwaijri, tan, & wang, 2012; pastor, villen, val, & sancho, 2012). generally defined, project-based learning is an active, multi-faceted approach that supports academic content and blends with other research-based approaches such as cooperative learning and constructivism. various descriptions and models exist for what defines a project. typically students work collaboratively in an integrated content area on a project that has a defining endpoint, event, or outcome. they use various tools and technology, and have flexible, working time less constrained than in typical classroom scheduling (fosnot, 1996; harris & katz, 2001; krajcik, blumenfeld, marx, bass, fredricks & soloway, 1998; markham, mergendooler, learmer & ravitz, 2003). benefits cited from project-based learning are numerous and include increases in engagement, motivation, collaborative skills, problem-solving skills, creativity, critical thinking, technology skills, and academic achievement (brush & saye, 2008; blumenfeld, soloway, marx, krajcik, guzdial & palincsar, 1991; moursund, 1995). project-based learning allows for multiple http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal april 2014, vol. 4, no. 1, pp. 41-63 www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 44 participants to contribute to the project in varied and substantial ways (kauchak & eggen,1993), a process that can be facilitated by the teacher to individualize instruction for the needs of all students (tomlinson, 1999). in essence then, a teacher has the power to amplify and enhance student involvement and attention by understanding the connection between activity and learning, or as joseph and nacu (2003) described in their work with technology and media as an “alignment of learning activities with interest-based activities” (p. 91). connecting project-based learning to k-12 global projects educational internet projects for classrooms became prevalent in the early 1990’s, all based in one way or another on communicating with remote classrooms and cultures and sharing information. this approach changed how teachers could use technology in the local curriculum to extending and sharing what students were learning with others beyond the classroom walls, across the united states, and around the world (bonk, 2009; hicks, 2003). free video applications suddenly increased the ease and attraction of connecting beyond the classroom. elementary students were developing speaking and listening skills as they were sharing stories, singing songs, giving classroom tours, offering riddles and math puzzles, and playing geographic i-spy, all of which brought a new level of engagement and active learning to the classroom. interested educators can search the internet and quickly discover an abundance of global educational projects such as kidlink.org, flat classroom, global school net, iearn, journey north, skype in the classroom, monster project, epals and many more. most of these are free and available to classrooms around the world simply by signing up for participation. this study examines a teacher education field work situation which included participation in a multi-school global project. data were gathered with surveys and lesson plans to address the following research questions: is global awareness enabled by using technology in the global project? are standards used in the global project? does the global project enhance professional growth? are participants likely to participate in global projects again based on this experience? are teachers supported by administration and parents in using global projects? method participants this qualitative study was conducted over a 30-day period in public schools in the midwestern united states during the month of october. the term preservice is typically used for teacher education students training in schools as part of university course work. classroom teachers responsible for supervising the preservice teachers and who provide expert guidance are typically referred to as mentor teachers. twenty-four total participants were in the study and included 16 university students in the first semester of their senior year in the teacher education program, and 8 elementary teachers in public schools located near the university. students in the study were 14 females and 2 males, ranging in age from 21to 22. all mentor teachers were females and had worked http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal april 2014, vol. 4, no. 1, pp. 41-63 www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 45 in schools 10 or more years. of the 24 participants in the study, 8 preservice teachers and 8 mentor teachers participated in the monster project. another 8 preservice teachers supplied lesson plans during this same time period, but did not participate in the monster project. the field experience occurred in grades 3 and 4 in which all preservice teachers were in schools for approximately 4 hours per day during the semester. during the field experience, all 16 preservice teachers taught lessons based in literacy, math, social studies, science, and health. lesson plans were written according to requirements of the university’s teacher education program. the global internet project was introduced as a voluntary activity to preservice teachers during a seminar prior to entering the placement classroom. all mentor teachers were also invited to join the project as a learning option they might want to try in their classrooms. they were informed that elementary teachers from around the world communicated with each other and shared learning using technology tools. the project was described as entry level for those teachers who might perceive the requirements as beyond their range of experiences or who might not feel comfortable with technology. they were informed that a step by step timeline was provided on the project web site to guide progress. eight mentor teachers and their assigned preservice teachers chose to participate in the project. an additional 8 preservice teachers who were not participating in the monster project were selected randomly for purposes of examining their lesson plans over the same period as the preservice teachers participating in the monster project. joining the project was entirely voluntary on the part of all participants, none of whom had participated in a global project before. materials two likert-style surveys were used, each with 16 prompts. (see appendix a). one survey was for preservice teachers and the other was for mentor teachers. one openended question was included in both surveys: “what other benefits do you see from participating in the monster project?” survey item choices were: strongly agree, agree, neither agree nor disagree, disagree, and disagree strongly. a neutral response was included so as not to force respondents to have an opinion (suskie, 1996). the likertstyle surveys used for this study were constructed according to recommendations by fink (2003): using content reflecting research questions, addressing attitude and behavior, and using questions specific to participants’ context. the surveys were administered at the conclusion of the monster project using an online qualtrics tool. see tables 1 and 2 for the responses by preservice and mentor teachers to the openended survey question. prompts in the survey were associated with specific areas of examination (listed at the top of appendix). for example, on the survey, prompts 1, 6, and 14 targeted the first area of examination: use standards-based content in a global project. prompts in the survey were formulated based on content and attributes previously identified in the project-based learning and global education literature such as global awareness (zhao, 2010), standards in projects (markham, 2003), collaborating with technology (markham & belkasim, 2011), and professional development via internet projects (beetham & http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal april 2014, vol. 4, no. 1, pp. 41-63 www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 46 sharpe, 2013). prior research has shown that project-based learning can enhance student engagement, collaboration skills, and problem solving (brush & saye, 2008; blumenfeld et al., 1991; gultekin, 2005; moursund, 1995; sahin, arturk, & schmidt, 2009). project description the scenario for this study was a yearly multi-school internet event called the monster project (http://www.smithclass.org/proj/monsters). for over ten years, the monster project has attracted k-6 participants from across the united states as well as from england, canada, taiwan, south africa, uganda, australia, japan, and myanmar to name a partial list. the project runs for about a month each october and has activities that include global collaboration, teamwork, communication, using technology skills, sharing lesson ideas, posting student-created media, and evaluating the final project. building a monster is the grounding component of the project – and not just any random monster, but instead a specific creation based on the input of all participants. each classroom was given ownership of a single part such as the nose, the mouth, the ears, the tail, the wings, and so forth. the number of parts matched the number of participating classrooms. once a classroom was assigned a monster part, for example the mouth, they brainstormed a 12-word description of that part using shapes, colors, measurements, patterns, and other descriptive language. this mouth description was added to descriptions of all the other parts on a master chart on the project web site. when all of the parts had been described, teachers began the process of building the monster in their classrooms. the full chart of participants and 41 descriptions can be seen at www.smithclass.org/proj/monsters. classes followed a posted timeline which also included activities such as reading related literature like maurice sendak’s where the wild things are or a young reader’s version of mary shelley’s frankenstein. teachers created their own reading lists and shared the book lists with others during the project. the flexible design of the project allowed each teacher to conduct the project based on his or her preferences and curriculum. to a traditional, non-project oriented teacher, the scope of a project like this one can be seen as a very consuming set of activities and challenges. all learning is not neatly laid out in a lesson guide book. because much of the project is done in workshop fashion with students out of their seats, off task behavior is likely. and parts of the project can require technology use with which the teacher may not be familiar. the classroom becomes a place of energy. students are moving about working with all types of materials such as construction paper, cardboard, ribbon, foil, yarn, craft sticks, glitter, and paints. a typically well-ordered classroom quickly becomes a noisy work space with students discussing and negotiating how parts come together, while cutting, measuring, and gluing and generally being involved in the messy work of project-based learning. the minimum participation in the project is building a classroom monster, but teachers http://www.gpejournal.org/ http://www.smithclass.org/proj/monsters http://www.smithclass.org/proj/monsters global partners in education journal april 2014, vol. 4, no. 1, pp. 41-63 www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 47 are encouraged to leverage the experience and take advantage of the group connections and communication with each other. therefore, different levels of participation were observed with some teachers functioning as novices and some contributing and sharing at very high levels. overall, technology use was significant during the project with examples of students working in computer labs, using classroom laptops, interactive white boards, and ipads. students made slideshows, animations, videos, audio presentations (one in french using voicethread). they communicated using email, twitter, and skype video conferencing. some teachers with classroom blogs set up areas in which students could post comments on each other’s blog pages. with the availability of easy communication and the attraction of posted artifacts, students and teachers used the project web site frequently during the month. student-created media from past monster projects displayed on the project web site provided examples and motivation for current participants to create their own media. in the posted examples, media tools such as animoto, smilebox, goanimate, voicethread, padlet, and edmodo are used. this sharing serves to spread ideas to all participants, and is especially useful for the preservice teachers’ experiences in observing the variety of technology tools used by practicing teachers around the world. biographies of each participating classroom provided latitude and longitude, city and country locations, weather descriptions, and details about individual schools. each classroom was also asked to submit a statement about the difference between learning in a local way and learning in a global way. as classes finished building their monsters, photos were submitted and published on the project site. once all monster photos had been posted, each student in the project was given the opportunity to evaluate the monsters based on the original criteria in the master chart. a project-wide voting concluded the project in which all students analyzed and voted for the monster best fitting the specifications. finally, the monster of the year was selected as a function of the whole group’s criteria analysis. to add some qualitative data to the survey data, lesson plans were compared for preservice teachers who did versus did not participate in the monster project. preservice teachers normally submitted their lesson plans to the supervising college professor each week. plans were checked for basic requirements such as learning objectives, standards, guided practice, closure, and assessment. preservice teachers from both groups were asked to identify their most effective plans during october (the time frame of the monster project). results surveys this section shows the results of the six survey examination areas using comparative bar graphs for preservice teachers and mentor teachers. survey items responses that corresponded to each of the areas of examination were averaged for the bar graphs. http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal april 2014, vol. 4, no. 1, pp. 41-63 www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 48 the final bar graph shows the survey results of mentor teachers regarding administrative and parental support for global projects. in figure 1, preservice teachers responded to use standards-based content in a global project items with 100% agreement. mentor teachers, however, indicated 84% agreement. mentors and preservice teachers indicated that standards-based content is well represented in the experiences of the project. the 16% indication of neither could be related to the fact that teachers are often concerned that projects will not fit well with expectations of meeting state standards (shepard, 2000). lesson plans were guided by common core standards (national governors association center for best practices and the council of chief state school officers, 2010), state standards, learning objectives, and associated assessments. lessons were shared with the community on the project web site. figure 1: uses standards-based content in a global project figure 2 shows that responses to use technology for collaboration items were 100% agreement for preservice teachers. mentor teachers indicated 87% agreement. evidence of extended technology use was shown in skype sessions, blogging collaborations, wikis, video sharing, digital photos, and email pals. the indication of neither at 13% might be attributed to the fact that some teachers view technology for presentation purposes, but not necessarily as a collaboration tool (brush, glazewski, rutowski, berg, stromfors, van-nest & sutton, 2003). strongly agree agree neither disagree strongly disagree 58% 42% 0% 0% 0% 51% 33% 16% 0% 0% preservice teachers mentor teachers http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal april 2014, vol. 4, no. 1, pp. 41-63 www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 49 figure 2: technology for collaboration in figure 3, preservice teachers responded to effective education practices for professional growth items with 93% agreement. mentor teachers indicated 83% agreement, 7% neither, and 3% disagree. through project contact with a variety of teachers around the world, preservice teachers gained additional role models, lesson ideas, and advice in extending their personal learning networks in addition to everyday interactions at clinical schools. non agreement with this topic by mentors fits with some perceptions that professional growth is a function of formal training rather than the selflearning that occurs experientially (opfer, & pedder, 2011). figure 3: effective education practices for professional growth strongly agree agree neither disagree strongly disagree 76% 24% 0% 0% 0% 53% 34% 13% 0% 0% preservice teachers mentor teachers strongly agree agree neither disagree strongly disagree 64% 29% 7% 0% 0% 52% 41% 4% 3% 0% preservice teachers mentor teachers http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal april 2014, vol. 4, no. 1, pp. 41-63 www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 50 in figure 4, preservice teachers responded to technology-enabled global awareness items with100% agreement. mentor teachers indicated 82% agreement and 18% neither. examples of global awareness can be seen in the sample lesson plans described below. similar to the mentor response on using technology for collaboration (figure 2), some teachers do not perceive technology as a conduit to the world. (levin & wadmany, 2008). most teachers, however, indicated that technology was an enabler of their global awareness. figure 4: technology-enabled global awareness in figure 5, preservice teachers responded to likely to participate in global projects again items with 100% agreement. mentor teachers also indicated 100% agreement. unanimously, all participants indicated they would pursue global projects again. figure 5: likely to participate in global projects again strongly agree agree neither disagree strongly disagree 94% 6% 0% 0% 0% 57% 25% 18% 0% 0% preservice teachers mentor teachers strongly agree agree neither disagree strongly disagree 88% 12% 0% 0% 0% 75% 25% 0% 0% 0% preservice teachers mentor teachers http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal april 2014, vol. 4, no. 1, pp. 41-63 www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 51 in figure 6, mentor teachers responded to administrative and parental support items with 64% agreement, neither 12%, disagree 12%, and strongly disagree 12%. this survey area produced the most disagreement of any in the study. more than half of the mentor teachers indicated they felt supported by parents and administration, but 24% otherwise. in a time of increased documented accountability for student achievement, project learning can be difficult to justify which could help explain teachers not feeling supported (black, 1998; cizek, 2001; hadley, 2010; kohn, 2001). figure 6: administrative and parental support open-ended responses by preservice teachers responses by preservice teachers to the open-ended question were positive and indicated improved cooperative behaviors, global curiosity, creativity, academic skills practice, engagement, and enthusiasm about working with students from around the world. participants often used the term kids to refer to their students. strong indications of collaboration as well as high engagement are clear in teacher remarks. teachers not only observed student curiosity, but also noted their own realization that the project provided them authentic ways to integrate content in “a natural avenue to teach curriculum about the world.” strongly agree agree neither disagree strongly disagree 38% 26% 12% 12% 12% mentor teachers http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal april 2014, vol. 4, no. 1, pp. 41-63 www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 52 table 1 preservice teacher open-ended responses question: what other benefits do you see from participating in the monster project? i think the students really came together as a cooperating group with this project. they actually learned how to work together and were clearly better at group work after we finished the project. the global connections were strong and the students were all able to find the other participants on the map. i believe this project also helped students practice language arts skills with various activities including writing monster poems and stories. kids had to use math skills a lot in measuring parts to fit the descriptions, creating some of the geometric shapes, and measuring distances to other countries. integration between content areas was huge in my class. math fit perfectly in the distances, and literacy comprehension blended with social studies. mainly the kids were so curious about the other kids around the world. really helped me feel connected to my class experience. this survey addressed the benefits but i don't feel it adequately addressed the absolute best practices approach. there was much more i could have answered about best practices. this was an awesome project that was totally engaging for the students and served as a natural avenue to teach curriculum about the world that was meaningful for students. super, super!!! :) the kids were so excited and curious that i think it made a great energy level for learning. they were asking about doing the project everyday so that made it easy for me to say things like “today we have another monster project lesson!” my mentor got so involved in the social studies of the project. i’m sure she will do it again next year. open-ended responses by mentor teachers only half of the mentor teachers responded to the open-ended question, but the indications were all positive. one mentor pointed out how the younger preservice teacher contributed technology skills and that she was impressed with how the preservice teacher connected the class with students in other parts of world, something that her students had never experienced before. this helps illustrate that learning in the clinical classroom is composed of the current knowledge new teachers bring as well as what the veteran teacher knows from years of experience. another teacher remarked how using map skills in the project context helped create stronger global connections. collaboration improvements emerged in one teacher’s observation as students negotiated and sometimes disagreed on exactly how to assemble monster parts. the same teacher also remarked on classroom management practice and in finding a new professional friend in new jersey, something that she states would not have happened to her without the project. the final comment focused on participation of shy students who might not typically become involved in classroom work. observations of participation across ability levels are common in project-based learning environments. http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal april 2014, vol. 4, no. 1, pp. 41-63 www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 53 table 2 mentor teacher open-ended responses question: what other benefits do you see from participating in the monster project? the project was not only valuable for my preservice teacher, but also for me. she helped me with the technology part and i helped her with the academic part. i see the benefits of projects like this because the kids are so engaged. i think my student teacher felt very important and connected as she worked with the kids from around the world. i had never done anything like this before. awesome! map skills, tolerance of cultural and world differences, communication through children's e-mail my students became much better at collaborating because they had to work together extensively and compromise in making the monster components. the head was a particular challenge with some disagreements about placement of the eyes and the mouth. it was very noisy and i think this helped my student teacher to practice classroom management there were many times when she had to have the kids' attention and she was able to get it. the kids became used to noisy work and staying on task although there was a good amount of socializing going on. i heard from parents that they preferred their children doing interesting projects rather than only paper and pencil work. and i now have a new internet partner teacher in new jersey which is so cool! the partnership would not have happened without this project. the project wasn’t just great for a teacher education experience, but was exciting and memorable for my whole class. it was interesting to see my shy students participating so much more with their peers. lesson plans based on global project-based learning lesson plans of preservice teachers who did versus did not participate in the monster project were checked for basic content: learning objectives, standards, guided practice, closure, and assessment methods. this was not an exhaustive examination, but one looking for basic differences in planning between the two groups. differences were noted in technology use, standards, collaboration, and content explored beyond the classroom in literacy, math, science and social studies. while all preservice teachers were encouraged to create active learning experiences incorporating technology and collaborative learning, certain features distinguished those written in the global projectbased context. table 3 shows differences in lessons between the two groups. table 3 planning differences between project and non-project preservice teachers project-related plans non-project plans technology: smart board/internet viewed web sites of project partners, shared project media, viewed videos from project partners. created videos of skits and presentations. technology: smart board/internet – viewed web sites related to lesson topics, used notebook files, showed videos. http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal april 2014, vol. 4, no. 1, pp. 41-63 www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 54 classroom photos done with ipads, cell phones. web tools used: animoto, voicethread, weebly, wikispaces, and kidblogs. collaboration: used skype, twitter, email pals, blogs, photo sharing, and gift package exchanges. compromising during to designing, building, and assembling monster parts. collaboration: done among students in the room, cooperative learning, group work in math and science. tasks based on curriculum materials. standards: listed for all plans. no difference. standards: listed for all plans. no difference. content: social studies lessons integrated with science and writing, focused on projectrelated topics; map studies/distances between project partners, gmt time zones compared, latitude-longitude used to locate partners, weather comparisons of world locations; land forms related to project partners. literacy/language: reading with text and digital media from the monster site in french; reading blogs and web sites of project partners, writing/reading/posting biographies, interpreting descriptive writing for monster part construction. content: literacy, math, social studies, and science were represented using traditional textbook resources with focus on local curriculum. the monster project web site provided project participants with easily accessible communication opportunities such as email addresses, regular mail addresses, blogs, class web sites, twitter and skype addresses. class photos and biographies including geographic and weather information supplied real world topics of interest for generating questions and discussion. preservice teachers took advantage of the ready-made global network to incorporate authentic situations using standards-based content in their lesson plans. while all preservice teachers would normally be creating literacy experiences in the classroom, the project-based preservice teachers had the advantage of communicating with others in parts of the world beyond the classroom. to further illustrate how projects can be incorporated into lesson planning, this section shows the work of three sample preservice teachers chosen for their exemplary contributions (fictional names are used). they communicated with classrooms in russia, canada, and myanmar: beth in 4th grade, ryan in 4th grade, and katy in 3rd grade. mentor teachers mainly served as helpers and learners as the preservice teachers experimented and learned the technologies necessary for communicating with project partners. http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal april 2014, vol. 4, no. 1, pp. 41-63 www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 55 beth wrote a five-lesson project-based learning unit integrating math, social studies, science, and literacy with the monster project. she used skype to connect her students with an elementary classroom in a small town in siberia. beth’s elementary students had deliberate practice using video technology for speaking, and listening to students on the other side of the world – an arrangement that necessitated the russian students to be at school at 9 o’clock in the evening due to the 13-hour time zone difference. to name a few of beth’s approaches, she used a variety of maps to teach latitude and longitude skills referencing the russian school location, created a science rocket project that was designed to “fly off and visit our friends in russia,” and guided her students in an informative language skit which was videoed and embedded on the project site. the relationship continues as the classrooms have since exchanged gift packages, and beth plans to join a future toy project sponsored by the russian teacher. ryan wrote three lesson plans in his 4th grade class specifically related to the monster project. weather, distances, local culture, sports teams, and favorite subjects were among his topics, all of which were represented by learning objectives and assessments in his lesson plans. ryan’s lesson plans included video conferencing with two other project schools, one in new hampshire and the other in winnipeg, canada. he blended the video conference experience into a common core language arts event on informational text. ryan’s students took turns asking questions of the students in other parts of the north american continent, a technology opportunity the students had not experienced before in their classroom, and a highly interesting way to meet other participants in the global project. ryan’s students tracked answers of the conversation and were responsible for recording on paper what happened during the conference. ryan said that getting to know new friends in far off places provided enhanced student attention to the writing and interviewing tasks. katy wrote six lesson plans based on the monster project. from the project biography page, she selected a class in myanmar, emailed the teacher and asked if her 3rd graders could begin communications with the students in myanmar. katy set up a blog where the american students posted questions and shared writing from current classroom lessons. the myanmar students responded in the comment section of the blog. they began by defining culture, then compared and contrasted cultural traits of the two countries. although katy had never taught in a computer lab before, she scheduled lab space for her 3rd grade so that students could do their blog writing all at once. topics of the blogs included social studies, technology, music, arts, holidays, and reading. the myanmar teacher supplied student photos for the blog to make it easier for katy’s students to know their new friends by seeing their faces. postings from myanmar students helped the americans understand some of the cultural differences. for example, one myanmar student wrote: “we clean the house before the chinese new year because if we clean the house it means good luck.” another student shared a tradition called thadingyut, the lighting festival, at which time the students pray to buddha. katy’s students shared creative writing on halloween themes and posted pictures of pumpkins. katy also created a video of her students to show the building http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal april 2014, vol. 4, no. 1, pp. 41-63 www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 56 phases of the monster and embedded it on her own blog as well as on the monster project site. overall, from examining the lesson plans, preservice teachers in the global project showed use of technology in ways that were directly connected to the lives and experiences of their students and other students in the project. there were marked differences between the global project lesson plans and the non-project based plans. in all cases the global project plans illustrated multiple ways of leveraging real world content and examples that were relevant to the participating students and teachers, while non-project plans, while meeting university requirements, employed more traditional, less connected resources. as illustrated previously with the three preservice project teachers, their lesson plans described active communication experiences and activities with email, blogs, and skype. lesson plans referenced specific attributes and real world contexts of project partners such as latitude and longitude, time zones, weather, language, food, traditions, and holidays. all teachers in the project were encouraged to contribute ideas and lessons integrating content, to share their techniques and ways of staging the project in their classrooms. the preservice teachers submitted lesson plans which were posted on the project site to share with other teachers showing how standards, objectives, and assessments can be applied to project-based learning. the project web site itself served as a community reference resource in that it was frequently visited by participants and used to attain or review project information. from the perspective of the possibilities for learning in a teacher education program, clearly a wider range of examples and teaching ideas were available to the monster project teachers than would have been experienced in a nonconnected classroom or in a typical university classroom. discussion yong zhao (2010) and others (mansilla & jackson, 2011; suleiman, 2013) have made the case that students in schools in the united states are not developing the global perspective they will need to live, work and interact with others in this age of rapidly expanding globalization. he has argued the following: “for our children to live successfully and peacefully in this globalized world, we need to help them develop the appropriate skills, knowledge, attitudes, and perspectives. this requires a new generation of teachers who are able to act as global citizens, understand the global system, and deliver a globally oriented education” (p.8). the perceptions of the preservice and mentor teachers on their global experiences were significantly positive. both were immersed in an outside-of-school setting that was educational as well as social. not only was the setting effective for the teachers, but the overall experience placed their elementary students in situations with faraway project friends. from their own learning standpoint, preservice teachers had first-hand observations of how elementary students can share, converse, and learn about the world in ways not typically done in traditional teaching. for the elementary students, as well as for the preservice and mentor teachers, the learning was active, sometimes unpredictable, and always intriguing by the nature of the connections to others in the http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal april 2014, vol. 4, no. 1, pp. 41-63 www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 57 world. preservice teachers had easy access to classrooms and teachers around the world via resources provided on the project web site. the use of technology was authentic and natural to the circumstance. various applications were needed to communicate and share in the project and the use of these technologies (blogs, video conferencing, email, etc.) created an enabling environment for global awareness for the teachers and their elementary students. lesson plans written by project preservice teachers reflected standards-based objectives and were shared with the project community. preservice teachers and mentors expressed that the experience provided significant professional growth especially in establishing relationships with teachers in other states and countries. mentor teachers mostly agreed that they were supported by their administrations and parents in the global project, however, 24% disagreed. the indication of nonsupport may have been based on testing pressures to use time differently, or a lack of clear understanding of project learning (blumenfeld et al., 1991; grant, 2002; thomas, 2000). clearly, this project provided rich opportunities and experiences that could not be duplicated in a college classroom. preservice teachers observed the use of technology and collaboration skills by veteran teachers, and in many cases communicated instantly with these new role models and their elementary students. the learning that was happening at these moments was not only exciting, but also significantly enhanced the expertise of the preservice teacher. regarding the future, many veteran teachers in the monster project have formed their own smaller networks with each other and continue to interact. it remains to be seen if the preservice teachers will have an ongoing relationship with their new project colleagues. although this study was done with a small group, its implications and message about learning is important. teacher educators know that isolated practice in classrooms does not produce the best results for learners. they also know that content-rich, active learning experiences are the most engaging – especially when experienced in a real context. it is the context of working and learning in the real world with real teachers and real students that gives support to this study’s recommendations. the findings offer possibilities and ideas for enhancing the practice field of teacher education programs, many of which have been described as out of touch with real world needs. arguments, data, and literature in this paper have suggested that using global projects in teacher education coursework can be a step toward developing the “new generation of teachers” described by zhao (2010). data and results suggest that students in teacher education programs could benefit if global projects were formally incorporated into clinical classroom field work situations. the study also suggests that mentor teachers benefit by expanding their own pedagogy, and the elementary students benefit by being in a new kind of school – a 21st century classroom connecting with others around the world. this study provides one possible structure for scaffolding global learning opportunities into teacher education. more research on project-based global learning may help to show additional potential for improving teacher education programs. http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal april 2014, vol. 4, no. 1, pp. 41-63 www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 58 limitations of the study there are several limitations to this study. the use of self report measures is limited by the manner in which participants respond to the survey based on their personal perceptions. participants may feel they are being evaluated for their technical skills, or could feel they might be expected to respond in a certain fashion. the researcher cannot control for those who may respond in a way they think they are expected to as opposed to responding without bias. next, when mentor teachers were surveyed on their feelings of support by the school administration and the parents, the question was blended, and therefore did not allow a distinction. teachers did not have a way of stating, for example, that they felt supported by parents, but not by the administration, or vice versa. also, the open-ended question: what other benefits do you see from participating in the monster project? may have skewed participants’ responses. an improvement could have been asking what advantages and disadvantages were seen in the project. next, lesson plans were generally compared for content in a few key areas. examining a broader range of lesson plans in a more systematic manner might bring out other technology issues for discussion. finally, casual observations revealed that participants were generally proficient with interactive whiteboards, using the internet to acquire educational resources, and using social networking. future studies in global project learning could be strengthened with a more detailed analysis of technology use in specific content areas as well as examining participants’ levels of technology expertise. references aldunate, r., & nussbaum, m. 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(2010). preparing globally competent teachers: a new imperative for teacher education. journal of teacher education, 61, 422-431. http://www.gpejournal.org/ http://datause.cse.ucla.edu/docs/las_rol_2000.pdf http://www.bobpearlman.org/bestpractices/pbl_research.pdf http://www.ed.gov/technology/netp-2010 http://www.nafsa.org/_/file/_/zeichner_colloquium_paper.pdf global partners in education journal april 2014, vol. 4, no. 1, pp. 41-63 www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 62 appendix: survey questions numbers on each prompt indicate how the prompt is associated with an area of examination. areas of examination: 1. use standards-based content in a global project 2. use technology for collaboration 3. perceive the experience as effective practice for professional growth 4.technology enabled global awareness 5. likely to use global projects again 6. level of administrative and parental support (mentors only) prompts for pre-service teachers my project lesson plans were guided by state standards. 1 1. i observed my students engaged in collaboration with technology. 2 2. the project is a good way to integrate my regular class curriculum. 5 3. i observed my students interested in cultural content from other countries. 4 4. technology made it possible to connect my students with the world. 4 5. i learned how to integrate content and standards into a project. 1 6. the project allowed my students to collaborate with technology. 2 7. i learned new skills from project teachers outside of my clinical classroom. 3 8. i have new technology skills after doing this project. 3 9. i intend to use global projects again in my future classroom. 5 10. i am comfortable with the energy and noise of the project. 5 11. the project provided me with a new group of future education contacts and resources. 3 12. the project provided me communication opportunities with technology. 2 13. i observed the connections between learning standards and activities in the project. 1 14. the project made my students more aware of the world. 4 15. what other benefits do you see from participating in the monster project? prompts for mentor teachers i received positive feedback from parents and principal about participating in the project. 6 1. the preservice teacher became more confident with classroom management during the project. 3 2. the project contributed to a positive atmosphere for learning. 5 3. i observed that students were excited and learning in the monster project. 5 4. i observed standards in my preservice teacher’s lesson plans. 1 5. the project connected the preservice teacher professionally with teachers in other schools. 3 6. i observed my students attaining a sense of global awareness in this project. 4 7. my students collaborated on the monster with technology. 2 8. i intend to use a global projects approach again in my future classroom. 5 http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal april 2014, vol. 4, no. 1, pp. 41-63 www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 63 9. technology connected our classroom with elementary students and teachers in other countries. 4 10. the project provided the preservice teacher with skype opportunities to another country. 4 11. i observed my students sharing information with technology. 2 12. the project provided the preservice teacher with a new education contacts and resources. 3 13. the project is a valuable addition to training a preservice teacher for today’s world. 3 14. the project activities were covered by state standards. 1 15. what other benefits do you see from participating in the monster project? about the author dr. terry k. smith earned his edd in learning technologies from pepperdine university. he is an assistant professor in curriculum & instruction at western illinois university where he teaches social studies methods in elementary education. he has been active in global projects for over 10 years, and currently manages the kidlink landmark project, and a yearly multi-school project called monsters. he has consulted on technology projects with northern illinois university, indiana university, and arizona state university. he is on the national geographic geo-educators steering committee. research interests include global education, project-based learning with technology, and virtual learning environments. dr. smith can be reached at tk-smith2@wiu.edu. http://www.gpejournal.org/ mailto:tk-smith2@wiu.edu running head: collaboration in multicultural learning 84 collaboration in a multicultural learning environment: asynchronous vs. synchronous platforms maria o. villarreal-solano universidad de monterrey, mexico nadezhda s. rudenko gymnasium # 104 “classical gymnasium”, russia anneli schaufeli han university of applied sciences, netherlands eleanor kane the university of shimane, japan christopher brighton krosno state college, poland author note maria olivia villarreal-solano, humanities department, universidad de monterrey. nadezhda sergeevna rudenko, gymnasium # 104 “classical gymnasium”. anneli schaufeli, faculty of education, han university of applied sciences. eleanor kane, faculty of policy studies, university of shimane. christopher brighton, department of english philology, krosno state college. correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to maria olivia villarrealsolano, humanities department, universidad de monterrey, avenida ignacio morones prieto 4500 pte., jesus m. garza, san pedro garza garcia, n.l. mexico, 66238. contact: maria.villarreals@udem.edu mailto:maria.villarreals@udem.edu collaboration in multicultural learning 85 abstract while video linking through the global understanding programme is an effective way to reduce prejudice and increase interest in other cultures, the number of students who can participate synchronously is limited both by physical classroom space and time differences. during the 9th gpe conference, five instructors committed to implement an asynchronous model of global understanding (gu) using the sole social platform. students created video clips about themselves and the gu topics (e.g., college life, family and cultural traditions, etc.) and completed a collaborative project. at the end of the interaction, the majority of video clips were posted and collaborative projects were completed. however, there was little discussion about the gu topics. the amount of interaction in each group varied according to the students’ personalities and commitment to the class. although many students were comfortable using other social media platforms, they were discouraged from participating more actively in the sole discussion due to problems with logging in and the fact that the platform lacks notification services. nevertheless, the project resulted in several development opportunities for the future of asynchronous work in the traditional gu programme. firstly, sharing videos to illustrate gu topics opened a new avenue of opportunity to broaden the current discussion topics from conversations to interactive explorations. secondly, allowing students access to asynchronous timing encouraged the development of student self-learning skills and investment in their own education. finally, the asynchronous project illustrated the benefits of platforms to increase outof-class interaction in the coming year. keywords: asynchronous online collaboration, multicultural learning environment, intercultural interaction, global citizenship, higher education collaboration in multicultural learning 86 collaboration in a multicultural learning environment: asynchronous vs. synchronous platforms global social and economic changes at the turn of the 21st century including those ones in migration policy, opened up new opportunities for expanding cultural dialogue among different countries in a number of spheres. during the past several decades, international cooperation in education has witnessed establishment of governmental and non-governmental international organizations promoting student cultural and academic exchange programmes. such collaboration in education has made it possible for universities and colleges worldwide to share best practices and contribute to the efficacy and quality of education around the globe. transformative educational learning theories (mezirow, 1978) promote deeper understanding involving information exchange and independent learning. consequently, this leads to contemporary methodological approaches that are characterized by sustained and focused attention to the problem of training interculturally competent graduates capable of effective teamwork in a multicultural collaboration setting (kitchenham, 2008). intercultural communication alongside multilingualism has been considered one of the key requirements for quality higher education as an integral part of all higher education systems (unesco, 1998). upcoming graduates are expected to be able to successfully work with people from other cultures and be proficient in a foreign language (i.e., primarily english) in personal and professional intercultural interaction. such emphasis on intercultural interaction in education might be accounted for by its didactic potential in training globally competent employees. interaction across borders might have a positive influence on one’s personality holistically, as well as resulting in cognitive changes when purposefully organized in a learning setting (boyer, maher, & kirkham, 2006). collaboration in multicultural learning 87 personality transformation might first and foremost include development of one’s global worldview and enhancement of one’s intercultural tolerance. this happens due to the elimination of stereotypes and prejudices resulting from immediate intercultural contacts (spreckels & kotthoff, 2007). it also might involve the development of one’s personal level of mobility (i.e., professional, geographic, intercultural) via acquiring experience of academic mobility. in this respect, mobility is viewed as one's willingness to be employed in the global labour market; to become a member of a new culturally-diverse staff; and to change one’s place of residence to obtain new professional and self-realization opportunities. cognitive changes are associated with the overcoming of one’s cultural egocentrism as a result of adopting the system of meanings and values of the other culture. these changes make it possible to more objectively approach anticipating and solving global problems. information and communication technology immensely influenced the availability and affordability of immediate intercultural interaction in education due to the introduction of a new generation of computer-based educational systems such as virtual learning environments. a virtual learning environment, being a designed information and social space (dillenbourg, 2000), includes multiple tools for content management, provides opportunities for both synchronous and asynchronous communication, as well as offers different models of interaction in terms of the number of communicants (i.e., one-to-one, one-to-many, many-to-many). it might also include options characteristic of social media such as posting, sharing, and commenting. it should be noted that virtual learning environments are not synonymous with virtual campuses arranged via conventional learning management systems (lms). the term “virtual learning environments” designates a broader notion since it does not restrict the curricula to any particular level of education, e.g. university course or diploma programme. what makes virtual collaboration in multicultural learning 88 learning environments distinguish themselves among other constructivist environments is that students become not only active participants but also contributors to the social and information space (dillenbourg, 2000). overall, a virtual learning environment integrates such functions crucial for organizing successful intercultural interaction as information, learning, communication, collaboration, and management. the “googlization” of e-learning (vaidhyanathan, 2011) provides students with an array of tools to effectively take responsibility for their learning in online collaboration with others and, therefore, to substantially benefit from such collaboration. therefore, educational opportunities in the virtual learning environment are largely defined by the facilitation of social interactions among learners and between learners and tutors via collaboration. the importance of such interactions was first introduced in social constructivism (trentin, 2010) and was further developed in a number of contemporary learning theories such as the connectivist, or network learning theory, proposed by siemens (2004) and downes (2006). connectivism stresses the idea that knowledge exists within systems and is acquired by individuals who interact collaboratively to attain specific learning goals. collaboration allows students to develop cognitive and social skills in cooperation with others (smith, 2005). being involved in multiple social interactions, each participant has positive interrelations with other members and is aware of the responsibility for the result of joint activities. to address the issue of what collaborative learning is, smith & macgregor (1992) investigated a number of approaches and concluded that: ‘collaborative learning’ is an umbrella term for a variety of educational approaches involving joint intellectual effort by students, or students and teachers together. usually, students are working in groups of two or more, mutually searching for understanding, collaboration in multicultural learning 89 solutions, or meanings, or creating a product. collaborative learning activities vary widely, but most center on students’ exploration or application of the course material, not simply the teacher’s presentation or explication of it. (p. 11) when applied in virtual learning environments, collaboration contributes to building virtual communities that enhance education. theoretical research and comparative experiments have proved that collaborative learning has an advantage over studying in individual situations in terms of the learning outcomes obtained by students (cf. slavin, 1983; bruffee, 1999; kreijns & kirschner, 2004). for example, johnson, johnson, and stanne (2000) analyzed 158 reports on the effectiveness of cooperative learning methods used in schools and concluded that these methods have a significant positive impact on student achievement compared with individualistic learning. besides, there are extensive empirical studies that focus on the collaboration process itself, conditions crucial for making collaborative learning effective for students as well as the analysis of types of interactions favourable for collaborative learning (cf. collazos et al., 2007; jermann & schneider, 1997). therefore, the process of virtual intercultural collaborative learning both synchronous and asynchronous is not new in intercultural research and has been efficiently employed in intercultural training for many years. the current paper proceeds to investigate the affordances of asynchronous collaborative learning for university students and describes the best practices in relation to the asynchronous global understanding course. overview of the project the global understanding (gu) course is a synchronous virtual educational setting where students in universities around the world discuss topics that include college life, cultural collaboration in multicultural learning 90 traditions, family, the meaning of life, religion, and stereotypes and prejudices. each class session includes live discussion in both small video groups and one-to-one keyboard chat. evidence shows that while synchronous communication fosters social contact and activity within participants, it also creates a sense of urgency in terms of the task or debate at hand (oztok et al, 2013). in the gu course, video linking translates into an effective way to reduce prejudice and increase interest in other cultures (epler, 2017). however, the number of students who can participate synchronously is limited both by physical classroom space, and time differences. the video linking gu courses are limited to around 16 students per class and rely on each institution’s resources to provide the information and communication technologies (icts) required for videoconferencing and synchronous chat. on the other hand, synchronous interaction between universities with large time differences is very challenging (i.e. japan cannot work synchronously with european or african countries during the class times for gu courses). with the purpose of expanding the gu course to more students and allowing exchange between countries which struggle to video link due to time differences, the authors of this paper proposed the implementation of an asynchronous gu course where students communicate using social media platforms outside of class. asynchronous communication does not only allow for students in different time zones to interact, but it may present other benefits for efl students in an intercultural environment that are not possible in synchronous communication. asynchronous communication gives students extra time to internalize information or reflect on certain ideas of the other culture, while in synchronous communication they have to react immediately, with time for reflection restricted to after the interaction occurs. although asynchronous text communication is considered to be lean media which adds little or no nonverbal cues to a verbal message, research has shown that mediated communication makes communicating easier (adler, collaboration in multicultural learning 91 rosenfeld, & proctor ii, 2013). this type of remote and asynchronous personal communication is possible through social media, and higher education instructors all over the world have taken advantage of the students’ knowledge and skills using social media. research shows that students prefer to use facebook for some instructional activities like sharing multimedia or textual educational resources and interacting with other classmates in discussions and debates (joinson, 2008 as cited in espinosa, 2015; pennington, 2009 as cited in espinosa, 2015). although widely used, facebook is not available everywhere. since 2009, for example, china banned facebook (pham & riley, 2017). that makes for almost one fifth of the world population with no access to this social network. in order to implement the asynchronous gu course, it was necessary to select a social media platform other than facebook. for this reason, a new educational platform that provides a facebook-like platform, sole social, was used for the asynchronous gu pilot (brighton, 2017; brighton & rudenko, 2016). implementation five universities in asia, europe, and north america including: ural state pedagogical university (uspu, russia), han university of applied sciences (han, netherlands), krosno state college (ksc, poland), universidad de monterrey (udem, mexico), and the university of shimane (usj, japan), agreed on a timetable to work with two or more partners during the fall (i.e., roughly september through december) of 2016. interaction with each partner lasted 3-4 weeks which is the traditional linking time between partners in the synchronous global understanding class. one of the instructors created small groups in the sole social platform for no more than 8 students from both countries. at the beginning of the interaction, students were given a weekly schedule of discussion topics (figure 1) that included the five standard gu collaboration in multicultural learning 92 discussion topics: college life, family and cultural traditions, religion and the meaning of life, and stereotypes and prejudices. the students were asked to produce a personal introduction as a video clip and video clips about each of these topics that would serve as a starting point for the group discussion. early in the week, they were asked to post the weekly video clip(s) on the group's wall. next, they were asked to react to the videos by commenting and asking questions to further explore each topic. as in the synchronous gu course, students were assigned one or two partners to work on a one-to-one collaborative project. they were asked to contact their partners immediately after the link started to select a topic and engage with their partner to share information, opinions, values, attitudes and emotions. the project was to be posted at the end of the interaction on the group's wall and presented locally. instructors monitored the sole social groups and were in constant communication with their colleagues during the 3-4 week interaction. week 1 early in the week post personal introductions video clips and video on introduction to country / college life in sole social group wall by mid-week interaction in sole social group wall (reaction to the video clips/ questions/ answers) week 2 early in the week post video on family and cultural traditions / religion and the meaning of life in sole social group wall by mid-week interaction in sole social group wall (reaction to the video clips/ questions/ answers) week 3 early in the week post video on stereotypes and prejudice in sole social group wall by mid-week interaction in sole social group wall (reaction to the video clips/ questions/ answers) week 4 early in the weekpost collaborative project ppt and evidence of partner-to-partner interaction in sole social group wall /present projects locally figure 1. weekly schedule example at the end of the semester the students were asked to complete a survey aimed at collaboration in multicultural learning 93 assessing the asynchronous intercultural collaborative experience and the effectiveness of the sole social platform as an educational social network. altogether, there were 118 responses collected from han, udem, usj, and uspu. table 1 shows a summary of the student participation in the asynchronous gu course and in the survey by country, as well as their opinion about the overall asynchronous intercultural collaborative experience. table 1 overview of student participation in and student opinion of the asynchronous gu course university/ country number of student participants completed survey completed collaborative project positive views about course would recommend course udem/ mexico 40 73% 72% 66% 79% han/ netherlands 42 81% 21% 32% 79% ksc/ poland 15 0% data not available data not available data not available uspu/ russia 10 100% 70% 30% 100% usj/ japan 48 94% 67% 32% 42% the view from mexico altogether, forty udem undergraduate students participated in the pilot study. there was a different group of 8-12 students with each partner institution. all students were enrolled in a common and mandatory 6-credit course aimed at comparing global trends in mexico and other collaboration in multicultural learning 94 countries. at the beginning of the semester, students were informed about using sole social, they were asked to form groups of four students and choose one of the four countries (japan, poland, netherlands, or russia) to research and interact with. each student prepared a selfintroductory video clip and each group of four students prepared video clips on three topics to be posted online using sole social at a rate of one per week during the four-week interaction with their international partners. the main purpose of the video clips was to offer enough information about each topic to begin discussion with their partners. the students were given a set of discussion questions and were asked to answer them in a creative manner by video that would last no more than five minutes. each group of four students discussed the questions among themselves in advance and decided how they wanted to explain their answers in video. the video clips were graded as a group assignment. by the time the interaction with each partner started, the video clips were ready to be posted according to the weekly schedule. students were encouraged to actively participate in the sole social groups. posting and reacting to video clips and answering questions were individually graded. during the interaction in the sole social groups, there were a number of issues with logging in to the platform, posting and viewing the video clips, and having to wait a long time for an answer or a question from international partners. in sum, students expected more interaction and they couldn’t tell whether the delayed response from the partners was due to a lack of interest, a low level of itc skills, or cultural differences. in the students’ words: “the experience at the beginning was very difficult and challenging because between the two countries there are 7 hours of difference and by the time we went to sleep in mexico they were waking up. we had never experienced difficulties like not being able to post collaboration in multicultural learning 95 videos, view content or enter the platform. there was almost no interaction through the sole social platform and we could not see their introduction video. it was a good idea to contact us via facebook and email as an alternative social media.” “they have a different level of organization in terms of their projects and jobs. so agreeing to discuss the issues was sometimes complicated. sometimes we felt that we were perceived as "stalkers" because we tried to get in touch with each other, and we did not know if this was considered "good" or "bad" manners or was only part of a project.” “we occasionally perceived them as disinterested in their work. but when they explained why they had not been able to get in touch, they showed a high level of commitment. we were satisfied because we fulfilled our part of the interaction to carry out this project, however, the interaction sometimes could not be made at all.” at the end of the semester, 73% of the udem participant students completed the survey. of which, 72% successfully completed the one-to-one collaborative projects with their partners. to complete this task, the mexican students used social media such as email, whatsapp and facebook, as some of their partners could never log in to the educational platform and this was the only means to get the work done. they also found these social media easier than sole social to cope with some of the challenges of the assignment, challenges related with time difference and communicating with other efl students. the students who completed the task reported having enjoyed knowing a person from a different country and his/her culture and lifestyle. all in all, 79% of the mexican respondents would recommend the course to future students as they learnt that “people all over the world in fact can interact with you,” “cultures are really different one from another,” “it’s interesting the way students in each country use collaboration in multicultural learning 96 technology,” and “that we have to agree to work as a team to find the best possible result.” the view from the netherlands forty-two han students participated in the pilot study. they were all third year primary teacher training college students who had also signed up to study abroad the following semester. the course was an obligatory part of their preparatory programme. contributing to the sole social platform and writing a reflective essay on their experiences was conditional for receiving credits for the preparatory programme. students had the opportunity to express their preference for one of the four partners. then they were divided into smaller groups and during the semester each group interacted with one of the other four partners, according to the timetable. because of the differing number of students among partners, it was not always possible to provide students with their preference. at the beginning of the interaction, the students posted a video clip on the sole social platform in which they introduced themselves and the university. the instructor encouraged them to make videos in the university building and at home, believing that ‘real life’ images would more easily elicit interaction between partners. the following weeks the students were supposed to post three video clips on three different gu topics. during the course of their interaction, the students at han noticed a large difference between the various partner institutions. whereas the students at udem in mexico had already prepared their video clips before and posted them immediately, the japanese students at usj suffered from technical problems with the platform and could not post their video clips right from the start. the dutch students reacted correspondingly. the dutch-mexican group tried to keep up with the timetable for posts however, the dutch-japanese group appeared not to stick to the timetable at all. collaboration in multicultural learning 97 an evaluation session with the various dutch groups, each having communicated with a partner from a different country, appeared to be very valuable. students could exchange their experiences. comparing and reflecting on different experiences with different countries made it possible to touch upon possible cultural differences and to let the student become aware of their own role in the interaction, or the lack of interaction. after having evaluated the programme together with the students, the instructor concluded that there had been very little interaction on the sole social platform. in exceptional cases, there had been communication outside the platform, through skype or whatsapp. this was mainly the case with the mexican students. the vast majority of the group however, didn’t have any interaction outside the platform. most students ‘blamed’ sole social for not posting or interacting. they described it as very user-unfriendly. at the end of the course, 81% of the participating students completed the survey. 21% reported to have completed the collaborative project and they were all students who had collaborated with students at udem in mexico. the dutch-japanese group was not able to complete the collaborative project due to technical problems. although only 32% of the respondents to the survey reported positive views about the overall course (score 4 or 5 out of 5), 79% of the students would recommend the course to other students despite the technical problems encountered with usj and despite their frustrations with using the sole social platform. it may be concluded that they liked the overall concept and had successful interactions using other types of social media. the view from poland the piloting of the programme in poland involved an evening group of fifteen mature students in the 26+ project, a programme for students over the age of 26 where most of the collaboration in multicultural learning 98 classes are taught through the e-learning platform. students meet their teachers two or three times a week for an evening class as well as for a class on saturdays. given the diverse experience and knowledge of computing skills of the student group the biggest student concern was individual access to and use of social media. one student had never used any form of social media prior to the pilot project and as such, was at a disadvantage. other students’ experience ranged from competent, regular users of social media to infrequent but familiar users. unlike other social media platforms, the students’ collective concern was connected to notifications of posts and constant interaction. the sole social platform did not include an ability to receive email or text notifications of interaction on the posts and required more effort to regularly check the website for comments. consequently, the students did find it difficult to manage the need for constant checking and interspersed commentary from their collaborators due to the lack of notification. the overall comment was that without notification it was easy to miss or forget about sole social due to their work patterns and other commitments. social media, in the student view, works best when it informs the user of updates and posts to keep the individual involved in discussions. the use of videos and uploading of pictures brought a new dimension for the communication and collaboration. as the instructor of the gu group, it was possible to notice that the conversation topics were more lively and visually motivated. the students enjoyed the opportunity to make short videos of their college life and family as well as show pictures about poland and the local region. it was the visual nature of the interaction that allowed the polish students to think in detail about what was necessary to show and talk about. rather than simply reacting and following a conversation online, the need to prepare and upload prior to facilitate the link encouraged consideration of many aspects of polish culture and the students’ lifestyle. collaboration in multicultural learning 99 the outcome of this activity is, from the teacher’s perspective, positive as it increased selfawareness and student engagement. the commentary by the students in the post-course evaluation highlighted their need for more face-to-face conversations. in krosno state college, the gu course is considered to be a part of the practical english and intercultural communication requirements of the college degree. consequently, the students’ mentioned that they were anticipating more one-on-one conversations and group discussions. although several students did use skype to have conversations, the nature of the asynchronous project created difficulty in finding a convenient time for meetings due to work and family as well as time zone differences. additionally, whereas the polish students believed a synchronous element was necessary and essential, not all of their collaborative partners had similar motives and opportunities. although the 26+ student group did enjoy the project and engaged as much as possible, the general feeling was that the project was unsuccessful overall. this was due to certain issues with the students’ use of technology and expectations of social media as well as the lack of online asynchronous communication. despite the positive comments relating to video uploads, the students believed that in comparison to the synchronous gu, which two of the group chose as an elective course, the overall effect was not appealing and without some form of synchronous communication the course should not be offered again in the current form. the view from russia ten uspu undergraduate students participated in the pilot. they were all third year efl teacher training college students who had not previously participated in multicultural collaboration experiences through a learning environment. nor had any of these students had prior experience with study abroad. the virtual global understanding course was incorporated collaboration in multicultural learning 100 in the regular curriculum as part of the english communication course. therefore, the virtual global understanding course itself was not credit-bearing although it added points to the overall evaluation of the english communication course. the pilot took place in the fall semester (september-december) only. at the beginning of the semester, students were informed about the activity. they were asked to subsequently collaborate with a partner/partners from netherlands and mexico. each student was instructed to prepare a self-introductory video clip of themselves as well as three video clips based on gu topics to be posted once per week during the four-week interaction with their partners. during the interaction, there were issues with logging into the platform, posting and viewing the video clips, it not being a user-unfriendly interface, and irregular rate of interaction with partners from other countries. despite the challenges related to the sole social, overall, the pilot proved to have positive outcomes which include a better awareness of a different culture and acquisition of learning strategies crucial for successful collaboration. for example, one student reported: “it's not so difficult to communicate with people from another country. it can be very interesting to chat with people, who have different cultures, different interests. you can learn a lot by speaking with them.” another participant wrote: “i learnt that i need to answer messages quickly and mind time difference. i also learned to manage my time, watch the deadline. you should remind the partner about the project." at the end of the course, 100% of the participating students completed the survey. 70% reported to have completed the collaborative project. the success was achieved through constant collaboration in multicultural learning 101 coordination of participants’ actions. the participants from uspu reported that it was them who took the lead during collaboration with their partners. they believe to have initiated and maintained the interaction throughout the course. although only 30% of the respondents to the survey reported positive views about the course, 100% of the students would recommend it to other students. the view from japan forty-eight usj undergraduate students participated, with students from either han or udem, for about one month in the fall semester (october to december). most students posted the required videos and interaction with partners was required. however, some students were frustrated by log-in difficulties and used alternative media such as facebook and email. due to the october start to the semester in japan, students had no chance to prepare videos in advance of collaboration, and so they were shooting video and responding to partners in the same month. students were required to interview their partners and make group presentations in class about mexico or the netherlands after the collaborative project was completed. at the end of the project, 94% of the participating students completed the survey. 67% of the japanese respondents successfully completed the one-to-one collaborative projects with their partners, but only 42% would recommend this course to future students. the students mentioned “understanding other cultures,” “the way to introduce japanese culture,” and “practicing english” among the three most important things they learnt from the course. ict skills also improved. the students struggled greatly with the sole social platform. they were asked to create accounts during class using their official university email addresses, which is their student number. the platform automatically treated applications from such similar addresses as an attack collaboration in multicultural learning 102 and blocked all of their applications. repeated emails from the instructor to the administrator cleared the problem for most students, but several were unable to log in to the site at all despite trying with multiple email addresses. this was very frustrating for students, and some of them seemed to give up due to the difficulty of accessing the platform. at the end of the semester, one student commented that ‘interaction with dutch students was so difficult that i didn’t try very hard.’ the students also responded to a general survey administered for all usj courses. fortyfour of these students answered about the course in question, and 24 of them chose to comment on the asynchronous gu project. fifteen students included complaints about using the platform, but eleven of those students were positive about working with overseas partners and wanted to try again using a different platform. several students suggested that we try facebook or email next time. the remaining nine comments were positive about the asynchronous gu course and these japanese students had found it both enjoyable and meaningful. summary of the results according to the survey, 40% of all respondents were positive about the course, while 31% were ambivalent, and 29% had negative views. yet, 67% of all students would recommend it to future students. positive opinions included learning about other cultures, practicing english, connecting with students from other countries, enjoying watching partners’ videos, and making friends. in addition to the typical “growing pains” of implementing any new form of a learning environment, there were negative opinions related to confusion about the instructions on the part of the students, lack of time to complete the tasks, overlap with exams (in specific instances), and problems with the sole social platform. the many-to-many virtual learning environment (dillenbourg, 2000) set for the students collaboration in multicultural learning 103 in the sole social platform included characteristic of social media such as posting, sharing and commenting objects. while 60% reported being frequent users of social media (facebook, twitter, etc.), only 30% of the respondents reported a frequent use of the sole social platform (10% at least a few times a week, 20% once or twice a week). although the use of sole social was required in order for the instructors to monitor the group discussion and interaction, when students encountered problems logging in, they were encouraged by their instructors to solve the problem using other means of communication. and so they did, as 79% reported having used other social media for communication, such as facebook, whatsapp, and messenger. still, only 15.3% of these reported having discussed the gu topics. in these cases, it seems that students were not using social media as a productive means of discussing the course topics and although it is a valuable way to build friendships and enhance cultural understanding, this type of communication should be reserved for outside of the time for completing course requirements. nevertheless, when the students managed to use the sole social platform as intended, the discussion of the gu topics in the groups was very productive. figure 2 illustrates the kind of interaction expected in the educational platform. at the end of the interaction, 55% of all the respondents successfully completed the oneto-one collaborative projects with a partner from the other country. for this collaboration, they used social networks such as facebook and whatsapp where they would get notifications and they could answer faster and sometimes synchronously. they also used google drive to create and share powerpoint presentations or word documents and worked on them synchronously or asynchronously as time allowed. only a few negotiated a time for a skype video call. they enjoyed the one-to-one interaction as they learned about their partner views, about the partner’s country, and also about their own country. therefore, for the purposes of working together on collaboration in multicultural learning 104 the collaborative project, the use of social media was quite productive. figure 2. interaction between dutch and mexican students after a video about family and cultural traditions was posted by a dutch student in the sole social platform (villarrealsolano, m.o., 2016). moreover, respondents who completed the one-to-one collaborative project showed more collaboration in multicultural learning 105 positive attitudes towards the course than those who did not complete the assignment which is not surprising overall. figure 3 shows that 55% of the 65 respondents who completed the one-toone assignment had positive views about the course and 20% showed ambivalence. on the other hand, only 21% of the 53 students who did not complete the project had positive views about the course and 45% showed ambivalence. negative views decreased when respondents completed the assignment from 34% to 25%. overall, this indicates that completion of the collaborative project increased positive attitudes more than 30% justifying the value of having students complete this assignment. negative views decreased when respondents completed the assignment. furthermore, this suggests that the one-to-one model of interaction using asynchronous communication had a more positive effect than the many-to-many model implied in the virtual learning environment set for the students in in the educational platform. figure 3. one-to-one collaborative project and attitudes toward the gu asynchronous course future directions 21% 55% 45% 20% 34% 25% n o ( n = 5 3 ) y e s ( n = 6 5 ) o n eto -o n e co ll ab o ra ti v e p ro je ct positive amvibalent negative collaboration in multicultural learning 106 this pilot project was originally motivated by the idea that the gu course should be made more accessible to students, especially those who live in countries that are not able to link together during the synchronous gu course (e.g., east asian countries such as japan with countries in europe and africa) due to the time differences. the use of social media, which is commonly used by students outside of class, was the logical choice for setting up a platform for asynchronous communication. this platform would allow the necessary flexibility to facilitate communication between partner universities in this situation. the asynchronous global understanding project has generated many comments by students participating in the pilot and outcomes not only for the future of the project but also for the gu course in general. overall, 67% of students would recommend this course because of what they learned about other cultures and how they connected with their peers in other countries. based on this response, the asynchronous experience appears to have been a success and lends support to continue offering this course. however, based on student responses that indicated only 30% of students used sole social on a frequent basis and 79% preferred to communicate with their partners using other forms of social media implies that use of sole social has its drawbacks for offering the asynchronous gu course. despite the technological issues which are a part of any virtual learning experience or online course, the outcome has shown that there are many elements which enhanced the student experience and increased collaboration between participants (e.g., a majority of students completing the collaborative project). as such, the authors believe that the following points are ways in which the global partners in education can explore in the future: 1. sharing personal video clips created by students to illustrate gu topics and to broaden the current discussion topics from conversations to interactive explorations. collaboration in multicultural learning 107 2. allowing students access to asynchronous gu courses which can encourage the development of student self-learning skills and investment in their own education. 3. increasing out-of-class interaction through development of the gu core to include asynchronous platforms for gu as enhancement of the synchronous programme. with the above comments in mind, the authors and project directors are committed to continuing the project in 2017 for students and testing other available platforms to find a technology that encourages interaction and collaboration in an educational setting. in addition, we will evaluate the various ways in which instructors would successfully motivate students to participate in the asynchronous gu course and which strategies were not as successful. furthermore, despite the small-scale nature of the current project, there are many other partners who have expressed interest in joining and continuing the piloting of the concepts explored in the work so far and we hope to include them in the future as well. the authors hope that the work currently undertaken will expand and develop in the coming years to 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(2016). interaction between dutch and mexican students after a video about family and cultural traditions was posted by a dutch student in the sole social platform [screen capture]. retrieved from: https://www.solesocial.com/groups/viewgroup/42-han-udem-group-1.html http://www.unesco.org/education/educprog/wche/declaration_eng.htm https://www.sole-social.com/groups/viewgroup/42-han-udem-group-1.html https://www.sole-social.com/groups/viewgroup/42-han-udem-group-1.html running head: virtual simulation, better global understanding 12 virtual simulation makes better global understanding guangwei zhang shaanxi normal university, china author note guangwei zhang, school of history and civilization, shaanxi normal university, china correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to guangwei zhang, school of history and civilization, no. 620, west chang'an avenue, chang'an district, shaanxi normal university, xi’an, china. contact: zhangguangwei@snnu.edu.cn virtual simulation makes better global understanding 13 abstract cultural communication between different countries is more and more important with the development of economic globalization. global understanding (gu) is an international collaborative community of approximately 45 educational institutions from 25 countries where students can significantly improve their intercultural competence. use of virtual simulation technologies could help create an immersive situated learning environment to improve the cultural learning experience of gu. we study the approaches on how virtual simulation technologies could be introduced into gu based on the analysis of virtual simulation in teaching and learning as well as on how at shaanxi normal university (snnu), virtual simulation has been incorporated into teaching history and culture. keywords: global understanding, virtual simulation, situated learning virtual simulation makes better global understanding 14 virtual simulation makes better global understanding introduction distance learning involving students from different countries in the same course provides an important opportunity for students to learn along with students of different countries. this essentially allows online education to cross the political boundaries of various countries. moocs (i.e., massive open online courses) have been the most successful distance learning pattern in recent years. besides these open courses, there exist many projects among different universities/colleges around the world through which they share courses. such courses help students improve their learning sometimes in their specialties and often about how their peers view the world differently from other cultures. there is also a type of collaborative learning project which aims to help students better understand different cultures, learn how to work together on a common goal or project, and improve their intercultural competence. it is important to understand different cultures in the current era of globalization. people around the world have been pursuing a better understanding of each other for centuries. with the development of information technology, it is much easier than ever before for people from different countries to connect with each other, work together, and study together though they live far away from each other. global understanding (gu) is a collaborative community for studying different cultures, which involves approximately 45 universities/colleges around the world from more than 25 countries. students of gu partner universities study and communicate together mainly through video conferencing, which helps students understand different cultures with the help of their partner students under the direction of teachers. this community provides an important platform for students communicating with students of similar ages from different countries without traveling abroad. the intercultural learning in gu helps students enhance virtual simulation makes better global understanding 15 greater understanding of people from other cultures and form more positive attitudes (chia, poe, & wuensch, 2009). learning different cultures is the essential part of gu and the virtual collaborative classroom of gu helps improve the cultural competence of the students. however, the traditional communication approaches such as video conferencing and text chat limit the students’ learning experience to a degree. first-hand experience is very important to understanding a foreign culture and learning happens in the context where the knowledge belongs according to the theory of situated learning (stein, 1998). as we know, it is best to learn a culture by living in the environment for some time. however, it is not easy for students to study abroad and that is one of the reasons why the gu course was developed. though gu provides a virtual classroom for students to work together from different countries, it is clear that the communication between the two sides is not always as clear and productive as if they were in the same classroom. virtual simulation can help to simulate an environment which could be used to show cultural objects and activities to foreign partners in which the students can learn the culture in a more immersive manner. this kind of learning is more appealing to students. the students can gain knowledge while they experience the virtual environment by themselves and through the guidance of their partners who help them understand the culture as if they were actually in the environment. it would outperform the traditional communication which involves oral, video and image demonstration because the knowledge they receive is directly from what they experience. virtual simulation can make a better situated learning environment (chang, 2017) for gu and help students better understand foreign cultures. therefore, it could play an important role in gu in the future. in the next section of this paper, we discuss cultural learning and the virtual virtual simulation makes better global understanding 16 simulation technology. we analyze the methods we could use for virtual reality (vr) and virtual simulation technologies in the following section. cultural learning and virtual simulation cultural learning in gu gu provides students from around the world with a platform for studying different cultures that they know nothing or very little about without going abroad. existing cultural or traditional events and ceremonies in addition to historical heritages are two important sources for cultural learning. in gu, the cultural information is introduced to the foreign students in the form of words, pictures, and videos. these methods are productive, however, nowadays the students know more about different cultures than before because they have access to more and more methods that they can use to learn about the world. we have to admit that gu is losing its appeal to students. from the very beginning, gu aimed at improving the intercultural competence of students with a virtual global classroom. the teaching pattern and methods of gu have been very successful for more than fifteen years. cultural/intercultural competence is increasingly important for students around the world. therefore, gu should provide students with cultural learning using new teaching methods that enhance their interests and help them better understand other cultures. virtual simulation virtual environments are created on computers that simulate the real world. they are widely used for education in science, technology and engineering (potkonjak et al., 2016). virtual simulation has not been used in the gu course. virtual simulation could provide an immersive situated learning environment for better understanding cultures. domingo & bradley (2018) virtual simulation makes better global understanding 17 considered virtual reality (vr) a learning tool that helps increase meaningful social interactions and reduced social anxiety especially for the online courses: “that makes it possible for students who live hundreds of miles apart to come together and share the same experience online. this different from a discussion board or video chat in that students are actually seeing and hearing in a shared environment, erasing distance in the virtual space, rather than each being solely exposed to their own immediate surroundings as they sit at their computers. this simulated environment...contributes to a sense of presence.” virtual learning environments for cultural and intercultural competence are reviewed in ogan & lane (2012). vr games can help teach language and culture as stated in cheng, yang, & andersen (2017). barakonyi, fahmy, & schmalstieg (2004) and benko, ishak, & feiner (2004) proved remote collaboration could be enhanced by vr. in shaanxi normal university (snnu), we have set up a virtual simulation teaching center for history and culture along the silk road in which the virtual simulation technologies are used in teaching history and culture. they provide the theoretical and practical basis for incorporating virtual simulation technologies in gu. vr for demonstration there are various vr techniques as well as devices but most of them are for personal experience. for culture communication, vr can be used to create a virtual object or environment in which foreign students could explore and experience by themselves. interactive vr applications are much better than personally experiencing ones because experiencing a different culture usually needs guidance from local people. this is similar to using a tour guide when we travel to some place and want to understand the culture better. for example, foreign students could meet local students in a virtual simulated environment of an ancient city of china, so we virtual simulation makes better global understanding 18 would construct the ancient city virtually and invite their partners to join them in the virtual city. our students could introduce the famous architectures and some historical events to their partners. our students could simulate an ancient ceremony, for example, of how the foreign guests are welcomed in the daming palace in tang dynasty depending on which gate they should enter. or, they could show how the spring festival is celebrated in china. the students could feel and even touch what is demonstrated using vr (i.e. they are virtually brought into the cultural environment). though it is not the same as their physical environment, what they can see and feel is even more real compared to the traditional methods (i.e., oral explanations, demonstration by image, videos, etc.). figure 1 illustrates a famous chinese historical site, dunhuang caves. when the students put on the vr helmet, they would feel like they are in the dunhuang caves, where they can observe the murals on the wall and walk around as shown in figure 2. figure 1. virtual recreation of dunhuang caves. virtual simulation makes better global understanding 19 figure 2. virtual experience in the virtually recreated dunhuang caves. interactive vr environments are mostly related to game platforms, where the interaction between users and the environment is possible. at snnu, we use virtual simulation technologies mainly in two parts: (1) immersive demonstration of historical sites (existing or non-existing); and (2) game-based interactive virtual environments built by the students. minecraft based interactive virtual simulation minecraft is a popular sandbox game and it has been widely accepted as an education tool. in a virtual world, players can build almost anything they want and they can perform some collaborative activities together. figure 3 is the 1:1 scale replica of the st. peter basilica at the vatican (rome, italy) that was created in minecraft. huge numbers of buildings as well as cities have been created with different kinds of blocks in minecraft. snnu is located in xi’an (called chang’an in the past) which is an ancient city of china and where 13 dynasties made it their capital city. it is difficult for a foreign student who knows nothing about china and xi’an to fully understand this city even after having discussions in gu class based on our experience of teaching gu. at snnu, we are working on a project to recreate virtual simulation makes better global understanding 20 figure 3. st. peters basilica created in minecraft1. the chang’an city in the tang dynasty. all of the ancient buildings in the city are being built by our students in minecraft collaboratively. the virtual chang’an city would be a useful environment for foreign students to walk around because it is being recreated by the students majoring in history at snnu. some of the buildings virtually built by the snnu students are shown in figure 4. virtual simulation for global understanding virtual simulation is a method that could potentially promote cultural learning in gu. we need to tailor these technologies to gu according to its topics. there are four main topics that are discussed over the course of a link between partners in the gu class: (1) college life, (2) cultural traditions and family, (3) meaning of life and religion, and (4) stereotypes and prejudices. the first two topics are much easier to apply using virtual simulation. 1 https://www.planetminecraft.com/project/lvl-60-special-beautiful-detailed-st-peters-basilica-world-download/ virtual simulation makes better global understanding 21 figure 4. historical buildings constructed in minecraft. “college life” is the first topic discussed by gu students when they tell their partners some information about their universities. for example, they may describe where the university is located, how many hours they spend on studying every day, what do they do in their spare time, etc. they would also show some pictures or videos to their partners. this helps foreign students learn about their college life, though most of these things are abstract in nature so that means it is difficult for them to really understand a foreign university. for college life, most of the discussion is related to the campuses. the students of each partner university can build their virtual campuses in minecraft. when they talk about college life in the gu class, they can invite their partners to virtual simulation makes better global understanding 22 enter their virtual campuses and show them interesting things such as important buildings. they can also work together to create games that simulate their real college life. they can also work together in minecraft to build a recreation of their campuses based on their discussion. after working with several partners, they will build a complete campus and figure out how to better introduce them to different partners. the topic “cultural traditions and family” is important for cultural learning in the gu course. tradition and culture are closely related to history. new technologies have been applied in many museums and cultural companies. in addition, many historical sites have been virtually recreated and released to the public. most of them are free and they provide even better experiences than when we physically visit them. in the gu class, teachers and students could collect these kinds of resources and share them with their partners. they could also give them some introduction to these sites as well as some manuals. though most of them do not support multiple user viewing at the same time, this could be accomplished asynchronously. after their virtual learning experiences, students could discuss this more deeply because they have more knowledge about their partner country’s culture. this technology is developing very fast, therefore, in the near future, teachers and students could have the gu class in a virtual simulated classroom as in the oasis in the film “ready player one”. requirements for using virtual simulation in gu the use of virtual simulation in gu requires extra preparation besides what we do in traditional gu classes. first of all, we need to study the methods how we can make use of virtual simulation in gu because virtual simulation is new to most of the teachers and students. the second thing is acquiring the devices we need to implement the virtual simulation in gu. virtual simulation makes better global understanding 23 methods and resources. incorporating the use of virtual simulation in teaching classes is new to most teachers and we lack necessary teaching methods. at first, we could just obtain some vr resources and introduce them to the gu class. with the gradual increase of the use of virtual simulation in gu, we could determine in which components of the gu class we could use vr and how to efficiently use them. besides the methods, we also lack vr resources. we could collect gu related vr resources as much as possible. we could also produce our own vr resources with some devices. it is difficult for us to reconstruct the disappearing historical sites even with vr technologies, however, we could use some publicly released resources. for example, the virtual dunhuang caves we use in teaching history are produced and released by a company. for some traditional cultural aspects such as ceremonies and activities, we could use 360 degree cameras to record ourselves in performing these ceremonies and activities. devices. we would need some vr devices for the virtual simulation in teaching such as a vr helmet and a 360 degree vr camera. in order to get the full immersive experience, we have to put on the vr helmet to use the vr resources. for some existing famous building or cultural ceremonies, we could use 360 degree vr cameras to take vr videos and the partner students could view them with vr devices with more immersion. conclusion we introduce virtual simulation as a method for cultural learning and the practice of using virtual simulation in teaching history in snnu. cultural learning is an essential part of gu and we analyze the possibility of incorporating virtual simulation into teaching gu. we hope virtual simulation technologies such as vr and games could make gu more appealing to students and we hope the gu partner universities could work collaboratively to find a practical virtual simulation based method for gu in the future. virtual simulation makes better global understanding 24 references barakonyi, i., fahmy, t., & schmalstieg, d. (2004). remote collaboration using augmented reality videoconferencing. proceedings of graphics interface 2004, 89–96. benko, h., ishak, e. w., & feiner, s. (2004). collaborative mixed reality visualization of an archaeological excavation. proceedings of the 3rd ieee/acm international symposium on mixed and augmented reality, 132–140. chang, y.-h. (2017). a situated cultural festival learning system based on motion sensing. eurasia journal of mathematics, science and technology education, 13(3). cheng, a., yang, l., & andersen, e. (2017). teaching language and culture with a virtual reality game. proceedings of the 2017 chi conference on human factors in computing systems, 541–549. chia, r. c., poe, e., & wuensch, k. l. (2009). attitude change after taking a virtual global understanding course. international journal of social sciences, 4(2), 75–79. domingo, j. r., & bradley, e. g. (2018). education student perceptions of virtual reality as a learning tool. journal of educational technology systems, 46(3), 329–342. ogan, a., & lane, h. c. (2012). virtual learning environments for culture and intercultural competence. in virtual learning environments: concepts, methodologies, tools and applications, 966–984. igi global. potkonjak, v., gardner, m., callaghan, v., mattila, p., guetl, c., petrović, v. m., & jovanović, k. (2016). virtual laboratories for education in science, technology, and engineering: a review. computers & education, 95, 309–327. virtual simulation makes better global understanding 25 stein, d. (1998). situated learning in adult education. eric clearinghouse on adult, career, and vocational education, center on education and training for employment, college of education, the ohio state university. global partners in education journal – special edition february 2020, vol. 8, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org/ issn 2163-758x 49 chinese food culture and intercultural communication: the american chinese restaurant as an example yujing liu shaanxi normal university, xian, china abstract in recent years, more and more chinese restaurants have opened in the united states. however, in order to make chinese food better accepted by american customers, chinese cuisine has been adapted to american tastes, and become american chinese food. traditional and original chinese food is replaced gradually by american chinese food because of this acculturation. in addition, since chinese food entered the united states with chinese workers, the chinese food that americans first came into contact with was not authentic chinese food and they also had a stereotype of chinese food as unsanitary and of low-quality. thus, how to fully integrate the traditional chinese food culture while quickly integrating into the local culture is a major challenge for american chinese restaurants to deal with. why do we emphasize the importance of maintaining chinese characteristics? the reasons are as follows. firstly, in the united states, chinese restaurants are not only a place to serve food. for chinese immigrants, it also has the function of transmitting information, gaining a sense of belonging and easing chinese immigrants’ homesickness. for american customers, chinese restaurants offer them the opportunity to experience chinese culture. therefore, only by maintaining chinese characteristics can these two functions be better run. secondly, due to the stereotype of chinese food for american customers and the competition of other ethnic restaurants, the market competitiveness of chinese restaurants is gradually decreasing. therefore, only by forming their own characteristics and passing on the attractive traditional chinese culture to american customers can change the stereotype of american customers about chinese restaurants, make chinese food better accepted by american customers and enhance the competitiveness of chinese restaurants. chinese restaurants should pay attention to the chinese cultural connotation of dishes and pay attention to the creation of the cultural atmosphere. only in this way can they gain acceptance by american customers while better conveying chinese culture. http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition february 2020, vol. 8, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org/ issn 2163-758x 50 introduction in the tv series "friends", chandler's mother said in an interview that she liked to eat kung pao chicken. although this is only a tv clip, it reflects the reality that chinese cuisine has infiltrated into the lives of foreign people after the years of development. according to media reports, there are more than 50,000 chinese restaurants in the united states (www.chinanews.com, 2006). the new york times reported that the number of chinese restaurants in the united states exceeds the sum of american restaurant chains such as mcdonald's, burger king and ditto. however, although the number of chinese restaurants is increasing, they still face many problems. for example, many chinese restaurants offer american chinese food instead of authentic chinese food. americans' favorite chinese foods such as general tso's chicken, chop suey, sweet and sour pork, crab rangoon, beef with broccoli and fortune cookies are very different from their chinese versions. the new york times reporter li jing has conducted a survey on the origins of chinese cuisine that is popular in the united states and has written a book called the fortune cookie chronicles, in which she investigates the origin of general tso's chicken. when she came to hunan province, the hometown of general tso, and asked the local people if they knew general tso's chicken, they said: "we have never heard of this dish" (jennifer 8. lee, 2013). chinese food entered the united states with chinese workers, but not by professional chinese chefs, so the chinese food that americans first came into contact with was not authentic chinese food. in addition, because the chinese laborers themselves were in a difficult situation in the united states and their income was meager, the ingredients they cook were not very exquisite. this also made americans create a stereotype of chinese food as the unsanitary and low-quality food. in the second half of the 19th century, the rumors of chinese eating mice were widely circulated in the united states. in 1877, in a cartoon published in the american magazine, americans enjoyed a sumptuous thanksgiving dinner together, and the chinese were eating rats (gourmet, 2016). this misunderstanding lasted for nearly a century. thus, how to fully integrate the traditional chinese food culture into the local culture is a major challenge for american chinese restaurants to deal with. we talk about the current problems faced by chinese restaurants, and why chinese restaurants need to maintain chinese characteristics and how to make chinese foods fully convey the traditional chinese food culture while being accepted by american customers. we also mention how to enhance the competitiveness of chinese restaurants. the importance of maintaining chinese characteristics in the united states, you can see chinese restaurants in both the bustling new york and the remote towns. at present, chinese food has become a commonplace for americans, but many chinese foods that americans know are not found in china. therefore, the http://www.gpejournal.org/ http://www.chinanews.com/ global partners in education journal – special edition february 2020, vol. 8, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org/ issn 2163-758x 51 chinese food that americans are familiar with is american-style chinese food, which is a new dish created by chinese restaurant chefs to adapt to the tastes of american customers. most of these american chinese dishes have lost their chinese characteristics. therefore, it is very important to make chinese food accepted by americans while maintaining its chinese characteristics. why do we emphasize the necessity of maintaining chinese characteristics? firstly, chinese food is more than just food. eating chinese food is not just an act. it also carries chinese culture and has a certain cultural connotation. for example, chinese people need to eat rice balls on the lantern festival and rice balls are more than just a dessert. it also means a reunion. another example, dumplings are shaped like ingots, so eating dumplings has the meaning of being rich. chinese people eat dumplings during the spring festival, which means praying for peace and hoping that everything will go smoothly in the coming year. dumplings with different fillings and shapes also have different meanings. for example, cabbage dumplings mean to make more money and fish dumplings mean a surplus. if the stuffing of the dumplings is changed to a cream or a filling of an apple pie, the dumplings also lose its cultural connotation. therefore, chinese cuisine contains rich chinese culture. only by making authentic chinese food can we better convey chinese culture. when chinese people appreciate a dish, they always mention that the dish has an attractive color, the smell of the dish is nice, and it is very delicious. to achieve such standards is related to the selected ingredients, cooking methods and the time of cooking. for instance, the traditional method of cooking kung pao chicken is stir-frying, so if you change to deep frying, the taste of this dish may change. the heat and time of cooking can also affect the taste and appearance of the dish. so, if you want to provide authentic chinese food, you can't change any ingredients and cooking methods of this dish. secondly, american chinese restaurants have multiple functions. for chinese immigrants and students, these restaurants have developed multiple functions besides serving foods. first of all, for chinese immigrants, both chinese cuisine and restaurant decoration have created a hometown atmosphere. this gives them a strong sense of belonging and eases their homesickness. according to ting shi's survey on how chinese restaurants in her research location adapt to both american and chinese customers’ tastes and dining cultures, some chinese restaurants offer chinese customers the privilege, for example, chinese students are even allowed to get chopsticks and cooked dishes in the kitchen by themselves (shi, ting, 2017). some chinese restaurant owners consider chinese students who often come to their restaurants to eat as family members and share their food with them. “at tasty garden, the server, who is also the owner’s mother, refers to herself as ‘aunt’ when talking to chinese students, who are of similar age as her son” (shi, ting, 2017). in some special festivals such as the spring festival, some chinese restaurants will provide chinese customers with dumplings for free. all of the above behaviors will make chinese http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition february 2020, vol. 8, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org/ issn 2163-758x 52 customers feel warm, especially when they are treated like a family member by the owner of the restaurant, they will feel like they are back to their hometown, which will reduce their homesickness. for chinese immigrants, chinese restaurants also have a function, obtaining information on life and learning. for example, some restaurant owners know some part-time job information or renting information. chinese customers who come to the restaurant can consult the boss if they need it. for american customers, the chinese restaurant is a place to experience exotic culture and taste chinese food. although some chinese dishes are not traditional, they are still american chinese foods that are based on traditional chinese dishes. they were not available in the united states in the past. therefore, they can feel chinese culture when they taste american chinese food. in addition to food, most chinese restaurants manifest their ethnic identity through the decoration in the store. the decorations that often appear in chinese restaurants are chinese knots, screens, chinese calligraphy and paintings, lanterns, and so on. some restaurants will place terracotta warriors on both sides of the door. through chinese-style decoration and playing traditional chinese music, these restaurants can create a very strong atmosphere of chinese culture and manifest their ethnic identity. so, when american customers step into chinese restaurants, they can experience chinese culture immediately. thirdly, because of stereotypes of chinese food as unsanitary and of low-quality, the popularity of chinese restaurants is challenged. in the 1920s, the first chinese migrated to the united states. after that, a large number of chinese continued to emigrate to the united states. as the gold rush faded, americans began to hate and exclude chinese immigrants. at the end of the 19th century, americans did not like the chinese immigrants because they believed that the chinese had taken their jobs. because of the prejudice, americans are also disgusted with chinese food. they suspect that chinese people eat rats. there is a painting in the children's textbook of the late 19th in the united states, in which a chinese is eating a mouse. in the 1860s, when mark twain interviewed a shopkeeper named acheng, he did not hesitate to accept a glass of brandy handed over by the owner, but declined a small sausage that looked clean, because people at that time were afraid that there was rat meat in the sausage. at that time, americans believed that the source of chinese food was unknown, and the shape of the ingredients was strange. nowadays, although chinese food is very popular in the united states, people still have stereotypes about chinese food. on january 29, 2007, cw11 television station in the united states broadcast a news report that a chinese restaurant called "new fujian" in brooklyn, new york, had a rat meat in the takeaway food "kale chicken", which caused americans to panic (china.com.cn, 2007). although this report is not true, it also shows the prejudice of americans on chinese food still exists. fourthly, with the opening of other ethnic restaurants such as japanese restaurants and thai restaurants, chinese food has encountered strong rivals. the chinese cuisine that http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition february 2020, vol. 8, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org/ issn 2163-758x 53 once flourished is no longer the case, and the market competitiveness of chinese restaurants has gradually decreased. moreover, although the number of chinese restaurants in the united states is huge, they are rarely certified by mainstream authorities. for example, more than 650 chefs and experts from around the world have been organized by the authoritative restaurant magazine “restaurants” in the uk, and they selected 50 of the best restaurants in the world, but none of the chinese restaurants were selected (www.chinanews.com, 2007). in recent years, the le guide michelin has awarded stars to restaurants around the world, and it is still difficult to see chinese restaurants. no chinese restaurant has won a star while some japanese restaurants have received two stars. based on the reasons above, we can see some major challenges faced by chinese restaurants. only by better displaying the cultural connotation and uniqueness of chinese food, forming its own characteristics and passing on the attracting chinese traditional culture to american customers can they change the stereotype of american customers about chinese restaurants, and make chinese food better accepted by american customers. only in this way can they enhance the competitiveness of chinese restaurants. how to enhance the competitiveness of chinese restaurants chinese restaurants are in competition with various restaurants. how do they better occupy the us market? i have the following suggestions. firstly, they need to maintain the characteristics of chinese cuisine especially in appearance and taste. they need to show american customers the difference between chinese food and other national foods such as japanese and thai. if chinese food is continuously americanized only by considering the tastes of americans, chinese food will lose its own characteristics. secondly, chinese restaurants need to have an international strategic goal in order to promote their own development, just like many international brands such as mcdonald and starbucks. chinese restaurants should learn from these international brands, and they need to be scaled and chained rather than satisfied with small-scale operations. there are also certain problems in the management and service of chinese restaurants. in order to expand the market, chinese restaurants must strengthen their own management, and need to improve the quality of dishes and improve the quality of service personnel. they need to be familiar with local regulations related to restaurant operations. chinese restaurants need to improve the dining environment in order to eliminate the stereotype of american customers about chinese restaurants. the panda express that is popular in the united states is a successful case. http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition february 2020, vol. 8, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org/ issn 2163-758x 54 panda express is the largest chinese fast food restaurant in the united states. founder zhengchang cheng expanded it from a small restaurant to the largest chinese fast food restaurant with more than 1,800 stores in the united states in more than thirty years. the founder believes that panda express can be successful mainly for the following reasons. the first one is friendly and high-quality service. whenever a guest leaves because there is no seat, the restaurant owner goes to the parking lot to apologize to the guest and asks if he is willing to wait a moment and then delivers the drink. sometimes when the guests finished eating, he will provide some dishes or desserts for free to surprise them. in this way, panda express has accumulated some loyal guests in the initial stage. secondly, it is important to streamlined menu. this makes it easier to standardize dishes. it not only controls the quality of the dishes, but also controls the cost of the restaurant, which is one of the keys to the success of the panda express. last but not least, they should create culture atmosphere from decoration, service, dishes and other aspects. for example, the ingredients are prepared in advance at the processing plant and distributed to the branches through the logistics company. all seasonings are also prepared in advance according to the recipe. in this way, panda express has developed into a chained restaurant and has achieved better economies of scale. most importantly, panda express has introduced the information management system into the management of the restaurant. they invented the catering system management software. by using this software, they can effectively order food, automatically track inventory and purchase ingredients. in addition, it can also reduce food waste. so, if american chinese restaurants want to expand the market, they need to learn from panda express. thirdly, with the improvement of living standards, consumers pay more attention to green and healthy diets. there are many vegetarians in the united states. chinese restaurants should follow this trend to launch healthy recipes and develop chinese dishes with low calorie, low fat, low cholesterol, low sugar and low salt. last but not least, it is necessary to create the restaurant culture atmosphere, from the decoration of the store to the selection of tableware, which should fully reflect the traditional chinese culture. restaurants can also launch cultural events based on traditional chinese festivals. for example, in the mid-autumn festival, an event that allows customers to make moon cakes can be launched. with the spread of chinese culture around the world, traditional chinese opera dramas and comic dialogues have gradually become known to foreigners. for example, deyun, a famous professional comic dialogue society in china, has performed in new zealand. therefore, american chinese restaurants can launch comic dialogue or peking opera in the spring festival to attract more customers. only by expressing the unique chinese culture can chinese restaurants be different from other ethnic restaurants and get the attention of american customers. a plate of chinese food contains five flavors of sour, sweet, bitter and salty. a plate of chinese food also contains extensive and profound chinese culture. the chinese food culture has gradually penetrated into the mainstream american society. the japanese http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition february 2020, vol. 8, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org/ issn 2163-758x 55 said that there must be a toyota car in the place where there is a road. the chinese said that there must be chinese restaurants in places where people live. chinese restaurants need to form their own characteristics and pass on the attractive chinese traditional culture to american customers. on this basis, chinese restaurants should also adapt to the tastes of american customers. only in this way can we better realize the idea that wherever people live, there are chinese restaurants. references lee, jennifer. (2013). the fortune cookie chronicles. beijing: new star press. shi, ting. (2017). acculturation and ethnic identification of american chinese restaurant. electronic theses and dissertations, 9–29. (may 24, 2006). “there are more than 50,000 chinese restaurants in the united states, with more than 300,000employees” retrieved from http://news.sina.com.cn/o/2006-05-24/11339013128s.shtml?from=wap (april 19, 2007). “in protest of cw11's discrediting of chinese restaurants, the overseas chinese community in the united states plans to act again in may.” http://www.china.com.cn/overseas/txt/2007-04/19/content_8138287.htm (november 22, 2007). how does the chinese food industry in new york break through the predicament? retrieved from http://news.sina.com.cn/c/2007-11-22/134512950998s.shtml?from=wap (december 12, 2016). “how does chinese cuisine conquer americans”. retrieved from http://m.sohu.com/a/122942942_562448 yujing liu is a female college student of the school of history and culture at shaanxi normal university in xian, china. her interests are in chinese food and chinese food culture. in addition, she is fond of intercultural communication and was inspired to write the article after experience showed that despite the large number of chinese restaurants in america their cuisine is not authentic. email: 837103570@qq.com http://www.gpejournal.org/ http://news.sina.com.cn/o/2006-05-24/11339013128s.shtml?from=wap http://www.china.com.cn/overseas/txt/2007-04/19/content_8138287.htm http://news.sina.com.cn/c/2007-11-22/134512950998s.shtml?from=wap http://m.sohu.com/a/122942942_562448 mailto:837103570@qq.com global partners in education journal – special edition february 2020, vol. 8, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org/ issn 2163-758x introduction to the global issues conference 4 selected papers christopher brighton coordinator of global understanding, east carolina university, greenville, usa when i started the global issues conference in 2014, i envisaged a forum where students could share their work in an international environment. the idea was to allow students to gain experience of academic discussion and to see how their peers in other global institutions were exploring similar topics and themes. over the four conferences i have organized, the conference has grown to accept papers from faculty, yet it still provides a forum for students to share their research and to build worldwide connections. the current journal is a selection of articles from the global issues conference 4 in march 2019. the papers illustrate the variety of global issues being researched in member institutions of the global partners in education organization: education, immigration and literature. the papers on education demonstrates the benefits of the global understanding program for student learning outcomes and vocational or employability skills. rossini and tippin (esan in peru) discuss the cultural learning outcomes of their students using the hofstede dimensions. alvarez et al. (iesfr in spain) present how their institution has integrated the goals of global understanding within the framework of the spanish ministry of education and the goals of vocational learning. rossini and tippin, further illustrate the outcomes of global understanding with their paper showing the practical skills students develop which increase their employability in peru. aidara (utg in the gambia) presents an in-depth analysis of migration and the psychological factors that migrants take into consideration when considering returning to the gambia or staying abroad. yujing liu (snnu in china) explores the authenticity of chinese cuisine in the usa from the perspective of a chinese visitor or migrant. chun yan lu’s paper of famine in shaanxi explores the consequences of forced migration of women (trafficking) in the 1920s in china. the literature papers display two contrasting discussions. the first paper by szot and warchoł (ksc in poland) illustrates the stories behind the fairy tale myths popularized in western culture. in contrast, yuqian liu (bttc in china) discusses the philosophy of the chinese author zhuangzi zhou, from the 4th century bce. i would like to thank the authors for their participation and dedication to the conference goals and aims. the papers reflect the global nature of the gpe organization, in the way the authors approach their subject as well as their use of global english language and style. http://www.gpejournal.org/ running head: new media in intercultural communication 1 use of new media in intercultural communication instruction mariko eguchi university of shimane, japan sachiyo m. shearman east carolina university, usa author note mariko eguchi, department of policy studies, university of shimane, japan. sachiyo m. shearman, school of communication, east carolina university, usa. correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to mariko eguchi, department of policy studies, university of shimane, hamada, shimane, japan 697-0015. contact: ma-eguchi@u-shimane.ac.jp new media in intercultural communication 2 abstract the context of intercultural communication has changed drastically since its establishment due to advancements in information and communication technologies. the authors conducted an online survey among instructors of intercultural communication courses to inquire into the use of new media as a tool for teaching. we found that about half of the respondents used new media to facilitate online interactions of their students with other students, experts, and individuals with diverse backgrounds from other countries, in order to foster intercultural communication competence. despite the perceived benefits, the instructors reported many challenges in the use of new media for teaching intercultural communication. this research presents the diverse ways in which new media are incorporated in the teaching of intercultural communication and identifies the future direction of research focused on development of intercultural communication instruction in the 21st century. keywords: new media, intercultural communication, online interactions, information and communication technologies new media in intercultural communication 3 use of new media in intercultural communication instruction in 1962, marshall mcluhan coined the term “global village” (p. 31) to describe the situation where the world would become a small community due to the development of electronic communication technologies. today, in the 21st century, our life revolves around the internet: people are connected through a variety of new media, such as email, social network services, instant messaging apps, and smartphones. it is common for people to conduct business meetings, job interviews, and work collaboratively using text messages and videoconferences with those who live in different countries and have different cultural backgrounds. thus, the context of intercultural communication has changed drastically since the publication in 1959 of edward t. hall’s the silent language. this book is considered to have established the field of intercultural communication. the authors were interested in finding out whether the teaching of intercultural communication has undergone a change in the way people communicate with each other after the advent of the internet. a few decades ago, working overseas, travelling abroad, and watching international news coverage used to be the primary means of intercultural encounters. today, we conduct business through email and videoconferencing, take online courses as international students, and apply for jobs in foreign countries on the web. it is easy to invite foreign nationals to the classroom using new media and students get to learn about other cultures first hand without leaving the classroom. do instructors of intercultural communication take advantage of these internet based technologies? if so, what do they perceive as the benefits of incorporating new media for teaching intercultural communication? if the instructors do not take advantage of internet based technologies for the teaching of intercultural communication, what is the reason for this? to seek answers to these questions, the authors attempted to inquire into the use of new media in the teaching of intercultural communication by conducting an online survey. new media in intercultural communication 4 answers to these questions will help develop the pedagogy of intercultural communication courses. a better understanding of the various ways in which new media are used will provide teachers of intercultural communication new ideas in how to enhance their teaching methods. literature review after reviewing the existing literature on the pedagogy of intercultural communication, three types of teaching approaches were identified: “lecture,” “activity,” and “interaction with unfamiliar others.” this classification was arrived at on the basis of the source of information: teachers, classmates, and individuals from different cultures. in a lecture, the teacher is the one who provides information to students. in student activities, the students reflect and create knowledge in class. in interaction with unfamiliar others, students interact with those with different cultural or ethnic background from their own. the most common approach taken for the teaching of intercultural communication is “lecture.” gudykunst and hammer (1983) classified the different approaches to intercultural training and argued that the typical approach used is the didactic approach consisting of lectures. they called the lecture-based approach as the “university model,” where professors share information regarding the differences and similarities of other cultures with regards to american culture. in 1986, beebe and biggers conducted a survey of introductory courses in intercultural communication at u.s. colleges. they found that most of the class time was devoted to lectures, while guest speakers, videotaping, case studies, small group discussion, and field trips consisted of only about 10% of the class time. the second approach is “activity.” according to gudykunst and hammer (1983), the “university model” was replaced by the “experiential” approach, which makes use of activities. the activities are designed to familiarize students with situations they might encounter in foreign cultures. these include simulation games such as barnga (thiagarajan & new media in intercultural communication 5 steinwachs, 1990) and bafa bafa (shirts, 1977). in classroom activities, students are encouraged to share their perspectives, stories, and emotions through reflection and discussions. the third approach is “interaction with others.” edward hall encouraged his trainees to meet people belonging to different cultures as a means of learning how to communicate with others (leeds-hurwitz, 1990). when guest lectures and field trips allow students to interact with individuals from other cultures, these teaching methods will be categorized under “interaction with others.” in this paper, this approach is further divided into two categories: “face-to-face interaction with others” and “online interaction with others.” “face to face interaction with others” is the category of teaching method where students actually engage in face-to-face interactions with those whose cultural backgrounds are different from their own. additionally, instructors can ask students to interview an international student on campus or an expatriate for a class assignment. one of the most common examples of this approach is the study abroad program. “online interaction with others” is the category that the authors would like to investigate more in order to understand whether teachers of intercultural communication take advantage of new media as a way to help students interact and engage with others. kume and hasegawa (1966) conducted an experiment using an innovative method of teaching crosscultural communication that consisted of real-time video conferencing between australian and japanese universities for the first time. brown, cummins, figueroa, and sayers (1998) reviewed successful cross-cultural collaborative learning projects using communication technologies and stated: “the students have become more aware of their own culture as a result of the contrast they have experienced with another.” in 2003, chia, poe, and young (2011) piloted a real-time intercultural communication course between chinese and american universities using video-conferencing and irc chat, which developed into a global new media in intercultural communication 6 education network called global partners in education (gpe). the authors are part of this network and have taught intercultural communication courses coordinated by gpe (http://www.ecu.edu/cs-acad/globalinitiatives/) for 7 years. these studies suggest that online intercultural encounters help students gain intercultural competence including sensitivity to different cultures, openness to the unfamiliar, and skills to cope with issues arising from cultural differences. procedure in order to find out whether instructors of intercultural communication take advantage of new media, the authors developed an online survey which consisted of questions regarding background of the instructor and the class, teaching methods, and perceived benefits and challenges of the use of new media in the teaching of intercultural communication. the authors sent emails explaining the survey, providing a link to the online survey, and inviting members to participate. listservs of members of the national communication association, the center for intercultural dialogue (https://centerforinterculturaldialogue.org/) and the center for intercultural new media research (http://www.interculturalnewmedia.com/) were all used for contact potential survey participants. results respondents and classes the survey was conducted from february 27, 2017 to may 7, 2017 and 48 instructors responded. after eliminating deficient data, 38 responses were obtained. out of these 38 respondents, 11 were male (29%), 26 were female (68%), and 1 person did not specify their gender. the age of the respondents ranged from 27 to 79, with the average age being 47 years (sd = 11.8). the mode was 40 which constituted 49% of the respondents. the academic positions of the respondents included adjunct/part-time instructor (8%), full time instructor http://www.ecu.edu/cs-acad/globalinitiatives/ http://www.interculturalnewmedia.com/ new media in intercultural communication 7 (5%), assistant professor (18%), associate professor (29%), full professor (24%), and others such as adjunct professors, ph.d. candidates, and teaching assistants (13%). out of the total number of respondents1, 27 were from the communication field (71%), 2 from psychology, 1 from anthropology, 1 from linguistics, 1 from business, and the rest belonged to other departments including education, international education, cultural studies, and a multinational company. all the respondents stated that they taught courses related to culture and communication. as reported by the respondents, intercultural communication was the most frequently taught class, followed by other courses including cross-cultural communication, culture and communication, international communication, intercultural business communication, global communication, international studies, inter-ethnic communication, and study abroad. the number of students in their classes varied from 1 to 240. the average class size was 46. teaching methods face-to-face intercultural interaction. to the question “in your intercultural communication class, do you provide an opportunity for your students to engage in actual face-to-face intercultural encounters?” there were 14 respondents (36%) who answered “always,” 11 respondents (28%) answered “most of the time,” and 8 respondents (21%) answered “sometimes.” nobody answered “never,” but there were 5 respondents who did not answer. surprisingly, 86% of the respondents reported that they had created opportunities for face-to-face encounter. in order to find out how instructors facilitated such encounters, we asked a multiple answer question: “how do you provide the opportunity for your students to engage in actual intercultural encounters?” the results are shown in table 1. as table 1 clearly shows, many of the instructors of intercultural communication who participated in the study facilitated new media in intercultural communication 8 interactions between their students and those with different cultural backgrounds. some instructors invited guest speakers from other cultures so that their students could hear authentic stories directly from the culturally-different others. the guest speakers included international students, colleagues, or scholars; individuals from the community with different cultural backgrounds; country experts and businesspersons returning from foreign assignments; visually impaired persons; and gang members, among others. one of the instructors teaches international students, so the class consists of students representing different cultures. additionally, they encourage their students to get first-hand encounters with the local community by assigning homework outside of the classroom. the assignments include having students interact with prison inmates, attendees of international festivals, and customers at local bars. in addition, they help their students build relationships with the cultural others by matching them with international students. they stated that they coordinate meetings between their students and esl students or other international students on campus, or assign group projects with exchange students. other activities include watching foreign movies, observing in-group/out-group behavior in various school settings, participating in festivals, and visiting temples of different religions and international restaurants, in order to interact with individuals belonging to other cultures. benefits and challenges of face-to-face intercultural interaction. none of the instructors answered “never” to the question of whether they enable their students to meet the culturally others face-to-face and most of them favored face-to-face meeting with individuals belonging to different cultures. when asked about the benefits and challenges of face-to-face interaction in intercultural communication instruction, some of the respondents stated that they think that students learn from experience and that they believed face-to-face interaction is necessary for students to learn how to communicate with others. moreover, they stated that new media in intercultural communication 9 face-to-face encounters help students understand the concepts of intercultural communication better as it allows them to apply theory to practice, observe nonverbal cues, and discover contrasting perspectives on various issues. as for the challenges, some of the respondents expressed lack of access to individuals belonging to different cultures. while it is easy to arrange face-to-face encounters in a university that has a large population of international students, it is not easy to implement this opportunity in other areas where guest speakers are not readily available. one respondent stated that she did not learn about this pedagogy in her graduate program and that it did not occur to her that face-to-face intercultural encounters could fit with the traditional lecture style. computer-mediated intercultural interaction. to the question “in your intercultural communication class, do you provide an opportunity for your students to engage in computer-mediated intercultural encounters?” there were 53% (17 respondents) who stated that they used new media. out of these, 7 respondents (22%) answered “always,” 2 respondents (6%) answered “most of the time,” and 8 respondents (25%) answered “sometimes.” however, 47%, (15 respondents) chose “never,” and 6 respondents chose not to answer. contrary to the responses to the question on face-to-face interaction, half the respondents to this question stated that they have not incorporated new media in their teaching. those who answered “never” explained that they “never thought of it,” “never had an opportunity to do so,” that they thought it was “unnecessary for this course,” that they “never established any reliable/viable counterpart outside of the u.s.” the other negative comments on computer-mediated intercultural interaction were that “the encounters could be replicated on campus without using computers,” and that there were “always computer issues either on our campus or the other sides.” new media in intercultural communication 10 in order to find out how instructors facilitate such encounters, we asked the following multiple answer question: “how do you provide the opportunity for your students to engage in computer-mediated intercultural encounters?” the results are shown in table 2. compared to table 1, table 2 shows less number of online activities implemented. nonetheless, more than half the respondents incorporate computer-mediated intercultural interactions in their teaching, which is quite impressive given that the use of new media in the pedagogy of intercultural communication is not yet taught in graduate programs of intercultural communication. many indicated that they invite experts from several continents to interact with their students through skype or zoom. they also collaborate with fellow universities and conduct online discussions and activities which involve international individuals. the students collaborate online to create and test intercultural games. skype, zoom, email, qq, and whatsapp are used to facilitate these interactions. another program used is called soliya (https://www.soliya.net/) and connects classrooms around the world. benefits and challenges of computer-mediated intercultural interaction. we enquired about the benefits of computer-mediated interaction in intercultural communication instruction by asking, “what do you believe, if any, are the benefits of using new media such as video-conferencing in intercultural communication courses? please mark all that apply, and write any other benefits that you may see.” the results are shown in table 3. as shown in table 3, no respondents indicated that using new media in intercultural communication instruction lacked any benefits. in other words, all of the instructors saw some value in incorporating new media while teaching intercultural communication. it was also stated by 23 respondents that computer-mediated intercultural encounters are beneficial, because new media can help connect people around the world. this benefit was recognized by 60% of the respondents. out of these, 16 respondents believed that this would enable students to receive immediate feedback from others and 5 respondents thought that this would enable students to new media in intercultural communication 11 learn experientially. other answers stated that communication using new media is part of the students’ life in the contemporary world and it is very real for millennial students, although most of the respondents left the text entry blank. the respondents were also asked about the challenges of computer-mediated interaction in intercultural communication pedagogy: “what do you believe, if any, are the challenges of using new media such as video-conferencing in intercultural communication courses? please mark all that apply, and write any other challenges that you may see.” the results are shown in table 4. most respondents cited technical difficulties as the biggest challenge. intercultural exchanges facilitated by new media require reliable facilities that provide a fast internet connection along with audiovisual equipment. in addition, technological support for instructors is necessary because instructors of intercultural communication are not usually trained to be proficient in communication technologies and audio-visual equipment. as a result, they are unable to keep up with the rapidly developing communication technologies. one respondent described this issue by saying, “i have done this in the past, but it was too time-consuming and always led to computer issues either on our campus or on the other sides. the encounters could be replicated on campus without using computers.” the language barrier has also been cited as a challenge for online intercultural communication. this issue is not evident when guest speakers are invited to the classroom directly, as they are likely to be able to communicate in english. however, when guest speakers are invited into the classroom via new media from different parts of the world, they often include foreigners who were not as proficient in english as are international students in american colleges or foreign nationals in the community. time differences in class times is also an issue, because students should be able to meet foreigners living in other countries while classes are in session. one respondent noted that “having a 9 am class means that one would need a european counterpart to be available in the afternoon, or a middle new media in intercultural communication 12 eastern or asian person late at night, which is usually not feasible.” other challenges included students’ willingness to communicate, lack of previous experience with the use of new media, availability of international partners, and lack of sufficient time to make arrangements. future of computer-mediated intercultural interaction. lastly, the respondents were asked, “would you be interested in providing more opportunities for your students to have computer-mediated intercultural encounters in your classes?” the results are shown in table 5. those who favored computer-mediated intercultural encounters included 13 respondents (34%) who answered “definitely yes” and 7 respondents (18%) who answered “probably yes,” while about half the respondents did not favor it or did not answer the question. compared to the positive perception toward face-to-face intercultural exchanges, the perception toward computer-mediated intercultural exchanges is yet to be determined, as 42% of the respondents answered “might or might not,” or did not answer. the authors did not ask the respondents why they felt that way, but it would probably be because some of the respondents explained that they had “never thought of using new media” when asked if they arranged for computer-mediated intercultural encounters. the reasons for why some of them are not willing to incorporate new media may vary. the reasons may be due to lack of training, lack of technical support, or lack of access to international partners. this topic needs to be investigated further to determine the reasons for this, because only by knowing them would it be possible for us to make use of the communication tools for the 21st century. it needs to be investigated further why 13 respondents chose to answer “definitely yes.” their accounts of how they overcome the challenges of new media might help in developing the pedagogy of intercultural communication. new media in intercultural communication 13 conclusion results show that the context of intercultural communication instruction has changed after the advent of the internet along with related information and communication technologies. about half of the respondents answered that they use new media to facilitate interactions between their students and those from different cultural backgrounds. they take advantage of the benefits of new media by arranging for the students to listen to lectures by guest speakers, have discussions with students in foreign universities, build relationships, and work collaboratively on global projects. their use of new media in intercultural communication was so creative and impressive that they should deserve more attention. it is unfortunate that about half the respondents seemed to be unaware of the opportunity that new media can bring to intercultural communication classes. the results of this survey clearly show that use of new media is taking roots in the current pedagogy of intercultural communication as against the results of the study conducted by beebe and biggers in 1986 that reported no mention of the use of new media in intercultural communication classes. the survey also shows that there are many issues that need to be addressed in order for instructors to implement computer-mediated intercultural interaction. compared to faceto-face intercultural interaction, computer-mediated interaction entails technical and language issues and requires more time because of lack of reliable international partners and scheduling difficulties. in addition, this study shows that about half the respondents are willing to use new media while the rest are not. we discussed the reasons for these conflicting perceptions and suggested future direction of research to enquire into the different perceptions toward new media in intercultural communication instruction. it is possible that the instructors need assistance in technical training, finding international partners, scheduling with partners in different time zones, or possibly with developing more creative ideas for incorporating new media in intercultural communication. new media in intercultural communication 14 however, these findings are not totally conclusive. not only was the size of the survey very small, but there was also a selection bias because we depended on volunteer participation and the respondents who volunteered are more likely to be interested in the use of new media in intercultural communication instruction creating additional bias. therefore, another survey needs to be conducted to reach out to more instructors of intercultural communication in order for us to generalize our findings. nonetheless, we believe we were able to provide useful information to those interested in advancing the pedagogy of intercultural communication. we live in the age of the internet, where for the first time in human history, we might be able to promote interactions between cultures by overcoming the physical distance that divides us. we believe that it is imperative to incorporate new media into the pedagogy of intercultural communication not only because there are benefits to it but also because it has become a part of our lives. shuter (2012) has pointed out that communication researchers have not paid attention to the impact of new media on intercultural communication and that the use of new media is a new frontier in intercultural communication. knowing how instructors of intercultural communication perceive new media, what challenges they experience, and how new media can be incorporated in the pedagogy of intercultural communication, this will ultimately help equip students with competence in intercultural communication. new media in intercultural communication 15 references beebe, s. a., & biggers, t. (1986). the status of the introductory intercultural communication course. communication education, 35(1), 56-60. doi:10.1080/03634528609388319. brown, k., cummins, j., figueroa, e., & sayers, d. (1998). global learning networks: gaining perspective on our lives with distance. in e. lee, d. menkart, & m. okazawa-rey (eds.), beyond heroes and holidays: a practical guide to k-12 antiracist, multicultural education and staff development (pp. 334-354). washington, dc: network of educators on the americas. chia, r. c., poe, e., & yang, b. (2011). history of global partners in education. global partners in education journal, 1(1), 3-7. kume, t., & hasegawa, n. (1999). japan-australia collaborative class via videoconferencing system: analysis and discussion. [terebi kaigi sistemwo riyo shita nichi go godo zyugyou: bunseki to kousatsu]. kenkyu houkoku, 8, 25-43. leeds-hurwitz, w. (1990). notes in the history of intercultural communication: the foreign service institute and the mandate for intercultural training. quarterly journal of speech, 76(3), 262-281. gudykunst, w. b., & hammer, m. r. (1983). basic training design: approaches to intercultural training. in d. landis & r. s. bhagat (eds.), handbook of intercultural training (pp. 118-147). elmsford: pergamon press. mcluhan, m. (1962). the gutenberg galaxy: the making of typographic man. toronto: university of toronto press. shirts, r. g. (1977). bafa: a cross cultural simulation. delmar, ca: smile ii. shuter, r. (2012). intercultural new media studies: the next frontier in intercultural communication. journal of intercultural communication research, 41(3), 219-237. new media in intercultural communication 16 thiagarajan, s., & steinwachs, b. (1990). barnga: a simulation game on cultural clashes. yarmouth: intercultural press. new media in intercultural communication 17 table 1 responses to question, “how do you provide the opportunity for your students to engage in actual intercultural encounters?” ways to create face-to-face intercultural encounters number of respondent s inviting guest speakers into class 24 face-to-face interview assignments 15 matching students with international students for multiple meetings 12 combination of the above 9 others 10 new media in intercultural communication 18 table 2 responses to question, “how do you provide the opportunity for your students to engage in computer-mediated intercultural encounters?” ways to create computer-mediated intercultural encounters number of respondent s lecture exchange/video-conferencing by skype, etc. 6 discussion/in-class activity using skype, etc. 6 collaborative assignments 7 texting by facebook, etc. 4 email exchanges 6 combination of the above 3 others 4 new media in intercultural communication 19 table 3 perceived benefits of using new media in intercultural communication courses possible perceived benefits number of respondent s no benefits 0 connecting people in other parts of the world 23 instant feedback from the other 16 experiential learning opportunity 5 others 16 new media in intercultural communication 20 table 4 perceived challenges of using new media in intercultural communication courses perceived challenges number of respondent s technical difficulties 20 language barrier 15 time difference 6 no challenges 1 other 13 new media in intercultural communication 21 table 5 interests in use of new media in intercultural communication courses response number of respondent s definitely yes 13 probably yes 7 might or might not 4 probably not 2 definitely not 0 no answer 12 1 we did not ask nationalities of the instructors or which country that they teach currently, although we assume that most of the participants are those who resides in the united states, as the participants were recruited using american-based academic organizations such as nca (national communication association) list serve. global partners in education journal – special edition december 2015, vol. 5, no. 2, pp. 32-40 http://www.gpejournal.org/ issn 2163-758x 32 global partner’s intellectual disclosure sadia mukhtar adeela rehman fatima jinnah women university, rawalpindi, pakistan abstract fatima jinnah is a public university for women in pakistan which is providing a quality education to its students. in 2014, the students of this university were given an opportunity to take the global understanding course with the students of two foreign universities: east carolina university (ecu), usa and the university of abou bekar belkaid tlemcen (uabt), algeria. our experiences in global education and interaction with global partners were very good. it was not only the opportunity to interact with international students through video-conferencing, but also provided us a forum to share each other’s culture. this was a unique course for our course of study which is not based on any lecture or handouts. it is based on personal interaction with our international partners during which we learned extensively about other cultures. introduction according to the great philosopher and thinker aristotle, “education is the creation of a sound mind in a sound body”. this statement clearly stresses education which is the need of the hour. today, education is no more restricted within a specific geographical area. this means that a person has not been bound within a specific region or part of the world in order to acquire knowledge or to learn about other cultures that exist around the world as it is spreading across the globe at a fast rate. so, that is why e-learning or the learning through the use of technology is also increasing nowadays. now, technology is involved in the whole education system and as seen in the context of higher education, the use of technology is much higher at this level than previously. as haythornthwaite and andrews (2011) argue that within a short period of time, the use of technology in education has gained a great importance or value. so the increased uses of the internet and other technologies have amalgamated e-learning and education within an institution in a formal way at the higher education level. a study by hartnett (2015) shows that the trend of online learning is increasing rapidly with the passage of time. however, this way of learning is not equally beneficial for all learners because of the following factors: the lack of interaction and communication with fellow students and partners in addition to unsatisfactory supervision and lack of feedback from the teacher. so these factors can reduce the motivation of the learners to work more competently. so, if it is to be viewed in the context of those countries that are using english as a second language, some of the students face difficulty in understanding http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition december 2015, vol. 5, no. 2, pp. 32-40 http://www.gpejournal.org/ issn 2163-758x 33 english and in communicating with their global partners because of having no fluency in english. they are unable to understand the discussions among the students and sometime they understand the question but they do not know how to explain the answer in english. this leads them towards losing their interest in the discussions made within the class and the motivation to learn is also reduced. grinager (education issues, 2006) argues that today technology is becoming a valuable channel or way of addressing educational requirements. the educators have also shown a healthy relationship between the use of technology and higher achievements. it has been said by the experts that the use of technology has enhanced effectiveness of students in the everyday jobs of class administration and student performance within the classroom. if it is to be viewed in the context of the higher education system both in developed and developing countries, the teachers at universities use the internet and social media to share readings that they assigned and they also receive assignments from students though the internet. similarly the students are also directed to prepare the assignments through using technology. as a result, assignments are also prepared on computers through using software. in addition, the role of faculty is also very important in making sure that the online courses are a success. the support of faculty involves the design of the course outline, training the students and providing technological support. for the success of an institution that is taking part in online courses, the role of faculty is fundamental and crucial (miller et al., 2014). so we can say that both the technology within the classroom and the use of technology for distance learning have positive effects on high achievements. however it cannot be generalized that the use of technology is positively related to high achievements only. there are also some issues related to the use of technology that have been mentioned above. organization of the global understanding course students from various universities within a country or from different countries collaborate with each other in order to enhance their education skills and institutional capabilities. they offer different online courses to students belonging to different cultures and countries. in this way, we were offered the global understanding course at fatima jinnah women university, a public university in pakistan which provides a quality education for women. during this course, we participated in videoconference sessions with two universities: east carolina university (ecu), usa and the university of abou bekar belkaid tlemcen (uabt), algeria. the interaction between the students or global partners was conducted through video conferencing discussions, e-mail and other social media. we the students of fjwu completed joint projects with our partners on cultural issues. with those projects, our global partner presented their own slides that were on their us perspective about a particular cultural practice and then we presented the pakistani perspective on some cultural practice. the interaction with our global partners and learning experience of global education was very good. my learning experience of global education and interaction with global partners was successful. it has changed my thought patterns in many ways as it made me think about something “outside the box”. because of working with diverse cultures, we learned much more about their society and socio-cultural practices. here in pakistan, we are using http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition december 2015, vol. 5, no. 2, pp. 32-40 http://www.gpejournal.org/ issn 2163-758x 34 english as a second language. so our partners were so surprised to see that we were speaking english with great fluency and we were appreciated by our global partners. the course global understanding was not only a unique learning experience for us but it was equally important for our global partners as they came to know about our culture and traditions that were new for them. they showed great interest while hearing about our culture and raised a number of questions about different socio-cultural traditions and values being practiced in pakistan. teaching methodology from a teaching perspective, it was a new experience for us. the course outline was quite simple and well-structured. the sessions for this course took place through video conferencing and in chat rooms on a computer. the participants on both sides were divided into two groups (i.e., group a and group b) so that they could easily communicate and interact with each other. in one class, group “a” attended the session through videoconferencing while group “b” participants were communicating with their partners in chat rooms on individual computers for the duration of the class. similarly, during the next class, group a and b switched places (i.e., group a participants were in chat rooms and group b was in video-conference with their partners). we had five sessions or class meetings with the students at ecu (usa) and five sessions with the students of the uabt (algeria). during four sessions, we were given different topics about socio-cultural practices of both regions. while in the fifth and final session, the collaborative projects were presented by the participants of global understanding course. role of the instructor for the success of an institution that is taking part in the online courses, the role of faculty is fundamental and crucial (miller et al., 2014). the role of the instructor is the most important aspect for this course “global understanding” as it has been argued that the role of faculty is also very important in making sure the online courses is a success. the support of faculty involves the designing of the course outline, training the students and providing the technological support. dr. rehman gave us guidance about how to interact and communicate with people from other cultures. she also gave us a brief description about the course outline. other class related issues were also resolved by her. for example, some of the students complained that their global partners were not responding to the e-mails sent by them. so she resolved these issues in a timely manner. technical support the technical support is considered to be essential for any online course. as haythornthwaite and andrews (2011) argue that within a short period of time, the use of technology in education has gained a great importance or value. so the increased use of internet and other technologies has amalgamated the e-learning and education within an institution in a formal way at the higher education level. so without the technological support provided by the information technology & communication (itc) lab of fatima http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition december 2015, vol. 5, no. 2, pp. 32-40 http://www.gpejournal.org/ issn 2163-758x 35 jinnah women university, this opportunity could not have been possible for us to complete the “global understanding” course. the global understanding experience between students in pakistan (fjwu), algeria (uabt), and the united states (ecu) in 2014 the global understanding course provided an opportunity for the students from fjwu (pakistan), uabt (algeria) and ecu (usa) to interact with each other in a friendly environment. this provided a platform for having productive and an educated learning exposure. although the interaction was focused on specific topics, it was also based on informal discussions on different aspects of each other’s personal life. the following topics were discussed during the initial four sessions: • family systems • education systems • religion and religious practices • stereotypes and prejudices family systems in pakistan, algeria, and the united states our first topic focused on the family system or the structure of family with the students of both universities. firstly when we were introduced to our global partners from east carolina university, our partners were surprised to see that the majority of our class were wearing head coverings which is called “sacarf or stoll” in our local language. our global partners asked about our head coverings. we explained that it was because we are muslim and we cover our heads because of some socio-cultural norms which make us feel comfortable and this does not disturb us. within the topic of family systems we discussed birth and marriage ceremonies and death rituals as well. both countries have a patriarchal model of family structure in which the head of the family is a male. although suggestions from other family members are also taken into account regarding family matters, the final decision is made by the male member of the family. one of our global partners at ecu told us that “all the decisions of the family are done by my mom” while the majority said that all the decisions are made by father. when i asked whether their farther takes the opinion of their mother into account, they said that the suggestions and opinions of their mothers are also considered while making decisions about family matters. while we told them that that the decisions about the domestic responsibilities and household chores are made by our mothers (e.g. what will be cooked today and when to go to the market for shopping), the major issues like decisions about education, marriages for children and the use of assets like land and property are made by the males in consultation with the females (mother and wife) of the family. our global partners at uabt told us that all the decisions are made by males in consultation with the females. the opinion of their mothers are also taken into consideration while making any decision. we asked from our global partners at east carolina university about homes for the elderly. they told us that elderly relatives are sent to nursing homes and that they regularly go to meet with their grandparents. some of them told us that “our grandparents http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition december 2015, vol. 5, no. 2, pp. 32-40 http://www.gpejournal.org/ issn 2163-758x 36 live in separate homes and we to meet them on every weekend.” while answering the same questions by our partners at ecu (east carolina university), we explained that our grandparents live with us since they are respected by their children and grandchildren. one of our class fellows said that their grandparents live in a village and that they see them during holidays and on eid. similarly, our algerian global partners at uabt told us that “we respect and take care of our parents and grandparents because it is the order of allah to respect our elders.” education systems in pakistan, algeria, and the united states the education system in the usa is very advanced and educational institutions are wellequipped with advanced technologies. for example, they use information technology for teaching and learning. during the project presentations, they had laptops with them. research is the main component of their educational system. the criteria for assessing a student (grade point average or gpa and semester system) were almost the same as we have here in pakistan. a student’s performance is assessed by taking exams, preparing assignments, and delivering presentations and they are given grades according to their performance. another noticeable thing is that the students at ecu and uabt were from different disciplines. some of them were majoring in the natural sciences while others were majoring in the social sciences. in contrast, students in our class were all from the same discipline. they were majoring in gender studies. overall, the education system in both countries were good and to some extent unbiased towards both genders as both genders have the freedom to choose any discipline related to a non-traditional field. the students from ecu also explained that they had jobs to help with their educational expenses and some of them told us that their parents pay their tuition and fees so they have a job to make extra money for having fun and participating in other activities. when we told them that we have no need for a job because all of our educational expenses and needs are paid for by our parents, they were very surprised to learn about this. similarly, they asked us to what extent there is the use of technology in our education system. we told them that the use of technology is very common at the higher education level. i also told them that the government has taken an initiative to distribute laptops among exceptional students. this has really promoted the use of technology at the higher education level. there are also a number of computer labs in each university for students which are available and widely accessible for every student. while during the discussion with the students from uabt they asked us why there were no male student in our class. they asked whether this is gender biasness. we explained to them that it is a women’s university where men cannot attend. we told them that because of conservatives in our country and socio-cultural norms, some families do not allow their daughters to attend co-ed institutions. therefore, there are a few women’s universities which have been established by our government to increase women’s literacy rate and to bring gender equality in order to empower women. they were so impressed to learn this. http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition december 2015, vol. 5, no. 2, pp. 32-40 http://www.gpejournal.org/ issn 2163-758x 37 religion in pakistan, algeria, and the united states during the discussion about religion and religious rituals, the religions of both countries were discussed. there was great variation in the religious practices of both countries because of having a diverse religious background. in the united states of america, a number of religions are being practiced. for example, they practice christianity, judaism, islam and many other religions. my partner, olivia costello, was a follower of christianity and more specifically, she was catholic. she also told me “i regularly visit church on every sunday and recite the holy bible”. she told me about the different rituals practiced in christianity. for example, she told me about baptism, one of the christian’s religious rites of sprinkling water over a person’s forehead or of plunging them in water. this symbolizes purification or regeneration and admission to the christian church. in many denominations, baptism is performed on young children and accompanied by namegiving. she told that baptism takes place in church. similarly, i also told her about the different religious beliefs of mine as a muslim. for example, i told her that i offer my prayers regularly five time in a day and do recitation of the holy quran. when asked about the childbirth rituals of islam, i told her that in islam, the newborn baby is welcomed warmly. and on seventh day, the circumcision of the baby boy is performed and a name giving ceremony takes place. the circumcision of girls is not allowed in our religion. while in the country of algeria, the main religion is islam. so because of having the same religion, there were greater similarities in the religious practices of both of our cultures. most of the students at uabt were muslim. so the discussions focused on islamic perspectives on the different cultural issues like divorce and marriage, etc. both countries have the same practice of celebrating marriage starting from performing “nikkah” (a legal agreement between men and women to be husband and wife) followed by “rukhsati” (departure of the girl form her parent’s home to her new husband’s home) and then “walima” (reception). as far as other issues are concerned, such as divorce and other family related matters, these are also performed following islamic principles. stereotypes and prejudices in pakistan, algeria, and the united states stereotypes and prejudices are a part of every society and are often linked with culture. so this was the last and final topic that was discussed by the students of all three universities. the students of east carolina university (usa) exposed some of the stereotypes and prejudices that exist in us society about the different racial and ethnic groups and minorities living in the usa. the most common stereotype in us society was about islam which viewed islam as an extremist religion which promotes extremism. we made it clear before them that this is an incorrect generalization. on the whole, extremists exist in every society and in every religion but this not due to the influence of religion. it is all about one’s own thinking and depends upon the socio-cultural environment in which he/she has been brought up and socialized. another prejudice persisting in us society was the discrimination on the basis of skin color. the whites were considered superior to blacks. while we discussed this topic with our partners in algeria, there was a perception that in pakistan, women face violence because of being females. so we made it clear to them that unfortunately, this is happening in our society but it cannot be generalized for all the pakistani women. we also told them that here in pakistan, we are working on proper http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition december 2015, vol. 5, no. 2, pp. 32-40 http://www.gpejournal.org/ issn 2163-758x 38 legislation to protect women rights (e.g. sexual harassment bill 2010 was passed by the national assembly of pakistan with the efforts of dr. fozia saeed who is an activist and working for women’s rights in pakistan). there are also many governmental organizations working towards the same goals, for example, there is the population council (http://www.popcouncil.org) which has worked in pakistan since 1957 and established an office in islamabad in 1991 initially to serve as headquarters for the usaid-funded asia and near east operations research and technical assistance project. today, the council contributes high-quality research to inform policy dialogue. it is regarded as a premier social science and public health research organization and an influential development partner, working closely with the ministries of population welfare and health, as well as with non-governmental organizations. the non-governmental organization aurat foundation (af) (http://www.af.org.pk) was established in 1986 and since then has been working to promote women’s empowerment, steps to prevent violence against women, and citizens’ participation in governance in order to create a socially just, democratic and humane society. its head office is in islamabad and four regional offices in the provincial capitals (lahore, karachi, peshawar and quetta). furthermore, af has a countrywide network of voluntary citizens’ groups and individual activists. similarly bedari (www.bedari.org.pk) is another example of a non-governmental organization which is voluntarily working in pakistan. it works with women and girls for the promotion and protection of their rights as human beings. it started its activities around awareness raising and self-growth in 1991 with a community conference on violence against women and eventually set up pakistan’s first crisis center. it has developed expertise on issues of gender empowerment, addressing violence and abuse against pakistani women and girls. it is also working to bring attitudinal change in the society. all these organizations are working to eradicate violence from pakistani society. on the part of pakistani students, when they were asked what type of stereotypes and prejudices exist in pakistan, we explained that there are some prejudices on the basis of ethnicity based on religion. for example, the disputes on the basis of sectarianism are very common. similarly, the caste system in pakistani society creates and promotes prejudices among people. people consider themselves superior to others on the basis of their caste. the most common stereotypes are about women (e.g. women are very talkative, they lack wisdom and reasoning, etc.). these are all social and cultural practices which vary in different areas of pakistan based on different tribunal characteristics. however, these all are myths and there is no sound scientific basis for these stereotypes and prejudices. during our discussions with the students from uabt, we discovered that there were great similarities between both of our cultures because we have the same religious background. for example, we are similar in our way of worshiping god (e.g., offering prayer, reciting the holy quran and donating charity to the needy people). the respect for elderly people was also similar along with the concept of marriage (e.g., opinion of both girl and boy is taken into consideration at the time of marriage and money which is called “haq-e-mehr” is also given to the girl by her spouse at the time of marriage which is an islamic concept understood in both cultures). however, it was observed that gender roles were different http://www.gpejournal.org/ http://www.popcouncil.org/ http://www.af.org.pk/ global partners in education journal – special edition december 2015, vol. 5, no. 2, pp. 32-40 http://www.gpejournal.org/ issn 2163-758x 39 in algeria in comparison with pakistan. the women’s literacy rate was higher in algeria. a unicef 2013 report indicated that the literacy rate for females was 89.1% in the time period from 2008-12, (http://www.unicef.org/infobycountry/algeria_statistics.html) as compared to the world bank which reported a 40.08% female literacy in pakistan (http://www.tradingeconomics.com/pakistan/literacy-rate-adult-female-percent-offemales-ages-15-and-above-wb-data.html). in addition, a large number of women worked in managerial positions in algeria and it was told by our global partners from uabt that discrimination on the basis of gender was lower in algeria. collaborative projects between students at fjwu, uabt, and ecu at the end of these sessions, we the students of fjwu completed joint projects with the students of ecu and uabt concerning cultural issues and different cultural practices in each country. during the project presentations, our global partner presented their own power point slides that were based on their perspectives (i.e., us or algerian) about a particular cultural practice. next, we presented the pakistani perspective on some cultural practice or issue. for these projects, a topic was suggested by the instructor and we also had the option to select a topic of our own choice. there were two group members in each project: one from our class and one from the global partner class. for example, my global understanding partners olivia costello and sahim bensaad and i completed our project on “attitudes of pakistani, algerian and us society towards the old and retired people in pakistan, algeria and usa”. my partner, olivia costello from ecu, presented her work on the same topic from a us perspective and my other partner, sahim bensaad from uabt presented the algerian perspective. the projects of my other classmates were on cultural festivals, traditional foods, famous national personalities, and ways of celebrating child births and marriages, etc. all the projects were very interesting and informative. discussion and conclusions in the end, i would like to say that this global understanding course was a source of our global partner’s intellectual disclosure because it was a different way of gaining knowledge and education. the students from three different cultures came together to learn about their cultures through video conferencing. to interact or communicate with foreign students resulted in a confidence in us for communicating with the people from both cultures. communicational skills were increased through this course. similarly, it gave us an opportunity to build friendly relationships with foreign students from the united states and algeria. being part of these sessions was a unique and interesting experience for me. so i can say that the course of global understanding was truly a means of “intellectual disclosure” for me, my global partners, and other fellow students who were part of this course at fjwu. we disseminated our knowledge before our global partners and they also learned about their cultures, cultural beliefs and practices as well. the students from different cultures came together to know about each other’s cultures through video conferencing. to interact or communicate with the foreign students developed a confidence in us to communicate with the people from these cultures. therefore, communicational skills were increased. http://www.gpejournal.org/ http://www.unicef.org/infobycountry/algeria_statistics.html global partners in education journal – special edition december 2015, vol. 5, no. 2, pp. 32-40 http://www.gpejournal.org/ issn 2163-758x 40 at the end, i would like to thank to our course instructor dr. adeela rehman who guided us at every moment and treated us with kindness. without her humble guidance it would not have been possible for us to complete this course. she did her best in order to create cohesion between us and our global partners. may allah succeed her in every walk of life. references education issues. (2006). how education technology leads to improved student achievement. washington, dc: grinager, h. haythornthwaite, c. & andrews, r. (2011). e-learning theory and practice. reference and research book news, 26(3). hartnett, m. (2015). influences that undermine learner’s perceptions of autonomy, competence and relatedness in an online context. australasian journal of educational technology, 31(1). miller, g., benke, m., chaloux, b., ragan, l.c., schroeder, r., smutz, w., & swan, k. (2014). leading the e-learning transformation of higher education: meeting the challenges of technology and distance education. american journal of distance education, 28(3), 215-216. http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal june 2015, vol. 5, no. 1, pp. 68-78 http://www.gpejournal.org/ issn 2163-758x 68 student voices global partners in education journal special section mariko eguchi, guest editor of gpej university of shimane, japan we are pleased to announce five winners of the global partners in education journal (gpej) student essay contest. this contest was conceived at the seventh annual conference of global partners in education held in monterrey, mexico when the participants discussed means to increase student participation in gpe. gpe offers a course called global understanding (gu) that allows students around the world to meet and discuss topics via videoconference. the survey results every year demonstrate that the participants of gu are highly satisfied with their experiences, showing improved perspective taking, greater interest in interacting with people from other cultures, and discovering their own cultures. the faculty is aware of the impact of gu on students, but the voices of the students have not yet been heard. that’s why we called for the student essay contest so that their experiences can be shared by many readers of gpej. we asked the students to respond to the following prompts: how has the global understanding experience helped prepare you for your future personal and professional goals? describe how this program has influenced your perceptions of your own culture and other cultures. although it was our first attempt with a very short notice, we were amazed by the number of submissions: 53 submissions from 17 partner institutions representing 14 countries. thank you to everyone who submitted an essay and those who encouraged their students to write about their experiences of gu. the essays reflected their experiences of gu, describing how they expanded their horizons, how they feel toward others, and how they see others as well as themselves differently. we received many thoughtful and insightful essays and judging which ones were the best was very difficult. after multiple rounds of judging, we selected the following winners. hajar usama akl, pharos university of alexandria, egypt galina gazizullina, ural state pedagogical university, russia kenyetta mclaurin, east carolina university, usa daniel molina hernández, universidad de monterrey, mexico ting poh poh, university of malaysia terengganu, malaysia these essays beautifully describe their personal growth toward becoming a global citizen. they demonstrate how they begin to see their future goals as a traveling journalist, savior of his country, inquirer of the meaning of humanity, english teacher, and well-rounded individual with a global perspective. please enjoy reading their stories that touched upon self-awareness, leadership, tolerance, perspective, and communication ability, all of http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal june 2015, vol. 5, no. 1, pp. 68-78 http://www.gpejournal.org/ issn 2163-758x 69 which today’s young people should possess in the 21st century. you will see the impact of gu on our future leaders. my own way to “save mexico” daniel molina hernandez universidad de monterrey, mexico daniel molina hernandez was a student in the universidad de monterrey (udem), mexico, at the time he took the global understanding course. he is currently an economics major at manhattan college in new york city, usa. he loves reading books, listening to music and traveling around the world. daniel hopes to become an economic analyst and go back to his native country to make it a better place to live. two years ago i thought lebanon was a war zone and north carolina a little village in the south of the united states. obviously, i was wrong. my egoism and lack of empathy for global geography were the main causes of these beliefs and, after the first class of global understanding, i realized i had to change this way of thinking, and i had to change it fast. before the start of the semester i chose this course randomly out of a large pool of options of advanced placement classes. when i sat down in the classroom and miss marioly started explaining to us what it was about, i started feeling a sense of excitement. maybe this was the usual empowerment someone feels the first day of classes, but i realized quickly that this was not like any other course. i had no idea if this sensation was mainly because of the idea that i was going to be able to partner with someone from peru or the middle east, or the fact that this class did not require exams. but so it started, days and days of presentations on lebanon, peru, united states and mexico, my country. each of them with facts that i would have never imagined, creating a restlessness about this data and the anticipation of discovering if they were real by asking native people from these countries. the semester started in a blink of an eye, and from one moment to another our videoconferences with lebanon were already on. without noticing, the same happened with the united states and peru. these interactions, especially with a culture as different as the one in lebanon, made me realize how different and unique our lives are compared to a world filled with distinct stories and backgrounds. as jhumpa lahiri said in her short story when mr. pirzada came to dine, “our meals, our actions, were only a shadow of what had already happened there.” this phrase reminds me to the interactions i had in class. for us it was 8:30 am, we were all sleepy and almost with our pillows still attached to our faces. at the same time an entire day had already passed in lebanon. the sensation of being so far away http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal june 2015, vol. 5, no. 1, pp. 68-78 http://www.gpejournal.org/ issn 2163-758x 70 from each other and having the possibility of sharing ideas and thoughts about our home, for me, was amazing. i understood that my normal life is an abstract concept that no one can standardize, and understanding this is what makes us grow as people and as societies. although i had the goal of studying abroad during my bachelor’s degree, miss marioly’s class made me realize how big and rich my country is. i fell in love with mexico and that encouraged me go and learn about ways of making my home a better place to live. i also found out that countries have common situations, and that cooperation might help them solve their issues in a faster and more effective way. basically this is what i’m looking for by studying in new york city. i’m searching for ways to help my country and, eventually, other developing nations find a way of using their scarce resources in effective ways to become places where the migration rate is positive. i want my mexico to be a place where people from other places are not scared to travel. a place where kids can play on the street again, where teenagers can party all night long and where adults are not permanently afraid of a government where stealing is part of the daily practice. and, although we are having a rough time right now, i’m very proud to say that i love my country and because of this i will work for a nation where i want my kids and my grandsons to be raised. global understanding shaping my future ting poh poh universiti malaysia terengganu, malaysia ting poh poh is a student at universiti malaysia terengganu currently studying for a bachelor’s degree in computational mathematics. she loves reading inspirational books. in addition to reading, she enjoys jogging and playing badminton. in the future, she hopes to become a mathematics lecturer and travel the world with her family. the global understanding (gu) course is essential for helping me to become a well-rounded individual with a global perspective. it is especially important nowadays as the world is getting more connected. as i cannot study abroad, this course allowed me to learn about world cultures without traveling. i was able to communicate with people from different beliefs and cultures directly through video conference and social networks. i could clearly see their attire and classroom as well as hear their voices. besides that, i could share information about malaysia and express my point of view to them. personally, reflecting upon my experiences during gu classes, i found myself becoming more confident when talking with foreigners. before taking the class, i felt anxious and http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal june 2015, vol. 5, no. 1, pp. 68-78 http://www.gpejournal.org/ issn 2163-758x 71 nervous about conversing with them. now, i am confident and i like to talk with them. i experienced the differences and similarities between their country and my country. i also read online newspapers to learn about their current news and follow up on what is happening in their country. i found myself becoming knowledgeable. i also developed a deeper understanding of global issues such as political and economic issues. thus, my worldview has become more mature since i am aware of global affairs. in addition, i have learned to be open-minded and always think positively. in my future career prospects after i graduate from university, i can enhance my employment with a wide range of careers through the experience of the gu course. this experience broadens my career options because i can work for some companies for which communication with diverse customers is needed. besides that, i also can work in a foreign country, not only in malaysia. with this experience, i can explore new ideas and make informed decisions for the company. as nowadays employers are more focusing on the soft skills such as critical thinking, communication skills, as well as intercultural knowledge and awareness, i will gain a professional advantage over others in the job market. the gu course has influenced my perceptions on malaysia’s culture. there are a variety of cultures in malaysia. it is essential to understand our own cultures and introduce them to the world. before this, i only knew my own chinese culture and i did not really understand other ethnicities’ cultures in malaysia. i have learned about malaysia’s other cultures from my classmates of different ethnic origins as they shared their cultures with the foreigners. therefore, i gained a greater depth of intra-cultural knowledge. i appreciate and am glad to live in malaysia because i can learn about different cultures and also celebrate various festivals with all malaysians. the gu course also influenced my perceptions of the cultures of foreign countries. it allowed me to understand different lifestyles, economic standing and global perspectives on life. before experiencing the gu course, i thought foreign people, especially americans, were all very open and unceremonious with complicated relationships. from the cross-cultural communication, i have learned not to judge people from other countries without an in-depth understanding about them. i also learned to understand and respect their cultures. furthermore, i have improved both of my speaking and listening skills through the communication process in order to make them understand me better since we all have slang in speaking english. besides that, i also have learned their expressions when they converse to us. we need to think globally since we are facing large scale changes in our society. therefore, global understanding is very important. it encourages me to see things from different perspectives. besides that, global understanding helped me acquire skills that will be very useful in life. we need global consciousness in order to stay on the cutting edge of our profession. in addition, if we understand how other people experience the world, conflicts will not occur. the gu course is the only course that has shaped me to become a knowledgeable person in understanding people around the world. through this http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal june 2015, vol. 5, no. 1, pp. 68-78 http://www.gpejournal.org/ issn 2163-758x 72 course i met foreign people and made friends with them. it helped me to widen my views in contact with people around the world. global understanding experience: changes in perception hajar usama akl pharos university of alexandria, egypt hajar akl is a journalism student in the faculty of mass communication at pharos university of alexandria in egypt. she is passionate about photography and is known for constantly taking pictures! she loves crime shows, among other things, and in the future hopes to be a photojournalist who helps reveal injustice and hopefully make a difference, no matter how small. it is a small world. we hear that phrase a lot, perhaps too much so that we never really stop to think of what it means, or how small the world has actually become. we are closer together, yet farther apart. it is something i find myself frequently marveling at: the concept of a shared planet, yet minds so incorrigibly diverse it feels almost as though we live in separate worlds. i do not often get the chance to meet with people of different cultures and backgrounds, even though it is an experience i find to be extremely entertaining and pleasurable. there is a certain mystery to every culture. a corner of this boundless earth, partially uncovered by simply getting to know a culture that is different than yours. it is such a humbling experience to learn about a culture that is new to you. an experience that i will certainly not underestimate. it is in our very own human nature to make assumptions, or stereotype. but you would be surprised how different people actually are from how they are perceived. it is surprisingly pleasant to have your perception of others changed. and it is equally surprising when you have others’ perception of you changed. i remember a foreign student during a video conference telling us, “you’re just like us,” when we asked them how different we turned out to be from their expectations. it is probably something that i will not forget. behind the simplicity of those four words lies a deeper meaning. i think the basis of that meaning is what leaders and people everywhere should focus on. we’re all the same, equal, no matter how different: “you’re just like us.” i think the ethical value that the global understanding experience has added to my intellect is priceless. it is not a common occurrence to feel one with those who share the same piece of land, so imagine how rare it must be to feel one with those on another continent. the core belief of humanity and the essential ingredient for an unmarred world http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal june 2015, vol. 5, no. 1, pp. 68-78 http://www.gpejournal.org/ issn 2163-758x 73 is the understanding of the fact that we are all humans. we have a right to exist, a right to be heard and a right not to be judged. we are more alike than we care to admit. the global understanding experience has reinforced my dream of living a life that reveals the true meaning of humanity, a focus on our similarities rather than our differences. and if we look hard enough, we find that there are many. i recall that in one of our video conferences we were discussing our definitions of success. not only was it then that i came to the realization that success, in its simplest form, is being able to do something that you love. but i also realized, again, how alike we are. every one of us aims for the same thing: happiness. and again, i was astounded by how we relentlessly insist on focusing on how different we are, rather on the things that bring us together. my perception of other cultures changed, but so did my perception of my own culture. in the short time that we spent together, i have learned a lot about my fellow classmates. and, given the fact that i did not live in egypt until recently, there were a lot of interesting parts of my own culture that i did not know and enjoyed learning about. at the end of the day, it is easy to picture an ideal world. a world where it matters not where you are from, or how you dress, or what religion you follow, but only how you treat others. a perfect world in my imagination is a world where we are not divided into groups and subgroups: we are simply who we are. perhaps a perfect world will never be achieved, but a more understanding one could be attempted. all it takes is for us to listen a little more, and judge a little less. perhaps it is naïve of me to believe so, but one can truly, and full-heartedly hope. from local thoughts to global understanding galina gazizullina ural state pedagogical university, russia galina gazizullina has graduated from ural state pedagogical university in russia and now is working as an english teacher. she enjoys traveling and often helps her friends as an interpreter for bands from all around the world. in the future galina hopes to travel and work in different parts of the world. “all humanity is one undivided and indivisible family.” mohandas k. gandhi in the modern society it is almost impossible to stay isolated from other cultures and their influence. at first, people around the world feared everything that was alien or unknown to them but then, they http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal june 2015, vol. 5, no. 1, pp. 68-78 http://www.gpejournal.org/ issn 2163-758x 74 acquired some tools and methods to tame this fear. “global understanding” is, indeed, one of those tools. people tend not to realize how little they know about the world around them. most of them do not even care. we travel to other countries, we watch movies, we listen to the music from around the world, yet, we never think about the culture that they came from. i used to be a person like this. however, being ignorant in this instance was inexcusable for me as i was going to become an english teacher, an ambassador to the world for the children looking up to me. knowing my future role, i wanted to open up my heart to the world and embrace it. reading textbooks and watching movies could never give me a full picture of other cultures, so having heard about global understanding, i picked up my phone and signed up immediately. and since being a student means a constant lack of time and money, for me, global understanding seemed like the most efficient way i had to explore other cultures. the effect it had was above all of my greatest expectations. the first and the most important result of global understanding is the destruction of stereotypes. unfortunately, people sometimes believe what they are told and shown instead of discovering the truth themselves. that is how stereotypes are born. however, once you touch upon the truth you keep wondering why you chose to believe lies. even the easiest and shortest talk with a representative of another culture may give more information about the country and the people than some kind of a documentary or piece of news. global understanding helps people open their eyes and ears, teaches them to see, to hear, to discover and to understand. there are some things that are generally known but not understood, like “never judge a book by its cover”. people know this proverb, but do they truly live it? i do now. global understanding let me have friends from all around the world without even thinking of them as “foreigners”. secondly, the wide scope of the project enabled us to acquire the information not only about such big and well–known countries as the usa but also about those which we do not hear about on tv very often. why have i never heard anything about algeria? because i have never even bothered to ask. all these bits of information that we were getting during our classes encouraged us to learn even more about the country we were engaged in a conversation with as fifty minutes were never enough. once you get a glimpse of the exploring and learning it’s always very difficult to let it go. that is why even outside the university walls i could find myself googling about the black jesus of peru, for instance. moreover, meeting all these young and aspiring people, listening to their stories about themselves and their country which they are proud of cannot but inspire..sometimes i found myself mesmerized by their stories or even their facebook profiles. their open minds and clear visions encouraged me to develop my own. and once one gets inspired it is harder to hold the fire inside. it’s crucial to share one’s ideas and aspirations with as many people as possible. gradually having little victories over myself, i kept noticing that my friends started to look up to me. i felt this fire inside, so did people around me. i do hope, that some of them were able to catch this fire and to go on living with it. http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal june 2015, vol. 5, no. 1, pp. 68-78 http://www.gpejournal.org/ issn 2163-758x 75 the last but not least thing that global understanding brought to my life is the understanding of my own culture. during the project i realized that having lived in russia all my life i did not know a lot about it. it made me research our history and customs which led to the acquisition of a cultural identity. i started to realize that i was the bearer of my own culture as well as the culture of the entire country. that fact imposed a responsibility for preserving and presenting my culture to other people. it also prompted an increased interest in it. finally, i would like to say that global understanding does a great job in blurring the lines between people and cultures, showing everyone that country, nationality, language and religion are just mere formality. we are not so different after all! in pursuit of happiness kenyetta mclaurin east carolina university, usa kenyetta mclaurin is a cinematic arts student at east carolina university in the united states. she enjoys photography and exemplifying her artistic potential through film. kenyetta also inspires to become a world traveler using her love for art to pave the way. she recently had the opportunity to travel to china and hopes that that cultural experience will uplift her creativity and consciousness. the first time i ever told my mother that i was planning on running away, i was five years old with my kindergarten backpack on my shoulder and a grin on my face. as all parents respond when their kids plan to execute a dramatic exit, my mother asked, “where are you going?” without falter and full of confidence i announced, “far, far, away and never to return!” thinking back on this moment, i have always felt inside myself that i was meant for far more than my single stoplight town. i have a craving to travel, to experience, and coming back home has never been an option. this desire led me to the global understanding class in the fall of 2014. i had been anticipating taking this class since i heard of it freshman year, and now two years later, i have finally achieved this stepping stone towards my dream of journeying. in the grand scheme of my career goals, i want to pursue a life of traveling the globe to learn how the cultures of others affect their subjective well-being, or happiness. i can see my research stemming from the structure of society as a whole, continuing on to family structures and how children are raised. i want to learn how different cultures are fostering happy, healthy, and efficient human beings into our world. in order to do this i needed the tools that would allow me to build relationships with those who were from different cultures than myself, and that was exactly what the global understanding class provided for me. http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal june 2015, vol. 5, no. 1, pp. 68-78 http://www.gpejournal.org/ issn 2163-758x 76 my experience in the global understanding course has been an interesting one, and i honestly cannot think of how it could not have been. my class was partnered with baotou teacher’s college and krosno state college. through the course, i was able to interact and share experiences with students from china and poland. i learned the process of building rapport with my partners by asking questions on relatable topics such as popular culture or college life that created a common ground. this enabled us to get comfortable in our present situations and more open about discussing difficult topics that dealt with the meaning of life or our differing political systems. my chinese partner and i had a desire to learn more of one another and we soon realized that we both had similar personalities and viewpoints on life. we both understood the stresses of life and school and i will always remember when she said, “we are friends now, so we must support each other!” understanding this fact enabled all of our conversations to go much smoother and a friendship blossomed quickly. i believe the most useful tool i learned from this program was the difference between an ethnocentric worldview and one that is culturally relativistic. during the course, i became aware of what truly makes up southern american culture and how it reflected into different aspects of my own life. through this, i was able to unlearn my ethnocentric view of my culture. interacting with my partners enabled me to be more eloquent and knowledgeable of my own culture and doing so led me to become understanding of others around me. i became willing to unlearn what i knew so i could grasp the perspective of my partners and develop a culturally relativistic view. this skill boosted my confidence in my ability to speak with others, even in my own community. instead of imposing what i believe to be true on those i do not agree with, i am able to listen and understand. i had become aware of how my stance on a cultural and societal level was not a free one. i was subjected to my society and all its conveniences and lack thereof. as i truly contemplated this concept, i began to unlearn my role and realized that others from all around the world experienced the same fate. it has become an intrinsic part of the human condition. we have all learned our cultures and our societies have influenced us, thus we are all walking the same path but with differing perspectives. this idea allowed me to see where i stood on a global scale with my partners and found a unified truth in us all. we are all experiencing our different perspectives to bring light to one true view of our innate human character. http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal june 2015, vol. 5, no. 1, pp. 68-78 http://www.gpejournal.org/ issn 2163-758x 77 although only 5 essays were selected for publication, all of the students who participated in this contest deserve recognition for submitting such thoughtful essays. congratulations to all! noor abouchahine, modern university of business and science, lebanon aneta adamska, krosno state college, poland alina adylbekova, kyrgyz-turkish manas university, kyrgyzstan hajar usama akl, pharos university of alexandria, egypt haram awan, fatima jinnah women university, pakistan noor chehayeb, modern university of business and science, lebanon qing dong, shaanxi normal university, china isabel espinoza herrera, universidad san ignacio de loyola, peru hanya mohamed sherif ahmed ezzat, pharos university of alexandria, egypt sarah faircloth, east carolina university, usa katelyn fey, east carolina university, usa mariam yasser fouda, pharos university of alexandria, egypt daria galyaminskikh, ural state pedagogical university, russia galina gazizullina, ural state pedagogical university, russia olesya goldina, lomonosov moscow state university, russia maria gorshenina, lomonosov moscow state university, russia miranda h. guardiola, east carolina university, usa saima haroon, fatima jinnah women university, pakistan elizabeth hollers, east carolina university, usa sylwia horowska, krosno state college, poland kong xueling, henan polytechnic university, china veronika kostenko, maritime state university, russia carson a. krainiak, east carolina university, usa cecilia ng ka ling, universiti malaysia terengganu, malaysia liu jingfang, henan polytechnic university, china shiqi liu, shaanxi normal university, china liu wenhua, henan polytechnic university, china youssef tarek hussien kadry mahmoud, pharos university of alexandria, egypt taskeen mansoor, fatima jinnah women university, pakistan kenyetta mclaurin, east carolina university, usa kiril miladinov, university american college skopje, macedonia daniel molina hernandez, universidad de monterrey, mexico ana karenly morales garcía, universidad de monterrey, mexico daniel olecki, east carolina university, usa irina pafnutieva, maritime state university, russia monika piskadło, krosno state college, poland ting poh poh, universiti malaysia terengganu, malaysia daniela romero, universidad del pacifico, ecuador sonia romero pico, universidad del pacifico, ecuador yang shuang, shaanxi normal university, china kyle smith, east carolina university, usa tamara taseva, university american college skopje, macedonia http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal june 2015, vol. 5, no. 1, pp. 68-78 http://www.gpejournal.org/ issn 2163-758x 78 ivanna michelle thenoux araya, universidad mayor, chile brandy thompson, east carolina university, usa alexis white, east carolina university, usa benjamin wigand, east carolina university, usa leah wojciechowski, east carolina university, usa kristin wooten, east carolina university, usa vyacheslav zakharov, maritime state university, russia zhang wen, henan polytechnic university, china yunpeng zhao, shaanxi normal university, china karla angeles zuñiga, universidad san ignacio de loyola, peru http://www.gpejournal.org/ running head: a (free) alternative to studying abroad 111 a (free) alternative to studying abroad: the voluntary social year in germany birgit a. jensen east carolina university, usa author note birgit a. jensen, department of foreign languages and literatures, east carolina university. correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to birgit jensen, east carolina university, department of foreign languages and literatures, mail stop 556, greenville, nc 27858. contact: jensenb@ecu.edu a (free) alternative to studying abroad 112 abstract many american college students cannot afford to study abroad at a time of their life when an immersion experience in a foreign country would benefit them the most. this article discusses the opportunity to live and volunteer in germany or austria on a modest, but adequate monthly stipend through the freiwilliges soziales jahr or voluntary social year. a parallel program called ökologisches freiwilliges jahr, concentrates on ecological volunteering. volunteers can choose from a wide range of possible activities, expanding their international and professional expertise. in addition, these programs represent alternative paths to academic education, offering volunteers 25 weekend seminars per year designed to enrich them intellectually and socially. because germany is experiencing a shortage of volunteers, foreign volunteers are very welcome there. on average, 97,000 young men have spent their time annually in the german military during the last decade of the compulsory draft (2001-2011) with a year of civil service. by 2015, however, fewer than 39,000 volunteers worked in civil service, leaving approximately 58,000 of previously staffed volunteer spots vacant each year. this article outlines how a college graduate may obtain a volunteer position in germany. a (free) alternative to studying abroad 113 a (free) alternative to studying abroad: the voluntary social year in germany many american college students cannot afford to study abroad due to financial or time constraints. yet they are at an age when an immersion experience in a foreign country would benefit them the most: they are flexible and resilient enough to undertake a life-changing adventure; if they have hardly traveled before, this challenge will expand their social and intellectual horizons; their résumé most likely could use the highly desirable boost afforded by an extended international experience prior to entering the job market; and they are not moored yet in mortgages, careers, and/or committed relationships. after graduation, some graduates solve this dilemma of being caught between a lack of money or time during their college years and the desire to see the world by joining the peace corps, rotaract, lions clubs international, united nations volunteers, or kiwanis international. others pay a fee to organizations that connect them to vetted volunteer projects across the globe. this article discusses another option: the opportunity to live and volunteer in germany or austria on a modest, but adequate monthly stipend through the freiwilliges soziales jahr (fsj) or voluntary social year. background of the freiwilliges soziales jahr the fsj was conceived of in 1954 as a time for diaconical service by the two main churches in germany (i.e., the protestant and roman catholic churches). based on its popularity, the voluntary year of service became a governmentally-funded program in 1964. the funding, which is equivalent to the subsidies paid for tuition-free vocational training or university studies in germany, recognizes the fsj as an alternative path to education. as such, volunteers are obligated to participate in 25 educational days per year that usually are organized as five-day seminars. these weeks count toward the twelve months of service and all expenses are fully covered. most of the german federal states or bundesländer have designated meeting facilities https://www.peacecorps.gov/ https://www.rotary.org/en http://www.lionsclubs.org/en/index.php https://www.unv.org/ http://www.kiwanis.org/home a (free) alternative to studying abroad 114 that resemble youth hostels. they may be situated in forests, castles, or fin-de-siècle mansions, on mountains or farms, by lakes or the ocean, and in towns (figure 1). seminarzentrum gut siggen, schleswig-holstein sportund tagungszentrum hachen, hesse bildungsstätte burg bodenstein, thuringia jugendbildungsstätte bad hindeland, bavaria figure 1. sample locations of meeting facilities for the required education days. the seminars are designed to enrich the volunteers intellectually and socially. they establish contact between all the volunteers in a region for mutual support and companionship. their academic topics vary, but may include courses in psychology, pedagogy, or political science. further schooling focuses on psychological health and social justice, such as conflict resolution, gender studies, anthroposophy (i.e., therapeutic education to maximize mental well-being), peace a (free) alternative to studying abroad 115 studies, and yoga. to obtain an impression of the variety of activities and lessons offered in a week-long seminar, visit the website of eos (based in the state of baden-württemberg). program description of the fsj the term “year” is essentially a misnomer, since the fsj can last from 6 to 18 months, depending on the needs of the institution requesting a volunteer. the program is decentralized, meaning that each of the 16 federal states in germany handles it differently. most states, such as baden-württemberg, have established central websites that attempt to list available slots that are often organized by region, type of work, or specific criteria (e.g., a driver’s license is required, etc.). many young germans rely on the ubiquitous means of public transportation to get around and don’t obtain the expensive driver’s license, so this is important information to know prior to applying. any federally certified charitable, social, or public organization can request volunteers and obtain federal funds to pay them without going through a state-sponsored channel. accordingly, the range of possible activities is enormous. volunteers can choose from human rights agencies, schools, daycare programs, neighborhood groups, agricultural co-ops, refugee groups, sports clubs, museums, parks, animal rescue centers, community gardens, theaters, operas, churches, hospitals, nursing homes, cemeteries, libraries, youth programs, archaeological excavations, historic preservation sites, and city, state and federal governments. in keeping with germany’s remarkable focus on environmental protection and alternative energy, a parallel program, called ökologisches freiwilliges jahr, concentrates only on ecological volunteering. volunteers are compensated for their work. currently, the maximum monthly allowance is 381 eur ($425) plus additional funding for room and board if these are not available within the organization’s buildings. in addition, all volunteers are fully insured (i.e., health, dental, https://eos-fsj.de/erlebnispaedagogik-deine-seminare/deine-seminare a (free) alternative to studying abroad 116 accident, unemployment, long-term care, and old age) and receive 20-26 days of paid vacation time and 12 days of paid holidays. they also are provided work clothes and monthly local transportation passes. the workload is 35 hours per week. the fsj is open to anyone aged 18-27, with older volunteers entering the bundesfreiwilligendienst (bfd; federal volunteer service) instead. like the fsj, this program is intended to promote social solidarity through personal involvement; unlike the fsj, it accommodates both employed and non-working (e.g., unemployed or retired) individuals by offering partand full-time shifts. their benefits are similar to those received via the fsj. the application process and preparing for the fsj foreign volunteers are very welcome in germany to participate in the fsj program. but what must a recent graduate do to find a volunteer slot abroad? below are the listed requirements: 1. learn to speak german. although most germans speak english, some germanspeaking skills are highly recommended. there are numerous websites that teach beginning german. the federal language institute offers online courses and even some free resources. many libraries own copies of the rosetta stone learning program. self-motivated learners can study grammar online (e.g., duolingo, parleremo, and babbel) and then connect for speaking practice sessions with likeminded individuals on language-exchange websites (e.g., italki, lingozone, or busuu). 2. compose a german-style lebenslauf which resembles an american resume with some important alterations. german lebensläufe do not state honors, hobbies or a (free) alternative to studying abroad 117 objectives and always sport the applicant’s passport-style photo on the upper left corner. examples and templates can be found here: https://lebenslauf.com/ 3. find several appealing volunteer positions by searching for fsj and identifying the federal state in which you wish to work. 4. send out emails with your lebenslauf attached, introducing yourself and stating your german language skills. be honest about them; you don’t want to arrive to find that you cannot do the job. 5. once an institution accepts you, obtain a passport and the international driving permit (available at an aaa office). many u.s. states have a reciprocity agreement, allowing you to drive with your american license (check here whether your state participates: https://www.german-way.com/for-expats/living-in-germany/germandrivers-license-reciprocity/), but the idp is useful if you get stopped and your police officer is unclear about the rules. 6. open a checking account with a bank that doesn’t charge fees for international atm withdrawals (e.g., bank of america is linked with deutsche bank and waives all fees). this way you can withdraw cash at a deutsche bank atm in the cirrus network as soon as you arrive. the surcharges you save will pay for your first meal there! 7. apply for a credit card that doesn’t charge a currency exchange surcharge for international purchases (e.g., visa card from capital one). 8. join the expat community internations at https://www.internations.org/ for support and practical advice. also, read the tips provided here: https://www.germanway.com/ https://lebenslauf.com/ https://www.german-way.com/for-expats/living-in-germany/german-drivers-license-reciprocity https://www.german-way.com/for-expats/living-in-germany/german-drivers-license-reciprocity https://www.internations.org/ https://www.german-way.com/ https://www.german-way.com/ a (free) alternative to studying abroad 118 9. gather your medical records, especially a list of your vaccinations. you will undergo a medical examination at your place of assignment. 10. in case your family and friends are not so tech-savvy, set them up with a skype account or practice facetiming with them. be sure that your plan allows international roaming. if not or if it’s too expensive, german cell phone plans are cheap and you can use your laptop for skyping. 11. if your organization cannot provide you with housing, you can search for rentals here: http://www.wg-gesucht.de/. your german host will also be able to help you, especially if your volunteer location is in a small town. suggestions for getting acclimated once arriving in germany what happens after you arrive? american citizens can enter germany and stay as tourists for three months without a visa. you will probably land in frankfurt and from there, travel to your assignment. there are two travel options: train or bus. both are clean, efficient, and fast, but the bus will be much cheaper. check with https://www.flixbus.com/ and https://www.bahn.com/en/view/index.shtml for prices. if you buy a train ticket, remember to purchase a seat reservation, too. once you have moved into your residence, you will need to visit some city offices. your employer will provide you with a work contract and proof of health insurance, which you must bring to the ausländeramt (or ausländerbehörde) to obtain an aufenthaltstitel (time-limited residence permit). after that, you will show your passport, aufenthaltstitel, and lease at the einwohnermeldeamt, which may also be called bürgeramt or bürgerbüro. there you will fill out a meldeschein (registration certificate). some people find the bureaucracy in germany burdensome, but these registrations make sure that all people receive the social services they are http://www.wg-gesucht.de/ https://www.flixbus.com/ https://www.bahn.com/en/view/index.shtml a (free) alternative to studying abroad 119 entitled to and that no one is homeless or uninsured. these precautions also lower the crime rate in comparison to the united states. in 2013, for example, there were 682 murders in germany and 15,696 in the us (united nations office on drugs and crime, 2013), which represents rates of 0.85 and 4.88/100,000 inhabitants respectively. because bills and salaries in germany are paid via bank transfers, you will need a bank account. the following website contains some useful information: http://www.movingtoberlin.com/german-bank-account/). while still in the us, open an account at the first bank mentioned: deutsche kreditbank. germany is a social democracy with an enviable quality of life. most people live comfortably, not ostentatiously and there is very little poverty. so, you will not see a large disparity between the “haves” and the “have-nots”. at first, many people will appear distant and even uninterested in you because they are ensconced in private lives. most germans stay right where they were raised. you should actively seek contacts and the more conversant you are in political and social matters, the more interesting your acquaintance will be. the fact alone that you are a fsjler will provide you with credibility and prestige in a society where intellectual proficiency trumps material possessions. to get the most learning out of this once-in-a-lifetime experience, you will need to stretch your mind while there, embracing the uncomfortable feelings of culture shock and accepting that realities are culturally constructed: what you accepted as “normal” in your home nation may be unusual or even unknown somewhere else. and who knows? you may fall in love with the culture and choose to stay on to earn a graduate degree tuition-free there. http://www.movingto-berlin.com/german-bank-account/ http://www.movingto-berlin.com/german-bank-account/ a (free) alternative to studying abroad 120 conclusion in 2015, both the fsj and the bfd boasted nearly 39,000 volunteers, of whom 27,000 served in the voluntary social year. among the older volunteers, the age cohort 51-60 was numerically the strongest, reflecting a trend toward early retirement. another factor that has influenced the number of germans choosing to serve in a voluntary capacity in the past is the recent elimination of the military draft. beginning in 1961, conscientious objectors could choose to render civil services in federally certified institutions instead. this option was chosen annually by an average of 97,000 young men during the last decade of the draft from 2001-2011 (bundesamt für familie, 2011). by 2015, fewer than 39,000 volunteers worked in civil service for society, of whom 27,000 fell into the fsj category (bundesfreiwilligendienst.de, 2015; stemmer, 2009). this means that approximately 58,000 of previously staffed volunteer spots go unfilled each year. germany is experiencing a significant shortage of volunteers with a strong commitment to social justice. therefore, the country not only welcomes civic-minded people from other nations, but also strives to make their service there meaningful and pleasant. my experience affirms this conclusion. i began promoting the fsj opportunity in my college classes only this semester. two of my students applied immediately. each sent out less than a dozen emails to institutions that provide services aligned with their majors or interests, and they received numerous replies. within two weeks, both had secured volunteer positions. one student, who graduated with a degree in psychology and intends to go to medical school after this gap year, will start a one-year position in a psychiatric hospital in berlin. the other student had majored in anthropology and is interested in working as a museum curator; he found a slot in a bicycle museum nestled in the scenic rhön mountains. moreover, both received their paperwork in german and english, were promised intensive support, and could set their starting a (free) alternative to studying abroad 121 dates. the volunteer coordinator in the rhön will personally pick up his american guest from a train station and drive him to the remote resort town. i anticipate that both volunteers will derive as many linguistic and internationalizing benefits from their year abroad as their peers who studied there, but at little cost to them. they will have gained practical work experience. in addition, they will have matured because of their service to others. and that, one can argue, is a reward in itself. a (free) alternative to studying abroad 122 references bundesamt für familie und zivilgesellschaftliche aufgaben (2011). der bundesfreiwilligendienst. statistiken. retrieved from https://www.bundesfreiwilligendienst.de/servicemenue/presse/statistiken.html. bundesfreiwilligendienst.de (2015). 2015: statistik und aktuelle zahlen zum bundesfreiwilligendienst. retrieved from https://www.bundesfreiwilligendienst.de/news/bundesfreiwilligendienst-bfd/zahlen-statistik-2015. stemmer, p. (2009). freiwilligendienste in deutschland – expertise für das wzb. zentrum für zivilgesellschaftliche entwicklung. retrieved from https://www.wzb.eu/sites/default/files/u13/expertise_stemmer-zze.pdf 2009 united nations office on drugs and crime (2013). global study on homicide. retrieved from https://www.unodc.org/gsh/ https://www.bundesfreiwilligendienst.de/servicemenue/presse/statistiken.html https://www.bundes-freiwilligendienst.de/news/bundesfreiwilligendienst-bfd/zahlen-statistik-2015 https://www.bundes-freiwilligendienst.de/news/bundesfreiwilligendienst-bfd/zahlen-statistik-2015 https://www.wzb.eu/sites/default/files/u13/expertise_stemmer-zze.pdf%202009 https://www.unodc.org/gsh/ skilled gambian migrants: how embeddedness theory can explain their decision to stay abroad or leave global partners in education journal – special edition february 2020, vol. 8, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org/ issn 2163-758x 35 skilled gambian migrants: how embeddedness theory can explain their decision to stay abroad or leave amy aidara university of the gambia, serekunda, the gambia abstract background: the aim of this study was to explore why skilled gambians go abroad and why under similar circumstances some return while others do not. methods: 41 skilled gambians both in the gambia and abroad were interviewed about their decisions to stay abroad or not. nvivo software was used to test for associations between home/host country embeddedness and the decision to stay abroad or not. results: most skilled gambians go abroad to pursue education or look for greener pastures, but they all have the financial ability to travel. however, their eventual return is associated with their degree of home/host country embeddedness. those with the highest level of host country embeddedness tend to stay abroad while those with highest level of home embeddedness are more likely to return home. conclusion: when considering strategies to counter skilled gambian migration, the gambian government must consider their degree of home/host country embeddedness to facilitate the eventual return of its skilled people. introduction population mobility is an enduring feature of humankind, which has led to the movement of people across international boundaries. the resulting international migration affects both developed and developing countries. a recent oecd (2015) publication estimated that there were nearly 244 million migrants worldwide in 2015, around 66 percent of whom were living in developed countries and the remaining 34 percent were living in developing countries. the report also acknowledged that there has been a rapid growth in the rate of international migration over the past decade. this rise has been higher for highly skilled migrants who move from developing to developed countries (arslan, et al., 2014; ngoma & ismail, 2013; shah, 2011). while skilled migration has been accelerated by labor shortages in developed countries (watanabe, 1969; ngoma & ismail, 2013), the wage differences and better employment conditions have further encouraged highly skilled workers to migrate to developed countries for employment (ngoma & ismail, 2013; shumba & mawere, 2012; shah, 2011). the general problem is that highly skilled workers are migrating to more developed countries leaving their native countries with fewer skilled workers (ngoma & ismail, 2013; watanabe, 1969). this skilled migration is called “brain drain” and contributes to the human capital deficiency that often characterizes poor developing countries http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition february 2020, vol. 8, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org/ issn 2163-758x 36 (cañibano & woolley, 2015; loubaki, 2012; beine, docquier, & rapoport, 2008). this has been recognized as a phenomenon that impedes human capital development in developing countries (artuc, docquier, özden, & parsons, 2015; cañibano & woolley, 2015; ngoma & ismail, 2013; loubaki, 2012; shah, 2011). the issue of highly skilled migration is a growing concern, even for more developed countries, as their educated young people leave for jobs in wealthier nations – a trend that is likely to persist (iravani, 2011; forstenlechner, 2010; tung & lazarova, 2006). the migration of highly skilled people affects almost all african countries and the case of the gambia is of particular interest as it faces one of the highest levels of brain drain in west africa (gajigo & verdier-chouchane, 2015; unctad, 2012; arslan, et al., 2014). this is especially true among highly qualified gambians as almost two thirds of gambian graduates are living and studying abroad (arslan, et al., 2014; docquier, 2014; ndulu, 2004). that number will likely be increasing as the number of highly skilled gambians abroad tripled in just 10 years (arslan, et al., 2014). earlier research has examined the reasons why people leave their country of origin to move to a new host country (chand, 2008; ngoma & ismail, 2013; cañibano & woolley, 2015). despite there being a lack of economic opportunity and/or political instability, it is worth noting that under similar circumstances some people do not migrate (king, 2012; de haas, 2010; arango, 2004). for instance, the number of gambians graduating in the country has been rising, reaching as high as 3520 in 2016 (utg, 2016) and the gambia’s unemployment rate for graduates remaining in the gambia reached an all-time high of 29.80 percent in 2013, indicating a high unemployability in the country (kasseh, 2018). in light of these shared circumstances, it is intriguing to know why some skilled gambians stay home while others go abroad, and furthermore, why many stay abroad while others return (king, 2012; de haas, 2010; arango, 2004). the purpose of this research is to examine the reasons highly skilled gambian migrants stay abroad or return. therefore, this study addresses the research question: why would some skilled gambians return while others would not? methodology background information on migrants interviewed abroad and back home field interviews provided us with a wealth of empirical data regarding the migration experiences of skilled gambian migrants, both for those staying abroad and those who have returned home. here we provide some background information regarding the participants of this study and the research sites. a short profile is drawn from the migrants who participated in the interviews conducted abroad or online, and the returned migrants who participated in the interviews while in the gambia. the main findings are presented in the next section of the chapter. respondent profile in total, 41 interviews were conducted with 23 migrants and 18 returned migrants. among the migrants interviewed 18 were females and 23 were male (table 1). a high proportion of male migrants were interviewed both abroad and online in the abroad http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition february 2020, vol. 8, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org/ issn 2163-758x 37 round of the interviews. the age of the interviewees varied between 25 and 65 years; half were in their 40s and the majority were married. the education of the respondents ranged from bachelor’s degrees to phds, but most had attained a master’s degree or higher. almost all the participants went abroad to pursue higher education. at the time of the interviews the great majority were employed, some were self-employed and some, however minimal, were unemployed. table 1: characteristics of migrants who participated in the interviews by destination country. sample description (n=41) interview migrant types age gender host country marital status level of education interview location length of stay abroad 1 returnee 35-44 f uk dv bachelor gambia 2 yrs. 2 returnee 25-34 f usa ma bachelor gambia 4 yrs. 3 migrant 25-34 f uk ma bachelor online 3 yrs. 4 migrant 35-44 f norway ma master norway 16 yrs. 5 migrant 35-44 m usa ma master online 19 yrs. 6 returnee 45-54 m uk ma master gambia 7 yrs. 7 returnee 25-34 f usa ma master gambia 8 yrs. 8 migrant 25-34 f usa ma master online 11 yrs. 9 migrant 25-34 m uk ma master online 2.5 yrs. 10 migrant 35-44 f usa ma phd online 11 yrs. 11 returnee 35-44 f uk ma master gambia 4.5 yrs. 12 migrant 35-44 m usa ma master online 16 yrs. 13 returnee 55-65 m sweden ma bachelor gambia 41 yrs. 14 migrant 45-54 f uk dv master online 17 yrs. 15 returnee 45-54 m uk ma master gambia 17 yrs. 16 returnee 35-44 m sweden ma phd gambia 12 yrs. 17 migrant 45-54 f sweden ma master online 32 yrs. 18 migrant 45-54 f norway ma master norway 26 yrs. 19 migrant 35-44 m sweden ma bachelor online 3 yrs. 20 migrant 35-44 m uk ma bachelor online 19 yrs. 21 migrant 25-34 f sweden s bachelor online 5 yrs. http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition february 2020, vol. 8, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org/ issn 2163-758x 38 22 returnee 45-54 m uk ma master gambia 13 yrs. 23 migrant 35-44 m norway ma master online 9 yrs. 24 migrant 25-34 f uk s phd online 28 yrs. 25 migrant 25-34 f usa ma bachelor online 2.6 yrs. 26 returnee 45-54 f usa ma master gambia 16 yrs. 27 migrant 45-54 m uk dv master online 15 yrs. 28 returnee 55-65 m norway ma phd gambia 12 yrs. 29 returnee 55-65 m usa ma master gambia 9 yrs. 30 migrant 35-44 f norway s bachelor norway 17 yrs. 31 returnee 45-54 f uk ma bachelor gambia 30 yrs. 32 migrant 45-54 m norway ma master online 26 yrs. 33 returnee 55-65 m sweden wd master gambia 20 yrs. 34 returnee 55-65 m norway ma master gambia 11 yrs. 35 returnee 25-34 m norway ma master gambia 2 yrs. 36 migrant 35-44 m usa ma master online 14 yrs. 37 migrant 55-65 m norway ma bachelor norway 34 yrs. 38 returnee 45-54 m usa ma phd gambia 18 yrs. 39 returnee 45-54 m usa ma master gambia 11 yrs. 40 migrant 45-54 m sweden ma phd online 28 yrs. 41 migrant 25-34 f sweden ma master online 20 yrs. note. dv: divorced; f: female; m: male; ma: married; s: single; wd: widow. data collection data was collected from march 2017 to september 2017. during the data gathering, the researcher travelled to norway to conduct interviews with migrants staying abroad and then to the gambia for returnees. as for migrants residing in other countries, interviews were done online due to geographical location and associated budgetary constraints. snowball sampling was used to recruit the interview participants from their acquaintances (creswell, 2003). thus, contact with migrants in a particular host country enabled the author to establish connections with other participants who met the highly skilled gambian migrant profile. potential interviewees, referred by the initial participants in each host country, were approached via email or phone. approximately http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition february 2020, vol. 8, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org/ issn 2163-758x 39 45 skilled migrants were contacted, resulting in 41 interviews, a number that lies within the range of previous qualitative studies (saunders, et al., 2018; vasileiou, barnett, thorpe, & young, 2018). twenty-two interviews were conducted face-to-face (norway 4; the gambia 18) and 19 were conducted using online means. the face-to-face interviews took place at various locations according to the preferences of the participants. with the exception of one (acquaintance), the researcher did not know the interviewees beforehand, dates and locations for the face-to-face interviews were fixed via telephone conversations and the participants first met the interviewer during the face-to-face the interviews. as for the online interviewees, the interviewer and interviewee did not meet physically. the interviewees received a detailed explanation of the purpose of the study and its context before the interviews were conducted. twenty-three of the interviewees were staying abroad while 18 had returned to the gambia. table 1 provides further details about the interviewees’ profiles. an interview guide was prepared, and all the interviews were conducted in english. the choice to use english was due to language barriers existing between different dialects in the gambia, which made english the only common language for all parties involved and eliminated the need for translation. the interview was semi-structured, designed to encourage the participants to elucidate their decisions to stay abroad or not using their own words. pilot interviews were performed with the first couple of interviewees who were particularly interested in the topic when contacted. the interviews were recorded with the consent of the participants to enable accurate review and reflection of their experiences regarding the topics covered in the interview guide. according to miles & huberman (1994), the aim of interview guides and probing questions is to allow the respondents to shape their stories. the duration of each interview was between 30-60 minutes. in each case, the interview questions were adjusted to take into account the participants’ personal experiences and their interpretation. findings the findings of this study reveal interesting decision patterns among skilled gambian migrants’ decisions to stay abroad or not. when asked why they would eventually return, the participants were probed about their decision to eventually return home. each of the 23 current migrants gave unique answers to the question which could be divided into two categories: home embeddedness and host country embeddedness. home embeddedness factors such as links (formal or informal connections between a person and people from their home country), fit (the perceived compatibility or comfort with their home country) and sacrifice (the perceived cost in material or psychological benefits that may be forfeited by leaving their home country) embed people to their home country. additionally, career embeddedness and family embeddedness are two sub-categories that also embed migrants to their home country. fit home home is a construct considered by most to be important in a person’s life, and as expected, our study revealed that most interviewees considered fit home as a major http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition february 2020, vol. 8, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org/ issn 2163-758x 40 dimension in their decision to return. they stated that the perceived compatibility or comfort with their home country could make them return. this kind of feeling is described in the following quote: ‘i am a home boy, i don’t like travelling too much and i am not also, i like to believe i do not believe in material life’ (returnee uk, male, 7 years abroad). furthermore, most returnees thought that this sense of compatibility with their home country was what drove them to return. some even stated that despite their being war in the country they would come back, for example: even if there was war in the gambia i would have stayed in the gambia because my mind was fixed. that is how fixated i was to the gambia (returnee uk, male, 17 years abroad). almost all returnees who participated in this study shared views that suggest a high fit home. they asserted that their sense of comfort or compatibility with their home country played a major role in their decision to return. furthermore, it served as a motivator for their continued stay at home and a constraint against any attempt to remigrate. sacrifice home on top of the recognized importance of fit home, skilled gambian migrants’ decisions to return home are also influenced by sacrifice home. these participants argued that their decisions to return home were based on the perceived cost of forfeiting material or psychological benefits when leaving their home country. these costs include leaving a family behind, sending children born abroad back home, living a stressful life abroad and so forth. these sentiments are echoed by one interviewee and the example below is a perfect illustration: i think i would have stayed, i would not have migrated because it is very difficult to live in somebody else’s country and you know migrating i have to leave my kids behind (returnee uk, female, 16 years abroad). contrasting with the reasons that motivate migration, the participants described in detail the perceived benefits they forfeit due their decision to leave their home country. these home sacrifices, which exist in both groups, influenced the decision of most of the returnees in their decision to go back home. family embeddedness skilled gambian migrants pointed out ‘family embeddedness’ as another reason for their decision to return. according to most of the returnees interviewed, the decision to go back home was influenced by their attachment to family remaining in their home country or the need to look after older parents. additionally, some returnees alluded to the importance of raising their offspring in their home country. the next quotation portrays the importance of family embeddedness by a returnee from norway: the return was easy, i was tired of being there {norway} so i just come back home. my return was so simple because i was already married, my wife was here {the http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition february 2020, vol. 8, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org/ issn 2163-758x 41 gambia} and i had one daughter and they were both here {the gambia} (returnee norway, male, 12 years abroad). this sentiment was reverberated by others who went further to state that they prefer to raise their child in the gambia to inculcate in them with their religion as illustrated by a female returnee in the quotation below: you know the different culture and stuff, and the fact that it is very difficult for them to learn the religion when they are in the us it is not as easy as it is over here. i think when migrating, um, you don’t have that control over your kids that you have over here in the gambia than in the us because they have different cultures and peer pressure and things like that (returnee usa, male, 11 years abroad). even though it is widely considered very important, family embeddedness does not necessarily constitute an immediate reason for skilled migrants to return, but it can have strong influence on the decision. in some cases looking after older parents was the motivating trigger to go back home, while in other cases child rearing in the home country was the primary influence prompting return. skilled gambian migrants do not go abroad with the intention to stay forever, they already have a general plan to go back home, but the plan can be expedited when the need to be close to one’s family arises. in summary, our study found that the level of home embeddedness plays an important role in the decision to return by skilled gambian migrants. fit home, sacrifice home, and family embeddedness respectively constitute the main dimensions that push migrants to return home or plan an eventual return. host country embeddedness host country embeddedness refers to all the factors that entrench an individual to his or her host country. concerning the dimensions of host country embeddedness that most influence the decisions of skilled migrants to stay abroad, the participants referred to factors such as links host, sacrifice host, fit host, and family abroad. links host the majority of the interviewees stated that they had formal and non-formal relations connecting them to their host countries. although the returnees also had links in their respective host countries, the migrants who were still living abroad had the tendency to develop more connections encouraging them to continue their sojourn abroad. twenty of the 23 migrants mentioned having links in the host country. these links consisted of family and relatives living abroad as well as connections made during the migration process, at work or during their school days. in fact, these social networks, consisting mostly of family or friends living abroad can be considered factors that consolidate the stay abroad by providing social connections as portrayed in the following quotation: ‘i have family members here and social connections, my high school friends some of them were already here before i came’ (migrant usa, female, 11 years abroad). http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition february 2020, vol. 8, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org/ issn 2163-758x 42 some of the interviewees highlighted the importance of the social networks they have built during their stay abroad, which fostered their stay abroad. these quotations refer to the value of the networks built abroad: the real outcomes are being able to go to school, getting the two degrees that i wanted for myself since i was young, making friends and building a community here for myself that i really value (migrant usa, female, 11 years abroad). the participants also refer to social connections developed abroad as a gateway to their careers abroad. this is illustrated by a female migrant residing in norway: i am a norwegian citizen and everything and i have settled and have my life here so i probably think like even if i decide to move back home, i am still going to be connected to norway (migrant norway, female, 16 years abroad). in summary, the presence of a family and social network in the host country plays an important role in both the decision to migrate as well as the decision to stay abroad or not. such links were also reported by the returnees, who report maintaining relationships made in their former host countries, however the migrants tended to rely more on those networks in fostering their stay abroad. the participants generally recognize the benefits of belonging to such networks in terms of creating links, opening gates for career growth or other personal or development-related issues. the presence of these social networks is not only a pull factor for aspiring migrants but it is also a survival tool that migrants develop and use to integrate into the society of their host country and subsequently stay abroad. sacrifice host the skilled gambian migrants underline sacrifice host as the most important factor influencing their decision to stay abroad. these sacrifices are all the benefits migrants would forfeit if they choose to leave their host country. these sacrifices include social welfare systems, a comfortable life, opportunities abroad (e.g. career options),and so forth. the majority of migrants (17 out of 23) mentioned these sacrifices as the primary factors keeping them abroad. despite their willingness to eventually return home, some migrants refer to the host sacrifices as a constraint on their decision to return; as the next quotation demonstrates: ‘i never wanted to stay in america, i think america they have a way of keeping people here’ (migrant usa, female, 11 years abroad). another host sacrifice identified by the participants is the difficulty of leaving a host country. these difficulties can include factors such as leaving before retirement, giving up the welfare provided to one’s family and a free education. a female migrant puts it as follows: ‘in addition, some go after retirement. but also, because after working here for all these years you will want to secure yourself for the future in terms of insurance’ (migrant norway, male, 34 years abroad). while sacrifice host does not often constitute the sole reason for keeping migrants abroad, it is an important determinant. forfeiting the benefits gained in a host country, like health care and free education in scandinavian countries, is important to consider as the difficulty of securing those benefits at home may be formidable. in migration literature these sacrifices are called pull factors (lee, 1966), but in the expatriation http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition february 2020, vol. 8, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org/ issn 2163-758x 43 literature the embeddedness theory explains these as sacrifices (mitchell, holtom, lee, sablynski, & erez, 2001; tharenou & caulfield, 2010). fit host most skilled gambian migrants mentioned ‘fit host’ as a determiner for their decision to stay abroad. they refer to feeling so compatible with their host country that they prefer it over their home country. most of the migrants (15 out of 23) refer to it as their reason for staying abroad. interestingly, the fit host is higher in women than men. it may be explained by the fact that we have more female migrants than male, or that female migrants feel more comfortable in the host country. the factors advanced by migrants who refer to fit host include professional and personal development, settling down, and liking a host country to name a few. the illustration below describes in detail how fit a female migrant is to her host country: i think i have developed myself professionally and personally i have learned a lot of things that i would not have learned if i had stayed at home. i have met different kinds of people; i have travel to different countries and i have been able to take care of myself (migrant norway, female, 17 years abroad). another male migrant residing in ireland reported that he actually feels like a stranger in the gambia because he has been away for too long. so, he feels he fits better in his host country than the gambia: ‘because if you stay in a country for 15 years, actually i know more about ireland now than in the gambia’ (migrant uk, male, 15 years abroad). to summarize, host fit is the third reason why migrants choose to stay abroad. feeling more comfortable in a host country coupled with having the opportunity to develop oneself are the factors that migrants think made them choose to not return to the gambia and stay abroad which is sometimes referred to as a second home. family abroad family abroad is the final reason influencing migrants’ decisions to stay abroad. while only 2 returnees mentioned having a family abroad, 8 migrants listed family abroad as a reason for staying. additionally, we noted that it is mainly the female migrants who stated family abroad as a reason. five of the 8 female migrants mentioned having a family abroad and this can be explained by the fact that reuniting with family is the main concern when choosing a host country for women. if females migrate to join their family abroad, it is obvious that this would be a reason for their staying abroad as well. this finding goes in tandem with the migration literature, which purports that females migrate generally for family reunion (güngör & tansel, 2014). to this point, this female migrant residing in the uk reported that she has no choice but to stay with her husband which was her reason for migrating in the first place: ‘because i have started having family here, i am married to somebody who is staying so i don´t have a choice but to stay with him’ (migrant uk, female, 3 years abroad). despite the gender disparity, both male and female migrants mentioned having a family abroad as a reason for their choice to stay abroad. they prefer staying with them to leaving them behind, thus their decision to stay abroad. http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition february 2020, vol. 8, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org/ issn 2163-758x 44 in summary, the home embeddedness and the host country embeddedness are two variables used in this study to help us differentiate between the stayers and the leavers. host country embeddedness shows us why some migrants choose to stay abroad whereas home country embeddedness shows why some choose to return home. for the returnees, feeling compatible with the home country, sacrifice home and family embeddedness are the most important considerations when choosing to return home. whereas the migrants living abroad cite having connections in the host country, sacrifice host, and family abroad as their reasons for staying abroad. discussion this study revealed that economic reasons are not the sole factors pulling skilled gambians out of the gambia, other factors significantly influence their decisions to migrate and stay abroad or not. apart from education, the most prevalent reasons for skilled gambians to migrate are financial means to travel, looking for greener pastures, and the presence of a network abroad. the increasing rate of skilled migration is not only stimulated by the gambia's previous lack of universities, but also by the quality of higher education abroad. furthermore, there are other favourable conditions pushing skilled gambians and their families out of the gambia such as ‘tekki’ or the optimism to become successful abroad, the host country attractiveness, and family reunion. after a thorough analysis of the various motives for skilled gambians to go abroad, financial means to travel was the deciding factor for the majority of skilled gambians in our study, whether they had savings that allowed them to go abroad or they got assistance from their immediate family to pay for their trip. this finding is surprising as it contradicts the migration literature which generally considers african migration to be driven by poverty (flahaux & de haas, 2016). although the majority of research on migration cites the importance of a network abroad and the search for greener pastures as the main motives for migration (asiedu & nyarkoh, 2017; mbah, 2017), our empirical findings do not support flahaux & de haas (2016) and the transition theory (zelinsky, 1971) which, assert that african migration is poverty driven. thus, finding that financial means to travel is a significant determinant in skilled migration is relevant because the financial ability to pay for travel and education abroad is a key factor pulling skilled gambians abroad and may even influence their decision to remain and migrate to another country. as for the embeddedness factors, the findings of this research support what tharenou and caufield (2010) stated, that when expatriates are strongly embedded in a host country, they are pulled to remain and consequently have little intent to leave. consequently, the decision to remain in a host country or not, is often dependent on their degree of embeddedness. this perception has implications for the gambia and its skilled migrants because the gambian government has undertaken numerous initiatives to facilitate brain-gain, skills circulation, and to counter the negative effects of brain-drain with the goal of accessing the expertise of skilled gambians in the diaspora. this effort is necessary because, despite the increasing number of skilled migrants, the majority do not return http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition february 2020, vol. 8, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org/ issn 2163-758x 45 home and prefer to live and work abroad. this situation is likely to continue as the country is witnessing the departure of its skilled citizens (kebbeh, 2013). moreover, as discussed in the theoretical framework, the degree of home/host country embeddedness leads skilled gambian migrants to develop a strong enclave, to establish a solid network that influences the ultimate decision to either stay in the host country or return home. thus, recent efforts by the gambian government aim to attract gambians from the diaspora, creating a migration strategy aimed at attracting the return of expertise and facilitating brain gain and skills circulation (gambia diaspora directorate, 2018). this finding has important public policy implications and supports what zanker and altrogge (2017) have suggested that gambian skilled emigrants have an important role to play due to the human capital and financial resources they have gained abroad. it is then clear that skilled gambian migrants’ choices whether to return to the gambia depend on their degree of home/host country embeddedness. furthermore, job opportunities for gambian migrants returning home is one of the recurrent explanations of their decision to return or not. this is portrayed as a combination of elements such as difficulty of finding work in the destination, failure to secure a wellpaying job, hoping to find work at home, attachment to the family left behind, and perceived sacrifices in leaving their host country. this study used a small number of structured interviews with skilled gambian migrants in the united states, the uk, norway, sweden and returnees in the gambia. further research is needed to explore what factors would most influence skilled gambian migrants’ decisions to stay in these four developed countries or return home. for example, the scandinavian countries had the lowest number of returnees, which may be due to the social welfare provided by scandinavian countries. thus, further work is needed to unravel why skilled gambians often decide to 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(1971). the hypothesis of the mobility transition. geographical review, 61(2), 219–249. http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition february 2020, vol. 8, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org/ issn 2163-758x 48 amy aidara, faculty of economics and management, university of porto correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to amy aidara, fep faculdade de economia da universidade do porto, r. dr. roberto frias 464, porto, portugal or university of the gambia, p.o. box 3530, serekunda, the gambia contact: up201401010@fep.up.pt / aajah@utg.edu.gm http://www.gpejournal.org/ mailto:up201401010@fep.up.pt mailto:aajah@utg.edu.gm running head: developing leadership and interaction skills 26 teaching strategies for developing students’ leadership and interaction skills through collaborative learning in intercultural virtual teams lori curtindale east carolina university, usa svetlana g. krylova ural state pedagogical university, russia author note lori m. curtindale, department of psychology, east carolina university svetlana g. krylova, institute of psychology at ural state pedagogical university correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to lori m. curtindale, department of psychology, east carolina university, greenville, nc 27858, usa. contact: curtindalel@ecu.edu developing leadership and interaction skills 27 abstract the purpose of this paper is to discuss strategies for increasing the effectiveness of collaborative learning in virtual intercultural teams of students enrolled in the “global leadership” course at east carolina university (ecu, united states) and ural state pedagogical university (uspu, russia). developing students’ leadership and intercultural skills is one of the learning objectives of the “global leadership” course. these skills are elements of “collaboration competency” – one of the key competencies for sustainability (rieckmann, 2017). for effective development of collaborative competence, it is necessary to take into account socio-psychological factors – small group dynamics and distribution of roles in the team. teaching strategies were developed on the basis of tuckman’s (1965) scheme for group development (forming–storming–norming–performing) and kolb’s (1984) four-stage learning cycle (concrete learning, reflective observation, abstract conceptualization, and active experimentation), taking into account specific learning environments and objectives of the “global leadership” course. practices are described for six teaching strategies: 1) forming teams (based on students' interests); 2) encouraging and supporting interpersonal relationships (for faster passage through the initial stages of team development); 3) providing leadership experience within the team; 4) increasing all team members’ responsibility for group discussions and outcomes; 5) planning teamwork; and 6) reflecting on experiences. keywords: intercultural virtual teams, leadership skills, intercultural interaction skills developing leadership and interaction skills 28 teaching strategies for developing students’ leadership and interaction skills through collaborative learning in intercultural virtual teams introduction the development of students’ knowledge and skills related to the major challenges for humanity remain relevant. the unesco report “education for sustainable development: learning objectives” (2017) states that educational organizations should use approaches that support the development of so-called “sustainability citizens” who have “certain key competencies that allow them to engage constructively and responsibly with today's world” (rieckmann, 2017, p.10). among the key competencies in this report, cognitive competencies aimed at solving problems clearly predominate and include: systems thinking competency, anticipatory competency, critical thinking competency, and integrated problem-solving competency (rieckmann, 2017). because the challenges for humanity are global, productive solutions should include the partnership of people from different cultures. this makes collaboration competency relevant because it covers the abilities necessary for effective work in a group: “the abilities to learn from others; to understand and respect the needs, perspectives and actions of others (empathy); to understand, relate to and be sensitive to others (empathic leadership); to deal with conflicts in a group; and to facilitate collaborative and participatory problem solving” (rieckmann, 2017, p.10). the description of this competence does not explicitly indicate which groups are involved (culturally homogeneous or culturally diverse). however, the broad nature of this competency allows for application at the local, national and international level (rieckmann, 2017). the international level of interaction is most relevant to the present paper because we have collaborated together in teaching the “global leadership” course since february 2014. this involves the participation of students from both the united states (east carolina developing leadership and interaction skills 29 university, ecu) and russia (ural state pedagogical university, uspu). the objectives of our course include: 1) the development of social skills for communicating effectively with international partners; 2) to provide opportunities for practice working collaboratively with local classmates as well as their international partners; 3) the development of leadership skills that students can apply in the future for meaningful and sustainable changes in their environment. leadership skills also correlate with collaboration competency because the leader is one of the team members who uses his or her influence to organize effective collaboration within the group. collaboration competence differs from other competencies because special organizational conditions are required for its development. this competence can be developed only in a group which is unlike competencies related to the development of cognitive abilities. this makes the task of developing collaboration competence more complicated for organizational and socio-psychological reasons. first, the formation of groups consisting of students from different countries requires the resolution of administrative issues by educational institutions. currently, these issues have been successfully addressed by many educational institutions. the global partners in education organization (gpe) is one of the successful examples of international cooperation between approximately 45 institutions in a globalized educational environment involving the participation of 25 countries (“global partners in education (gpe)”, n.d.). thanks to the development of information technologies, the task of forming intercultural groups of students from multiple countries has been made possible in the virtual environment. this also allows for an increased number of students and educational organizations worldwide involved in this intercultural partnership. these technologies are also fairly accessible and often already available at many institutions so that they can participate regardless of economic conditions due to limited financial costs to an institution. secondly, for the successful development of developing leadership and interaction skills 30 collaboration competence it is necessary to take into account the socio-psychological aspects of group learning such as: group dynamics (e.g., group conflicts) and the distribution of group roles. these issues can benefit from further development, despite the fact that the group form of learning has been used for several decades in education (davidson, major, & michaelsen, 2014; springer, stanne, & donovan, 1999; umclrt, 2016). analyzing our experience implementing “global leadership” in previous years, we found several points that require change in the process of collaborative interaction between students. to make these changes clearer, we briefly discuss the organization of the classes in “global leadership”. collaborative classes for the “global leadership” course are typically held during the spring semester (february-april) in the us and russia for approximately 16 class sessions in which students communicated virtually (i.e., videoconference and online chat technologies using irc). they have met twice per week, usually on tuesdays and thursdays. on tuesdays (whole group link), teachers from ecu or uspu give online lectures to both groups of students on various aspects of leadership. on thursdays (team link), students collaborate online in small intercultural teams of three to four people: usually 1-2 uspu students and 2-3 ecu students. each team chooses a global problem (e.g., lack of resources, environmental pollution, restriction of access to education, addictions, etc.) and develops a solution to this problem by applying their leadership skills but also taking the cultural context of each problem into account. the teams then present their projects outlining potential solutions to these problems during the last two virtual meetings. in general, these projects were successfully presented and even with minor logistical issues, we consider this a productive experience in global leadership for our students in both the us and russia. in assessing this collaborative experience between students, we also noticed an issue that could limit the achievement of course objectives and the development of relevant competencies. we identified six situations, mainly related to the organization of the developing leadership and interaction skills 31 educational process, that we believe require organizational changes. for each situation, we have described the essence of the problem, the objective for improving the situation, and the practical actions that we took in “global leadership” during the spring 2018 semester (february-april 2018). these descriptions are grouped into six parts which we labeled “teaching strategies”: 1) forming teams; 2) encouraging and supporting interpersonal relationships; 3) providing leadership experience within the team; 4) increasing all team members’ responsibility for group discussions and outcomes; 5) planning teamwork; and 6) reflecting on experiences. preliminary results of applying these strategies and the difficulties we encountered are discussed below. teaching strategies forming teams problem. in both “global leadership” and “global understanding”, students from partner universities are divided into small virtual teams (e.g. 2-4 students) to work on a collaborative project. when groups of students are formed randomly, students with different interests in the same classroom may be assigned to the same team. in this case, they need more time and effort to choose a common theme for their collaborative projects. this factor can play a significant role when there is limited time to work on collaborative projects. goal. the aim of forming teams was to increase the degree of similarity in students’ interests within the team to facilitate further cooperation. practices. before the first virtual meeting, each student reviewed a list of global problems and chose three (or added his or her own) that he or she considered most relevant (see google-form “project topics selection” –https://goo.gl/forms/tfhxyb8ais8d5wqa3). the list of problems was developed based on collaborative project topics chosen by “global leadership” students in previous years. based on the results, students who identified similar problems were placed into teams. https://goo.gl/forms/tfhxyb8ais8d5wqa3 developing leadership and interaction skills 32 encouraging and supporting interpersonal relationships problem. in the “global leadership” course, three to four students are organized into teams for work on collaborate projects. these teams include the main characteristics of small groups: regularity of interaction over time, interdependence (collaborative work on the project), common identity grounded in shared goals, and structure (determined by various functions that students perform in a team when working on a collaborative project) (jones, 2016). small groups change with time and these changes are described as "small group development". tuckman’s (1965) model for the development of small groups is one of the most popular and cited models. this model includes 4 stages: forming–storming–norming–performing. at the initial stage of the group's development (forming), when the members of the group first meet virtually in class, they usually behave politely, trying to make an impression as a “good” team member which is a desire that is quite natural. the members of the group do not criticize each other's proposals because they do not know how their partners will react to criticism. team members also try to avoid conflicts. however, this approach reduces the productivity of the group because it is impossible to make a good decision without group discussion and constructive criticism. during the initial stage of group development, the focus should be on relationships between team members. to accelerate passage through this stage and help teams become more productive, it is necessary to use tasks that would allow members of the team get to know each other better. these tasks are not necessarily directly related to the team goals but require interaction between group members (oyster, 2000). goal. the aim of encouraging and supporting interpersonal relationships was to provide faster passage through the initial stages of team development due to time limitations for producing the project. practices. the plan for encouraging and supporting interpersonal relationships was implemented through four practices. developing leadership and interaction skills 33 1) we scheduled the first team meeting for acquaintance only. 2) we asked students to bring a personal artifact to represent them (i.e. “show and tell” technique) and to discuss it with their partners. 3) we incorporated questions to motivate students to talk about themselves and discuss their previous experiences in teams. the questions (a-e) given to students for the first team meeting are listed below. a. in which groups did you have experience working together (educational, hobby, sports ...)? b. did you have experience working in a group with a diverse composition (by sex, culture, language)? c. do you prefer working in a group or individually (or does it depend on the specific circumstances? d. what advantages did you personally get when working in a group? e. what difficulties did you encounter when working in a group? 4) we assigned students to write an essay entitled “our team” based on the results of the team discussion after the first team link class. this task was aimed at motivating students to listen more carefully to their partners in the team. sample questions for the essay “our team” a. what kind of teams is your team? (see s&s chapter 9). explain why you have chosen this type of team. b. what experiences do the members of your team have working in groups? c. think about teams that you have worked on and the respective roles of the team members. identify roles of team members of a team that you are on now or for a previous team. developing leadership and interaction skills 34 d. identify your role. are you the idea generator, the person who maintains harmony, the jokester? e. what strengths does your team have that can help you complete a group project? f. what challenges do you expect when working in your team? g. what cultural differences are you already feeling? providing leadership experience within teams problem. one of the main goals of the “global leadership” course is to develop students' leadership skills. this goal is achieved through the process of students studying modern theories of leadership, developing their own theory of leadership, and planning a project to address the global problems based on their leadership possibilities. student interaction in intercultural virtual teams is an appropriate situation for students to gain immediate leadership experience. this situation is useful for developing new skills because the mistakes made when learning do not have serious consequences as in real life. students can try the leadership role in a simple or safe situation and reflect on the difficulties they face performing this role. when planning educational activities to develop students' leadership skills, we relied on the four-stage learning cycle of kolb (1984): 1) concrete experience, 2) reflective observation of the new experience, 3) abstract conceptualization, and 4) active experimentation. goal. the aim of providing leadership experience within teams was to teach students the role of a leader, in accordance with kolb’s (1984) four-stage learning cycle and enable them to gain experience as leaders in small teams. practices. the plan for providing leadership experience within teams was implemented through two practices: 1) it is difficult for students to acquire concrete leadership experiences in a small team without a clear idea of what needs to be accomplished. therefore, we developed a description of developing leadership and interaction skills 35 the role of the leader to help students through the first stage of the kolb’s (1984) learning cycle (figure 1). the description is suitable for groups with at least three members but can be used with small adjustments for a group of two people. once a week, when students worked in teams and one student in each team had the opportunity to perform the role of leader. we assigned students to the role of leader based on the first letter of their last name and alphabetically. students could refuse to perform the role of leader. in that case, the team would work without a leader during that class. students who agreed to perform the role of leader received a description of the leader’s role (figure 1) and the plan we developed for that team meeting. leader’s role description: today you are the leader of your team. this means that you are responsible for the result of your team's work today. your task is to organize the effective work of your team. the role of a leader may include the following: 1. to announce the main points of the plan for today's class (see plan). 2. to ask other members of the team if everything is clear (and to ask from time to time to be sure that everyone understands what is at issue). 3. (optional) to appoint a member of the group who will monitor the time and talk about when to move on to the next item of the plan (this role is checker). 4. (optional) to assign a member of the group who will record the main ideas of the group came as a result of the discussion of the lecture questions (this role is writer). note: you can choose to not assign anyone to these roles, but in this case you should personally perform these functions, because you are responsible for the result. 5. to provide an opportunity for each member of the group to speak out. 6. to make a brief summary after completing each item of the plan. 7. to assign (or select in the process of group discussion) a team member who will briefly present the group's answers to the questions in the next class. 8. after the class, write your impressions of the leader's role (overall assessment of your state, what was successful, what difficulties you encountered) this information will be required for you when writing an essay analyzing your leadership role. figure 1. description of the leader’s role provided to students before virtual team meetings. 2) according to the kolb’s (1984) learning cycle, having a concrete experience should be followed by reflection on that experience. we asked the students to describe their leadership experience. because each student had the opportunity to perform the leader's role in several classes, at the end of the course, we asked students to write the essay "my developing leadership and interaction skills 36 leadership experience" to reflect on their leadership experience throughout the course (see reflecting on experiences). increasing all team members’ responsibility for group discussions and outcomes problem. the “global leadership” course includes weekly lectures aimed at introducing students to the main topics in the study of leadership (i.e., tuesday classes) as well as weekly class meetings in which students work in small virtual teams (i.e., thursday classes). based on our observations from previous years, students do not always use the group's potential for expanding their understanding of the lecture content during subsequent team discussions. they are responsible for producing the collaborative project which is evaluated and graded. however, students may feel less responsibility to discuss lecture material during team discussions, as the discussion is driven only by the individual team characteristics. goal. the aim of increasing all team members’ responsibility for group discussions and outcomes was to promote active team discussion of leadership issues and increase team members’ responsibility for group outcomes. practices. teachers prepared two to five questions based on the content of each lecture for team discussion. these questions were designed to encourage students to analyze their interaction experience and team communication and reflect on the possible application of this experience for their own lives. students received these questions after each lecture. at the beginning of each lecture, all teams presented answers to questions from the previous lecture. planning teamwork problem. teachers of “global leadership” and “global understanding” can agree that every year several students face difficulties in completing collaborative projects on time. this conclusion is supported by the results of a survey completed by students enrolled in “global leadership” in 2016 (7 uspu students and 14 ecu students) and 2017 (6 uspu students and 15 ecu students). two survey questions were related to the collaborative project timeline: developing leadership and interaction skills 37 “when was work on the collaborative project launched?” the response options included: a. almost immediately after we met; b. about in the middle of the period of our interaction; c. shortly before the date of the presentation of projects. in addition, they were asked: “when was work on the collaborative project completed?” the response options included: a. a few days (or earlier) before the date of project presentations; b. on the eve of the date of the presentation of projects; c. we did not have time to finish the entire project to date of project presentations. table 1 shows the number and proportion of responses from students who started and completed the collaborative project “at the last minute”. the results indicate that some students have insufficient time management and planning skills when working on the collaborative project so it is necessary for students to develop better planning skills. some students acquire these skills on their own while others need to be trained in planning their activities. table 1 student responses to questions on the collaborative project timeline academic year “the work on a joint project was launched shortly before the date of the presentation of projects” “the work on the project was completed on the eve of the date of the presentation of projects” spring 2016 (n = 21) 3 (14.29%) 11 (52.38%) spring 2017 (n = 21) 6 (28.57%) 11 (52.38%) table 1 goal. the aim of planning teamwork is to help students organize their collaborative work and complete it on time. practices. as mentioned previously, for successful completion of the first stage of kolb's (1984) learning cycle, it is necessary to create a base for acquiring concrete experience. we provided students with a teamwork plan for each class: 1) define a topic for a group project developing leadership and interaction skills 38 which all members of the team agree with; 2) make a plan for a teamwork on the collaborative project; and 3) make initial powerpoint presentation slides. reflecting on experiences problem. reflection on experience is a necessary stage of the learning process (kolb, 1984). however, students do not always analyze their experience, because the process takes time and effort. goal: the aim of reflecting on experiences is to motivate students to reflect on their experience of interpersonal interaction and leadership in the intercultural team. practices. the plan for reflecting on experiences was implemented through two practices. 1) to facilitate the process of reflection, we included the essays "our team" and "my leadership experience" in the course plan (see encouraging and supporting interpersonal relationships and providing leadership experience within teams teaching strategies). 2) at the end of the semester, students completed a survey to summarize their experiences gained in “global leadership”. the questionnaire included questions grouped into the following sections: 1) general information about team composition; 2) use of computers as a means of communication (cmc); 3) interaction between team members; 4) satisfaction with work within a team; 5) relationships between group members; and 6) social loafing (the extent of participation in the collaborative project). discussion of the results in this section, we briefly consider our preliminary results and difficulties encountered when applying the described teaching strategies. forming teams after students completed the survey on project topics selection, we received a list of three preferences for 12 ecu students and 7 uspu students. we then organized students from developing leadership and interaction skills 39 both universities with at least one matching topic into small teams. this was a complicated task but we were able to create six teams. to assess the effectiveness of this strategy, we considered the question: how many teams have chosen the final theme for the collaborative project that coincides with the initial preferences of the team members? the results in table 2 demonstrate that final topics for five out of six groups coincide with the initial preferences of the team members. table 2. correspondence between final topics of collaborative projects and preliminary preferences of the team members team preliminary preferences coinciding with final project topic final project topics 1 (n = 4) 3 – cultural competence through education 1 – problems in public education cultural competence through education 2 (n = 3) 2 – no overlap with the final topic 1 – replaced another student; did not choose topics gender inequality in the workplace 3 (n = 3) 2 – social media and its growing influence 1 – internet addiction among adolescents social media addiction in adolescence 4 (n = 3) 2 – problems in public education differences in educational opportunity 5 (n = 3) 2 – substance abuse and mental illness substance abuse 6 (n = 3) 2 – problems in public education 1 – cultural competence through education problems in public education table 2 encouraging and supporting interpersonal relationships the effectiveness of this strategy is related to the general issue of changes in teams over time (i.e., small group development) through the process of collaboration. this is beyond the scope of this paper and will be the subject of future research. developing leadership and interaction skills 40 providing leadership experience within the team as described in the teaching strategies section, we asked students to be the leader of their team and with the option to agree or refuse to lead their group. note the cultural differences: proposals by the teacher are considered to be compulsory by russian students, which is due to the peculiarities of the russian mentality. therefore, it is possible that russian students agreed to perform the role of leader more often than the us students. additionally, it was required for all students to perform the role of leader at least once to complete the essay “my leadership experience” for course credit (see reflecting on experiences). increasing all team members’ responsibility for group discussions and outcomes before each lecture, teams presented their perspectives on issues from the previous lecture. we expected that only one student (appointed to the role of speaker) would present. however, almost all members of the team presented their own points of view. we believe that students’ participation is an indicator of their involvement in the teamwork. planning teamwork a challenge we encountered in applying the strategy of planning teamwork was the significant time invested in developing a plan for each class which involved preparing a list of tasks and formulating team goals. the plan was given to the leader of each team before the virtual team meeting to help him or her organize the teamwork and reach the learning goals on time. an indicator of the effectiveness of this strategy is the change in students’ responses to survey questions about the timeline of their work on the collaborative projects. during the 2018 semester, none of the students selected the response “the work on a joint project was launched shortly before the date of the presentation of projects” (figure 2). instead, 44.44% of students answered “almost immediately after we met” and 55.56% responded “about in the middle of the period of our interaction”. responses to the question “when was work on the collaborative project completed?” did not confirm the same trend developing leadership and interaction skills 41 figure 2. the response rate for “the work on the joint project was launched shortly before the date of the presentation of projects” by academic year. (figure 3). this finding requires further investigation into the reasons why students continue to wait until the last minute to finish the project despite our implementation of the planning teamwork strategy. figure 3. the response rate for “the work on the project was completed on the eve of the date of the presentation of projects” by academic year. 14.29 28.57 0 0 10 20 30 2016 2017 2018 p e rc e n ta g e academic year 52.38 52.38 44.44 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 2016 2017 2018 p e rc e n ta g e academic year developing leadership and interaction skills 42 reflecting on experience students completed reflection essays on “our team” and “my leadership experience” as discussed above. they also completed a survey summarizing their experiences. analysis of the content of essays and survey responses is beyond the scope of this paper but will be addressed in the future. conclusion the teaching strategies described in this paper may be of interest to those who organize students’ collaborative virtual learning, including teams with intercultural composition. our data are preliminary, so we do not have a sample large enough to confirm the effectiveness of these strategies. additionally, we continue to search for reliable empirical indicators for each strategy and the data describe only two groups of students – american (ecu) and russian (uspu). future expansion of "global leadership" may result in a more diverse composition of teams. both "global leadership" and "global understanding" provide ample opportunities for studying intercultural cooperation in virtual groups. developing leadership and interaction skills 43 references davidson, n., major, c. h., & michaelsen, l. k. (2014). small-group learning in higher education—cooperative, collaborative, problem-based, and team-based learning: an introduction by the guest editors. journal on excellence in college teaching, 25, 1-6. global partners in education (gpe) (n.d.) retrieved from http://thegpe.org/. jones, r. g. (2016). communication in the real world: an introduction to communication studies. minnesota, us: university of minnesota libraries publishing. kolb, d. a. (1984). experiential learning: experience as the source of learning and development. new jersey, us: prentice-hall. oyster, c. k. (2000). groups: a user's guide. mcgraw-hill. rieckmann, m. (2017). education for sustainable development goals: learning objectives. paris, france: united nations educational, scientific and cultural organization (unesco) publishing. retrieved from http://creativecommons.org/licenses/bysa/3.0/igo/. springer, l., stanne, m. e., & donovan, s. s. (1999). effects of small-group learning on undergraduates in science, mathematics, engineering, and technology: a metaanalysis. review of educational research, 69, 21-51. tuckman, b. w. (1965). developmental sequence in small groups. psychological bulletin, 63, 384-399. university of michigan center for research on learning and teaching (umclrt) (2016). strategies for developing students' group work skills in the laboratory class. retrieved from http://www.crlt.umich.edu/gsis/p7_9. http://thegpe.org/ http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/igo/ http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/igo/ http://www.crlt.umich.edu/gsis/p7_9 i forward this collection of papers was presented at the 11th annual global partners in education conference hosted by han university of applied sciences in nijmegen, netherlands, from may 14–16, 2018. each paper demonstrates fresh and innovative approaches to teaching global understanding and global leadership courses. the first paper is by noureddine mouhadjer (tlemcen university, algeria) which emphasizes the necessity and advantages of “global citizenship education” for all students around the world. he explains the reasons why this should become not only a national but a worldwide goal and pursuit. next, guangwei zhang (shaanxi normal university, china) introduces the completely new idea of introducing the use of virtual simulation (i.e., virtual reality) into the global understanding classroom as a way for students to virtually experience other cultures and the benefits this offers. finally, lori curtindale (east carolina university, usa) and svetlana krylova (ural state pedagogical university, russia) describe interactions between students in their global leadership course and the strategies that they have used to motivate more collaborative learning between students in the virtual environment as well as the associated challenges. these examples of creativity in the classroom indicate that global understanding courses worldwide are a unique source of inspiration for not only students but also instructors. the root of that inspiration might well be coming from the human connections that we make as students and teachers every day that we step into the classroom. heidi luchsinger, phd department of anthropology east carolina university, usa global partners in education journal – special edition february 2020, vol. 8, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org/ issn 2163-758x 66 the terrifying truth behind beautiful fairy tales paulina szot & justyna warchoł krosno state college, krosno, poland abstract children from around the world hear beautiful stories about princesses saved by brave princes. everyone knows disney: it is the world's largest film production company which makes movies for children. many people grew up watching their stories. but did you know that some of these fairy tales are based on real, tragic stories that happened to real people? how are the characters of children around the world shaped when they watch movies about weak princesses who need protection? we think it is really important to talk about this because such stories exist all over the world, and they promote stereotypes which children from every continent and virtually every culture learn. children from all around the world hear beautiful stories about princesses saved by brave princes (e.g. sleeping beauty) and tough princes ruling their countries (e.g. cinderella). one of the most famous companies that work in this field is walt disney. they ranked no. 53 in the 2019 fortune 500 – an annual list of 500 largest us corporations published by fortune magazine. but did you know that some of these fairy tales are based on tragic histories that happened to real people? how are the characters of children around the world shaped when they watch movies about weak princesses who need protection and princes who do not show any emotions beside bravery? in this article, to make our point clearer, we focused on the story of pocahontas and cinderella. according to linda rodriguez mcrobbie (2013) many little girls are obsessed with princesses. in 2000 disney decided to make dolls which looked exactly the same as the characters from the movies. they had one primary characteristic: a princess title. princesses are now the biggest industry for the preteens. in 2012 disney princesses were the bestselling products among toys for kids in north america. they generated more than $4.6 billion worldwide. this is one part of the “princess industrial complex.” it is everything related to princesses that is being sold to kids. peggy orenstein, author of “cinderella ate my daughter,” is worried that princesses represent unrealistic expectations of beauty and are turning kids into narcissists (mcrobbie, 2013). things like intelligence are not even mentioned in most of those stories. pocahontas’ real name was amonute. matoaka was her other, more private name, which means „white feather.” pocahontas was only her nickname and it means „spoiled child”. she was born around 1596 and she was her father’s favourite child. his name was powhatan and he was the chief of more than 30 tribes (mansky, 2017). she first met john smith when he came to virginia in 1607. he was 27 years old at that time and she was around 10 years old. this was when pocahontas and john first met. in december 1506 john was caught by pocahontas’ brother and brought to powhatan. indians caught him http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition february 2020, vol. 8, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org/ issn 2163-758x 67 when he was trying to talk to them. he was supposed to be killed, but pocahontas protected him with her own body. debate still continues whether he was really supposed to be killed since this fact was mentioned in john’s diary. some studies say that it may have been a ceremony that only the indians knew. pocahontas was calling him her brother and powhatan was calling him his son. in 1608 john’s people were starving to death and the indians were not giving them as much food as they used to. there was a drought, so food was hard to find for everyone. later that year john and some of his people went to powhatan to have a talk about their relationship and how they could improve it. in january 1609 pocahontas, who was still seeing the colonials against her father’s wish, warned them about her father who was going to kill them the next time they come to his village. john’s life was saved by pocahontas again (kupperman, 2019). one of the most important events of this story is the kidnapping of pocahontas by samuel argall, the successor of john smith. it happened during the first anglo-powhatan war. samuel tried to exchange pocahontas for all the prisoners powhatan was keeping in his village, but the girl’s father did not fulfil samuel’s wish. while being kidnapped pocahontas learned english and was baptised. her new, christian name was rebecca. in april 1614 she married a man named john rolfe. in 1616 pocahontas sailed to england with her husband and her newborn son. because of her ethnicity, she was very popular in london and was soon called „the indian princess.” a lot of people wanted to meet her, including the royal family. she died in 1617 in london. to date there has been little agreement on what have killed her. some scientists think it may have been a european sickness and as she was from north america her immune system was unable to fight it. as far as the second character relevant to our considerations is concerned, the story of cinderella was as follows. the father of francoise d'aubigne was a poor nobleman, who was sent to prison for debt. probably his wife, genevieve pietre, gave birth a girl in niort prison on 27 november 1635 because she wanted to stay with her husband. this is why the child had been raised by the relatives on the father’s side. she was quite happy there and spent seven years with her aunt. after leaving constant, her parents decided that they would move to the west indies. then things just went from bad to worse for the d'aubigne family. the marriage broke up, her father died, and francoise had to come back to france and live with her godmother. paradoxically, it was in the godmother's family in which she experienced "cinderella" humiliation – heavy and degrading work, she was wearing old rags. she was constantly reminded that she should be grateful for the protection of madame de neuillant. after the death of her mother, francoise married the disabled artist paul scarron on 4 april 1652. he was 25 years older than the girl, but this marriage gave her more than just escape from her aunt’s family. scarron had his own salon where an extremely varied group of people was received. she learnt how to preside over it and how to flirt with the male part of the guests. it is said that they did not consume their wedlock. she said that she had preferred to marry paul rather than a convent. this marriage did not last very long as the poet scarron was already a middle-aged man. when he died, francoise was 25 years old and beautiful. she had a friend: the marquise de montespan who became the king’s mistress. when she got pregnant, she asked francoise if she wanted to take care of the child of king louis xiv. mrs scarron agreed, and her power became more significant than it was before. she was taking care of three children of the king and montespan when their father decided to legalize them in 1673. francoise and her pupils had to move to the royal residence. the king fell in http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition february 2020, vol. 8, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org/ issn 2163-758x 68 love with her. gradually, he gave her more and more attention and gifts: the title of madame de maintenon, lands and power. after the queen’s death, she became the most important woman in his life. he secretly married francoise in 1683. shortly after that madame de maintenon began to teach at the chateau de noisy which was located near versailles. in 1686 she began to teach at a school called saint cyr that she and the king had founded. madame de maintenon ran this institution which educated two hundred daughters of the poor nobility from the area. it is worth noting that the slipper played a small role in her life. this part of “cinderella’s story” is surprising because her shoes were not made of glass. formerly french ladies wore slippers for which squirrel pelts were used. such a material was called vair, which sounds pretty similar to verre, which means glass in english (kerziouk, 2015). parents often are not aware of the true stories behind each one of fairy tales. it is one of the problems, however, not most important. certain behaviours are shown in these fairy tales, which might not be dangerous at first glance. nevertheless, after a closer look at fairy tales’ structures, their characters and plots, it can be established that their impact on children is huge. in this work, some of the studies have been collected to understand the development of the children when they were raised in disney movies. to determine the effects of tales, the authors of the study entitled “pretty as a princess” (2016) examined a group of 198 children. within this group, only 4% of girls had never watched a disney film, meanwhile, only 87% of boys had watched a disney film. those who had watched it, were asked how often they played with dolls. what is surprising is that 61% of girls and only 4% of boys played with dolls. these results provide further support for the hypothesis that boys are not affected by the femininity as far as girls are (coyne; linder; rasmussen; nelson; birkbeck, 2016). in response to the question: “what kind of patterns of behaviour are given to children through disney movies?” a range of responses was elicited. firstly, both genders were shown quite stereotypically. men tend to be strong and heroic, cannot show any weakness or emotions. one kind of prince's model show is “handsome princes,” which is unfair, and the second one is “dashing heroes' who need to take a journey to become a true man after 'the fall from grace.'” a great example of a former prince is eric in ‘the little mermaid,’ the latter illustration is aladdin in ‘aladdin.’ on the other hand, princesses have to be girly and elegant. they present a specific image of the appearance (e.g. long and natural hair, skinny figure) and the behaviour (delicate gestures and body language). the most interesting finding was that there are not many studies which have examined the role of men in disney movies. it is also worth mentioning that in the majority of stories princesses cannot protect themselves and have to wait for the rescue by a prince. without this point, the plot is impossible to continue. this has a rather strong impact on children: it sends a message that risk and strength should be left for men to solve. women are passive in action and cannot decide for themselves. 'snow white' or 'sleeping beauty' constitute good models of this storyline (hine; england; lopreore; horgan; hartwell, 2018). returning to the question posed at the beginning of this study, it is now possible to state that tales mostly show us a false reality. the findings suggest that disney's princesses were slim, charming, and rather passive in action. nevertheless, we need to remember when these cartoons were made ('cinderella': 1950 or 'snow-white': 1937). the subject of gender equality was not discussed in the past: the world was feminine or masculine. courage, strength, and self-confidence were assigned to men. sensitivity, tenderness, and modesty http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition february 2020, vol. 8, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org/ issn 2163-758x 69 were assigned to women. sarah m. coyne suggests that parents should talk to kids about behaviours, which were shown in all these stories, and explain to them that those are not some kind of models they have to follow. the kid is more than a 'princess' or a 'prince'. the message which should be sent is “you’re so smart, you worked so hard, your body can do great things!” (adams, 2016). taken together, these results suggest that we should take more care of the media that children are consuming. references adams, b. (2016, june 16). disney princesses: not brave enough. brigham young university. https://news.byu.edu/news/disney-princesses-not-brave-enough coyne, s. m., linder, j. r., rasmussen, e. e., nelson, d. a., & birkbeck, v. (2016). pretty as a princess: longitudinal effects of engagement with disney princesses on gender stereotypes, body esteem, and prosocial behavior in children. child development, 87(6), 1909–1925. https://doi.org/10.1111/cdev.12569 fortune magazine. ranking of brands from 2019. https://fortune.com/fortune500/search/?name=disney hine, b., england, d., lopreore, k., horgan, e.s., & hartwell l. (2018). the rise of the androgynous princess: examining representations of gender in prince and princess characters of disney movies released 2009–2016. social sciences, 7(12), 245; https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci7120245 history.com editors. (2018, august 21). pocahontas. history (tv channel) https://www.history.com/topics/native-american-history/pocahontas kerziouk, o. (2015, november 27). a tale of two françoises: madame de maintenon. the british library. https://blogs.bl.uk/european/2015/11/a-tale-of-two-fran%c3%a7oisesmadame-de-maintenon-1635-1719.html# kupperman, k. o. (2019, march 12). the full story of pocahontas is rarely told. here’s what we’re missing. time. https://time.com/5548379/pocahontas-real-meaning/ mansky, j. (2017, march 23). the true story of pocahontas. smithsonian magazine. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/true-story-pocahontas-180962649/ mcrobbie, l. r. (2013) . princesses behaving badly. random house lcc us. http://www.gpejournal.org/ https://news.byu.edu/news/disney-princesses-not-brave-enough https://doi.org/10.1111/cdev.12569 https://fortune.com/fortune500/search/?name=disney https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci7120245 https://www.history.com/topics/native-american-history/pocahontas https://blogs.bl.uk/european/2015/11/a-tale-of-two-françoises-madame-de-maintenon-1635-1719.html https://blogs.bl.uk/european/2015/11/a-tale-of-two-françoises-madame-de-maintenon-1635-1719.html https://blogs.bl.uk/european/2015/11/a-tale-of-two-françoises-madame-de-maintenon-1635-1719.html https://blogs.bl.uk/european/2015/11/a-tale-of-two-françoises-madame-de-maintenon-1635-1719.html https://time.com/5548379/pocahontas-real-meaning/ https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/true-story-pocahontas-180962649/ global partners in education journal – special edition february 2020, vol. 8, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org/ issn 2163-758x 70 paulina szot is in her second year studying english philology at krosno state college in poland. despite the fact that she has been living in poland my whole life she has always been interested in other cultures and languages. that was one of the reasons why she decided to study english. beside english she is also learning how to speak spanish, german and russian. languages are paulina’s passion. her goal is to be fluent in as many languages as possible. additionally, paulina is interested in social matters such as racism or traditional gender roles and many others. email: paulinasaraszot@gmail.com justyna warchoł was born and raised in a small village in south-eastern poland. currently, she is attending krosno state college and studying english philology. her love for this language increases every day. after finishing her studies, justyna wants to be a teacher. she adores learning the history of great britain and her favourite period is the wars of the roses. she is also a great coffee and tea enthusiast. in her free time, she writes her own stories, which discuss issues related to feminism, politics and human affections. nowadays she is working on her first fantasy series and one day, with a little luck, she hopes to publish her works and will start a writing career. email: justynawarchol.010717@gmail.com http://www.gpejournal.org/ mailto:paulinasaraszot@gmail.com mailto:justynawarchol.010717@gmail.com global partners in education journal – special edition february 2021, vol. 9, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 17 nutritional deficiencies among adolescents: challenges for healthcare system adeela rehman fatima jinnah women university, the mall, rawalpindi, pakistan abstract the individual’s behavior, education and knowledge about nutrition are important factors to be considered in healthy living. the study aimed to explore gender differences in awareness about nutritional deficiencies among university students. six public and private universities of twin cities (rawalpindi and islamabad) were selected to collect data through a formal questionnaire survey. the research covered issues related to the awareness of well-being and health risks, perception and attitude towards health and nutrition, prevalence and knowledge about nutritional food and healthy lifestyle. the data was analyzed by using different statistical tests and the results of the study demonstrated a significant difference between male and female students regarding the awareness and knowledge of well-being and health risks behavior. the findings of the study indicated that female students have more awareness of health-related matters like nutritional value of food, perception of their physical social health status, avoiding health risk behavior and adopting healthy lifestyle for enhanced wellbeing. although female students do not have breakfast and generally go to university with empty stomachs, which adversely affects their health as well as diminish their activities, they are more aware of the foods which are more nutritious and better for health. on the other hand, male students are involved in some risky health behaviors such as smoking and dietary irregularities. the male students were more frequently involved in health risk behavior like smoking, drinking, eating out etc. it has been recommended from the study that comprehensive health educational programs should be incorporated into educational institutions to promote optimistic health seeking behavior among students. introduction nutrition is defined as the way the body processes and uses the essence of nutrients that the body needs for growth, repair and preservation of cells. carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals and fats are the essential nutrients for a healthy body (alters & schiff, 2011). one of the simplest and most effective ways of improving health is to follow an adequate diet that satisfies the nutritional needs and a good supply of fresh clean water. proper food high in nutrients is important for physically and mentally healthy living. http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition february 2021, vol. 9, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 18 health and nutrition problems are the effect of unsatisfactory food intake, severe and repeated infections or the combination of the two, and are closely connected with inadequate health service and unhealthy environment. in pakistan, there is a significant difference in the economic status, lifestyle and nutrition between urban and rural populations, and between male and female children. the study conducted by anwar & awan (2003) comparing the nutritional status of rural and urban school children in faisalabad district indicated that girls are often neglected by their families regarding health status as food of higher quality is given to male children. the reason for malnourishment of female family members in both urban and rural areas is illiteracy and poverty: girls are given less food than boys and families spend less money on girls' healthcare. hospital records show that more boys than girls are brought in for treatment, while girls are usually admitted only when an illness has become critical. gender differences exist in the preferences of eating places. the study by driskell, meckna & scales (2006) indicates that male students show a decided preference for eating lunch at fast food places as compared to female students. at fast food places mostly males prefer to take burgers and carbonated drinks, which do not have such nutritional values that are required for their health. the research by tirodimos et al (2009) conducted on nutritional and health habits of university students in thessaloniki, the second largest city in greece, provides further insights into the differences. the purpose of the study was to assess the eating habits and some health-related behaviors. the analysis of the data collected from 300 students indicates that the percentage of female students’ awareness of health practices and nutritional eating habits was higher than the percentage of male students: 66.7% and 61.8%, respectively. another research, conducted by yahia et al (2008) on eating habits of lebanese university students, indicates that female students show better and healthier eating habits than male students. 53.3 % of female students have a proper breakfast daily as compared to 52.1% of male students. boys consume significantly more products from the grain and meat groups than girls. while the average daily intake of fiber and micronutrients is significantly low for both boys and girls, there are significant gender differences in nutrient intake, with boys consuming greater energy, protein, carbohydrate, calcium, iron, phosphorus, and sodium than girls (galloway, 2007). the research conducted by liebman et al (2003) into gender differences in selected dietary intakes and eating behaviors in rural communities of wyoming, montana, and idaho indicates that women report higher intakes of fruits, vegetables (except for potatoes), and high-fiber cereals, but lower intakes of milk and sweetened beverages such as soft drinks in comparison with d men. the result of the study showed that the diets of female respondents were more nutrient and likely to be higher in dietary fiber. women were generally seen to prefer food http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition february 2021, vol. 9, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 19 prepared at home, with low fat and sufficient protein level. the overall gender differences in dietary intakes and eating behaviors were consistent among both male and female respondents of the study. another research conducted by deshpande et al (2009) highlighted poor eating habits young generation because of taking more independent eating decisions. by doing so they do not focus on the timing, quality and type of food they are choosing, ignoring the nutritional requirements of the body. method objectives of the study:  to find out gender differences in nutritional awareness and eating habits among university students.  to explore the choices of nutritional food among students. research design in order to find out gender differences in health seeking behavior among university students in the twin cities, the present research applies quantitative approach. tool the semi structured questionnaire was developed for the purpose of this research. the questionnaire was based on open-ended, close-ended, matrix as well as contingency questions. the questionnaire was filled by the students of different public and private universities in rawalpindi and islamabad. language of instrument instruction the questionnaire was prepared in the english language because the students can understand english very well. research locale the study area for this research was public and private universities in rawalpindi and islamabad. http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition february 2021, vol. 9, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 20 sample size four hundred students were selected as respondents of the study. the overall sample consisted of 175 males and 225 females. sampling technique this research was based on a probability as well as non-probability sampling technique. the universities were selected randomly and then sampled proportionately. the desired number of students was established using a convenient sampling technique, the study was conducted on the specified sample group. results table 1: demographics characteristics of the respondents sex age group frequency percentage male 18-20 52 30 21-23 88 50 24-26 31 18 27-30 4 2 female 18-20 55 25 21-23 132 59 24-26 33 14 27-30 5 2 education male bachelors 72 41 masters 103 59 above masters 0 0 female bachelors 148 66 masters 66 29 above masters 11 6 marital status male single 164 94 married 11 6 female single 215 96 married 10 4 family system male nuclear 145 64 joint 74 33 extended 6 3 female nuclear 73 42 joint 92 53 extended 10 5 http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition february 2021, vol. 9, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 21 the above table indicates that 30% of the males belong to the 18to-20-age group as compared to 25% of the females, while 50% of the male are between 21-23 years old as compared to 59% of the females. it further indicated that 18% of the males are aged 24-26 and 14% of the females belong to this age category, while 2% of both males and females are aged 27-30. the table also indicates that 41% of the male respondents have education up to the bachelor level as compared to 66% of the females, while 59% of male respondent have a master degree as compared to 29% of the females. only 5% of the female respondents have higher degrees than master. regarding the marital status of the respondents, it is indicated that 94% of the male respondents were unmarried as compared to 96% of the females. 64% of the males belong to nuclear families as compared to 42% of female respondents belonging to the same type of family. table 2: eating timing of the respondents by gender with relation to their level of education sex education level hungry % (f) when free % (f) any time % (f) proper time % (f) total % (f) male bachelor 35(25) 30(22) 19(14) 15(11) (72) master 34(35) 14(15) 24(25) 27(28) (103) above master 0 0 0 0 0 total female bachelor 42(62) 15(22) 24(36) 19(28) (148) master 62(41) 7(5) 15(10) 15(10) (66) above master 9(1) 37(5) 54(6) (11) total chi-square: 8.72 (m), 25.348 (f) df: 3 (m), 6(f) significance level (sl): 0.041 (m), 0.000(f) lambda:0.099 standard error: .026 t value: .3.959 sl: .000 the above table indicates that 35% of the males having education up to the bachelor level take their food when they are hungry while the rest of the male students take food when they have free time or at any time. whereas 62% of the female students having master education take food when hungry and the rest of the female students take food at proper times, in their free time or at any time. the chi-square value indicates an insignificant difference between eating times of both male and female respondents. http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition february 2021, vol. 9, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 22 table 3: level of education and eating timings among students. sex education level hungry % (f) when free % (f) any time % (f) proper time % (f) total % (f) male bachelor 35(25) 30(22) 19(14) 15(11) (72) masters 34(35) 14(15) 24(25) 27(28) (103) above masters 0 0 0 0 0 female bachelor 42(62) 15(22) 24(36) 19(28) (148) masters 62(41) 7(5) 15(10) 15(10) (66) above masters 9(1) 37(5) 54(6) (11) chi-square: 8.72 (m), 25.348 (f) df: 3 (m), 6(f) significance level (sl): 0.041 (m), 0.000(f) lambda:0.099 standard error: .026 t value: .3.959 sl: .000 table 4: gender differences in prevalence of overeating among students (n=400) respondents overeating yes no total male female total 56(99) 51 (122) 55 (221) 43(76) 45(103) 45(179) 44(175) 56(225) 100(400) chi-square: .220 df: 1 significance level (sl): 0.063 lambda:0.000 standard error: .009 t value: .633 sl:.527 the table indicates gender differences in the habit of overeating among university students. the chi-square value shows an insignificant difference among male and female students regarding overeating, with both and male and female respondents having the habit of overeating. table 5: gender differences in causes of overeating among students respondents reasons of overeating passions excitement stress anxiety lack of time management study pressure total male female total 21(37) 14 (31) 25(68) 22 (39) 30 (67) 39(106) 6(11) 7(16) 10(27) 7(12) 4(10) 8(22) 4(8) 2(6) 6(14) 7(13) 9(20) 12(33) 44(120) 56(150) 100(270) chi-square: .220 df: 1 significance level (sl): 0.053 the results indicate that the majority of both male and female students overeat due to excitement in terms of their activities, achievements or other event. the chi-square http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition february 2021, vol. 9, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 23 values indicate significant differences between the male and female reasons for overeating. table 6: habit of intake of proper breakfast among students by gender respondents take proper breakfast yes no total male female total 66(115) 47 (106) 55 (221) 34(60) 53(119) 45(179) 44(175) 56(225) 100(400) chi-square: 13.77 df: 1 significance level (sl): 0.000 lambda: the table indicates that 66% of the male respondents have a proper breakfast, whereas 53 % of the female do not have a proper breakfast. the chi-square value indicates a significant difference between male and female breakfast intakes. table 7: food choices of the respondents by gender food group sex n mean sd fruit & vegetables male 175 5.06 1.61 female 225 5.29 1.86 dairy products male 175 16.58 5.27 female 225 16.22 4.55 t value -1.35 df: 398 significance level (sl): 0.005 the mean of male and female students choosing the food groups points at some differences between their foods choices. the test value also indicates differences at 0.005 level of significance. discussion the findings of the study indicate that a difference exists between health seeking behavior of male and female university students. the results of the study point out that the majority of the students belong to the age group of 21-23 and are unmarried. most of the students are at their master level of education having different socioeconomic backgrounds. the results of the study indicate that 60% of the female students prefer to take their food at home while a smaller number of the male students take their food at home. the remaining proportion of male and female respondents sometimes take their food at the university café, fast food places or other restaurant. http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition february 2021, vol. 9, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 24 after gaining information about the nutritional value of the food, the researcher asked questions related to sources of vitamins. the answers indicated that the majority of the female respondents fulfill their vitamin requirements by food, whereas some of the females and the majority of the males take vitamin tablets and/or supplements. the difference between the sources of vitamin intakes used by the two gender groups may be caused by the lack of nutritional awareness among male respondents, as females tend to be more conscious about their health issues and aware of the importance of proper nutrition practices. this observation can be supported by the research into gender differences in wellbeing conducted by babu, balakrishnan & ramani (2007) in south india, which indicates that females are more nutrition conscious than males. another research by stock et al. (2001) indicates that female students have more knowledge and better intake of nutritional foods than male students. the results of that study show that almost one-quarter of respondents (35.6% females and 19.8% males: p< 0.001) take a keen interest in healthy nutritional food and related programs. further the present study show that a higher percentage of males overeat due to some passion, excitement, physical hard work, depression and work pressure. females may have better management skills to cope with these problems, which leads to less prevalent overeating among them. the data also suggests that the female intake of a proper breakfast is lower than the male intake of breakfast. females do not have breakfast due to their habits and sometimes a lack of time in the morning, which may exert a negative effect on their health. their performance at university can be weak due to their empty stomachs since they had their last meal the previous night. this also leads to a nutritional deficiency among women. conclusion the results of the investigation show that there is a difference between nutritional knowledge, nutritional deficiencies and eating habits of male and female university students. although females do not eat a proper breakfast, they have more knowledge about nutritional food than male students. the findings of the study also suggest that despite their preferences for fulfilling nutritional requirements from natural sources, females show nutritional deficiencies resulting from not taking the required amount and quality of food on time. the deficiencies do not only affect their own health, but also increase the burden for the healthcare system, due to the accelerating number of diseases. http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition february 2021, vol. 9, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 25 in order to reduce the burden that falls on the healthcare delivery system, it is recommended that health education programs should be incorporated into the curricula of educational institutions at all levels. nutrition should be a long-term national goal and not a short-term political one. references alters, s., & schiff, w. (2011). essential concepts for healthy living update. jones & bartlett learning. anwer, i., & awan, j. a. (2003). nutritional status comparison of rural with urban school children in faisalabad district, pakistan. rural remote health. jan-jun 2003, 3(1), 130. pmid: 15877486. babu, r., balakrishnan, r., & ramani, r. (2007). gender differences in u.s.h.a well being among irulas of nilgiris district, tamil nadu, south india. in batra, p., malhorta, s., & yadava, a. (eds). health psychology, delhi: commonwealth publishers. deshpande, s., basil, m. d., & basil, d. z. (2009). factors influencing healthy eating habits among college students: an application of the health belief model. health marketing quarterly, 26(2), 145-164. driskell, j. a., meckna, b. r., & scales, n. e. (2006). differences exist in the eating habits of university men and women at fast-food restaurants. nutrition research, 26(10), 524-530. galloway, t. (2007). gender differences in growth and nutrition in a sample of rural ontario schoolchildren. american journal of human biology: the official journal of the human biology association, 19(6), 774-788. liebman, m., propst, k., moore, s. a., pelican, s., holmes, b., wardlaw, m. k., ... & dunnagan, t. (2003). gender differences in selected dietary intakes and eating behaviors in rural communities in wyoming, montana, and idaho. nutrition research, 23(8), 991-1002. stock, c., wille, l., & krämer, a. (2001). gender-specific health behaviors of german university students predict the interest in campus health promotion. health promotion international, 16(2), 145-154. tirodimos, i., georgouvia, i., savvala, t. n., karanika, e., & noukari, d. (2009). healthy lifestyle habits among greek university students: differences by sex and faculty of study. emhj-eastern mediterranean health journal, 15(3), 722-728. yahia, n., achkar, a., abdallah, a., & rizk, s. (2008). eating habits and obesity among lebanese university students. nutrition journal, 7(1), 32-39. http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition february 2021, vol. 9, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 26 author note dr. adeela rehman, phd in sociology from international islamic university, malaysia, master in gender studies from fatima jinnah women university, rawalpindi. currently working as assistant professor at department of sociology, fatima jinnah women university, pakistan. in recognition of her teaching excellence in research in the field of gender and sociology she has awarded numerous national and international awards one of them is “rosina c. chia teaching of excellence award 2015” presented by global partners in education usa on 12th day of may 2015. she worked at the university of texas, austin usa as visiting faculty in 2013 for one semester. her research areas are; medical/health sociology, culture and gender issues on which she has presented at a number of national and international conferences and seminars as presenter and as guest speaker in the usa, malaysia, china, singapore, thailand, indonesia and turkey. being a gender expert and a medical sociologist, she is interested in studying women’s health issues and problems with reference to the healthcare system of pakistan. she also received a number of awards for her professional activities and always volunteers for various academic and non-academic activities. member of various social and research oriented national and international associations. http://www.gpejournal.org/ action research proposal template.docx global partners in education journal – special edition december 2015, vol. 5, no. 2, pp. 77-91 http://www.gpejournal.org/ issn 2163-758x 77 the effect of teacher-mediated vocabulary discussions during read alouds leanne r. radabaugh elizabeth a. swaggerty east carolina university abstract this action research study utilized a quasi-experimental pre-/post-test design to examine effect of teacher-mediated vocabulary discussions during read alouds. fourteen second grade students participated in teacher-led discussions of new vocabulary in the context of the text and their lives. they discussed examples, non-examples, and synonyms for the targeted vocabulary. fifteen comparison group students were incidentally exposed to the words during read alouds. data sources included a pre/posttest multiple choice vocabulary assessment, open-ended vocabulary assessment, and researcher log. the intervention group’s mean gain vocabulary scores were significantly higher than the comparison group’s scores which ultimately have a positive impact on their reading comprehension indicating success of the intervention. furthermore, the intervention showed positive results for students regardless of assessed reading ability levels. keywords: vocabulary achievement, read alouds, discussion, elementary, grade two introduction limited vocabulary hampers students’ reading comprehension, particularly those students characterized by low socioeconomic status (ses). many low ses students enter school woefully behind their more advantaged peers; by the end of second grade, a gap of up to 2000 words (roughly equal to two grade levels) may exist. in the absence of quality vocabulary instruction in the primary grades, students entering fourth grade will likely experience difficulties with reading comprehension due to their lack of word knowledge (biemiller & boote, 2006). beck and mckeown (2006) promote the use of trade books (books with narrative and informational content as opposed to text books) as rich sources for new vocabulary and conversations about words to enhance word knowledge. thus, teacher-mediated vocabulary discussions during classroom read alouds (sharing a book with a group or whole class by reading it aloud) is a practice that may prove useful in helping primary school students build more robust vocabularies, thus enhancing their reading http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition december 2015, vol. 5, no. 2, pp. 77-91 http://www.gpejournal.org/ issn 2163-758x 78 comprehension. the purpose of this paper is to present the results of a teacher action research study that examined the following question: “how is vocabulary acquisition impacted when second grade students participate in teacher-mediated vocabulary discussions during read alouds?” literature review much research exists supporting the practice of teaching vocabulary to primary school students through teacher read alouds. beck and mckeown (2007) assert that read alouds are effective in building more advanced vocabulary in elementary school children because books that are typically read aloud in classrooms “present more complex structures and more advanced vocabulary” (p. 252) than books that are within the independent reading levels of these students. furthermore, according to kindle (2014), read aloud books that are above the independent reading levels of primary grade students can be useful in filling in vocabulary gaps because they expose students to “book language, which is rich in unusual words and descriptive language” (p. 202). therefore, read alouds are ripe opportunities to help primary school students acquire new vocabulary. within the read aloud format, repeated readings of the same text have been found to be effective for vocabulary acquisition because they help students gain a more thorough understanding of word meanings (biemiller & boote, 2006; blacowicz & fisher, 2011). likewise, kindle (2014) asserts that repeated readings help students because they support the movement of word knowledge from fast mapping to extended mapping. in fast mapping, students typically understand “only a general sense of the word” (p.203), but through repeated exposures (i.e., discussions in and out of the context of a book) to the new word, a definition can be “revised and refined to reflect new information” (p. 203) that leads to a more complete understanding of the new word (extended mapping) research has also been conducted to determine how many readings of a text result in optimal vocabulary acquisition. brabham and lynch-brown (2002) found that three consecutive days of the same read aloud was effective in producing gains in vocabulary knowledge among first and third grade students. biemiller and boote (2006) found that four readings produced the most vocabulary knowledge for kindergarten and first grade students, but the researchers cautioned that four readings might become tedious for second graders. another finding from research on vocabulary acquisition points to the importance of direct teaching. according to mixan (2013), even though much vocabulary growth occurs in children incidentally, incidental learning cannot be the only way that teachers expect students to acquire new vocabulary. students need to learn new words in the context of reading, but that they also need to make connections with words and have repeated exposures to them in and out of context (blachowicz & fisher, 2011; harris, golinkoff & hirsh-pasek, 2010; kucan, 2012; mixan, 2013). http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition december 2015, vol. 5, no. 2, pp. 77-91 http://www.gpejournal.org/ issn 2163-758x 79 teacher and student interactions and discussions of vocabulary are more effective than students simply passively listening to teachers read (kindle, 2014; beck & mckeown, 2007). beck and mckeown (2007) studied a method that they termed text talk, in which teachers and students engaged in discussions of new words in and out of the context of the read aloud. the teacher also gave students a simple definition of the new words. this is a method that kindle (2014) terms adult mediated instruction in which teachers “weave in questions and comments as they read, creating conversation between the children, the text and the teacher” (p. 203). research by harris et al. (2010) further supports that dialogic teaching characterized by teachers questioning and prompting of students to expand on their responses results in increased vocabulary acquisition. lastly, research reveals the importance of purposeful selection of appropriate words for study. beck and mckeown (2007) assert that words are grouped into three tiers, and that teachers should target words in tier two for direct instruction. tier two words are the words that students are “likely to encounter in many texts, but are unlikely to be exposed to in everyday contexts” (p. 363). they are typically more sophisticated words for concepts that students already understand. for example, most primary school students understand the word “shy.” however, they may not have been exposed to such words as “timid” or “bashful.” as they grow as readers, though, they are likely to encounter those words. in summary, students can show gains in vocabulary knowledge through read aloud instruction when teachers facilitate interactive discussions of the targeted vocabulary before, during and after the read aloud. this allows students to discuss the new word in the context of the reading as well as in other contexts. to enhance students’ understanding of the new words and to help them internalize the meanings, multiple readings (i.e., up to three or four depending on age) of the same text are necessary. furthermore, to maximize the utility of the words being taught, teachers must ensure that words being studied can be classified as tier two words. methodology this action research study employed a quasi-experimental pretest-posttest comparison group design. see figure 1 for a description of the research variables and data collected. the independent variable consisted of the type of vocabulary instruction to which students were exposed and was characterized by two levels: 1) teacher-mediated vocabulary discussion during whole class read alouds and 2) incidental vocabulary acquisition (i.e., comparison group). students in the intervention group experienced teacher-mediated vocabulary discussions within whole group teacher read alouds. for example, one of the words studied was gleaming. on day one, students were asked to only define and discuss how the word was used in the context of the book. on day two students were asked to think about how the word gleaming could be used in the context of their lives. they shared with each other and then shared with the whole group. they talked about the sun gleaming off the playground equipment or stars gleaming in the night sky. on the third day of the intervention, students were asked to generate examples and non-examples of gleaming. the sun was an example of gleaming and a shadow was a non-example. http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition december 2015, vol. 5, no. 2, pp. 77-91 http://www.gpejournal.org/ issn 2163-758x 80 students in the comparison group experienced incidental acquisition, though whole group read alouds with the same books, but without discussions of the targeted vocabulary. the dependent variable, vocabulary acquisition, was operationally defined as the score on a multiple-choice assessment and a vocabulary self-assessment. the researcherdeveloped multiple-choice assessment of the targeted vocabulary required students to choose the correct definition from among four choices (appendix b). the researcherdeveloped vocabulary self-assessment required students to produce a definition, an example and a non-example of each targeted word. additionally, they rated their confidence with word meanings, examples, and non-examples. independent variable: type of vocabulary instruction intervention group: teachermediated vocabulary discussions comparison group: incidental acquisition dependent variable: vocabulary acquisition 1. multiple choice assessment of word knowledge 2. open ended vocabulary test 3. researcher log observations 1. multiple choice assessment of word knowledge (the open ended vocabulary test was not administered to the comparison group because it assessed skills, generating examples, non-examples and synonyms, that were specifically taught to the experimental group as part of the intervention.) figure 1: variables and data sources participants and setting this action research study was conducted at a rural kindergarten through fifth grade school that served approximately 485 students in southeastern north carolina. approximately 60 percent of the school population was caucasian, 20 percent was african american, and 20 percent was hispanic. this school is a title i school, which means that more than 40% of its students receive free or reduced price lunch. this qualifies this school as low ses. at the time of data collection, the school appeared on the list of focus schools published by the north carolina department of public instruction (2012). a focus school has achievement gaps between in school sub-groups that are larger than the state’s average achievement gaps. there were 14 second grade students in the experimental classroom. students’ middle of the year dibels next composite scores ranged from 123 365 (table 1). according to dynamic measurement group, inc. (2010), to be considered on grade level, a second grade student should have a middle of the year composite score of at least 190 according to the total reading comprehension (trc) assessment in reading 3d, these students’ http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition december 2015, vol. 5, no. 2, pp. 77-91 http://www.gpejournal.org/ issn 2163-758x 81 guided reading instructional levels ranged from level e to level n. to be considered on grade level, a second grade student should have a middle of the year trc level of l. there were 15 students in the comparison classroom. students’ middle of the year dibels next composite scores ranged from 47 407. according to the total reading comprehension (trc) assessment in reading 3d, students’ guided reading instructional levels ranged from level e to level s. table 1. groups assessed ability score ranges classroom dibels next composite scores total reading comprehension assessment in reading 3d levels group 1 (experimental classroom) 123-365 e-n group 2 (comparison classroom) 47-407 e-s the researcher for this project has twenty years of teaching experience, a bachelor’s of arts in english education, and is certified to teach english language arts in grades six through twelve. for the last three years, she has served as a reading interventionist and is the district parent engagement coordinator. she was not the teacher of record for either the experimental or the comparison group. mrs. johnson (pseudonyms used throughout for classroom teacher and students) was the teacher of record for the experimental group. she had 11 years of teaching experience and this was her first year teaching second grade. mrs. louis was the teacher of record for the comparison group. she had 20 years of teaching experience and this was her second year teaching second grade. intervention the teaching intervention occurred three consecutive days per week for six weeks. each week’s discussion focused on words selected from one trade book that was read to the class. each week highlighted a different book, for a total of six books during the intervention. the amount and type of discussion varied from days one through three; however, all days ‘discussions lasted between twenty and twenty-five minutes. kucan’s (2012) guidelines for choosing tier two words were utilized to select targeted vocabulary words. this research focused on words that primary school students do not ordinarily use, words to which they can form a connection, and words they are likely to see again in other contexts and contents (i.e. science or social studies textbooks). harris et al. (2010) found that children more effectively acquire new vocabulary if words to be learned are grouped into integrated categories (i.e. words that convey feelings, words that are adjectives), so care was taken to assure that students were able to see how the new words were connected to each other. a list of the books that were read and words that were targeted in each book can be found in appendix a. on the first day of each week, the text was read aloud and students participated in discussion of three targeted vocabulary words within the context of the book. as recommended by harris et al. (2010), they were provided with a student friendly definition and then listened for the words as the text was read aloud. the teacher then engaged http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition december 2015, vol. 5, no. 2, pp. 77-91 http://www.gpejournal.org/ issn 2163-758x 82 the students in a discussion of how the definition was used in the context of the text. at the close of the read aloud on day one, students were asked to review the target vocabulary words and how they were used in the book. on the second day of each week, the text was read again and discussion focused on connections between targeted vocabulary and students’ lives (as proposed by fisher & frey, 2012; harris et al., 2010). the third day was characterized by discussion of the targeted vocabulary words beyond the text and students. they made connections to words and generated examples, nonexamples, and synonyms (as suggested by blachowicz & fisher, 2011; harris, golinkoff & hirsh-pasek, 2010; kucan, 2012; mixan, 2013). this information was recorded on a three column chart (see figure 2) and was posted in the room throughout the duration of the six week intervention as kucan (2012) recommends. targeted word examples non-examples synonyms figure 2: three column chart data sources and analysis three sources of data were collected for this study: a multiple-choice vocabulary test, an open-ended vocabulary assessment, and a researcher log in which the researcher recorded observations and reflections for the duration of the intervention. students in both groups were given the multiple choice vocabulary assessment before and after the intervention (see appendix b). an independent sample t-test was used to determine the difference in the mean gain scores. an open-ended vocabulary assessment, modified from fisher and frey (2012), was administered to intervention group students (see appendix c). students generated definitions, examples, and non-examples of the targeted words. they also rated their confidence in their responses between zero and three (with three being the most confident and zero being the least). the open-ended vocabulary assessment scores were computed separately for each task and a mean gain pre-assessment and post-assessment score was calculated. lastly, observations and reflections were recorded in a researcher log and analyzed for observed trends in learning behaviors. the researcher log was printed and reviewed to develop codes (i.e. behaviors related to student engagement, behaviors that demonstrated the instructional validity of repeated readings) related to the research question. codes were then collapsed and themes identified. themes noted for discussion included observed attitudes toward the read aloud activities, enthusiasm for word study, enthusiasm for discussing words in and out of the context of the books, and student difficulty with producing non-examples during class discussions. http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition december 2015, vol. 5, no. 2, pp. 77-91 http://www.gpejournal.org/ issn 2163-758x 83 findings and results at the close of this study, the results from the multiple choice pre-and post-vocabulary assessment were compared. the experimental group (n = 14) demonstrated a mean gain of nine words. the comparison group (n = 15) demonstrated a mean gain of 3.93 words (see figure 3). figure 3: pre and post assessment mean scores an independent-samples t-test revealed a significant difference in the mean change scores for teacher-mediated vocabulary discussions (m = 9, sd = 2) and the incidental exposure (m = 3.93, sd = 3.06) conditions; t = 5.24, p = .00001. because the p value is less than .05, the gains can be attributed to the intervention (teacher-mediated vocabulary instruction). these results suggest that teacher-mediated vocabulary discussions positively impact vocabulary acquisition more than incidental acquisition (see table 2). table 2 independent samples t-test of vocabulary acquisition based on pre and post test mean se t-value df two-tailed p pre/post assessment 5.07 0.097 5.24 27 0.00001 multiple choice assessment: p < .05 indicates statistical significance the open-ended vocabulary assessment components were computed separately for each task. all mean scores increased from pre to post test (see figure 4). for the task of 0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 pre test mean post test mean pre and post mean scores: multiple choice assessment experimental group comparison group http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition december 2015, vol. 5, no. 2, pp. 77-91 http://www.gpejournal.org/ issn 2163-758x 84 producing a definition, students in the experimental group had a mean score (m = 2.92) on the pre-assessment and a mean score (m= 8.08) on the post-assessment. for the task of producing an example, students in the experimental group had a mean score (m = 0.92) on the pre-assessment and a mean score (m = 4) on the post-assessment. for the task of producing a non-example, students in the experimental group had a mean score (m = 0.23) on the pre-assessment and a mean score (m = 2.92) on the postassessment. for the task of assigning a confidence rating, students in the experimental group had a mean score (m = 18.85) on this pre-assessment and a mean score (m = 23.23) (see table 3) on the post-assessment. pre post definition task 2.92 8.08 example task 0.92 4 non-example task 0.23 2.92 confidence rating 18.85 23.23 figure 4: experimental group open ended pre and post-intervention mean scores of the 226 correct responses given by the experimental group, 110 (49 %) were correctly identified words from the first three weeks of the intervention, and 116 (51%) were correctly identified words from the second three weeks. scores from the open ended definition task were analyzed in the same fashion. of the 117 correct responses produced for the definition task on the open ended vocabulary test, 58 (49.6 %) were correctly defined words from the first three weeks of the intervention, and 59 (50.6%) were correctly defined words from the second three weeks. these results suggest that new vocabulary knowledge was evenly retained over the course of the six week intervention. pre-assessment and post-assessment gain scores on the multiple choice assessment were computed separately from students in the following trc (total reading comprehension) groups: above proficient, proficient, below proficient and far below proficient. these scores were grouped and a mean gain for each group was computed (see figure 5). students in the above proficient group showed a mean gain (m = 10); students in the proficient group showed a mean gain (m = 10); students in the below proficient group showed a mean gain (m = 8), and students in the far below proficient group showed a mean gain (m = 9). this data suggests that the intervention proved effective for students across all ability levels. http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition december 2015, vol. 5, no. 2, pp. 77-91 http://www.gpejournal.org/ issn 2163-758x 85 figure 5: mean gains by trc level on multiple choice assessment the researcher log was analyzed and coded for themes related to the research question. the most widely coded theme centered on student engagement during all phases of the intervention. of the 18 entries that were made during the course of the instructional intervention, the words “engaged,” “enjoyed,” “enthusiasm,” and “eager” appeared at least once in 15 of the entries. entries made on the first day of the intervention each week all included language indicative of engagement. for example, it was noted that “students were very engaged in the reading” or that “students have a natural curiosity about words.” even though the second day of the intervention each week was the second reading of the same book, students expressed their love for the books and their excitement about participating in the read aloud. for example, “students gasped and raised their hands” in anticipation of the targeted word’s appearance in the text. day three of the intervention was characterized by discussions of the words that generated examples, non-examples and synonyms of the words. although engagement was only coded on three of the six days, on the days that it was coded, engagement was high: “students were very eager to participate, and get a little miffed at me because i can’t call on everyone every time.” the next theme is related to the researcher’s realization of the value of repeated readings. for example, on the first reading of watch your tongue, cecily beasley, it was noted that students were so engaged with the story that they were “not as in tune to the targeted words.” this prompted the notation that “two readings of the book are certainly necessary.” it was also noted during the last week of the intervention that on the second reading of the book, students were “more in tune for the words…because they are familiar with the story, and they know how and when the words are going to be used. they are anticipating their mention.” another less frequently coded theme was related to discussion serving as a source of clarification for students. harris et al. (2010) cite that discussions of new words that include questioning and prompting lead to increased understanding. during the fifth week of the intervention it was noted that the researcher did not understand an example that a student was sharing, and so the student was asked to further clarify her example. once the student had to explain her thoughts, it became clear that the student did understand the meaning of the word being discussed. during the second week of the intervention, it was noted “talking about the words out of the context of the book really demonstrates 0 20 pre test mean post test mean experimental group mean gains by reading level above grade level grade level below grade level far below grade level http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition december 2015, vol. 5, no. 2, pp. 77-91 http://www.gpejournal.org/ issn 2163-758x 86 whether or not they have a firm grasp on the meaning” and that “applying the word outside the book lends to a deeper understanding.” the last theme was related to students’ difficulties with producing non-examples of the targeted vocabulary words. this frustration was noted in six out of the six entries that were made on the third day of the intervention. students would often offer up ideas that were unrelated instead of non-examples. for example, “soap” and “couch” were volunteered as non-examples of tenacious because they were all items that could be stopped. it was noted though, that the students could more easily identify non-examples of words if definitions were more concrete. discussion and conclusions this action research study investigated the research question: “what is the effect of teacher-mediated vocabulary discussion during classroom read aloud activities on the vocabulary acquisition of second grade students?” in addition to the statistically significant gains the intervention group made in terms of vocabulary achievement, students exposed to the intervention were also able to retain the words from the first week of the six week intervention equally as well as the words that were targeted in the last week of the intervention. moreover, there was very little difference in the mean gains of students across assessed reading levels. beck and mckeown (2007) and kindle (2014) established that read aloud activities are appropriate opportunities for teaching tier two vocabulary to primary school students because of the quality of the language that is used in trade books. each picture book used in this action research study was found in the children’s section of a bookstore, chosen purposefully because the quality of language that was presented in these books afforded second graders the opportunity to learn words such as tenacious, gleaming, and dreadful. these words would be less likely to occur in the books these students are reading independently as researchers have concluded. biemiller and boote (2006), as well as blacowicz and fisher (2011) found that repeated exposures to the same texts help students gain a more in depth knowledge of new vocabulary. this action research utilized two readings of the same text to stimulate discussion of the words and how they were used in the text, and how those same words could be used in contexts outside of the texts. students involved in this study demonstrated not only retention of these new vocabulary words, but also, through discussion, an ability to apply these new words to contexts outside of the reading. this action research study design utilized two consecutive readings of the same text as recommended by biemiller and boote (2006). qualitative data demonstrated that students still experienced a high level of engagement on the second reading of the text, and quantitative data analysis supported the fact that this study had a positive impact on the vocabulary acquisition of the students included in the intervention. http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition december 2015, vol. 5, no. 2, pp. 77-91 http://www.gpejournal.org/ issn 2163-758x 87 kindle (2014), beck and mckeown (2007), and harris et al. (2010) demonstrated the effectiveness of direct teaching of vocabulary through teacher and student discussions borne out of targeted vocabulary encountered during read aloud activities. furthermore, research supports that students need multiple exposures to new words in varying contexts (blachowicz & fisher, 2011; kucan, 2012; mixan, 2013) so that they may construct a deeper understanding of the words. this action research study built upon these findings. both the experimental group and the comparison group were introduced to the words on day one of the read aloud. students in the experimental group participated in three days of discussions centered on those targeted words in and out of the context of the book. students in the comparison group, who were to acquire this new vocabulary incidentally, were not permitted to discuss the words with the teacher or each other during or after the read aloud activity. the data collected in this study demonstrates that student teacher discussions contribute to vocabulary growth. students in the experimental group showed almost twice as much gain in vocabulary knowledge as the students in the comparison group, and the gains were consistent regardless of student ability level, and regardless of whether the words were targeted in the early or late weeks of the study. limitations one limitation of teacher action research is generalizability. findings are not generalizable and should be considered in light of individual teaching contexts. further limitations include the small sample size, the six-week duration of the intervention, and the fact that the researcher was not the teacher of record for the class, and, therefore, had limited access to the research subjects outside of the intervention time. implications for educators the results of this action research study demonstrate that effective vocabulary study can be successfully integrated into the read aloud portion of the daily literacy block in the early elementary grades. this study illuminates the importance of thoughtful selection of tier-2 words for study. these are the words that students are likely to encounter throughout their schooling years and are typically more sophisticated words for concepts that students already know. targeting this tier of words for discussion will be beneficial to students as they learn to become better readers, writers and communicators. additionally, making strategic book choices could maximize vocabulary learning. most importantly, primary readers benefit from repeated exposure to words and discussions about words before, during, and after read alouds. teachers should be supported in how to incorporate vocabulary discussions into their read alouds. supported by current research, the intervention design utilized in this study is a relatively simple addition to the already present read aloud portion of the balanced literacy blocks most teachers facilitate and requires as little as 20 minutes a day for three days a week. with proper training and support, even novice teachers could successfully execute this method to optimize vocabulary knowledge. http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition december 2015, vol. 5, no. 2, pp. 77-91 http://www.gpejournal.org/ issn 2163-758x 88 references beck, i. l. & mckeown, m. g. (2007). increasing young low-income children’s oral vocabulary repertoires through rich and focused instruction. the elementary school journal, 107(3), 251-271. doi:10.1086/511706 biemiller, a. & boote, c. (2006). an effective method for building meaning vocabulary in primary grades. journal of educational psychology, 98(1), 44-62. doi:10.1037/00220663.98.1.44 blachowicz, c.l.z. & fisher, p.j. (2011). best practice in vocabulary instruction revisited. in l.b. gambrell & l.m. morrow (eds.), best practices in literacy instruction [kindle dx version]. brabham, e. g., lynch-brown, c. (2002). effects of teachers’ reading-aloud styles on vocabulary acquisition and comprehension of students in the early elementary grades. journal of educational psychology, 94(3), 465-473. doi:10.1037//00220663.94.3.465 dynamic measurement group, inc. (2010). dibels next benchmark goals and composite score. retrieved from https://dibels.uoregon.edu/docs/dibelsnextformerbenchmarkgoals.pdf fisher, d. & frey, n. (2012). improving adolescent literacy (3rd ed.). boston, ma: pearson. fredericks, j.a., blumenfeld, p.c., & paris, a.h. (2004). school engagement: potential of the concept, state of the evidence. review of educational research, 74(1), 59109. harris, j., golinkoff, r.m., & hirsh-pasek, k. (2010). lessons from the crib for the classroom: how children really learn vocabulary. in s.b. neumann & d.k. dickinson (eds.) handbook of early literacy research (pp. 49-66). ny: guilford press. kindle, k. (2009). vocabulary development during read-alouds: primary practices. the reading teacher, 63(3), 202-211. doi: 10.1598/rt.63.3.3 kucan, l. (2012). what is most important to know about vocabulary? the reading teacher, 65(6), 360-366. doi: 10.1002/trtr.01054 mixan, m. (2013). in-depth study of vocabulary development. reading improvement, 50(3), 118-120. north carolina department of public instruction (2012). focus schools list [data file]. retrieved from http://www.ncpublicschools.org/program-monitoring/esea/focus/ http://www.gpejournal.org/ https://dibels.uoregon.edu/docs/dibelsnextformerbenchmarkgoals.pdf http://www.ncpublicschools.org/program-monitoring/esea/focus/ global partners in education journal – special edition december 2015, vol. 5, no. 2, pp. 77-91 http://www.gpejournal.org/ issn 2163-758x 89 appendix a book citation target vocabulary andrede, g. & parker-reese, g. (1999). giraffes can’t dance. new york, ny: orchard books. elegant (adj.) slim (adj.) crept (verb) applegate, k. (2014). ivan: the remarkable true story of the shopping mall gorilla. boston, ma: clarion books. clever (adj.) gleaming (adj.) damp (adj.) cronin, d. (2000). click, clack, moo: cows that can type. new york, ny: simon and schuster books. impatient (adj.) furious (adj.) demand (verb) fredrickson, l. (2012). watch your tongue, cecily beasley. new york, ny: sterling children’s books. content (adj.) dreadful (adj.) tenacious (adj.) karas, g. b. (2014). as an oak tree grows. new york, ny: penguin. perched (verb) wilted (verb) conserved (verb) mckee, d. (2013). elmer and the whales. london: anderson press. muttered (verb) chuckled (verb) drifted (verb) http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition december 2015, vol. 5, no. 2, pp. 77-91 http://www.gpejournal.org/ issn 2163-758x 90 appendix b http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition december 2015, vol. 5, no. 2, pp. 77-91 http://www.gpejournal.org/ issn 2163-758x 91 appendix c vocabulary self-assessment word definition example nonexample rating 0 1 2 3 0 1 2 3 0 1 2 3 0 1 2 3 0 1 2 3 0 1 2 3 0 1 2 3 0 1 2 3 0 1 2 3 http://www.gpejournal.org/ 1 global partners in education journal 10 2 editorial update global partners in education journal – special edition december 2022, vol. 10, no. 2 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 1 introduction to the 7th global issues conference special edition anna łobodzińska, global understanding instructor and guest editor carpathian state college, krosno, poland 7th global issues conference took place in april 2022 and as usual students at gpe member institutions could share their research with international audience during thematic sessions. global issues conference takes place online and this year the session included: • education • environment • food security and supply chain • gender • globalisation and international politics • intercultural interactions • media and business • physical and mental health global issues conference (gic) is organized by east carolina university, usa and carpathian state college, poland on behalf of global partners in education. presenters come from 14 partner institutions in 11 countries. after the conference, the organizing committee selects some presentations to be published in global partners in education journal. this year fifteen presentations were selected and the final eleven met all the requirements and are published and presented to wider audience. from the field of education: 1. “freedom of expression of judges in their academic research” by valentina díaz pizarro from universidad mayor, chile this academic research focuses on how to keep the balance between the freedom of expression and judicial independence and reflects on the situation in chile. 2. “english language curriculum in north macedonia” by bisera dalcheska taleska and marjana vaneva from university american college skopje, north macedonia this paper presents a detailed analysis of research conducted by the authors in order to find the factors that are essential in learning a foreign language. there are diagrams and charts showing their findings as well as some recommendations for the future. environmental issues were presented through: global partners in education journal – special edition december 2022, vol. 10, no. 2 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 2 3. “the humanities' role in solving climate change through fictional narratives” by nasreddine el guezar from mohammed i university, morocco the author shows us how much impact and influence scientific writing may have on readers’ attitude towards the environment. we can learn that even humanities can contribute to the environmental discussion and ecocriticism can be used to interpret literary text in reference to environmental issues. food security and supply chain session included the presentation on: 4. “tackling the insufficient food supply in the sufficient chinese hot-pot chain restaurant industry a summer project” by mohan huo, jie peng, ke wu, linxuan zhang, and yiao liu from xi’an jiaotong-liverpool university, china this paper shows us ways of improving the food supply chain in order to support business development. the research was done to find ways in cost reduction and labour and at the same time keeping the quality standards. in the session entitled gender there was the following presentation: 5. “moroccan women on the market: working towards united nations’ sustainable development goals” by douae serraf from mohamed i university, morocco we are introduced to the situation of moroccan women who want to enter the marketplace and are faced with a number of issues and ways of discrimination. there are many examples that show us what the situation is and how it has been changing due to some regulations, such as sustainable development goals (sdgs) – the global project implemented by united nations in 2015. those who attended the session about globalisation and international politics could hear the presentation: 6. “love thy neighbors: countering the growing impatience in international politics ukraine-russia conflict” by sadaf qadir and zainab iqbal from fatima jinnah women university, pakistan the paper shows that each conflict has global impact and cannot be treated as local. we are a global community and we live the consequences of events. the paper starts with historical insight trying to identify the causes of ukraine-russia conflict as well as show the impact it generally has around the world with focus on pakistan. during the session on intercultural interactions one could listen to the following presentations: 7. “the yagua people of peru” by teadora stefanovska and iskra andreeska from university american college skopje, north macedonia the project focuses on the culture of the yagua people and challenges they face. their aim is to raise awareness of various problems in cross-cultural contacts. global partners in education journal – special edition december 2022, vol. 10, no. 2 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 3 8. “singing: the human connection” by marguerite hemedinger from east carolina university, usa this article was inspired by the author’s personal experience and shows us similarities and differences in the attitude towards teaching and learning singing in five different countries. one of the presentations during media and business session was: 9. “cultural appropriation and cancel culture: a global survey” by chiamaka ezedimbu from igbinedion university, nigeria this paper deals with a difficult issue of misinterpretation of cultural appropriation. it tries to show that it might cause inappropriate situations, especially when it comes to virtual exchanges. and the session about physical and mental health included: 10. “hospital waste management and the associated hazards” by saoussen benemara, nourelhouda benhamed and benameur nehar from université aboubekr belkaid tlemcen, algeria one of the main concerns of the 21st century is management of waste, including medical waste. this paper aims to make current diagnosis, analyse the causes and suggest solutions. 11. “increasing trend of suicide among youth: a social and psychological problem” by dua somro, hala saadat ullah khan, salwa nadeem, hamna javed, and ms. zainab iqbal from fatima jinnah women university, pakistan according to this paper, suicide is the main cause of death in all parts of the world and should be given special attention and global initiatives should be taken to prevent suicide. our annual meeting during the global issues conference once again gave many people a chance to present their research to international audiences. the wide variety of topics makes it possible for each attendee to find their field of interest and discuss some issues with people who are fascinated by the same topic. the global partners in education journal is where some of the papers are published to allow even bigger audiences take a closer look at the chosen problems. we would like to thank all those that were present during the conference as well as those who decided to publish their articles. it would not have been possible without invaluable help of our reviewers who also proofread the articles: carpathian state college, poland władysław chłopicki katarzyna dziemian agnieszka habrat global partners in education journal – special edition december 2022, vol. 10, no. 2 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 4 jack lala teresa poprawa anna rewiś-łętkowska ewa rusek alicja witalisz bogdan wolski joanna ziobro-strzępek east carolina university, usa ben robbins melanie baker robbins global partners in education journal – special edition december 2015, vol. 5, no. 2, pp. 46-58 http://www.gpejournal.org/ issn 2163-758x 46 global education and language: proposing a universal variety of english as medium of instruction chimuanya lily eyisi joy joshua idaraobong omunagbe dorcas ojo kanyisola demurin deborah covenant university, nigeria abstract global education begins with raising an awareness of global challenges, creating an in-depth understanding of what the challenges entail with the goal of changing people’s thoughts and attitudes, encouraging them to live out their lives to the fullest and play their special parts effectively. to this end, in order to enhance these goals, communication is crucial especially being that it entails making use of an acceptable and intelligible language variety. how can global education attain its goals if it does not begin to prescribe and describe for itself, a global variety of the english language developed just for instructional purpose in the delivery of global education? this paper therefore proposes a move towards the prescription and description of a mutually intelligible variety of the english language, to be used just for global education. this proposal is born out of our experience during our first collaboration with three other universities in taking the course ‘global english varieties’. one of the major challenges that impeded our flow was the variety barrier. this paper will also ascertain the percentage of covenant university students confronted with this same challenge by the use of questionnaire. a hundred questionnaires was distributed and analyzed. introduction the maastricht global education declaration (2002) states that global education is the education that opens people’s eyes and minds to the realities of the globalized world and awakens them to bring about a world of greater justice, equity and human rights for all. it is understood to encompass development education, human rights education, education http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition december 2015, vol. 5, no. 2, pp. 46-58 http://www.gpejournal.org/ issn 2163-758x 47 for sustainability, education for peace and conflict prevention and inter-cultural education being the global dimension for education for citizenship. wilk (1998) claims that ‘everything today is becoming “global’’, as the word is a catchphrase in both business and academia. a global language is a language used and accepted across the world. toolan (1997) especially shares this enthusiasm when he uses the term global on its own to refer to the english used worldwide by people of any ethnicity in any kind of international setting. among the languages of the world, the english language passes for being referred to as the global language. according to ajani (2007) the global spread of the english language is one of the most far-reaching linguistic phenomena of our time. english is spoken in virtually every country of the world and has varying statuses as is gleamed from kachru’s (1992) concentric circles. it is the language that accommodates features of every other language with the evidence of the existence of several varieties resulting from language contact, variation and change. technological advancement has had great impact on global education, giving it a far reaching scope. in order to advance global education goals and understanding, academic collaborations between and among nations have become a key feature in world class education delivery; with english as the language of instruction. consequently, the english language has acquired a new status for itself as the language of global education delivery. however, a major challenge with this novel status is the existence of several varieties which poses the question of intelligibility across regions during collaborations. there have been situations where various english students have come together from different places for conferences and forums and find it difficult to understand each other when communicating in english. this work seeks to propose the need for linguists and global education curriculum planners to develop a global english variety that can be used as a medium of instruction for collaborative learning. it looks at the various factors that need to be put into consideration before arriving at a particular variety. english as a global language there is no official definition of "global" or "world" language, but it essentially refers to a language that is learned and spoken internationally, and it is characterized by the number of its native and second language speakers, by its geographical distribution, and its use in international organizations and for international interactions (crystal, 2012). a global language acts as a “lingua franca”, a common language that enables people from diverse backgrounds and ethnicities to communicate on a more or less equitable basis. why the search for a global language? the world is a global village and it is often argued that the modern “global village” needs a “global language” and that (particularly in a world of modern communications, globalized trade and easy international travel) a single lingua franca has never been more important. as just one example of why a lingua franca is useful, consider that up to one-third of the administrative costs of the united nations are taken up by translations into the various member languages. http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition december 2015, vol. 5, no. 2, pp. 46-58 http://www.gpejournal.org/ issn 2163-758x 48 for centuries, there has been a search for a global language since the diversity of language of man after the tower of babel. english, can be said to have put an end to this quest. english is the language of international diplomacy, law, administration, government, air traffic control, international travels, music, religion, education, trade, etc. for more effective communication there has to be mutual understanding; where there is no understanding, communication cannot take place. what english does in a world of cultural diversity is to bring members of different countries, cultures and tribe under one linguistic umbrella and by doing this, globalization is aided. the influence of any language is a combination of three main things: the number of countries using it as their first language or mother-tongue, the number of countries adopting it as their official language, and the number of countries teaching it as their foreign language of choice in schools. kachru (1985) captures this assertion in his illustration using the three concentric circles: the inner circle comprises the native speakers of english which include america, britain, canada, south africa, australia, etc. they are the norm providers for the use of english. they use english as first or native language (enl). the total number of speakers in the inner circle is as high as about 350million, with about 120million outside the united states. the outer circle are the norm developers; those in this category use english as second language (esl), a useful lingua franca between ethnic and language groups. countries that were colonised by britain are in this category. they include nigeria, malaysia, ghana, etc. the total number of speakers in this category is estimated to range from 150-130 million people. the third circle is the expanding circle which comprises countries where english plays no historical or governmental role. it is widely used as a medium of international communication. those in this circle use english as foreign language (efl). they are norm dependent. countries in this category try to attain near-native competence in english for the sake of foreign interaction and international diplomacy. this includes countries like china, russia, japan, korea, etc. the total number of speakers in this circle is the most difficult to estimate, especially because english is employed for specific purposes. the estimate from this region ranges from 100million to 1billion people. the spread of english across the globe has yielded a wider umbrella than kachru’s expanding circle; this is the use of english as international language. according to widdowson (1997), this spread of english is not the spread of english in its actual form; it is the spread of a virtual language. the spread of english in other words, brings about varieties of the language and so the concern of english as an international language is to produce “unifying english” by bringing all varieties of english together, creating a common standard among varieties and achieving mutual intelligibility and acceptability. when this is achieved, globalisation is aided and boosted rapidly without any form of language barrier. english is the only language that has served this global purpose. according to yano (2001), english as international language is used with specific purposes, for international business negotiations, collaborative researches, academic discussions and not for everyday life nor for social events. from yano’s words, we see globalisation markers like international business, collaborative research and academic discussions. as global communication (globalisation) expands throughout the world, so does a need for global varieties for specific purposes. a global economic and political structure needs a common tongue (with english as the only language serving the http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition december 2015, vol. 5, no. 2, pp. 46-58 http://www.gpejournal.org/ issn 2163-758x 49 purpose). today, we talk of advancement in technology, science, law, medicine, business, etc. meanwhile, the first advancement to be recognised is the advancement in english marked by its spread and growth because without it, there is no globalisation. one third of international organizations including organisation of the petroleum exporting countries (opec), european free trade association (efta) and association of southeast asian nations (asean) use english only and this figure rise to almost 90% among asian international organizations mastin (2011). the international olympic committee, international monetary fund and so on, also make use of english for most international interactions. over time, the essential factor for the establishment of a global language is that it is spoken by those who wield power. an example is latin which was the lingua franca of its time, although it was only ever a minority language within the roman empire as a whole. it was a language for powerful leaders and administrators and of the roman military and later of the roman catholic church; this brought about its rise to a global status. thus, language can be said to have no independent existence of its own, and a particular language only dominates when its speakers dominate and, by extension, fails when the people who speak it fail (mastin, ibid) “a language becomes an international language for one chief reason: the political power of its people – especially their military power. …” (crystal 1997: 7-8) with america having world power, most countries have to interact with her for economic support, military support and so on and so there is need for the knowledge of english in order for these aids to be made available to them and like crystal said, english is the language behind the dollar. english is tagged a global language because it is the language of information technology. english is the language of computerization, language of information management and the language used in most web sites. information technology has helped to foster international interaction and therefore, the need for a unifying language cannot be overemphasized. english has also been used for academic exchanges like fellowships, international conferences, international collaborative classes, international seminars and workshops and so on. although other languages are used in these gatherings, there is always the need for interpreters for general understanding. also, english is the recommended language for the publication of research papers being the language of global education or medium of instruction. in addition, english is the language of the press or mass media at the international level. most international media houses make use of english for news broadcasting and publication. media houses such as the cable news network (cnn), british broadcasting corporation (bbc), al-jazeera, russia today, china central television (cctv) and many others across the world. it is no longer debatable that there is indeed a global language. the use of english in the world for international, educational and professional purposes has been described differently by various scholars, in order to express diverse concepts and shades of its usage. http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition december 2015, vol. 5, no. 2, pp. 46-58 http://www.gpejournal.org/ issn 2163-758x 50 drawing from erling’s (2005) observations on the names of english, scholars refer to the global use of english as; • english as an international language (eil): this is used to describe the restricted use of english as just a tool to access certain occupational or functional domains (widdowson, 1997), and as a tool which provides users an avenue where they can be culturally, politically and socially neutral (modiano, 2001). • english as a lingua franca: this is use by jenkins (2000) and seidlhofer (2001) to refer to the global use of english, noting that communication in english does not always involve first language speakers thus, english norms should not be based on any particular national linguistic standard but should have its goal on mutual intelligibility. • global: this is used by toolan (1997) to describe the variety that even first language speakers must equally acquire to enable them to communicate on neutral linguistic ground. • general english: to account for the wide range of users outside its native domain, ahulu (1997) refers to the use of english in the world as general english. • literate english: in the same vain as ahulu (1997), wallace (2002) refers to global english usage as literate english; which is used to embrace a range of settings and to bind diverse varieties in order to reflect the new identity of english in the globe. following erling (2005:42), it is observed that the need by these scholars to rename english emanates from the observation that 1. second language speakers of english outnumber first language speakers three to one (graddol, 1997); 2. english is increasingly used to communicate across international boundaries; 3. the term ‘english’ appears too narrow to account for all the varieties of english that have emerged across the globe (kachru, 1982); 4. the language is too far reaching in its influence and use to be restricted to only british and american norms; 5. the need to protect local values, cultures and languages in the face of a global language. however, when discussing the need for global education to fulfill its goals, there arises the need to re-examine ways in which communication in english can effectively be utilized for instructional purpose, such that there is mutual intelligibility across virtual classrooms. this is necessary because in the end, it is what is effectively communicated that is actually learnt. erling (2005) therefore, suggests that elt professionals around the world should move their focus away from inner circle varieties and approach english as a means of intercultural communication involving speakers from various linguistic and cultural backgrounds. a case study at covenant university from our observation during class collaborations, one of the major impediments to wholesome participation by students was a variety barrier, evident in low comprehension. http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition december 2015, vol. 5, no. 2, pp. 46-58 http://www.gpejournal.org/ issn 2163-758x 51 in order to identify the challenges more specifically, a questionnaire was designed to identify the dominant problems encountered during collaborative classes. the questionnaire was issued to nigerian students, thus the challenges identified are peculiar to the nigerian society. tabular analysis table 1 shows a tabular representation of each item as regards to the level of participation, their challenge and their perception towards the idea of the development of a unified variety. question 4 have you been a participant in an international collaborative learning situation? frequency percentage yes 88 88 no 12 12 total 100 100% question 5 from the range of 1-10, with 10 being the highest, how would you grade your level of participation? frequency percentage 1 12 12 4 4 4 5 16 16 6 16 16 7 20 20 8 28 28 9 4 4 10 0 0 total 100 100% question 7 with reference to the language of communication during the class(es), what would you say was your greatest challenge in understanding your international partners? frequency percentage accent 32 32 comprehension 16 16 lexical choice 48 48 others 4 4 total 100 100% http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition december 2015, vol. 5, no. 2, pp. 46-58 http://www.gpejournal.org/ issn 2163-758x 52 question 8 what would be your perception of the use of a unified variety just for the purpose of collaborative teaching among english speaking countries? frequency percentage fine 0 0 good 8 8 very good 52 52 excellent 24 24 undecided 16 16 total 100 100% table 1: sample questions from questionnaire from the case study discussed above, it is deduced that a lot of students (88%) had at one point engaged in a collaborative learning situation and the major challenge these participants faced during the collaborative teaching was the problem of lexical choice. the problem of lexical choice grossed 48%. this shows that the lexical items utilized by partners are not mutually intelligible. for instance, if there is a collaborative project between students from nigeria and the united states of america and the nigerians utilize words commonly used in nigeria, like okada (motor bike), go slow (heavy traffic), agbada (flowing gown), danfo (mini bus), keke napep (tricycle), iroko (a type of tree), fufu (cassava balls) etc., there would be the problem of understanding as these words are not mutually intelligible to the partner institution. in turn, this problem will also affect nigerians if americans utilize words that are peculiar to the american environment. the next challenge the respondents identified was that of the challenge of understanding accent with 32% of the students citing this as being an issue. the problem of audio and comprehension in these collaborative projects is also grounded in the accent of partners. the different accents for example; british accent, nigerian accent, american accent, australian accent, indian accent etc. which are utilized in collaborative projects interfere with comprehension. though there is little or no solution for the problem of accent because it is culture-based, it still remains one of the major challenges encountered during these collaborative projects. as regards to the development of a universal variety, the idea was appealing as 24% of the respondents saw the idea as an excellent one while 52% saw the idea as a very good one. therefore, this reinforces the essence of this proposal and this idea should be pursued. recommendation it is being recommended that a universal variety of english for instructional purposes during global academic collaborations be developed. this may be achieved by borrowing from major and other varieties of english such as american english, british english, south africa english, new zealand english, canadian english and australian english, nigerian english, etc. (figure 1). the variety that would emerge would be one that has features derived from other varieties of english especially at the lexical level. http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition december 2015, vol. 5, no. 2, pp. 46-58 http://www.gpejournal.org/ issn 2163-758x 53 figure 1: the diagram below illustrates this possibility. the common core model of egip (english for global instructional purpose) proposing a distinct variety as the medium of instruction for global education global education begins with raising an awareness of the global challenges, creating an in-depth understanding of what the challenges entail, with the goal of changing people’s thoughts and attitudes, encouraging them to live out their lives to the fullest and play their special parts effectively. communication in a mutually intelligible language variety is very important in order to achieve all of these. to this end, in order to enhance these goals, communication is important and the way in which it is carried out, whether it fosters or discourages co-operation, it is a veritable tool for boosting globalization. language gives an explicit verbal expression of feelings, ideas and thought, thereby, enhancing communication. for countries to come together on whatever level of interaction there has to been a universal language or variety without which any form of advancement can occur. the list of english varieties from wikipedia shows that there are over 186 varieties of the english language (http://en.wikipedia.org). these varieties, also known as dialects of english are regional and societal based, for this reason, the incorporation of local words and meaning that created the varieties of english, would make the dialects virtually unintelligible to some english speakers in other regions. egip canadian english american english british english australian english south african english http://www.gpejournal.org/ http://en.wikipedia.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition december 2015, vol. 5, no. 2, pp. 46-58 http://www.gpejournal.org/ issn 2163-758x 54 imagine a nigerian telling a britain, ‘hei man, you would have to see me before i do that job for you.’ it is plain english that has been spoken here, but then, it is not void of that cultural uniqueness that makes it stand out. the british here would certainly be confused, because the nigerian is right before him and is at the same moment asking to be seen. ‘how else does he want to be seen?’ that’s if he understands that there are other ways of seeing. ‘what insanity!’ the briton might think. but for the nigerian, the verb ‘see’ means a whole lot of things depending on the context in which he chooses to use it. in this context, he is expecting a tip, reinforcement, or an incentive, but it must be something in any form, that would encourage him and spur him into action, in doing the job for the briton, and without it the job would remain undone. again, in nigeria, we would be highly embarrassed if people saw our ‘pants’. yes! imagine also a britain telling a chinese to drive slowly over the ‘sleeping policemen’ on the road. to the chinese, that would be ridiculous. observe the conflicts that would arise if we continue to communicate in this way during global education interactions. the variety of english being proposed therefore would be use under the umbrella of esp – english for specific purposes (figure 2). the goal would be that individuals would use a distinct variety of english for the purpose of interaction during international academic exchange. figure 2: the table above illustrates how egip will be generated from esp english for specific purposes (esp) english for academic purposes (eap) english for specific academic purposes (esap) english for global intructional purpose (egip) english for general academic purposes (egap) english for occupational purposes (eop) -english for specific occupational purpose (esop) http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition december 2015, vol. 5, no. 2, pp. 46-58 http://www.gpejournal.org/ issn 2163-758x 55 this implies that all varieties of english should be considered by linguists and educationists, who would select common features amongst these varieties. these common features would be used as a premise in the creation of a unique universally intelligible and acceptable variety of english. in other words, contributions would come from all varieties and the new variety would pass through the processes of standardization. ultimately, the benefits of having a universal variety of english are not farfetched. just as the world is in search of a ‘one-world currency’, having a universal variety of english for global education will indeed foster globalization. for instance, it would reduce the challenge of comprehension and the search for translators during international meetings. from our observation during class collaborations, one of the major impediments to wholesome participation by students was a variety barrier as a result of participants making lexical choices, structures and pronunciation that are only familiar to their region without much consideration for partner institutions from entirely different circles. conclusion developing a universal variety of english for instructional purpose in global education will help to create better understanding and foster mutual intelligibility globally. from the discussion so far, english language can be said to be an appropriate medium of instruction for collaborative learning. but due to several varieties of english (e.g., lexical choice, accent, etc.), students who are involved in these collaborative classes are sometimes misunderstood and do not get the message speakers intend to communicate. references ahulu, s. (1997). general english: a consideration of the nature of english as an international medium. english today, 13(1), 17–23. crystal, d. (1997). english as a global language. cambridge: cambridge university press. erling, e.j. (2005). the many names of english. english today, 21(9), 40-44. graddol, d. (1997). the future of english? london: british council. jenkins, j. (2000). the phonology of english as an international language: new models, new norms, new goals. oxford: university press. jenkins, j. (2003). world englishes: a resource book for students. oxford: routledge. kachru, b. (ed.) (1982). the other tongue: english across cultures. oxford: pergamon. kachru, b. (1982b). the other tongue: english across cultures. urbana: university of illinois press. kachru, b. (1985). standards, codification and sociolinguistic realism: the english language in the outer circle. in r. quirk & h. widdowson (eds.), english in the world: teaching and learning the language and literatures (11-30). cambridge: cambridge university press. kachru, b. b. (1992). world englishes: approaches, issues and resources. language teaching, 25 (01), 1-14. mastin, j. (2011). the history of english: english as a global language. retrieved from http://www.thehistoryofenglish.com/issues_global.html http://www.gpejournal.org/ http://www.thehistoryofenglish.com/issues_global.html global partners in education journal – special edition december 2015, vol. 5, no. 2, pp. 46-58 http://www.gpejournal.org/ issn 2163-758x 56 mcarthur, t. (1998). the english languages. cambridge: cambridge university press. modiano, m. (1999). international english in the global village. english today, 15(2), 22–28. modiano, m. (2001). ideology and the elt practitioner. international journal of applied linguistic, 11(2), 159–173. phillipson, r. (1992). linguistic imperialism. oxford: oxford university press. seidlhofer, b. (2001). closing a conceptual gap: the case for a description of english as a lingua franca. international journal of applied linguistics 11(2), 133–158. toolan, m. (1997). recentering english: new english and global. english today, 13(4), 3–10. trudgill e kachru, b. (ed.). (1982). the other tongue: english across cultures. oxford: pergamon. wallace, c. (2002). local literacies and global literacy. in d. block & d. cameron, (eds.), globalization and language teaching (101–114). london & new york: routledge. widdowson, h. g. (1997). the forum: eil, esl, efl: global issues and local interests. world englishes 16(1), 135–146. widdowson, h. g. (1997). eil, esl, efl: global issues and local interests". world englishes 16(1), 146-153. wilk, r. (1998). globalbabble. retrieved from http://www.indiana.edu/ ~wanthro/babble.htm wolfson, n. (1989). perspectives: sociolinguistics and tesol. boston: heinle and heinle. http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition december 2015, vol. 5, no. 2, pp. 46-58 http://www.gpejournal.org/ issn 2163-758x 57 appendix 1 questionnaire covenant university, canaan land, ota department of languages global education and language: proposing a universal variety of english as a medium of instruction dear respondent, i request your honest response to the statements below. be free and honest about your responses because they will be kept in strict confidence and are only used purely for research purposes. each item has to do with your perception, participation and the challenges (if any) you experienced during any international collaborative learning. this is a research work carried out as our contribution to the search for a universal variety of english for global learning via exchange and collaborations. please read the statements and tick what you consider most appropriate. thank you. joshua, idaraobong (for the research group) section one: personal information instruction, please, tick right [ √ ] in each box as applicable to you. 1. sex: male [ ] female [ ] 2. educational level: 100 level [ ] 200 level [ ] 300 level [ ] 400 level [ ] 500 level [ ] 3. discipline: science [ ] art [ ] social sciences [ ] section two assessment of participation and challenge(s) faced during the collaborative teaching class 4. have you been a participant in international collaborative learning situation? yes [ ] no [ ] 5. from the range of 1-10, with 10 being the highest, how would you grade your level of participation? please circle as appropriate. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 6. what was the language of instruction? please tick right [ √ ] in the box as applicable to you. english [ ] french [ ] spanish [ ] others ( please specify) http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition december 2015, vol. 5, no. 2, pp. 46-58 http://www.gpejournal.org/ issn 2163-758x 58 7. with reference to the language of communication during the class (es), what would you say was your greatest challenge in understanding your international partners? accent [ ] comprehension [ ] lexical choice [ ] others, please specify 8. what would be your perception of the use of a unified variety just for the purpose of collaborative teaching among english speaking countries? fine [ ] good [ ] very good [ ] excellent [ ] undecided [ ] http://www.gpejournal.org/ 2 insulin injection technique in tlemcen global partners in education journal – special edition march 2022, vol. 10, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 3 insulin injection technique in tlemcen, the western region of algeria mohammed nassim boukli hacene, meriem saker, amina youcef, houssam boulenouar, soumia koudri, souad cheriet, hafida merzouk, ali lounici, kaouel meguenni abou-bekr belkaïd university, tlemcen, algeria abstract this study presents the second part of the results of the research on the insulin injection technique in patients in the region of tlemcen, algeria. the 100 patients included in the study were interviewed using the “patient” questionnaire in the injection technique questionnaire (itq) 2016 survey and the results were compared with those of the itq 2016 worldwide survey. the more frequent use of injection pen needles longer than 6 mm exposes algerian patients to the risk of im injections and glycemic fluctuations. hypoglycemic and hyperglycemic episodes are more frequent among algerians whereas dka is as frequent as around the world. algerian patients expose themselves and others to injuries from insulin injection devices more than the global population. that happens mainly through improper disposal of the injection equipment and using public waste bins instead of designated containers for medical waste. this second part of the algerian study on insulin injection technique provides new information and insights into patient practices. the gaps and deficiencies observed should be corrected in the future to improve this aspect of insulin users' care management. introduction according to the international diabetes federation's latest figures, the incidence of diabetes in algeria has increased to 7.2 percent among people aged 20 to 79, or one adult in every 16 people. algeria is among the top ten countries in the world for both the number of children with type 1 diabetes and the number of new cases of type 1 diabetes ("atlas du diabète de la fid neuvième édition," 2019). as a result, strengthening diabetes control continues to be a national public health priority. insulin is the gold standard treatment for type 1 diabetes, which is caused by a complete lack of this hormone in the body. it is also used in the early stages of type 2 diabetes, but mostly as the last resort in this group of patients when the disease has progressed (sorli & heile, 2014). mastering the injection technique allows the patient to deliver the desired dose of insulin in order to achieve the glycemic goal, making it critical in diabetes management. in a previous work, we highlighted certain injection practices of algerian patients using insulin. “almost all algerians prefer pens, injecting preferentially with 6and 8-mm needles in thighs and arms instead of the abdomen; they do not seem to pay attention to re-suspending cloudy insulins and tend to overuse their pen needles”. this work constitutes the continuation of the previous paper on the “insulin injection technique of algerian patients from the region of tlemcen, algeria”. bearing that in mind, please refer to the previous part for more details on the germination of this work, its methodology and the results, as well as on the characteristics of the 100 surveyed patients (boukli hacene et al., 2020) . global partners in education journal – special edition march 2022, vol. 10, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 4 results skipping injections skipping an insulin injection is more common (77%) in the algerian population compared to worldwide statistics, where most patients (55.6%) concede that they do so very rarely (several times a year), the highest percentage of our patients (44.2%) tend to skip their injection more frequently (several times per month). like in published studies, forgetting is the main reason why most patients never reach their glycemic goal (table 1) table 1: skipping injections for algerian and other itq2016 patients skipping injections algeria worldwide % n % n skipping injections yes 77 77 45 5870 no 23 23 55 7274 frequency often (several times a week) 15.6 12 9 419 sometimes (several times a month) 44.2 34 36 1759 almost never (several times a year) 40.3 31 56 2724 reason i forgot 33.54 54 52 3127 i didn't eat 18.63 30 9 536 i was sick (e.g. nausea and vomiting) 8.70 14 n/a n/a i just didn't want to inject 13.66 22 n/a n/a my glucose was too low 25 41 7 439 hypoglycemia, diabetic ketoacidosis (dka) and hyperglycemia the frequency of hypoglycemic and hyperglycemic episodes is higher among our patients (76% and 86%) compared to worldwide patients (57% and 47%), whereas dka numbers are almost close between the two compared groups (77% vs 83%). detailed information related to hypoglycemic, dka and hyperglycemic episodes of algerian patients are summarized in tables 2, 3 and 4 respectively. table 2: hypoglycemia for algerian and itq2016 patients hypoglycemia algeria worldwide % n % n during the last 6 months yes 76 76 57 5605 no 24 24 43 4170 frequency of needing 3rd party assistance none 9.2 7 57 3563 1-2 times 32.9 25 24 1502 3-5 times 21.1 16 9 587 more than 5 times 36.8 28 9 559 needed hospitalization yes 18 18 8 594 no 82 82 92 6563 number of finger-pricks to check blood glucose > 4 times a day 11 11 3-4 times a day 35 35 global partners in education journal – special edition march 2022, vol. 10, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 5 1-2 times a day 31 31 several times a week 13 13 rarely or never check 10 10 tables 3: diabetic ketoacidosis for algerian and itq2016 patients dka algeria worldwide % n % n hospitalization yes 23 23 17 1680 no 77 77 83 7949 timing i've had dka but only when i was first diagnosed with diabetes 47.8 11 49 867 i've had dka but not within the last six months 17.4 4 37 643 i've had dka within the last six months 34.8 8 14 248 table 4: hyperglycemia for algerian and itq2016 patients hyperglycemia algeria worldwide % n % n occurrence yes 86 86 47 4531 no 14 14 53 5079 frequency more than 5 high readings/week 26.7 23 24 1179 3 to 5 high readings/week 32.6 28 26 1306 1 or 2 high readings/week 25.6 22 26 1279 an occasional high reading (less than 4 times/month) 15.1 13 24 1198 needle stick injury (nsi) about half (48%) of algerians admit that a family member could accidentally get stuck by their needles, most often children (63.8%) because sharp material hangs within hands’ range for 56.9% of the surveyed patients (table 5). also, the great majority of algerian patients (80%) recap needles, which constitute a risk for accidental pricking, and put injection material into the trash (90%). table 5: needle stick injury for algerian and itq2016 patients needle stick injury algeria worldwide % n % n nsi risk yes 48 48 15 1423 no 52 52 85 8276 nsi persons children 63.8 37 23 368 other family members (e.g. spouse) 32.8 19 39 622 house keeper or rubbish collector 3.4 2 8 129 nurse or other professional 0 0 5 73 yes 72.9 13 9 410 global partners in education journal – special edition march 2022, vol. 10, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 6 nsi occurred no 27.1 35 91 4379 reason i don’t use devices that prevent injuries to others (safety devices) 26.2 17 23 489 i don’t have appropriate disposal containers for my used sharps 16.9 11 36 760 used sharps are sometimes left in places where others might get stuck 56.9 37 19 409 i'm positive for hepatitis or another bloodborne illness 0 0 4 79 disposal of injection material disposing of injection equipment dangerous for health and the environment in specific containers is a habit that has not yet entered algerian consumers’ lifestyles, since the overwhelming majority gets rid of it in the trash compared to just over the half worldwide (table 6). table 6: disposal of injection material for algerian and itq2016 patients algeria worldwide % n % n disposal of used pen needles /syringes into a container specially made for used sharps 2 2 21 2650 into a home container such as an empty bottle 8 8 23 2943 into the rubbish with the cap on 80 80 48 6150 into the rubbish without recapping 7 7 7 882 i clip the needle and it stays in the clipper 3 3 1 160 what is done with the container? put it into the rubbish 90 9 40 2489 take it to a pharmacist 0 0 13 791 take it to a doctor's office 0 0 6 389 take it to a laboratory 0 0 0 25 take it to the hospital or a clinic 0 0 22 1367 take it to a local deposit or collection service 0 0 11 682 none of the above 10 1 7 440 ttd and hba1c as a function of lh the total daily dose (ttd) of insulin and glycosated hemoglobin (hba1c) values in patients affected with lh versus those not suffering from lh and injecting into the lh bump area versus those avoiding this bad practice are not statistically significant (table 7). global partners in education journal – special edition march 2022, vol. 10, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 7 table 7: tdd of insulin and hba1c as a function of lh for algerian and itq2016 patients population characteristics tdd algeria (ui) tdd worldwide (ui) hba1c algeria (%) hba1c worldwide (%) mean± sd n mean ± sd n mean± sd n mean± sd n presence of lh yes 56.75 ± 35.17 44 55.2 ± 33.0 2192 8.68 ± 2.68 44 8.85 ± 2.7 2205 no 53.61 ± 31.32 56 45.1 ± 31.5 4889 8.28 ± 1.55 56 8.30 ± 1.9 4795 total 54.99 ± 32.94 100 39.9 ± 17.2 7081 8.46 ± 1.96 100 8.47 ± 2.2 7000 injecting into lh yes 56.45 ± 35.08 8 56.1 ±33.2 1644 8.88±1.32 8 ni no 53.38 ± 16.85 36 47.1 ± 32.2 2064 8.71±2.48 36 ni total 45.23 ± 21.17 44 51.1 ± 32.9 3708 8.75 ± 2.31 44 ni hba1c: glycosated hemoglobin, ni: uninformed, tdd: total daily dose of insulin risk of im injection hirsch and collaborators estimated intramuscular injection risk depending on needle length and injection site (hirsch, byron, & gibney, 2014). whether injecting into the abdomen, thighs or arms, algerian patients have a 25% greater risk of getting stuck deeper than in the subcutaneous tissue area and of touching the muscle when using pen needles longer than 6-mm. (frid, hirsch, menchior, morel, & strauss, 2016). the table 8 adapted from hirsch et al. (2014) was generated assuming that injections were performed straight at 90° angle without pinch-up and that a patient may use more than one site to inject insulin. table 8: estimated im injection risk by body site for algerian and itq2016 patients abdomen n % thigh n % buttocks n % arm n % 12.7 mm 0 0 0 0 12 mm 1 1.56% 1 1.19% 0 1 1.23% 10 mm 1 1.56% 2 2.38% 0 2 2.46% 8 mm 15 23.43% 21 25% 0 24 29.62% global partners in education journal – special edition march 2022, vol. 10, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 8 6 mm 23 35.93% 29 34.52% 1 100% 28 34.56% 5 mm 14 21.87% 19 22.61% 0 15 18.51% 4.5 mm 1 1.56% 2 2.38% 0 2 2.46% 4 mm 7 10.93% 8 9.52% 0 9 11.11% discussion the risk and the occurrence of needle stick injury are more frequent in the algerian study population compared with the population worldwide. our findings incriminate negligence and nonchalance of the patients, who tend to leave their injection tools within the reach of others, especially children. algerian patients disposing of their injection material in special containers may be considered as marginal, and those taking this effort have no other choice, forced as they are by the lack of services or health care related waste collecting services, but to dispose of the containers into the public rubbish. the fight against insulin therapy waste is not optimal in many parts of the world (hassan, shalaby, atalla, & younis, 2021; montoya, thompson, boyle, leighton, & cook, 2021; moray, manjunath, & shalini, 2020). our country should not be left behind, which is why algerian health authorities must make greater efforts in this field. firstly, a better education should be carried out to alert and alarm dm patients on insulin of the danger of sharp contaminated products being vehicles for a number of blood-borne diseases. this is critical as the poor knowledge of insulin users on this particular point has been highlighted in many studies (frid et al., 2016; hasan et al., 2019a; moray et al., 2020). secondly, education alone cannot yield significant results and an effort must be made to ensure the availability of home containers and their collection at the level of local health institutions. positive results were obtained when this approach was adopted in some countries, for example in malaysia (hasan et al., 2019b). hospitalizations of algerian patients due to dka are almost as common as around the world. even though mostly described in the pediatric population, more than 80% of patients experiencing this life-threatening preventable condition due to diabetes are adults (kitabchi, umpierrez, miles, & fisher, 2009). thus, dka is experienced by around one third of the cumulative t2dm patients (nyenwe & kitabchi, 2016). a recent publication suggests that in this last category of patient, the main precipitating factor of dka is skipping or missing an insulin injection (flores et al., 2020). this fits perfectly with our results (77% of the algerian patients miss their insulin dose). therefore, we suggest that insulin adherence should be reviewed at every medical visit, even a routine one. studies suggest that the presence of lipohypertrophy and injecting into lh bumps are associated with an increased tdd of insulin and higher levels of hba1c (kumar et al., 2021; wang, huang, chen, & tu, 2021), which is not demonstrated in this study probably due to the sample size. focused detailed information on proper rotation sites, on the use of the recommended short 4-mm pen needle, on a single use of pen needles to reduce the occurrence of lh area and on avoiding injections into lh should be global partners in education journal – special edition march 2022, vol. 10, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 9 received by all patients starting on insulin and those expressing the need for training by a professional (bochanen et al., 2021; chen et al., 2021) insulin leakage, more common in type 1 dm than in type 2 dm and in patients who have or inject in lh bumps, thought to be caused by an insulin needle kept under skin for too short a time and by using longer needles, was reported by more than half of algerians. algerian health professionals might need to pay greater attention to the inspection of insulin injection sites. this would certainly help to detect problems earlier and more effectively as well as to correct some attitudes and complications, such as lhs, lh injections, inadequate rotations, insulin leaks and bleeding. this may lead to a lower injecting apprehension and a better quality of life. conclusion improvement of the insulin injection technique of algerian patients will require effective involvement of the entire care chain: patient, health professional and health authorities: the first one by getting more involved, the second one by providing a more detailed and comprehensive injection education, and the last one by providing the first two with the necessary support and resources to catch up with the rest of the world in this matter. acknowledgments our sincere appreciation is extended to the staff and patients of the internal medicine department of tlemcen’s university hospital. references atlas du diabète de la fid neuvième édition. (2019). retrieved from www.diabetesatlas.org bochanen, n., decochez, k., heleu, e., cuypers, j., vercammen, c., coremans, p., vanhaverbeke, g., shadid, s., keymeulen, b., & bolsens, n. (2021). lipohypertrophy monitoring study (limo): effect of single use of 4 mm pen needles combined with education on injection site rotation on glycaemic control: confirmation of an unpleasant truth. diabetic medicine, e14672. boukli hacene, m. n., saker, m., youcef, a., koudri, s., cheriet, s., merzouk, h., lounici, a., & alkhatib, n. (2020). insulin injection technique in the western region of algeria, tlemcen. the pan african medical journal, 36. chen, l., xing, q., li, j., zhou, j., yuan, y., wan, y., pflug, b. k., strauss, k. w., & hirsch, l. j. (2021). injection technique education in patients with diabetes injecting insulin into areas of lipohypertrophy: a randomized controlled trial. diabetes therapy, 12(3), 813-826. flores, m., amir, m., ahmed, r., alashi, s., li, m., wang, x., lansang, m. c., & aljaghbeer, m. j. (2020). causes of diabetic ketoacidosis among adults with type 1 diabetes mellitus: insulin pump users and non-users. bmj open diabetes research and care, 8(2), e001329. global partners in education journal – special edition march 2022, vol. 10, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 10 frid, a. h., hirsch, l. j., menchior, a. r., morel, d. r., & strauss, k. w. (2016). worldwide injection technique questionnaire study: population parameters and injection practices. paper presented at the mayo clinic proceedings. hasan, u. a., mohd hairon, s., yaacob, n. m., daud, a., abdul hamid, a., hassan, n., ariffin, m. f., & yi vun, l. (2019a). effectiveness of diabetes community sharp disposal education module in primary care: an experimental study in north-east peninsular malaysia. international journal of environmental research and public health, 16(18), 3356. hasan, u. a., mohd hairon, s., yaacob, n. m., daud, a., abdul hamid, a., hassan, n., ariffin, m. f., & yi vun, l. (2019b). factors contributing to sharp waste disposal at health care facility among diabetic patients in north-east peninsular malaysia. international journal of environmental research and public health, 16(13), 2251. hassan, n. m., shalaby, s. e. s., atalla, a. o., & younis, e. a. (2021). toward safe environment: injection device disposal among diabetic patients attending tertiary care academic clinic in middle delta, egypt. environmental science and pollution research, 28(18), 23193-23203. hirsch, l., byron, k., & gibney, m. (2014). intramuscular risk at insulin injection sites— measurement of the distance from skin to muscle and rationale for shorter-length needles for subcutaneous insulin therapy. diabetes technology & therapeutics, 16(12), 867-873. kitabchi, a. e., umpierrez, g. e., miles, j. m., & fisher, j. n. (2009). hyperglycemic crises in adult patients with diabetes. diabetes care, 32(7), 1335-1343. kumar, r., gupta, r. d., shetty, s., prabhu, c. s., sathyakumar, k., mruthyunjaya, m. d., jebasingh, f. k., inbakumari, m., christina, f., & asha, h. s. (2021). lipohypertrophy in insulin injecting patients with diabetes mellitus: an underrecognized barrier for glycemic control. international journal of diabetes in developing countries, 41(2), 329-336. montoya, j. m., thompson, b. m., boyle, m. e., leighton, m. e., & cook, c. b. (2021). patterns of sharps handling and disposal among insulin-using patients with diabetes mellitus. journal of diabetes science and technology, 15(1), 60-66. moray, k. v., manjunath, k., & shalini, a. j. m. (2020). the insulin sharps disposal study: evaluation of a structured patient education initiative in an urban community health centre in india. journal of family medicine and primary care, 9(12), 6164. nyenwe, e. a., & kitabchi, a. e. (2016). the evolution of diabetic ketoacidosis: an update of its etiology, pathogenesis and management. metabolism, 65(4), 507-521. doi:10.1016/j.metabol.2015.12.007 sorli, c., & heile, m. k. (2014). identifying and meeting the challenges of insulin therapy in type 2 diabetes. j multidiscip healthc, 7, 267-282. doi:jmdh-7-267 [pii] 10.2147/jmdh.s64084 [doi] global partners in education journal – special edition march 2022, vol. 10, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 11 wang, w., huang, r., chen, y., & tu, m. (2021). values of ultrasound for diagnosis and management of insulin-induced lipohypertrophy: a prospective cohort study in china. medicine, 100(29), e26743-e26743. author notes dr. mohammed nassim boukli hacene graduated as a pharmacist in 2009, and completed a magister in clinical pharmacy from the jordan university of science and technology. in 2012, he began a career at the faculty of medicine of tlemcen and currently also holds a position at the tlemcen university hospital center. dr boukli is working on psychometric parameters and therapeutic education of diabetic patients, particularly those on insulin. prof. meriem saker was born in algiers and completed her primary education in philadelphia, pennsylvania. as she was always fascinated by natural sciences, she ended up becoming a professor of biology, pathophysiology and biochemistry of nutrition. and all say she is an easy-going, ready to smile person. dr amina youcef has a phd from the university of tlemcen and holds a position at the faculty of medicine of tlemcen and is interested by the oxidative stress among patients suffering from cardiovascular diseases. dr. houssam boulenouar obtained his phd from the university of oran, holds a position of assistant professor of genetics at the university of tlemcen and is a team leader at the cancer lab research. soumia koudri and souad cheriet graduated as pharm d in 2019 and are currently employed in the private sector. prof. hafida merzouk is a professor of pathophysiology, one of the abou-bekr belkaïd university’s most cited authors, with countless publications and pabionut's laboratory director. prof. ali lounici is the head of the internal medicine department of tlemcen university hospital center and manages the laboratory of research on diabetes at the faculty of medicine of tlemcen. prof. kaouel meguenni, head of the faculty of medicine of tlemcen from 1999 to 2008 and also former director of the thematic research agency for research in health sciences currently leads the department of epidemiology at the tlemcen university hospital center and the cancer lab research at the faculty of medicine of tlemcen. running head: inclusion of students in research activities 161 inclusion of students in research activities: a development of an observatory at the international level andres m. castro universidad piloto de colombia author note andres mauricio castro, dean of international business, universidad piloto de colombia. correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to andres mauricio castro, international business program, universidad piloto de colombia, carrera 9 no 45a-44, bogotá, colombia. contact: andres-castro2@unipiloto.edu.co mailto:andres-castro2@unipiloto.edu.co inclusion of students in research activities 162 abstract during the last few years, the participation of students in research activities particularly focused on international topics has taken an important role in the education process, especially in programs related to international issues such as international affairs or international business in order to involve them in a more international context. as a result, the observatory of foreign trade agreements (ofta) was developed whose purpose is to identify the evolution of national commercial activities from the foreign trade perspective. this takes into account not only the economic sectors but also both full time professors and students conducting research. this has been an ideal tool for developing an interest in the internationalization process for the students. therefore, this observatory has focused its attention on the relationship between national and global activities for students from both the perspective of an institution or an economic sector and its impact on the economic development of the country. keywords: observatory, foreign trade, internationalization, curriculum, consultancy inclusion of students in research activities 163 the inclusion of students in the research activities within the program: development of an observatory at the international level. nowadays, it is imperative that business school graduates are prepared for the new world economy which is linked not only by the trade of goods and services but also by foreign direct investment from various actors. therefore, it is a must that undergraduate students are aware of this environment and how they can be effective and make strategic decisions for different kinds of organizations who want to initiate an internationalization process. the purpose of this paper is to present what we feel should be the foundation of an international business program and why it should be taught so as to answer questions required not only for small and medium enterprises (smes) but also for multinational enterprises (mnes). this is necessary in order to compete in markets abroad. the development of the observatory inside the program has increased the participation of students in research activities where they have spent more time working closely with full time professors and the specific research purposes of the program. most importantly, they gain the understanding of internationalization activities, including some assessment from the ministry of commerce, industry and tourism from colombia, as well as the support from this governmental entity to the students who belong to this research group. literature review the internationalization concept is an issue that has generated a lot of controversy among various authors because it is too difficult to establish a specific definition which explains how an institution initiates an internationalization process, diversifies its market in the geographic context, and how they enter into new regions with different environments (root, 1994; rialp, inclusion of students in research activities 164 1999). these decisions lead to changes in the strategic planning within every one of its different areas. in fact, for some authors, it is also difficult to predict the changes that are presented in a sector or industry in where it has been decided to initiate internationalization and to be able to summarize this situation in a single concept (dunning, 1981; peres, 1998; franco, 2000). for some authors, internationalization involves the expansion of global markets, institutions and certain norms, a process which progressively reduces the purely domestic aspects of politics everywhere (solingen, 2001). according to these concepts, it is crucial to understand the real meaning of international business (ib) from the internationalization perspective in order to understand a program in ib and more specifically, an observatory whose main objective is to monitor foreign trade activities. as an interdisciplinary, integrative field, ib exchanges knowledge with other academic areas. the inflow of theories, models, constructs, and empirical findings infuses the field’s theoretical and methodological base, while outflows represent impacts on other academic areas (shenkar, yeheskel, 2009). shenkar et al. attempts to identify what is the real knowledge necessary for the creation of a field like ib. using cross reference methods and the main journals related to ib, the journal of international business studies was found to be a net importer, especially concerning strategy. however, according to the results of recent research, the journal has become a net knowledge exporter. ib is a distinct academic specialty whose domain spans comparative and cross-border environments along with institutions and the business behavior of their major players (i.e., firms, individuals, and governments) which are all anchored in a knowledge base that is simultaneously global and country specific (shenkar, 2004). with the advent of globalization, the identity of ib has become the subject of heated international debate (toyne & nigh, 1997). its added value has created a contention in the inclusion of students in research activities 165 context of growing encroachment into its traditional territory by functional areas. therefore, ib is finally an interdisciplinary field and ib should be moved from current multidisciplinary to interdisciplinary research approaches (sullivan, 1998; toyne & nigh, 1998). according to other perspectives, various authors use a universal perspective which does not differentiate international business from international management in the anglo-american literature as essential. on the other hand, it constrains the consideration of specific national and regional issues, many of which are of vital importance to the development of a critical perspective of ib from latin america (forray & goodnight, 2010). forray and goodnight (2010) have also argued since the 1990s that the united states has stated that ib needs a more practical perspective and that this could not be provided by europeans. in response, european authors replied in the mid-1990s that ib is deductive, analytical and axiomatic, whereas im is merely practical, empirical and prescriptive (buckley, 2002). according to aggarwal, petrovic, ryans & zong (2008), business academia is organized around tightly defined “silo-like” functional disciplines (e.g., accounting, finance, management, marketing, etc.), reflecting organizational “silos” within the typical business college. this makes it difficult to infuse an ib component into each of these “silos”. for instance, ib is increasingly becoming a separate discipline within the field of business; however, it is located in one of the “traditional” functional areas. in fact, ib has not only become a prominent discipline among academics worldwide, but a recognized area of expertise among executives as well (xu, yalcinkaya & seggie, 2008). keeping this fact in mind, it is important to establish that ib education is imperative in the current era, not only because of globalization but also of technological innovation and the continuous growth of the goods and services’ trade. finally, this is the purpose of a program inclusion of students in research activities 166 focused on internationalization activities of the (firm?). also, consider that according to the nature of ib as a multidisciplinary field, in the future, it will become imperative for organizations in order to be competitive and sustainable. including ib will become part of their mission and vision in the midterm. for business schools, the importance of an internationally oriented education system for the future economic health of the country is a must (beamish & calof, 1989), ib is truly a global discipline (chan, fung & lai, 2005). currently, chan, fung & lai (2005) stated that us schools play a significant leadership role among the leading ib programs and determine the importance of the global nature of the ib discipline. according to their research, the results of investigations published in ib journals display multi-functional interests, and thus raise the question of the uniqueness of the discipline. international business education in the world and its relationship with this initiative at this point, there are some questions that should be answered: what about the curriculum and its research programs? how must it be developed? what issues must be considered to structure it? according to these questions, some answers can be addressed. vernon (1994) proposes three distinctive areas under the rubric of ib: problems of the enterprises of their trade with foreign countries, managers with international networks and business practices in foreign countries. these three issues should be addressed to develop a program for research in international business along with an observatory of foreign trade. in other words, this kind of research program must achieve an understanding of the environment in which a business evolves, and an understanding of the behavior of mnes in the international context taking advantage of it thanks to the free trade agreements (ftas). inclusion of students in research activities 167 according to griffith & white (1998), the methodology to teach not only management but also international business is very important. they say that educational training must include real world management issues; case studies and simulations; be focused on skills such as leadership, critical thinking and decision-making; and have the ability to tolerate uncertainty and ambiguity in the workplace. in order to become global managers, students must understand different cultural perspectives. students must be taught to accept different world views and to think in terms of those perspectives. in fact, they argue that international business programs must be relevant to the operations of business today. on the other hand, for sammie (2001), ib is one of the key dimensions of the strategic plans in business schools. he also stated that two internationalization schools of thought exist: extension (ib as a field of inquiry that addresses problems associated with the movement of goods and capital across national boundaries as well as the concurrent integration, monitoring and control of business in two or more countriesthis is represented through an observatory in order to monitor this behavior) and interaction (ib as a multilevel, hierarchical system of interactions between two or more socially imbedded business processes and their outcomes). discussion colombia has not been excluded from this issue related to ib topics. therefore, a few questions appear in the colombian context such as: are the colombian organizations prepared to confront the challenges that lay ahead of them in this stage of internationalization with a global presence in the country? it is important to clarify that an internationalization process does not only consist of exporting products or services to other countries and at this point it is only a phase. an internationalization process begins with the very same sequence of events as seen in business enterprises which begin with questions such as: is it prepared to compete? is it inclusion of students in research activities 168 prepared to confront the challenges of a more globalized world? in a world where alliances are established as an everyday occurrence in order to attack emerging markets through multinational enterprises (mnes), what resistance can be offered? which is the distinguishing factor between the local companies and one of the large mnes even if that factor is not known within the local environment? where was the organizational management, the concern for the market and the customer needs left? it is not clear yet, but action must be taken on this matter to avoid any regrets later on when there is no solution, especially in ib education. universidad piloto de colombia has become aware of these issues and it was for this reason that in 2008, it established an undergraduate program in international business. at that time, the business school of the university had three programs: business administration, economics and accounting. today, the school has four undergraduate programs, which include not only these two programs but also a new program focused on logistics and production on a postgraduate level. in colombia, there are more than 120 business schools with programs in business administration and only 52 of them offer a program in international business at the undergraduate level, including universidad piloto de colombia. with that said, it is important to review why it is important to develop an observatory in a business school, particularly in the ib programs in colombia. first, we have to analyze what the purpose is to study ib and what are the standards at the international level, in order to develop a proper curriculum which aligns with these aspects. therefore, it is also important to develop an observatory, whose main objective is business internationalization through the different tools and methodologies presented previously in order to structure a curriculum that not only accomplishes these requirements but also prepares students for the international activities of the firm. keeping these aspects in mind, an observatory was developed based on the main inclusion of students in research activities 169 objectives of internationalization theories, the purpose of ib as a discipline and understanding that ib works in conjunction with other academic fields. in fact, a matrix can be developed in order to cross the principal areas which are identified as the most important in the context of ib and the main factors that support international issues which identify the relationship between the competencies and the contents that must be kept in mind in order to develop an ib program (desai & pitre, 2009). design of the observatory took not only the professional skills and needs of the professional in the ib field into account, but also the need to solve the main problems of firms that desire to take advantage of the opportunities in the international market thanks to the ftas. on the other hand, the program was developed according to the requirements for a basic education at the beginning and a complex and compulsory education at the end and related specifically to international business. methodology for the observatory the objective of the trade agreements observatory since its creation was to complement the research activities of the program with the participation of students in the projects generated by the faculty, and therefore, have a significant impact in the business sector. for that reason, and according to the context of the international business program, the purpose is to identify the impact of the free trade agreements in different economic sectors, as well as to determine the business opportunities that can be generated through these agreements. the observatory's program is divided into four stages, namely: 1. definition of the observatory 2. trade agreements focus of study inclusion of students in research activities 170 3. participation of students within the observatory 4. research development 5. expected results according to these stages, it was decided to define an initial stage as the construction of the observatory, identifying the background and the implications of a research program as a mechanism for measuring the behavior of colombia's trade relations with the rest of the world and particularly in the free trade treaties. that is why the full-time professors of the program developed the research and construction of the observatory from a theoretical context to determine which is the conceptual structure required for the construction of this research program. once this reference frame was developed, it was determined that one of the purposes was to link students with real sector activities, so that each trade agreement by region or continent was assigned to full-time professors and from the same conceptual framework. this was necessary to build specific projects by region according to the research purposes. subsequently, each research project was developed by professors, who proceeded to link students to each project, bearing in mind the fulfilment of the following conditions in order to partake in a project proposed by the professor of the program: 1. the student's academic average 2. summary of his/her cv 3. letter of intent for the project in which they want to participate inclusion of students in research activities 171 4. description of the work proposal with the full-time professor of who they want to work with. the invitation to participate was open to the students of the international business program who wished to participate on a voluntary basis within the projects led by the full-time professors, who were in their seventh or eighth semester and who had met the requirements. current students at this level totaled 56 students of who 16 submitted a project. students’ proposals were then sent to full-time professors. the professor then evaluated each proposal and decided which proposal would be accepted. of the 16 students’ proposals, all were accepted as co-investigators on the project and students were given one year to complete the project. each project had on average four students per group, given the methodological approach and the extension for the research. the students in this case participated as co-investigators on the project. its functions are focused on: • collection of information from specialized databases acquired by the university as wisertrade and bacex (data bases of foreign trade at the global level and colombia respectively). • field research with binational chambers of commerce, which has an agreement with the university for processes of business practice, which allows for the identification of trade opportunities with countries which are the object of study. • visits to commercial offices of procolombia (export promotion agency of colombia abroad) where the student can have contact with the director of the commercial office as well as entrepreneurs or managers who are involved in these markets in order to complement the research developed in conjunction with the professor. inclusion of students in research activities 172 students are working on the project in the first stage with the collection of information and statistics and will pass on to field activities. the project in this field seeks to develop intercultural skills, decision-making and analysis of data, aspects which are fundamental in the profile within a program of international business. therefore, and given precisely the nature of an undergraduate program like this, they are also key aspects in the process of vocational training and what is expected in the occupational profile of the program. in addition, the international business program has as its objective the consolidation of a research hotbed, to strengthen the processes of formative research within the curriculum, and to translate them into professionals who are able to carry out research in their professional field. currently, the research hotbed comprises a total of 12 students of the program in different semesters who see in this program an opportunity to complete their studies, because these projects aim to have the student meet their grade requirement early and does not end with the completion of the project. the main objective was to involve students in the real sector through consulting activities in order to internationalize the activities of the firms located in bogota with the full professors that belong to the program. most of the students who participated in this project were categorized by the university as young researchers on four levels, junior i, junior ii, senior i and senior ii. every activity which was developed by the student according to the project objectives would potentially qualify them to be promoted to the next level of young researcher. therefore, most of the students participated in governmental programs as researchers according to the recommendations given by the research department. in addition, students prepared written presentations and various research activities hosted by other universities in colombia, whose audience mainly consisted of students who were participating in university projects. inclusion of students in research activities 173 according to the requirements established by the project for research purposes, a research seminar was developed in order to prepare not only professors but also students to the use of the information. besides, a joint project between firms from specific sectors and the university was made, taking advantage of the databases that the university has. consequently, a study of the sector was developed in order to identify the opportunities and threats that represent the free trade agreements to not only the sector but also the firms. conclusions the observatory program assumes the interdisciplinary nature of the field, the investigation of the globalization phenomena and the meaning of the administrative function as the main elements of the program. the program adopted the criteria set out in the pedagogical model of the institutional educational project referred to as: "colombia as a horizon, an active education and creative, an academic structure directed toward the conceptualization, research analysis, problem solving and a clear project toward internationalization of smes and mnes taking advantage of the opportunities in the international markets”. the observatory program at universidad piloto de colombia began in 2016 and was based on understanding international business inside the ftas which were signed by colombia. it also includes activities of foreign business, interaction of business with the international environment, and comparative studies of business as an organizational form in different countries. therefore, it could view international business through this observatory as a distinctive field, with its own ontology and intellectual roots. that is why this integrative and interdisciplinary aspect became a key function of the field of international business, as evidenced by its performance cycle. inclusion of students in research activities 174 it is very important to define a pathway for organizing a program which prepares students as professionals in the international business field capable of internationalizing a firm’s activities by taking advantage of the ftas signed by colombia. in addition, it is valuable to find these kinds of programs which have included students either at the postgraduate or at the undergraduate level, from different disciplines. inclusion of students in research activities 175 references aggarwal, r.; petrovic, v.; ryans, j. k.; & zong, s. (2008). outstanding international business research: nature of the best international business dissertations. multinational business review 16 (1), 1-19. beamish, p. & calof, j. (1989). international business education: a corporate view. journal of international business studies, vol. 20 (3). 553-564. buckley, p. (2002). is the international business research agenda running out of steam? journal of international business studies, 33 (2). 365-373. chan, k; fung, h. & lai, p. (2005). membership of editorial boards and rankings of schools with international business orientation. journal of international business studies. 36. 452–469. dunning, j.h. (spring summer, 1981). toward an eclectic theory of international production: some empirical tests. journal of international business studies. 11 (1). 9-30. franco vasco, a. 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(1997). foundations of an emerging paradigm, in toyne, b. and nigh, d. editors, international business: an emerging vision 1997, columbia, sc. university of south carolina press. inclusion of students in research activities 177 toyne, b. & nigh, d. (1998). a more expansive view of international business, journal of international business studies, 29 (4). 863-875. vernon, r. (1994). contributing to an international business curriculum: an approach from the flank. journal of international business studies; second quarter. 25 (2). 215-227. xu, s.; yalcinkaya, g.; & seggie, s. (2008). prolifing authors and institutions in leading international business journals. asia pacific journal management. 25. 189-207. running head: nineteenth century economic change and the crisis in the southern senegambia 140 ninetieth century economic change and the crisis in the southern senegambia: islamic militancy and the british intervention in the lower gambia region of jarra, kiang and foni 1860-1888 ensa touray university of gambia, the gambia author note ensa touray, history lecturer, university of gambia. correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to ensa touray, university of gambia, po box 3530, brikama campus, the gambia, 00220-7664805. contact: etouray@utg.edu.gm mailto:etouray@utg.edu.gm nineteenth century economic change and the crisis in the southern senegambia 141 abstract the global economic realities in the middle of the 19th century was characterized by the intense search for viable areas of cost effective production to facilitate the expansion of the capitalist world economy and the rate of accumulation. this period of transformation coincided with the period of industrialization of western european countries and the introduction of cash crops in the southern senegambia region. in this paper, i critically examine how capitalist economic advancement and transformation led to the rise of socio-political crisis in the southern senegambia region. it is evident that the new emerging global capitalist economic expansion in the middle of the 19th century generated competition between the muslims and non-muslims in the entire southern senegambia region. it explores the consequent large scale socio-political crisis resulting from the nineteenth century capitalist economic advancement that lead to the clash between the theocratic muslim regime of futa jallon and non-muslim empire of kabu. it further sets out to examine how global economic change and cash crop production in the middle of the nineteenth century created intense political consolidation and power struggle in kiang, jarra and foni that necessitated the intervention of the british administration. keywords: capitalist, change, militant, crisis, mediation, consolidation nineteenth century economic change and the crisis in the southern senegambia 142 introduction the introduction of cash crops in 1860 gave muslims and peasants living on both banks of the gambia river access to cash and material mobilization to fight against oppressive non-muslim kings (wright, 2004). to understand the context of the crisis in the entire southern senegambia region, it is significant to rationalize the realities of a global system within the framework of a capitalist world economic system in the middle of the nineteenth century that marked the beginning of global enterprise (william, 2005). this new global economic and commercial phenomenon brought transformation in wider context. it generated new commitment for political consolidation among the traditional ruling aristocracies. in addition, it enabled peasants and muslim communities under the non-muslim ruling regimes to engage in peanut production and trade to gain material wealth. after the mid-19th century, a series of economic depressions experienced by industrial core nations as a result of overproduction enticed the european nations to compete for market and sources of raw material within non-industrial territories in west africa. the competition among european nations for space and for the new economic and production system in the senegambia, also correspondingly reproduced a new form of power consolidation and struggle for dominance (barry, 1998). understanding of key structures of the capitalist world-system is relevant to the contextualization of crises in the entire south bank of the senegambia in the late 19th century. the key hierarchical categories identified in the capitalist world-system were geographical based economic relationship. it is rationalized as a core-periphery relationship that engendered competition and political crises as a consequence of change in the production system (william, 2005). the changes in the production system in the south bank region of the senegambia could nineteenth century economic change and the crisis in the southern senegambia 143 be linked to increasing outward expansion, industrialization, and commodification that did not only generate competition among core powers for hegemony over the whole system but reproduced struggle and competition among traditional rulers and muslim clerics. this could be deemed as anti-systemic forces that required peaceful intervention of the british as an industrial core nation in the internal conflicts between the muslims and traditional non-muslim ruling dynasties in the gambia. significantly, the demand for vegetable oil and fat needed for industrial production in europe also required the need for abolition of atlantic slave trade in order to retain manpower for the new production system in africa (wright, 2004). this gave rise to the growth of a legitimate trading system. owing to new development in the new production system, communities in or near coastal zones began to specialize in the production of peanut and palm kernel. conceptualizing the geo-political framework of the southern bank region of greater senegambia is relevant in our understanding of transformation and change within the context of capitalist economic expansion. the south bank region was dominated by kabu, a non-muslim mandinka empire, and futa imamate, dominated by muslim fulas. both regimes played a central role in the trans-atlantic slave trading system from the period of the 17th to the early 19th century (barry, 1998). the growth and the development of peanut production constituted labor migration and effective utilization of productive terrain along the strategic coastal zones in the entire south bank region of greater senegambia (web, 2004). futa jallon imamate is situated on the mainland and was ecologically and geographically disadvantaged to monopolize the peanut production system because of the rocky nature of the soil. these conditions in the futa jallon plateau shape the basis of population migration into kabu and foria around river grande and geba (barry, 1998). therefore, the discourse on the conceptualization of crisis in futa and kabu can be nineteenth century economic change and the crisis in the southern senegambia 144 understood within the framework of a new emerging orientation towards export agriculture and relocation of productive terrain prior to colonial conquest (webb, 2006). following the control of all the southern rivers such as the pongo, nunez, geba and gambia rivers as well as productive arable terrain strategic for european trading activities, kabu continued to maintain an active position in the new production system. this requires an in-depth analysis of the outcome of structural transformation and change in the new global economic system on the political atmosphere in the southern senegambia region. the viable and strategic southern region of benty, bova and boke in futa jallon could have maintained active global participation of futa`s theocratic regime in the legitimate trading system (barry, 1998). however, with european occupation in these strategic and viable zones within the southwest region of futa jallon, the theocratic regime of futa was determined to embark on territorial expansion through the province of labe to ensure effective control over legitimate commodity and contraband slave trading. it is also important to note that the introduction of a legitimate trading system through cash crop production led to relocation of labor and productive terrains within the jurisdiction under the political and administrative suzerainty of kabu (barry, 1918). consequently, the strategic ecological and commercial conditions in the region of kabu served as a pull factor for the incoming population. this caused the theocratic regime of futa to experience drastic revenue shrinkage as a result of evacuation of a large number of fulas to escape taxation and oppressive rule (barry, 1998). in this situation, the crisis between two regional powers needs to be understood within the context of quest for political legitimacy and hegemony over labor and productive terrain. as for barry, effective pursuit for political legitimacy by futa imamate was explored in terms of mobilization in human and material form to surmount the regional power and consolidation of nineteenth century economic change and the crisis in the southern senegambia 145 kabu empire. accordingly, this was carried out within the framework of a triple military alliance. the imam of the central regime of futa raised a large number of armies, supported by combined forces alfa of labe and almami of bundu, bbakar saada attacked and exterminated the regional power of kabu in 1868 (gray, 1966). the downfall of kabu led to withdrawal of political suzerainty of the central regime of kabu over the control of the entire upper and lower gambian basin. consequently, the provincial mandinka ruling dynasties in the jurisdiction of lower gambian basin of kiang and jarra reasserted their territorial independence, and then consolidated their position to maintain their control over legitimate trading system. the muslim clerics under the despotic non-muslim regimes became ambitious for political change in the entire south bank region. the regional vulnerability and competition on the account of the crisis between the muslims and the traditional ruling elites depicted the beginning of insecurity that would potentially disrupt agriculture and trade. crisis in the south bank of the gambia: islamic militancy and political consolidation the ninetieth century capitalist advancement through legitimate trading system and political crisis in the entire senegambia can be understood within the context of intense pursuit for socio-political reform. donald wright identifies it as “intense desire for change and the militant approach to bringing about that change (wright, 2004). in the south bank region, muslim militancy for political change was explored through intense mobilization in human and material form. the downfall of the kabu empire created an opportunity for the growth of new fulani kingdom known as fulladu in the upper gambia valley. the leading mandinka muslim clerics through ethnic alignment mobilized and hired the remaining kabu warriors in the course of political change in the latter part of ninetieth century. nineteenth century economic change and the crisis in the southern senegambia 146 the islamic militancy in the middle of the 19th century can be conceptualized within the framework of broader context of capitalist economic expansion. the islamic uprising could be traced to islamic brotherhood known as the tijaniya brotherhood. the brotherhood became appealing to the masses owing to its practical miracle mobilization within the context of ritual and mysticism. the leader of this brotherhood ideological sect was ahaji umar tal, a torobe fulani from upper senegal (wright, 2004). according to donald wright, the reception of the tijaniya doctrine through shaykh umar inspired a revolutionary spirit into ma bah to start a revolutionary campaign against the existing traditional authorities in the lower gambia basin. “shaykh umar visited him, acquainted him with the tijaniyya, and blew on the embers of islamic revival that already may have been glowing within maba.” it should be noted that the middle of the nineteenth century was characterized by the demand for reform and rebellion against soninke hegemony. the cash crop production and legitimate trading system brought competition between the muslim clerics and soninke regimes in the entire lower senegambia regionwright,2004). soninke refers to non-muslims who follow traditional african religion. maba led the successful jihad in the north bank region of baddibu in 1861. though maba could not complete his conquest, his success in laying the foundation of islamic militant uprising in the gambia has been clearly captured by j m gray: “his earlier successes in baddibu and nuimi were the signals for marabouts up and down the river to rise against their soninke overlord” kaba as a leading disciple of maba, was motivated by the successes of his contemporaries like alfa molloh baldeh in fulladu and foday kombo sillah in the south-west region of the gambia. he mobilized prominent marauding warriors, who, according to oral traditions, were powerful. with the exception of “franzwoi” and others based at toniataba, the british records nineteenth century economic change and the crisis in the southern senegambia 147 could not indicate the names of his warriors. however, manding speaking tradition has been able to mention his mandinka warriors like maisa fatty, bintou mori, fena turuma and demba ajara. he also mobilized and made a joint alliance with a large confederacy of marabout. then he consolidated his position in niamina, jarra, kiang and foni, in the region to the south of those districts as far as the bank of casamance. practically, he administered only three districts which were isolated from each other. the three districts include the south of the bintang creek, eastern kiang and western jarra as well as part of eastern jarra (gray, 1966). with the emergence of regional dominance of futa imamate, viable kingdoms under the jurisdictions of kabu in the upper gambia were brought under the domination of alfa molloh. fulladu initially became a periphery of futa imamate until 1878. since foday kaba was constrained by the fullani dominance in fulladu, his determination to mobilize the remaining kabu warriors to conquer viable lower gambian kingdoms of niamina, jarra, kiang and foni preoccupied his major agenda. it should be understood that the jurisdictions such as jarra, niamina and kiang were administered by powerful centralized manding speaking people with wellorganized military structures for territorial defense and security. it is also very significant for us to understand that these kingdoms became viable for political consolidation as a result of peanut production, while robber and gum trade constituted the viability of foni (barry, 1996). nineteenth century economic change and the crisis in the southern senegambia 148 fig. 1. map of the gambia kaba`s conquest for territorial integration was negatively frustrated by intense political consolidation of centralized manding speaking rulers of jarra and kiang. geographically, his conquered districts were not territorially contiguous. in between his conquered districts, the soninke kings of japineh, colley dampha, king mansa kortoh of batteling in the region of kiang and corykunda, maintained their independence against kaba (cso, 1888). the ruling houses in jarra and kiang re-affirmed their political consolidation to benefit from legitimate trading. therefore, relinquishing their territorial sovereignty would constitute the end of their dominant control over state revenue accrued from taxation paid by farmers and european traders. since the establishment of fulani domination led by musa molloh in fulladu prevented kaba in fulladu, the kings in kiang and jarra explored means of tactical alliance with alpha molloh and musa molloh to reinforce their territorial consolidation. political crisis and the early mediating roles of the british the continuous political struggle and resistance created an atmosphere of trade disruption. therefore, there required a need for intervention for peaceful mediation. this also necessitated the nineteenth century economic change and the crisis in the southern senegambia 149 british government to assume a neutral stance in the management of crisis. in this situation, we need to contextualize the initial intervention of the british from the perspective of crisis management based on its recurrent and non-preventable nature. in the kingdom of kiang, kaba signed a peace treaty with the british at the town of “toniataba. we need to understand that jarra was strategic for the british because of ground nut trade. any form of intervention to avert disruption of farming and trade was necessary. the presence of british technological sophistication in the south bank of the gambia can be relevant in our understanding of the context of the discourse of "technological-structural perspective" in the management of crisis. in this situation, the collective consciousness of technological power of the british administration became a catalyst for the management of policies and practice. consequently, this also led to conformity and restraints in the crisis period. the british policy of a non-aggression pact, and the treaty signed to refer all the disputes of the conflicting parties to the british administration forced kaba to remain calm. however, he continued to seek permission from the british administration to allow him to retaliate. he said, “i avoid the weakness of hasty impatience on your account. give me a free road to the people of cory-kunda, kabada and jappineh (cso, 1888). in his message to the british administrator, kaba illustrated clearly his main mission in the south bank region. he affirmed and disclosed his general outlook to the british administrator. “i beg to say i have nothing to do with the groundnuts, where i am, i am only a stranger. ever since i knew myself to be a man, my occupation has been a warrior, and i make it upon my duty to fight the soninkes, who profess no religion whatever. if the soninke of the north nineteenth century economic change and the crisis in the southern senegambia 150 bank had accepted the muhammedan we could live in unity…” in his publication “shaikh amadu and jihad in jolof,” eunice charles shows the practical commitment of amadu to islamize the people of jolof with less attention to the establishment of political base. it is confirmed that amadu and kaba were all influenced by the jihad of maba. however, amadu’s use of wisdom and persuasive approach to non-muslims in jolof prevented him and his disciples from causing destruction. it is even confirmed in the british record in 1880 that he was capturing jolas as slaves rather than converting them to islam. when the violence was intensified, the jola captives who escaped from foni rushed to banjul to seek asylum. in 1880, the british administrator agreed to protect and secure the freedom of any slave who managed to escape to bathurst. they informed all the chiefs that the runaway slaves would not be delivered back (cso, 1888). kabada and cory-kunda were settlements in jarra under the leadership of coley dampha. we can trace kaba’s constraints in jarra and kiang to the resistance and consolidation of wellestablished centralized polities; the issue of alliance between musa molloh and the chiefs in jarra and kiang also undermined his success and the british treaty of non-aggression pact. it is confirmed that the manding speaking muslims settlement of booyiba were ally to kaba. the report sent to the british administrator confirmed that when the fulas of kabada attempted to capture one of kaba’s children, named nfali dumbuya, but the mandinkas and alkali of booyiba were able to rescue him. on the account of this, the fulas of kabada demonstrated their anger by capturing a woman, named zeemi sally, believed to be a sister of the alkali of booyiba. the political alliance of musa molloh of fulladu with the reigning kings of kiang and jarra can be rationalized in the context of rational expectation within the framework of political alliance system. according to erik gatzke the states` assumption of homogenous perception mimics nineteenth century economic change and the crisis in the southern senegambia 151 interest and material variables. in this perspective history does not dictate inter-state alliance. this discourse is relevant in the context of the fulladu-kiang alliance against foday kaba in kiang and jarra. it should be understood that musa and his father were the leaders of fulani consolidation. kaba`s nation building activities in kiang and jarra became serious concern for musa molloh and his father. therefore, establishing strategic military and political alliance for common security became paramount for the allied kingdoms. in 1888, the british endeavored to institute formulative mediation technique in the internal political conflict between kaba and the existing ruling houses in kiang and jarra. this could be described as a period that marked the pacific response of the british in the internal political conflict. therefore, to avert war that might cause disruption to trade and agriculture, the british administrator deemed it prudent to engage in mediation. in response to his complaints the acting british administrator described kaba`s complaints as a demonstration of his genuine friendship and conformity. the british administrator further assured him of his determination to resolve the disputes. he sent a messenger to the rival chiefs to surrender his belongings in question. however, none of the reigning chiefs responded to the request of the british administrator. among these rival chiefs was mansa koto who openly refused to deliver the boy belonging to foday kaba. according to the british messenger, “he said that he is not going to give up the boy unless foday kaba delivered his grey mare before he will deliver the boy back” (cso, 1888). the ruling dynasties in kiang and jarra were able to make use of tactical alliance and british protection as effective means to encumber kaba’s influence. however, the correspondence further revealed kaba`s tactical maneuver to provoke the british against the rival chiefs. the british report notes: nineteenth century economic change and the crisis in the southern senegambia 152 “after the departure of john, the british messenger from the king of jappineh, the people of jappineh and those of musa molloh attacked masembeh for the purpose of stealing bullocks. the people of kabada also laid an ambush on the road between toniataba and datore (cso,1888).” the british report further indicates that kaba alleged the people of kabada for killing two of his men: faraba ousman fatty and lamin jatta. another man also sustained an injury, and a woman called hanna cham, a trader from banjul, was captured. he therefore appealed to the acting british administrator to give him permission to attack the people of cory-kunda, kabada and jappineh. it was clear to the british that the people of jarra were taking advantage of the british protection to injure foday kaba. the people of cory-kunda even continued to collaborate with musa molloh to raid settlements under the british jurisdiction. they attacked booloofoolah, and captured a boy belonging to foday kaba’s followers (cs0, 1888). the wars in foni and the early warning of the british kaba perceived the british administration as a deterrent to his conquest in jarra and kiang. while the administration was engaged in putting logistics for mediation between him (kaba) and the rival chiefs, kaba and his warriors avoided jarra and kiang, whose kings and chiefs jealously guarded their independence against him. he then continued to raid places in foni under the british protection. foni was and still predominantly inhabited by jolas who were socio-politically categorized as egalitarian and stateless communities, governed by village councils. owing to the absence of well-established political and military organization compared to the kingdoms in kiang and jarra, foni was opened to vulnerability during the 19th century crisis. nineteenth century economic change and the crisis in the southern senegambia 153 the region of foni situated on the south bank became geographically and ecologically viable for european and manding speaking traders. the expansion of the wild rubber and palm produce also attracted migration into foni for commodity trade. foday kaba and his men seized the opportunity to avoid the entire mandinka settlements of jarra and kiang. he intensified his mobilization to subjugate jolas in his drive to attain his nation building aspiration. however, kaba became disillusioned when he failed to subject the jolas to be inclined to his authority. he eventually embarked on constant raiding as an alternative venture for resource mobilization to sustain the services of his marauding warriors. according to the british accounts, kaba and his men embarked on surprise attacks in the region of foni. he returned to sangajour to resume his raid upon the natives within british protectorate. on 11 november 1890, the people of kansala and the kings recounted their trouble. according to the british report, “forty-seven horsemen attacked burambang, the king’s town. they seized four women, two children and burnt some of the houses. they also continued to lay ambush and even captured a woman returning from her farm.” it was confirmed that all these people were sold as slaves (cso, 1888). the situation report of nineteenth century crisis in the region of foni can be conceptualized within the framework of a human security perspective. the intensification of violence and continuous raiding created a state of insecurity for jolas and european traders in foni. this alerted the british administration to institute another method of intervention and mediation. there was a need for stable socio-political atmosphere for trade continuity and security for jolas and british traders in the region of foni. however, the british administration could not initially explore mean of military intervention as a mechanism to end conflict in the region. with the security focus on the threat level, the british administration in the gambia adopted a model of manipulative nineteenth century economic change and the crisis in the southern senegambia 154 mediation technique in the course of terminating violent conflicts in foni. in this mediation model, britain, as a third party, contributed substantively to the negotiation. mr. cater, the acting british administrator, warned him to be mindful of foni in which the jolas established friendship with the british. in his encounter with kaba, the governor clearly explained: ‘when two persons or people are friends like english with jolas and other people who have signed treaties, do not expect you who say you wish to be friendly with english to go and fight our friends (cso, 1888). however, kaba continued to justify his attacks as a revenge of the offences done to him by the people. the british report confirms foday kaba’s attack on the people of kanfenda and karoli. according to evidence kaba justified the attack on the people of kanfenda for carrying away his jola maids. he also destroyed karoli as revenge against the jolas for killing his landlord’s son. in his reaction to kaba`s response, the british governor justified the action of kanfenda people as an act of liberating their own people from bondage (cso, 1888). the region of foni kansala became strategic terrain for british commercial interest. however, the militant activities of kaba`s marauding warriors increased the threat level. the british mediation response for immediate restoration of calmness in foni can be examined in the context of mediation dilemma. in this context, the intervention of the british as third-party mediator was to lay terms and condition for kaba and his warring faction. this spurred the british administrator to go and meet kaba personally to raise his concern over the state of security in kansala. when the british realized that the disturbances within the neighborhoods could affect kansala and their trade with the jolas, the british administrator, sir samuel rowe, made an attempt to put an end to the disturbances. nineteenth century economic change and the crisis in the southern senegambia 155 in 1887, he proceeded to foni and found that the jolas were tired of constant ravages. on 15 september, he met at kansala the heads of sixteen jola towns who appealed to mr. rowe to accept the sovereignty of their country and be co-opted under british protection (archer, 1967). the treaty with the british signified that jolas did not want to cede their region to any other power except great britain. consequently, sir samuel rowe was urgently requested to hoist the british flag. two days later he entered into the same treaty with the chiefs and the almami of bintang. in 1888, the british entered a similar treaty with the chiefs in central kiang at kwinella (gray, 1966). they also appealed to mr. rowe to hoist the british flag in their principal towns. this treaty was not only signed by soninke chiefs but also by marabouts. mansakoto, an independent king of batteling, also signed the treaty accepting all the provisions enshrined in the central kiang treaty. we can therefore infer that kaba’s conquest in kiang and jarra forced both mandinka nonmuslim and muslims to place themselves under the british protectorate for political security, while his raiding in vulnerable foni also pushed the jolas to recognize the british authority for defense and security. the british administrator conceived it prudent to illustrate specifically places under their protection. he read the list of the names of the people and the town identified. this included the chiefs and five treaties. the person mentioned was alo barje of bwiam. according to the british sources the signing of this treaty took place in kansala (cso, 1888). in kiang and jarra, the people of tancrowal and fonkoi kunda voluntarily put themselves under british protection. the british continued to reinforce the treaty of non-aggression pact as the only method to avert conflict. however, kaba agreed to conform to the terms on condition that the british would leave the interior for him. the british governor turned down his request on the grounds that the request was meant purposely to carry out slave raid and plundering. this further revealed the real nineteenth century economic change and the crisis in the southern senegambia 156 purpose of his wars. as for kaba, putting those viable terrains under the protection of the british would limit his chance of raiding the soninkes. he therefore put it to the british administrator that: “i am a mandinka and he is a white man; he has got cash to live on. my cash is slavery (cso, 1888). i am grieved because they left me and joined somebody else.” kaba and his people took slavery as the only means of their survival. therefore, the abolition of internal slavery would be a threat to his existence and the new emerging economic phenomenon could only thrive in a stable atmosphere. since his militant activities had to clash with british commercial interests, the british had to stop the existing commercial slavery on which kaba and his warriors’ existence entirely depended. the british administration recognized only domestic slavery which was prevalent in gambian tradition. however, the british administrator condemned commercial slavery as a repugnant venture to legitimate trade. in the correspondence, the governor reports that: “i know two kinds of slavery: one was catching of the people to sell to others which the english would never listen to for a moment and it was no good talking about it, the other domestic servants that they took into their family or that were born & lived amongst their people. the two things were totally different.” the british further refused to recognize his control over the towns in the interior because he intended to carry out raiding. in his reaction, the british administrator affirmed that “with respect to taking the waterside and leaving him the land inside for the purpose of letting him fight and make slaves such a thing could not be thought of (cso, 1888; mark, 2002). nineteenth century economic change and the crisis in the southern senegambia 157 with the lack of manpower base required for military intervention in foni, yet the british administration continued to explore manipulative mediation technique as a mean of checking kaba in foni kansala. accordingly, the british administrator suggested to kaba and his marauding warriors to engage in more legitimate economic ventures like farming as an alternative mean to raiding. kaba then tasked the british administrator to advise the people of bai to leave the road from jappineh to medina and from koorong koto to central kiang (cso, 1888; gray, 1966). foday kaba and his warriors persisted in making trouble in the area. he returned to sangajour to resume his raid upon the natives within british jurisdiction. on 11 november 1888, the people of kansala and the king recounted their trouble with foday kaba and his warriors. according to the british incident report, forty-seven horsemen, attacked burambang, the king’s town. they seized four women, two children and burnt some of the houses. they also continued to lay ambush and even captured a woman returning from her farm. it was confirmed that all these people were sold as slaves. thereafter the british military expedition against kaba arrived at warambang. the head of burambang voluntarily offered some men to assist the british expeditionary force as carriers, orderlies, messengers and guides (cso, 1888). the trend of depredation persisted. ch harley recommended to the british administration the need to station troops to avert the continual raiding of kaba and his fighting men. the british military mission suggested further assistance before the departure of her majesty’s ship of war from the gambia. this necessitated the arrival of 50 west indian regiment in bathurst before the departure of “alecto” and “widgeon” (gray, 1888). conclusion nineteenth century economic change and the crisis in the southern senegambia 158 the ninetieth century capitalist advancement led to transformation and change in the production system in the southern senegambia region. this led to introduction of legitimate trading system that attracted political struggle between kabu and the theocratic state of futa imamate for effective control over strategic and viable geographical and ecological terrains. with the downfall of kabu, new forms of power struggle and political consolidation emerged, leading to crisis that threatened the british economic interest in the entire upper and lower gambia valley. the new phenomena necessitated the pacific and military intervention of the british administration. nineteenth century economic change and the crisis in the southern senegambia 159 references archer, f. b. (1967). the gambia colony and protectorate: an official handbook. london: frank cass& co. ltd. barry, b. (1998). senegambia and the atlantic slave trade. cambridge: cambridge university press. curtin, d. p. (1971). jihad in west africa: early phases and inter-relationship with mauritania and senegal. the journal of african history, 12(1), (11-24). charles, e. a. (1975). shaikh amadu ba and jihad in jolof. the journal of african historical studies, 8(3), 367-382. clark, a. f. (1996). the fulbe of bundu (senegambia): from theocracy to secularization. the international journal of historical studies, 29(1), 1-23. gatzke, e. (2002). alliance, perception and international politics. university of columbia. gray, j. m. (1966) a history of the gambia. london: frank cass. klein, m. (1972). social and economic factors in the muslim revolution in senegambia. the journal of african history, 13(3), 419-441. mark, p. (2002). portuguese style and luso-african identity. indiana: indiana university press. martin, b. g. (1976). muslim brotherhoods in 19th-century africa. cambridge: cambridge university press. nnoli, o. (1998). ethnic conflict in africa: a comparative analysis. dakar: codesria. quinn, c. a. (1972). mandinka kingdom of senegambia: traditionalism, islam, and european expansion. evanston: northwestern university press. quinn, c. a. (1971). a nineteenth century fulbe state. journal of african history, 12(3):427-440. nineteenth century economic change and the crisis in the southern senegambia 160 wright, d. r. (2004). the world and a very small place in africa: a history of globalization in nuimi, the gambia (2nd ed.). armonk: m.e. sharpe. running head: turkish case in exchange mobility: incoming students 1 turkish case in exchange mobility: incoming students hatice irmaklı istanbul university, turkey author note hatice irmaklı, department of translation studies, istanbul university. this research was supported by the scientific research projects coordination unit of istanbul university. project number 20605 decision making processes in intercultural communication kültürlerarası i̇letişimde karar verme süreçleri. correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to hatice irmaklı, istanbul university faculty of letters department of translation studies beyazıt istanbul turkey. contact: haticeirmaklii@gmail.com mailto:haticeirmaklii@gmail.com turkish case in exchange mobility: incoming students 2 abstract exchange programs provide a rich platform to make it possible for the university students to explore and experience a cultural setting as well as a new learning environment. turkey has been involved with mobility programs since 2002. depending upon the disciplines signing bilateral agreements with partners, some of the departments are very lucky in terms of the number of the students incoming and outgoing. regarding the collected data, the participants’ turkish experience is evaluated. the research question for this study was assessing whether exchange mobility programs change people’s perspectives despite personal judgements or not. not only qualitative but also quantitative methodology is followed to analyze the outcomes of the data. the survey data is discussed through various factors affecting the reflections and experiences of the participants. keywords: istanbul university, erasmus, mevlana, mobility, exchange, turkey turkish case in exchange mobility: incoming students 3 turkish case in exchange mobility: incoming students introduction university education is important for self-development. universities established in big cities usually welcome many students from smaller towns and regions. having such a mobility, students are encouraged to learn new lifestyles, develop new expectations, experience new settings, new cultures and new perspectives. these include not only the educational aims but also taking part in enjoyable and social events enriching them culturally and personally. it brings a repositioning of the self into the society. this study concentrates on the international mobility which takes place through exchange programs in higher education. according to hannam, sheller & urry (2006): ‘mobility’ has become an evocation keyword for the twenty-first century and a powerful discourse that creates its own effects and contexts. the concept of mobilities encompasses both the large scare movements of people, objects, capital and information across the world, as well as the more local processes of daily transportation, movement through public space and the travel of material things within everyday life. (p. 1) however, as the title suggests, this paper only focuses on one type: mobility in higher education. in the present literature, there are various studies conducted on mobility and exchange programs with discrete target audiences. for instance, weichbrodt (2014) has a study on german students and exchange programs on the high school level rather than the university level while daly and barker (2005) focused on australian and new zealand students and their participation in international exchange programs. there are also studies focusing on different contexts such as: the gender gap in one of the mobility programs (erasmus) (böttcher, araújo, nagler, mendes, turkish case in exchange mobility: incoming students 4 helbing & herrmann, 2016), the student motivation about why and where to go within an act of mobility (lesjak, juvan, ineson, yap & axelsson, 2015), exchange experiences for the students (hagen, munkhondya., & myhre, 2009) or intercultural competence (aba, 2016.). exchange programs mobility might exist in every aspect of life. and this mobility also takes place within higher education as well, through mobility programs called “exchange programs”. istanbul university has the erasmus program and the mevlana program as the main exchange programs. these exchange programs focus on students and their incoming and outgoing processes. since it only focuses on students within the higher education facilities, these programs have some limitations such as age, talent or department of study, etc. there might be also variations in disciplines and academic fields in which countries place importance. in other words, different countries may want to invest in different fields of study based on their own national interests, needs and plans for future generations. students wishing to be involved in different disciplines, join education steps on specific fields of study, learn theoretical knowledge and practice it with an internship in a completely different education system or business life, have a career in an academic field for which their countries don’t have any bachelor’s or associate degree programs. such students might want to consider looking for a new place to go to for their own goals and plans. thus, exchange programs play a key role in making up for this possible negation. yet, unlike middle and high schools, universities and the programs within this higher education facility focus on a more “individual” and unique education that attracts only the people who are truly interested in particular fields. while exchange programs have such key roles and important impacts, it’s also a challenge to have an equivalence between the degree programs in different countries or cities during the turkish case in exchange mobility: incoming students 5 application process for an exchange mobility. certain legal procedures and processes are to be transacted for an exchange mobility to take place. this is why departments of universities have bilateral agreements only with relevant departments and also limitations for incoming and outgoing students. even though it’s only for a limited amount of time, significance of the gains and advantages which an exchange mobility can bring along is inevitable, since exchange mobility programs help to increase intercultural awareness in students who participate in these programs. intercultural awareness covers how each culture differs from the others but tolerates the otherness (genç i̇lter, 2016, p. 570). however, intercultural awareness would not be the only gain. according alba and sidhu (2015), if executed thoughtfully, immersing students in unfamiliar cultural environments and different academic systems can make them aware of their own taken-for-granted practices and assumptions by bringing them into contact with people and issues that broaden their perspectives (p. 721). key lessons in leadership can be obtained from visiting other places and people and learning from their experiences (aarvold et al., 2011, p. 87). in addition, as the study by ruddock and turner (2007) identifies, cultural sensitivity can develop as a consequence of participating in an international experience (p. 368). lastly, cultural competency can be obtained as well (e.g. deane, hamman & liping, 2015). impacts of exchange exchange starts with deciding to go to a different country and this decision-making process involves many different parameters such as economic, sociological, psychological perspectives and the reflections on the target country. if all these are somewhat positive, then the individual may decide to risk his/her time in the target country. otherwise, they never volunteer for something they don’t really know or feel negative about. we may assume that the incoming students had already glimpses of positive feelings which is why they volunteer for an exchange. turkish case in exchange mobility: incoming students 6 coming from different cultural backgrounds, having the same cultural activity would cause different impacts on different people, since every national or local culture is unique to itself and one of the major elements which shapes the perspectives and perceptions of individuals. yet, to downscale these impacts to a generalization, it can be said that there are two different types of impacts. the first one is an ‘immediate impact’, while the second one is the ‘delayed impact’. immediate impact can be explained by the initial reactions and impressions of the individual to the newly encountered cultural elements. and the delayed impact is felt when a certain amount of time passes after the first encounter with a foreign culture. for instance, a student might find it hard to adapt herself/himself to a particular cultural element while she is still in the host country, and when she goes back to her home country, she might think of that particular cultural element and how it actually enriched her personally and culturally. this study analyses the experiences, personal opinions, impressions, insights of 39 foreign exchange students and the meaning attributed to the time spent in turkey by them. focusing on the immediate impact explained above, a questionnaire of 12 questions has been used as a tool to assess the research question of this study, which is as follows: • does exchange mobility change people’s perspectives despite personal judgements, correct or incorrect representations through the media? while the aim of this study is to look for an answer to this question within a limited target audience, it also aims to make a contribution to the existing literature by providing an insight into the case of turkey. the data is collected from 39 foreign exchange students studying at istanbul university language centre in 2016-2017 academic year. they are currently learning turkish and turkish culture before they start degree programs at the university. the results reveal that turkish case in exchange mobility: incoming students 7 exchange mobility help people gain different points of views and change some of the students’ perspectives despite what they heard beforehand, while also enabling them to explore a new culture and learn from it. aims and methodology the aim of the research this study aims to explore what incoming exchange students from various countries think about turkish culture and turkish lifestyle in istanbul, turkey. considering the fact that all of the students come from overly different cultural backgrounds, their individual insights are of importance in the context of how turkish culture, education system and lifestyle are perceived through the eyes of them. it also aims to analyze the connection between the questions asking about what they heard and experienced positively and negatively. the outcomes and results of this study are expected to help to build a solid framework about the immediate impact in relation with the question of whether their perspectives change after their arrival and through their own experiences. it also aims to make contributions in the context of what can be done to enhance the image of turkey which is an important factor in shaping foreign students’ decisions to choose turkey as a host country in the future. the methodology of the research focus group interaction through a questionnaire was planned for the data collection of the study. there were 39 incoming exchange students from various countries studying at istanbul university language centre who replied to the questionnaire. both males and females at different ages answered the questions. demographics of the participants such as country of origin, sex and age are not seen as variables and not classified. and since there was such a diversity of the backgrounds of the participants, the only variable chosen was to be an incoming and foreign turkish case in exchange mobility: incoming students 8 exchange student. throughout this study, multiple-choice questions were not used assuming that each choice could have a limitation on the side of the participants. that’s why an open-ended answer is valued more. the classification of the replies was shaped and determined based on their replies. due to the limitations, out of 12 questions, only 4 of them were covered and discussed in this paper: 1. please list five negative things you have heard generally about turkey. 2. please list five negative things you experienced first-hand in turkey. 3. please list five positive things you heard generally about turkey. 4. please list five positive things you experienced first-hand in turkey. the questions asking about what the participants heard before their arrival in turkey, whether they are asking about the negative or the positive ones, aim to explore the representation of turkey and image of turkish culture in foreign countries. in addition, they can provide insights of how their judgements on turkey might have been shaped and affected before their arrival in turkey, which helps to uncover the change in their perspectives later on. questions about personal experiences aim to explore what students go through in a foreign environment, whether what they heard before their arrival is true or not, and how students’ experiences differ from one another. yet not every student listed five answers to questions as they were asked to. some of the students chose to answer the questionnaire with less than five insights per each question, which is why the number of given answers to the questions varied from one question to another. findings and discussion the given answers have been classified based on their content and the percentage distribution of them is also presented in table 1. these classifications are as follows: turkish case in exchange mobility: incoming students 9 1. politics: this classification included the answers about political instability, “bad” politics, major political events, turkey’s international position, governmental system and some subjective opinions in relation to it, restriction of rights/rights violation in turkey. 2. geographical / physical: the answers about certain geographical elements such as the weather, the country’s location on the world map as well as some subtopics of human geography such as population, traffic congestion and urban living were listed under this classification. 3. otherisation: this classification involved answers of the students which were about racism, sexism, gender inequality, students’ own worries about being perceived as “the other” due to their different nationalities, religions and races, and treatments towards foreigners. 4. economic: the answers about turkey having a “good/average” economy, prices or rents being cheap or expensive, turkey being a “developed” country, business life and finding or not being able to find a job in turkey were included in this classification. 5. religion: this classification included answers about muslim population, turkey “being an islamic state”, secularism and freedom of religion in turkey, religious extremism and “religious” approaches of turkish people. 6. security: the answers provided by the students that were about terrorism, bomb attacks, turkey being close to the war in syria, violent acts and harassment, crimes and current security and safety situation in turkey are listed under the security classification. 7. culture: since there can be multiple elements of a culture, various answers about different cultural elements such as history, music and hospitality are all included in this turkish case in exchange mobility: incoming students 10 classification. in addition, characteristics which exchange students attributed to turkish culture and turkish people are also analyzed under this classification. 8. language: the communicational problems due to the language barriers, turkish people “not being able to speak english”, turkish language “being very hard to learn” are mainly among the answers that were given by the students. 9. social life and services: this classification covered the answers that were about “good/bad” service, social relationships, legal procedures or bureaucratic process, characteristics which exchange students attributed to lifestyles, living conditions and public and social services in turkey. answers about turkish cuisine are also included in this classification. 10. health: the answers about health service, hygiene and cleanness are covered in this classification. 11. education: the students’ answers which were about turkish education system, their own experiences through the education they had in turkey and own impressions of education facilities and teachers/professors are involved in this classification. 12. tourism & aesthetics: this classification included students’ impressions about natural beauties, touristic and aesthetic places and attractions, landscapes and resort areas. 13. integration: this classification included the answers about foreign students feeling integrated into the turkish society and culture. 14. other: the answers which were quite different from one another and not eligible to be classified under the classifications above are covered in this section. recommendations on turkey, subjective and personal thoughts such as turkey being “cool/very good” country, turkish case in exchange mobility: incoming students 11 turkish people “being the closest people for them”, and “good and bad times” in turkey are included in this classification. the findings of the 4 main questions are presented in the table below: table 1: findings of the 4 questions covered in this paper the total number of the answers which were provided by the students was 115 for the first question. 4 out of these students stated that they had not heard anything generally about turkey beforehand. as presented above in table 1, students have heard of various things about turkey before their arrival. however, it can be seen that there is a slight dominance on politics, security, religion, otherisation and culture. since the political news, as well as the violence acts, and bomb attacks have impacts on an international level, they are addressed by the international newspapers and news channels, in other words, by the media (including social media). in a globalized world, the accessibility of such information about a host country and what recently happened there is questions politics geographical & physical otherisation economic religion security culture 1 16% 5% 13% 5% 14% 22% 13% 2 2% 12% 12% 2% 2% 16% 21% 3 2% 2% 0% 7% 6% 2% 31% 4 1% 2% 0% 3% 3% 3% 40% questions language social life & services health education tourism& aesthetics integration other 1 8% 1% 1% 2% 0% 0% 0% 2 15% 12% 3% 2% 0% 0% 1% 3 0% 22% 0% 7% 21% 0% 0% 4 2% 21% 2% 8% 12% 3% 0% turkish case in exchange mobility: incoming students 12 available to everyone who has an internet connection. thus, it’s no surprise that exchange students have heard about political and security situation in turkey before their arrival. yet the given answers about religion and religious acts in turkey do not draw the same objective picture. as stated in the constitution of the republic of turkey: the republic of turkey is a democratic, secular and social state governed by rule of law, within the notions of public peace, national solidarity and justice, respecting human rights, loyal to the nationalism of atatürk, and based on the fundamental tenets set forth in the preamble. (const. of the republic of turkey. art. 2, part i. n.d.). the examples of the given answers by the students about religion and secularism in turkey are as follows: • “turkey is an islamic state.” • “there is radical islam in turkey.” • “turkey is a muslim country and it’ll be difficult for me because i’m from an another religion.” as it can be seen in the examples, students who gave answers about religion thought of turkey as an islamic country. this can be interpreted as that the representation of turkey, especially on the international media affects people’s perceptions in an incorrect way. while turkey is a secular country and does not have any official religion in its constitution, students heard the very opposite. there was one particular answer such as: • “turkey is a muslim country which lost its islamic culture and it’s overly influenced by the west.” this answer is also important in the context of revealing that not everyone heard the same things about turkey, even though the answer is quite subjective. the findings reveal that there are turkish case in exchange mobility: incoming students 13 also answers about otherisation and racism against people in turkey. upon analysis of some of the answers, there is a link between the answers about religion and otherisation because people heard about a certain negative treatment or discrimination against non-muslim people in turkey, as it can be seen in the example below: • “only muslim students will have priorities in every aspect in turkey.” however, the classification of otherisation didn’t only include the answers about being discriminated because of religion. examples of students answering differently are as follows: • “i heard that ‘turks hate greek people’ and i was warned to not trust turkish people.” • “there is a distrust of strangers in turkey. • “there is sexism and bad behaviors towards females.” the classification of culture included various aspects. however, in relation to the interpretations stated above, it’s important to point out that students heard about turkish people being, “arrogant”, “rude”, “jealous”, “unfriendly”, “unhelpful”, “annoying” “homophobic” and “aggressive”. in the following discussions of other questions, it can be seen that the students have found out that this also was not correct for everyone. for other classifications, what students heard about is generally objective and proven to be true (with some exceptions which will be addressed later in the following discussions of other questions) with the findings of other questions. there were 113 answers given by the students to the second question. there were 4 students who stated that they did not experience anything bad in turkey. it can clearly be seen in table 1 that findings of the second question varied compared to the first question. firstly, there is a significant decrease in the percentage of religion (from 14% to 2%). while most of the students heard about “turkey being an islamic state”, “radical islam in turkey” or “the obligation of wearing a hijab/scarf”, the students did not state that they turkish case in exchange mobility: incoming students 14 experienced any extremism or radical religious acts or obligations in turkey. however, there are two exemplary answers which show the discomfort of two foreign students in interaction with turkish people in this context. • “i have been asked questions about my religion such as whether i’m a muslim or a christian”. • “the common question of turks, ‘are you a muslim?” disgusts me a lot.” there is also a decrease in the classification of security. however, it’s important to point out that the given answers by the students about security mainly included crimes or harassment they experienced. • “they have a lot of theft problems.” • “there is harassment from men in the tramway.” • “there were people staring at me and stalking me.” however, there were answers about terrorism and such violent acts, as well: • “there have been terrorist attacks in big cities, especially in public places.” • “i have experienced terrorist attacks.” • “i have heard some gun shootings.” considering these data above, it can be interpreted that the security issues included more about certain crimes and harassment, with a few exceptions on terrorism. the decrease in the percentage of security may mean that the “dangerous” image of turkey is not completely true. however, some of the students had still some unfortunate experiences. the classification of culture mainly included answers about negative traits attributed to turkish people by the students as seen in the exemplary sentences below: turkish case in exchange mobility: incoming students 15 • “some people are rude.” • “turkish roommates are unfriendly.” • “people are impatient.” social life and services, along with language, are the classifications which had increases in their percentages as well. firstly, the replies about language cover the language barriers and communication problems the students experienced in turkey. for instance: • “hard to communicate with people, only few can speak english.” • “no one in public offices can speak english.” • “people only speak turkish.” the data given above confirms what the students heard about language and relevant issues regarding the language before their arrival. the findings of the first question show that students heard about language barriers and turkish people not being able to speak english. and the findings of the second question indicate that there are indeed language barriers in turkey. lastly, social life and services included answers mainly focused on the social services. there were answers confirming what some of the students heard about the bureaucratic and social service system in turkey, such as: • “the people working in the governmental departments are really slow.” • “it was really hard to take care of registration, getting a student id card etc.” • “i had some trouble with social service assistance because of turkish language.” some students also stated that they experienced a sort of discrimination. it can be seen in the example sentences below: • “there has been a bad treatment to foreigners.” • “i have been asked as ‘why are you black?’, it gave me an impression of racism.” turkish case in exchange mobility: incoming students 16 • “guys were not respectful.” there was one particular answer about religious discrimination: • “despite being a country which constitutes the majority of muslims, i had to face some sort of a discrimination for being a muslim.” the data presented above generally may mean that there might be certain examples of different classifications confirming what the students heard before their arrival. however, at the same time, students did not experience extremist religious acts as the most of them expected to, or some students did not witness any terrorism or violence acts as they heard before their arrival. the total number of given answers are 122 for the 3rd question, 1 of which is about not hearing anything positive about turkey beforehand. as table 1 shows, there have been many students hearing about tourism and aesthetics regarding turkey before their arrival. the answers were mainly as the exemplary sentences below: • “there are many historical and touristic places to visit in turkey.” • “i heard that turkey is a very beautiful country.” • “istanbul is an amazing city.” since what students heard about turkey in the context of tourism is positive, this might have been an important factor which supports their preferences for an exchange mobility to turkey. there is a clear increase in the classifications of education, culture, social life and services. the examples are as follows: • “turkish cuisine is great.” • “transportation system is very good.” • “people of different lifestyles live in istanbul without any problems.” turkish case in exchange mobility: incoming students 17 • “nobody interferes in what you do; everyone minds their own business.” these listed above are for the classification of social life and services, and they also support and show that even though people heard about otherisation and experienced discrimination in turkey, there are people who heard the very opposite as well. turkish cuisine is one of the important elements that has been appraised in the answers of the following questions, as well. for the culture classification, the percentage is 31%, indicating an increase compared to the first and second question. this suggests that people heard more positive things about turkey before their arrival than hearing negative things. exemplary sentences are as follows: • “people smile, they are friendly and good hearted.” • “turkish people are very positive and they have hospitality.” • “they are helpful and generous.” in addition, there are some answers describing turkish culture as “interesting” and “multicultural”. the answers about turkish economy mostly covered some characteristics about it, such as “an improving economy” and “among top 20 economic power”. and answers about the education system in turkey are mainly as follows: • “education is advanced.” • “there are good facilities for studying.” • “there is a good education in turkey.” hearing such positive things about education in turkey might have been another important factor for the students’ preferences for an exchange mobility to turkey in the context of academic aims. turkish case in exchange mobility: incoming students 18 lastly, there is a slight increase in the classification of religion in this chart as well. this is particularly significant because the provided answers about religion for this question are different from the ones above, as seen below: • “there is halal food in turkey.” • “it’s easy to find mosques to pray five times a day.” • “there are muslim people in turkey.” this can be interpreted as that an environment which allows for a religion to be practiced, ability to find “halal” food and people of one particular religion makes the students who belong to same religious background happier and make them feel more comfortable even though they are in a foreign country. thus, the existence of a certain religious environment may be perceived as either positive or negative depending on the individual background. the number of given answers to the 4th question was 123, 1 of which was “none”. 4 students answered this question by saying that they feel like “home” in turkey. as table 1 indicates, students’ experiences related to the culture in turkey have covered nearly half of the given answers. the majority of the content of the answers are just like in the example sentences given below: • “there is a huge respect for senior citizens and old people are very nice.” • “people are so kind and they can even invite you to their houses.” • “people are so helpful and ready to communicate and direct me even as a foreigner who do not understand turkish.” the number of given answers about positive traits attributed to turkish people outnumbers the negative ones when the questions are compared. this can be interpreted as that some of the students who heard turkish people being “rude”, “annoying”, “unhelpful”, and “unfriendly” found turkish case in exchange mobility: incoming students 19 out that turkish people were actually “warm”, “friendly” and “helpful”. however, there are exceptions to this that are not presented in this paper due to very limited number of those examples. in the context of social life and services, most students answered the question with focusing on the “good”, “well organized” and “advanced” transportation and healthcare system, “delicious” turkish cuisine and “good” places and restaurants to go to. one student also stated that “street performers are amazing”, which also hints a positive perspective on a cultural element, that is music. for the economic classification, answers varied depending on the individual basis. the reason being is that while one student stated that it was cheap to live in turkey, another student said that everything was very expensive. this question revealed one important aspect of some of the students’ experiences. 4 students have given the answers below: • “i don’t feel like a stranger in here.” • i can be just like turkish people and live with them.” • “greeks are treated very well by turks. i was not expecting that.” • “there is a very ‘brotherly’ feeling in turkey.” these four answers show that 4 students feel like they are integrated into the society and they feel happy and comfortable even in a foreign country. the student who did not expect greek people to be treated “very well by turks” also reveals that the judgement of turkish people “hating greek people” that was stated in the first question was incorrect. and the fact that this student was warned “not to trust turkish people” and later on found out that “greeks are treated very well” show that we can have certain judgements against other people which might not be true at all. thus, exchange mobility has a key role to expand one’s horizons and it encourages people to be more open minded and overcome their prejudices. turkish case in exchange mobility: incoming students 20 the answers such as the followings can again support that the representations and images of turkey being a “dangerous” country are not always true: • “i feel mostly safe in turkey.” • “it’s safe here, not as mentioned in news/media.” • there is no isis in turkey. conclusion and future directions we live in a globalized world where cultures and values started to have common, in other words, global characteristics. however, local and national cultures still affect individuals and shape their identities in a certain way, till they eventually get intercultural awareness. and one of the best ways to get consciously aware of oneself and “the other”, in other words, foreign individuals from other cultures and countries is having an exchange mobility. exchange mobility has certain impacts which can be classified into two aspects which are the “immediate impact” and “delayed impact”. within this study’s scope, the immediate impact is analyzed through a questionnaire to seek an answer to the research question of the study. findings reveal that the students heard about mostly incorrect or subjective representations of turkish culture and lifestyle through the media or friends or relatives. and later on after personal experiences, they found out that most of what they heard was either incorrect, or subjective or did not present the whole picture for them. some of the students stated that they had a better experience than what they expected, that they felt like ‘home’, in other words, integrated. this mainly answers the research question of the study. however, there were some confirmations on negative things about which they heard before their arrival through their own personal experiences as well. thus, it can be said that while some turkish case in exchange mobility: incoming students 21 of the students’ perspectives changed thanks to unexpected situations and personal experiences, some other students’ expectations were met, whether they were positive or negative. having a look at table 1, it can be seen that generally the high percentages of the classifications for the questions about hearing and experiencing negative things tend to drop in the 3rd and 4th question. additionally, there is an increase in the percentages of certain classifications such as culture, tourism, and social life and services. thus, in the context of immediate impact, this can mean that their experiences and changes of perspectives left a positive immediate impact on the students. for future directions on relevant studies, a bigger target audience or target audiences from specific cities/countries/regions/continents, and a more detailed questionnaire uncovering more indepth insights would enable researchers and scholars to provide a more extensive 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(2014). learning mobility: high-school exchange programs as a part of transnational mobility. children’s geographies, 12(1), 9-24. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/14733285.2013.850852 http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/14733285.2013.850852 1 global partners in education journal 10 1 editorial update global partners in education journal – special edition march 2022, vol. 10, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 1 introduction to the 6th global issues conference special edition anna łobodzińska, global understanding instructor and guest editor carpathian state college, krosno, poland the 6th global issues conference in april of 2021, co-organized by east carolina university and carpathian state college, krosno, poland, took place in virtual space and lasted for five days. on each day one could select a topic of interest from a variety of options provided and attend a chosen session as they were held simultaneously. that year the following topics were selected: • business and technology • ecology and environment • education, language & translation • educational policy • gender issues • health, medicine and well-being • human right and prejudice • impact and awareness of covid-19 • international relations • propaganda and political speech during each session up to six papers were presented. the presenters (over 80 in total) came from our partner universities in a variety of countries, such as: algeria, chile, china, colombia, the dominican republic, india, japan, macedonia, morocco, pakistan, poland, russia and the usa. the current journal issue presents a small selection of best papers from the conference. we are extremely grateful to the authors for submitting their papers and sharing their findings with international readers. the paper entitled: 'insulin injection technique in tlemcen, the western region of algeria', presented by a group of authors from abou-bekr belkaïd university in tlemcen, shows the results of the research done on the insulin injection techniques as well as provides new information and recommendations for the future. another paper that deals with medical issues focuses on medico-legal aspects of hiv/aids. the authors of this research draw our attention to the fact that it is vital to continue introducing legal procedures to help with treatment as well as enhance prevention of this fatal disease. the rights of transgender community were the topic chosen by a group of authors from fatima jinnah women university in pakistan. the paper presents a comparative study of legal rights in three countries: the usa, the uk and pakistan as well as shows inadequate laws for all the groups of citizens, with a special focus on transgender community. global partners in education journal – special edition march 2022, vol. 10, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 2 another group of authors from fatima jinnah women university in pakistan presented a paper entitled: 'kashmir as a nuclear flashpoint: complexities of the issue and measures for its resolution.' this paper shows the importance of solving the kashmir issue which remains a problem and may have serious consequences on an international level. the next paper addressed a problem of cybercrime and is entitled: 'cybercrime: an emerging global challenge for the states.' it shows a variety of cybercrimes as well as shows what impact it has on various business sectors. the authors try to investigate what the causes of cybercrime are as well as find the ways of controlling it. there are two papers chosen for this publication that focus on educational issues. the first paper presented by hanlu liu, lingjie yue and qian (sarah) wang from china concerns shadow education. the paper is an investigation into challenges faced by the teachers and principals who want to introduce this way of teaching but also gives practical hints on what needs to be done in order to improve the current style of teaching in china. the second paper presented by maria pushkareva from the ural state pedagogical university was called: 'reading aloud in english and discussing the discovery of america: one clil lesson plan from a double-focused integrated course for primary school.' this paper shows a detailed analysis of how content and language integrated learning (clil) method helps in gaining reading fluency in second language education in russia. the global issues conference has proven once again that global partners in education is an international organisation that allows people from around the world to meet and exchange ideas on a variety of topics. we would like to thank all the attendees for active participation in this event. the papers show that students are eager to investigate various phenomena and are ready to present them on an international level. the editors of the global partners in education journal hope that every reader will find a topic of interest in the present issue. it is also worth mentioning that the publishing process would not be possible if it was not for the assistance of our invaluable proofreaders from carpathian state college in poland: • władysław chłopicki, phd • agnieszka habrat, phd • jack lala, ma • teresa poprawa, ma • anna rewiś-łętkowska, phd • ewa rusek, phd • dorota rygiel, phd • bogdan wolski, phd running head: women’s position in politics and labour market in global partners in education journal – special edition december 2015, vol. 5, no. 2, pp. 92-98 http://www.gpejournal.org/ issn 2163-758x 92 women’s position in politics and the labour market in contemporary poland iwona janiszowska renata krawczyk ewa newerle-wolska krosno state college, poland abstract the aim of this essay is to present the position of women in politics and the labour market after poland’s accession to the european union in 2004. the recent reports on polish women’s participation in politics show a considerable increase in 2010. yet, although the number of female members of parliament (mps) has increased in absolute terms, there is still a meaningful disproportion between men and women in the polish parliament. there are several important reasons responsible for these disproportions such as patronizing attitudes towards women often expressed by male politicians in public debates and in the media and the absence of females’ names at the top positions of electoral lists with the result that fewer women win elections and sit in the national parliament. a similar situation can be observed in employment. there are several causes of the weak position of women in the labour market. first of all, the general level of unemployment in poland is quite high (around 11.5% in january 2015). secondly, many women are discouraged from actively seeking jobs because of unequal pay. thirdly, the majority of women occupy professions which are less respected and thus lower paid, and where the prospects for promotion are poor. finally, many women succumb to social pressure deriving from the attitude of a traditional model of family which is still prevalent in poland. joseph conrad said, ‘being a woman is a terribly difficult task, since it consists principally in dealing with men’. introduction this essay will compare women’s position in politics and the labour market in poland between 1989-2003 and 2004 until the present. the year 1989 was a year of a political transformation: poland changed its political system and became a fully independent country. the political transition which resulted was accompanied by various social changes which affected people’s adaptation to the new system. marek ziolkowski, a polish sociologist, distinguishes two aspects of the socio-political transformation. one is http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition december 2015, vol. 5, no. 2, pp. 92-98 http://www.gpejournal.org/ issn 2163-758x 93 connected with creating new institutions, whereas the other is related to new attitudes and the perception of the world in the transformed political and social reality (ziolkowski, 2000). another polish sociologist, hanna swida-ziemba, stresses the importance of the regained sense of independence and delineates the period after 1989 as “the new world” (swida-ziemba, 2005) which brought about challenges deriving from the new perception of independence. feminism, with its demands for gender equality, is one of the new ideas which started developing from the political changes (gornikowska-zwolak, 2000). poland’s accession to the european union in 2004 accelerated the government’s attempts to help women achieve equal status with men. thus poland introduced gender mainstreaming, the political strategy which assumes that women and men have to be equal in all spheres of life (balinska, 2007). another significant change was an amendment to the labour code introducing the definition of discrimination which stated that “any types of discrimination in the workplace, on the grounds of gender, race, ethnic origin, nationality, religion, beliefs, disability, age, and sexual orientation are impermissible” (rzecznik praw obywatelskich, n.d.). taking into consideration the initiatives above, this essay aims at both determining whether and to what extent poland’s accession to the eu has correlated with women’s increased participation in political life of the country and the labour market as well as presenting the main obstacles on women’s way to equality in these spheres. politics in absolute terms, the number of female members of parliament (mps) has been steadily increasing since 1989. nevertheless, polish women still constitute a minority in the country’s political system and their representation in parliament has never exceeded 30%. thus in 1991, the representation of women in the lower chamber of parliament amounted to 44 mps (9.6%) out of 460, whereas in 2002, it increased to 93 (20.2%) (olenski, 2007). in other words, until 2005, although women’s representation in politics doubled between 1991 and 2002, it was still insignificant and remained around 20%. as far as ministerial posts are concerned, there was only one woman in the council of ministers at that time period (druciarek, 2012). the 2004 accession of poland to the european union brought a considerable increase of women involved in the political life of the country, from 20% in 2005 to 38% in 2010 nearly doubling in only 5 years. additionally, after 2004, the number of women in the council of ministers rose to 20%. the introduction of the quota system on january 5, 2011, which requires a minimum 35% representation of females on election lists, resulted in the increase of women’s electoral candidates to 44%. according to the latest report (2014), the introduction of quotas has improved women’s position in the lower chamber of parliament: currently there are 112 (24.3%) female mps (polska agencja prasowa, 2014). moreover, for the second time in the post-transformation period (i.e. after 1990), the prime minister’s office is held by a woman (ewa kopacz, elected in 2014). the involvement of women in politics can be observed also during the present campaign for presidency: for the first time in history four women (anna grodzka, magdalena ogorek, wanda nowicka, and iwona piatek) declared their willingness to run for this position. http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition december 2015, vol. 5, no. 2, pp. 92-98 http://www.gpejournal.org/ issn 2163-758x 94 despite the growing number of female mps, there is still a meaningful disproportion between male and female representation in the polish parliament. there are several important reasons responsible for this disproportion and one of which could be the absence of female names on the electoral lists. for example, during the latest election, women’s names on the electoral list of one of the political parties (sojusz lewicy demokratycznej, sld, the left-wing party) were pushed down to lower positions on the ballot card, which rarely guarantees victory. magdalena sroda, a philosopher and feminist activist, remarks that “[…] it is scandalous because earlier the first and the second place on the election list had been promised to women” (sroda, 2011). she further suggests that the male politicians seek would not want to endanger males’ political establishment. this becomes clear when one observes the party’s search for female candidates: the desired characteristics are good appearance and the lack of political experience. what is more, those women who have already achieved a good political position are often slowly eliminated from the political scene. this mechanism was widely discussed in the media in 2002 during the municipal election when parties preferred to put male novices on electoral lists instead of promoting female candidates popular in the region for their hard work for local communities. although the recent (2010) survey by the institute of public affairs shows that 48% of the respondents agree that there should be an equal number of male and female candidates on electoral lists, most poles still believe that women are not fit for politics (institute of public affairs, 2010). another barrier for female politicians is the patronizing attitude often expressed by their male colleagues during public debates or in the media (balinska, 2007). this condescending approach is manifested in paying pseudo-compliments which are to diminish the woman’s position as a politician or pseudo-protective embracing or even hugging on camera. for instance, the right-wing party leader once remarked that the popularity of one of the female ministers resulted from her looks rather than political achievements (gasior, n.d.). another politician of the same party suggestively remarked that “polish parliament shouldn’t dismiss her [the minister] because [they] (i.e. male mps) have to keep an eye on her”. as a consequence, such remarks lead to discrediting or detracting women from their public achievements. unfortunately, similar behaviour can also be observed among politicians representing the polish left. recently, leszek miller, the leader of the social democratic left (sld), has nominated a completely unknown female politician for a candidate in the forthcoming presidential election. magdalena sroda (2015) argues that miller assumes that the candidate’s very attractive appearance and perfect presence will guarantee success in the election. miller’s opinion seems to stem from the conviction that as public relations specialists believe, most voters draw their attention to the appearance rather than real achievements of the candidate (sroda, 2011). as a consequence, as polska the times journalist magdalena zuraw claims, male politicians treat women like objects which are to add credibility to and soften the party’s image (zuraw, 2011). finally, sroda (2015) concludes that the women’s position in poland is still inferior to that in other countries of the european union and, according to the 2014 global gender gap report, poland is ranked 57th among 142 countries (e.g., france is ranked 16th and great britain is ranked 26th) in terms of the number of women sitting in the national parliament (beczek, 2014). http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition december 2015, vol. 5, no. 2, pp. 92-98 http://www.gpejournal.org/ issn 2163-758x 95 employment before 1989, women were more active professionally and their position in the labour market was relatively stable. the situation changed dramatically after 1989 when the political and economic transformations began: the percentage of employed females went from 61.6% in the late 80s falling to 43.2% in 1990 (glowny urzad statystyczny, n.d.). the indicators of the deterioration of women’s participation in the labour market were observed in 2003, however, this situation has not changed considerably since then. in 2003, the employment rate for women was 47.8% while the rate for men was 61.1%. in 2005, after the economic boom, the employment rate for men increased more in comparison to the rate for women and the difference in the gender gap increased to 14.8 % from 13.3% in 2005. then, in 2010, the proportion of women who were economically active rose to 48.2% (ministerstwo pracy i polityki spolecznej, 2010) whereas the latest comprehensive statistical review (2014) shows a surprising decrease to 45% in women’s employment (ministerstwo pracy i polityki spolecznej, 2010). in theory, the polish legal system provides for equal treatment and access to work for men and women. in reality, however, polish working women’s situation in large measure is circumscribed by both their role as mothers as well as the traditional model of family life. in other words, the great bulk of childcare and domestic work is done by women. as there are not enough affordable kindergartens, especially in smaller towns and villages, women have to organize childcare on their own. usually, they ask family members or friends for help, yet in many cases women either give up their jobs or take up less paid or part-time jobs which let them combine all of their duties. the government tries to support women and together with the european union’s assistance, runs and finances several significant projects which aim at helping various groups of women (zaworska-nikoniuk, 2008). one of such projects, mother at work (2007), prepares campaigns to promote women who have to combine their work with motherhood. apart from promotion, mother at work also examines the conditions of the polish labour market and publishes the results of the study. according to their research, polish women postpone motherhood due to the real likelihood of losing a job (zaworska-nikoniuk, 2008). another initiative, flexible employee partnership family which is also supported financially by the european social fund, encourages employers to employ pregnant women so that they could reconcile their family with their professional lives. finally, the project gender index is worth mentioning as it fosters equal opportunities for women and men in the workplace and rewards companies which try to employ more women (zaworska-nikoniuk, 2008). however there are several factors discouraging women from an active job-hunt. one such factor is unequal salaries. despite the legislation aiming at leveling the differences in salaries, women are regularly denied their rights to equal pay for equal work. the latest statistics of the national salary study from 2013 show that a man’s average monthly salary is 4500 pln or more whereas that of women is c. 3500 pln. the most striking difference is between men and women having a master’s degree: women earn c. 4100 pln compared to c. 5816 pln earned by men (national salary study, 2013). moreover, women are not only the victims of inequitable attitudes but also have to struggle with negative stereotypes. one such stereotype is the belief that some professions, such http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition december 2015, vol. 5, no. 2, pp. 92-98 http://www.gpejournal.org/ issn 2163-758x 96 as teaching or secretarial jobs, are ‘clean’ and therefore more appropriate for women than men (the world bank, 2004). according to this stereotype, men are more knowledgeable and/or stronger therefore they are fit for business and politics, or ‘dirty’ jobs. prejudice and stereotypes make an invisible barrier which separates both sexes at work and prevents women from reaching the highest levels of their careers. another negative stereotype which impedes women’s promotion and career is called the ‘sticky floor’ (wszechnica sejmowa, n.d.). according to the polish professional women network (bilinska, 2011), the survey carried out between 2010 and 2011 by deininger consulting questioned 200 women in managerial positions about the barriers which they encountered in their careers. the majority of the respondents pointed to gender stereotypes as being the greatest obstacle in their way for moving into top positions at work. the surveyed women enumerated several reasons why a small number of women are in pre-eminent and influential positions. for example, according to their explanations, women tend to abandon their jobs rather than continue their careers because the benefits are incommensurate with the effort and time devoted to maintaining a career. besides, they claim that gender bias is a real problem which 39% of the surveyed women experienced personally (bilinska, 2011). discussion the european union has been taking measures which should considerably redress the situation of women in the labour market as well as in politics. in 2012, the european commission accepted a legal proposal concerning the promotion of women in business (forum odpowiedzialnego biznesu, 2012). according to the proposed directive, until 2020, women should represent 40% of the top positions in the labour market. another effective legal regulation is the diversity charter promoted by the european commission (forum odpowiedzialnego biznesu, 2012). this charter is a written commitment which forbids sex discrimination and promotes sex diversity at work. in poland, the diversity charter has been signed by fifty employers and it has already brought some positive changes, particularly those concerning hostile attitudes and prejudices. as zbigniew gajewski (deputy director-general of the entrepreneurs’ association) has observed recently, sex diversity promotion in the workplace results in the economic improvement of businesses managed by women (forum odpowiedzialnego biznesu, 2012). he believes that businesses under women’s direction generate higher profits and deal with economic crisis more efficiently. conclusions it should be noted, however, that despite the fact that there has been a little change for the better in women’s participation in politics and the labour market, especially after poland’s accession to the eu, the change seems to be relatively slow. therefore, polish parliament should consider further legal amendments concerning women whereas the society could re-define the roles of women in the contemporary world and reject the cultural bias which builds barriers for women. women’s involvement in politics and the labour market compared to that in other countries of the european union still comes out http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition december 2015, vol. 5, no. 2, pp. 92-98 http://www.gpejournal.org/ issn 2163-758x 97 poorly. it is sad that many polish women feel that they have to work harder than men to achieve a similar status in their workplace. even though their position has improved within the last decade, still their work tends to be underestimated and their salaries are lower than those of men. it often happens that women having the same or higher university degree than men, receive less money than their male counterparts, which is often caused by the misconception that female’s work and effort is less valuable. despite the government’s initiatives aiming at financial help for women after they have children (longer paid maternity leave, extra money for each newborn child, discount tickets to museums, cinemas or swimming pools for large families, etc.), still too little is done to support women who want or have to combine work with childcare. many women complain that employers are reluctant to introduce flextime or organize childcare. what is worse, it happens that women coming back to work after maternity leave are transferred to often worse or lower paid posts on the pretext of lower competence caused by the time off work or lack of flexibility. all this causes considerable physical and financial obstacles that are difficult and sometimes impossible for women to overcome. references balinska, b. (2007). polityka równości płci. warszawa: program narodów zjednoczonych ds. rozwoju beczek, m. (2014). raport nt. nierownosci miedzy kobietami i mezczyznami. w czołowce skandynawia. polska daleko w tyle. portal opinii: tok.fm.pl. retrieved from http://www.tokfm.pl/tokfm/1,103085,16879866,raport_nt__nierownosci_miedzy _kobietami_i_mezczyznami_.html bilinska, a. (2011). menadzerka sukcesu. szanse i ograniczenia kariery zawodowej kobiet w polsce. pwnet – polish professional women network deininger consulting. retrieved from https://www.pwc.pl/pl_pl/pl/fundacja/menedzerka_sukcesu.pdf druciarek, m. et al. (2012). kobiety na polskiej scenie politycznej. warszawa: fundacja instytut spraw publicznych forum odpowiedzialnego biznesu (2012). kobiety w biznesie. forum odpowiedzialnego biznesu. retrieved from http://odpowiedzialnybiznes.pl/public/files/analiza_tematyczna_4_kobiety_w_biz nes ie.pdfw gasior, m. maskotki, a nie aniolki prezesa kaczynskiego. ladna, mloda, na bilboard zatrudnie. natemat. retrieved from http://natemat.pl/65983,maskotki-a-nieaniolki-prezesakaczynskiego-ladna-mloda-na-bilboard-zatrudnie ministerstwo pracy i polityki spolecznej. rok 2010: sytuacja kobiet na rynku pracy. retrieved from http://www.mpips.gov.pl/analizy-i-raporty/raportysprawozdania/rynek-pracy/sytuacja-kobiet-na-rynku-pracy/ national salary study (2013). wynagrodzenia kobiet i mezczyzn w 2013 roku. wynagrodzenia.pl. retrieved from http://www.wynagrodzenia.pl/payroll/artykul.php/typ.1/kategoria_glowna.503/wpis .2 867 http://www.gpejournal.org/ http://odpowiedzialnybiznes.pl/public/files/analiza_tematyczna_4_kobiety_w_biznes%20ie.pdfw http://odpowiedzialnybiznes.pl/public/files/analiza_tematyczna_4_kobiety_w_biznes%20ie.pdfw http://www.wynagrodzenia.pl/payroll/artykul.php/typ.1/kategoria_glowna.503/wpis.2%20867 http://www.wynagrodzenia.pl/payroll/artykul.php/typ.1/kategoria_glowna.503/wpis.2%20867 global partners in education journal – special edition december 2015, vol. 5, no. 2, pp. 92-98 http://www.gpejournal.org/ issn 2163-758x 98 olenski, j. et al. (2007). women in poland. warsaw: statistical publishing establishment polska agencja prasowa (2014). kopacz: polska powinna byc zarzadzana zelazna, ale wrazliwa reka. onet.pl. retrieved from http://wiadomosci.onet.pl/kraj/kopaczpolska-powinna-byc-zarzadzana-zelazna-ale-i-wrazliwa-reka/hp33c rzecznik praw obywatelskich (rpo). czym jest dyskryminacja. retrieved from https://www.rpo.gov.pl/pl/content/czym-jest-dyskryminacja sroda, m. (2015). magdalena ogorek. jestem feministka. retrieved from http://jestemfeministka.blox.pl/html/1310721,262146,21.html?1854670 sroda, m. (2011). wybory 2011. sroda o listach sld: to skandaliczne. gazeta.pl retrieved from http://m.wiadomosci.gazeta.pl/wiadomosci/1,117915,10046395,wybory_2011__ sroda_o_listach_sld__to_skandaliczne.html?order=najnowsze the world bank (2004). gender and economic opportunities in poland: has transition left women behind?. warszawa: protea-taff studio dtp woźniak, b. biernosc zawodowa w polsce na tle wybranych krajow europy srodkowowschodniej. katedra mikroekonomii. retrieved from http://mikroekonomia.net/system/publication_files/716/original/2.pdf?1315213019 wszechnica sejmowa. sejm po 1989. edukacja. retrieved from http://edukacja.sejm.gov.pl/historiasejmu/sejm-przez-wieki/sejm-po-1989.html zaworska-nikoniuk, d. (2008). the situation of women and men in poland at the beginning of the 21st centurytransversal perspective of social pedagogy. olsztyn: epistheme zuraw, m. (2011). aniolki pis: nadszedl czas na paprotki kaczynskiego. polska. retrieved from http://www.polskatimes.pl/artykul/444036,aniolki-pis-nadszedlczas-na-paprotkikaczynskiego,id,t.html?cookie=1 http://www.gpejournal.org/ http://wiadomosci.onet.pl/kraj/kopacz-polska-powinna-byc-zarzadzana-zelazna-ale-i-wrazliwa-reka/hp33c http://wiadomosci.onet.pl/kraj/kopacz-polska-powinna-byc-zarzadzana-zelazna-ale-i-wrazliwa-reka/hp33c http://mikroekonomia.net/system/publication_files/716/original/2.pdf?1315213019 global partners in education journal – special edition december 2015, vol. 5, no. 2, pp. 10-23 http://www.gpejournal.org/ issn 2163-758x 10 effects of polish migration throughout the european union since 2004 anna maria hejnar krosno state college, poland abstract polish immigration has consistently been in the headlines in recent years as a result from joining the european union in 2004. the opened borders are seen as a new hope for a better life. migration to eu countries has become a choice for some and a financial requirement for others. as a result, with over 2 million polish workers live abroad and there is a need for examining responsible migration in poland. the aim of this paper is to discuss the current impact of migration on poland through my experience as a recent migrant-returnee. the main focus will evolve around reasons for an intellectual ‘brain drain’, industrial skill shortages, and specialized professionals in the healthcare and education sectors that directly concerns the development of polish society. the polish government’s policies are a main problem that appears to be flawed as they do not attempt to raise social standards of living which consequently only encourage further migration. the paper will argue that the current polish government has undertaken very limited actions to stabilize the welfare and security of its citizens and discourage migration to eu countries. as a result, the impact on the future of poland –education and the healthcare system; economic productivity; and the ability to fund services through locally raised taxation – is seriously challenged. the conclusion points to the need for change and an alternative approach by encouraging the skilled and educated to remain in poland and work towards poland’s development. after poland joined the european union (eu) in 2004, there has been a large explosion of emigration from poland to other eu nations. this migration is marked as the first polish generation who are legally entitled to be mobile and is often spoken of in rapturous terms of new freedoms (sobczyk, 2010). according to estimates by poland’s statistical office, 1.87 million polish citizens resided outside their home country in 2009, most in other eu states. britain, germany and ireland are among the top three most popular destinations for polish migrants. out of that number, three-quarters (1.4 million) had lived abroad for more than 12 months and should statistically be included in the population of their host country rather than that of poland whose population is estimated at 38.2 million (sobczyk, 2010). this is causing a demographic change in poland that is having an http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition december 2015, vol. 5, no. 2, pp. 10-23 http://www.gpejournal.org/ issn 2163-758x 11 impact on many areas of society. the purpose of this paper is to explain and illustrate the issues of emigration to other eu nations that are now being felt in poland. life as a polish immigrant in the united kingdom (2005-2014) this report has been strongly influenced by my own experience with working outside of poland since september 2005. i decided to move to the u.k. for work and study when i was barely 21 years old. the main reason was lack of opportunity and prospects for young people in poland. although education in poland is free, i could not afford to study outside my home town due to the living expenses. my sister was already working in the u.k. and living in milton keynes which is a large town situated in buckinghamshire about 45 miles northwest of london. i was determined to improve my own situation so i packed my bags and left my country to join her. my parents supported my decision however the departure day was very emotional. i settled in almost instantly and found a job within two weeks. i started off as a warehouse operative like most of polish migrants but unlike many, i refused the first job i was offered because i did not want to put up with the working conditions. it was a place where the work was 24/7 and people worked in silence labelling clothes. shifts were a minimum of 12 hours and there was even a washing machine to wash your clothes during your day. i suspect that some people there were doing more hours than they claimed to work. after 2 days, i refused to carry on and called the employment agency who called me back shortly with another job. this time, i ended up in a high maintenance, private book company in milton keynes, just a short bus drive from the town centre. i was appointed as a production/distribution assistant and one of my tasks consisted of proofreading. i got to read a lot and managed to break the language barrier quite fast because, at that time, i was the only polish person in the warehouse and communication was essential for the job. i had studied english for many years before and i thought that i knew the language well but hearing it spoken at different volumes, speeds, dialects and accents completely changed my idea of language acquisition. despite the difficult start, it was all part of a very valuable process. in life i often follow my heart so i usually know when the time is right, so after one and half years i needed to move away from my comfort zone to pursue the unknown and learn new things. i handed in my notice and began to look for another opportunity for development. my boss, dave stewart (distribution manager), was very understanding and he wrote in his reference: “....anna is available for new challenges only because of her desire to learn and grow further...we would have loved to see her stay, but certainly understand her need to advance beyond the positions we have available” and he rewarded my work with my first ever work references letter. the letter is quite long and i keep it together with my achievements and certificates. i soon started another job in warehouse but this time it was an even more physical post. however, i soon got promoted to a different department and no longer had to worry about heavy loads. another year passed by and at the beginning of 2009, i got my first http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition december 2015, vol. 5, no. 2, pp. 10-23 http://www.gpejournal.org/ issn 2163-758x 12 redundancy letter. instead of crying, i thought to myself, just in time, as i was thinking of another challenge that would help me to develop my skills. i had made some friends by then and one of them advised me that the company she worked for had a vacancy for an administrative assistant, so i applied and attended the interview. i got the job and i had to learn some new skills. i even learned how to operate a forklift truck because it was a logistic company. this was not a dream job for a girl but it didn’t discourage me. on the contrary, this position turned out to be a blessing in disguise and enabled me to complete a business and administration nvq on level 2 as it was supported by my employer. by then, i was already on a full-time, permanent contract. i enjoyed being busy and i was never bored at work, no matter how mundane it was. the tasks were exactly the same each day: stock check, picking, packing, data input, phone calls but i was simply making the best of it out the present situation and i always asked for more training. then the recession hit again in 2010 and i received another redundancy letter. i thought, “nice try! so now what?” then i found myself behind a closed door. not for long though, as i began to look for the open widows. so, i attended the local college and did some additional qualifications, one of which was esol, and i got involved with volunteering. i did not waste time there either. i worked in a local theatre, citizen advice bureau and vented my artistic ambitions in a local charity foundation as a leaflet designer and a photographer at the various, local festivals. my biggest volunteering milestone was becoming a game maker at the london olympics in 2012. i managed two jobs. i was a first aider at the horse guard parade and the closing ceremonies performer at the olympic stadium. after about 4 months, i found an advertisement in a local newspaper for my dream job so i made a call and requested an application pack. i was prepared for this as i took up a summer course in ptlls (i.e., teacher training) so that i was prepared when i attended the interview. in december 2010, i was appointed at the milton keynes academy, a secondary school as a teacher assistant, but my title was achievement coach and it described exactly what i wanted to do. every day was different and i faced many challenges. the training was ongoing and there was always something new to learn. however, there was this one thing that still held me back – i was lacking a degree. i felt the urge of following my dreams again and at the beginning of 2014, i decided to become a teacher. i resigned so that i could return and study back in poland and in my home town. i found a brand new college offering a teaching degree and i started my studies there full-time in november of 2014. i am now majoring in english philology and planning on graduating in 2016. recent polish migrations my research suggests that in 2004, germany was the lead destination country for migration from poland. today, the uk seems to be the main destination country although germany is still an attractive location due to the geographical aspect. seasonal migration from poland is referred to as “incomplete migration” by kepińska (2004) and okólski (2001). they point out that “migrants increasingly focus on one particular aim: namely http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition december 2015, vol. 5, no. 2, pp. 10-23 http://www.gpejournal.org/ issn 2163-758x 13 earning money in the host country and spending it in the home country” and characterizes “mobility of this kind [as] a split living set-up, with economic activity pursued largely in the host country and family life taking place predominantly in the home country” (p. 105, p. 109). in 2013, it was reported in a german newspaper called passauer neue presse that “1.23 million immigrants had settled in germany, which is the highest in 20 years”. the deputy bureau chief of central and eastern europe, marcin sobczyk, who coordinates polish news coverage in warsaw wrote an article in the wall street journal: “poland loses 1.4 million people to brain drain” and underlines that “germany and austria have opened their markets to poles in may 2011, but already before poland joined the eu in 2004 the group of polish migrants there was estimated at almost 300,000, and grew to 415,000 in 2009 (sobczyk, 2010).” the number of immigrants had increased from 1.08 million in 2012 to 1.23 million in 2013 which means that migration on the whole was far from slowing down and if current trends continue, it is bound to increase in the near future. apart from the economic reasons for migration, there are other non-economic motivations that are considered increasingly controversial. with young people being identified as the most significant demographic component of this new migration, the aspiration of youth has been closely considered. for many experts, much of this migration starts as something similar to a “gap year” travel this happens when students decide to take a year out of university to travel abroad to earn money or just to experience different country. these younger, often highly skilled migrants can be termed ‘searchers’, who are interested in pursuing new experiences as much as new skills for the need of employment. on the other hand we have people who just like “storks”, continually return back to a country to spend money and finally we have “hamsters” who work only to be able to go back to their home country with some savings. the “stayers” are those who settle down and integrate within a new society who in most cases, are young people and families. from my own experience since 2005, it has been clear that for many years that this situation is reflected in many english cities and towns where you can easily find a polish corner shop, polish restaurants, or clubs with polish music. the demand for polish services such as medical specialists, especially dentists, gynaecologists, and hairdressers has been very high in recent years, in addition to the polish music industry where artists are booking gigs, especially in the bigger cities such london. this of course could become a nuance to an englishman, whenever they see yet another opening a polish delicatessens or another concert purely organised for a polish audience. factors contributing to modern emigration from poland in the book opening and closing borders: migration and mobility in east-central europe by wallace (2002), the author discusses the diverse range of polish migrants with equally varying intentions. frequently, the young migrants openly stress that the fault lies in the unsupportive political system that simply isn’t working in favour of its citizens. by the same token, this can be seen in poland as well. last year’s polish senate elections have http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition december 2015, vol. 5, no. 2, pp. 10-23 http://www.gpejournal.org/ issn 2163-758x 14 illustrated this point clearly, with none of the reformers reflecting youth ideology were elected. when such a situation is added to the general mood of people, a lack of trust and disillusionment in polish democracy develops. this could be clearly seen around this year’s early may election too. as it was confirmed in the polish newsweek on may 26th, 2015: “during the first round of presidential elections in poznan, bronislaw komorowski (left-wing) won 49.54% of the votes (pkw: andrzej duda prezydentem. kandydat pis zdobył 51,55 proc., bronisław komorowski 48,45 proc. głosów, 2015). the opponent was duda (right-wing) who had the support of only 22.09% of votes. in third place, with the support of 17.78% of votes, was paul kukiz who was an alternative candidate (i.e., former rock musician) who for many young people was the only option. the turnout was 55.3%...andrzej duda won the second round of elections with 51.55% announced on monday pkw giving the official results of the vote. his competitor and a former president bronislaw komorowski was supported by 48.45% of votes and the turnout amounted to 55.34%. so, as we can see, the problem lingers. “the election results show that poland is still divided half and half...unfortunately, this division continues “– as sawicki – one of the politicians admits at a press conference in lublin. i read about the statistics and data found on this very website: “in the first round of presidential elections turnout was only 48.96 percent. this is the lowest score in the history of presidential elections after 1989” but this does not surprise me at all. then i see this comment down below the article: a person named fractis says: “does it matter who will be the president? this puppet function together with the senate should be closed down. as 95% of poles do not know who is president of germany just as no one really cares who it is in poland. the real power holds a prime minister here ... allegorically we really choose between the christmas and easter…so let us rejoice because everyone is right.” as it’s consistently highlighted, the daily course of affairs in politics is progressively disapproved by the whole society nationwide, but in my personal view, especially by the younger ones. in addition, most people find the taxing system outrageous and obsolete, where “income tax is progressive — the more you earn, the higher rate you pay. in 2013, the tax rates for individuals in poland were 18% (for those earning less than 85kpln p/a) and 32% (for those earning more than 85k pln p/a) and the situation hasn’t improved as yet. imagine running a company in poland where zus (social contributions) fees aspect is another worry added to your plate. zus is connected with taxes that go towards social insurance, pensions, retirement allowances and other social services. the thing is that you have to sort it out for yourself, so when a person is employed or runs their own business, they are responsible for working out ever changing fees that they owe. everyone needs to pay the right amounts of contributions at the right time, although this is a job for an accountant because it requires a lot of time and specific knowledge. in case of a missed deadline, even an ordinary worker could face another fee to pay to zus. to be honest, this could be easily a topic for another article. furthermore, the lack of adequate infrastructure facilities to support a family is daunting and poses a real concern to citizens of poland. the national health fund seems to be constantly lacking funds for basic things and i am convinced this organization is a serious risk for a patient. you cannot get anything done correctly and on time unless you pay for it, as this has been my recent experience. there are always long queues to see a gp, http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition december 2015, vol. 5, no. 2, pp. 10-23 http://www.gpejournal.org/ issn 2163-758x 15 and if your case is urgent, “make a complaint to the health minister” as what i was advised at the doctor’s office recently. for young people, there is a growing sense of insecurity and they are getting more anxious about making a living on a daily basis. moreover, they are faced with the rather insensitive if not cruel attitude of their employers. for example, a common popular stereotype of employers among youth includes the attitude of “don’t like it? try your luck somewhere else!” another issue is gender discrimination not only when it comes to salaries but also through general treatment. i have first-hand information both from being recently interviewed for a job in poland and from talking with family members. for example, during the interview stage for a job, women often get interrogated about their future plans concerning starting a family and they often face the most personal questions (e.g., about the profession of their husband) as my sister-in-law experienced. women in poland still earn less than men and seem seriously disadvantaged in their working life on the whole. i found a recent, very interesting study, online article on www.wynagrodzenia.pl which is the largest polish internet portal dedicated entirely to compensation issues. this report below confirms my statement. the differences in pay between women and men in 2013 stand as follows: “the average monthly salary of men in 2013 stood at 4500pln. women earned about 900pln less. one in four of them earned less than 2 500 pln. salaries 25% of men amounted to more than 7500 pln (wynagrodznia kobiet i mezcsysn w 2013 roku, 2013).” it continues: “as every year we remind you that in our study is dominated by young people (61% have no more than 35 years), with higher education (72.2% operating in cities of over 200,000 inhabitants (65.2%). in addition, our respondents are at least specialized positions (73.4%), which makes their salaries are higher than most poles.” this is despite laws enshrining the rights of women in employment. however, the legal process is so slow that many employers ignore the law and believe there will be a constant supply of willing workers if needed. and people are living in a constant fear and almost never decide to stand up for themselves. the results of polish emigration since 2004 nowadays, there are noticeably more poles who are publically venting their frustration about the hopelessness of the situation in poland, especially in the smaller towns or villages where originally this could be heard very often. using data conducted from verbal interviews, internet discussion boards, and my own experience, a vital arena for polish migration focus is on one key post-socialist discourse in particular which is for the desire for ‘normality’. a normal life, one could perceive, is when people no longer have to be scared of losing a poorly paid job and worry to make ends meet each month. normality is when people can afford to freely take a holiday and rest properly from time to time, without worrying that if they go, they might lose the job. polish reality proves to work on different terms. people are working hard, usually in fear of losing their job and the money they earn can barely sustain the basic needs. holidays are when “one gets during one’s sleeping time” a bus driver said to me who has been driving for 35 years “and that if you are lucky, that is” – he added. although it probably does not happen in the cities such warsaw or cracow, it is visible in areas of south-east poland where i live at the moment. http://www.gpejournal.org/ http://www.wynagrodzenia.pl/ global partners in education journal – special edition december 2015, vol. 5, no. 2, pp. 10-23 http://www.gpejournal.org/ issn 2163-758x 16 i have been talking to local bus drivers and farmers, including those in my family. people here need to keep a careful eye to nearly everything that grows and lives on the ground. i went to a work experience from the college recently and after i finished teaching during my visit to one of the public schools, i asked everyone in the class to write a question for me concerning the lecture i just gave. i received anonymous questions on a slip of paper from 14 year olds. they all tried so hard to write their questions in english but what was surprising was that those questions were asking about purpose in life and the point of going to school etc. all of this discontentment is apparent in a number of polish citizens and especially the young ones. migrants are voicing out their hopes and frustrations as they justify their decision to leave poland and move to the uk, searching for a ‘normal life’ and i was not different when i decided to leave. in addition, if migrants will take the risk of returning to their home country then they would have to face an even bigger risk of working for the polish minimum wage if they are lucky enough to find a job in the first place. at 1400zł per month in the south-east region for an established post (i.e., not an entry level job which are mainly available for students), it is difficult to justify the change in living standards especially in the light of a weekly british allowance of around 180-200 pounds (c. 1200zł). where i live in poland, 1200pln1400pln is an average monthly salary. if you are a student, the rent in a small town such krosno where i go to college will cost you around 300-400zł for a shared accommodation not including additional living expenses. food is expensive and public transport is even more costly. what can be seen as more ridiculous is the fact that if polish migrants prolong their stay abroad it subsequently diminishes their chances for employment back home. this is exactly what happened to me. i have been unemployed since i returned to poland in october of 2014. the situation looks even worse for the older migrants. for instance, this means that when returnees approach forty years old, their chances to return to any type of employment in poland is literally next to none due to age discrimination. another issue is not having enough “polish” experience and foreign qualifications that aren’t properly recognised here in poland. through personal experience and interviews i learned that where i live in the village of haczów, is widely considered to be the poorest region in the country with an average rate of 14% of unemployment in 2014. another great issue widely discussed nowadays is the retirement age in poland. i will quote from the polish law website www.infor.pl: “starting in 2013, the retirement age is gradually increased (retirement age in poland, 2014). apparently this is for the reason of equality for both sexes. according to the assumptions the retirement age for men and women will be changed to 67 years. the objective will be achieved for women in 2040 and for men in 2020. mandatory retirement age in poland as well as in norway is the highest in the world.” as for today, the newly elected president is promising to lower the retirement age in poland, but for this we will have to wait until next year. thanks to social media there is a visible increase of consciousness about living abroad. in a recent documentary that became viral on youtube.com: “the place where life is http://www.gpejournal.org/ http://www.infor.pl/ global partners in education journal – special edition december 2015, vol. 5, no. 2, pp. 10-23 http://www.gpejournal.org/ issn 2163-758x 17 possible” by magdalena piejko, migrants confirm all the above issues. i have created a fan page on facebook called “jedną nogą w polsce” (one foot stuck in poland) where i try to discuss all of the burning issues with other poles. my aim is to integrate all poles so that we can brainstorm ideas that will help people to live better lives and that i hope will revolutionise this country. low budget documentaries raising awareness and independent films with english subtitles on living abroad are being released more frequently online but also broadcasted in the cities and towns in the u.k. these films can be easily found on youtube and other websites. these often show many of the true sides of migration, such as the attitude of the uk population and difficulties in finding work, as well as the positive aspects of living abroad. however, some “stayers” who have already accommodated themselves are often less keen to admit to any mistreatment or abuse that they may have encountered in social settings or at work. this could be a direct result of the decisions that the “stayers” have had made about making a living outside their home country. the likelihood that the seasonal workers, so called “storks”, would speak out significantly more about the reality of living abroad is much higher. i have read on bbc.com about some statistics concerning the most lingering dispute of recent times on immigrants and their contributions or benefit taking. according to a study by university college london (ucl), immigrants from the so-called new europe (i.e., the countries that joined the eu in 2004 or the accession ten/a10 which include cyprus, the czech republic, estonia, hungary, latvia, lithuania, malta, poland, slovakia and slovenia) contributed nearly £5bn more in taxes than they took in benefits (new eu migrants add £5bn to uk, 2014). the report also confirmed that eu immigrants are better educated than the uk population at large: 60% from southern and western europe and 25% of those from eastern europe have university degrees. this compares with 24% of the uk-born workforce. moreover, prof christian dustmann, co-author of the study, said: eu migrants, in particular, made "the most substantial contributions" because of their "higher average labour market participation compared with natives and their lower receipt of welfare benefits." i often heard about stories of many undocumented polish workers, men and women labouring for twelve to fourteen hours a day in conditions no native worker would take under consideration. hence, such attitudes also play an important part of the “hamsters” plan as those types of migrants, want to earn as much as possible and save on living costs so that they can take more savings back home. from my observations, on a very rare occasion, polish migrants would genuinely open up to voice issues such discrimination, lost identity, broken relationships or any other disadvantages that are associated with living abroad. typically, the image they wish to present is of a harmonious and successful experience. this is due to the polish mentality which is a type of pride about that crucial decision of leaving their home country, their friends, families, so therefore they can’t afford to complain because they now feel successful even if it meant more hardship than which they are accustomed to. this is of the highest importance because they feel a need to save their face or honour when it comes to the male migrants. polish people do not like see themselves as losers but doers, go-getters. since our government is not very generous you really need to learn how to get what you need. http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition december 2015, vol. 5, no. 2, pp. 10-23 http://www.gpejournal.org/ issn 2163-758x 18 one of the main polish national characteristics that could be easily noticed among migrant people is honour and pride especially when it comes to managing their own living standard and financial situation. in poland, there is a very popular saying that many people still live by: “get a mortgage if you have to, to look better in front of your neighbour”. people here are careful not to lose a face. they still worry what their neighbour would think of them. by the same token, polish people often chose not to take benefits and prefer to suffer poverty because they perceive it as an ultimate weakness. some people view this idea of taking support offered by the polish government as a charity. that is why they prefer to go abroad and earn money the “hard way” if that would help to save their honour. this attitude could be a form of manifestation towards the very little efforts that the polish government is actually putting in to bettering polish citizen’s situation. in addition, from my observations, many polish workers in poland have a very limited trust for anything that seems a little risky or comes from outside their comfort zone. most of the time, they fear losing their jobs so they hold onto their jobs carefully and do not allow themselves to stick out. in this light, we may speculate why so many migrants are stuck on minimum wage jobs abroad and why poland, as a nation, is making such smallscale progress in comparison to other eu countries. overall, a clearer explanation of migrant attitudes is that mentality that you better earn lots of money and fast while you can because you might not be so lucky next time around. this attitude is definitely one of the “hamster” characteristics when it comes to making a living and it definitely does not do anyone any favours. what is also worth mentioning is that the polish government seems to be turning a blind eye to the surrounding issues instead of acting on them. it has been quietly consenting to all the mixed messages in regards to working abroad that mass media have been supporting all of those years. there is a regular circulation of newspapers and advertisements that are ostentatiously displayed here and there which all seem so attractive that they almost make you obliged to reconsider your life in poland (figure 1). furthermore, there are a number of recruiting agencies found online as well as in the job seekers offices in poland which encourage and support polish people including students with offers of seasonal work or employment abroad. likewise, such opportunities can be found online on any local websites, (e.g., on a local town’s website, there is plenty of work in holland, spain and great britain at www.krosno24.pl. in addition to this, the accessibility of the western job market is consistently highlighted to the public and also nationally consented to by government. i’ve recently purchased a hard copy of “work and study abroad”, a polish newspaper, and i honestly think such an example of convocation is a perfect example highlighting the above and it has also been legally up and running since 2003. http://www.gpejournal.org/ http://www.krosno24.pl/ global partners in education journal – special edition december 2015, vol. 5, no. 2, pp. 10-23 http://www.gpejournal.org/ issn 2163-758x 19 figure 1. example of advertisement for work abroad. on the whole, the current polish situation is strongly incubating the perfect environment for a ‘brain drain'. as a result, for instance, interest in working abroad “has risen among the medical profession in recent times” reports londynek.net (biznesu & monika, 2015). indeed, it is worrisome. the united kingdom is often mentioned in this matter and has been accused of actively hiring medical staff from developing countries such poland: “according to the polish chamber of physicians, more than 9 thousand specialists have the formal competence to work legally in the eu. recent statistics show that the number of certificates issued to doctors applying for recognition in other eu countries has increased to 25%” (biznesu & monika, 2015). among physicians applying for certification, the highest percentage includes anaesthesiologists, internists, surgeons and general radiologists and their country of choice is the united kingdom.” the article underlines further: “it seems that working abroad, even short-term, is an investment in their career for medical professionals. higher foreign wages, allow the professionals to return and have a chance to pursue career plans in poland (e.g., open their own office). in addition, gaining additional qualifications, learning new techniques and familiarizing with advanced specialized equipment allows for career advancement on return.” there is yet another issue. poland is also facing the loss of young graduates and specialists who are more eager to look for opportunities somewhere else. consequently, poland is under a serious threat of a big hole in its demography by having young people start their own families abroad. this will soon have its consequences on a bigger scale. cuts in the public sector already pose a problem as well as school closures plus redundancies for the teachers. the results displayed below are based on empirical material collected in 2011 and 2012. the empirical material gathered by university students and volunteers and described in the book by r. bera (2012) “a sense of professional responsibility of economic migrants” that i have studied since i could not run my own research at the time. the main criterion that seeks to preserve the selection of the sample is the country of residence of economic migrants, which is the largest group of poles in the european union after the polish http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition december 2015, vol. 5, no. 2, pp. 10-23 http://www.gpejournal.org/ issn 2163-758x 20 accession to the eu. therefore the study selected the united kingdom, sweden and germany. as far as the data in table 1 shows, both among immigrants (primary group) and those who are working in the country (comparison group), most workers are between the age of 21-30. this indicates that the migrants are young workers who are the most economically desired and often at the point of starting their careers. the 30-40 year old group are also a common percentage with every fourth migrant employed abroad and every ninth person employed in the country (11.4%). relatively few workers are between the ages of 40-50 years and above 50 years old there are only 6 people in the comparison group indicating that immigration is a young person’s activity. table 1. age of respondents age immigrants (primary) workers in the country (comparison) frequency % frequency % >20 12 3.5 12 3.3 21-30 216 63.7 285 77.2 31-40 93 27.7 42 11.4 41-50 18 5.3 24 6.5 <50 6 1.6 total 339 100.0 369 100.0 looking at the level of education of polish migrants we can see that (table 2) among polish migrants working abroad (primary group) higher education clearly dominates. the score is over 25% compared to those 5% in the country. however, in the ‘comparison group’ most respondents hold a secondary education level (48.8 %). the lowest level of education has every eighth person while working abroad and only a few employees in the country supporting the evidence of a brain drain. in the article “poland struggles to reverse its brain drain” (davies, 2011), it is reported that a recruitment agency, aer international based in london, was set up to help an expected flood of professional migrants return to poland and other eastern european countries with booming economies. to encourage people to return, in 2008, the polish government launched a campaign targeted at poles working abroad: “have you got a plan to return?” (davies, 2011). the message said: "the polish government would be very glad to have returnees, but it's too late. the 'have you got a plan to return?' program was perceived by migrants as “propaganda. furthermore, “according to the current situation and looking at the statistics, it is hard to see this campaign as being a success. secondly, the polish authorities have tried to encourage migrants to return to the country. the city of warsaw, for example, has claimed that it will pay €11,700 to every migrant returning to the polish capital and starting a business there, partly financed with eu funds”. thirdly, talking from my experience, there is this new custom in poland supported by the eu that proposes that every polish person registered at the job seekers centre (js) and is unemployed who decides to run a new business can make an application for a non-refundable loan. js in poland works similarly to the one in the u.k. it’s funded and http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition december 2015, vol. 5, no. 2, pp. 10-23 http://www.gpejournal.org/ issn 2163-758x 21 supported by the government, however, financial support will only last a maximum 6 months. after that you are on your own. people go there for interviews, training, to find out about the job opportunities etc. js is located in each city or town. the whole project is entirely funded from the eu budget. the condition states that your new company will have to prosper for at least one year otherwise the loan will need to be repaid. personally, when i found out about this, i was excited at first but then i thought back to the taxing system, zus contributions and other bureaucratic aspects and decided not to go ahead with this concept. table 2. formal education formal education immigrants (primary) workers in the country (comparison) frequency % frequency % elementary education 9 2.7 vocational training 33 9.7 15 4.1 secondary school 54 15.9 177 48.8 technical school 72 21.2 135 36.6 higher education 87 25.7 21 5.7 graduate education 78 23.0 15 4.1 other 6 1.8 6 1.6 total 339 100.0 369 100 andrzej duda, the polish president-elect at the time of writing stated: “further emigration of poles is a real threat to the existence of the polish state. it is time to make repairs in many areas". he also mentions, among all the other issues, about obstacles for entrepreneurs. "the worst thing is taxation system in poland […] no one here has made a good change since 1989". consequently, his election manifesto promised that he will appoint the national development council to create a strategy for development "in areas in need of repair." whether the promises and changes will halt the current exodus of polish youth is a topic for future discussion and examination. discussion and conclusion since i have returned to my country, i have only seen a rapid growth in new shopping malls, infrastructure, a lot of road works, funded projects here and there, new spaces for entertainment, new buildings, higher price tags, longer queues, and unfriendly admin staff (ever so infamous in poland). i have only heard empty promises from the government that feed our hopes. i hear people complain on a regular basis whenever i take a bus or stop by the road to hitchhike. i hear my parents worry all the time, my brothers struggle to make ends meet, and my sister struggles because she does not have a job and is currently expecting a baby. i refuse to listen to the fake promises, to take minimum wage jobs, and i am not going to attach a photo to my cv and pray that there might be someone who picks it up. http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition december 2015, vol. 5, no. 2, pp. 10-23 http://www.gpejournal.org/ issn 2163-758x 22 the status quo is not right here and maybe if people would shed their fear and start to work together instead of against each other, we would all experience a little bit less nonsense in our lives. please don’t get me wrong, of course, i realize there are many countries that are far worse off nowadays, many people seek shelters and fight wars as we speak but this is essentially the reason for all conflict on this planet. no amount of words can change the way this world works but right here i take my space to share my account on life in the country i was born and like many other people, i am subjected to injustice on a regular basis. this was essentially the main reason why i left poland as a young person. another reason was lack of opportunity for better life and normality. i knew i could not count on any help from the government, i knew it back then and i know it now. for example, i have recently received a four page decision telling me why i am not eligible to receive the job seekers allowance because i did not satisfy the requirements of the tax office and that i resided in the foreign country for too long. therefore i failed to prove the initial sentimental attachment to the country. i knew i needed to leave to make my own living and raise standards of living for my family on my own and i knew nobody else will do it for me. after almost a decade i find myself rejoicing in my family and starting a college degree. but i will not surrender to poor living conditions and put up with a constant struggle for survival. i will not say yes to the question: “are you prepared to work for a minimum wage?” in the job seekers office. i refuse to take extended hours, unskilled and underpaid jobs just to be able to pay bills and taxes. not then, when i was inexperienced teenager with only a high school’s certificate and not now when i am 31 years of age with almost a decade of experience and qualifications. if poland will not change its politics and the system will not start to support graduates with creating spaces for them properly, the migrants who came back to give yet another go, will not be encouraged to stay and the brain drain will become irreversible and a hole in poland’s demography. those who work hard to get their education soon will not be even considering a job here at all when they find themselves appreciated with better working conditions, health system, family entitlements and salaries abroad. consequently, things will only get worse for poland if the status quo will not start to work in favour of polish citizens. when i look at this country, i wonder, is there any way at all, to change this sad reality? and i think to myself, there’s always a way but the biggest question remains, what is the priority here: power or people? success often requires small but consistent steps, people working together, and we all need to integrate as a nation. together we can take steps towards a better change but at the same time, i cannot get rid of the feeling that people nowadays, especially young polish people, would rather take those steps outside the country borders. http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition december 2015, vol. 5, no. 2, pp. 10-23 http://www.gpejournal.org/ issn 2163-758x 23 references biznesu, p. & monika, m. (2015). będzie jeszcze więcej polskich lekarzy na wyspach?” londynek.net. retieved from: http://londynek.net/wiadomosci/bedzie+jeszcze+wiecej+polskich+lekarzy+na+wy spach+wiadomosci+news,/wiadomosci/article?jdnews_id=27326 davies, c. (2011). poland struggles to reverse its brain drain. cnn.com. retrieved from: http://edition.cnn.com/2011/world/europe/09/07/poland.return.migration/ new eu migrants add £5bn to uk (2014). bbc.com. retrieved from: http://www.bbc.com/news/business-29910497 okólski, m. (2001). incomplete migration: a new form of mobility in central and eastern europe: the case of polish and ukrainian migrants. in c. wallace & d. stola (eds.), patterns of migration in central europe. basingstoke: palgrave macmillan. pkw: andrzej duda prezydentem. kandydat pis zdobył 51,55 proc., bronisław komorowski 48,45 proc. głosów (2015). newsweek polska. retrieved from: http://polska.newsweek.pl/wybory-prezydenckie-2015-wyniki-frekwencjapkw,artykuly,363762,1.html retirement age in poland (2014). infor.pl. retrieved from: http://www.infor.pl/prawo/emerytury/podwyzszenie-wiekuemerytalnego/694223,wiek-emerytalny-2015.html sobczyk, m. (2010). poland loses 1.4 million people to brain drain. the wall street journal. retrieved from: http://blogs.wsj.com/emergingeurope/2010/09/24/14million-poles-leave-in-eu-brain-drain/ wallace, c. (2002). opening and closing borders: migration and mobility in east-central europe’. journal of ethnic and migration studies. 28(4), 603–25. wynagrodznia kobiet i mezcsysn w 2013 roku (2013). retrieved from: http://www.wynagrodzenia.pl/payroll/artykul.php/typ.1/kategoria_glowna.503/wpis .2867 http://www.gpejournal.org/ http://londynek.net/wiadomosci/bedzie+jeszcze+wiecej+polskich+lekarzy+na+wyspach+wiadomosci+news,/wiadomosci/article?jdnews_id=27326 http://londynek.net/wiadomosci/bedzie+jeszcze+wiecej+polskich+lekarzy+na+wyspach+wiadomosci+news,/wiadomosci/article?jdnews_id=27326 http://edition.cnn.com/2011/world/europe/09/07/poland.return.migration/ http://www.bbc.com/news/business-29910497 http://polska.newsweek.pl/wybory-prezydenckie-2015-wyniki-frekwencja-pkw,artykuly,363762,1.html http://polska.newsweek.pl/wybory-prezydenckie-2015-wyniki-frekwencja-pkw,artykuly,363762,1.html http://www.infor.pl/prawo/emerytury/podwyzszenie-wieku-emerytalnego/694223,wiek-emerytalny-2015.html http://www.infor.pl/prawo/emerytury/podwyzszenie-wieku-emerytalnego/694223,wiek-emerytalny-2015.html http://blogs.wsj.com/emergingeurope/2010/09/24/14-million-poles-leave-in-eu-brain-drain/ http://blogs.wsj.com/emergingeurope/2010/09/24/14-million-poles-leave-in-eu-brain-drain/ new eu migrants add £5bn to uk (2014). bbc.com. retrieved from: http://www.bbc.com/news/business-29910497 pkw: andrzej duda prezydentem. kandydat pis zdobył 51,55 proc., bronisław komorowski 48,45 proc. głosów (2015). newsweek polska. retrieved from: http://polska.newsweek.pl/wybory-prezydenckie-2015-wyniki-frekwencja-pkw,artykuly,363762,1.html global partners in education journal – special edition february 2020, vol. 8, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org/ issn 2163-758x 71 the thought of the relationship between man and nature in wandering about freely and its modern value yuqian liu baotou teacher’s college, baotou, china abstract wandering about freely is the masterpiece of zhuangzi, an ancient chinese philosopher, which contains thoughts about the relationship between man and nature. it uses the symbolic approach to explain the author's main ideas through several stories about animals and people. zhuangzi of the taoist school believes that the nature of man is the same as nature. people should return to their natural nature, and at the same time conform to nature and get along with nature. these thoughts of taoism are reflected in this article of zhuangzi. moreover, such an idea is of great value to us in dealing with the relationship between man and nature today, when environmental issues are prominent. in this article, the first part will be an analysis of wandering about freely, and the second part will be based on the above analysis to illustrate the philosophical ideas contained therein. the last part is to link the thoughts with the environmental problems in the world today and explore its significance in the modern era. introduction zhuangzi is an important philosopher in ancient china. he is also a representative of the taoist school. his masterpiece is wandering about freely. in this article, zhuangzi expressed his philosophy. and the idea that people live in harmony with nature is still of great significance to our society today. at present, there are many environmental problems in the world, including environmental pollution, species extinction, global warming, etc. the existence of these problems is actually a concrete manifestation of the relationship between human and nature. we have not been able to deal with the relationship between man and nature very well, which has led to a large number of problems. in this ancient article of wandering about freely, the ancient chinese philosopher zhuangzi actually gave us a way about how to make people and nature live in harmony and he told us the right way to treat nature. therefore, this is the value of the thoughts in wandering about freely in the modern times. http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition february 2020, vol. 8, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org/ issn 2163-758x 72 three stories in wandering about freely wandering about freely includes three stories: the story of big fish becoming a roc, the dialogue between a turtledove and a cicada, and the story of the three ideal figures that zhuangzi considers. in the first story, a giant fish lurks in the sea for a long time. one day, when the sea moved to produce a strong wind, it became a roc and then flew to the sea in the south. in this story, the author wants to explain to us the conditionality of things. before the absence of strong winds, the big fish lurked in the sea until one day, with favorable conditions for it to use, it used this condition to achieve its purpose. at the same time, the author also told us that we should be good at using the existing conditions. the second story is a conversation that takes place between two small creatures, turtledove and cicada. they are very small compared to the roc and the giant fish. these two small creatures could not understand the behavior of the roc and thought that there was no need to fly so far. they say that they often can’t fly to the top of the tree and fall, not to mention flying to the 90,000-mile sky where the roc can fly. although they can't reach the height of the roc, they are not depressed, but satisfied with what they are. in the second story, the author tells us that different things have different abilities, and we should be satisfied with what we are, rather than constantly craving more and constantly demanding to satisfy our own desires. the two little creatures in the story have no way to fly to the sky like the roc, but they are not frustrated. on the contrary, they think they have their own advantages, so they feel happy and satisfied. the story of turtledove and cicada tells us that we should learn to be satisfied and know ourselves. they are not depressed because of their own smallness but are satisfied with the happiness they currently have and are satisfied with their current state. the last story is about three people. in the text, they are called the perfect man, the divine man and the true sage. they are the people in the minds of the author who truly reach the realm of freedom. they do not pursue fame and money, they can even eliminate the boundaries between self and foreign objects, thus forgetting themselves and integrating with nature. these three people are the most ideal people in the author’s opinion. by shaping these three ideal figures, the author expresses the belief that the man should be in harmony with nature and follow nature’s course to us. in addition, this is also the core idea of zhuangzi. through these stories which are full of philosophical and abstract thoughts in wandering about freely, the author expounds his philosophical thoughts, explaining that man and nature should live in harmony, obey the rules of nature, and that human should survive under the premise of obeying the rules of nature. chinese philosophical thoughts in the story these are some of the stories in the wandering about freely. these stories are romantic and reflect the author's rich imagination. by fictionalizing these images and http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition february 2020, vol. 8, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org/ issn 2163-758x 73 stories, zhuangzi mainly aims to convey his philosophical thinking. as an ancient chinese philosopher, he is not like other philosophers. he does not need to explain his philosophical thoughts in obscure language but expresses his thoughts through vivid stories. therefore, his articles are very interesting. at the same time, because of the use of symbols and other literary creation techniques, his works are difficult to understand, and wandering about freely is such an article. the above mentioned is the specific story content in the work, however, zhuangzi does not intend to just tell us some wonderful stories. these interesting stories are just his means. his real intention is to convey his ideas through stories. first of all, all the above stories run through a central idea, that is, nature. this is the core idea of zhuangzi's philosophy and the central idea of taoist philosophy. nature means respecting things as they are, following the laws of nature, and not artificially distorting or transforming them. in taoist philosophy, nature is not what we often understand. it is not a noun, but a verb. zhuangzi does not oppose the use of nature by man. he opposes that people do not use nature in accordance with the laws of nature. secondly, zhuangzi's philosophy advocates respect for nature and love of life. he believes that everything in the world, like our human beings, has the rationality of existence. the life of all things is related to human life. therefore, human beings must treat and respect all things in nature. he also believes that nature is an organic whole, it is not an inanimate object. the natural interior has a strong vitality. it breeds everything and gives life the power of life, including humans. based on the idea that all things have the same status, we can find that zhuangzi advocates an ecological wisdom of equality of all things. in the modern history of the world, the idea of anthropocentrism has always occupied a dominant position. human beings have always believed that man is the subject and the master of the world, and nature is the object used to serve people. those who hold anthropocentric views regard nature as a mechanical physical world and believe that its value is endowed by human beings. human beings are the masters of the world, and everything else belongs to human beings. they are all means or tools for human existence. this is the view that those people agree with. it is such an idea coupled with the endless desire of mankind, nature is destroyed by us, ecological problems appear frequently, and the relationship between man and nature is in trouble. therefore, after the rational awakening of modern humans and the beginning of science, human beings have gradually forgotten the role of nature, gradually placed themselves in a supreme position, and the relationship between human beings and nature is increasingly alienated. nowadays, if we want to solve this problem, we need to re-recognize the relationship between man and nature and adjust the current unreasonable way of life. and the zhuangzi and taoist philosophy as reflected in wandering about freely can correctly guide us to re-examine the relationship between man and nature. respecting and revering the nature is the most profound revelation of zhuangzi philosophy to modern people. http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition february 2020, vol. 8, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org/ issn 2163-758x 74 modern value putting the ideas in the article into the present, it still makes sense. as mentioned at the beginning of this article, today's environmental problems are getting more and more serious. how can we solve these problems? from my point of view, solving various environmental problems in the world through various methods is only a temporary method. thinking in essence, why do these problems arise? it is because the way we get along with nature is wrong. if we just focus on solving various specific environmental problems, it may not have much effect on solving the whole problem. because once one problem is solved, the next problem will occur. only when we fundamentally change the way we transform nature, change our way of life, improve our relationship with nature, and change from plundering nature to rational use of nature, the problem will stop. as zhuangzi said in wandering about freely, we should live in harmony with nature and obey the laws of nature instead of opposing people and nature. this is also the basic spirit in zhuangzi's philosophy. such a harmonious way of thinking is worthy of consideration by modern people. although it was proposed by the ancients, it is only a simple way of thinking about the relationship between man and nature, but it can indeed be adopted by our society today. people and nature are like people getting along with each other. we must regard nature as a friend and use the environment in which we live as an object we should care about. nature is not an objective object without life, but something that is full of vitality and important to us. while developing nature, we also need to protect nature and use it under the premise of protection. this is zhuangzi’s idea that people and nature live in harmony. harmony between man and nature not only emphasizes that human beings should protect the natural environment, it also emphasizes that human beings must live in harmony with everything in nature, such as protecting animals and plants. it is consistent with the concept of emphasizing the equality of all things in zhuangzi’s thought. this article can inspire us. it shows the following values for the modern people in the relationship between man and nature. firstly, from the perspective of the exploitation of nature, we should be moderate. just like the giant fish turned into a roc. it is the full use of the existing conditions to achieve the purpose, rather than try every means to create conditions to the purpose. natural resources are limited, and we should exploit them moderately. make full use of the natural resources that we already have, don't waste resources while constantly mining new resources, and complain that resources are not enough. secondly, from the perspective of the people themselves, we need to be content. natural resources are limited, and human desires are infinite. what we can do is to be content and develop nature in a reasonable degree of desire. finally, from the attitude of man to nature, we need to go with the flow and follow the laws of nature. in short, by analyzing the ancient chinese story of wandering about freely, we can http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition february 2020, vol. 8, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org/ issn 2163-758x 75 see the author's thinking about human and nature issues, and these ancient chinese philosophical thoughts are still of great significance to modern people even today. perhaps this is another role of myths or fairy tales. they can convey the author's thoughts, and some of them will have important meanings at all times. building a harmonious living world is a comprehensive and globally important issue in the 21st century. although it appears on the surface to solve the problems of ecological destruction, resource shortage, environmental pollution and other predicaments in the current social development, from a deeper perspective, it reflects the human being's attempt to deal with the relationship between man and nature and a deep philosophical concept. returning to the thought of ancient chinese philosophy, returning to taoist philosophy, we can unearth the rich and profound ancient ecological consciousness that embraces nature, cares for life, and unites man and nature. although this ancient survival wisdom cannot provide a ready-made answer to the survival dilemma faced by modern people, it plays an important role in the pursuit of building a modern and harmonious living world and correcting the paranoia of modern people's way of life and life attitude. it is a valuable ideological and cultural resource. this also shows that sometimes a myth or legend or fable story is not just a simple fiction, the ideas conveyed in the story are often more inspiring than the story itself. references allinson, robert elliot (2009) the butterfly, the mole and the sage, asian philosophy, 19:3, 213-223, doi: 10.1080/09552360903230747 hendrischke, barbara (2016). the philosophy of life: a new reading of the zhuangzi by chen guying. religious studies review. 42:4, 310-311, doi: https://doi.org/10.1111/rsr.12764 sai hang kwok (2016) zhuangzi’s philosophy of thing, asian philosophy, 26:4, 294310, doi: 10.1080/09552367.2016.1244883 yuqian liu is a student in baotou teachers college in china and studies in the college of history and tourism culture majoring in literature, especailly philosophy and related subjects. yuqian liu enjoys a love of nature, caring for animals and is very concerned about topics related to environmental protection and animal protection. therefore, after reading zhuangzi's philosophical works, yuqian found that the ideas contained therein can play a role in solving these problems. email: 906428313@qq.com http://www.gpejournal.org/ mailto:906428313@qq.com 6 cybercrime global partners in education journal – special edition march 2022, vol. 10, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 47 cybercrime: an emerging global challenge for the states maria kanwal, qurat ul ain zahoor, saira mussarat, dr. nadia khadam, ms. zainab iqbal fatima jinnah women university rawalpindi, pakistan abstract with an ever-increasing use of the internet and technology, cyber crimes have become a crucial global concern. cybercrimes refer to all the illegal activities carried out using technology. it is buying and selling of malware, and individuals’ personal information illegally. this research focuses on different types of cybercrimes, such as hacking, cyber pornography, and cyber terrorism, etc. cybercrime not only affects personal, business information, and intellectual property but also damages reputation. according to the csis report, 2,299,682 cases of cybercrime are reported in 2020 and as a result of financial embezzlement carried out on the internet, individuals and the government had lost more than 1 trillion dollars per year around the world. cybercrime has a direct and significant impact on jobs, innovation, economic growth, and investment. this paper strives to find out the causes of cyber perpetration and also suggest measures for its control. cybercrime can be controlled by implementing digital and physical security methods, maintaining asset lists, patches, and updates, etc. this paper suggests a system of administrative regulations backed by criminal penalties that will provide the reason necessary to create a workable deterrent to cybercrime. introduction crime and criminality have been linked to man from the time of his creation. people of different eras adopted different methods according to their approach, to connect themselves with a crime. (dashora, 2011) with the increasing use of the internet, especially in the pandemic era, people are suffering from cyberattacks globally. cybercrime is an activity that involves using or targeting a computer network or network device to carry out activities that damage one’s money or image. cybercriminal activities are carried out for personal, political, or monetary reasons. cybercrimes may include illegal intercepting or stealing data, infringing copyright, selling illegal items online, producing or processing child pornography, and more. (mcguire et al., 2013). the benefits which are brought by the rapid expansion of the internet are accompanied by crimes that have a devastating effect on our individual and collective life. 1. definition of cybercrime cybercrime is committed by using a computer, another digital network or other forms of information communication technology either as a tool or to target a victim. these crimes are committed online, which is the reason why the prefix cyber is attached to crime. (mcguire et al., 2013). the three categories of cybercrime are a crime which targets a computer device, e.g. to gain access and then spread the malware to the whole network; a crime that uses the computer as a weapon, e.g. using numerous compromised computers to carry out malicious activity known as distributed denial of service; a crime that uses the computer as an accessory to crime, e.g. using a computer to save illegal data. (sarre et al., 2018) global partners in education journal – special edition march 2022, vol. 10, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 48 a cybercriminal mainly chooses countries with weak cyber laws to carry out their activities to reduce the chance of detection. 2. types of cybercrime a. malware attacks malware is a virus or code delivered over a network to infect or steal information from the network by the hacker. a computer compromised by malware could be used by cybercriminals for numerous purposes. (mcguire et al., 2013) b. phishing phishing is fraudulent communication that appears to come from reputable sources. it aims to steal a person’s login information and personal data or to affect the person’s computer. it fools the victim by presenting information that is from some trustworthy site and compels the user to share their personal information. (hong, 2012) c. software piracy it is the illegal distribution, selling, use, installation, and copying of software. it is usually done by end-users and dealers. this causes a serious hindrance to the success and progress of the software industry globally. (hinduja and behavior, 2008) d. credit card fraud credit card fraud involves any crime using a credit card. cybercriminals use credit cards to get information from a person’s bank account. more than 270,000 cases of fraud were reported in the year 2017, according to the federal trade commission. (ramdinmawii et al., 2014) e. cyber pornography cyber pornography is the publication, distribution, importation, and designing of pornography through cyberspace. as the internet is easily available, people can view and upload pornographic videos easily. child pornography is increasing at a rate of 3 million cases a year. one of the factors includes the accessibility of these websites. it is estimated that more than 10,000 internet locations provide access to these materials nowadays. (ramdinmawii et al., 2014) f. identity theft identity theft is the theft that includes the stealing of personal information of someone and then using that information in crime. this personal information gives access to bank accounts credit cards or other accounts. the graph below shows the identity theft complaints data over five years. (roberds and schreft, 2009) global partners in education journal – special edition march 2022, vol. 10, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 49 figure 1: source: internet crime complaint center, facts + statistics: identity theft and cybercrime, 2021 3. cybercrime techniques some of the most common techniques which cybercriminals use to access personal or private computers are: a. botnet it is the network of interconnected devices that are infected by malware in a way that these devices are in a hacker’s control. cybercriminals first gain access to botnet devices with the help of special viruses called trojans and attack the computer security system taking control of software and implementing commands and carrying out largescale malicious activity. (tyagi and aghila, 2011) b. zombie computer a zombie is a computer connected to a network that is hacked by criminals to gain access to a private network. the computer is then used for a malicious task. (broadhurst, 2010) c. distributed denial of service (ddos) the main focus of a dos attack is to overload the targeted machine with junk data, resulting in denial of service to additional requests. dos attack is of two types: a buffer overflow attack and a flood attack. (hasbullah et al., 2010) d. metamorphic malware one of the more advanced techniques, metamorphic malware, repeatedly adjusts its code, making it extremely difficult to detect by even the most advanced anti-virus software. (walenstein et al., 2007) global partners in education journal – special edition march 2022, vol. 10, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 50 4. statistics related to cybercrimes a. in 2020, 60% -70% of businesses have been the victims of cybercrime, which made the thousands of companies suffer millions and led to the closing of these businesses. (lazic, 2021) b. by the year 2021, half a million zoom passwords were available for sale in dark web crime forums at the time when the whole world was using zoom for business or educational purposes. c. cybercrime statistics show that there is a rise in security breaches from the year 2018 to 19 and mostly to small businesses. d. cybercriminals attack someone online every thirty seconds and in this way, the rate of cyberattacks is 2244 times per day, with numerous attacks on the healthcare industry. in 2020 and 2019, data breaches affected 300.6 million people, and 887.3 million people respectively. e. likewise, attacks using emails or texts for provoking people to give their personal information are about 44%; 18% of cyberattacks are due to ransomware and 12% are due to malware. (lazic, 2021) f. the health care industry and finance industry are usually bigger targets of cybercriminals because they contain a large number of personal information and numbers. g. in 2019, the health care industry lost $25 billion to ransomware attacks. in the past three years, more than 93% of health care industries experienced a data breach. h. financial services have 352,771 exposed sensitive files on average, which are open targets to cybercriminals, while healthcare, pharma, and biotech have 113,491 files on average. (sobers, 2021) i. of the total of cybercrime breaches in the industrial sector, 56% of them are social media breaches, 27% are in the governmental sector, other industrial breaches include 8%, retailers include 4% and technology include 4%. j. $18.3 million per company is spent on the financial service industry to combat cybercrime. (morgan, 2020) k. cybercrime complaints also increased and the figure reached 791790 in the year 2020. global partners in education journal – special edition march 2022, vol. 10, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 51 figure 2: (source: internet crime complaint center, facts + statistics: identity theft and cybercrime, 2021) 5. challenges for the states nowadays, states are facing many challenges to prevent cybercrime. in modern states, technology advances very fast. because of this technology, where people are benefiting a lot on one hand and misuse it on the other, states face difficulties in protecting national and international safety. the rise in cybercrime cases in recent years has raised new challenges for states to combat cybercrimes if they want to eliminate them the threat. some challenges are discussed below: a. investigation of cybercrimes the nature of cybercrime is complex and difficult to understand. a complex investigation is required for the prosecution of cyber cases. the gathering of authentic proof is needed if legal action against cybercriminals is to be initiated. state investigating agencies have faced difficulty in finding the basic source of information. law enforcement units also face difficulty in applying cyber laws and selecting methods to investigate this digital crime. it is more difficult when the criminal is an outsider because they are not under the jurisdiction of the state. therefore, help from international law is needed in such situations. (serwanga, 2019) i. investigation method and its trans-border nature cybercrimes can be committed from any place and against anyone who is using the internet worldwide. for proper investigation of cybercrime, the criminal activity must be tracked across different national borders. investigations may be carried out at an international level. the internet experts who are providing internet service all over the world may be the part of investigating team for effective investigation of crime. (kasper and laurits, 2016) global partners in education journal – special edition march 2022, vol. 10, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 52 ii. mishandling of electronic evidence investigators are inexperienced in collecting digital evidence according to admissibility rules. that is why, courts reject improper electronic evidence, which is the important basis on which further cases might proceed. sometimes electronic pieces of evidence related to cybercrime are easily deleted or stolen by criminals because of the lack of internet experts in courts and cyber crime units. (antwi-boasiako and venter, 2017) iii. failure to protect the chain of digital evidence during the prosecution of cybercrimes, the pieces of evidence are passed among various institutions to check the validity of evidence, but due to lack of experts and the nature of the evidence, they are rejected or easily changed by cybercriminals to decrease their validity. there is a need for time to manage the digital evidence. our courts and investigating teams must find different and innovative ways to handle the large amount of electronic evidence. (roscini and law, 2016) iv. lack of modern instruments for investigation internet-specific tools are required for the investigation and proceeding of cyber cases and only these instruments can help investigators to carry out an investigation. specific modern tools are required for the proper investigation of this crime. during the fight against cybercrime, we face unique challenges that need special attention from both investigators and lawmakers. the main challenges are the unavailability of guidelines on how to collect pieces of evidence and how to present these pieces of evidence in courts, day-by-day development in technology, and the use of hacking techniques by criminals. police are poorly equipped to understand cybercrimes and they do not know how to investigate cybercrime cases. (moore, 2014) v. speed of data exchange process the internet has made it possible for people to communicate between the two countries in a matter of seconds and is the main reason for the success of the internet. criminals easily take advantage of this facility of the internet and exchange data from one place to another. that is why there is a problem in investigating cyber cases and real pieces of evidence are lost and the culprit easily escapes. the invention of the internet has left our traditional investigation process far behind. there is a need for time to speed up our investigation processes if we want to get rid of cybercrimes. (losavio et al., 2018) vi. absence of one universal law governing cybercrimes this type of crime is committed in one country but has had effects in other countries. cybercrimes are borderless, international, and global crimes that are committed in cyberspace. the laws for cybercrimes are either national or regional and are not applicable at the international level or outside of the specific region. (weber, 2003) the extradition process is a challenge due to the absence of universal law. many countries do not extradite cybercriminals to other countries, making it a major challenge to enforce cybercrime laws around the world. each country has its jurisdiction and it is the biggest impediment to the extradition of criminals to other states, because states deny extradition of the criminals to requesting states although they do have jurisdiction to take action against criminals. the requested country cannot do anything unless another country sends its criminals there. due to the absence of one universal law, it is a challenge for one state to punish those criminals who are not citizens of that state but sit in their state and commit crimes that harm this state. (ajayi and systems, 2016) global partners in education journal – special edition march 2022, vol. 10, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 53 b. lack of effective reporting of cybercrime many women who fall victim to these crimes are reluctant to report these cases because they think that doing so could bring them disrepute. even great leaders of society, parents, and intelligent people prefer to settle these cases out of court. (menon and siew, 2012) i. limited reporting of crime it is important to report a case first before investigating as it may be the first step. if it is not reported, then it will not be investigated, and the fact is that many cases around the world are not reported. only a limited number of cybercrimes are reported because people are not taking them seriously like other crimes, due to which the culprit gets more support and that is why cybercrime is increasing. (bidgoli et al., 2019) ii. lack of trust in reporting methods there is no guarantee of confidentiality during reporting of cybercrime. people are afraid of reporting cybercrime because they cannot trust the reporting methods. many cases are not reported because of security issues, as people are afraid of being exposed in front of the public which will damage their business and respect.(brenner and schwerha iv, 2007) c. challenges for businesses whenever a person starts a business they get so busy that they forget about cybercrime. if they have not considered their company’s cybersecurity needs, their business and customers could be at risk. nowadays businesses are done online, which increases the risk of cybercrimes. so far, many businesses have been affected by criminals through the internet by their data being hacked or their business ideas being stolen. (teng, 2017) i. increase in costs many companies spend a lot of money to protect themselves from online theft. spending a lot of money for protection damages their business a lot. (bernik and security, 2014) ii. system malfunction along with financial losses, companies also face some challenges indirectly from cyberattacks. since today all the data of every company is online, a cyberattack changes their entire system of working causing them a lot of problems that can result in lost profits. cybercrime uses all sorts of tactics to stop company activities. computers are hacked by inserting malware that removes all valuable information and installing malicious codes on the server which deprives them of access to their websites. (yeboah-ofori et al., 2019) iii. changing business methods after a cyber-attack, many companies are forced to think about how they can restore their information and customers’ trust. it is difficult to convince customers that the information they provide will not be leaked. as a result, companies stop taking their customers’ data. when companies feel they cannot protect themselves from further cyber-attacks they shut down their online business, suffering huge losses. iv. damage to reputation a company that is a victim of a cyber-attack cannot prevent its brand from being destroyed. it is very difficult for both the supplier and customer to have their sensitive global partners in education journal – special edition march 2022, vol. 10, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 54 information in the hands of a company whose it set-up was broken or hacked at least once before. they feel less secure. (speer and change, 2000) v. decreased income the worst consequence of a cyber-attack is a drop in income. customers choose the products of other companies to protect themselves from cyber-attacks. companies waste a lot of money trying to catch hackers. because of this, their revenue is greatly reduced. (okeshola and adeta, 2013) vi. stealing personal thoughts the most valuable thing about a company is its ideas, its technology, and its market plans. and all this intellectual property is stored in the cloud, where it is most at risk of cyber-attacks. (prakash et al.) 6. steps taken by igos, ngos & u.s. government agency resources below are some steps taken by different governmental agencies to deal with cybercrimes. a. international and inter-governmental organizations the council of europe has established the “european cyber security organization”, the main function of which is to act against cybercrime. below are the two main functions performed by this organization: i. assisting countries in strengthening their criminal justice systems to meet the challenges posed by criminals operating in cyberspace. ii. sponsoring an annual cybercrime conference. b. international criminal police organization (interpol) interpol’s core mission is to enable law enforcement agencies in its 190 member countries to work together to fight against transnational crime, including cybercrime, and crimes related to children. in addition to serving as a hub for data exchange and intelligence sharing, it also supplies technical skills, instructions, and capacity building. c. international telecommunication union the itu is a specialized organization of the united nations that promotes the harmonization of technical standards for information and telecommunications technologies. it also encourages international cooperation to improve cyber security through its global cyber security agenda and its partnership with unodc (united nation office on drugs and crime). in addition, the itu has affiliated with unicef to publish guidelines for child online protection. (levin et al., 2013) d. non-governmental organizations i. spamhaus this international non-profit company based in london and geneva tracks cyber hazards (spam, phishing, malware, and botnets) and delivers real-time, actionable threat intelligence to all network operators, corporations, and security vendors. for the global partners in education journal – special edition march 2022, vol. 10, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 55 identification of spam and malware resources, it is also working with various law enforcement agencies worldwide. ii. internet watch foundation this internet watch foundation (iwf) is a uk-based, industry-funded non-profit organization. their works are to firstly recognize, locate, and remove/delete online pictures and videos of child sexual abuse with the help of law enforcement agencies worldwide. iii. the european ngo alliance for child safety online funded by the european commission, the executive arm of the eu, it has offered a platform for child protection ngos throughout europe to share various expertise and best practices on policy matters related to the online safety of the child. (taraszow, 2013) iv. national cyber security strategy to create a comprehensive and effective national cyber security strategy, the 2018 itu guide to developing a national cyber security strategy proposes the inclusion of the following thematic areas in the strategy: 1. governance 2. risk management (i.e., the process of identifying, evaluating, and controlling or eliminating threats) 3. preparedness and resilience 4. capacity and capacity building and awareness-raising in public 5. legislation and regulation 6. international cooperation other organizations have also guided the evolution of cyber security policy and regulatory frameworks, technical and organizational measures, capacity building, and cooperation e.g., the commonwealth telecommunications organization's commonwealth cyber governance model of 2014. (świątkowska et al., 2017) 7. suggestions while it may not be possible to completely eradicate cybercrime and ensure complete internet security, it can be reduced by maintaining an effective cyber security strategy. there are some suggestions and solutions to avoid cyber-attacks. a. owing to the volatile nature of electronic evidence, international cooperation to combat cybercrime needs a quick response and the ability to perform specialized investigative actions, including the preservation and production, and analysis of data by private sector providers. b. effective international cooperation in cases involving electronic evidence, therefore, requires mechanisms for the advance preservation of data, pending the consideration of further investigative measures. c. strengthened national and international bonding between governments, law enforcement, and the other independent sector with increased the knowledge of cybercrime risks in public. (de paoli and studies, 2020) d. the plan behind creating international guidelines is to fight cybercrime and facilitate a straightforward process to run digital investigations in global partners in education journal – special edition march 2022, vol. 10, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 56 which computers from more than one country are involved, as well as to eliminate those gaps where a cybercriminal is far away from the reach of the national laws. e. mutual legal assistance requires writer tools for the following two purposes: as a practical guide for practitioners from developing countries that could accelerate the submission of mla (mutual legal assistance) requests; as a way to generate a format of application that could be accepted by developed countries acting as applications states. f. countries need to cooperate because cybercriminals are not confined by national or geographic boundaries, and digital proof relating to a single crime can be dispelled over multiple regions. g. law enforcement and it professionals need to work more closely with the companies to build a cyber-fighting team that has the abilities, the means, and the authority necessary to reduce the instances of cybercrime on the internet. (ciupercă et al., 2021) h. countries must become sharper in updating or developing any national cyber security plan, as well as legal and regulatory framework related to cyberspace. the contribution of the technical community and the independent sector is essential to building effective resilience capabilities because it is impossible for the government to act alone. i. cyber security requires governments as well as private sector cooperation, therefore there is a need to increase trust among governments, at all levels, between countries and industries, and independent sectors. j. governments and the private sector should join together to work toward broader awareness campaigns in all countries. “stop. think. connect” is a national public awareness program in the us which aims to introduce the knowledge of cyber threats and empower the public to be safer and more secure online. furthermore, the public should play a vital role in self-educating and expanding the reach of awareness campaigns. cyber security is a type of shared responsibility k. while countries need to have cybercrime laws in place, it is equally necessary that these countries have the legal authority to assist foreign countries in an investigation, even if that country didn’t report any activity by itself and is merely the location of the intruder or a pass-over site. (ciupercă et al., 2021) conclusion cybercriminals are developing new ways to damage organizations, individuals, and even the government's online and private data. new cyber laws are introduced by the government to combat cybercrimes and reduce their rate, but it is not easy and not possible without the cooperation of different countries. (yar and steinmetz, 2019). the non-binding nature and lack of strict enforcement mechanisms of international law concerning cybercrime laws appear to have stultified the enforcement of cybercrime laws. (kshetri, 2010) cybercrime is causing tremendous losses not only to the economy but also to our personal information. it is essential to overcome this problem because technology not only causes harm but humans are doing so. every citizen must remain alert and timely complain about any incident and the governments must enforce global partners in education journal – special edition march 2022, vol. 10, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 57 cyber laws and make new laws to eliminate this devastating crime. 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education journal – special edition march 2022, vol. 10, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 59 tyagi, a.k. and g.j.i.j.o.c.a. aghila. 2011. a wide scale survey on botnet. 34:10-23. walenstein, a., r. mathur, m.r. chouchane and a. lakhotia. the design space of metamorphic malware. 2nd international conference on i-warfare and security (iciw 2007). 2nd international conference on i-warfare and security (iciw 2007)(2007), 2007. 241-248. weber, a.m.j.b.t.l.j. 2003. the council of europe's convention on cybercrime. 18:425-446. yar, m. and k.f. steinmetz 2019. cybercrime and society, sage. yeboah-ofori, a., j. abdulai, f.j.i.j.o.c.-s. katsriku and d. forensics. 2019. cybercrime and risks for cyber physical systems. 8:43-57. author notes maria kanwal is a hardworking and intelligent student of llb at fatima jinnah women's university rawalpindi, pakistan. she was born in harronabad and completed her early and intermediate education in rawalpindi. she is strongly motivated by the idea of women empowerment and is very keen to spread awareness among people of the world about the current issues, that is why she participated in the 6th global international conference and gave a presentation. she has chosen to study law inspired by asma javed, a great human rights lawyer who did a lot for empowering women. contact email: mariaakanwal72@gmail.com qurat ul ain zahoor has completed her intermediate education in pre-medical. now she is studying law at fatima jinnah women university, rawalpindi. she originates from azad kashmir. she has an interest in many social activities. she participated in many debate competitions. she likes to talk about social issues. she also participated in gic to highlight the different issues that are faced by covid-19. she has choosen law inspired by advocates’ struggle to defend people's lives. she thinks that a good and truthful lawyer can also save a life like a doctor. contact email: quratulainzahoor6@gmail.com saira muassart was born in rawalpindi. she has done her intermediate education in computer science. she is currently studying law at fatima jinnah women university. her ambitioon since childhood has been to be a lawyer in the future because she wants justice for people. she has the interest to work for her country and that is why she chose law. she loves to participate in extra-curricular activities like debates, poetry competitions. she participated in gic to show her presentation talent. contact email: sairaamussarat74@gmail.com zainab iqbal is currently working as a lecturer in the department of law at fatima jinnah women university rawalpindi, pakistan. she has completed her master's degree (llm international law) in 2019 from international islamic university, islamabad. in her llm, she wrote a thesis on “the need for a comprehensive arms trade treaty to prevent violations of international humanitarian law”. she has served as a consultant for various international organizations, including un women, british council, and eu. the contact email is zainab.iqbal412@gmail.com global partners in education journal – special edition march 2022, vol. 10, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 60 dr. nadia khadam is currently serving as assistant professor/head of the department of law at fatima jinnah women university, pakistan. after getting practical advocacy experience, she joined the ph.d program in criminal law, policy and procedure. her areas of research are criminal law, cybercrime laws, cyber security policies, ecommerce policy, and reform in the justice sector of pakistan. she is associated with different initiatives concerning internet governance in pakistan. moreover, she represented pakistan at different national and international forums. the contact email is nadiakhadam@gmail.com. running head: from abstract to concrete 35 from abstract to concrete: decision making, cultural understanding, and the global partners program john h. p. williams east carolina university, usa author note john h. p. williams, department of political science, east carolina university. correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to john h. p. williams, brewster a131, east carolina university, greenville, nc 27858. contact: williamsjoh@ecu.edu mailto:williamsjoh@ecu.edu from abstract to concrete 36 abstract teaching decision analysis helps countries improve national processes, yet successful application requires managing cultural differences. to help ensure student success, the global partners in education’s global understanding courses improve the ability of students to manage varying cultural contexts, encouraging cross-fertilization of ideas. having said that, how does the gpe alter instruction in cross-cultural understanding and in decision-making to provide this success? to answer this question, i evaluate concepts of three areas of instruction: decision analysis, cross-cultural analysis, and the gpe. first, how does each of the three approach their subject? second, what insights do they provide about each other? finally, how does interaction among the three areas affect student performance? combining decision and cultural models with the global understanding approach allows students to address these issues both directly and indirectly, ensuring ecological validity, that is, ensuring that they provide ‘real world’ insights. as with any models, repeated application of core principles allows students to move from the abstract to the concrete more readily. the global understanding approach addresses this challenge by repeatedly taking students in and out of their experiential and substantive backgrounds, making contact with the rich complexity of human understanding more routine. from abstract to concrete 37 from abstract to concrete: decision making, cultural understanding, and the global partners program a few years ago, a russian public administration professor described managing decisionmaking in his country to my seminar on cross-cultural decision making. my students were surprised at the similarities, despite the different cultural contexts of our two countries. i resisted the urge to say, “see, i’m not making this stuff up.” digging deeper, important cultural differences emerged and it was not so much in how to structure alternatives, but in the roles and objectives of participants. sharing decision techniques internationally improves processes, yet managing cultural differences remains critical to successful application. the similarities and constraints we encountered appear in virtually all fields of study. how can faculty ensure student success? a refined knowledge of a culture is a beginning, but students may interact with many cultures during their careers. understanding cross-cultural interactions is typically addressed through one or more cultural models. however, until students place the cross-cultural and decision models into the real-world context, thus moving from the abstract to the concrete, the models are only academic exercises. the global partners in education (gpe) program, managed through east carolina university’s global academic initiatives office, uses global understanding (gu) courses to enhance cultural awareness and adaptation as one solution. just as medical students practice by seeing patients with similar symptoms arising from different causes, students learn to operate in a cross-cultural environment by actively applying the models in a wide range of cultural contexts. from abstract to concrete 38 students at approximatly 60 universities world-wide engage in video conference discussions and prepare joint projects. how does the gpe enhance conventional decision-making and cultural awareness instruction? to answer this question, this study evaluates the conceptual underpinnings and interrelatedness of the decision analysis, cultural modeling, and gpe approaches. specific models represent each form of instruction. the ‘smart choices’ approach of hammond, keeney, and raiffa (2015) represents the decision-analysis section. two models present the complexity of cultural analysis: grid-group theory (wildavsky, 1985, 1987; douglas, 1992a, 1992b; spalding, 2000), and the developmental model of intercultural sensitivity (bennett, 1986, 1993). discussion on the gpe approach follows. review of each approach addresses several questions. first, how does it see its subject, and how does it work? second, what refinements do the specific versions described here bring to understanding the subject? third, what qualities and challenges emerge? modeling decision-making the structure for successful decision-making which is based on evaluating the relationship between objectives and alternatives is used world-wide (see hammond, keeney, & raiffa, 2015; brusman, n.d ). the approach supports negotiation skills, as each side prepares by evaluating its own circumstances and those of the other side. it thereby establishes the overlap between mutually acceptable outcomes and the chance of success. in the decision analysis literature, scholars focus on one or more of three areas: structure – arenas, voting rules, etc.; process – the analysis of interactions; and issue definition – norms and values that color actor goals and strategies (steiner, in williams, 1988). modeling decisions as presented below falls under ‘process.’ refining the model typically focuses on technical from abstract to concrete 39 issues, such as assessing consequences or calculating risk (starkey, boyer, and wilkenfeld, 2015; zeager, ericson, & williams, 2013). organizing improved decisions hammond, keeney, and raiffa (2015) provide the following steps for making more effective choices with the core principle being to first decide what you hope to achieve based on its constituent desiderata. for example, objectives surrounding technical equipment might include price, performance, reliability, etc., to establish what you actually would like and for rating alternative solutions: • identify objectives. • develop an array of alternatives which can achieve some or all of the objectives given the constraints of the environment. note that value of alternatives will vary with their ability to fulfill the various objectives. further, it is critical to avoid confusing alternatives and objectives: the path should not be turned into the goal. • consequences and risks: assess individual alternatives based on which objectives they fulfill – some being more important than others and the likelihood of success. • decide which alternative best fulfills the set of objectives. this step is complex as some alternatives may fulfill different concerns among the objectives. as an example of this process, table 1 presents a concern which originated within a global understanding class. faculty must choose a collaborative project for students from the partner institutions to work on together. from abstract to concrete 40 table 1 choosing collaborative project topics alternative 1 alternative 2 alternative 3 objectives arts/literature family/ relationships regional development training in general english conversation moderate-high moderate-high moderate training in cultural awareness high high high training in professional language application moderate moderate high training in pedagogy moderate moderate moderate general knowledge exchange high high moderate technical expertise exchange* low low high risks impact of mismatched specialties low low moderate risk of mismatched specialties** high high high chance of special request topic low low low chance of special request students high high moderate *ecu’s construction management program currently has such projects with a dutch university. **as an example, a program specializing in english might link with one in political science. the course structures and cultural questions are the same, but the field content may differ significantly. objectives in the chart reflect various goals that university programs might achieve through participation, with some programs pursing language acquisition and others focused on from abstract to concrete 41 improving substantive expertise. the weight of an objective reflects its role in a class or field (e.g., english language students gain more from general conversation while students preparing for professional practice as with law, business, or science, might gain more from professional language applications). the three alternatives pursue different expertise though all are grounded in expanded cultural awareness. an arts topic, for example, considers humanistic aspects of culture while a family topic may reflect more social-science considerations. regional development issues involve stem fields. thus, the consequences of each alternative vary according to university program goals. in this example, risk reflects whether students can collaborate by operating from different subject expertise. partners are typically assigned randomly, so there is a chance of topic mismatch. however, the consequences of a mismatch are usually modest except with stem fields where differences in expertise can hamper higher-order cooperation. stem classes have been successfully matched online as with courses in construction management and cardiac medicine. however, these require careful organization. refinements in assessing alternatives, people can make errors because of their personal psychological predispositions. hammond, keeney, and raiffa (2015, pp.189-215) identify eight such errors or ‘traps’ associated with decision making and how to avoid them. avoiding the traps is essential in developing a useful list of alternatives and also ensuring a fair assessment of them. psychological traps. • anchoring: the mind gives excess weight to the first information it receives. • status-quo: preferring ‘the way things are’ makes many people risk-averse. from abstract to concrete 42 • sunk costs: making choices based on existing patterns from past decisions. • confirming evidence: seek evidence that supports our views and ignore others. • framing: how you frame the issue affects the choices that you will consider. estimation and forecasting traps. • overconfidence: memory of past successes causes us to ignore risks. • prudence: opposite of overconfidence, as a fear of risks limits possibilities the other way. • recallability: relying on memory rather than actual information in assessing problems. qualities the decision making approach brings a number of valuable characteristics to the evaluation process. • provides a systematic organizational structure for identifying and ranking options. • encourages careful review of issues, constraints, and resources. • helps avoid pitfalls of hasty or inadequate preparation. • strengthens awareness of the concerns of others. challenges despite the benefits, success with the decision-making approach – as with most academic disciplines – requires that students have a sufficiently broad experience base to be able to assess the feasibility of the alternatives. the students must develop a clear understanding of constraints: who can make a decision? what is the impact of status? consider the following: • do students understand the difference between a socio-cultural and an institutional hierarchy? from abstract to concrete 43 • what constitutes winning? that is, does everyone see objectives the same way? is any agreement better than no agreement? • do parties see consequences the same, e.g. are principles negotiable or fixed? • is uncertainty about the other party’s values creating poor choices, e.g. making concessions before negotiations to get people to the table (cohen, 1997)? in summary, the decision-making model provides a solid mechanism for evaluation, but success requires acclimation to ranges of issues. the challenges to the approach reflect the competing directions in the decision literature mentioned above. hammond, keeney, and raiffa (2015) intend to refine ‘process’ but success also depends on managing structure and issue definition. globalization makes issue definition loom in importance as it changes the way conventional structures and processes function. the presumed solution is cultural training but given the breadth and depth of culture, we must consider how to make it effective as well. modeling cultures at first glance, moving from evaluating decisions to cultural modeling represents a dramatic shift. however, the larger framework of decision research creates a close relation between the two. cultural modeling seeks to manage the rich array of substantive material associated with different cultures.1 models will vary based on which aspects of culture scholars choose to focus on (matsumoto and hwang, 2013). in evaluating decisions, we are less interested in why a culture emerged a particular way but instead ask how the culture’s traits will affect interactions. to answer this question, we must 1 “culture is defined as the shared patterns of behaviors and interactions, cognitive constructs, and affective understanding that are learned through a process of socialization. these shared patterns identify the members of a culture group while also distinguishing those of another group.” carla center for advanced research on language acquisition, university of minnesota. http://carla.umn.edu/culture/definitions.html the site provides numerous other definitions, varying by views on significant aspects of cultural organization, effects, and transmission. http://carla.umn.edu/culture/definitions.html from abstract to concrete 44 first distinguish and categorize different cultural types based on relevant characteristics. second, we must understand attitudes about cultural differences i.e., how might people feel when contacting a different society? these questions pursue the broader pedagogical issue of how to make students sufficiently familiar with other cultures that they can reliably distinguish among them. the two models presented below, grid-group theory (douglas, 1992a, 1992b; spalding, 2000; wildavsky, 1985, 1987), and the developmental model of intercultural sensitivity (bennett, 1986, 1993) provide examples of efforts to address these questions and reflect the strengths and pitfalls of such efforts. grid-group theory cultural typologies usually distinguish communal and individualistic societies and note parallel distinctions (cohen, 1997). for example, a communal society, one with strong social awareness, is often also classed as a shame culture where someone violating social norms demeans everyone in the group. alternatively, misbehavior in an individualistic society brings opprobrium to the perpetrator alone. grid-group theory explores how societies build and sustain moral commitments or community. ‘grid’ (i.e., prescription) refers to social rules that affect choices: high grid indicates a numerous binding rules the people follow in managing interpersonal relations (i.e., deference, etc.), while low grid indicates greater individual discretion. ‘group’ reflects how people identify with bounded groups with high group actors selecting choices based on a stable group association and low group actors having weak social identification, negotiated relationships, etc. (spalding, 2000). from abstract to concrete 45 table 2 the grid-group matrix. grid-group theory high group low group high grid hierarchical fatalistic/despotic low grid egalitarian individualistic combining the grid and group features produces the four categories in table 2. hierarchy groups involve strong social identity with extensive social rules that people use to make judgements. ‘individualistic’ groups involve weaker family and social ties, and greater likelihood that people will challenge or ignore established norms. egalitarian groups involve strong group identity but the importance of the group itself outweighs other norms. fatalistic/despotic groups have norms imposed by whoever is in power and change on a whim. some examples of different groups include: hierarchical – japan, india; egalitarian – cuba, venezuela, denmark; fatalistic – north korea, somalia; individualistic – netherlands, australia refinements in relating culture to decision making, the typical approach is to focus on a specific culture or national style as with schechter (1998), cogan (2003) and smyser (2003). more comparative representations of culture and decision making (e.g., see cohen, 1997) emphasize a dichotomy reflecting high-group (communal/social) and low-group (individualistic) traits. the grid-group model improves comparisons by adding the second ‘grid’ axis, refining the set of observable categories. reviewing the conceptual underpinnings identifies the following: from abstract to concrete 46 qualities • provides students with a systematic basis for differentiation. • adds important categories (egalitarian and fatalistic/despotic) to cultural discussion. • provides foundation for deeper analysis of specific cultural traits. • allows deeper comparisons within and across similar and different cultural categories, e.g. hierarchical-hierarchical comparison or hierarchical-egalitarian comparison. challenges • does not include parallel axes found in dichotomous models, e.g. monochronicpolychronic time, guilt-shame cultures (cohen, 1997). • observers must distinguish organizational hierarchy from social hierarchy. • conceptual validity what are appropriate categories for identifying aspects of culture, and what are the boundaries between them? • ecological validity – testing the model’s application to the ‘real world’? the grid-group model allows refined identification and evaluation of cultural categories. the greatest challenges with grid-group are first, whether the categories fit the analytical goals of a given project, and second, whether students can easily distinguish between organizational and social hierarchy. for example, all bureaucracies tend to be hierarchically structured but they exist in all four model categories. students must be able to operationalize the categories successfully if the model is to work. the developmental model of intercultural sensitivity this second cultural model asks how people feel about other cultures. here, researchers can assess both how people perceive their own attitudes and how an outside observer would assess them. hammer et al. (2003), matsumoto and hwang (2013), and takai (2015) include it in their from abstract to concrete 47 reviews of cultural awareness tests noting both its wide-spread use and some issues associated with its application. takai (2015) notes that there are more than 100 assessment self-report instruments available. table 3 developmental model of intercultural sensitivity (dmis) ethnocentric  ethnorelative denial defense/ minimization  acceptance adaptation  integration the following terms capture how people feel about different groups: • denial – other groups are irrelevant. • defense/reversal – other groups are a threat (reversal – view home culture as a threat). • minimization – differences exist but are trivial. • acceptance – respect for differences. • adaptation – can participate in different cultural contexts. • integration – can apply a wide range of cultural alternatives to a problem. as people interact with cultures, researchers can assess how they react to the new context. minimization, for example, expresses openness to other cultures, but actually masks a lack of cultural awareness, treating important differences as unimportant. as with the other models, conceptual review provides some insights. from abstract to concrete 48 refinement and quality the dmis divides general attitudes based on important psychological responses to cultural differences. further, it permits distinction between perceived and objective attitudes. challenges a number of problems also emerge from the review: should the categories be seen as neutral conditions or as achievements? conceptual validity what are appropriate categories for identifying aspects of culture, and what are the boundaries between them? for example, • can we distinguish between integration as synergistic thinking, and integration as masked minimization, that is, ‘i will draw on collective wisdom’ vs. ‘i am smarter than everyone else, so i can do what i think best.’ • can we distinguish between learned cultural attitudes and personality traits? ecological validity – testing the model’s application to the ‘real world’? (matsumoto and hwang, 2013); do these categories merge to create different cultures? that is, do my attitudes about culture reflect my interactions with people who share those views? does a given category reflect a person’s attitudes toward all other cultures, or only specific cultures, or only specific cultural traits? these problems with dmis reflect a general problem with teaching about culture. in the abstract, many people might agree that toleration and respect are good ideas but that does not mean that people understand the implications of dealing with other cultures. routine actions in one country might be considered disrespectful in another. developing a deeper appreciation for other cultures requires an appreciation for the specific and concrete as opposed to the general and from abstract to concrete 49 abstract. this change comes from experience rather than instruction alone and hence the need for the global understanding approach. the global understanding approach the global understanding (gu) approach is a systematic structure for providing students with concrete experience dealing with other cultures and countries. by engaging students from other countries regarding progressively complex material, course participants gain direct experience dealing with an array of cultural differences thereby developing awareness and insights about other cultures as well as their own. the gu classes provide structured interactions between sets of university students from countries involved in the global partners in education program. using video-conferencing and online chats, students discuss a series of pre-arranged topics intended to introduce cultural characteristics and attitudes to participating students. the discussion is supplemented by having teams of students from each institution develop collaborative projects where they delve more deeply into a specific topic of interest. the course process gu courses present introductory material on one of several major fields with about half of the time spent on field content and the other half conferencing with global partners in education universities overseas. typically, each course will link with three universities from different countries for 5-6 sessions each although this may vary. because the students at partner schools may not be studying the same major field, interactive topics reflect gu program guidelines: college life, family and cultural traditions, meaning of life and religion, stereotypes and prejudices, and a mutually agreed upon free topic. these topics gradually from abstract to concrete 50 increase in abstraction and cultural sensitivity, allowing students to become accustomed to working with people from different backgrounds and to discuss complex issues. during linkings, faculty act as facilitators rather than instructors, allowing students to take the lead in the interactions. students will spend time in video or chat, thereby varying the intensity of participation as they move through topics. discussions are supplemented by collaborative projects where teams made up of students from each school develop a joint presentation on a topic of interest. finally, students are required to assess their experience by submitting a journal. refinements gu classes fulfill key functions of education. substantively, the program does not impose a particular point of view on students but allows students to gain experience explaining their own views and comparing them with the experiences and beliefs of others. analytically, reflective journals ask students to assess how they and their partners see issues. further, if partners have not addressed certain topics, students must infer information from group interactions. thus, they derive meaning from integrating ideas. qualities gu classes provide a broad range of enhancements to teaching: • direct contact with multiple cross-cultural environments. • changing focal point of analysis – moves in and out of individual expertise. • structured environment. • student-centered interactions. • moves through multiple environments, country by country. from abstract to concrete 51 • variety within the approach supports the different ways students learn: listening, discussion, reading. challenges as with any educational model, the biggest challenge is usually working with varied student backgrounds. this can be subdivided into a number of important issues: • substantive – varying degrees of student preparation, e.g. the importance/role of meaning of life questions in various countries. • awareness of and familiarity with the topics. • personality and preparation, e.g., the relative extrovertedness of the students. • language – typically links are in english but language skills vary. • technical: availability of equipment and facilities; varying technical standards; available financial resources. the challenges associated with managing gu would be found in any learning environment. it falls to the faculty facilitators to prepare and guide students through this challenging environment. linking the approaches: moving from the abstract to the concrete the discussion above leaves us with a wide range of questions, each of which is grounded in the implications of dealing with cultures. sorting through each section’s challenges provides important insights about the problems. for example, the intent of cultural modeling is to build understanding of how to approach other cultures. blending the cultural model with the traps identified by the decision model refines our perspective on the challenges. the following questions reflect this refinement. from abstract to concrete 52 • are we really integrated, or do we just think we are? traps listed with the decision model indicate that we must be cautious when assessing a cultural situation. we can easily assume that we have some special insights which cause us to overlook the significance of some culturally grounded opportunities. instead of being integrated, we are minimizing the value of cultural traits and perspectives. • if we are having a psychological rather than a cultural shift (e.g. reversal), are we actually getting anywhere, or are we just confused? • how do we make our own choice without losing respect for others? this is a culturally charged question, to put it mildly. how much respect are we talking about? • what does knowing about hierarchy tell us to do when working with one? there is always more information – all hierarchies have similar qualities under the models, yet they do not match. why is this, and how do we decide what to do next? alternatively, the cultural modeling also informs decision making. • how does changing cultures change decision traps? for example, is a hierarchical society more likely to encourage a status-quo trap? • does understanding the role of stereotypes reduce the influence of an anchoring trap? • what can knowing about a country’s culture tell us about their risk profile? • will different countries weight the consequences of a given alternative the same way? combining decision and cultural models with the global understanding approach allows students to address these issues both directly and indirectly, ensuring ecological validity for the other approaches, that is, ensuring that they provide ‘real world insights. as with any models, repeated application of core principles allows students to move from the abstract to the concrete more readily. the global understanding approach addresses this challenge by repeatedly taking from abstract to concrete 53 students in and out of their experiential and substantive backgrounds and making contact with the rich complexity of human understanding become routine. from abstract to concrete 54 references bennett, m. j. 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(2013). strategic behavior in refugee negotiations. amsterdam: republic of letters press global partners in education journal – special edition february 2020, vol. 8, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org/ issn 2163-758x 26 expanding experiential learning opportunities to alumni for the development of job-search skills: a case in a peruvian university mariella olivos rossini & stella tippin de malpica universidad esan, lima, peru abstract at universidad esan in lima, peru, a blended workshop using videoconferencing technology, online forums and minimal local class discussions was carried out through the global partners in education (gpe) network from august to november 2017. the workshop was voluntary and facilitated interaction between peruvian students and students from the us, mexico, and china over the course of three modules. the participants from peru were a heterogeneous group consisting of undergraduates and recent graduates, some pre-professional participants and some who were already working. upon completion of each module, they were surveyed regarding their perspectives on this international virtual experience and how it could positively impact their professional lives. the students' diverse perspectives shed light on the ways in which intercultural interaction via information and communications technology (ict) can be used to increase participants’ future professional success due to the principles of acquiring new skills and improving employability. introduction educators and organizational leaders at institutions of higher education are concerned with the professional profile of their graduates and how well it matches the skills that companies and organizations are currently demanding in the labor market, as this has important implications for graduates’ employability. however, in order to make sure students acquire these employability skills at the highest levels possible, it must be taken into account what pedagogical methodologies and learning experiences should be employed and at what point they should be offered to students. the organization for economic co-operation and development (oecd) has stressed that higher education should do more to emphasize student engagement in interdisciplinary activities and immersive interactive real-time learning experiences (linkyou, 2017). the aim of these activities, according to the oecd, is to support students’ learning of communication in an intercultural context and to prepare them for the requirements of the current globalized job market. http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition february 2020, vol. 8, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org/ issn 2163-758x 27 this exploratory case study discusses the results of a voluntary intercultural skills workshop in which both undergraduate students and recent alumni, some already working and some not, participated in videoconferencing sessions with students from universities in three other countries. first, the situational and institutional context is explained, followed by a review of the relevant literature. next, the results of a post-module workshop survey are analyzed for relevant and applicable findings. these findings are then discussed and connected to a broader context, and recommendations for future educational application are provided. case context ever since 2009, universidad esan in lima, peru has been a part of the global partners in education (gpe) network. gpe is an organization that includes around 45 member universities from 25 nations around the world (global partners in education, n.d.; global partners in education, 2018). these universities participate in the global understanding (gu) program, in which students participate in a semester-long course in which they videoconference with students from other nations about cultural differences so that, according to the gpe website, they can “develop intercultural communication skills, learn to value others’ perspectives and acquire strategies for effectively working together to complete projects” (global partners in education, n.d.). a typical gu semester consists of three videoconferencing “links” with three different partner universities. each link typically lasts three to four weeks, during which students discuss various aspects of their respective cultures: university life, family and cultural traditions, the meaning of life and religion, and stereotypes and prejudice (global partners in education, n.d.; global partners in education, 2017). a link culminates with the presentation of collaborative projects carried out in student groups with members from both universities. in the weeks that the gu class is not linking with another university, there are discussions about theoretical frameworks related to intercultural communication and interaction, international business, and the culture of the university’s home country. by august of 2017, esan had been participating in the gpe program for eight years, and it was decided that the gu experience, called “global environment for business” at esan, should be offered on an experimental basis to recent alumni as well as traditional undergraduates. with this end, the monday-wednesday evening section of global environment for business was opened as a voluntary workshop instead of a traditional course. the workshop consisted of three “modules,” which corresponded exactly to the three scheduled gu links. in other words, workshop participants did not take part in local, theory-based class sessions between the three links; they only participated in the scheduled videoconferencing sessions and worked with their international partners on their collaborative projects, along with fulfilling other minimal academic requirements: reading support articles about the country of the partner university, posting in online forums regarding lessons learned, and writing a short reflection paper after the link had concluded. in addition, participants could choose only one, two, or all three of the modules offered. the workshop was offered to both current undergraduate students and recent graduates of esan’s undergraduate and graduate programs. http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition february 2020, vol. 8, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org/ issn 2163-758x 28 one of the interesting aspects of the heterogeneous population of this study is that it offered the opportunity to glean insights into the ways that recent graduates and working professionals can learn employability skills from the intercultural interactions facilitated through information and communications technology (ict). it also allowed for a comparison of the impressions of both employed and non-employed recent graduates with those of undergraduate students. review of the literature in the current global economy, it is critical for recent graduates entering the job market to possess basic employability skills, abilities that employers deem necessary for them to operate as successful professionals. “employability” is defined by jeswani (2016) as “being ready to work” and includes knowledge, attitudes, and business skills to meet organizational goals (p. 8). according to the american society for training and development (astd), there are 16 basic employability skills that can be divided into six basic categories: basic competency skills (reading, writing, and computation), communication skills (speaking and listening), adaptability skills (problem-solving, creative thinking), developmental skills (self-esteem, motivation and goal-setting, and career planning), group effectiveness skills (interpersonal skills, teamwork, and negotiation skills), and influencing skills (understanding of organizational culture and the ability to share leadership) (carnevale, gainer & meltzer, 1990). however, according to rosenberg, heimler, & morote (2012), recent graduates, university faculty, and company recruiters do not always see eye to eye about which of these basic skills are most important or what skill level recent graduates have actually obtained in their time studying at institutions of higher education. indeed, it could be said that there is a lack of clear communication of expectations and perceptions between graduates, companies, and educational institutions. the us department of labor, together with the secretary’s commission on achieving necessary skills (scans), carried out research regarding the basic skills required for workers to help us industries to be competitive and reported in 1991 that “students believed that employment skills were learned on the job, through participation in extracurricular activities or simply by osmosis” (p. 9); according to the results of the 2005 edition of the study, inadequacies regarding employability skills were related to work ethic and accounted for negative business performance. additionally, the 2009 job outlook report from the us national association of colleges and employers stated that employers consider communication skills to be the most important asset for employability and, at the same time, the one which recent university graduates in the united states lacked the most. it was proven by a recent study into supply and demand for higher-level skills conducted by universities uk (2015) to be an international phenomenon, not just a north american one. it was claimed that “most employer surveys indicate a demand for technical and job-specific skills while also demanding a wide array of general employability skills, such as communication team work http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition february 2020, vol. 8, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org/ issn 2163-758x 29 and commercial awareness, entrepreneurial and data analysis skills.” it can definitely be said, as rosenberg, heimler, & morote put it, "the need for additional training of recent graduates appears to be a major concern" (2012, p. 15). research method the population of participants in the global environment for business workshop at esan included current undergraduates who were not employed yet (neu), one employed undergraduate (eu), recent alumni who were not employed (nea), and recent alumni who were employed (ea). the result was a heterogeneous mix of perspectives and life experiences through which the videoconferencing experience was filtered. four ea, two nea, and three neu took part in the module on the united states. two nea and two neu took part in the module on mexico. two ea, four neu, and one eu took part in the module on china. after each link, a survey was conducted in order to assess the perceived effect of the workshop on the participants’ employability skills (see appendix 1). the survey consisted of questions regarding both the content of the workshop and the technology used in the workshop. once the results from all three modules were collected, qualitative content analysis was used to identify the major themes the students identified regarding the usefulness of the workshop experience. results one of the most noteworthy results highlighted in the surveys was the recognition of the usefulness of the workshops in increasing employability skills by the alumni and employed undergraduates. as one ea who participated in the china module explained, “understanding a different culture can help us in new business activities as well as in making new friends in other countries.” one nea said of the united states module, “in the case of careers, it is essential to take cultural awareness courses. in all the jobs that i have had in english, it was very important to know how to interact with foreigners. in marketing we work with all types of people so learning their customs and how to relate to them seems to me the most interesting part of the course.” in contrast, nea mentioned occasionally that the workshop would help them professionally in the future, but they put much more emphasis on the social benefits and the increase in general knowledge that the workshop offered. one neu who participated in the mexico module stated, “[the workshop] helped me a lot, ‘cause [sic] i think i have learned about another latin america country and realized that even though we are from the same continent we do have some differences in different terms, such as traditions, habits, etc.” more specifically, the results of the survey show that there were five general ways in which participants identified that the workshop would help them grow professionally. first of all, http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition february 2020, vol. 8, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org/ issn 2163-758x 30 four participants, all of whom were either employed and/or graduated, mentioned that it had helped them learn how to manage intercultural or international business relationships better. one nea said of the us module, “i learned how to handle different people from around the world.” similarly, an ea who participated in the us module said, “the importance of the workshop is to understand the difference between american society and peruvian [society], in order to manage relations. in my professional life i work in international banks.” another benefit that some participants mentioned was that the workshop would improve their intercultural communication skills at work. one ea who participated in the us module stated, “understanding the culture helps me to know new ways of communicating with people from the usa. at the moment, i work with the usa [sic] office, and now i can understand more insights that are a difficult matter at work.” in the same vein, a nea and a neu (both in the us module) said the workshop specifically helped them to know how to negotiate better with foreigners and that this could help them professionally in the future. yet another way several participants said the workshop had improved their professional outlook was by giving them an opportunity to practice their english language skills. peru is a spanish-speaking country, and some peruvians might not have many opportunities to practice english beyond educational settings. one ea commented on the china module, “i believe this workshop helped me to develop my skills to not only practice english but also learn how to communicate with foreign students, with different cultures, schedules and thoughts.” next, one ea who was applying to masters degree programs stated that her participated in the workshop would help her present herself to others as a more capable professional due to the credentials the workshop gave her: “[i can adapt] a great workshop to my cv … [this] says that i was interested in other countries and perspectives [and] would look good on my job application [and applications] for my postgraduate [studies,] and the best part [is that] i can take some parts [of the workshop experience] for my thesis work.” in a similar but much more general way, a neu who participated in the mexico module identified a way in which the workshop helped her identify more professional opportunities for herself: “[mexico and peru] are very similar, particularly in culture and values. i think that i wouldn't have problems if i worked there.” furthermore, a few participants identified that the workshop would help them professionally but in general terms of “sharing culture” and “increasing intercultural understanding.” for example, a nea who participated in the us module said of the workshop, “i consider that it taught me to have a more open idea about the intercultural context in the usa. the developed skills such as sharing of ideas and getting to know another culture [will allow] me to develop a more successful professional life.” the only eu who participated in the workshop, specifically the china module, stated, “this workshop was very important for me, both for my job and for my university degree program, since although i already had knowledge gained while working in china for six years, the workshop served to help me understand the culture of this country more in http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition february 2020, vol. 8, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org/ issn 2163-758x 31 depth, to understand other aspects than those i already knew, which will serve me in my professional life.” although the observations about how the workshop will help the participants professionally are general, they are grounded in careful thought and focus on its value for their future professional life. one final pattern worth mentioning is that every single one of the participants surveyed in all three modules stated that they would recommend this workshop to friends because they found it interesting and useful. one ea who participated in the us module even went so far as to say, “honestly, i believe it is an excellent idea to offer [this workshop] to graduate[d] students because we have been studying for so long, but this shows us how [intercultural communication] actually is at work. you learn more specific stuff about your career and what you are specifically doing at the moment.” discussion indeed, the participants of the global environment for business workshop were able to identify key ways in which the intercultural interactive experience mediated by ict was useful to them. more specifically, alumni and employed participants were much more mindful of the ways the workshop would help professionally, perhaps due to the fact that they were more focused on the practical applications of the intercultural experience as opposed to the social and theoretical aspects. as alumni are more aware of the skills they need to learn in order to advance professionally, these findings line up with rosenberg, heimler, & morote (2012) in their emphasis on the need for recent graduates to reconcile their lack of employability skills with the requirements of the labor market. it also corroborates the findings of olivos (2016), who states that videoconferencing or synchronous interaction through international, interactive sessions conducted by expert faculty provides intercultural knowledge acquisition in students and also facilitates the development of social values, cultural values, and the appreciation of diverse cultures. regarding the skills that the participants believed the workshop experience would help them develop, one of the most prominent was the ability to effectively manage intercultural business relations. according to the astd categorization of employability skills, it would fall under the category of “group effectiveness skills” (carnevale, gainer, & metzler, 1990). the fact that so many participants mentioned it as an important skill they learned from the workshop resonates with the recommendations of boni & calabuig (2017), who say that universities should provide both formal and informal spaces to promote global citizenship and group work within the university community. the second important skill the workshop increased, according to participants, was intercultural workplace communication skills, including the ability to negotiate, as negotiation styles are culturally dependent (weiss & stripp, 1998). the third aspect the participants identified as improved was their english language abilities. both of these skills would fall under the category of “communication skills” in the astd categorization (carnevale, gainer, & metzler, 1990). as the national association of colleges and employers (2009) point out, this category of employability skills is ironically the most necessary and the most lacking in recent graduates, and, therefore, it is one of the http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition february 2020, vol. 8, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org/ issn 2163-758x 32 categories of employability skills that most needs to be reinforced among recent university graduates by experiences like this global environment for business workshop. the fourth aspect reported to be beneficial them was the increased professional credentials the experience provided, which could be categorized under developmental skills in the astd categorization (carnevale, gainer, & metzler, 1990). the fifth value of the experience was increasing their overall cultural knowledge for business. it is worth mentioning that cross-cultural competencies are skills highlighted by adler and bartholomew (1992). finally, it is important to highlight that all the participants unanimously stated that they would recommend the workshop, with its brief theoretical overview, its videoconferencing, and its international collaborative projects, to their peers. this indicates, in addition to being beneficial for the undergraduates to whom the normal global environment for business course is usually offered for academic credit, that such an experimental kind of informal experience could still be quite valuable to those who are no longer studying toward a traditional undergraduate degree (such as graduate students and working professionals) and that it could help fill in the gap in recent graduates’ employability skills that many researchers indicate needs to be filled (rosenberg, heimler, & morote, 2012; us department of labor, 1991; us national association of colleges & employers, 2009; universities uk, 2015). conclusions in conclusion, it can be said that universities can provide students and alumni with internationally-focused academic activities through the use of ict in order to promote the acquisition of employability skills, especially skills related to communication and intercultural competence. a virtual workshop such as the one described is an example of the way this can be done, and it results in the acquisition of a set of skills related to communications, teamwork, cultural awareness and experiential learning opportunities. in turn, these skills could help students and, notably, alumni improve their employability. an especially important finding of the current study is that recent graduates might benefit more readily from such experiences than current undergraduates as recent graduates are probably becoming aware of the gaps in their employability skills and are more likely to be actively looking to fill the gaps. as such, it is the tentative recommendation of this study for universities to offer more interactive, intercultural experiences like the global environment for business workshop to recent graduates of their academic programs. http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition february 2020, vol. 8, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org/ issn 2163-758x 33 references adler, n. j., & bartholomew, s. (1992). managing globally competent people. the executive, 6(3), 52-65. boni, a., & calabuig, c. (2017). education for global citizenship at universities: potentialities of formal and informal learning spaces to foster cosmopolitanism. journal of studies in international education, 21(1), 22-38. carnevale, a. p.; gainer, l. j.; & meltzer, a. s. workplace basics: the essential skills employers want. san francisco: jossey-bass, 1990. global partners in education (2017, april 1). global understanding core 2017. retrieved from http://collab.eai.ecu.edu/display/gutr/main+gu+teachers+resources global partners in education (2018, november 2). master f2018 global understanding contact list. retrieved from http://collab.eai.ecu.edu/display/gutr/main+gu+teachers+resources global partners in education (no date). global partners in education. retrieved from http://thegpe.org jeswani, s. (2016). assessment of employability skills among fresh engineering graduates: a structural equation modeling approach. the iup journal of soft skills, 10(2), 7-43. linkyou. (2017, august 29). latin american needs report. retrieved from https://linkyou.fahsbender.pe/wpcontent/uploads/2018/04/needsreport_29ago17.pdf national association of colleges and employers (2009). job outlook. bethlehem, pa: nace. olivos rossini, l. m. (2016). internationalization at home: technology-supported multicultural learning in peru. tilburg: center, center for economic research. rosenberg, s., heimler, r., & morote, e. s. (2012). basic employability skills: a triangular design approach. education+training, 54(1), 7-20. universities uk (2015). supply and demand for higher-level skills. isbn 978-1-840036353-1. us department of labor: the secretary’s commission on achieving necessary skills (scans) (1991). scans blueprint for action: building community coalitions. http://www.gpejournal.org/ http://collab.eai.ecu.edu/display/gutr/main+gu+teachers+resources http://collab.eai.ecu.edu/display/gutr/main+gu+teachers+resources http://thegpe.org/ https://linkyou.fahsbender.pe/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/needsreport_29ago17.pdf https://linkyou.fahsbender.pe/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/needsreport_29ago17.pdf https://linkyou.fahsbender.pe/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/needsreport_29ago17.pdf https://linkyou.fahsbender.pe/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/needsreport_29ago17.pdf global partners in education journal – special edition february 2020, vol. 8, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org/ issn 2163-758x 34 washington, dc: us department of labor, the secretary’s commission on achieving necessary skills (scans). weiss, s. e., & stripp, w. (1998). negotiating with foreign business persons. in niemeier, s., campbell, c. p., & r. dirven (eds.), cultural context in business communication (pp. 51-114). philadelphia, pa: john benjamins. appendix 1 global environment for business post-module survey 1. please mark the appropriate option: i am a ____student ____graduate. are you currently working? ___yes ___no 2. about the content of the workshop: please explain how you think what you have learned can positively impact your professional life. 3. about the methodology and the use of the technology in the workshop: do you feel comfortable with communicating via the different media? ___yes ___no which one is your preferred medium for the workshop? ___vc ___social media ___chat ___forum comment on your choice. 4. would you recommend this workshop for others? why or why not? mariella olivos rossini is professor of intercultural management and international business and associate director of the undergraduate programs at universidad esan in lima, peru. in addition, she is a board member of the global partners in education journal and executive coordinator at cladea (the latin american council of management schools). she holds a phd from universiteit van tilburg in the netherlands, an ms in economics from universidad nacional agraria la molina in peru, an mba from université du quebec in canada, and a bs in economics from pontificia universidad católica del perú in peru. email: molivos@esan.edu.pe stella tippin de malpica teaches courses in intercultural management, organizational psychology, and english at universidad esan in lima, peru. she holds an ma in latin american studies with a specialization in andean studies from university of florida in the united states and a ba in spanish and communication with concentrations in crosscultural communication and professional writing from spring arbor university in the united states. email: stippin@esan.edu.pe http://www.gpejournal.org/ mailto:molivos@esan.edu.pe mailto:stippin@esan.edu.pe global partners in education journal – special edition february 2020, vol. 8, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org/ issn 2163-758x 56 a preliminary study on the trafficking in women during the great famine in shaanxi province (1928-1930) chun yan lu shaanxi normal university, china abstract based on the archives of shaanxi during the republic of china, including shaanxi yearbook and related reports, we try to restore the phenomenon of the trafficking in women during the great famine in shaanxi province from 1928 to 1930. trafficking in women and girl that means for the purpose of selling or exploiting, the main methods are abduction, kidnapping, fraud, transportation, transfer and so on. compared with the trafficked male, women are in a more tragic situation. in view of this situation, we will generalize the main ways and characteristics of the trafficking in women in shaanxi during that period. on this basis, we will delve into the causes of this phenomenon, including political, economic, and cultural traditions. then, describe in detail the harm caused by the phenomenon of trafficking. finally, we summarize the social assistance activities and enlightenment at that time, like civil society organizations and official cooperation activities. in this great famine, the number of women being trafficked is shocking, their situation is tragic. looking through the history books of ancient chinese, there are many incidents of women being trafficked in famine. for example, han shu records that there was a great famine in the early han dynasty. at that time, the phenomenon of frequent purchases of women in the society was serious. we hope that through the study of the phenomenon of trafficking in women in the great famine in shaanxi province, we can further judge the impact of hunger factors in trafficking. at the same time, we hope it is helpful to solve to the problem of women’s trafficking. introduction in 1928, a major disaster swept across the northwest and north china, with shaanxi as the center, and continued to expand outward, involving multiple provinces. the famine time has continued until 1930 (li, 1994, p.45). during this period, the disaster in shaanxi has intensified, causing huge casualties. according to xia mingfang's information on the number of disaster-stricken counties in shaanxi province during the three-year disaster, 84 counties were affected in 1928, 92 in 1929 and 76 in 1930 http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition february 2020, vol. 8, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org/ issn 2163-758x 57 (xia, 2000, p.376-377). other relevant information shows that the number of people affected by disasters in shaanxi province reached 5,655,264 in 1928 (national government affairs office, 1929, p.1-3 & 17-18). in 1929, the number of people affected by the disaster reached 7,015,052 (li, 1993, p.2), an increase of 1,359,788 people; in 1930, the number of people affected by the disaster was 5,584,526 (ibid, p.265). according to incomplete statistics, the number of deaths in shaanxi in the disaster was at least 3 million and the number of migrants was over 6 million (li, 1994, p.175). in the famine, accompanied by a large number of people in exile, large-scale human trafficking, especially women's trafficking problems, the total number of women sold is more than 130,000 (su & wen, 2018), so the huge number of sales is shocking. however, for a long time, the academic community has been relatively lacking in the issue of women's trafficking. most of the research only briefly describes it as an auxiliary content of the disaster problem, pointing out the negative impact it brings (cf: wen, 2007; zhang, 2007; an, 2010); some briefly introduce the basic situation of women's trafficking at that time (wang, 2018). some mentioned the rescue measures of some social assistance organizations at that time (qin, 2012); on the whole, there is a lack of systematic, comprehensive and specialized discussion on women's trafficking in the famine, but a few studies have made breakthrough exploration. for example, study on the fate of women in disasters centered on the guanzhong area from 1928 to 1930, a case study of the situation of guanzhong women in the northwestern disasters, combining women's history research with the history of disasters, and analyzing women more deeply. the various behaviors, mentality, fate and other characteristics exhibited in the famine, in order to more fully show the changes in the living conditions of women at that time. his research is gender-conscious and strives to break through the research limitations of the independent development of research on the history of disasters and the study of women's history. it provides us with new ideas for studying the problem of women's trafficking in the famine and a probe into the problem of women's trafficking in shaanxi during the great disaster period in the northwest of the republic of china (1928-1930) provides a comprehensive and comprehensive analysis of the phenomenon of women’s trafficking in shaanxi province in the famine, and carefully researched various different expressions on the scale of women’s trafficking, and finally obtained a relatively accurate number (su & wen, 2018), which supplemented previous research. taken together, there are limits. the former is based on the rural women in guanzhong in the famine, and the discussion on trafficking in women is inevitably insufficient and there are some omissions. although the latter is more comprehensive, the combination of the discussion of women’s trafficking and the history of disasters seems to be less clear. based on the above-mentioned various situations, this paper will start with the impact of famine on women's trafficking and draw on the research methods combining the history of women and the history of disasters, in order to http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition february 2020, vol. 8, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org/ issn 2163-758x 58 clarify the role of the famine in the trafficking of women in shaanxi. i hope to add something. from the content point of view, it is mainly divided into the following three aspects: (1) to simply sort out the basic situation of shaanxi women's trafficking in the famine, including background, time, etc.; (2) to analyze the characteristics and causes of women's trafficking in shaanxi; (3) briefly summarize the topic content reflected in the first two parts. from the research data used, it mainly includes relevant reports, papers, monographs, government reports, etc. of various newspapers and magazines during the republic of china. basic situation of women’s trafficking in shaanxi in the famine in 1928, the disasters swept the shaanxi province, the fields were ridiculous, and the sorrows and sorrows were everywhere. at that time, the disaster report of shaanxi province was described as " years of drought, depletion of rivers, no harvest in the ground, people can only eat rice crust to fill their stomachs " (national government affairs office, 1929). the situation is really fierce. as the disaster worsens, food is already insufficient. the victims had to choose another way out. "the victims began to eat bark and grass roots to fill their stomachs, and later had to sell their children to survive" (wu, 1935, p.1826). so, they chose to sell women at home to get food, and for short-term survival, women’s trafficking activities slowly prosperous. according to relevant papers, the number of women trafficked in the disaster has exceeded 130,000 (su & wen, 2018). in the large-scale women’s trafficking, a fixed market for human trafficking is established. at the beginning, the selling price was low. the “declaration” once reported that “yabai town under the jurisdiction of wugong county has a market for buying and selling people. the highest price for women can be sold for eight yuan. most other counties are also like this” (national government affairs office, 1929). as for the selling price of the women who are sold, the age is the standard. for example, one news in “da gong bao” mentions that “in the winter of shaanxi province in the past 21 years, a market for buying and selling people was established. as long as they are young girls in wugong and jixian, they are buying and selling here. women over the age of 13 can sell for 10 yuan; those under 10 can sell for several yuan” (ta kung pao, february 3, 1993); for example, “young women in their twenties can sell eight yuan, the most beautiful, the highest price is no more than ten yuan, the average woman sells eight yuan, and the common woman sells three or four yuan” (he, 2004). gradually, after the sale, the price rose, and the traffickers profited a lot. “human traffickers are all in the name of adopting a righteous woman. they pay a few yuan and sell them to shanxi henan for sale. they can get a heavy price” (“shaanxi disaster”, 1929). as such, the incident of trafficking in women in shaanxi in the famine is huge and difficult to contain. fate and characteristics as mentioned above, the famine in shaanxi is so serious that the fate of shaanxi http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition february 2020, vol. 8, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org/ issn 2163-758x 59 women is undoubtedly tragic, and the overall outcome can be roughly divided into four categories. the first category is because there is no food to eat, to replace it with something else, and eventually lead to poisoning or indigestion and die. it has been reported that “after the victims ate all grass roots and tree bark, they could only eat the soil. many people died because of poisoning and indigestion” (ta kung pao, august 30, 1930). the second category is to become "food" among other victims. “because of the hunger, the victims can only eat human flesh. they started stealing bodies, then cut the meat of the people, and finally put the legs of the baby and the women in the baggage. the tax bureaus often pull out the human leg when they check the baggage” (ta kung pao, july 27, 1930). as a vulnerable group, women and children can easily become "victims". the third category is to go to die with their families, reports that “the people of wugong county and other places can only choose to seek death because they cannot get full food. some of them choose to jump in the river. some people choose to hang” (ta kung pao, october 25, 1929). the fourth category is to become a "flowing people". “for example, the number of refugees in wugong county accounted for 68% of the total number, and fufeng county also accounted for 50% of the total” (feng, 1993). the fifth category is to become a "commodity" that is being sold. here can be divided into two situations, one is "sold" by the family or sold voluntarily, such as “the number of victims was 3.34 million. the farmers ate the seeds, sold the farm tools, demolished the houses and sold their wives and daughters, each selling an average of 12 yuan” (hongqi, september 30, 1933). the other is being trafficked. indeed, the fate of women who are trafficked is tragic. they must not only suffer from the hunger of famine, but also face the breakdown of their families and the pain of their hometowns. luck is sold to shanxi and other places for a good wife, and bad luck becomes awkward. for example, qin hanzhang’s article northwest china's famine problem mentioned “most women in shaanxi are sold to the wife of shanxi. being a wife is still lucky. the most unfortunate thing is to sell to zhili county to be a prostitute” (qin, 1930). and zhu shiyan mentioned that “most of the women in the guanzhong area were sold to xi'an, shanxi, hebei, peiping and shanghai as prostitutes” (zhu, 1931). in addition, a large number of women in shaanxi were trafficked, and to a certain extent, they also caused shaanxi. the imbalance between male and female is not conducive to the elimination of the marriage trading system after the disaster. however, compared with the fate of the first four categories, it is a good choice to obtain short-term survival by being trafficked. whether it is trafficked women, family members, traffickers, and buyers of trafficked women, they have received more or less benefits in this transaction. for the trafficked women and their families, sacrificing women can be exchanged for short-term preservation of the family. in the case of traffickers, great profits have been earned through trafficking in women. for example, “xingping, wugong, liquan, fufeng, fengxiang, suiwu, exian and other places, set up a market for buying and selling people. the husband took his wife and children to the market and traffickers http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition february 2020, vol. 8, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org/ issn 2163-758x 60 for trade activities. thus, the traders have made a lot of profits” (tai dong daily, may 24, 1930). just pay a few dollars for the cost of buying, and sell it, but can get dozens of times of income, its huge profits are self-evident. in the case of the buyer, the purchased women can be used to carry out the ancestors to improve the imbalance of the population. take shanxi as an example. “according to the statistics of the ministry of civil affairs of the end of the qing dynasty, the most unbalanced sex ratio in the 22 provinces of the first year of xuantong is in shanxi province” (jiao & su, 2002, p.153); and qiao qiming's analysis and research on the population problems in shanxi mentioned that” probably shanxi province has a temperament to kill girls. the number of women who are married is therefore lacking, and the price of ordinary adult women varies from one to two hundred dollars to three hundred dollars, depending on their appearance. the value of women is so vast that young people in the middle and lower classes generally regard women as not easy to obtain, and because of limited funds, they often choose to buy women from other places” (qiao, 1931). the value of women is such a huge, so generally young people below the middle level regard women as a rare gift and save money. judging from the above content, both the buyer and the seller have received certain compensation. in an unstable social environment such as famine, women’s abduction to some extent solves the problem of imbalance in the proportion of the population. it can be regarded as a kind of resource reconfiguration in a special case. if it is regarded as a self-adjustment of society and repair, we can rise from the simple sympathy and compassion of the abducted women to the socially disadvantaged groups will be the most harmed when the social structure and mechanism are disordered under objective reasons. as mentioned above, the total number of women sold in shaanxi in this disaster has exceeded 130,000. such a large number of sales show the embarrassment of the phenomenon of trafficking. why was the human trafficking at that time so embarrassing? the reasons for the trafficking of women in shaanxi during the disaster the above section mentioned that in the trafficking of women, the traffickers have obtained huge profits, which is the fundamental motivation for the traffickers to engage in human trafficking. however, trafficking in women is a criminal act at the legal level. in society, it is a bad act against social morality. the government and the society should reasonably oppose and stop it. why did the phenomenon of women being trafficked in this famine become more serious? how does the government and society view this phenomenon? "in may 1930, feng yuxiang issued the "human trafficking injunction" in the names of lu hai air force deputy commander in shaanxi, gansu, qinghai and ningxia, strictly prohibiting selling human beings, detaining and repatriating the sold population, setting up shelters for the victims” (su & wen, 1931). the government issued relevant laws and regulations on the issue of women’s trafficking. however, after careful http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition february 2020, vol. 8, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org/ issn 2163-758x 61 analysis, it was found that the punishment measures for traffickers were unclear and in the process of implementation. the decree may become a piece of paper, and even the situation of collusion between the government and the traffickers. this phenomenon was mentioned in a report by the right-hander in nanjing. " in the two years， the children and women sold from shaanxi province to shanxi, the number of people who can find the number reached more than 400,000. in addition to the shaanxi government's tax collection, the shanxi government receives five yuan each and collects nearly two million yuan. this is like the shaanxi government selling women to the shanxi government" (yu, 1930). for traffickers, the lack of government work has greatly reduced the cost of crime and directly stimulated the increase in trafficking in women. returning to the women who are being trafficked, we should first think about how these trafficked women are being trafficked in the famine? where is the source? at its roots, the disaster was severe in three years, and the victims had no food to eat. some women are sold to obtain silver money or food for family preservation, and some are turned into refugees, becoming an outside population of society, threatening the maintenance of normal social order. these two are the main sources of trafficking in women. it has been reported that xi'an “hungry people can't survive in their hometown, so they take their families to live elsewhere. the peasants living in the mountains fled to the north and the south, and some people came to the provincial capitals, so the number of people in xi'an continued to increase. these hungry people beg on the street during the day and sleep on the street at night. the cold wind came, their screams continued, and the people they heard felt heartbroken. (xinghua weekly, march 22, 1933). among the hungry people in the province, women account for eight out of ten, all from the western county, without a home, and their parents have died” (xiamen university library clippings, 1917-43). from this point of view, to solve the problem of women's trafficking, we must start from solving the disaster. if the disaster is alleviated, the problem of women's trafficking will certainly be resolved. however, there are indications that in this famine, the government does not seem to play a normal social management function. the key to disaster relief is to remedy the disaster. some of them need to let the people grow more food, and the other part needs government relief. however, the two parts of the content, the government does not seem to be doing well. on the one hand, farmers urgently need farmland to grow food. on the other hand, the government has increased various kinds of taxation and land grants. “in the early years of the republic of china, the various taxes in the city were only $69000 a year. in 1931, it reached 740,000 yuan, an increase of 11 times” (zhang, 1957, p.113). in the case of land price collapse, the wealthy businessmen took the opportunity to purchase, such as the drought in shaanxi. the land price is usually 30 yuan per mu, now only five or six yuan. shaanxi...the poor peasants, even the well-off homes, has changed the industry cheaply to save their lives because of the "disaster". on the contrary, the local businessmen are inferior to the wealthy businessmen, and they are more likely http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition february 2020, vol. 8, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org/ issn 2163-758x 62 to use the "disaster" to manipulate the money” (deng, 1937, p.140-141). “in addition, there are cases where farmers are forced to take crops as collateral to obtain farming capital. when farmers need capital, they will order the crops in their fields to the rich. if the market price per stone is 20 yuan, then the scheduled wheat, only 12 or 3 yuan per stone, will be delivered at the time of harvest. this type of pre-sale method is the most” (feng, 1933, p.799). in addition, there are cases of insufficient production due to opium cultivation. “due to excessive land area for cotton and opium cultivation, the area for planting food is insufficient” (jing, 1930, pp.49-50). in terms of disaster relief, the results are not satisfactory. after the disaster occurred, the government implemented funding and set up porridge factory measures. after the drought in 1928, shaanxi province established a provincial council. in the autumn of the same year, the provincial and municipal governments built a folk paradise in the north of zhongshan road. in september, shaanxi received a loan of 45,000 yuan. in 1929, the shaanxi disaster was seriously affected. feng yuxiang, chairman of the henan, shaanxi and gansu disaster committee, asked the national government to allocate funds. he said that "the drought is more severe than before, and a province in shaanxi must ask for at least 6 million yuan of disaster relief bonds. shaanxi provincial disaster relief committee said, “as of the end of february 1929, the province had distributed a total of more than 1.12 million yuan. in addition, shaanxi provincial health council will open a rice field in the city of xiacheng and xiangzimiao street in xi'an city to help the victims. the porridge factory shelters were handled with various charities, and 66,500 people were accommodated. chang'an county has porridge factories in 8 towns such as guodu town and dayan pagoda. there are 2,200,000 porridge-stricken people, and there are 2 shelters and more than 1,200 people. lantian county set up a porridge factory to help the peasants, and build roads with workers” (xiaoi & lv, 2007). however, in the specific implementation process, there have been reliefs, deductions of food and money. the shanghai republic of china daily said that the government does not want to help the victims, but instead confuses the food and money of the disaster, but also increases taxes; it also interferes with the relief work of social relief groups. the shaanxi provincial health council said that “in fengtai, the car that specializes in transporting food was detained. the car that came to baoding was detained again. the same incident occurred in xuzhou. other places such as shaanxi and henan also had the same report” (“compilation of chinese modern political history materials”, n.d.). in this case, the foreign aid organizations at that time were also “obsessed”. the american red cross society thought that the disaster was artificial and refused to help. the disaster situation cannot be effectively controlled, and the problem of the refugees cannot be properly solved. the disorder of the government function displayed behind the disaster has become a hotbed for women to sell. http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition february 2020, vol. 8, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org/ issn 2163-758x 63 status of women under the traditional social concept after answering the two questions about the causes and sources of women being trafficked in the famine, it is time to think about why the subject being trafficked is a woman. as mentioned above, some women have been bought to become wives and become "tools" for male ancestors. this is an important reason for trafficking in women. in addition, being sold as a shackle for entertainment is also an important reason. behind these reasons all reflect the same social concept that women's social status is low, subordinate to family and men. when the famine occurred, they often became the first to be sacrificed. at that time, many songs in the disasters in shaanxi reflected this phenomenon, such as “green stone, ringing, my dad sells me” (gao, 1931, p.2). another example is "selling wife". “without rice and noodles, life is hard to do. sorghum noodles brushed the wall. called a village chief, i want to sell my wife, do not teach me to sell my wife？it is impossible” (huo, 2006, pp.992-993). they are sold as goods, which can be said to be the connivance of people under the influence of traditional social concepts to safeguard their own interests. in general, this three-year disaster has undoubtedly aggravated the phenomenon of women’s trafficking in shaanxi. under the unstable social environment, the government’s social management disorder, coupled with the influence of traditional social concepts, has made women often become victims. the first party to be sacrificed, but it is undeniable that even in this unstable environment, society still has certain regulatory functions, which invisibly cause certain materials to be redistributed, such as women’s trafficking activities to a certain extent. it has solved the imbalance of the proportion of the population in some areas and has also made some people gain short-term survival in the famine. references an, shaomei. (2010). “a study on the famine in shaanxi province in the eighteen years of 1949.” northwestern university master's thesis. “compilation of chinese modern political history materials”. (n.d.) nanjing institute of historical materials, institute of history, chinese academy of sciences, part two, vol.45. deng, yunte. (1937). a history of disaster relief in china. beijing: business press. feng, hefa. (1993). china rural economic information liming publishing gao, yunhui. (1931). “marriage business and new women” women's magazine. vol.17 no.11. http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition february 2020, vol. 8, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org/ issn 2163-758x 64 he, na (2004). “research on the fate of women under disasters centering on the guanzhong area from 1928 to 1930”. master's thesis of renmin university of china. hongqi. (1993). [newspaper] september 30, no.60. huo, xianggui. (2006). northern shaanxi folk songs. xian: shannxi people's publishing house. jiao, runmin & su, xiaoxuan, (2002). a glimpse of life in the late qing dynasty. p.153. shenyang publishing house. jing, ci (1930) “yu youren's report at the nanjing nationalist party central premier memorial week”. shaanxi disaster weekly. issue 9. pp.49-50. li, wenhai. (1993). continuation of the chronicle of famine in modern china..south china education press. li, wenhai et al. (1994). top ten famines in modern china. shanghai: people's publishing house. national government affairs office. (1929). “disaster situation overview of each province”. beijing. pp.1-3,17-18. qiao, qiming. (1931). “analysis and research on the population problems in shanxi” social journal. vol.2. no.2. qin, bing. (2012). “research on drought in shaanxi (1927-1931): an investigation based on the ‘ta kung pao.’” shanxi normal university master's thesis. qin, hanzhang. (1930). “northwest china's famine problem”. national labor university monthly. vol.1. no.4. pp.1-50. “shaanxi disaster: porridge less, more deaths, women and children are mass-sold” (1929). ta kung pao. april 19. su, tong & wen, yan. (2018). “a probe into the problem of women's trafficking in shaanxi during the great disaster period in the northwest of the republic of china (1928-1930).” journal of shaanxi university of technology, vol. 36, no.4. p.63 tai dong daily, [newspaper] may 24, 1930. ta kung pao, [newspaper] october 25, 1929. ta kung pao, [newspaper] july 27, 1930. http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition february 2020, vol. 8, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org/ issn 2163-758x 65 ta kung pao, [newspaper] august 30, 1930. ta kung pao, [newspaper] february 3, 1993. wang, yali (2018) “famine relief and population change in northern shaanxi before and after the anti-japanese war.” journal of taiyuan university of technology, vol.36 no.6. pp.64-71 wen, yan. (2007). “analysis of the relationship between the drought and the population quality in the midst of shaanxi in the republic of china.” journal of weinan normal university, vol.22, no.3. p.1 wu, yuchang. (1935). “analysis of the history of chinese famine” china industry magazine vol.1 no.10. pp. 1826-1835. xia, mingfang. (2000). natural disasters and rural society during the republic of china. shanghai: zhonghua book company. xiamen university library clippings (1940) “records of cannibalism in famine” (january 1917 july 1943). xiao, yulei & lv, bo. (2007). “on the relief of the drought in shaanxi from 1928 to 1930” journal of yulin college. may, vol.17. no.3. pp.75-77. xinghua weekly. (1993). march 22, vol.30 no.10. yu, youren. (1930). “report of members of shaanxi luping relief council”, january 9. shaanxi economic affairs journal. vol.2. zhang, youyi. (1957). the history of modern agricultural history in china. vol. iii. beijing: sanlian shudian. zhang, hongxia. (2007). “research on famine in shaanxi during the republic of china (1928—1945). northwestern university master's thesis. zhu, shiyan. (1931). “from the chinese population discussion to the post-disaster population in shaanxi”. new shaanxi monthly, vol.1 no.2. pp.41-59. lu chunyan is from hubei province, china, and studies classical philology at shaanxi normal university focusing on the history of women. the article, based on lu’s studies and areas of interest, is also part of a wider debate on the study of women’s history and hopes to attract more people to pay attention to the social problem of women being trafficked. email: 3050821538@qq.com http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition february 2020, vol. 8, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org/ issn 2163-758x 2 an innovative way to teach comparative cultural theory: a descriptive study at a peruvian university mariella olivos rossini & stella tippin de malpica universidad esan, lima, peru abstract one common problem global understanding (gu) instructors face is teaching students how to critically analyze the similarities and differences between cultures. comparative cultural theorists like geert hofstede have provided frameworks that help students learn to process and categorize these similarities and differences, but their theories can often seem abstract and divorced from the practical life of 21st century students. however, universidad esan in lima, peru has developed an experiential learning methodology to help students understand and apply comparative cultural theory, as well as use quantitative and qualitative research methods, experience data collection and analysis, and work together in international virtual teams. for the past three semesters, gu students at esan have been assigned the task of developing and applying an exploratory questionnaire based on one of hofstede's cultural dimensions, teaching their gu partners in three other countries about their assigned dimension, helping those partners apply the questionnaire in their own countries and then comparatively analyzing the results together with their partners at an exploratory level. the result has been increased comprehension of comparative cultural theory, heightened interest in research and data collection and greater, more applicable experiences of mediated collaboration via virtual teams. introduction educators who desire to ensure their students’ full comprehension of course subject matter must seek out ways to make that information interesting and relevant to the students in their classes. especially in a 21st century context full of digital distractions, this often implies the use of technology and a practical, hands-on approach instead of the traditional reading-and-lecture-centered pedagogical paradigm so common in the past (schwieger & ladwig, 2018; stern, 2014; cilliers, 2017; duplessis & smit, 2014). according to schweiger and ladwig’s 2018 metaanalysis on the most effective ways to attract and retain students in the contemporary classroom, teachers and professors who can successfully integrate a learning-by-doing methodology that includes digital aspects often find their generation z students are more engaged and interested in the class than they otherwise would be. http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition february 2020, vol. 8, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org/ issn 2163-758x 3 in 2017, global understanding professors at universidad esan in lima, peru found themselves trying to teach students about comparative cultural theory, specifically about cultural dimensions, which are abstract, theoretical concepts, by using traditional methods. while these attempts met with mild success, the professors observed that deep comprehension of the subject matter was lacking: students were exhibiting only a superficial understanding of the theories being taught and did not display a deeper interest in those theories. in order to solve this problem, the professors decided to modify the way the theories were being taught in a way that would impact not only their students at esan but also students across the global partners in education network. case context global partners in education is an organization that exists, among other purposes, to facilitate multilateral cooperation between about 45 universities from around two dozen countries in all parts of the world (global partners in education, n.d.; global partners in education, 2018). gpe member universities take part in the global understanding (gu) program, which matches member university gu classes with two or three other gu classes from different regions of the world per semester to participate in a series of videoconferencing “links” that last about three to four weeks each. during the links, students from the two countries have meaningful discussions regarding important aspects of culture and society: university life, family and cultural traditions, the meaning of life and religion, and stereotypes and prejudice (global partners in education, n.d.; global partners in education, 2017). in the last session of every link, pairs of students, one partner from each of the linking universities, present collaborative projects that they have developed regarding their cultural similarities and differences. according to the gpe website, the gu program is designed so that it “helps students better understand both themselves and their place in the world as well as how to understand, respect and effectively collaborate with individuals from diverse cultures” (global partners in education, n.d.). universidad esan has been a part of the gpe network since 2009. as is common for universities participating in gu, the gu class sessions not spent in videoconferencing links with partner universities are usually focused on having students learn background information about their own culture and the cultures of the countries the partner universities for that semester are located in so that the students will be able to make a comparison of the cultures and understand their similarities and differences. one way for gu professors to help facilitate the comparison between cultures is through the teaching of comparative cultural theories, such as the cultural dimensions developed by hofstede (1980), hall (1976) and trompenaars (1996). while the theoretical frameworks developed by these scholars definitely help students compare peruvian culture to other cultures, many times students find the theories themselves very abstract and hard to understand. in order to solve this problem, gu professors at esan developed a methodology to help teach cultural dimensions through experiential learning and comparative research. review of the literature social psychologist geert hofstede is well-known for developing a theoretical model for explaining the differences in national cultures that includes various “dimensions” http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition february 2020, vol. 8, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org/ issn 2163-758x 4 that purport to measure aspects of culture (2011). cultural dimensions, according to olivos (2016), are manifestations of culture that define “the inner elements of culture composed of orientation patterns” (p.). the dimensions hofstede described include the following: individualism versus collectivism, which deals with the locus of human identity and people’s level of integration in social groups (hofstede, 2011); masculinity versus femininity, which refers to whether gender roles are more differentiated and synthesized into society or they are the same for all people (hofstede, g., hofstede g. j., minkov m. 2010); long-term orientation vs. shortterm orientation, which refers to whether people are oriented to be more pragmatic or more normative (hofstede, g., hofstede g. j., minkov m. 2010); uncertainty avoidance index, which refers to the how stressed people feel when in uncertain situations (hofstede, 2011); and power distance, which refers to how much society is willing to accept centralized and hierarchical power structures (hofstede, g., hofstede g. j., minkov m. 2010). experiential learning, defined by the association for experiential education (n.d.), “is a teaching philosophy that informs many methodologies in which educators purposefully engage with learners in direct experience and focused reflection in order to increase knowledge [and] develop skills.” stern (2014) notes the importance of getting students outside the classroom and experimenting, reflecting on mistakes and turning to peers for suggestions on how to improve their ideas. moreover, wurdinger (2010) indicates that active learning and project-based learning can bring about enhanced results in the 21st century classroom, specifically. schwieger & ladwig (2018) indicate that classroom projects are especially attractive to the current generation of students and help them to “gain hands-on experience, as well as develop […] collaborative and group centered work skills, analytical [skills], problem solving, the ability to follow-through, coping, as well as oral and written communication skills” (p. 51). clearly from the literature, experiential learning is ideal for 21st century students. working in virtual teams is an increasingly common phenomenon, both in academia and in the professional world (smith, 2014), related to the rise of experiential learning in the field of education (schwieger & ladwig, 2018). educational researchers are increasingly recommending more online elements that might even, in certain cases, draw from models used in social networking in order to maximize student learning in the 21st century (duplessis & smit, 2014; cilliers, 2017; schwieger & ladwig, 2018). cilliers (2017) says that, because current students are already familiar with virtual environments, which many of them have participated since they were old enough to hold a cell phone or tablet, they “expect a teaching environment in which they can interact in a similar way they do in their virtual worlds [which involves] replacing ‘communication’ with ‘interaction’” (p. 195). this is because current college students are technically-oriented, pragmatic, experiential, and skill-focused, as well as avid social media users (schwieger & ladwig, 2018), all traits which imply that an experiential learning approach utilizing virtual teams would be effective to teach them. specifically, bremser & olivos (2017), who studied online interactions between german and peruvian students, report that virtual teams, due to their low cost, efficiency and ease of use, are an ideal vehicle for allowing students to engage in cultural comparison. http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition february 2020, vol. 8, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org/ issn 2163-758x 5 therefore, the theses of esan’s gu professors when designing a new, experiential learning methodology to teach cultural dimensions were the following: first, teaching students about cultural dimensions through experiential learning would help them understand complex, abstract theories. second, teaching students about cultural dimensions through experiential learning would help them understand quantitative and qualitative research methods. third, teaching students about cultural dimensions through experiential learning would help them understand how to work in virtual teams at a more sophisticated level than working with the traditional collaborative project presentation topics would. research method to implement an experiential learning methodology in their classes, gu professors at esan in 2018 first introduced hofstede’s cultural dimensions on the first day of the semester. in the first or second week of class, students were asked to form pairs and choose one of the cultural dimensions they had been introduced to. the class was then given a practical lecture on questionnaire construction, and, after that lecture, each pair of students researched its selected cultural dimension in depth and composed an initial version of a questionnaire with three sections: a demographic information section with questions regarding subjects such as age and gender, a quantitative section composed of items measured on a five-point likert scale designed to measure respondents’ orientation regarding the dimension at hand and a qualitative section composed of open questions designed to help explain why people responded to the quantitative items the way they did.1 the demographic questions were the same for all student pairs in each class. (see table 1 for an example questionnaire from the second semester of 2018.) after developing their initial questionnaires, each pair of students was asked to test its questionnaire in class with classmates in order to detect items that needed to be edited or modified in order to be clearer or to elicit a more relevant response. this process produced a second version of the questionnaires, which the students then posted to a forum in the virtual classroom on the university’s digital platform. students were asked to give specific and descriptive feedback and constructive criticism to one another regarding their questionnaires and then edit their questionnaires a second time based on their classmates’ comments. after this step, they turned in a third version of their questionnaire to their professor, who made any remaining minor, necessary changes in order to ensure questionnaire clarity and focus. table 1 example student questionnaire on hofstede’s power distance dimension 1 the exact demographic questions and the number of questions in the quantitative and qualitative sections varied based on the semester. for example, students in the first semester of 2018 were required to include 10 quantitative items and 10 qualitative questions, and their demographic questions focused on gender, age, education level, size of childhood city, race, and religion. students in the second semester of 2018, in contrast, had to include 10 quantitative items and only 5 qualitative questions, and the demographic questions on race and religion were omitted. http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition february 2020, vol. 8, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org/ issn 2163-758x 6 (students from section s-003 of global understanding, universidad esan, second semester of 2018). once the final questionnaires were ready, each pair of students was asked to use its questionnaire to interview ten peruvian respondents: five women and five men of varying ages and backgrounds. students were asked to record their respondents’ answers in the way they saw fit: with a pencil in a notebook, in excel on a laptop or with the voice recording application of a cell phone. liberty was given regarding the recording method, but students were asked to accurately and faithfully record their respondents’ ideas and opinions. once the solicited data had been gathered, students were asked to analyze their results in excel or a similar computer program. they needed to look for patterns in the quantitative data: what was their respondents’ overall “score” in their cultural demographic questions 1. what is your gender? 2. what is your age? male from 18 to 26 from 36 to 44 female from 27 to 35 45 or older 3. what is the highest level of education 4. where did you spend most of your years you have attained? growing up? unfinished high school a rural area a medium-sized city some university or technical school training a small town a large urban metropolis university or technical school graduate postgraduate studies likert-scale questions for the purpose of this research, please rate the following statements on the following scale of 1 to 5. you may explain your answers if you would like. 5 strongly agree 4 agree 3 neutral/neither disagree or agree 2 disagree 1 strongly disagree 1. it is better for a group to have one clear leader as opposed to many people making decisions. 2. when i have to make a decision, i usually ask for acceptance from my boss, teacher or parents. 3. i would rather address my boss or teacher in a formal way as opposed to using his or her first name. 4. due to their position, managers and supervisors must receive more privileges than their subordinates. 5. it is easier to fit into an organization when people precisely know everyone's place and role. 6. we must follow the rules at the university or at work without questioning them. 7. the best type of educational system does not encourage students to express their personal opinions through debates. 8. society’s rules are good because they help maintain the social order. 9. a company should not have different levels of autonomy depending on the department. 10. i usually have a great deal of respect for my teachers or bosses due to the positions they hold. open questions 1. how involved should everyday citizens be in the way our country is run? can you give an example of ideal political participation? why do you feel this way? 2. some companies are very hierarchical in the way decisions are made, and other companies ask all employees for a lot input in the decision-making process. what do you think the ideal decision-making model for a company is? why do you feel this way? can you give an example of how companies should make decisions? 3. when elections take place, do you think that everyone should be required to vote, or should voting be optional? why do you feel this way? 4. how do you think the clothing that workers wear affects their performance at work? would it be better to wear casual clothes or formal clothes at work? why do you feel that way? 5. some people feel that from an early age, children should be encouraged to express their opinions and defend their positions. what do you think about this idea? why do you have that opinion? http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition february 2020, vol. 8, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org/ issn 2163-758x 7 dimension? also, did any item receive especially strong responses? were there any patterns to be seen regarding gender, age, or other demographic factors? students also needed to look for patterns in the qualitative data: what sorts of explanations did respondents give for their ideas? were the same sort of explanations offered by all respondents, or did their explanations vary based on gender, age, or other demographic factors? how might these explanations also shed light on the quantitative data obtained? after students had analyzed the peruvian results of the questionnaires, esan’s gu professors asked each of their two to three gu partner professors for the semester if, for the link’s collaborative projects, their students could apply their esan partners’ questionnaires in their own countries. if the partner professors were amenable to this idea, each pair of esan students was responsible for explaining their cultural dimension and questionnaire to their collaborative project partner(s) at the partnering institution. they also needed to answer any questions their partners had regarding how to select respondents and use the questionnaire to carry out interviews. once their partners collected data for their own country, the esan students helped them analyze the results and look for patterns in the data. in each collaborative project presentation carried out in this way, student groups presented the data for their respective countries and compared the results of the questionnaire for peru and for the partnering country, focusing on general patterns (i.e., which country had a higher level of the dimension than the other, according to the quantitative section of the questionnaire), on specific patterns (e.g., if there were similar relationships between gender or age and the ways respondents answered questions) and on explanations given in response to the qualitative questions in both countries. after comparing the results, an analysis was given and the research assessed: were findings similar to what hofstede and his colleagues discovered decades ago, or were there significant differences in the two sets of data? if there were differences, students were encouraged to hypothesize regarding reasons for those differences: were they different most likely due to problems in questionnaire design, due to students’ un-honed interviewing skills, due to differences in sample between countries2 or differences between the 20th century researchers’ and the 21st century students’ sample3? was there probable cause to believe that cultural change had occurred over time, making hofstede’s data outdated? a teaching model framework created by fayole & gailly (2008) serves to explain the logic of teaching comparative cultural theory through the methodology explained above (figure 1). 2 as in some partner universities, students interviewed only their classmates or sometimes 9 men and 1 woman: samples which differed from their peruvian partners’ more diverse sample. 3 as hofstede’s sample consisted of mostly male ibm employees in 1970s, which is not necessarily comparable to the sample of 5 men and 5 women of diverse ages interviewed by the students in 2018. http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition february 2020, vol. 8, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org/ issn 2163-758x 8 figure 1 teaching model framework (fayole & gailly, 2008) in this case, the audience would be student participants in the gu program (“for whom?”), the content would be hofstede’s cultural dimensions (“what?”), the goal would be to enhance and deepen student learning of the theoretical model (“why?”) through the use of a questionnaire that inquires about the target culture in terms of behavior, values, customs and preferences (“how?”) that, in turn, reflect the cultural dimensions of the hofstede model. the outcome (“for which results?”) is assessed and evaluated to confirm two facts: the students’ ability to grasp the essence of the theory and to confirm with the responses to their questionnaires and the comparison with other countries’ responses the characteristics of the cultures being studied. results the results of this exploratory, descriptive study were obtained throughout each semester and at the end of each semester. students’ behavior and informal feedback provided valuable insight into their learning progress and learning process with the experiential learning methodology used in their classes. first of all, students did report at the end of the semester via informal feedback that they felt they had learned a lot about cultural dimensions because of the research they had carried out. out of necessity, each pair of students had become the classroom “experts” on its chosen dimension through reading about that dimension and through conducting firsthand research regarding it: writing and editing a questionnaire, applying the questionnaire, and analyzing the results for four different countries. additionally, in the end, after watching one another present on their respective cultural dimensions on three separate occasions, it can be said that students were also secure that they understood one another’s assigned cultural dimensions and not only their own. test results confirmed their enhanced comprehension of target material. second, constructing, editing, and applying their research questionnaires did teach students more about both qualitative and qualitative research methods. one indicator of students’ learning curve was how, within only one or two months of http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition february 2020, vol. 8, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org/ issn 2163-758x 9 creating their questionnaires, they were able to clearly and objectively identify their questionnaires’ strengths and flaws and suggest practical and viable ways to improve the questionnaires in the hypothetical future. several students each semester mentioned in the last class session or afterward that they would be interested in conducting similar interview-based research in the future for their undergraduate theses. third, due to the more complex nature of this style of collaborative project, esan students necessarily had to work more closely with their collaborative project partners in other countries. instead of simply doing “their part” and expecting their partners to do the other half of the project, as many esan gu students in previous semesters had done, the students in 2018 honestly collaborated with their foreign partners on each and every step of the research project preparation. this is, in part, because esan students were responsible for explaining to their partners regarding the project concept and the project methodology, as well how to interview people using the questionnaire, how to interpret questionnaire results, and how to compare results across countries. in order to accomplish this goal, students reported that they engaged in far more synchronous chats and exchanged far more email messages with their foreign partners than they did when engaging in a traditional gu collaborative project, which they did when gu professors at partner universities refused to participate in the cultural dimensions research collaborative project. this means that the experiential learning methodology allowed students to be able to practice virtual team collaboration skills more intensively than otherwise. discussion the experiential learning methodology implemented by the esan gu classes to teach cultural dimensions in 2018 had very positive results. taking a hands-on approach with the material allowed for students to become engaged and invested in the cultural dimensions they worked with on an intellectual and an emotional level. this is precisely what the association for experiential education predicts, stating that, in experiential learning, “learners are engaged intellectually, emotionally, socially, soulfully and/or physically. this involvement produces a perception that the learning task is authentic” (n.d.). it was only natural, then, that student comprehension of the heavy, theoretical models that in previous semesters had presented difficulties increased not just in volume but also in depth. students also gained deeper insight into the research process. it is only logical and intuitive that the ideal way to learn a methodology is through experiential learning in which that methodology is practiced. it is unsurprising that this turned out to be the case in the esan gu classes. as the association for experiential education states, in experiential learning methodologies, “experiences are structured to require the learner to take initiative, make decisions and be accountable for results” (n.d.). finally, the experiential learning methodology fostered a greater depth of collaboration via students' virtual teams. as already mentioned, giving undergraduate students so much responsibility for a project that was truly complicated helped them, in most cases, to personally identify with the research they were carrying out and helped empower them to take charge of their projects and bring them to a successful conclusion. effectively, it gave them an internal locus of control, which increased http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition february 2020, vol. 8, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org/ issn 2163-758x 10 their motivation to make sure the projects were done well (sutton, baum and johnston, 2004). in the process, it was also more relevant and more closely resembled real-life virtual team collaboration that students might encounter in the professional world. as the association for experiential education states, “the results of the [experiential] learning are personal and form the basis for future experience and learning” (n.d.). conclusions in conclusion, it can be said that an experiential learning methodology applied through cultural dimension research projects met the stated objectives of the esan gu professors. through this methodology’s implementation, students were able to understand cultural dimension theory at a much deeper level than before, grow in their understanding of both quantitative and qualitative research methods and gain more practical experience working in virtual teams than they otherwise would have. the intensive, experiential nature of the product encouraged students to become more invested in their own learning than when they used traditional gu collaborative project methodology. it is necessary, however, to highlight the exploratory, descriptive nature of this case study. because the population that used the methodology was small (four semesterlong classes of 8-18 students each) and consisted entirely of undergraduate students at one peruvian business university, results may not be entirely extrapolatable for all university student populations in all countries. however, it is important to mention that european exchange students also took part in the methodology both semesters, and both they and students in malaysian and chinese partner university gu classes reported the same highly positive results as the peruvian students. future research of this or similar experiential learning methodologies used to collaborate with international partners should make sure to formally survey students regarding their perceived depth of knowledge of the theoretical framework to be learned, their comprehension of how to use quantitative and qualitative research methods, and their ability to successfully work in virtual teams with international partners. a control group using the standard gu collaborative project methodology should also be used. references association for experiential education. (n.d.). what is experiential education? retrieved from https://www.aee.org/what-is-ee bremser, k., & olivos, m. (2017). teaching in virtual environments to enhance intercultural understanding between germans and peruvians. world review of entrepreneurship, management and sustainable development, 13(5/6), 635. fayolle, a., & gailly, b. (2008). from craft to science: teaching models and learning processes in entrepreneurship education. journal of european industrial training, 32(7), 569-593. https://doi.org/10.1108/03090590810899838 http://www.gpejournal.org/ https://www.aee.org/what-is-ee https://doi.org/10.1108/03090590810899838 global partners in education journal – special edition february 2020, vol. 8, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org/ issn 2163-758x 11 cilliers, e. j. (2017). the challenge of teaching generation z. people: international journal of social sciences. 3(1), 188-198. du plessis, n., & smit, e. (2014). facebook in higher education: an auto ethnographic journey entering into edu-social space. african journal of hospitality, tourism and leisure, 3(1), 1-12. global partners in education (2017, april 1). global understanding core 2017. retrieved from http://collab.eai.ecu.edu/display/gutr/main+gu+teachers+resources global partners in education (2018, november 2). master f2018 global understanding contact list. retrieved from http://collab.eai.ecu.edu/display/gutr/main+gu+teachers+resources global partners in education (n.d.). global partners in education. retrieved from http://thegpe.org hall, e. (1976). beyond culture. garden city, nj: anchor press. hofstede, g. (1980). culture's consequences: international differences in workrelated values. beverly hills, ca: sage. hofstede, g. (2011). dimensionalizing cultures: the hofstede model in context. online readings in psychology and culture, 2(1). https://doi.org/10.9707/23070919.1014 hofstede, g., hofstede g. j., & minkov m. (2010). cultures and organizations, software of the mind (3rd ed.). new york: mcgrawhill. olivos rossini, l. m. (2016). internationalization at home: technology-supported multicultural learning in peru. tilburg: center, center for economic research. schweiger, d., & ladwig, c. (2018). reaching and retaining the next generation: adapting to the expectations of gen z in the classroom. information systems education journal, 16(3), 45-54. smith, c. (2014). working at a distance: a global business model for virtual team collaboration. aldershot, uk: gower. stern, r. (2014, june 14). generation z, teachers--how's today's "creative classroom" working for you? gifted matters. retrieved from http://www.chicagonow.com/gifted-matters/2014/05/generation-z-teachers-howstodays-creative-classroom-working-for-you sutton, s., baum, a., johnston, m. (2004.) the sage handbook of health psychology. thousand oaks, ca: sage publications. trompenaars, f. (1996). resolving international conflict: culture and business strategy. business strategy review, 7(3), 51-68. http://www.gpejournal.org/ http://collab.eai.ecu.edu/display/gutr/main+gu+teachers+resources http://collab.eai.ecu.edu/display/gutr/main+gu+teachers+resources http://thegpe.org/ https://doi.org/10.9707/2307-0919.1014 https://doi.org/10.9707/2307-0919.1014 http://www.chicagonow.com/gifted-matters/2014/05/generation-z-teachers-hows-todays-creative-classroom-working-for-you http://www.chicagonow.com/gifted-matters/2014/05/generation-z-teachers-hows-todays-creative-classroom-working-for-you global partners in education journal – special edition february 2020, vol. 8, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org/ issn 2163-758x 12 wurdinger, s. d., & carlson, j. a. (2010). teaching for experiential learning: five approaches that work. lanham, md: rowman & littlefield education. mariella olivos rossini is professor of intercultural management and international business and associate director of the undergraduate programs at universidad esan in lima, peru. in addition, she is a board member of the global partners in education journal and executive coordinator at cladea (the latin american council of management schools). she holds a phd from universiteit van tilburg in the netherlands, an ms in economics from universidad nacional agraria la molina in peru, an mba from université du quebec in canada, and a bs in economics from pontificia universidad católica del perú in peru. email: molivos@esan.edu.pe stella tippin de malpica teaches courses in intercultural management, organizational psychology, and english at universidad esan in lima, peru. she holds an ma in latin american studies with a specialization in andean studies from university of florida in the united states and a ba in spanish and communication with concentrations in cross-cultural communication and professional writing from spring arbor university in the united states. email: stippin@esan.edu.pe http://www.gpejournal.org/ mailto:molivos@esan.edu.pe mailto:stippin@esan.edu.pe global partners in education journal – special edition february 2021, vol. 9, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 1 introduction to the 5th global issues conference special edition władysław chłopicki, guest editor professor of linguistics, carpathian state college, krosno, poland the fifth edition of the global issues conference in 2020, which took place in virtual space between 30 march and 3 april 2020, was positively surprising both due to the number of presenters and active members of the audience, and to the quality of the presentations. both students and their supervisors participated in lively discussions, asking numerous questions through the conference chat, and the presentations on a broad range of truly global subjects came from virtually all continents. the current journal issue brings a small selection of papers from the global issues conference 5. the papers do reflect the globality of issues and the variety of partners, and come from algeria, nigeria, pakistan, poland, and united states. the authors discuss the issues of interest for practically everyone environmental protection, proper nutrition and health care for adolescents, political propaganda, national stereotypes as well as virtual teaching. specifically, anila alam, aliya fazal and karamat ali from pakistan carry out a scientific study of the impact of the glacial melting each year in the mountainous surroundings of the ishkoman basin, which is generally the result of human activity. in their paper they emphasize the need to inform people and work against the depletion of local vegetation. adeela rehman from pakistan discusses the importance of the awareness of proper diet among girls and boys, and based on a statistical study she draws attention to the fact that while girls are more aware of proper nutrition, they do not practice it, while boys engage is risky behaviours and ignore proper nutrition, too. femi m. olufunmilade from nigeria discusses the content of “promotional” videos broadcast online by the terrorist group boko haram, who want thus to “promote” their name in public and lure young people to join their ranks. aleksandra brzana, paulina szot and justyna warchoł from poland (notably, this is szot and warchoł’s second publication with the journal – see issue 8.1) analyse the stereotypes poles have of three nearby countries, russia, hungary and czech republic, pointing out historical and current ideas they have as well as the reasons they have them, and conclude that negative stereotypes can be fought with promoting mobility and simply knowledge of other cultures. nidhi sharma and sachiyo m. shearman from the united states discuss the impressions that students from saudi arabia had of their stays in the us, based on the interviews with them – the authors hope to be able to use the results of their study to help other students face the imminent challenges better. finally, noureddine mouhadjer, mohammed kheladi, and amine belaid from algeria discuss their http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition february 2021, vol. 9, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 2 experience in the global understanding classes, emphasizing their role in fostering reflection on intercultural differences as well as the importance of respect and tolerance for the view of others during those classes. i would like to thank the authors for their participation and dedication to the conference and journal’s goal, which is to provide a safe forum for students worldwide to exchange ideas and promote international cooperation and understanding. the papers reflect the global nature of the global partners in education as an international organization, in the way the authors approach their topics and analyse their data as well as their excellent use of english as an international language of communication. i would also like to recognize the following colleagues at carpathian state college in poland for their assistance in reviewing the articles: • katarzyna dziemian, ma • jack lala, ma • agnieszka habrat, phd • anna rewiś-łętkowska, phd • dorota rygiel, phd http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition february 2021, vol. 9, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 27 horrible movies: a content analysis of propaganda videos of boko haram terrorist sect in nigeria ‘femi m. olufunmilade igbinedion university okada, nigeria abstract in 2009, what was hitherto an obscure islamic sect began its metamorphosis into a terrorist organization that became one of the four deadliest terrorist groups in the world. in 2009, leader of boko haram sect in the northeastern region of nigeria, muhammed yusuf, was murdered extra-judicially while in the custody of the nigerian police. in revenge, yusuf’s followers, prominently including his deputy, sheikh abubakar shekau, went underground to plot a jihad, which has left thousands dead and millions homeless in its wake for a full decade. the aim of this article is to underscore the fact that the horror videos released by boko haram periodically is indeed a powerful instrument of its campaign of terror. in this regard, the article analyses the contents of the periodic videos that are released by boko haram and identifies their objectives, ranging from luring young people into its fighting force to sending across the world message of its strength and omnipresence. it concludes that the videos are, indeed, propaganda tools aimed at set objectives in furtherance of the ultimate goal of establishing an islamic caliphate. introduction nigeria, a country in west africa with an estimated 200 million population, is made up of over three hundred ethnic groups welded together as one country through the instrumentality of british colonization. since it became an independent country in 1960 from british rule, it has undergone series of internal conflicts most of which have their roots in ethnic antagonism among its multiplicity of ethnic groups. in terms of religion, the country is dominated by two major religions: christianity and islam. both are almost of equal strength in terms of adherents. and aside occasional bickering by leaders of the two religions, there has never been a major conflict between the two. however, nigeria has experienced serious religious conflicts. in the 1980s there was an islamic sect known as maitatsine that propagated an ideology opposed to nigeria’s secular order and without recognition of lawful authorities and allegiance to the nigerian state. worse still, it http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition february 2021, vol. 9, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 28 embraced violence as a tool of actualizing its vision of what a society should be. inevitably, the nigerian authorities at the time had to deploy force to crush its advancement. outside this case, there was no other religious upheaval in nigeria until 2009 when a sect known as boko haram surfaced. boko haram literally means “western education is sin”. its modus operandi is to establish an islamic caliphate where the qu’ran – the islamic holy book – will replace nigeria’s secular constitution. the sect first took root in the north eastern region of nigeria in one of the country’s 36 states known as borno, from where it gradually spread to nearby states of yobe and adamawa. till date, it has not made any significant presence in any other state. boko haram embarked on a jihad or campaign of violence against the nigerian state in the year 2010. initially, its attacks were construed as revenge for the extra-judicial killing of some of its leaders, prominently featuring its founder, mohammed yusuf, who died while in the custody of the nigerian police in 2009. later, it became clear that the goal was to capture enough nigerian territories to establish its islamic caliphate. in this regard, it has deployed diverse forms of violent acts ranging from suicide bombing to kidnapping, assassination to armed invasion of various communities. on the whole, its main mode of fighting oscillates between terrorism and insurgency. a decade has passed since boko haram began its terrorist campaigns. while there have been claims by the nigerian government that the sect has been “technically defeated” (bbc, 2015), the evidence suggests otherwise. admittedly, the sect have, lately, been confined to the north eastern states where it had held sway ab initio. it no longer makes inroads into other areas such as when it bombed the united nation’s building in the country’s capital, abuja in 2014; when it detonated bombs and killed many innocent souls through suicide bombs at a motor park in mararaba, nasarawa state; and when its fighters invaded the deeper life church in okene, kogi state, in the middle of a worship and gunned down a good number of those in attendance. but the sect has been recording successful attacks that leaves in their wake high casualties among the nigerian armed forces in its regular sphere of engagement: the north eastern region. examples include an attack personally witnessed by the theatre commander of operation lafiya dole created specifically to combat the sect. major general adeniyi is seen in a video that went viral saying that the intelligence estimate that informed a particular operation was misleading and rather than facing an enemy that could be put out in a light operation, himself and his troops were confronted by a well-armed enemy carrying out bombardments on all flanks with the use of over a hundred rapid propelled guns (rpgs), mortars etc. boko haram does not only engage in physical combats. it has also proved adept at psychological operations otherwise known as propaganda warfare. of particular interest http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition february 2021, vol. 9, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 29 to us in this article is its use of videos as an instrument of propaganda warfare towards the attainment of its ultimate goal of creating an islamic caliphate based on its peculiar brand of islamic doctrine. we refer to the videos as “horrible movies” as this is most apt to describe their contents. in the first place, they are movies because elements of drama is infused into them. as a matter of fact they usually give off the feeling that some sort of rehearsals had preceded their recording and broadcast. for example, in a video apparently done to depict the leader of the boko haram jihadist, abubakar shekau, as a redoubtable and invincible holy warrior, a video was recorded where he boasted that he was still alive despite the efforts of the nigerian authorities and their foreign collaborators to get him. the collaborators included the united states that have placed a $7 million bounty on his head for anyone with information that would lead to his arrest (sanni, 4 march 2020). he then began a rambo-like firing of a gun slung across his shoulders into the sky while making a mimicry of the gun shots with his name, shouting, “shekau, kau, kau, kau, kau”! then he flung the gun away and made a solemn mutter of his name to end the footage, this time in a muffled voice note to give the effect of a denouement: “shekau”! it all had the trappings of a movie from nollywood. on the other hand, the movies are horrible because their sights and sounds are usually gory and fear-inspiring. they send messages that terrify and traumatize the audience. the methodology of the article is content analysis of select videos of the boko haram sect. content analysis in this context differs from the classical and prevalent approach to the method in social research that is fixated to the use of quantitative techniques facilitated by the coding of texts. berelson’s (1952,18) definition is typical of the fixation to quantitative approach to content analysis: "a research technique for the objective, systematic and quantitative description of the manifest content of communication". for the purpose of this article, however, the approach to content analysis is qualitative; not quantitative. qualitative studies usually focus not so much on the content of a communication as rather on its underlying intentions or its presumable effects on the audience (kracauer, 1953). to break down this remark by kracauer, he is saying that picking certain words or features in a text (composed of alphabets, images, symbols etc, as the case may be) for coding and establishment of a pattern, as is the practice with quantitative techniques, is not the focus of the qualitative approach. rather, it entails a critical interrogation of the more nuanced and not so obvious intrinsic element of a text – text in this context being video clips released by boko haram. in this regard, the technique of qualitative content analysis is critical thinking aided by the fact that the researcher has been a keen observer of the subject matter and is a nigerian who lives in nigeria throughout the period covered by the study (2009 – 2020). qualitative approaches to content analysis have their roots in literary theory, the social sciences (symbolic interactionism, ethnomethodology), and critical scholar ship (marxist http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition february 2021, vol. 9, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 30 approaches, british cultural studies, feminist theory). sometimes they are given the label interpretive. (krippendorff, 2004). one of the characteristics of the qualitative approach informing the selection of sample here is that it requires a close reading of relatively small amounts of textual matter (krippendorf, 2004). this is so because, unlike the quantitative approach that makes the examination of a large amount of sample possible through coding, qualitative approach can only permit the analysis of a few sample, especially when each sample will be subjected to thorough analysis. the sample size is four of the boko haram propaganda videos. the sample is purposive in the sense that each of the four videos represents one of the four objectives inferred from about 20 released so far by the sect. this will be further clarified in the main text. the article is divided into three parts hence. the first clarifies the key concepts (terrorism and propaganda). the second part is the core of the article, while the third concludes it. in a nutshell, the overall aim of the article is to put in graphic details the point that the horror videos released by boko haram from time to time is an instrument of psychological warfare and a major component of its arsenal of terrorist campaigns. propaganda and terrorism propaganda is normally associated with three things: war, advertising, and politics. it is neither new as a phenomenon nor as a subject of academic inquiry. it loomed large in the prosecution of world war i, and hitler, in his book, mein kampf, lamented its efficacious deployment by the british in demoralizing german troops and considered it a contributory factor to german’s defeat. seven years after the end of world war i, a leading political scientist of the era, lasswell (1928, 260 261), defined propaganda as “the expression of opinions or actions carried out deliberately by individuals or groups with a view to influencing the opinions or actions of other individuals or groups for predetermined ends and through psychological manipulations”. the key phrase in this definition is “psychological manipulations”. this is an apt, short definition of the way propaganda is packaged and deployed as an instrument of war. in fact, an alternative nomenclature for propaganda in military parlance is psychological warfare. propaganda can take diverse forms, but not every piece of communication qualifies as propaganda. there are four characteristics by which propaganda can be recognized: persuasive function, sizeable target audience, representation of a specific group’s agenda, and use of faulty reasoning and/or emotional appeals shabo (2008, 5). these four are present in the boko haram videos under interrogation. http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition february 2021, vol. 9, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 31 next is establishing the nexus between propaganda and terrorism. first, what is terrorism? opinion differs regarding what this rather contentious concept is. this is the thrust of the saying that one man’s terrorist is another man’s freedom fighter. in apartheid south africa, nelson mandela was jailed by the apartheid regime for committing terrorist acts. but before the black south africans, he was a freedom fighter. the implication of this is that there can be no universally accepted definition of terrorism. in her case, the british government has furnished a definition of the concept in line with the imperative of its circumstance. section 20 of the british prevention of terrorism act (1974), first in a series of british terrorism acts, defines terrorism as “the use of violence for political ends, including any use of violence for the purpose of putting the public or any section of the public in fear”. this definition is a bit restrictive in the sense that it narrows terrorism to political use alone. it does not encompass other strands of terrorism such as the one in focus here: religious terrorism. but the definition is understandable because at the time of the promulgation of this act, the british were contending with a civil strife in northern island characterized by violent attacks with separatist intent unleashed by the irish republican army (ira). for the purpose of this article, we will rather explain what terrorism is than furnish any definition that may be constraining. terrorism, a type of asymmetric or irregular warfare, is a fighting technique of a weak group confronted by a national army. terrorism thrives on surprise attacks on usually soft targets such as individuals and a meeting point of large number of people: market, church, aircraft, train, stadium etc. it can be described as a low intensity warfare in contradistinction to conventional warfare where regular armies in military fatigues and in diverse specializations, ranging from armor to intelligence, artillery to infantry etc., engage each other. terrorist fighters also make use of propaganda. on the heels of the horrendous september 11 attack in the united states, al-qaeda terrorist islamic sect, was quick to post a message via diverse media that it was responsible. analysis of four videos each of the four videos here share the four characteristics of propaganda outlined by shabo (2008, 5). first is “persuasive function” meaning there is an inherent attempt to persuade the audience to the message the author of the propaganda is trying to pass across. second is a “sizeable target audience”, which, of course, implies that every propaganda material must have an audience for which it is specifically designed. third is “representation of a specific group’s agenda”, which underscores the fact that for a material to qualify as propaganda it must have a source and that source must have a mission it seeks to promote. finally, the use of “faulty reasoning and/or emotional appeals”. this last characteristic is core to any propaganda material in aid of terrorism. it does not have to make sense to a normal person. it can be laced with half-truths or http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition february 2021, vol. 9, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 32 outright falsehood. the intent is to manipulate the audience to believe the implausible by working on emotions and sentiments. the first public video released by boko haram was titled “harvest of spies” (zaimov, 2015). in this video, two men alleged to be spying for the nigerian security agencies were executed. this particular video was meant to send a message of fear down the spine of the nigerian civil populace among which the terror sect’s operatives and foot soldiers mingled to plot and execute horrific attacks, particularly, suicide bombing. in the video, one of the two purported spies was in a kneeling position while the second one with his right leg amputated was seated on a chair. standing behind them were their executors in military fatigues and hooded. of these, the main executioner held a sword while the rest carried a rifle each. the exact moment of the beheading was not shown. the footage simply jumped to the scene where each of the executed men lay lifeless with his severed head placed on his chest. the whole essence of the video is to warn existing informants of nigeria’s security agencies and would-be ones of the dire consequences that awaited them should they be caught. it made the price to be paid by electing to be an informant against boko haram. this was a strategic propaganda because at this time boko haram had not morphed into an insurgent group marked by conquest and control of territories. they were only a terrorist group whose survival depended largely on how best they could hide themselves within the populace in their theatre of operation. the second video for analysis is about abducted schoolgirls. on 14 april 2014, girls numbering 276 were abducted from a high school in chibok, a predominantly christian town in the northeastern region of nigeria, by boko haram jihadists. it was a most shocking development among a series of terrorist acts so far perpetrated by the extremist islamic sect. the sheer number of the abductees and the fact that they were of the female gender drew global attention to the abduction. a worldwide movement with the slogan “bring back our girls” began and featured many international figures, including america’s first lady, michelle obama, photographed holding a cardboard on which the slogan was etched. the abduction was a major publicity breakthrough for boko haram as it catapulted it from a relatively obscure group to global limelight almost on par with alqaeda. on 13 april 2016, about two years into the abduction, the sect released a video (cnn, 2016) at a time concerns were rife about the safety of the girls. the video was not meant to allay the fears of anyone about the girls’ safety, though. it was rather a carefullypackaged propaganda instrument aimed at achieving a mix of objectives. the first objective obvious from the video was the portrayal of the sect as a true crusader of islam. the girls, mostly christians, were attired in islamic apparel called hijab – a loose and commodious gown that covers a lady ensconced in it from head almost to the toes, leaving only the face open. all the girls without exception were uniformly attired. the video http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition february 2021, vol. 9, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 33 passes the message that the sect has successfully converted a group of infidels into the islamic faith. of course, not every muslim will be cajoled by the gimmick but it will have an impact on the illiterate and homeless mass of male youths in northern nigeria known as almajiri, who earn their living by begging while they are supposed to be undergoing training in islamic theology under a cleric. boko haram needs the almajiri as recruits for its jihadist warfare. it is thus good public relations to appeal to them that the sect is a rallying point for islamic proselytisation. last but not the least, it offers the attraction of prospects of settling with a woman to the boys. the leader of the sect, abubakar shekau, announced in one of his videos he was marrying off the girls to his boys. the third video (afp, 15 january 2018) showed the abducted chibok girls dressed exactly the same way they appeared in the first video, except that some of them were hooded in the orthodox islamic way. at least three of them carried a baby each – meaning they had either been raped or married off under duress. they said “we won’t return”. apparently, they must have been told to say this by their captors and they, of course, had no choice than to comply. the message of the video was to give a false impression to the watching audience that the girls had found fulfilment and home in the boko haram camp and way of life, and, whereas, they were taken by force from their community, now they had willingly embraced the boko haram way of life so much that returning home would be unthinkable. this message is, particularly, targeted at the impressionable youths among whom the sect drew most of its recruits. they were meant to think that there was a hidden pleasure and bliss in the boko haram camp, wherever it may be, and to aspire to be a part of the idyllic islamic life. the fourth video focuses on the boko haram leader. on 9 november 2018, abubakar shekau, leader of the boko haram sect, released a video meant to project his person as an invincible holy warrior. this was against the background of news making the rounds in nigeria that he had been killed. in this video, he appeared in a military fatigue alongside four bodyguards similarly clad, except that they wore face masks while his own face was bare (saharatv, 2018). all of them had a rifle strung across the shoulder such that it rested on the chest. in the video, shekau showered praise on his troops for their success in capturing some nigerian towns such as kumshe and gulumba in the crisis-torn northeast region of nigeria. he then, importantly, boasted about his invincibility – that he was alive contrary to the wicked expectation of “those that said i have died”. this video is a morale booster to boko haram fighters, especially those faraway from shekau, operating in diverse secret cells. it reassures them their commander is alive and, not only that, he is victorious as evidenced by his claim of capture of new territories. the visual message passed across by his dressing and the guns is that of a battle-ready, fearless commander who is actively fighting himself just as he expected them to do, risking their http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition february 2021, vol. 9, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 34 lives to attack the nigerian military, manufacturing improvised explosive devices (ieds) and detonating same on selected targets, kidnapping innocent people for forced conversion to islam and huge monetary ransom, as the case may be, and so on. conclusion we have established, using four videos as samples, that boko haram – a sect whose name means “western education is a sin” – is heavily reliant on western technological innovation such as videos for its propaganda warfare. we have also established the fact that each video is not a happenstance but a carefully packaged tool of communication to targeted audiences for specific goals. references afp. (2018, january 15). abducted chibok girls say “we won’t return”. retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vj_kvp1gzdq bbc. (2015, december 24). nigeria boko haram: militants 'technically defeated' – buhari. retrieved from https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-35173618 berelson, b. (1952). content analysis in communication research, glencoe: free press. british prevention of terrorism act 1974 (qld) c.54. retrieved from http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1974/56/contents/enacted cnn. (2016, april 13). proof of life for some kidnapped chibok schoolgirls. retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?reload=9&v=dijqvwcixbo hitler, a. (1998). mein kampf. english-german edition. [originally published in german in 1925/7], boston: mariner books. kracauer, s. (1953). the challenge of qualitative analysis. the public opinion quarterly, 16(4), 631-642. krippendorff, k. (2004). content analysis: an introduction to its methodology, thousand oaks, ca: sage publications. lasswell, h. d. (1928). the function of the propagandist. international journal of ethics, 38(3), 260–261. doi:10.1086/intejethi.38.3.2378152. jstor 2378152. saharatv. (2018, november 9). exclusive: in first video since july, shekau taunts ‘those who said i have died’. retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sbwqn2y5z54 http://www.gpejournal.org/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vj_kvp1gzdq https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-35173618 https://www.youtube.com/watch?reload=9&v=dijqvwcixbo https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/digital_object_identifier https://doi.org/10.1086%2fintejethi.38.3.2378152 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/jstor https://www.jstor.org/stable/2378152 global partners in education journal – special edition february 2021, vol. 9, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 35 sanni, k. (2020, march 4). boko haram: us places $7m bounty on shekau. premiumtimes. retrieved from https://www.premiumtimesng.com/news/topnews/380259-boko-haram-us-places-7m-bounty-on-shekau.html shabo, m.e. (2008). techniques of propaganda and persuasion, clayton, de: prestwick house. zaimov, s. (2015, march 03). boko haram beheads two 'spies' in first public video; group is being 'shaped' by isis' media wing, calls itself 'islamic state africa'. the christian post. retrieved from https://www.christianpost.com/news/boko-harambeheads-two-spies-in-first-public-video-group-is-being-shaped-by-isis-media-wing-callsitself-islamic-state-africa.html femi m. olufunmilade holds a doctorate degree in political science and specializes in international relations and strategic studies. at igbinedion university okada, nigeria, he is a professor of international security and an international faculty member of global understanding program of east carolina university, greenville, usa. he is pioneer director, buratai center for contemporary security affairs, igbinedion university. he can be reached via: director.bccsa@iuokada.edu.ng, femiology@gmail.com http://www.gpejournal.org/ https://www.christianpost.com/news/boko-haram-beheads-two-spies-in-first-public-video-group-is-being-shaped-by-isis-media-wing-calls-itself-islamic-state-africa.html https://www.christianpost.com/news/boko-haram-beheads-two-spies-in-first-public-video-group-is-being-shaped-by-isis-media-wing-calls-itself-islamic-state-africa.html https://www.christianpost.com/news/boko-haram-beheads-two-spies-in-first-public-video-group-is-being-shaped-by-isis-media-wing-calls-itself-islamic-state-africa.html mailto:director.bccsa@iuokada.edu.ng mailto:femiology@gmail.com 7 localization of global education global partners in education journal – special edition march 2022, vol. 10, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 61 localization of global education and its leadership practices: a case of china hanlu liu, lingjie yue, qian (sarah) wang xi'an jiaotong-liverpool university, suzhou, china abstract shadow education has become a popular educational service, and it has been booming in many regions of china, attracting a large population of school-age students. this study illustrates the current k-12 public and international school system in china and its association with shadow education. a report demonstrates two teachers’ and the principal’s practices to deliver global education. the case study data reveal the localization process (i.e., how the teaching and management of a western curriculum operates). it points out that shadow education often demands the integration of business models. the findings suggest that teachers and principals who work in shadow education require professional training in both pedagogy and business. in this line of work, teachers and principals must amend educational practices and solve commercial issues. while educators must become familiar with the local social and cultural context and local students' characteristics, they also need to master business skills, such as communication and marketing, to effectively connect with the local community. this study addresses leadership challenges and offers practical advice for improving shadow education in china. introduction the mission of global education is to shape students as global citizens rather than merely deliver subject knowledge (yang, 2010). the trend of global education in china has been developing since the 1980s, following the country's economic growth, which is a result of the “going global” strategy in the new millennium (feng, 2021; yang, 2010). global education is increasingly implemented, both in and outside public schools, in private educational institutions, known as shadow education. studying to learn more about the localization process of global education has drawn many scholars’ attention in recent years. previous research on shadow education focuses primarily on the evolution of its practices, mainly on how shadow education mimics public school subject teaching (feng, 2021). few studies have focused on the practice of shadow education of localizing global education, especially from a leadership perspective. our research used a local shadow education case to examine the localization process. in particular, this study addresses leadership practices in localizing a western k-12 curriculum in china. we first discuss the case context and the study’s aim, followed by a description of the chinese public schools’ teaching practices, the chinese international-oriented school’s characteristics, and the role of shadow education in chinese k-12 education. global partners in education journal – special edition march 2022, vol. 10, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 62 furthermore, we chose to present the path-goal theory as its theoretical pinning to understand leadership practices. the case context and purpose of the study this case study took place in suzhou, china, which has a population of about 7.4 million ("suzhou population," n.d.). schooling is compulsory from grade 1 at approximately age 6 to 9, till about age 15. currently, 432 k-12 public schools serve the public’s educational needs for chinese children ("statistics about suzhou 2020 primary education," n.d.). in addition to public schools, there is an increasing demand for international-oriented schools (see the international-oriented schools and its characteristics section for definition) in urban areas. in suzhou, the number of international-oriented schools has been increasing. according to the suzhou international schools’ website, there are 53 international-oriented schools (“guojixuexiao.org,” n.d.). although efforts to cultivate a global mindset and competency through the learning of english has been incorporated as a part of curriculum instruction in some public schools, the local chinese learners’ english proficiency typically cannot meet the demand of effectively learning foreign textbooks. consequently, parents in many public schools send their children to take extra tutoring, known as shadow education services, to improve their children's english proficiency and strengthen their global outlook. literature review chinese public schools and their teaching the typical pedagogical approach in chinese public schools concerns content knowledge delivery and rote memorization. teachers often assess students’ learning outcomes by asking students to complete standardized tests. part of the reason for that is the large classroom population. it is common for public schools to hold between 50 and 60 students in a classroom. as a consequence, teachers find it difficult to perform student-centered learning. teachers also lack the professional development to introduce more innovative teaching techniques. therefore, most teachers use the cramming method (zhang, 2014). international-oriented schools and their characteristics in suzhou, the term “international school” typically represents two types of non-public schools. one type of international school is designed only for foreign citizens who hold non-chinese passports; the other type is bilingual schools that enroll local chinese students who would benefit from a higher social and economic status. the bilingual schools combine domestic and western curricula and employ both domestic and foreign teachers to deliver courses. students who attend this type of school usually pursue colleges overseas. driven by this end goal, the concept of global education has been gradually recognized by more and more chinese parents who send their children to bilingual schools. both types of international schools require higher tuition fees than the average family in china can afford. such a reality leaves the majority of parent population and their children who go to public schools knowing little about global education, or having a global mindset. global partners in education journal – special edition march 2022, vol. 10, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 63 shadow education and its role in k-12 education shadow education, i.e., private tutoring after school, is bolstered by the advent of economic development and social trends (e.g., aslam & atherton, 2014; buchmann, condron, & rescigno, 2010; chapman, 2001; rushforth, 2011; stevenson & baker, 1992). shadow education is a form of supplementary tutoring in china, in which educational services are offered beyond regular school hours, usually in the evenings or on weekends (buchmann et al., 2010; chapman, 2001; rushforth, 2011; stevenson & baker, 1992). there are two popular forms of shadow education: one targeting children's extra-curriculum interests and talents beyond the school subjects, and one enhancing students’ learning of school subjects to improve their exam performance in science, math, and language (feng, 2021). the former includes learning subject matter from the western curriculum (zhang & bray, 2015). the aim is to increase students’ proficiency in english and develop global competences. this concerns especially students attending public schools. previous research indicates that shadow education in private tutoring is significant in mainland china (zhang, 2014). chinese families are willing to spend money in exchange for such educational services (wang, 2013). statistics show that 73.8% of primary school children, 65.6% of lower secondary school children, and 53.5% of upper secondary school children receive shadow education services (bray, 2013). on the one hand, shadow education serves as a robust supplement to the education market, meeting the needs of chinese learners, while on the other hand, critics argue that most of such tutoring provides “more of the same” to chinese students. for the most part, shadow education is a way to reinforce material already learned in public schools. one study suggests that the accessibility of shadow education can satisfy the increasing learning demand and ensure quality learning standards (valerio, 2013). regardless of the content of learning, one advantage of shadow education is that it can be flexible, providing remedial work that helps students keep up or targets high achievers who want to pursue beyond that which has been learned in school (bray, 2013). shadow education services mainly depend on customer demand. as a result, operations share the characteristics of business operations. shadow education institutions often position themselves as service companies and demonstrate commercial-like practices. for example, they treat parents and students as customers: they invest heavily in marketing and promotion and they are more willing to adapt to customers' needs, such as transferring teaching to an online platform or making the same service options available across multiple locations in a city or country (bray, 2013). the chinese parents’ and students’ demand for shadow education to reflect its sociocultural emphasis on learners’ individual effort. parents perceive that studying outside of school (i.e., extra effort) would improve their academic performance. such generally-accepted social assumptions allow chinese parents to trust the effectiveness of shadow education in boosting higher competencies. their method of measuring results often refers to better examination scores or certificates of tangible, skill-driven global partners in education journal – special edition march 2022, vol. 10, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 64 performances (e.g., dancing, playing piano, winning a math competition) (chapman, 2001; kim & lee, 2010; tansel & bircan, 2006). research questions: our research questions were as follows: 1. what challenges do teachers face with respect to shadow education while localizing the western curriculum in suzhou, china? 2. what leadership challenges and practices can be identified in the principal’s management of shadow education institutions? methodology data source we conducted a qualitative case study at a local shadow education institute in suzhou, china (center). the center provides holistic education using an american curriculum for students aged 3 to 12 years. the service is provided outside of the compulsory school time. the center is part of an educational corporation with 11 branches in suzhou and serves approximately 7,800 students collectively. the school promotes student-centered education by setting up smaller classrooms of 12-16 students each. it offers three subjects: english language, art, math, and science; all instruction is in english. teachers and students are required to speak english when they are at the center. with this content-based approach, the school aims to cultivate future talents with self-motivated learning ability, leadership, and global vision (“rise subject english, philosophy,” n.d.). we collected data through semi-structured interviews with the center’s principal and two experienced teachers. we also reviewed relevant information on the center's official website to learn general information about its curriculum offer, vision, and mission. we analyzed school documents, such as the center's teaching plan, with its intended learning outcomes. by gathering data from the three sources, we satisfied the triangulation requirement for qualitative research (bloomberg & volpe, 2018). interviewees we wanted to identify people who had reasonable experience in working in the shadow education field and knew the local culture well. hence, we deployed the technique of purposeful sampling (bloomberg & volpe, 2018) with the following criteria: interviewees should hold more than five years of teaching experience and more than three years of work experience at the center. the three selected interviewees satisfied this expectation before the interviews were conducted. all the interviewees were female and in their thirties. they had been working in schools for more than four years. the center’s principal (fictitious name: jennifer) acquired her higher education degree in the united states. after working at the center for two years, she was promoted to principal. she had been working in the shadow education field for about five years. her background and first-hand experience in shadow education enabled her to directly understand global education and the localization of global education as a teacher and leader. she obtained rich leadership experience in different situations while facing global partners in education journal – special edition march 2022, vol. 10, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 65 multiple rounds of local policy changes. she is experienced in handling communication with parents, particularly in helping parents adapt to the global mindset. she is familiar with the teacher population growing up in the 80s and 90s, and their associated socialcultural values. kelly (fictitious name) teaches grades one to five. she is the leader of an elementary teacher team. laura (a fictitious name) is a teacher leader of the k1-3 team, which mainly covers kindergarten children. they both have rich experience (more than five years) in teaching students and communicating with junior teachers and parents. data collection semi-structured interviews were designed and conducted separately for each interviewee. we interviewed the principal face-to-face twice. the interviews with each teacher were conducted online. each interview lasted approximately 30 minutes. the principal’s interview was conducted in english, and the interviews with the teachers were conducted in chinese. interviews were recorded and transcribed for further analysis. the two teachers’ interview questions encouraged them to discuss their challenges when localizing the american curriculum within their teaching practices and communication with their parents. follow-up questions were asked to the teachers to learn about their problem-solving techniques. the interview questions for the principal focused on challenges and problem-solving, regarding both teaching and management. the data files were analyzed independently by two authors of this paper, using an inductive approach. interview transcriptions served as the data source for the qualitative analysis. data collected from the three interviews were coded thematically. braun and clarke (2006) define thematic analysis as identifying, analyzing, and reporting themes within the data. thematic analysis requires a researcher to produce a generalized understanding of coded data with the repetition of codes. the codes may be more precisely defined as themes when they frequently appear in the dataset. in particular, the two authors performed the following steps to analyze the data. first, each author searched for repeated words, phrases, and relevant expressions to form a list of themes that illustrated the localization challenges and leadership practices. during this process, the two authors frequently revised the coding used to develop themes in the data. such a practice ensures that the authors obtain the subjective consistency of inductive coding categories, which improves the reliability of the research findings. next, the authors used the themes that emerged to compare the relevant situations in the data. finally, the two authors cross-checked the identified themes. key findings teachers’ challenges: based on the data analysis, the study found that teachers faced critical challenges with regards to pedagogy, marketing, and communication of the global mindset to parents. global partners in education journal – special edition march 2022, vol. 10, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 66 1. pedagogical challenge: teachers struggle between the english language and content teaching because more emphasis on either may lead to unsatisfactory student learning experiences and outcomes. since the training school provides lessons for students in english, the students need to learn both the subject content and the english language simultaneously. however, the problem is that most students' english proficiency is insufficient to support their learning of content in a satisfactory manner, especially in science and math subjects. for instance, since the students had already learned most of math concepts, theories, and question-solving techniques in their public schools in chinese, they felt that learning the same again in english would be redundant. the students were only interested in learning mathematical terms and expressions in english. although the teachers tried to expand the students' competencies (e.g., teamwork or public speaking in english) by introducing more methods to learn math, some students felt that these efforts were pointless. students faced even more significant challenges when taking science lessons because learning science demands a tremendous amount of english vocabulary, most of which is distant from students’ everyday lives. hence, most students found it difficult to relate to science content and could not comprehend science knowledge. moreover, the teachers at the center are required to follow american curriculum requirements and teaching plans. this means that they are not allowed to alter teaching content. when the content is misaligned with the chosen medium of instruction, it is no wonder that students' academic performance is stagnant. when parents saw no improvement in their children's public school examination results, they began to doubt the value of following the western curriculum. consequently, some students dropped out. teacher kelly commented on that in the following way: “when i teach them math in english, they know how to solve the problems and answer correctly. however, they cannot express their ideas in english. so, i have to let them remember english words and phrases first. for example, they know 1+1=2, but they do not know how to express it. sometimes, students feel bored about this type of learning and say, 'i have learned this!’” “in my s1 class, most of the students are in grade 3 in public schools, which means they should be capable of learning the s3 content in our system curriculum. but their english is too poor to support their content learning, especially the science class with too many unknown words.” “i think it is a challenge for us. we have to use many teaching activities to make the class interesting and provide a platform to speak english. even so, some parents would not buy it (i.e., the teaching of american curriculum and philosophy).” 2. marketing obstacles: teachers feel stressed to push parents for service renewal (marketing) when communicating with them about the pedagogy, curriculum (academic) and children's performance improvement. global partners in education journal – special edition march 2022, vol. 10, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 67 teachers at the center need to communicate with students’ parents for dual purposes. on the one hand, teachers are asked to explain what they have done to help their children develop as a whole person. here, the purpose of communication is to inform parents of their children's learning. on the other hand, the center hopes that teachers can convince parents to pay an additional fee for extended services during this line of communication. thus, teachers feel that there is a lot of extra communication to carry out. for the most part, teachers are passionate about teaching and not as much interested in generating revenue for the center. for example, teacher laura stated: “although i know our center needs to make money, i still think the teacher’s responsibility is teaching, not pushing parents to pay. it makes me feel that it is not professional for a teacher to talk about money.” 3. the challenge of cultivating chinese parents’ global mindset: the traditional exam-oriented mindset still plays a dominant role in parents' educational choices for their children. hence, they tend to select shadow education services that aim to improve children's exam performance and develop their personal competencies on a more holistic level. the center utilizes the student-centered teaching methods and follows bloom's taxonomy when designing teaching activities. the teaching goal is to cultivate future leadership, covering content knowledge and abilities such as critical thinking, teamwork, and public speaking (rise, 2021). however, teacher laura mentioned: “some parents feel that their children have not improved in english learning. because we follow our curriculum instead of the public school’s requirements concerning students’ learning, they tend to choose the exam-oriented training schools after grade two, when the school examination result becomes increasingly important for them.” 4. professional development to support teachers: the school tries to establish a professional team by training teachers in global pedagogy and management of parentteacher relations through effective communication. training schools have programs for teachers of every grade, who can learn new teaching methods annually, each lasting about two weeks. they must attend the training program and pass the exam successfully to obtain a certificate to teach. as teacher laura mentioned, “teachers can always learn new teaching methods and ideas when they attend the training. they can meet teachers from different branches and learn from them. such an organizational initiative is a training requirement as well as a teacher selection method.” the training aims to improve teachers’ teaching and consulting abilities in global education, enhancing their professional competencies. the hope is that teachers can communicate more effectively and professionally with parents. the school promotes a cooperative learning structure and utilizes bloom's taxonomy to design teaching goals. such an approach enables teachers to conduct global partners in education journal – special edition march 2022, vol. 10, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 68 personalized education with different students. the school provides authorized teaching materials to support teachers' teaching activities accordingly. leadership challenges in addition to the challenges faced by teachers, the study explored the challenges faced by the center's leader. more importantly, the study aimed to determine how the leader handled challenges in her leadership practice. 1. leadership challenge and practice: the generation gap: some teachers are becoming increasingly dissatisfied with the center's current leadership styles, as most of the population changed between the 80s to the 90s. the principal of the center mentioned that the headquarters sent monthly revenue goals to each center. the principal then passes down the requirements to the teachers, stating: “how well we can achieve the goal will affect our income.” thus, the principal puts pressure on teachers to push them for better performance and better results in asking parents to renew services. she believes that leaders should have higher expectations of teachers, “because sometimes, when you reach the goal, you get rewarded. then, you will know that everything you put in is worth it.” her statement suggests that she believes that if teachers want to pursue more money and a better reputation, they have to comply with the company's requirements. nevertheless, the principal revealed her powerlessness in this respect when discussing the differences between the 80s and 90s’ generation of teachers. the principal stated: “in the 80s, the parents were hardworking because they were not as rich or wealthy. or, they felt like you should be working hard to obtain the result. in the 90s, their parents were already richer; they did whatever they liked to do. the environment changed. society changed. therefore, the individuals from the 90s were harder to motivate because there were not many things you could motivate them with. they did not lack money. they had houses. they did not care about other fancy stuff, they cared about themselves.” therefore, the leader needs to apply different leadership practices for teachers from the 90s’ generation. the principal needs to respect this group of teachers’ ideas and values, or they will not believe in the principal’s opinions or commands. moreover, even when the leader tries to communicate with this group in different styles, it might not work as expected. since the teacher generation and its culture in the organization are changing, the leader needs to consider generational differences and try to manage conflicts caused by dissimilar interpretations of teachers’ roles and responsibilities. discussion and implications teachers’ dual-role in localizing an american curriculum the findings suggest that, in contrast to traditional teachers in public schools, teachers working in shadow education have to play dual roles in their jobs: an academician and a salesperson. this unique characteristic is due to the local people's sociocultural preference toward exam-oriented education rather than the western teaching global partners in education journal – special edition march 2022, vol. 10, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 69 approach. not many parents and students have embraced the concept of holistic development. with the demand for economic survival, the center expects teachers to promote a global education mindset and explicitly communicate its advantages to parents in the hope of convincing them to pay for more services. thus, shadow education teachers need to develop better communication skills as well as teaching abilities. teaching alone will not help in promoting a global education mindset to students and parents; explicit and frequent promotions and explanations are required. dual-value contradiction as the principal mentioned, each center receives a sales target (i.e., renewing students’ quota), which determines the center’s monthly rewards and punishment, and her routine work requires her to provide each teacher with their targets. in addition to mentioning sales goals, she needs to make specific plans to support teachers so that they are likely to achieve the given targets. this leadership practice represents some elements of the path-goal theory in leadership. path-goal leadership theory, built on expectancy theory, claims that leader behavior affects followers’ outcomes and motivations (house, 1996). the theory argues that the essential role of leaders is to ensure that subordinates see the connections between outcome and action in the hope of effectively triggering subordinates’ motivation. according to house (1971), path-goal theory focuses on making a connection between two dimensions. the first dimension is between work effort and work goal achievement. regarding leadership practices in this dimension, leaders are first required to explain clearly to subordinates what their responsibilities are. second, leaders need to support subordinates to improve their ability to complete tasks. when followers face challenges during the process, leaders should offer support in helping clear obstacles. the second dimension is between work goal achievement and rewards valued by followers. this suggests that leaders need to address the following two aspects in their practices: (1) communicate with followers clearly about the possible rewards related to their work achievements and (2) be willing to adjust those rewards in a consistent manner according to the follower group's performance. furthermore, the valued rewards can be in multiple forms, such as rewards that target enhancing followers’ extrinsic motivation (e.g., cash bonus or promotion) or targets triggering followers’ intrinsic motivation (e.g., an appraisal for individual growth). however, the findings suggest that some key elements are missing at the center according to the path-goal theory approach. first, the center’s goals are not made collectively with teachers; instead, they are directly announced to teachers by the leader without their input. during the principal’s discussions with teachers, the conversation is usually about achieving the goal, not whether the teachers accept the already made-decisions. the participatory leadership approach suggests that teachers combine their expertise and creativity to develop shared plans, design methods collectively, and solve problems. in the center’s case, all instructions and supportive behaviors are achievement-driven. the principal assumes that her practices will be helpful in motivating and supporting subordinates to achieve set goals. this approach is a pattern seen at all levels of the center’s operation, including the teaching process, quality assurance, teachers’ training, and promotion of sales. global partners in education journal – special edition march 2022, vol. 10, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 70 however, the center promotes the concept of student-centered and holistic education, which focuses more on the development process. according to chipunza and malo (2017), organizational culture and the quality of the organization's social climate determine the dominant positions of all workers. the school’s achievement-oriented culture subtly sets the unspoken criteria for leaders and teachers. it exists as an implicit, powerful force that drives teachers’ daily work practices. this force contradicts the publicly promoted student-centered value and becomes an invisible barrier in teachers' everyday work experience. generational sub-cultural influence according to the interviewees' descriptions, in the 80s generation, leadership practices, such as motivating teachers through self-development opportunities, generating inspiring personal passion for teaching, and giving a bonus, were very effective. although teachers may complain about business-oriented work, such as pushing parents for renewing services, they would ultimately obey the center’s expectations, having considered tangible rewards. however, for the 90s’ generation, the same leadership behaviors do not work. the principal mentioned that “they [the 90s’ generation] like big money and are more creative. they want the school to change to what they like.” hence, applying the same leadership practices does not lead to the same results. the post-90s’ generation teachers form subcultures within the center. consequently, sub-cultural conflicts exist between the leader and the younger teachers when delineating roles and responsibilities. according to the role theory, the role of followers and the role of leaders affect one another’s behavior during work (chen et al., 2012). in view of this, the principal has already begun to adjust leadership practices after witnessing an increase in the turnover rate. practical implications and suggestions offering global education at a local shadow education center is done by providing supplementary resources to public schools. such a service can provide additional support for parents who want to ensure more educational opportunities for their children. since shadow education operates differently than public school education, teachers in the shadow education center need training and motivation to foster academic teaching and business skills. in addition, leaders should enhance one-onone mentoring between leaders and teachers to establish a shared mindset and culture. in turn, this practice can help teachers communicate and explain the global mindset approach more effectively to parents and students. often, teacher recruits in the center are preferred to be university students with english majors. based on the findings of this study, it is suggested that the recruitment pool could go beyond english or english-related majors. so long as applicants demonstrate the potential for demonstrating desired abilities, a person’s mindset, attitudes, and professional skills are vital. for example, candidates with a business background and fluency in english should also be considered. finally, training centers can strengthen communication with public schools. for example, they can introduce and promote personalized teaching and cooperative learning structures to local public school teachers to enhance their abilities and help local students embrace and experience educational approaches beyond examination-oriented education. global partners in education journal – special edition march 2022, vol. 10, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 71 limitation and future studies as a case study on a shadow education center, this research aimed to gain insight into the localization process rather than produce generalizable conclusions on all shadow education practices. in addition, the study only interviewed three people at the center, without covering all types of teachers. therefore, the findings represent only a part of teachers’ opinions on localizing global education. moreover, this study mainly focused on the teachers’ and leaders’ methods to meet the challenges of promoting international education locally. more teachers and diverse dimensions warrant further research and exploration. for example, future research may consider the necessary adjustments in teaching methods when localizing the american curriculum in a foreign location. conclusion shadow education as supplementary education is not enough to overturn the profoundly rooted presence of examination-oriented education in china. bringing the u.s. curriculum to china and teaching local students without sufficient sociocultural support leads to several operational barriers. creating a suitable sociocultural context as part of the localization process is essential. when aiming to localize global education, shadow education practices need to address teachers’ deficiencies in business skills. in addition to demonstrating ideas through their teaching, teachers and school leaders help local parents embrace the global mindset. for leaders of shadow education, assisting teachers with communication skills and business literacy will be the main direction to help them achieve their 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(2015). shadow education in chongqing, china: factors underlying demand and policy implications. kedi journal of education policy, 12(1), 83-106. author notes hanlu liu is a postgraduate student in ma global education program at xi’an jiaotong-liverpool university, china. she has been working in the shadow education industry for five years and won the prize of sina five-star teacher in china in 2017. her research interest is in educational leadership and entrepreneur education. moreover, she has attended a series of academic activities. hanlu was a co-presenter at the 6th annual global issue conference 2021. she also delivered an invited speech on action learning and teaching in xian jiaotong-liverpool university annual learning and teaching colloquium in april 2021. email: hanlu.liu20@student.xjtlu.edu.cn lingjie yue is a postgraduate student in ma global education program at xi’an jiaotong-liverpool university, china. besides completing courses in educational leadership, education in the asia-pacific region, and policies and practices of global education, she has participated in multiple academic and non-academic global activities such as eu-china cooperation and green transition: green transition and digital economy between national policies and multi-polarism. lingjie was a copresenter at the 6th annual global issue conference 2021. with four years of working experience in the shadow education industry of teaching students of the elementary education stage, she is currently working and studying at xjtlu and interested in global citizenship and research-led learning. email: lingjie.yue20@student.xjtlu.edu.cn dr. qian (sarah) wang is an assistant professor at xi'an jiaotong-liverpool university in suzhou, china. she is particularly interested in using innovative teaching methods to empower younger generations, especially females, to be unstoppable and positively impactful individuals in society. she teaches education leadership and educational global partners in education journal – special edition march 2022, vol. 10, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 74 internship modules in the ma global education program, where the majority of her students are female. sarah uses action learning and action research methods to help her students enrich their potential and achieve personal transformation. qian wang is the corresponding author. email: qian.wang@xjtlu.edu.cn global partners in education journal – special edition december 2015, vol. 5, no. 2, pp. 59-65 http://www.gpejournal.org/ issn 2163-758x 59 learning experiences of the global understanding class halima amjad adeela rehman fatima jinnah women university, pakistan abstract this paper aims to share the experience of the global partner education and learning environment of distance learning. the global understanding course is a very innovative and excellent addition to the curriculum at fatima jinnah women university. the idea of interacting with students around the world is an initiative by east carolina university, usa. it not only provides the opportunity to interact with global students but also provides intercultural learning and sharing of each other’s experiences as a student. overall, the interaction of students from two different countries (i.e., usa and algeria) was very productive in terms of learning each other’s culture, education system, family, religion, and other social issues. through online video conferencing, it was a unique experience and contributed a creative dimension to our education based learning. introduction east carolina university (ecu) approved a new learning service to the students of fatima jinnah women university which began in fall of 2007. it is a public sector university which is located in north carolina, united states, and this is the first institution in the us which offers students from around the world an online medium to share their experiences. students nowadays are living in a global society and have much more knowledge about different cultures around the world. their understanding of these cultures is often shaped by what they watch on television, movies and the media as it is the fastest medium of distributing information about other cultures. although students know the importance of understanding their culture and the culture of others while living in their home town, only a few of them travel abroad in order to understanding cultural diversity. they study in their own country because they are provided with a diversified setup of learning along with the basic necessities in their own institutions. the global understanding course the global understanding course provides a good platform for students to learn about other cultures without travelling from one place to another. currently, there are more than 50 international institutions that are participating in the global understanding course from more than 30 countries around the world and fatima jinnah women university rawalpindi pakistan is one of them. from across the globe, diverse cultures are included in global understanding course. students from different cultures meet up in pairs via http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition december 2015, vol. 5, no. 2, pp. 59-65 http://www.gpejournal.org/ issn 2163-758x 60 videoconference links and in online chat sessions. one session is conducted at a time while the students meet during a specific time. internet connections along with a pc and headset and microphone are the main tools for this class. students with the help of these communication tools are connected globally with other the partner institutions for videoconference calls and chatting. during the class, students discuss various topics such as college life, culture and tradition, family, religion, education, meaning of life, stereotypes and prejudices etc. with the help of a videoconference call, the students discuss different topics and conduct a question and answer session too. this session is a subject in universities nowadays for both graduate and undergraduate programs which is a positive approach for understanding “globalization’ and ‘cultural diversity’ around the world. ecu links institutions for three to four weeks during which they create a positive atmosphere for one another and build an environment of trust and mutual respect. these pleasant atmospheres engage different students to share their information with each other and also sharing of opinions, values, attitudes and emotions. both of the university student’s use various tools for their daily class discussion for instance, email etc. the one-to-one discussions lead the students to better explore similarities, learn and accept the differences amongst cultures. before each class the students read national, international newspapers and weekly papers and magazines to learn the current cultural events in each country which also helps build knowledge and curiosity for each student. in addition, the partners develop a joint project with each other through which they gain much more knowledge about the culture and traditions. due to this cross cultural communication, both the university students learn to express themselves effectively. students enhance their listening ability and master the difficult words in their language and pronunciations. this course which the students take in one semester is not an extra course which the student must attend but this is an optional course which the faculty and also the students think is very beneficial for them for learning about the social issues which is existing in various societies. students take this course by their own will; they may have experiences in general knowledge, education, major class and elective courses but because of modernization, they are far away from cultural issues which exist in societies. distance learning according to verduin and clark (1991) ‘the modern world distance of education exist around the world today and this is available in a large number which reduce the time and space issues in a traditional class room. this education is very advantageous because it makes the learning easy, accessible for all the students in everyday life by giving them huge control over the schedule of learning. within this modern educational system, the institution provides the students a supportive environment which allows them to gain and access to the information in a very easy way. in perez’s (2001) research, he said that many students claim that this distance education is not good and the disadvantages of distance education is lack of personal interaction with each other and also with the teachers. there must be an opportunity for the students to meet their instructor by faceto-face interaction where they get a chance to know each other in an environment of facehttp://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition december 2015, vol. 5, no. 2, pp. 59-65 http://www.gpejournal.org/ issn 2163-758x 61 to-to face interaction. if we look at the student performance and satisfaction most of them have considered different variable, changes and some of them have examined the relationship between populations, the usefulness of technology, which is used in distance education. in every educational setting, interaction through communication and collaboration with other institution is a main source to educate and encourage the student to become an active learner of the institution. one of the most important opportunities of distance learning is the online education environment. because of the lack of interaction, the educator should know the current status of education and also the field study program which influence the design and content of distance education. in a modern world, technologies are developing day by day in a various method and these methods bring changes in educational facilities. the internet is a main source of modern education and useful asset that allows students to learn by the process of technologies, such as video and computer communication. this creates a good environment and makes them able to play an active role in the process of learning and a way of convenience for the other learners. these increase in the interaction between two peoples and two way communication and huge impact on distance education. white (2005) says that online educators should focus on the developing learner and understanding their point of view about modern education. students in online classrooms know how to get higher quality course project making and presentation skills. this is a different method of education from the traditional education and teaching method (miller, 2007). satisfaction from the course is important element for the improvement of learning achievement in any traditional classroom and the distance educational environment. with the development of internet and other useful source of education student have much more opportunities for gaining knowledge and information which promote the students toward education by the process of communication and interaction. in the modern era, educators must know about the use and understanding of modern technology which is helpful for the students to reduce the communication gaps. but in this process, the instructors have more work for fulfilling the needs and requirement of the students and they have to make them able to know about the current situation and develop the skill of interactive online courses. one of the main problems which asian students face at most institutions is that they cannot contribute in class properly or participate in the classroom discussions due to lack of confidence. there is large number of explanation for pakistani students that they cannot discuss with their peers and teachers in an efficient way so they face this problem. during the class, since we have our own national language of urdu in pakistan, a student faces problems with english-speaking as they have less command of vocabulary. a common communicative element is for speakers to adjust their conversational style to suit each other in terms of comprehension and they are supposed to lower their level of language used in the hope of making their teaching methodology more successful and beneficial for those who have low level of speaking the english language (jones, 2001). there is a useful resource for the critical examination of teaching modes and practices which is found in a large number of developmental and professional initiatives. general http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition december 2015, vol. 5, no. 2, pp. 59-65 http://www.gpejournal.org/ issn 2163-758x 62 teaching practices are mostly relevant. the conditions of this class were clear and workable for all those who are involved in this class and their proper assessment and guideline is also very important for their further studies. in everyday conduct, educational practices are largely related with the values and attribute actions. those students who have knowledge are acknowledged in the institution as they are well informed and knowledgeable. different cultural practices have their own publications and nationalities. for instance, russian students speak russian with one another and hold totally different cultural practices from that of a student fluent in urdu holding pakistani nationality. topics of discussion like religion, educational background and methods, family systems and other social issues remain effective if the medium of communication is similar and understandable to both parties during the global interaction. hence, there are both advantages and obstacles in understanding the global beings which remain side by side in each class. moreover, the quality teaching method and modern education by technology bring changes in the students like having knowledge about different cultural and tradition while attending classes in the same institution, national and international institutions and students interact with each other and know the critical evaluation of current discourse and practices of academic institutions. experiences of global understanding classes here i am going to share my own personal experiences. fatima jinnah women university is a public university which is educating many young women on this campus. this university is known as one of the highly ranked universities in pakistan. it has more than 16 fields of study and includes the department of gender studies where i am conducting my studies. this is a social science department and they have much collaboration with foreign universities in order to educate the student globally. the class started in october of 2014 and ended in december. our class collaborated with students at east carolina university (ecu), usa and the university of abu-bakr belkaid tlemcen (uabt) of algeria. we attended 10 classes with each university and discussed much cultural diversity about each country which was very informative. the class timing was from 5pm to 6pm as per the standard time of pakistan and twice in a week on monday and wednesday. the offered course was optional for us in the last semester, which i benefitted from by having networking with international students. in the first class, we were introduced to our partners by videoconference calls. in order to work on the class tasks assigned, we exchanged our email addresses with one another and started talking to each other via email. twice a week, we interacted with our partners. one day we would have discussions by a videoconference call and in the next class through chatting on computers regarding the topic given to us. while talking with our partners, we obtained more knowledge about their norms, values, culture and traditions. the first set of videoconference sessions was with ecu and the topic of discussion was culture and tradition, which i found is totally different from us. before this course, we were unaware of their cultural practices but now i have a new friend and know a lot about their country including the norm and festivals, religious beliefs etc. the second set of http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition december 2015, vol. 5, no. 2, pp. 59-65 http://www.gpejournal.org/ issn 2163-758x 63 videoconference sessions we attended were with the university of abu-bakr belkaid tlemcen (uabt) algeria. the university is in the islamic country named algeria and has many similarities with pakistan such as religious practices, marriage, death and birth ceremonies, etc. being a muslim country, our culture and traditions are similar but some have negative thoughts about us. as they consider we have more stereotypical issues regarding men and women. . overall my experience was good and from the classes we mastered some useful communication skills from our fellow classmates, from the partner university students and as well as knowledge about different things such as their education system, their lifestyles, and cultural events. teaching methodology in this course, the teaching methodology was different from that of our institution. students had a face to face interaction with each other in the class through videoconference calls. every issue we discussed with each other in class and also with our partners via chatting. our instructor or lecturer did not deliver any lecture. instead, she facilitated us in communicating well with our fellow students on the videoconference call and helped us find more information on the web about the other fellow student in the class from across the globe. through this face to face communication with the other university students, i improved my english fluency and interaction with others by video calls. this was a great opportunity for us to make friends, learn about the other cultures across the globe, promote peace, respect differences and encourage the similarities in life from diversified cultures, religion and continents. in order to create a peaceful world to live in, we need to keep up with interactions and courses of such types. on the one hand, this is beneficial for personal growth and on the other hand a factor in encouraging global understanding, harmony and peace. the ecu and uabt classes consisted of students from different departments like, biology, media sciences, english literature so we had the opportunity to learn about different fields and countries as well. curriculum gaining knowledge and learning from others is a part of life. those who have knowledge also have power. while studying in this university, we have different courses and the global understanding is one. the main topics we discussed in this class included family, education, religion, stereotypes and prejudice. regarding family system, there was some differences between usa and pakistan, as we prefer a joint family system and mostly we lived in joint family systems, but in usa, most of the students mentioned that they have a nuclear family system. there were also the differences of religion with usa, but less with algeria. in the usa and pakistan, these topics of social institutions are totally different from each other as they have different socio-cultural practices of daily life activities as well as their religion is different. however, i came to learn that in algerian society, these systems are much more similar to each other because algeria is also an islamic country which has many things in common with pakistan such as religious practices. in the class, i learned about the cultural diversity of both the americans and algerians. http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition december 2015, vol. 5, no. 2, pp. 59-65 http://www.gpejournal.org/ issn 2163-758x 64 technology technology has brought many changes in everyone’s life and it has changed the life of every individual living in this era. with the help of these technologies we are better able to communicate with others in many different ways. whatever we gained in this class is just because of the development of technology. in our first class with ecu, the system of technology was faultless as the sound was clear; we did not face any issue during the class time. collaborative projects with each university (ecu) and (uabt), we had different partners. both of my partners were female. kaite was my partner of east carolina university and nezha from university abu-bakr belkaid tlemcen (uabt) of algeria and both of them were very co-operative with me in the class. they also were helpful while doing my projects and slides for the presentation. my topics that i worked on were; ‘child rearing and child bearing practices’ and similarities and differences between both cultures. i informed my colleagues about my pakistani culture and shared much useful information regarding the lifestyle, rituals and education system in pakistan. we gained much knowledge about american and algerian culture and traditions. both the classes were enjoyed and i fully participated. i submitted my project slides on time and delivered my presentations in both classes because my partners were present in there via video calls. strengths of the class • this class was a useful learning experience which used a new method of educating the students by videoconference calls and chatting. • the students were from different cultures and they got together to learn and share ideas about diversified cultures. • interaction and communication with a foreign university with discussions about our culture and societal problems builds confidence. • communication skills increase in students by using such platforms and interactions with the international students. • students gain skills such as cooperation, communication, setting and achieving goals. • students have a better understanding of classroom materials and practice of what they are learning • students become aware of the needs of the community weaknesses of the class • some of the day scholar’s (who lived at home) faced problems with class timing as it is late in evening in pakistan and it was difficult for them to attend class as their private vans were not available. • the issue of technology and internet connections was problematic in the second class with algerians students. http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition december 2015, vol. 5, no. 2, pp. 59-65 http://www.gpejournal.org/ issn 2163-758x 65 • a few students were not serious and they were not contacting their partners in time when one wants to work on mutual projects. conclusion the interaction among the students of east carolina university (ecu), algerian university abu-bakr belkaid tlemcen (uabt) and fatima jinnah women university, rawalpindi had interactions during the course that went quite well and it was a great opportunity for the students of higher education. overall, the class was very well mannered and the knowledge and information we gained from them was valuable. i suggest further continuing this class for every session because it is beneficial in every student’s career and their professional development, as the certificates were provided to the students which they can use for their future career progression. and as it is an international course, it increases the worth of the curriculum vitae (cv). this is a new method of gaining knowledge with other university students. because of modernization and new methods of technology, the life of every individual and even student’s life is changed in a positive way. sitting back home and in our own country one learns about the other living on the other continent, chats with them via skype, video calling and learning through the world wide web. references jones, a. (ed.). (2001). resistance to english language support. sydney: centre for professional development, macquarie university. verduin, j. r., jr., & clark, t. a. (1991). distance education: the foundations of effective practice. san francisco: jossey-bass. http://www.gpejournal.org/ 7 love thy neighborscountering the growing impatience in international politicsukraine-russia conflict global partners in education journal – special edition december 2022, vol. 10, no. 2 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 57 love thy neighbors: countering the growing impatience in international politicsukraine-russia conflict sadaf qadir and zainab iqbal fatima jinnah women university, rawalpindi, pakistan abstract globalization and rapid expansion of communication and information technologies have brought about tremendous changes in the ways the world traditionally interacted. this has eventually led to what is often called a ‘borderless society’. however, the more the societies are growing borderless, the more strain is being put up on the concept of sovereignty and inviolability of territories. with the world continuing to embark upon wider areas of engagement, the principles of coexistence and interdependence have given way to narrow personal interests and hasty policy making. the paper, therefore, analyzes the existing ukraine-russia conflict as a case study for bringing into light the growing impatience that is felt immensely now-a-days in international politics. keeping in mind the indigenous political pursuits of a state, the paper seeks to explore the multitude of means through which national interests can be brought at par with the interests of the neighboring states and international community at large. in the end, the challenges faced by both the states have been analyzed to proffer suitable recommendations to address the future challenges. key words: international politics, interests, challenges introduction in international politics, security is a key factor to determine interstate cooperation at regional level. the national security of one state is closely related to the national security of its geopolitical neighbors. guided by this approach, the former colony of the soviet empire, ukraine, has always been subject to external interferences in its national security policy owing to the presence of its powerful neighbor russia on its border which sees changes in ukraine national security policy as one in its own state. since the demise of the soviet empire, the two states have always been at daggers drawn but the russian invasion of ukraine in february 2022 came as the last straw that broke the camel's back and with this the impatience in international politics further mounted up. the growing impatience in international politics the nature of international politics in global order has always been dynamic and unsettling. however, the structure of global politics at the end of the second decade of the 21st century has been more anarchic and complex than ever before. the repercussions of the cold war can still be felt in international politics. in the postcold war era, the world order cannot be regarded as purely unipolar or purely bipolar, instead it observed dominance of at least five states namely the united states, europe, china, russia and japan. these states dominated international politics in one way or another. the challenges and turbulence it brought to global partners in education journal – special edition december 2022, vol. 10, no. 2 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 58 international politics can be gauged from the number of conflicts that took place in the post-cold war era in which recently, ukraine-russia conflict has gained currency. some of these conflicts have been between former soviet colonies, for instance to name the few are war between azerbaijan and armenia over nagornokarabakh and conflict in chechnya. however, international politics also witnessed troubled relationships between the states that were not colonies of the soviet empire yet their international relations were equally turbulent. within this category, conflicts in the wider part of the world can be cited (kotlyar, 2020). in asia, four full-fledged wars between india and pakistan over kashmir dispute have been fought since 1947 with number of local skirmishes continuing till date (iqbal & hussain, 2018). the takeover of taliban government over afghanistan (united nations assistance mission in afghanistan [unama], 2021) is another recent example. likewise, the persian gulf war between iraq and iran (alahmad & keshavarzian, 2010), the ongoing conflict between israel and palestine (white & adu, 2021), the ethnic confrontation between tutsi and hutu leading to rwanda genocide (rieder& elbert, 2013) and the ongoing conflicts in yemen, syria, libya and many other middle eastern and african countries are some of the conflicts that manifest the growing impatience in international politics. the list of conflicts is by no means exhaustive and contemporarily it is supplemented by the ukraine-russia conflict. western dominance and the former soviet empire after the collapse of the soviet empire, russia was on weak footing to curtail the evergrowing western influence. the region of caucasus was formerly under the control of russia but the united states managed to enter this energy rich region with the help of some of its allies like azerbaijan, georgia and ukraine. likewise, the western dominance also kept growing stronger as nato expanded further in easter europe. in 1999, under the clinton administration, nato expanded to bring in the czech republic, hungary and poland. in 2004, further eight former soviet states joined nato including bulgaria, estonia, latvia, lithuania, romania, slovakia, and slovenia. in 2008, nato at one of its sessions in bucharest, considered joining georgia and ukraine. france and germany opposed this view for the fear of the russian aggression. it was in this backdrop that russia invaded georgia in 2008. in 2009, albania and croatia joined nato and this western influence continued to grow. the influence of the european union is also of no lesser degree than nato. the eu launched its eastern partner initiative in 2008. russia considered the program as hostile to its national interests. russia perceives eu expansion as a stalking horse for nato. therefore, it can be stated that western dominance causes instability in international politics. particularly, one of the greatest challenges that now faces the world is the prevalence of interstate conflicts such as the conflict between russia and ukraine (mearsheimer, 2014). identifying causes of ukraine-russia conflict the inducements for present confrontation are manifold. the confrontation has deep historical roots. it begins with konotop battle of 1659 where ukrainian troops of hetmanate defeated the moscow army. later on, the russian army under tsar i secured their influence on hetmanate territory. during the ukrainian revolution of global partners in education journal – special edition december 2022, vol. 10, no. 2 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 59 1917-1921, russia made all attempts to prevent the establishment of the independent ukraine. further in world war ii, the us spread its influence to territories of western ukraine but the local population there largely resisted (kotlyar,2020). russia under putin has always been on critical terms with its neighboring ukraine. putin’s political history is clearly indicative of the fact that for him the collapse of the ussr has been a painful fact. in this regard, his statement from 2005 can be aptly stated wherein he mentions collapse of the soviet empire as the greatest geopolitical catastrophe of the century. the relation between two states especially worsened when in 2014, russia began a military operation to capture the crimean peninsula. after the military operation had been carried on for a considerable period of time, ultimately on 15th march, a referendum was held wherein crimea voted for joining the peninsula to russia. three days later, on 18 march, the kremlin signed a treaty on the admission of the republic of crimea to the russian (welt, 2021). violating the rules and principles of international law, bilateral and multilateral agreements, the russian federation annexed the autonomous republic of crimea and sevastopol, occupied certain areas of donetsk and luhansk regions. the two states signed the russian federation and the ukraine on cooperation in the use of the sea of azov and the strait of kerch agreement in 2003. however, russia violating the terms of the treaty, annexed crimea in 2014. on 19 february 2018, ukraine filed a memorandum in the international court of arbitration against the russian federation in accordance with the united nations convention on the law of the sea, which alleges russia’s violation of ukraine’s rights in the black sea and in the sea of azov, as well as in the kerch strait. the two states have been on deteriorating terms since long and till date no development towards improvement in bilateral relationship can be observed. understanding putin’s objection on nato eastward expansion the threats that russia senses due to nato eastward expansion have been put in unambiguous words by putin several times. as previously mentioned in the paper, several former colonies and several neighboring states of russia have already joined hands with the west. it is in this backdrop that russia perceives its geostrategic interests at stake. when it comes to vladmir putin's stance, he has put it straight by pointing at an analogy of ukraine to russia with mexico and canada to america. putin interrogates america’s reaction if missiles were deployed at its border through the states of mexico and canada. an apt interpretation of putin’s sentiments suggests that for russia to wage war in ukraine was a resort of last and unpleasant instance but forced by threats of national disintegration due to intervention of foreign elements, it took this step with heavy heart (nigam, 2021; roth, 2021). impact of ukraine-russia conflict global partners in education journal – special edition december 2022, vol. 10, no. 2 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 60 the crisis in ukraine has set shockwaves to the world at large. as bombing continues in kyiv, the nation-states across the globe continue to suffer in one way or another. this may turn out to be advantageous for some states but the proportionality of harm outstands the meager benefit it may produce for a lesser number of states. the impact of the conflict can be systematically categorized into two broader categories. one is on the regional level and the other is on the global level. on the regional level, its immense consequences are evaluated in the context of two south asian states that are china and pakistan. on the global level, its effects on middle eastern and african states have been taken within the scope of this paper. evaluating impact on the regional levelsouth asia by virtue of its geo-strategic and geopolitical importance, south asia has always been the area of power struggle between great powers like the united states, china and russia. in this backdrop, the consequences of ukraine conflict have been evaluated in the context of two south asian states as follow: pakistan as a case study the impact of the conflict on pakistan and the country’s response to it can be evaluated under the following heads: pakistan position on conflict pakistan political history is marked with troubled relationships with its neighboring countries especially india, afghanistan and iran. pakistan standing with the west is already on weak footing and the country is suffering with economic woes exacerbated by debts from the imf and being on fatf. pakistan faced a serious balance of payment crisis by the end of 2017-2018 and is still facing the same (ali, 2022). it is in these conditions that the ukraine-russia war broke out and further led the country into tunnels of gloominess. under the prevailing situation, being a neutral third party is in the best interest of pakistan. likewise, pakistan has so far adopted the policy of non-alignment in the conflict. if pakistan takes a side in this dispute, it will be unable to enable the warring parties in negotiating and resolving the crisis. impact of conflict on geo-political relevance of pakistan on the face of the globe, pakistan occupies a fundamental geo-strategic position. owing to this unique geographic location, it has enormous potential to perform a leading role in world politics. pakistan is situated at a gateway to the middle east and central asian states (cars). in this regard, pakistan’s gwadar and karachi sea ports provide ideal port and transit facilities for cars to establish their trade links with the outer world for the benefit of the entire region. pakistan has served as a frontline state against the soviet occupation from 1979 to 1989, in post 9/11, its participation in us led alliances in gwot and now post us withdrawal from afghanistan. global partners in education journal – special edition december 2022, vol. 10, no. 2 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 61 due to its conflict with ukraine, russia is now badly in urgent need of expanding its customer base. in this regard, pakistan has remained a viable customer of gas and oil. pakistan's own gas reserves are rapidly depleting and taking into consideration all these ongoing crises, pakistan has signed an agreement with russia to import natural gas. in the year 2015 and 2021, pakistan also signed a project with russia that amounts to 2.5 billion usd. under the project, a 1100-kilometer gas pipeline, known as the pakistan stream gas pipeline project, from karachi to punjab will be constructed. all these developments in bilateral relationship between two countries are apparently to its favor yet the impact of this seemingly friendly relationship between russia and pakistan remains to be seen (owais, 2007). economic impact on pakistan throughout history, pakistan has been on good terms with ukraine and russia and has sustained its bilateral economic ties with both. pakistan exports to russia in 1996 were just 13.1 m usd but in 2020 the export rate will increase as much as 279 m usd. on the other hand, russia’s export was just 67.6m in 1996 but in 2020, they have gone as high as 699m usd. likewise, for a given year pakistan exports to ukraine have increased from 18.1 m usd to 573m usd and ukraine export to pakistan has increased from 2.98m usd to 82.1m usd (qiser, 2022). however, the ongoing conflict has brought this economic tie under huge strain. this is an especially alarming situation in a country like pakistan which is already struggling with numerous problems. after us, europe, nato and its allies, germany and many other states have expanded sanctions on russia. these sanctions will have an effect on the global market. likewise, pakistan will continue to suffer in many ways. pakistan, already suffering from a grappling economy, has record high inflation for a two years period from 2022 at around 10%. the inflation will in turn lead to a wageprice spiral, in which due to rising living costs, individuals demand more wages. this will exacerbate economic instability. furthermore, if wages are not raised, as a last option businesses would have to lay off their workforces, resulting in an increased unemployment. the disruption in the food value chain will be significant. russia and ukraine together constitute 21% of global wheat export in the year 2021. in the fiscal year 2021, pakistan alone consisted of 39% wheat imports from ukraine. it also imports corn, barley, grain, seeds among other items from ukraine. this disruption in supply leads to high prices of food commodities. the inflation in the food market also relates to cut in supply of fertilizers. likewise, there will be a surge in electricity rates too. one cannot deny that the natural outcome of high inflation, fewer jobs and more people falling below poverty line, their inability to make both ends meet will eventually deteriorate the law-and-order situation in the country (shakil, 2022). in the wake of global pandemic where the whole world suffered, the impact for poor countries like pakistan was especially disastrous. it had not yet come out of the cascading effect of those crises that a new challenge in the form of russia-ukraine global partners in education journal – special edition december 2022, vol. 10, no. 2 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 62 conflict had ensued. it is now at pakistan's wise disposal of all the means at hand that the country can counter this growing insurgency. china as a case study in the ukrainian-russian conflict, china's position can be evaluated with respect to three categories of interests. firstly, china wants to sustain its brotherly ties with russia. secondly, beijing would never want to give up on the west in pursuance of narrow national interest as its prosperous future is directly proportional to stable economic ties with the west. last yet equally important to china is preservation of its commitment enshrined in its foreign policy to safeguard sovereignty and territorial integrity of all states. china so far seems to be advocating a non-position on conflict by neither praising any state’s stance nor condemning invasion of russia. however, it remains uncertain how long china will maintain its policy of neutrality for as the tensions between two states continue to grow, the world-states will eventually be forced to open up about their choices (international crisis group, 2022). evaluating impact on global levelmiddle eastern and north african states the reality of how vulnerable states are to the outcome of ukraine-russia conflict is actually a question of how much dependent the states are for their national existence on ukraine and russia. when it comes to middle eastern and african states, it is observed that russia enjoys working ties with many states of middle east and north africa. for these states russia provides high level diplomatic assistance, active military engagement, a stable source of food and energy security and arms and ammunition aid. therefore, the probability of these states of non-allegiance to russia is less likely yet if continued for a long time, russia will soon not be in a position to provide assistance to middle eastern and north african states under the tightening sanctions and weakening diplomatic relationship with super powers of the world. it is then under this change of events that russia will begin to lose its influence over these states and it is then that these states will have to make a choice whether to hold on to russia or to let go of it (wehrey, 2022; rumley, 2022; welsh, 2022). recommendations following way outs can be adopted by both states to buffer their rapidly deteriorating relationships: a sustainable solution underpins geo-strategic interests primarily, the conflict between russia and ukraine requires an addressal of each state's specific national interest. yet, the fact remains that conflict between two states cannot be considered as merely their own conflict rather the implications of conflict go well beyond the borders. therefore, on a broader spectrum, the geo-strategic interest of states must be counted first when designing a policy-solution to war. temper antagonistic rhetoric by beginning with less divisive topics global partners in education journal – special edition december 2022, vol. 10, no. 2 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 63 firstly, discussions should be carried out on less divisive topics encompassing issues on sub-regional level rather than on continent wide level. these less divisive topics can range from trade, maritime environment, issues related to black sea, the baltic sea and other narrower grounds. there can be no better solution to temper antagonistic rhetoric than willingness of european states themselves in making table talks and acknowledging legitimate concerns of russians while also putting forward their own. this could be an important step because once discussions are underway, they might give way to topics of major concern. replacing “all or nothing” approach sanctions to russia are not a new thing. bringing russia suddenly under heavy sanctions may not be as effective as if the international community takes the approach of linking incremental sanctions to incremental relaxation of sanctions. this will be more effective than an all or nothing approach. provisions for security reservation the concept of ‘security reservation’ is based on the notion that energy should not be used as a weapon in times of war. it entails limitation on deployment of weapons only on a handful of positions and for calculated time. practically, this step is hard to follow yet it makes sense if nations show willingness to adopt it. infusing sense of belonging on inter-state level states must now establish a new security architecture based on a sense of belonging, putting aside ethnocentrism and eurocentrism. therefore, to overcome growing impatience in international politics, the state must adopt a more liberal outlook of acknowledging the nation's cultural, historical and ideological narrative. proactive approach in order to deal with the complete subject-matter of national security, the state must establish pro-active negotiation capacity, through early-stage consultation and international community assistance. trust-building it is certainly one of the most important reasons that two states have so far been unable to resolve their problems and all the efforts entailing negotiation and mediation have failed. it is advisable that the two must put forward their respective concerns in presence of the third-party mediators i.e. those states that enjoy a high degree of trust with both ukraine and russia. conclusion to conclude, it can be stated that it is true that no conflict can be defined as totally local in the modern times, as the global community has to suffer from the consequences in one way or another. the impact of the ukraine-russia conflict has global partners in education journal – special edition december 2022, vol. 10, no. 2 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 64 been felt in all parts of the world today. russia sees western expansion on its border as a threat to its sovereignty and it is willing to take all types of pain instead of acquiescence to western order. on the other hand, ukraine has its reasons to continue to resist russia’s interventions. it is the national interest which is at stake for both the states and, it is only through mutual understanding of both states’ national security threats that any viable solution can be implemented. adoption of humanitarian principles by both the states is favorable not only in promoting peace and brotherhood between them but for the international community at large. references ali, y. a. 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(2022). china’s role in the russia-ukraine conflict. global human rights defence. retrieved from: https://ghrd.org/about.php. ruhlig, t. (2022). the china factor in russia’s war implications for europe. german council on foreign relations, 3, 3-15. rumley, g. (2022). the impact of russia’s ukraine invasion in the middle east and north africa. the washington institute for near east policy. retrieved from: https://www.washingtoninstitute.org/policy-analysis/impact-russias-ukraine-invasionmiddle-east-and-north-africa global partners in education journal – special edition december 2022, vol. 10, no. 2 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 66 small, a. (2014). abbreviations. in: ukraine, russia, and the china option: the geostrategic risks facing western policy. (pp.9-19). the german marshall fund of the united states. https://www.jstor.org/stable/resrep18985.7 swiss policy research. (2022). ukraine war: a geostrategic assessment. retrieved from: https://notcbc.ca/2022/06/08/ukraine-war-a-geostrategic-assessment/ syed, b.s. (2022, march 30). pakistan seeks early end to russia-ukraine conflict. dawn. retrieved from: https://www.dawn.com/news/1682481 shakil, f.m. (2022). pakistan in firing line of a ukraine-russia war. asia times. retrieved from: https://asiatimes.com/2022/02/pakistan-in-firing-line-of-a-ukrainerussia-war/ united nations assistance mission in afghanistan. (2021). afghanistan annual report on protection of civilians in armed conflict: 2020. retrieved from: https://docslib.org/doc/10678409/afghanistan-annual-report-on-protection-ofcivilians-in-armed-conflict-2020 van metre, l. gienger, v. kuehnast, k.(2015). the ukraine-russia conflict. signals and scenarios for the broader region (special report 366). united states institute of peace. retrieved from: https://searchworks.stanford.edu/view/13775170 white, d. & adu, a. (2021, may 13). boiling tensions israel-palestine conflict explained: how did the fighting begin? the u.s. sun. retrieved from: https://www.the-sun.com/news/2878031/israel-palestine-conflict-how-fighting-began/ watling, r., & reynolds, n. (2022). the plot to destroy ukraine. royal united services institute for defence and security studies. https://rusi.org/explore-ourresearch/publications/special-resources/plot-destroy-ukraine wehrey, f. (2022). the impact of russia’s invasion of ukraine in the middle east and north africa. carnegie endowment for international peace. retrieved from: https://carnegieendowment.org/2022/05/19/impact-of-russia-s-invasion-of-ukraine-inmiddle-east-and-north-africa-pub-87163 welsh, c. (2022). the impact of russia’s invasion of ukraine in the middle east and north africa. center for strategic & international studies. https://www.csis.org/analysis/impact-russias-invasion-ukraine-middle-eastand-north-africa author notes sadaf qadir is currently an undergraduate law student at fatima jinnah women university. she had this privilege of getting secondary and higher education from different cities of pakistan including attock, multan, peshawar and rawalpindi. this wide exposure infused her sense of belonging and willingness to serve humanity. her core interests are international humanitarian law, international human rights law and international relations. she is motivated to keep on aspiring like-minded people global partners in education journal – special edition december 2022, vol. 10, no. 2 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 67 through her academic writing. she can be contacted at 20-21911018@law.fjwu.edu.pk zainab iqbal is currently working as a lecturer in the department of law at fatima jinnah women university rawalpindi, pakistan. she has completed her master's degree (llm international law) in 2019 from international islamic university, islamabad. in her llm, she wrote a thesis on “the need for a comprehensive arms trade treaty to prevent violations of international humanitarian law”. she has served as a consultant for various international organizations, including un women, british council, and eu. she can be contacted at zainab.iqbal412@gmail.com. global partners in education journal – special edition february 2021, vol. 9, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 61 virtual environment and social skills development noureddine mouhadjer, mohammed kheladi, amine belaid tlemcen university, algeria abstract the use of the videoconference technology has recently become a promising field in network-based language teaching (nblt). in the foreign language context, the significance of this technology lies basically in providing students with the opportunity to engage in meaningful speech interactions and, therefore, creating a supporting learning environment that enables them to develop real-life cross-cultural conversations, particularly with native speakers. on this basis, the present paper seeks to assess the impact of implementing such technology on students’ social skills development. more importantly, it makes use of the global understanding project to show the extent to which virtual intercultural encounters can affect the development of tolerance, respect and understanding among students in a world driven by its complex multiculturality; a world within which successful communication means a great deal. introduction recently, language contact has been significantly facilitated via the introduction of new technological tools, affording efl students the opportunity to engage in computermediated intercultural communication through approaches termed “telecollaborative”. the present case study is one example of these telecollaborations. it is indeed a worldcultures course taught through virtual classroom. a virtual classroom is a “virtual place to meet” that connects teachers and students. it is a setting that allows students to engage in challenging discussions, test their knowledge, access multiple resources, and receive assignments and garner feedback from teachers. it is a truly engaging learning environment within which students can get remote assistance from teachers and education specialists. in global understanding project, the virtual classroom is a space wherein internet is used to join partner countries from different corners of the world (africa, asia, europe and the americas) and to have a direct personal experience through real-time videoconferencing, chat, and emails, i.e. synchronous and asynchronous communication. this paper is, therefore, an attempt to highlight the ways in which this project contributes to establishing an intercultural dialogue. http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition february 2021, vol. 9, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 62 interculturality the global understanding course provides a format for students from the 23 member institutions to communicate worldwide and exchange insights about their cultures via video-conferencing and instant chat technology. therefore, one of the main objectives of this project is to create an intercultural learning environment and sustain a direct international experience among students from different educational institutions across the globe. the students (usually 16 in number) meet for 70 minutes for almost 16 weeks per semester. they are divided into two groups a and b, so that each class session includes discussion in both small groups for group a and one-to-one chat for group b. the discussions are usually centred on college life, family, the meaning of life, stereotypes, and prejudices. the global understanding project aims at developing an atmosphere of trust and confidence that encourages the students to share knowledge, opinions, values, attitudes and emotions, and most importantly to develop effective collaborative skills. through one-to-one collaboration, students become more reflective, and learn to identify themselves in comparison with others. the global understanding course generates and promotes an intercultural dialogue founded on respectful exchange of views between individuals and groups from different ethnic, cultural, religious and linguistic backgrounds. such dialogue is characteristically built on mutual understanding, openness and a genuine respect for and appreciation of diversity, equal human dignity and equal human rights. it strongly acknowledges a positive attitude towards diversity, considering the meeting between people with different beliefs and cultural profiles as enriching for collaborators. it also conceives that individual identity is subject to development, change and adaptation within a globalized world where multiculturality is prevailing. as such, intercultural dialogue is a crucial tool for achieving social cohesion within multicultural societies and for fostering a sense of inclusiveness in which individuals and groups cannot by no means be marginalized or characterized as being outsiders. intercultural dialogue requirements indisputably, respect and tolerance constitute the cornerstone of a successful intercultural dialogue. to illustrate this within the present research work, we will see in what follows instances from one of our classes that consisted of algerian students and their american partners. the intention is therefore to spot the impact of cross-cultural interaction in consolidating and reinforcing mutual respect and tolerance. http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition february 2021, vol. 9, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 63 respect respect indicates a positive feeling of esteem and good opinion about someone or something. this feeling is then translated into specific actions and conduct representative of that esteem. be it for a person or other entity (such as a nation or a religion), respect is identified by jonathan haidt as one of five fundamental moral values shared to a greater or lesser degree by different societies and individuals, and when someone fails to show respect towards someone else’s belief and way of action, then there is no foundation for successful communication and achievement of their common objectives (see haidt & graham 2007). in the following examples, we will demonstrate how respect is shown in our students’ use of language during conversation. by following specific conventions, respect is manifested in curiosity, openness, and readiness to suspend stereotypes about others’ culture. algerian students will be referred to as tua (tlemcen university of algeria) and american students as ecu (east carolina university) 1)-tua: in fact i study all eh the whole of the days in the week except the thursday and friday ecu: wow!! that’s a lot, that’s good 2)-tua: … (leo) i haven’t received a message from you, i don’t know why? ecu: ok to answer your question, i tried to email you but, i might have received the wrong email address tua: yes ecu: but i wrote you a very long email and i’m very sorry that you didn’t receive it tua: yeah because i think it was a mistake in my email at first, i don’t know if you received the second one, but i’m going to try to send you the new one … just to receive messages from you 3)-ecu: i study geology, …and geology is the study of rocks and minerals on the earth tua: yeah 4)-ecu: i’m in, i’m in a club that is called the naacp and i can explain to you what that is if you’d like. tua: yeah sure 5)-tua: that’s what i wanted to know ecu: ok i was glad that i explained it 6)-ecu: you got a question for me or you want me to start? tua: if you want to start it’s a pleasure to listen to you 7)-ecu: that’s sad, i cried too when i went to the elementary school tua: so good … i found somebody who is like me http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition february 2021, vol. 9, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 64 8)-tua: ok thank you ecu: you’re welcome, thank you 9)-tua: nice to meet you today ecu: you too …do you want to start or do you want me to start? 10)-tua: ok, what do you suggest as a topic for today? ecu: it’s an open discussion … we can talk about anything you would like to. 11)-tua: what do you think about us? ecu: ah!!…for me it has been good … i learned a lot because i, before i actually knew nothing, so this has been a great experience, i like you all. 12)-tua: how did you find the experience with us? ecu: the experience was very useful for all of us… i think we all learnt something new that we did not know before and it was a lot of fun getting to know people from the other side of the world…that was very interesting… how about you, what do you think about us? tua: it was a useful experience with you. from the above examples we can notice that most of the speech encompasses special formulas that indicate respect on the part of the speaker. at times, respect was manifested through creating a shared understanding about a topic, like in the case of geology. the important thing for everyone was that each one understands what the other wishes to say as fully as possible while being very nice whether in making or in answering statements. everyone was trying to empathize with their partners, in such a way that no feeling of disrespect was ever felt in the conversations. on the contrary, positive attitudes were displayed, and a willingness to suspend one’s values, beliefs and behaviours and see how they might look from an outsider’s perspective. tolerance according to language policy division of the council of europe, in their document autobiography of intercultural encounters, the concept of ‘tolerance’ suggests “the need for people of different cultural backgrounds to develop the ability at least to endure the fact that others believe and live differently within a particular society, or in the wider world, although they might share some core values” (2009,p.10). but tolerance should not be confused with respect, since tolerance does not necessarily imply any positive feeling. it is “the practice of deliberately allowing or permitting a thing of which one disapproves. one can meaningfully speak of tolerating, i.e., of allowing or permitting, only if one is in a position to disallow” (zagorin, 2003,p. 5). it may signify “no more than forbearance and the permission given by the adherents of http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition february 2021, vol. 9, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 65 a dominant religion for other religions to exist, even though the latter are looked on with disapproval as inferior, mistaken or harmful” (zagorin, 2003,p. 6). in an intercultural setting, tolerance is even more important. it is the basis of intercultural competence since it controls the attitudes of the person interacting with people of another culture. a tolerant person is willing to suspend their own values, beliefs and behaviours, and not assume that they are the only possible and naturally correct ones. they are then able to see how they might look from the perspective of an outsider who has a different set of values, beliefs and behaviours. in the following examples there are some instances of tolerance: 1)-ecu: do you drink alcohol? tua: no, no it is forbidden in our religion ecu: ah ok ecu: hello it’s stacy number 14 2)-tua: how do you consider the notion of family in the american society? ecu: yes my mum, my sister, me and my dog… my closest family tua:=so where is your father? 3) ecu: if someone was close to you, was secretive about being eh, homosexual … eh would that change your view about them? tua: i will have pity of him of course … but i’m not going to change my behaviour with him … the relationship will stay as it is 4)-tua: how do you consider the american muslims and how do you accept them? ecu: yeah, i honestly don’t think that there are many people who really … em for me personally seeing an american muslim is just like seeing an american jew or an american christian … that’s just their faith and so it doesn’t even really come up as a problem. ecu: however , probably none of us think of anything when we see them … but there are still a lot of ignorant people … and i know that when a lot of people see american muslims or muslims in general the thought of a terrorist comes to their mind immediately…and it’s just hard to, for people to realize that the general image that comes up when you think of terrorist is muslim… and, and that’s in general, but eh i mean eventually the majority of american people know that that’s not true … but there are still ignorant people out there and that’s a common misconception 5)-ecu: what is the general opinion or general feelings towards premarital sex? …does it happen, does it happen a lot or is just kept quiet? … and is it looked down upon? ... sex before marriage… is that looked down upon? tua: hi… well in terms of having sex before marriage in our religion, the answer in religion, it’s forbidden …in religion it’s forbidden to have sex before marriage …but this doesn’t mean that there is no practice of sex before marriage in all the http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition february 2021, vol. 9, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 66 arab societies … there are some exceptions of course… and they are increasing day by day… but in our religion it’s forbidden 6)-ecu: are people, are women who get pregnant before marriage looked down upon them? tua: there are some parents who don’t accept this, and punish of course the girls as well as the boys … but there are some other families who accept the fact 7)-tua: what’s your idea about the third world nations especially algeria and if ever is this idea changed now?… have you changed your idea within the experience with us?… after this experience? ecu: they are growing and they should be growing…i think there shouldn’t be countries that are suffering so much that their citizens cannot live … i think that’s a good thing that you guys are trying to better yourself by going to college and hopefully you get a job… as a person you need to know who do you want to be and how you want to live and focus on that and not about other people. from the above examples, we can notice that the communication was successful because students from both sides were able to accept ambiguity and lack of clarity from the other. in example 1, the ecu student did not discuss the tua student abstinence from drinking alcohol. likewise, tua student, in example 2 did not discuss the fact that a dog can be a member of a family. students’ tolerance was even complemented by the skills of taking up another’s perspective, of being able to grasp the ideas, feelings and intentions of the other. we can, clearly, see this in the remaining examples. homosexuality, premarital sex, and premarital pregnancy are taboo topics in algerian society, and in spite of this, tua students were open-minded enough to discuss them. ecu students showed the same level of tolerance, for example when tua student said she would feel pity for a homosexual friend. if these students did not have this tolerant attitude towards the way their partners act and what they believe, there would have been no communication and no achievement of joint objectives. tips to develop respect and tolerance in today's world of globalization, the world is certainly becoming smaller. people of various cultures and who have a set of beliefs that defines the code of conduct and values for their respective cultures are, nowadays, able to communicate freely. though cultural differences distinguish societies from one another, they find different ways to express thoughts, ideas which can cross cultures through different forms of media like television, newspapers and the internet. many people believe that due to the advancements in science and technology, cultural differences tend to disappear through time. http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition february 2021, vol. 9, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 67 however, in spite of all the good will in the world, miscommunication is likely to happen, especially when there are significant cultural differences between communicators. one important contributor, among many, to the cultural differences is the history of a particular region or country. the events of the past shape the moods and opinions of people living in that specific country and which are certainly different from another country, i.e. we make different meanings of the world, our place in it, and our relationships with others. this cultural difference may lead, in most cases, to miscommunication that may lead, on its turn, to conflict, or aggravate a conflict that already exists. unfortunately, most of the variables of cultural differences are much more complex than what we might think of them. each of them affects the way people communicate, and can be responsible for conflict or the intensification of conflict when it leads to miscommunication or misunderstanding. for this reason, several different theories and models of cultural differences have been designed. these models are included in table a1 (see appendix a) to summarize, the main cultural differences that these models and others that have been discussed in other numerous theories, surveys, and investigations that focus on specific countries, regions, and organizations, we may group them in 5 variables: 1) high context vs. low context, where in a low context culture things are fully spelled out and are made explicit, and there is considerable dependence on what is actually said or written, whereas in a high context culture communicators assume a great deal of commonality of knowledge and views, so that less is spelled out explicitly and much more is implicit or communicated in indirect ways (hall 1990). 2) monochronic vs. polychronic, where monochronic cultures like to do just one thing at a time and value a certain orderliness and sense of there being an appropriate time and place for everything, whereas polychronic cultures like to do multiple things at the same time (lewis 1992). 3) future vs. present vs. past orientation, where future-oriented societies have a great deal of optimism about the future and think they understand it and can shape it through their actions, whereas past-oriented societies are concerned with traditional values and ways of doing things and tend to be conservative in management and slow to change those things that are tied to the past. presentoriented societies, on the other hand, see the past as passed and the future as uncertain and prefer short-term benefits (hofstede 1991). 4) power distance, where the extent to which people accept differences in power allows to shape many aspects of life, such as superior/subordinate http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition february 2021, vol. 9, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 68 relationships. it can be high where individuals are deferential to people of authority and generally allow an unequal distribution of power, or low where individuals question authority and expect to participate in decisions that affect them (hofstede 1991). 5) individualism vs. collectivism, where in individualist cultures a person is all the more admirable if he/she is a “self-made man/woman” or “makes up his/her own mind” or shows initiative or works well independently. in collectivist cultures, on the other hand, people are expected to identify with and work well in groups which protect them in exchange for loyalty and compliance (hofstede 1991). in order to engage in a successful intercultural dialogue, respect and tolerance are required. they need to be explicitly taught and learned and then practiced and maintained throughout life. they can be encouraged through the development of course content that revolves around intercultural differences. being aware of these cultural differences like those mentioned above will equip individuals with all that is required to engage actively with people from other ethnic, cultural, religious and linguistic backgrounds. conclusion the major advancements in technology have drastically contributed to promoting educational standards within a globalized world. within this course of thought, videoconferencing has become an opportunity for educational interactions, saving then time and resources. this allows students to bridge relationships with partners from different cultures and backgrounds. a “telecollaboration” like global understanding project is not merely a space for meeting or exchanging knowledge and experiences with others, it is rather a space to put one’s culture and identity at large under scrutiny. in so doing, students are very likely to develop a reflective stance by reinforcing similarities and understanding the sources of differences while interacting with others. they not only learn to accept and respect others’ beliefs, values, and behaviours, but they also show empathy to people and develop interest in what others feel and how they perceive situations. references autobiography of intercultural encounters.(2009). council of europe. language policy division. retrieved march, 2020 from: https://rm.coe.int/autobiography-of-intercultural-encounters/16806bf02d http://www.gpejournal.org/ https://rm.coe.int/autobiography-of-intercultural-encounters/16806bf02d global partners in education journal – special edition february 2021, vol. 9, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 69 haidt, j., & graham, j. (2007). when morality opposes justice: conservatives have moral intuitions that liberals may not recognize. social justice research, 20(1), 98-116. hall, e. t. (1990 [1959]). the silent language. new york: anchor books hofstede, g. (1991). cultures and organizations. berkshire: mcgraw-hill book company europe. lessem, r. & neubauer, f. (1994). european management systems; towards unity out of cultural diversity. london: mcgraw-hill. lewis, r. d. (1992). finland: cultural lone wolf consequences in international business. helsinki: richard lewis communications. trompenaars, f. (1993). riding the waves of culture. london: nicholas brealy. zagorin, p. (2003). how the idea of religious toleration came to the west. princeton: princeton university press. http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition february 2021, vol. 9, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 70 appendix a there are several models that describe cultural patterns. the following table summarizes the major ones used by intercultural researchers and scholars. table a1: models for cultural differences model year dimensions hall 1959 space, material goods, friendship, time, agreement hofstede 1991 power distance, individualism, masculinity, uncertainty avoidance, long-term orientation lessem & neubauer 1994 pragmatism, rationalism, idealism, humanism lewis 1992 time trompenaars 1993 universalism, collectivism, emotional, specific, status, sequential, inner-directed author notes professor noureddine mouhadjer teaches intercultural communication at the department of foreign languages, at tlemcen university in algeria. he holds a phd in applied linguistics and his primary research interests include communication technologies in linguistics and cross-cultural interaction. dr. mohammed kheladi is an associate professor currently working at the department of english, tlemcen university, algeria. he holds a phd in the didactics of literature. he has been teaching english for ten years now. his field of interest is literature and civilization. mr. mohammed amine belaid is a phd student of comparative literature at the department of english at tlemcen university in algeria. he holds a master degree in anglo-saxon literature and civilization and currently works as an assistant teacher of english literary studies at the same university. correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to noureddine mouhadjer, department of english, tlemcen university, 22, rue abi ayedabdelkrimfg pasteur b.p 119 13000, tlemcen, algeria. contact: teflist@yahoo.com http://www.gpejournal.org/ mailto:teflist@yahoo.com 9 singingthe human connection global partners in education journal – special edition december 2022, vol. 10, no. 2 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 77 singing: the human connection marguerite o. hemedinger east carolina university, greenville, nc, usa abstract though music may not be a universal language, it is a facet that can help us understand each other across cultures, languages, and borders. this project explores the experiences in singing and teaching voice lessons of individuals in different parts of the world. it was designed as a case study not to analyze individual’s experiences as a representation of the whole, but rather as a point of comparison between individual experiences in different parts of the world. through interviews with people who have sung or taught singing in italy, chile, canada, and the united states, cultural values and practices of singing are compared. this study was conducted over the course of several months using virtual meeting technology. each interview was recorded with the express permission of the subjects and the recordings were analyzed after all the interviews were collected. the interview answers reveal several connections and contrasts between the individual subjects. some interviewees found different aspects of singing and learning to sing more important than others, such as lesson pacing (technique versus repertoire) and preparation (performing versus rehearsing). there were also many similarities that resonated in each singer’s experience around the world. for instance, all subjects discussed the mind-body connection that is experienced in singing. even though certain values varied between subjects, this study highlights the connection that different individuals have with their voice as part of their identity as a human in the world. keywords: singing, global perspectives, human cultures introduction music can be found in some way, shape, or form in nearly every human civilization across time. while that does not necessarily make music a universal language, there is something unique about music, and singing specifically, that it has an important place in nearly every culture. studies have been conducted exploring the relationship between human culture and music. there are variations in the way people interpret music and in the function of music in their culture, society, and history (feld & fox, 1994). there are also variations in the ways human beings use their voice, both their speaking/singing voice and their vocal power to speak their truth (feld & fox, 1994). there are different cultural uses for the voice and a variety of associations and experiences that people share through singing. throughout all these connections and differences, one aspect that can connect us is the human voice. many studies have been done on the influence singing can have on language learning (see good, russo, & sullivan, 2015; ludke, 2009; matsu, 2022; zbikrowski, 2012). the literature review shows that there is a gap in publications of qualitative research focused on the perceptions and experiences of singers, teachers, and lovers of music. this research explores the connections in singing through individual experiences around the world. in this study, five participants with different international singing global partners in education journal – special edition december 2022, vol. 10, no. 2 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 78 experiences were interviewed. they were asked about the logistics, philosophy, and culture of their voice lessons. subjects had experiences singing or teaching voice lessons in chile, switzerland, montreal, ontario, italy, and the united states. each participant offers an individual perspective on their experience singing in each culture. the background of this research comes from my personal experience singing internationally. as an undergraduate vocalist, i researched opportunities to continue my vocal studies while studying abroad in valparaíso, chile. a couple weeks into my semester, i arrived at my first audition to take voice lessons at a conservatory. i had a certain expectation for how the audition would be set up and what lessons would look like: there would be a piano; there would be a classroom or studio space; there would be a voice teacher at the piano or an accompanist; they would use [what i had been taught was] “standard” repertoire. i also assumed that it would not be a problem that i was only going to be there for 6 months. these assumptions and expectations quickly disappeared after not recognizing the set up inside the audition: no piano; a huge, crowded room inside of a palace-like space; no recognizable repertoire. before i sang one note, i was asked to leave the audition. the conservatory model in valparaíso required years of study with the same teacher, and i was hoping to study for a few months. looking back on that experience now, i did not speak the musical and cultural language fluently and had not considered that cultural differences could extend to something like voice lessons. this oversight sparked my curiosity: what are voice lessons like in other places? what do other people experience in solo singing lessons? why do people sing? the participants in this study shared their experiences in studying and teaching voice in different countries and cultures. paola is a singer from chile; agnus is a singer who lived in italy for 8-10 years and took voice lessons; kerby is a singer from the us who studied abroad in italy for a semester and took voice lessons; catherine teaches and performs in the us and grew up singing in ontario, ca; and daniel is from and teaches in ontario, ca and has studied/taught in montreal and switzerland. i asked what led them to want to study or teach singing, the logistical set-up of their voice lessons, what sort of repertoire/genres do they sing or assign to students, and lastly, what is important to them about singing. it is important to note that each individual person is not meant to represent the experience of an entire country or culture, but rather to serve as a tool in comparing individual experiences throughout the world and to aid in exploring the threads that connect us. experiences singing in chile paola is a chilean singer from outside of santiago. she studies voice in her university and through chorus. when i asked her why she chooses to sing, she told me that she has always loved music. although she plays the guitar and the ukulele, she loves to sing the most because of the text and poetry. as singers, we have the luxury, responsibility, and privilege of communicating with text. this connection to the text that paola expressed is not unique; other vocalists whom i interviewed shared this experience as well. global partners in education journal – special edition december 2022, vol. 10, no. 2 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 79 paola’s lessons take place in a group setting. the teacher instructs from the piano, and they are in a large recital hall space. students typically sing art and folk songs in spanish and sometimes english. paola’s favorite songs to sing are folk songs in spanish. one reason for this could be that she is able to connect with the songs on a deeper level because it is her native language. the last question i asked was, “what is important to you about singing? why is it important to you that you sing?” this is what she said: [translated, original: spanish] “for me singing is very, very important. i feel that music in general is for everyone. and i feel that it is part of my life because it is very powerful and strong. one connects with very profound things when one relates the song, the melody, and the lyrics with their life experiences. for me, it is a liberation. it is part of me.” paola touches on the idea that singing is something available for everyone and that she feels embodied when singing. these are observations that i found in other interviews as well. experiences singing in canada and europe daniel is a countertenor who sings all over the world. it was natural for him to study music and teach voice because he grew up in a musical family. as both a performer and teacher, daniel offers another perspective to this topic. when he meets a new voice student for the first time, the first lesson is often mostly talking: getting to know what their musical and non-musical interests are and why they are taking lessons. he said that he tries to not ask too much in the first lesson because it is important that they have a chance to sing. he chooses repertoire using the student’s interests and experiences for guidance and he focuses on singing in languages that they speak so that they have a solid understanding of the meaning of the piece. this is one of the connections he shares with paola, who expressed her preference for singing in her native language. daniel also has education and teaching experience in europe because he studied in switzerland and has performed in several countries. curious about the differences he experienced, i asked about the contrasts between north american voice lessons and singing in europe. he said his main observation was the fundamental understanding that the european singers have of the music from europe. the example he gave was hearing mahler’s fifth symphony in germany performed by german singers. he described it as an emotionally transformative experience because the singers were able to dig deeper into the meaning of the music due to stronger cultural connections with the music and the text. the relation that can be made when there is a deep understanding of the culture and language of a piece is a reoccurring theme in these interviews. i asked daniel why he teaches singing and why his singing is important to him. his response is as follows: global partners in education journal – special edition december 2022, vol. 10, no. 2 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 80 “i really think that we want to explore a really safe and life-affirming teaching… i really mean the pedagogy: literally how we think of vocal technique and repertoire learning. i think all these things can support health. i think we can just go ahead and heal the world.” similar to paola, daniel touches on his experience of singing being a universal sensation. his answer varies as he explores this observation through the lens of teaching vocal technique and repertoire. daniel equates singing to supporting health which has been explored in other studies as well. i also interviewed my voice teacher and research mentor, dr. catherine gardner, about her experience in teaching music in the united states in comparison to her experience growing up singing in ontario, canada. catherine was in many choirs and took piano lessons when she was younger. in university she focused on vocal performance, but when she started teaching private lessons after graduation, she realized that she really loved it. she said that she learned things about her own voice while teaching others. when i asked about how she chooses repertoire, she told me about the graded system of music in canada called the royal conservatory of music. students progress through the books and each book has repertoire picked out by voice teachers that are appropriate for each level. this is a resource that comes from voice teachers who have a better awareness for the needs and ability levels of voice students. catherine also emphasized the importance of choosing repertoire that is diverse and represents composers of color, lgbtqia+ composers, and minorities in traditional western music. her response to the final question about the importance of singing resonated with much of what had been touched on in other interviews while adding some new ideas as well: “for me as a person, the awareness of my experience being a human in my body i think is something that singing has brought me that i don’t know if i would have found if i was not a singer: how do i feel? am i breathing? how do i feel about this poetry? how do i want to express it? just being in touch with my feelings and my physical body. i think we all can benefit from being aware of who we are in our bodies. but then i also think we get the privilege of expressing beautiful poetry, text, and a whole range of feelings to audiences or whoever is listening to us who maybe do not have the same tools to express that but have all those feelings. it feels good as a singer to say out loud these words that express the human experience and then also to know that the audience is taking that in and helping them process being a human in the world.” catherine, similarly to paola, talks about the experience of feeling embodied through singing because it is a physical experience. she also expresses how important it is to communicate the poetry and text through song. experiences singing in the united states and italy my last two interviews were with kerby and agnus. kerby is a voice teacher in the us who studied for a few months in italy during her undergraduate degree with an italian voice teacher. kerby described her voice lessons as taking place in the school where they lived and took their other classes. one distinct difference she noticed in her italian global partners in education journal – special edition december 2022, vol. 10, no. 2 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 81 lessons in comparison to her lessons in the us was the schedule. her voice lessons in the us always began and ended on time whereas in italy, “things took the time they took.” if they were at a stopping point early, the lesson ended earlier, if they needed more time, they took more time. the biggest take away she learned from those lessons (that she still incorporates into her singing and teaching) is the emphasis on style and the importance of the story in the song that her italian teachers taught. during her time in italy, she mostly sang in italian in order to gain a deeper understanding of italian music and culture. kerby discussed the influences of a larger culture on her singing experience. this may be because she is thinking more about the differences and factors that impact those experiences, coming from a different culture and frame of reference. i asked kerby about why she sings, and she shared: “one of the biggest reasons i love singing right now in my life…is because i feel like it really connects me to my body. i feel very mindful and embodied when i am singing. i’ve always been really attracted to the balance of science and art that is singing… the balance of technique and thinking and logic with the endgame of music which is to make meaningful artistic music. i also feel this duty to keep it alive…with online media it becomes a little bit more difficult to consume art that is meant to be experienced live with bodies in the room. i feel very drawn to this idea of staying in the art so that it doesn’t die, and some people are reminded that it’s awesome and that it’s worth the ticket price and the communal experience.” similar to catherine and paola, kerby is impacted by the physicality and the experience she has in her body as she sings. she also presents the experience of being on the receiving end of a live performance and how important it is to her as a performer and audience member. the last participant, agnus, studied in italy under different circumstances than kerby, however, there were a lot of similarities between their stories. agnus went to italy to study italian and took lessons in italian to practice her language skills and vocal technique. she focused on the old italian art songs because she wanted to learn them the “italian way.” when i asked her about what she meant by the “italian way,” she gave an answer that was similar to kerby’s: singing the song with style and with a true understanding of what the text means. she studied with three different voice teachers while she was in italy, travelling back and forth over a period of 8-10 years. for agnus, these are the important elements of singing: “the communication part [is important]. i think the words and how to get the meaning across, i mean the music of course is important too, but the words are so very important. i think that comes across with the italian teachers, they want those words to come out and the sense of the song. i guess it’s a communication thing.” her response focused on the ability to communicate the feeling and meaning behind the text expressively, similar to catherine’s response. global partners in education journal – special edition december 2022, vol. 10, no. 2 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 82 conclusion this study highlights the similarities and differences found in five individual singing experiences around the globe. each participant described the importance of feeling fully embodied while singing. many observed the responsibility and privilege of expressing poetry and its meaning through their voice and music. some participants described the value of singing in their native languages while others preferred to sing in a diverse selection of languages. some participants found value in having a deep understanding of the text and being able to communicate effectively due to their familiarity with the language. they also elaborated on the differences in structure and logistics of the lesson, including group versus individual lessons, emphasis on different repertoire and techniques, and the types of pedagogy used. personal perspectives of bodily autonomy and awareness of self through the experiences of singing and teaching singing is a subject that deserves further exploration. there have been many studies done about the scientific and neurological aspects of singing and few about the emotions and sensations felt while singing. this study contributes to a deeper understanding of singers’ experiences performing, studying, and teaching in their body and in the world. an expansion of this study could include voices and perspective from other parts of the world including but not limited to asia, africa, australia, central and eastern europe, and other parts of latin america. although there were differences in the participants’ experiences in learning and teaching singing in their respective cultures, much of the structure and repertoire remained similar to the western music tradition that has integrated into much of the world due to factors such as colonization (ingle, 2017). this research opens further questions about the value of singing in other languages, the meaning that can get lost in the translation and presentation of songs, and how history has affected the value and use of singing around the world. references feld, s., & fox, a. a. (1994). music and language. annual review of anthropology, 23, 25–53. http://www.jstor.org/stable/2156005 good, a. j., russo, f. a., & sullivan, j. (2015). the efficacy of singing in foreign language learning. psychology of music, 43(5), 627–640. https://doi.org/10.1177/0305735614528833 ingle, g. l. (2017). decolonizing music: the music forum of the americas. american music teacher, 67(2), 16–18. https://www.jstor.org/stable/26385827 jeannin, m. (2008). organizational structures in language and music. the world of music, 50(1), 5–16. http://www.jstor.org/stable/41699805 ludke, k. m. (2009). teaching foreign languages through songs. institute for music in human and social development. university of edinburgh. http://hdl.handle.net/1842/5500 matsu, s. (2022). student perceptions of an arts-integrated curriculum intervention in global partners in education journal – special edition december 2022, vol. 10, no. 2 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 83 foreign language education: a qualitative case study (order no. 28968154). available from proquest dissertations & theses global. (2659969415). https://www.proquest.com/dissertations-theses/student-perceptions-arts-integratedcurriculum/docview/2659969415/se-2?accountid=10639 peretz, i., gagnon, l., hébert, s., & macoir, j. (2004). singing in the brain: insights from cognitive neuropsychology. music perception: an interdisciplinary journal, 21(3), 373–390. https://doi.org/10.1525/mp.2004.21.3.373 trollinger, v. l. (2010). the brain in singing and language. general music today, 23(2), 20–23. https://doi.org/10.1177/1048371309353878 zbikowski, l. m. (2012). music, language, and what falls in between. ethnomusicology, 56(1), 125–131. https://doi.org/10.5406/ethnomusicology.56.1.0125 author notes marguerite olivia hemedinger earned a bachelor of music in music education and a bachelor of arts in hispanic studies from east carolina university in north carolina, united states of america. hemedinger presented the research titled singing: a human connection at the 2022 research and creative achievement week conference at east carolina university and at the 2022 global issues conference. 8 reading aloud global partners in education journal – special edition march 2022, vol. 10, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 75 reading aloud in english and discussing the discovery of america: one clil lesson plan from a double-focused integrated course for primary school maria pushkareva ural state pedagogical university, ekaterinburg, russia abstract content and language integrated learning (clil) today is often taken as a mainstream in world second language education (esl) albeit typically optional than obligatory. in russia the clil methodology is not widespread yet but steadily gains popularity. the article presents one lesson plan, “meet christopher columbus”, from an integrated double focused course for 4th grade children devoted to reading fluency and world history. the author undertakes a theoretical and empirical approach. the main educational resource of the lesson is the well-known american poem for kids, “in 1492 columbus sailed the ocean blue”, by jean marzollo (marzollo, 1948). the lesson goals are to improve oral reading technique and discuss some essential questions about the discovery of america. the lesson framework is based on do coyle’s 4c’s model (coyle, 1999, 2006). scaffolding strategies include some visuals in the powerpoint (pictures and videos), translanguaging and codeswitching when necessary during the lesson. the lesson had been piloted in ekaterinburg municipal school №171 in 2021 and proved to be effective in boosting self-esteem in reading and motivating children to learn more about historical figures and events. 1. introduction content and language integrated learning appeared as one of the answers to the great educational challenges of the end of the 20th century. the crucial global changes at the turn of the millennium that altered the face of humanity made people revise a considerable proportion of strategic guidelines about the pedagogic objectives for a new generation. a flexible approach, described as a dual-focus methodology in which content and language are learned together in an integrated way (marsh et al., 2001) that could combine various educational aims in different models, has begun to win teachers’ minds and hearts all over the world. today clil has become a driving force in various types of mainstream education and is seen by many as the best practice for the future, though no unanimity exists with regard to the linguistic competencies that result from clil and an overall picture of the long-term effects of clil is lacking (goris et al., 2019). the eurydice report “key data on teaching languages at school in europe” noted that clil increased learners’ exposure to the language they learn without taking the additional time from the curriculum but it was not very widespread yet (eurydice brief, 2017). spain is probably the most experienced european country in clil application with government support, while in other countries it is realized systematically but offered as an option (cimermanová, 2021). global partners in education journal – special edition march 2022, vol. 10, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 76 in russia, clil seems to develop largely in a similar way. on the one hand, the very idea of subject integration and deep learning stimulating development of crosscurricular skills and functional literacy are officially recommended by the federal public education standard both for primary and secondary education. the majority of english language students’ books that are used in russian schools contain cross-cutting themes yet confined to language learning purposes. on the other hand, several clil projects that were realized in different regions over the past fifteen years were localized and small scale. for example, there is a municipal language integrated school “duplex” in perm (sokolovskaya & nabatova, 2015). other than that, in 2017 the implementation of an integrated course for first grade children in togliatti was reported (gudkova & iashina, 2017). some clil lesson plans of teachers in service are occasionally published on different educational sites. clil in the secondary school has become a research topic for several master’s degree theses during the last five years. thus, the promotion of the approach is expanding, which maria ellison describes as initiatives made both at ministerial and grassroots levels (ellison, net(working), 2018). 2. the integration of l2 reading fluency and history in primary school the choice of two priority areas for integration was determined by some essential features of primary school curriculum in russia. the first one is the widespread problem of poor reading skills among russian students. except english classes most of them encounter english written words in computer games, labels and signboards. the insufficiency is made worse by lack of time for reading tasks during english lessons and the differences between languages. for instance, in the russian language the words are read according to rules and in the english language there are a lot of exceptions. besides, in russian there are no letter clusters. russian children often need auditory memory fixation of english words as they can be taken as meaningless (milrood, 2017). additionally, it should be kept in mind that reading aloud has a special value for beginners for control and self-control. the optimal proportion of reading aloud and silent reading for young learners is 90 to 10 per cent (solovova, 2005). so reading aloud becomes an important educational purpose that needs additional attention and practice. history as the second integration branch was chosen because of great opportunities of language integration with citizenship education. another reason was the coincidence of the subjects in the basic 4th grade curriculum. the last year of primary education is the time of the propaedeutic history course called “the world around”. the simultaneous learning of history during double focused and standard lessons can create synergy that also contributes to the clil lesson effectiveness. 3. the clil lesson model a well-known inspirer of clil, do coyle, says that the major strength of clil-based teaching is the great flexibility of the model: it can easily be adapted to suit the needs of all stakeholders involved (coyle, 2005). in 2009, р. ball presented the classification of clil models including a strong version (hard) of clil, a weak version (soft) of clil and some interim variants (ball, 2009). our clil lesson model can be classified as a soft clil type, in which language classes are based on thematic units. according to global partners in education journal – special edition march 2022, vol. 10, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 77 the classification of the british council’s profile report on bilingual education (english) in poland (marsh et al., 2008), our variant is “limited english language medium instruction, with l1-l2 code switching”. 4. the description of a clil lesson the framework, the participants, the procedure this clil lesson is a part of a double-focused course devoted to reading fluency and introduction to world history. ten authentic poems of british and american writers concerning the most important periods of world history became the content base of the course. the target audience of the course were the students of the 4th grade of municipal school № 171 from ekaterinburg. the course was validated in the 20202021 academic year and now is being finalized. the lesson “meet christopher columbus” was based upon the well-known poem for children “in 1492 columbus sailed the ocean blue” by jean marzollo (1948). the choice of the poem stemmed from the importance of the event for world history, the vocabulary in the poem, and its length adequacy for the age of the participants. the proportion of new words for the students was up to ten per cent. as for the grammar structure, i.e. past tense, it was also familiar to the students. the poem is meaningful, authentic and challenging as it shows one point of view for an essential and controversial event in american history. the poem consists of 22 short lines. the outcomes of the lesson were presented separately by language and content components. by the end of the lesson, the children were able to give the date of discovery of america, to define the character of christopher columbus and to briefly describe his voyage to america (the purposes, the reasons, the route, the means of transport, its length, conditions, results). language outcomes suggest confident reading of the names and the words, connected to the topics: history, traveling and the age of discovery, automatised correct reading of the regular and irregular verbs and letter clusters such as ai, ay, oo, ight, wh, ng, qu. the lesson was piloted as an additional english class for 13 children, including one disabled student as the school provides inclusive education. 5. methodology of the lesson the methodological base of the lesson took into account the main clil framework for developing clil materials (including mohan’s knowledge structures, do coyle’s 4cs and matrix 3as planning tools, revised bloom’s taxonomy) that is used now for kindergarten and primary education (garcia, 2013), as well as some reading strategies determined the choice of the exercise. the aims of the lesson were developed according to the 4c concept: content, communication, cognition and culture aims. the lesson components were planned for a particular class. thus, content aims were set in accordance with the student’ age and overall mental level of the class. the communication aims were met by teamwork and peer support. the cognition element was realized by means of pictures and questions which stimulated a discussion. culture aims were connected with a multiethnic class that consisted of children from mixed cultural and religious backgrounds. global partners in education journal – special edition march 2022, vol. 10, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 78 with the use of do coyle’s language tryptych, the poem vocabulary and classroom language were divided into 3 parts language of learning (analyzing), language for learning (adding) and language through learning (applying) (table 1). language of learning language for learning (classroom language) language through learning ocean, ship, spain, night, day, compass, go, sail, sailor, crew, tree, sand, rock, land, natives, spice, gold, made, again, bright, brave, trip settle down please, pay attention to, choose your variant, compare, you’ve worked very well today, well done. a voyage, to discover, to change, dangerous, pride, arakawa indians, the age of discovery, the bahamas, siberia. table 1 division of the lexical content according to 3as by coyle the exercises were structured according to mohan’s and bloom’s algorithms: from familiar language and content to new content and new language, from knowledge/remembering, comprehension/understanding, analysis/analyzing to evaluation/evaluating. the oral reading skills development was based on bda strategies (before reading, while reading and after reading tasks) and some specific techniques. the training reading model was adopted from l. urubkova (1980). she underlines that effectiveness of reading in class depends on a certain order of tasks: tone marking of the text, whole-class reading, reading in pairs, whispering reading and individual declamation. the whole class and pair reading were conducted by means of a wide range of practices: neurological impress method by heckelman (heckelman, 1986), 4/3/2 method by nation (nation 2009), some exercises from speed reading technique suggested by i. fedorenko (fedorenko, 1978) – “the tug reading” when the teacher read the text with different speeds and the students followed him with pointing the necessary line, “interrupted reading” when reading was stopped by a teacher and the students needed to find the line to continue reading as quickly as possible, tasks for peripheral vision improvement. ultimately, the clil lesson consisted of the following parts: 1) before reading activities: checking students’ previous knowledge, revising the vocabulary connected to the target topic, historical context immersion (supported by powerpoint presentation) and work with phonics and peripheral vision. 2) musical pause. 3) while reading activities: listening to the teacher’s reading, whole-class reading, reading in pairs, individual whisper reading, creative declamation. 4) after reading activities: the discussion of stimulating questions with short assessment tasks. 6. implementation global partners in education journal – special edition march 2022, vol. 10, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 79 1) before reading activities as a brainstorming task the students were given a picture of an old compass and had to guess the topic of the lesson. the warming up activity was a game in which the children had to choose one word from the pair (coffee or tea, america or australia, ship or car, sail or swim, spain or india, go or run, sand or rock, hot or cool and etc.). the presentation gave students some facts about columbus and the idea of the earth’s sphericity was discussed. for peripheral vision improvement, lists of the basic lesson words were shown up quickly on the screen. the task was to find a letter or word. 2) for a musical pause the students listened to the recording of the poem and repeated the teacher’s movements to react to verbal input (tpr). 3) while-reading activities “in 1492” poem performance was done in groups: every crew had the name of columbus’ ships santa maria, nina and pinta. the students turned their chairs into ships and presented their reading while standing on them. 4) after reading activities the students tried to identify words from the poem that were meaningful for the historical context. one more challenging task was to compare columbus discovery with ermak siberia conquest (the regional history component). the key question for the final discussion was “can one man change history?”. 7. scaffolding the term scaffolding appeared in the educational sense about fifty years ago (mohan, 2020) and meant interactional instructional relationship between adults and learners that “enables a child or novice to solve a problem” (wood, bruner & ross, 1976). some researchers connect the term with vygotsky’s zone of proximal development (ellison, 2018). anyway, today it is an essential part of any clil project (meyer, 2013) as it is a possible way of overcoming most clil challenges especially in the primary school. during the lesson, further scaffolding techniques were used: • powerpoint presentation • handouts with text • inspiring pictures (columbus’s ships) • comprehension breaks • vocabulary key (list of irregular verbs on the desk) • translanguaging and codeswitching during the discussion • “huddles” trick, with each group sitting next to one another to discuss the poem with peers to make the meaning of all words clear, before performing the poem 8. criteria assessment global partners in education journal – special edition march 2022, vol. 10, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 80 the question of assessment for clil lessons remains open. in the recent clil assessment pilot study, g. laborda states that brief research on assessment in content language integrated learning testifies to a lack of references that specifically address this topic (laborda, 2020). concluding that efforts should be made to ensure the right combination of language and content in assessment practices, the author calls the clil assessment a neglected area and opens a line for future research. as ellison underlines, the focus of assessment in any given context will be determined by the main goals of the program (ellison, 2017) taking into account such a specific situation with an atheoretical base, the cornerstone for our assessment criteria became the equal attention to content and language segments that were evaluated separately. the content segment learning was scored on the basis of discussion participation: 2 points for asking and answering the questions, 1 point for answering the questions and zero points for non-participation. the language learning criteria consisted of several criteria items: accurate reading (02 points depending on mistakes, reading speed (0-2 points compared with reading in the mother-tongue), expression (0-2 points) (table 2). criteria 2 points 1 points 0 points content active participation in discussion partial participation in discussion non participation language (reading fluency) 4-5 reading mistakes less than 10 reading mistakes more than 10 mistakes expression + tempo comparable with the tempo of reading in the mother tongue slower than the tempo of reading in the mother tongue much slower than the tempo of reading in the mother tongue table 2. assessment criteria for clil lesson 6-8 points matched the mark “5”, 3-5 points matched the mark “4”, 2 and less points were not evaluated as educational purposes were not achieved. 9. results and reflection the lesson was a success as the children were active and inspired by it. the content and language aims were reached in general. it is important to mention that we did not use direct translation of the poem and the context helped the students to catch the meaning. the discussion was interesting to children and contrary views were expressed. the assessment showed the following results (fig.1) global partners in education journal – special edition march 2022, vol. 10, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 81 figure 1. the assessment results of the clil lesson but there obviously were some weak points. regrettably, there were mistakes in reading words that had been revised before the activity. apparently, extra time and tasks are necessary for the pre-reading stage. and there were children who proved that they needed more individual work. it seems that a mind map or fact box could be a good improvement for the content aims. 10. conclusion the preliminary results of clil approach implementation in a russian primary school show a great potential for motivating both students and teachers. the lesson “meet columbus” with the integration of history and the english language was a positive experience. history context immersion and reading aloud mutually influenced each other making the learning more meaningful and lasting. references ball, p. (2009). does clil work? in d. a. hill & a. pulverness (eds.) the best of both worlds? international perspectives on clil. norwich: norwich institute for language education: 32-43. cimermanová, i. (2021) a review of european research on content and language integrated learning. integration of education, 25(2): 192-213. retrieved from https://doi.org/10.15507/1991-9468.103.025.202102.192-213 coyle, d. (1999): supporting students in content and language integrated contexts: planning for effective classrooms. in: masih, john (ed.): learning through a foreign language – models, methods and outcomes. london: centre for information on language teaching and research (cilt), 46-62. coyle, d. (2005) clil planning tools for teachers. university of nottingham. school of education. retrieved from https://clilrb.ucoz.ru/_ld/0/29_clilplanningtoo.pdf global partners in education journal – special edition march 2022, vol. 10, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 82 coyle, d. (2006): content and language integrated learning – motivating learners and teachers. in: the scottish language review, 13: 1-18. retrieved from https://scilt.org.uk/portals/24/library/slr/issues/13/slr13_coyle.pdf ellison, m. (2018) (net)working clil in portugal. e-teals: an e-journal of teacher education and applied language studies special edition: 4-22. retrieved from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/333722289_networking_clil_in_portugal ellison, m. (2018) clil in the primary school context. in garton, s. and copland, f. (eds.). the routledge handbook of teaching english to young learners: 247 – 268. london: routledge. retrieved from https://bayanebartar.org/filedl/library/linguistic/the-routledge-handbook-of-teaching-english-to-younglearners.pdf fedorenko, i.t. (федоренко, и.т.) (1978) improving students’ reading fluency. recommended methods for teachers. kharkiv. garcía, s. (2013) three frameworks for developing clil materials in infant and primary education encuentro, 22: 49-53. retrieved from https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/58910246.pdf goris, ja, denessen, ejpg, verhoeven, ltw (2019) effects of content and language integrated learning in europe. a systematic review of longitudinal experimental studies. european educational research journal, 18(6): 675–698. retrieved from https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/1474904119872426 gudkova, s.a. (гудкова, с.а.) & iashina, n.b. (яшина, н.в.) (2017) methodological opportunities of using clil technology in teaching english in primary school // science vector of togliatti state university / vektor nauki tolyattinskogo gosudarstvennogo universiteta. pedagogy, psychology, 2(29): 31-35. retrieved from https://journal.tltsu.ru/rus/index.php/vnspp/article/view/8585 key data on teaching languages at school in europe. eurydice brief. (2017) retrieved from https://op.europa.eu/en/publication-detail/-/publication/ff10cc21-aef9-11e7-837e01aa75ed71a1/language-en/format-pdf laborda, j., & alcalde peñalver, e. (2020) attitudinal trends in clil assessment: a pilot study / tendencias actitudinales en evaluación aicle: estudio piloto. tejuelo. didáctica de la lengua y la literatura. educación / tejuelo. didactics of language and literature. education, 31: 325-341. retrieved from https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.17398/1988-8430.31.325 mahan, k. r. (2020) the comprehending teacher: scaffolding in content and language integrated learning (clil). the language learning journal: 1-15. retrieved from https://clck.ru/yakxk marzollo, j. (1948) in 1492. scholastic inc. meyer, o. (2013) introducing the clil-pyramid: key strategies and principles for clil planning and teaching. in: basic issues in efl teaching: 295-313. retrieved from https://clck.ru/yakvc global partners in education journal – special edition march 2022, vol. 10, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 83 milrood, r. (мильруд, р.) (2017) teaching reading fluency in primary school. iyazyki.ru. foreigh languages, 8.09. retrieved from http://iyazyki.prosv.ru/2017/09/education-technology/ sokolovskaya, s.v. (соколовская, с.в.) & nabativa, o.a. (набатова, о.а.) (2015) content and language integrated learning in a general education school. perm pedagogical journal, 7: 60-64. retrieved from https://cyberleninka.ru/article/n/predmetno-yazykovoe-obuchenie-vobscheobrazovatelnoy-shkole solovova, e. (соловова, е.) (2005) foreign language teaching methodology. moscow. retrieved from http://learnteachweb.ru/articles/solovova1.pdf urubkova, l.m. (урубкова, л.м.) (1980) ways of improving the effectiveness of teaching reading at the start of secondary school (in english classes). abstract of thesis. мoscow wood, d., bruner, j. s. & ross, g. (1976) the role of tutoring in problem solving. journal of child psychology and psychiatry, 17(2): 89-100. retrieved from 10.1111/j.1469-7610.1976.tb00381.x author note maria pushkareva is a postgraduate student at the institute of foreign languages (ural state pedagogical university) and an english teacher in service. she also has a bachelor diploma in history. now her research interests are in primary language education though history is forever in her heart. she thinks that history potential for young learners is underestimated and clil can become an effective way to educate new citizens who can speak to the world in one language. email: mariapushkareva2017@gmail.com 3 hiv aids global partners in education journal – special edition march 2022, vol. 10, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 12 awareness about medico-legal aspects of hiv/aids shamim riaz alias anni, hiffsa bibi and samia hasnat fatima jinnah women university, rawalpindi, pakistan abstract the purpose of this research is to elucidate the fact that the aids/hiv pandemic requires a unique and truly global response. the incidences of aids are continuously rising all around the world affecting both the highly developed countries like the us and the developing countries like india and pakistan. despite improvements in technology, the modern world is not prepared to cope with this quickly spreading disease the definitive cure for which is not yet known. aids is a serious medical issue, which, due to its prevalence and complexity-affects many aspects of our life, resulting in legal issues as well. moreover, the discrimination against hiv patients makes the situation critical to such an extent that medical care and health facilities are not provided to them properly. the law can prevent these things by acting as a barrier to hiv but unfortunately the legislatures nearly around the world lag in enacting specific laws to prevent aids. introduction since its identification, hiv/aids cases have been continuously rising all around the world. hiv first originated when siv, a virus closely related to hiv that attacked the immune system of chimpanzees and monkeys, was transferred to humans who had hunted and eaten those animals in the area of kinshasa, the democratic republic of congo, presumably in 1920. at that time hiv was unknown and did not come to the attention of the public (history.com 2017). the human immunodeficiency virus is a retrovirus that weakens the immune system of the human body. hiv causes aids in human beings. more than 40 years ago, in 1980 the first case of hiv was identified in the united states. today, hiv/aids has attained pandemic status. approximately 37.7 million people were living with hiv across the world in 2020. out of these, 36 million were adults and 1.7 million were children of 0-14 years and 53% were women and girls and 1.0 million people have died from hiv in 2020 (doychininov 2021). aids is one of the most serious, deadly diseases in human history and the most terrifying public health issue because, since the beginning of the pandemic, 55.9-110 million people have been infected with hiv, and 36.3 million people have died of hiv (doychininov 2021). the continuously rising numbers of hiv/aids cases pose serious challenges not only to the medical but also to the legal field. the medico-legal issues surrounding this disease are complex and interdisciplinary like hiv antibody testing, duty to warn third parties, charting and disclosing hiv antibody testing results, the diminishing stigma attached to hiv (sahai-srivastava 2009). although the medical world has become more aware of how hiv works has been able to develop methods of its spread despite improvement in technology, the world is not able to cope with this deadly disease because of the non-availability of a definitive cure. hiv/aids creates legal challenges global partners in education journal – special edition march 2022, vol. 10, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 13 as well because the emergence of the hiv epidemic has challenged the ethical values of the medical professionals including the infectious nature of hiv regarding the spread of disease, the social stigma attached to the disease, and its ethical and legal conundrum. aids will remain a disease that gives rise to stigmatization and discrimination regardless of how much we give awareness to the people about the nature and consequences of the disease but the law can its role control the disastrous effects of the infection by acting as a barrier to the spread of hiv by imposing sanctions regarding the spread of hiv. also, the law can prohibit the discrimination faced by hiv patients especially in workplaces, or in hospitals, and treat hiv by effective hiv testing, but the law is often overlooked to deal with the complex moral and ethical issues arising from the hiv / aids epidemic and unfortunately, the legislature of the world has lagged in making specific law that could prevent hiv. (pietrangelo 2020). 1. hiv/aids, stages, symptoms and causes acquired immunodeficiency syndrome of humans is caused by two lent viruses: human immunodeficiency viruses of type 1 or type 2 (hiv-1 and hiv-2). they can enter the genome, attacking and destroying cd-4 cells. they also attack b cells and cause and cause macrophage dysfunction. this process finally results in acquired immune deficiency (aids). (ellis 2020) hiv infection happens in three stages. without treatment, it gets worse over time and eventually overpowers your immune system. symptoms will depend on the stages. the first stage is the acute infection stage. during this stage, some people have no symptoms in the first month or so after contracting the virus, but they often realize hiv causes those symptoms. early symptoms of hiv can include fever, chills, fatigue, sore throat, body pain, muscle aches, nausea, and upset stomach (felman 2020). after a month or so, hiv enters the clinical latency stage. some people don't have any symptoms during this time, while others may have minimal or nonspecific symptoms. these nonspecific systems may include: headaches and other aches and pain, swollen lymph nodes, recurrent fevers, night sweats, fatigue, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, weight loss, skin rashes, recurrent oral or vaginal yeast infection, pneumonia, and shingles (pietrangelo 2020). aids is the advanced stage of hiv infection. this is usually when your cd4-cell drops below 200 and your immune system is badly damaged. people with aids who don’t take medication live about 3 years, or less if they get another infection. but hiv can still be treated at this stage. if you start on hiv drugs, stay on them, follow your doctor’s advice, and keep healthy habits, you can live a long life (pathak 2021). the human immunodeficiency virus (hiv) pandemic has developed as the single most impressive challenge to public health, human rights, and improvement within the modern thousand years. spreading information and awareness about hiv is one of the key methodologies utilized within the avoidance and control of hiv/aids around the world. lacking information and unsafe practices are major obstacles in avoiding the spread of hiv. awareness about hiv, its signs and symptoms, about its modes of transmission is necessary because by getting awareness about hiv people will be able to understand how hiv and aids are spread and by what ways they can protect themselves (alhasawi et al 2019). 1.1. diagnosis and hiv testing global partners in education journal – special edition march 2022, vol. 10, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 14 hiv can be most effectively detected with the aid of hiv tests. hiv testing, also called hiv screening, is the only way to know if you have the virus. several types of tests check your blood or other body fluid to see whether you are infected. most cannot spot hiv right away, because it takes time for your body to make antibodies or for enough of the virus to grow inside you. diagnoses are based on: 1. history and essential tests cd-4 cell, diminished tlc/ dlc 2. hiv counteracting agent in serum (agglutination, immunofluorescence, or elisa) (brouwer et al. 2000). 1.2. importance of hiv testing if you have the virus, finding out quickly means you can start treatment right away so you can feel better and live a long, full life. studies show that the sooner people start treatment after diagnosis, the more they benefit from art (antiretroviral therapy). treatment with art reduces the amount of hiv in the blood (called viral load), reduces hiv-related illness, and helps prevent transmission to others. pregnant women should get tested because early treatment means you probably won't pass it to your baby (watson 2021). 1.3. modes of aids transmission hiv is present in certain bodily fluids. the virus is present in the blood, semen, vaginal fluid, milk, and other secretions. blood and semen are not only the way of transmission of hiv. a person with aids transmits hiv through sexual contact, sharing needles and syringes, and the transfusion of blood. an hiv-positive pregnant woman may transmit hiv to her child during pregnancy or at the time of birth. research shows that hiv cannot be transmitted through skin-to-skin contact, mouth-to-mouth contact (unless open-wound / blood are involved), sharing food, saliva, tears, sweat, sharing a toilet, or through insect bites (pietrangelo 2020). 1.4. treatment there is no definitive cure for hiv/aids nor is there a vaccine. however, there are some medications that not only can slow down the progression of the infection but can also slow down the growth of the virus permitting the infected individual to lead a normal life. antiretroviral therapy (art) is somewhat considered a cure for hiv/aids. antiretroviral therapy includes a combination of hiv medicines (hiv treatment regime). art is suggested to everyone infected with hiv. this therapy does not cure the hiv patient completely but it prevents his/her condition from becoming chronic, at the same time reducing the risk of virus spread. there are several types of hiv/aids medicines. some of them block or change the protein that hiv uses for its duplication within the human body. this hinders hiv from replicating itself, which reduces the amount of hiv within the body (kasaye and levy 2009). 2. legal point of view about hiv/aids aids has become an acute legal issue nowadays. hiv/aids cases rising daily. given the fact that medical options for stopping the disease are limited, the law could also play an important role in controlling its spread. many legal issues related to hiv and global partners in education journal – special edition march 2022, vol. 10, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 15 aids arise in the sphere of public health, medical law, and civil rights. both developed and developing countries are trying to solve these issues attempting to cope with this disease. many countries particularly from asia and the united states have introduced several laws to control the spread of hiv/aids and to protect the rights of hiv-positive patients since hiv patients face many problems regarding their care, treatment, and discrimination (klinck 2004).. the united states was the first country to introduce hivrelated laws and since then approximately 75 countries have enacted criminal laws specifically mentioning hiv. some are discussed below (wasnik et al. 2018). 2.1. laws regarding hiv/aids in different countries 2.1.1. aids related laws in pakistan pakistan has four provinces, and each of them has the authority to make its laws concerning various issues including health. there is no specific legislation regarding hiv in pakistan on a national level but there are certain provisions of the pakistan penal code regarding the spread of infection and there are various acts regulating safe blood transfusion (undp 2014). at the provincial level, only sindh has a specific law regarding hiv (the sindh hiv/aids control treatment and protection act, 2013; hiv justice network 2020). 2.1.2. provisions of pakistan penal code to control the spread of hiv • in pakistan section 269 of the pakistan penal code –negligent act likely to spread infection of disease dangerous to life states that whoever unlawfully or negligently does any act which is, and which he knows or has reason to believe to be, likely to spread the infection of any disease which is dangerous to life” shall be liable for a penalty of imprisonment and /or a fine. • section 270 of pakistan penal code – malignant act likely to spread infection dangerous to life. whoever malignantly does any act which is, and which he knows or has reason to believe to be, likely to spread the infection of any disease dangerous to life, shall be punished with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to two years, or with fine, or with both. these laws could be a help to control the spread of hiv (undp 2014). 2.1.3. sindh hiv/aids control treatment and protection act 2013 • this act provides both responsibilities and protection for hiv patients. according to sections 21, 22 and 24 of this act, a person who commits any act which results in the transmission or spread of infection shall be punished with fines, imprisonment, or both. moreover, this act provides protection to hiv patients concerning hiv testing (section 14), protects them from the disclosure of hivrelated information (section 19), and protects them against discrimination (section 8) (undp 2016). 2.1.4. blood transfusion acts • blood transfusion without screening is the source of the hiv spread. thus, to avoid the spread of a virus through blood transfusion there are various acts like global partners in education journal – special edition march 2022, vol. 10, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 16 balochistan safe blood transfusion act,2004, n.w.f.p transfusion of safe blood act,1999 or sindh transfusion of safe blood act,1998. according to these acts, blood banks should be registered with blood transfusion authorities and the violation of rules of the acts will lead to imprisonment and a fine (undp 2014). moreover, the drafts of the hiv&aids prevention and treatment act 2007 and the hiv safety bill are pending in the national assembly of pakistan. both support the free hiv testing, control of this disease by adopting effective preventive measures and prohibiting the discrimination against aids patients yet the pending of these bills proves that pakistan is lagging in enacting specific laws against hiv/aids due to which the numbers of hiv cases in pakistan are increasing. also, the national hiv and aids policy draft 2007 is pending in the national assembly. the policy aims at reducing discrimination, establishing a legislative framework regarding hiv, initiating awareness programs about hiv, strengthening the health system as well as insuring hiv prevention. (undp 2014: 24-25) 3. aids-related laws in india indian law comprises numerous provisions related both specifically to hiv and, generally, to the spread of life-threatening illnesses/infections. 3.1. hiv/aids prevention and control act 2017 the hiv/aids prevention and control act 2017 were implemented from september 10 onwards, announced the ministry of health and family welfare on tuesday. the bill passed in march criminalizes the discrimination against patients suffering acquired immune deficiency syndrome (aids), a condition caused by human immunodeficiency virus (hiv), which attacks and weakens the body's immune system. the act makes anti-retroviral treatment (art) a legal right for all hiv/aids patients. the “test and treat” policy has been adopted, which means any person testing positive will be entitled to free treatment from the state and central government. it also makes hiv-related information confidential and makes it necessary to get informed consent for understanding hiv tests, medical treatment, and research (khaire 2017). 3.2. section 269 and 270 under sections 269 and 270 a person who unlawfully or negligently commits an act of dissemination of a life-threatening infection shall be liable to imprisonment for any term of minimum for six months and maximum for two years or to a fine or to both under section 269 of the ipc. the provision of section 270 extends to cases when a person dies as a result of receiving infected blood from a blood bank and a latter can be sued according to the above-mentioned law. (waskin et al 2018). 3.3. article 21: right to life and liberty global partners in education journal – special edition march 2022, vol. 10, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 17 article 21 of the constitution of india guarantees the right to life and liberty. it is a basic right for people with hiv to get adequate treatment provided by the government.(yadav 2021). 4. aids-related laws in the united states • in 26 u.s states, you can be sent to prison if you have not informed your sexual partner that you are hiv positive, even if the virus wasn't transmitted in some states that could mean a life sentence • n.y. pub. health law § 2307 (2016), venereal disease; a person who knows he or she is infected with an infectious venereal disease yet has sexual intercourse with another is guilty of a misdemeanor and may face up to one year in prison and a $1,000 fine. 5. legal rights of hiv/aids patients 5.1. right to treatment hiv patients have the right to medical treatment. the doctor or the hospital staff cannot refuse the treatment of any person with hiv/aids. it is unethical if the medical staff refuses to treat hiv patients and they will be considered guilty if they do. (osime &odigie 2006). 5.2. right to informed consent hiv patients have the right to get information about their hiv-positive status and to make queries before the treatment. the doctor should not perform any procedure such as hiv testing, discuss the nature of the disease, the results, or the treatment without obtaining the informed and voluntary consent of the patient. (gupta 2015) 5.3. right to confidentiality hiv patients have the right to confidentiality. the doctor should not disclose any information of the patient without his/her consent unless provided for public interest such as to prevent the spread of infection protecting people from getting hiv. the doctor would be held liable if he/she failed to respect the privacy of the patient.in other words, hiv-positive patients have the right to keep their medical information to themselves. (gupta 2015) the right to privacy is widely recognized in human rights law. 5.4. right against discrimination the most important thing is the stigma attached to hiv/aids and it is a major obstacle in treating hiv/aids and taking control over it. discrimination against hiv patients refers to the prejudice, negative and abusive attitude towards the people infected with hiv. according to the available data 35% of countries, 50% of people report having discriminatory attitudes towards hiv patients. in 2015 70,000 people from 70 countries have been interviewed and around the 50 countries, showed that one in every eight hiv-positive people is being denied health services because of discrimination (avert 2020). hiv patients face discrimination more generally in workplaces, public places, global partners in education journal – special edition march 2022, vol. 10, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 18 hospitals, etc. all are equal before the law and they should have equal protection of the law without any discrimination. so, the hiv -positive patients have the right to have their dignity respected and protected (thom 2003). it is widely recognized that all forms of discrimination against hiv-positive people are prohibited by international human rights law. 5.5. basic rights everyone has the right to liberty, the right to life, the right to education, the right to work, the freedom of expression, the freedom of movement, the right to social security, and the right to health, etc. all the rights are protected by international human rights law instruments and each country has its laws regarding such rights. no one shall be deprived of those basic rights to the fact that they are hiv positive. 6. recommendations 6.1. hiv screening screening for hiv is important so that everyone knows their hiv status. it should cover the population as widely as possible, however, within the bounds of human rights, that is only with the consent of the people in question. • people who learn that they have hiv can receive treatment that might protect or improve their health. today's treatments can suppress hiv, prevent the progression to aids, and lower the risk of transmitting hiv to others. • everyone between the ages of 15 and 65 and anyone pregnant should be screened. • people younger than 15 or older than 65 who are at increased risk should also be screened. • clinicians should discuss the results with the patients. (paltiel et al 2006). 6.2. hiv prevention • when a person does not have hiv but is at high risk, clinicians offer preexposure prophylaxis or prep. prep is a medication that substantially reduces the risk of acquiring hiv. however, as prep is not suitable for everyone, it should be taken under strict medical supervision. after a general assessment of whether a given patient belongs to a group at risk of hiv (through discussing their sexual history and hiv-risk-related behaviors), the doctor may decide whether the patient qualifies for prep. among the behaviors putting people at high risk of contracting hiv the following could be mentioned: • having an hiv-positive sexual partner, • having sex without a condom with a partner who is at high risk of hiv, • sharing drug injection equipment • having sex in exchange for money, drugs, or housing, global partners in education journal – special edition march 2022, vol. 10, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 19 • having a recent history of a sexually transmitted infection 6.3. what do patients need to know about prep? people need to know about prep. prep reduces the risk of getting hiv by up to 99% when taken consistently as prescribed. there are several important issues to discuss with the patient while considering prep: • prep needs to be taken as prescribed. otherwise, it’s much less effective. • people who take prep need to be tested for hiv regularly to confirm that they are hivnegative, as prep is only for people who do not have hiv. • it's important for people who take prep to continue to use condoms and practice safer sex. • prep can cause side effects such as kidney problems or nausea though the benefits of taking it far outweigh the risks. • far too many people continue to get hiv. we have highly effective preventive measures based on compelling evidence, yet too few people benefit from them. , • hiv screening and hiv prevention with prep reduce rates of hiv infection and can help toward the goal of ending hiv. • clinicians should screen all patients aged 15 to 65, all pregnant women, and anyone at any age who is at increased risk of hiv. • for those who do not have hiv but are at high risk of getting it, clinicians should offer prep. (arnold et al. 2012). 6.4. making specific laws regarding hiv specific laws should be put into effect to reduce the spread of this fatal disease. many countries have passed laws controlling the spread of aids but still, there is a need for more laws regarding different aspects of hiv like the spread of the infection, the treatment, protection of individual people's rights, protection against discrimination, etc. while enacting such laws preventing hiv one principle should be the priority, namely the protection of human rights and the safeguarding of human dignity. following these recommendations should reduce the rate of hiv infection, help people with hiv maintain their health, and, ultimately, save lives. conclusion aids is a fatal disease for which no definitive cure is known. although there are some medications to treat hiv-positive patients, these medications are not 100% effective. aids is a pervasive and intensive medical and legal issue. in the various legal systems of the world many laws have been made to control the spread of hiv infection but the legislatures around the world lag in enacting specific laws preventing the spread of aids due to which the number of hiv cases are rising day by day. global partners in education journal – special edition march 2022, vol. 10, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 20 references alhasawi, a., bala grover, s., sadek, a., ashoor, i., alkhabbaz, i., almasri, s. 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(2003). hiv/aids and mental illness: ethical and medico-legal issues from psychiatric services. south african psychiatric review 6(3), pp. 18-21. undp (2014), scan of law and policies affecting human rights, discrimination and access to hiv and health services by key population in pakistan bangkok, undp. retrieved from https://hivlawcommission.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/rbap-hhd2014-scan-of-laws-policies-hiv-key-populations-1.pdf undp (2016), report of the national consultation on law and policies affecting human rights, discrimination and access to hiv and health services by key population in pakistan. retrieved from: https://old.aidsdatahub.org/sites/default/files/publication/rbap-hhd-2016-report-of-thenational-consultation-on-law-and-policies-pakistan.pdf wasnik, d. s., sulakhe, d. v., ghodke, d. a., & vaidya, d. n. (2018). hiv aids-medico legal point of view, journal of medical biomedical and applied sciences 6(1), https://doi.org/10.15520/jmbas.v6i1.83 watson, s. (2021). hiv testing. november 13, 2021, webmd.com, november 13, 2021 https://www.webmd.com/hiv-aids/hiv-aids-screening yadav, u. (2021) article 21: a comprehensive journey of right to life and personal liberty, indian journal of integrated research in law, 1(2). 1-25. http://dx.doi.org/10.17613/bg9z-cy15 author notes shamim riaz alias anni has completed her intermediate in pre-medical from government girls post graduate college kohat. now she is studying law at fatima jinnah women university rawalpindi. she is from khyber pakhtunkhwa province in pakistan. she is interested in human welfare and she decided to study law in order to use it for the welfare of people, believing that lawyers can speak out when others fear to do so and can stand for the betterment of people and for the rights of individuals. that is why she participated in gic to highlight the issues faced by aids patients and to show that this issue should be solved not only medically but also legally. her email address is shamimriaz250@gmail.com global partners in education journal – special edition march 2022, vol. 10, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 22 hiffsa bibi has completed her intermediate in pre-engineering. now she is studying law in fatima jinnah women university. she is from rawalpindi. she is interested in social welfare. she participated in many debating competitions. she also participated in gic to highlight the medical and legal aspects of aids. she chose law for the betterment and welfare of society. her email address is hiffsabibi@gmail.com samia hasnat has completed her intermediate in pre-engineering from punjab group of colleges, pins dadan khan. now she is studying law at fatima jinnah women university rawalpindi. she is from pins dadan district jhelum. she is strongly motivated by the idea of empowering women and other vulnerable groups of society with the aim of contributing towards the growth of humanity. she participated in 6th gic to raise awareness about medical and legal aspects of hiv/aids. her email address is samiahasnat742@gmail.com. 2 freedom of expression of judges in their academic research global partners in education journal – special edition december 2022, vol. 10, no. 2 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 5 freedom of expression of judges in their academic research valentina díaz universidad mayor, santiago, chile abstract freedom of expression allows for the democratization of the judiciary. judges have the right to freely express their thoughts, ideas, and opinions by any means of communication. such freedom is a basis in academia, involving the ability to explain the conclusions of an investigation as a statement based on reasoning and evidence. conclusions may be right or wrong, but they are freely expressed. however, the exercise of this freedom entails limitations: the maintenance of neutral, objective, and impeccable conduct of judges. these limitations guarantee the principles of impartiality and independence in the administration of justice-the principles that seek to preserve the dignity of the jurisdictional functions and the impartiality and independence of the judiciary. judges may speak and write freely, as long as they do not promote ideas that may compromise impartiality and independence. indeed, the freedom of expression of persons exercising jurisdictional functions is subject to greater restrictions. but the restriction to this right does not imply that any manifestation or expression issued by a judge may be restricted. key words: freedom, independence, restrictions introduction judges can publish academic papers, write in newspapers, give their opinions on social networks, and pronounce their point of view in different media. this state of affairs is relatively new; in the past judges were more reserved when it came to giving public statements. nowadays their participation and opinion on contentious issues is increasingly expected. on the other hand, when participating in academic work, which is the subject of this article, judges express their opinions openly, exchanging ideas and debating them without fear of reprisal or criticism. this increased public exposure raises new questions about judicial independence. thus, divergent interests are at stake that must be weighed against freedom of expression. now, when judges express their opinions in a context outside of academic work and express it in judicial decisions, their freedom of expression may be restricted, as they cannot take sides in any case, or their rulings may be perceived as impartial. so not all cases are clear regarding the expression of a judge's opinion, raising several questions: can judges participate in academic work? are they allowed to express their opinion without infringing on their freedom of expression? all these questions require a careful balance since judges, on the one hand, enjoy the right to freedom of expression like all other members of society, but on the other hand, their participation cannot be impartial. this paper aims to give a brief comparative overview of how national jurisdictions address the potential conflicts between freedom of expression and judicial independence. comparative overview global partners in education journal – special edition december 2022, vol. 10, no. 2 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 6 judges are traditionally expected to exercise considerable restraint in the exercise of their freedom of expression in the interest of judicial independence since judges cannot disclose confidential information concerning litigation of which they are aware in exercising their judicial functions. in view of this, when communicating their views, they should do so with caution and refrain from responding to public criticism of their judicial activities. the case is different concerning legal issues that they comment on in legal journals, conferences, academic papers, newspapers, etc. in most countries, judges are allowed, and in some are even encouraged, to participate in public debates about the law, the legal system, and the functioning of the judiciary in general. this demonstrates that, despite the differences, there are several similarities in this respect as all countries seek to balance freedom of expression with the authority, impartiality, and independence of the judiciary. in chile, judges are largely protected from any sanction unless their speech is directly related to the administration of justice. the opinions expressed publicly by judges are considered a private and personal matter; therefore, their freedom of expression is protected. however, it is necessary to question the freedom of expression if any violation of the prohibitive norms is at stake. the measures adopted to ensure that situations that transgress the norm do not occur are limited to repressive measures, such as a reprimand and dismissal, which represent the most serious reprisals against freedom of expression if the opinion of a judge is considered to be impartial or against the norm. this is reflected in the case of urrutia laubreaux vs. chile in which in 2004 the supreme court of justice of chile authorized judge urrutia to attend the "diploma on human rights and democratization processes". on november 30, 2004, judge urrutia informed the supreme court that he had passed the diploma course and submitted his final paper on the human rights violations that occurred during the chilean military regime. the supreme court forwarded the work submitted to the competent body to discipline mr. urrutia and subsequently returned the academic work to him, informing him that the supreme court had considered that it contained "inadequate and unacceptable assessments" for the said court. on march 31, 2005, the court of appeals of la serena decided to sanction judge urrutia with a disciplinary measure of "written censure". after an appeal, the supreme court upheld the challenged resolution and reduced the sentence to a "private reprimand", which lasted 13 years, affecting his judicial career. on may 29, 2018, and in compliance with the recommendations of the merits report, the supreme court of justice of chile vacated the sanction imposed on the victim. in the judgment the court found that it was not by the american convention to sanction expressions made in an academic paper on a general topic and not a specific case, such as the one made by judge urrutia. the court stated that in such a case the right to freedom of expression was violated and that chile was responsible for the violation of article 13 of the american convention on human rights, about the obligation to respect and guarantee such rights, enshrined in article 1.1 of the same, to the detriment of judge urrutia. academic freedom about freedom of expression the relationship between academic freedom and freedom of expression has been demonstrated by united nations bodies and by the inter-american human rights system itself. however, there are certain aspects of academic freedom that go beyond the relationship with freedom of expression which has a direct impact on the rights to personal security, the rule of law, and democracy. academic work or research carried out by a judge promotes the development of knowledge and its progress. this freedom global partners in education journal – special edition december 2022, vol. 10, no. 2 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 7 allows for the transmission of experience and knowledge. this implies that academic publications should be free, open, and safe spaces in which ideas should be exchanged and debated without fear of violence or reprisals. a judge, who elaborates on a given issue and does research, presenting the result of that research in the form of a monograph with the character of a thesis, has the freedom to choose the topic, without fear of transcending the limitations of the program that follows the lines of research and cannot avoid drawing the conclusions if they come from the research. one may disagree with the conclusions, the procedure, or the research, but the academic work should be evaluated from the point of view of academic standards. therefore, any other kind of evaluation violates the academic freedom of research if it disagrees with the results or conclusions reached. therefore, a judge who exposes his point of view in academic work has total freedom to express himself as any other person, without being compelled to impinge on the impartiality or being subject to sanctions established by the legal doctrine. freedom of expression and its regulation in the law freedom of expression, as already mentioned, is the right to perform actions that show the intention of a person to give a message or content that helps the democratic debate. its main objective is to make possible a public discussion, useful for life and the community in which we live, contributing to the free development of one’s personality. this right can only be intervened for the protection of the rights of others when impartiality is affected, and for this purpose, it enjoys the following specific guarantees (escobar 2006): 1. prior censorship is prohibited: prior intervention by the public authorities to prevent or modulate an academic work, a publication, a message, or opinion is not allowed, according to the constitutional court. 2. administrative sequestration is prohibited: the administrative authority may not remove from circulation or restrict the media in which an idea or content is expressed. this freedom of expression is protected in the international field of human rights, in articles 8 and 10 of the european convention for the protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms. the american convention on human rights in latin american protects freedom of expression by prohibiting prior censorship, regardless of the cause, in article 13 in relation to the obligation to respect and guarantee the rights indicated below: 1. everyone has the right to freedom of thought and expression. this right shall include freedom to seek, receive and impart information and ideas of all kinds, regardless of frontiers, either orally, in writing or in print, in the form of art, or through any other media of his choice. 2. the exercise of the right provided for in the preceding paragraph shall not be subject to prior censorship but shall be subject to subsequent liability, which must be expressly established by law and be necessary to ensure: a. respect for the rights or reputation of others, or b. the protection of national security, public order, or public health or morals. 3. the right of expression may not be restricted by indirect means, such as the abuse of official or private controls of newsprint, radio frequencies, or of schools and global partners in education journal – special edition december 2022, vol. 10, no. 2 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 8 apparatus used in the dissemination of information, or by any other means designed to impede the communication and circulation of ideas and opinions. 4. public spectacles may be subject by law to prior censorship for the exclusive purpose of regulating access thereto for the moral protection of children and adolescents, without prejudice to the provisions of subsection 2. conclusion in conclusion, judges have recognized the right to freedom of expression. the exercise of this right is limited by the duties and responsibilities derived from their profession, such as the principles of independence and impartiality, which constitute an essential element of the rule of law. the judges’ right to freedom of expression cannot be limited by their status as such. in addition, it does not matter what means they use to exercise this right; they must abide by the consequences that their exercising of this right entails, because it can destroy the presumption of impartiality. an impartial legal process not only harms the citizen's right to judicial guarantees, but also harms the judiciary itself. but as far as the opinion refers to academic works, the expressions made by the judges on a general subject cannot be sanctioned, because it is not a specific case that affects the impartiality of the judge. references climent gallart, j. a. (2018). la jurisprudencia del tedh sobre la libertad de expresión de los jueces. iuris tantum revista boliviana de derecho, 25, 524-535. corte idh: caso urrutia laubreaux vs. chile, (excepciones preliminares, fondo, reparaciones y costas), sentencia de 27 de agosto de 2020. serie c no. 409 dijkstra, s., (2017). the freedom of the judge to express his personal opinions and convictions under the echr. utrecht law review, 13(1), 1–17. doi: http://doi.org/10.18352/ulr.371 escobar, roca g. (2006). “medios de comunicación”, en materiales del curso derechos humanos y democracia, del programa regional de apoyo a las defensorías del pueblo en iberoamérica (aeci, universidad de alcalá), madrid. rodríguez, a. r., brand, j. l. e. m., & eloy, j. l. (2012). la regulación del derecho a la libertad de expresión desde una perspectiva comparada: su protección en américa latina. tribunal electoral del poder judicial de la federación. seibert-fohr, a., (2019, 19 april). the independence of judges and their freedom of expression: an ambivalent relationship. available at ssrn: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3375038 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3375038 trias, e. r. (2021). libertad de expresión, independencia, imparcialidad: los jueces en las redes sociales. un estudio de las decisiones del tedh. revista española de derecho constitucional, 41(122), 13-45. venice commission (2015). report: on the freedom of expression of judges. opinión, 806. global partners in education journal – special edition december 2022, vol. 10, no. 2 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 9 author notes valentina diaz pizarro is a law student at universidad mayor de chile. she works as a research assistant at the research center for society and health at the same university. she is enthusiastic about research work based on the protection of human rights and research related to international law. her participation in the 7th global issues conference on freedom of expression of judges in academic work boosted her assertiveness and determination to present her point of view in an international forum. email: valentina.diazp@mayor.cl orcid: 0000-0003-1883-6968 global partners in education journal – special edition january 2025, vol. 11, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 48 the application of wordwall.net in english language instruction for young learners: the learning motivation of taiwanese elementary school third graders tyler lee and yu-chih doris shih fu jen catholic university, new taipei city, taiwan abstract technology plays a crucial part in the educational field since it aids both educators and learners. wordwall.net is a digital game-based education site that has a wide selection of activities. many studies have been conducted concerning wordwall.net as a tool to enhance learning outcomes. however, research has not identified which motivational factors are attained simultaneously by using wordwall.net. the current study unveils young learners’ motivational factors during grammar and vocabulary instruction. the arcs model of attention, relevance, confidence, and satisfaction was applied as the basis for investigating learners’ motivational aspects. after collecting two sets of questionnaires from 24 participants, the spearman rank correlation was used to find correlations. the outcomes revealed that wordwall.net led to many significant correlations between the arcs’s four motivational domains for both vocabulary and grammar teaching. as a result, apart from the findings of many studies that have indicated the beneficial aspects of wordwall.net in enhancing students’ language proficiency, this study fills in the research gap regarding motivational aspects that wordwall.net brings to third-grade students. this will enable educators who are seeking to apply web-based tools in class for vocabulary and grammar instruction to recognize the arcs motivational aspects that wordwall.net can enhance. introduction background and motivation with the advancement of educational technology, different technological programs are nowadays widely applied in classrooms (dash, 2022). currently, in taiwan, there are ample opportunities to attend online classes, which proves that technology has become an essential instrument that boosts both learning and teaching (vosiqova, 2024). recently, technology has also been viewed as a pivotal tool used by educators to teach a wide range of content (dash, 2022). with access to the internet, educators can provide plentiful content to learners. furthermore, technology meets the varied needs of learners across the world and can lead to “interactive and immersive language learning” (vosiqova, 2024, p. 413). hence, it is apparent that the introduction of technology to the teaching setting can help learners to achieve the desired outcomes as it does not limit them or the instructors to traditional teaching and learning (dash, 2022). http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition january 2025, vol. 11, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 49 computer-assisted language learning (call) is a powerful new educational support that alters the way that language can be taught and acquired (ima & jihad, 2024). call enhances students’ motivation, particularly particularly its intrinsic motivations (ima & jihad, 2024). when students use computers in class, they are more stimulated than when teachers use traditional approaches in their instructional sessions. additionally, the use of interactive language learning platforms promotes an enjoyable and effective learning environment with engaging games, quizzes, and activities (vosiqova, 2024). call tools often gamify the language learning process. gamification is not only the top choice for educators when teaching virtual classes (sylvia et al., 2024), but also for educators who are inclined to gamify their conventional classroom teaching since gamification has become the means to encourage students to learn. this gamification has been brought forth as one of the means to encourage students to learn (sylvia et al., 2024). by taking advantage of digital tools, teachers can also create engaging learning settings for diverse learners (ima & jihad, 2024). motivation plays a crucial role in both learning and teaching processes, whether they are taking place in online or face-to-face classes (sylvia et al., 2024). when students are not naturally motivated, games or attractive visual materials can help, which requires a lot of teacher’s effort. specifically, non-native english speakers can get discouraged when learning the english language, which leads to educators exploring different strategies to assist those who are in need (sylvia et al., 2024). however, a range of strategies need to be explored and a range of factors need to be considered. one of them is students’ attention (sylvia et al.., 2024). the arcs motivational model includes four major aspects: attention, relevance, confidence, and satisfaction (keller, 1987). it has been proposed as framework for sustaining students’ motivation throughout a lesson (keller, 1987). this model of learning motivation can apply to both conventional and online classes. the arcs model was first created to address the lack of macro theories or models that could be used to develop the kind of instruction that increased motivational learning (keller, 1987). the foundation of this model was based on tolman and lewin’s expectancy-value theory, which stated that if the activity is aligned to personal needs, a positive expectancy for success will exist (keller, 1987). attention is the first condition in the model, and it is defined as catching and maintaining the interest and curiosity of learners, which can be accomplished by including “visual aids, animation, and interactive simulations (alenezi, 2023). relevance is the second condition in the model. it refers to the learners’ view of the content regarding their needs and the value or importance of the lesson (alenezi, 2023). to achieve practical learning, a range of fun and challenging games must be employed (paksi et al., 2023). confidence is the third component of the model. it relates to learners’ belief in their abilities to succeed in the task at hand (alenezi, 2023). satisfaction is the last component of the model. it refers http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition january 2025, vol. 11, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 50 to learners’ experiencing “a sense of achievement and fulfillment” after completing the activity (alenezi, 2023, p. 169). these four conditions must be met for students to be motivated in the learning process. when classrooms around the world moved online during the covid-19 pandemic in 2020, many teachers in taiwan applied wordwall.net as the primary teaching tool for online learning. in 2020 and 2021, wordwall.net had 1 million visitors and 100,000 paid subscribers (about wordwall, n.d.). at the time, wordwall.net had 18 unique games with different features that could be used for teaching vocabulary and grammar. however, since students have returned to in-person classrooms post-pandemic, few teachers are still using wordwall.net. even those with access to a projector or e-board in the classroom prefer to use the traditional teaching approach, such as using textbooks and whiteboard or blackboard to rather than wordwall.net. therefore, the usage of wordwall.net is not as common as it was during the covid-19 pandemic. the aim of the current study is to prove that wordwall.net activities could still be applied during face-to-face instruction increasing young learners’ motivation in english learning. research questions this study has two research questions. the first research question aims to find out whether the implementation of wordwall.net during vocabulary instruction increases students’ attention, confidence, relevance, and satisfaction to unveil which motivational domain has a significant correlation with another while wordwall.net is being applied. the second research question aims to examine students’ motivational domains during grammar teaching when educators employ wordwall.net. by doing so, we can find out whether wordwall.net is beneficial for teaching vocabulary or grammar. the research questions are as follows: rq1: what is the correlation between each of the domains of the taiwanese elementary school students’ attention, relevance, confidence, and satisfaction during classroom instruction while utilizing wordwall.net for learning vocabulary? rq2: what is the correlation between each of the domains of the taiwanese elementary school students’ attention, relevance, confidence, and satisfaction during classroom instruction while utilizing wordwall.net for learning grammar? statistical hypothesis for rq1 h01: there are no statistically significant correlations between students’ arcs motivational factors while wordwall.net was being employed for vocabulary learning. h0: r = 0 http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition january 2025, vol. 11, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 51 h11: there are statistically significant correlations between students’ arcs motivational factors while wordwall.net was being employed for vocabulary learning. h1: r ≠ 0 statistical hypothesis for rq2 h02: there are no statistically significant correlations between students’ arcs motivational factors while wordwall.net was being employed for grammar learning. h02: r = 0 h12: there are statistically significant correlations between students’ arcs motivational factors while wordwall.net was being employed for grammar learning. h12: r ≠ 0 literature review vocabulary and grammar are crucial for learning a new language, such as english (andriani et al., 2021; paksi al., 2023). grammar plays an important role in communicating; it is indispensable for developing the four skills, i.e. listening, speaking, reading and writing (lim et al., 2021). knowledge of english grammar underlies comprehension and communication for comprehension and communication (andriani et al., 2021; ilahi et al., 2022). furthermore, to acquire a foreign language, students are required to gain vocabulary knowledge to succeed in developing the aforementioned four english skills (masruddin, 2019). without proper vocabulary, an individual does not know what words to use in a sentence, despite knowing the proper grammatical structure (paksi al., 2023). one of the issues that educators grapple with is that students lack adequate vocabulary with which to understand the text and construct a sentence (andriani et al., 2021). conventionally, educators tend to ask students to memorize the words and give them a test afterward; however, such rote memorization inevitably results in losing motivation by the students (paksi et al., 2023). therefore, technology integration in the classroom can tremendously boost foreign language learning (avila & mayorga, 2020). digital media plays an important part in the education process because it can positively affect students’ motivation and desire to learn (wuryanti & kartowagiran, 2016). more specifically, game-based learning allows educators to implement an active learning environment in class, leading to students being engaged (mazelin et al., 2022). the utilization of games during the learning process leads to higher attention and better learning outcomes (mazelin et al., 2022). learners claim that the integration of technology in the classroom leads to an increase of interaction, motivation, and engagement (baytak et al., 2011). http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition january 2025, vol. 11, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 52 apart from short language games wordwall.net contains resources appropriate for both online and face-to-face teaching (mazelin et al., 2022). they can revolutionize both online and conventional purposes, with features that revolutionize vocabulary instruction, providing students with engaging and interactive approaches to learning (wandari et al., 2024). the use of wordwall.net enhances students’ attention, and level of engagement during playing the games (hasram et al., 2021). wordwall.net captures students’ attention and increases participation in the learning process (wandari et al., 2024). technology can help foster students’ participation in class, increasing students’ learning success (ahmadi, 2018). students’ active participation helps in development of vocabulary (wandari et al., 2024). moreover, as students take more of an active role in the process, their retention of the content also increases (costley, 2014). the acquisition of vocabulary through games has been found to increase learners’ vocabulary knowledge without students realizing it (paksi, et al., 2023). methodology research context and participants the participants of the current study were third-grade cram school students in new taipei city, taiwan. the instructor utilized wordwall.net when teaching students english vocabulary and grammar in class. students repeated a unit that consisted of a set of grammar and vocabulary approximately five times before learning the next unit. data collection and analysis this study applied a quantitative analysis. before distributing the questionnaires, permission from the parents was collected. twenty-four students were formally by their parents to participate in this study. the researchers distributed two questionnaires that were designed on the basis of keller’s model (2010). some items were altered to fit the research purposes. the items on the questionnaires were close-ended likert scale questions with rankings from 1 to 5. statistical package for the social sciences (spss) was used to analyze the data from the questionnaires. the spearman rank correlation was used to examine the results. the level of correlation between the variables determined by dancey and reidy’s (2007) study is displayed in table 1. table 1 level of correlation of spearman rank correlation spearman ρ correlation ≥ 0.70 very strong relationship 0.40–0.69 strong relationship 0.30–0.39 moderate relationship 0.20–0.29 weak relationship 0.01–0.19 no or negligible relationship note. from dancey and reidy’s study (2007). http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition january 2025, vol. 11, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 53 reliability of the questionnaires cronbach’s alpha was used to measure the internal reliability of the two questionnaires. the reliability interpretation is displayed in table 3. the outcomes showed that the questionnaires regarding the application of wordwall.net for learning vocabulary and grammar fell in the “good” range (α = .75 and α = .80) (see table 2 and table 3). it can be concluded that after modification of this study’s items to fit the research purposes, the reliability of the questionnaires demonstrated an acceptable consistency throughout. table 2 reliability statistics items cronbach's alpha n. of items the use of wordwall.net for vocabulary .75 33 the use of wordwall.net for grammar .80 33 note. n = 99. table 3 internal consistency of the questionnaire cronbach’s α internal consistency α ≥ 0.9 excellent (high-stakes testing) 0.7 ≤ α < 0.9 good (low-stakes testing) 0.6 ≤ α < 0.7 acceptable 0.5 ≤ α < 0.6 poor α < 0.5 unacceptable results and discussions as shown in table 4, there were significant correlations between the four domains of the arcs model when wordwall.net was implemented during vocabulary instruction. there was a statistically significant outcome between confidence and attention (p < .01), and a strong positive correlation was found between them ( = 65) (dancey & reidy, 2007). this result indicated that as students’ confidence increased, so did their attention. furthermore, a significant association between relevance and confidence was found, and a medium positive relationship was discovered (p < .01, = .58) (dancey & reidy, 2007). this result showed that as students obtained confidence, their relevance aspect also increased. lastly, relevance and satisfaction had a significant correlation and a medium positive relationship with one another (p < .05, = .48) (dancey & reidy, 2007). this result indicated that when the use of wordwall.net captured students’ satisfaction, they regarded wordwall.net as a practical platform that aligned with their needs. there were a few non-significant correlations between the arcs domains during the application of wordwall.net for vocabulary teaching. first, the association between http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition january 2025, vol. 11, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 54 satisfaction and confidence was found to be not significant. this indicated that if wordwall.net boosted learners’ confidence, it did not necessarily lead to the learners experiencing gratification. moreover, two negligible relationships were also discovered between attention and satisfaction (p > .05) and between attention and relevance (p > .05). this indicated that with the increase in students’ attention, the students’ satisfaction and perceived relevance of the subject did not necessarily follow. table 4 spearman’s rho correlations between the arcs motivational domains using wordwall.net for vocabulary teaching variable 1 2 3 4 1. attentionvoc . . . . 2. confidencevoc .65** . . . 3. satisfactionvoc .12 .29 . . 4. relevancevoc .27 .58** .48* . note. n = 33 * p <.05, ** p <.01. in terms of the learning and teaching of grammar (table 5), significant correlations between the arcs motivational components were found. first, confidence and attention were found to be significantly associated with one another (p < .05); there was a strong relationship between these two variables ( = .42) (dancey & reidy, 2007). these outcomes indicated that using wordwall.net for grammar assisted with increasing not only students’ confidence, but also their attention. second, another strong correlation was discovered between satisfaction and confidence ( = .67), and a significant association was found between these two variables (p < .05) (dancey & reidy, 2007). therefore, as the students’ confidence increased, satisfaction increased proportionately. third, there was a very strong relationship between relevance and confidence (=.76,), and a significant correlation was found between relevance and confidence as the p-value was lower than .05 (dancey & reidy, 2007). once again, as students’ confidence was boosted, so was students perceived subject relevance. last, a significant association was found between relevance and satisfaction (p < .01); the relationship between these two variables was very strong ( = .72) (dancey & reidy, 2007). according to these results, wordwall.net had beneficial effects on students’ motivational aspects since the outcomes showed numerous significant associations. conversely, a few variables were found not to be significantly correlated, namely, attention and relevance, as well as attention and satisfaction. this indicated that while attention was captured, students’ perceived relevance of subject might have decreased or shown no changes. this also suggested that even though students were satisfied while learning grammar via wordwall.net, it did not necessarily lead to them being more attentive. http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition january 2025, vol. 11, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 55 table 5 spearman’s rho correlations between arcs motivational domains using wordwall.net for grammar teaching variable 1 2 3 4 1. attentiongram . . . . 2. confidencegram .42* . . . 3. satisfactiongram .37 .67* . . 4. relevancegram .29 .76** .72** . note. n = 33 * p <.05, ** p <.01. conclusion with web-based tools being prevalent in today’s education, wordwall.net is one of the web-based platforms that can be used for teaching vocabulary and grammar. wordwall.net has many games that can be used for diverse educational purposes. a number of studies have indicated that wordwall.net boosts students' motivation to learn; however, no studies have examined the correlation between the different motivational components that are attained. this study showed that teaching vocabulary and grammar to students using wordwall.net’s educational games is advantageous since there are several substantial correlations between students’ arcs motivational factors. significant correlations were found between confidence and attention, confidence and relevance, and relevance and satisfaction pertaining to the use of wordwall.net for vocabulary instruction. therefore, to obtain all motivational factors, educators should focus on utilizing the content on wordwall.net to meet students’ needs, which can then lead to the elevation in other motivational domains. furthermore, confidence and attention, confidence and satisfaction, confidence and relevance, and relevance and satisfaction were found to be significantly correlated in the use of wordwall.net for teaching and learning grammar. based on these outcomes, it is highly recommended that educators guide students in utilizing wordwall.net educational games to induce a chain reaction that increases all four motivational domains. references about wordwall (n.d.). wordwall.net. https://wordwall.net/about ahmadi, d. m. r. (2018). the use of technology in english language learning: a literature review. international journal of research in english education, 3(2), 115-125. alenezi, a. (2023). the effectiveness of augmented reality technology in enhancing learning outcomes among primary school students: a study based on the arcs model of motivation. journal of educational sciences & psychology, 13(2), 166-181. doi: 10.51865/jesp.2023.2.13 http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition january 2025, vol. 11, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 56 andriani, a., yuniar, v. d., & abdullah, f. (2021). teaching english grammar in an indonesian junior high school. al-ishlah: jurnal pendidikan, 13(2), 1046-1056. avila, e.m., & mayorga, m.c. (2020). virtual environments and meaningful english language learning as second language l2 in high school students: a case study. innova research journal, 5(3.2), 64-78. baytak, a., tarman, b., & ayas, c. (2011). experiencing technology integration in education: children's perceptions. international electronic journal of elementary education, 3(2), 139-151. costley, k. c. (2014). the positive effects of technology on teaching and student learning. arkansas tech university. dancey, c. p., & reidy, j. (2007). statistics without maths for psychology. pearson education. dash, b. b. (2022). digital tools for teaching and learning english language in 21st century. international journal of english and studies, 4(2), 8-13. hasram, s., nasir, m. k. m., mohamad, m., daud, m. y., abd rahman, m. j., & mohammad, w. m. r. w. (2021). the effects of wordwall online games (wow) on english language vocabulary learning among year 5 pupils. theory and practice in language studies, 11(9), 1059-1066. https://doi.org/10.17507/tpls.1109.11. ilahi, l. w., komara, c., & ismail, y. (2022). efl students' perception of wordwall.net used as media for learning english grammar. in universitas muhammadiyah prof. dr. hamka (ed.), uicell conference proceeding 2022 (pp. 313-322). universitas muhammadiyah prof. dr. hamka. ima, n., & jihad, a. (2024). computer-assisted language learning: the impact in language education. vifada journal of education, 2(1), 29-35. keller, j. m. (1987). development and use of the arcs model of instructional design. journal of instructional development, 10(3), 2-10. https://www.jstor.org/stable/pdf/30221294.pdf lim, t. m., lee sze, d. w., raki, d., lim, l. m., sani, s., & hashim, h. (2021). year 6 pupils’ language learning strategies in learning english grammar. international journal of academic research in business and social sciences, 11(4). https://doi.org/10.6007/ijarbss/v11-i4/9690 http://www.gpejournal.org/ https://doi.org/10.17507/tpls.1109.11 https://www.jstor.org/stable/pdf/30221294.pdf https://doi.org/10.6007/ijarbss/v11-i4/9690 global partners in education journal – special edition january 2025, vol. 11, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 57 masruddin, m. (2019). the efficacy of using spelling bee game in teaching vocabulary to indonesian english as foreign language (efl) students. asian efl journal, 23(6), 173180. mazelin, n., maniam, m., jeyaraja, s. s. b., ng, m. m., xiaoqi, z., & jingjing, z. (2022). using wordwall to improve students’ engagement in esl classroom. international journal of asian social science, 12(8), 273-280 paksi, g. r., sari, r. k., & somawati, s. (2023). teacher perceptions on the use of the wordwall. net application as an english vocabulary learning media. edunesia: jurnal ilmiah pendidikan, 4(1), 120-132. sylvia, r., al khalidi, a., & ikrima, p. f. (2024). integrating quizizz in the english classroom: game-based learning and assessment. advances in social sciences, 1(1), 18. vosiqova, m. s. (2024).. the role of information technology in teaching english. imras, 7(1), 412-415. wandari, t., unsiah, f., & sahar, r. (2024). utilizing wordwall.net on the improvement of students’ vocabulary mastery: an ict-based lesson. journal of languages and language teaching, 12(2), 952-962. wuryanti, u., & kartowagiran, b. (2016). pengembangan media video animasi untuk meningkatkan motivasi belajar dan karakter kerja keras siswa sekolah dasar. jurnal pendidikan karakter, 6(2), 232–245. https://doi.org/10.21831/jpk.v6i2.12055 author notes tyler lee received his bachelor's degree in english language and literature from fu jen catholic university, and he will be completing his master's degree in multimedia english teaching, also at fu jen catholic university. he has been an english teacher since his undergraduate years and has experience teaching students at different levels, ranging from elementary to senior high school. he plans to enroll in a phd program in the near future. he is enthusiastic about researching the integration of technology in the classroom and exploring the motivational aspects of students and teachers. orcid id: 0009-0008-1634-8833 yu-chih doris shih, phd, is an associate professor in the department of english language and literature at fu jen catholic university, new taipei city, taiwan. her research interests are in the areas of english language and cultural learning with technologies, instructional design, multimedia education, and distance learning. in recent http://www.gpejournal.org/ https://doi.org/10.21831/jpk.v6i2.12055 global partners in education journal – special edition january 2025, vol. 11, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 58 years, she has also done research studies on digital learning in other content areas, such as the pharmaceutical and medical areas. orcid: 0000-0002-1093-2296 http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition february 2021, vol. 9, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 48 culture shock and adaptation: a narrative analysis of saudi arabian students’ experiences at tertiary education institutions nidhi sharma, sachiyo m. shearman east carolina university abstract the united states has seen considerable growth in the number of arabic speaking students over the last few years (mitchell, 2020). given the global rise in anti-muslim sentiments in the world, however, many international students from the middle east face complex challenges. there is an inevitable cultural shock that requires adaptations and adjustments. the authors of this paper conducted in-depth interviews with seven saudi arabian international students. we examined their shared narratives to gain insight and perspective into the challenges they face. they reported a variety of challenges, including the absence of family ties, lack of sense of community, religious practice differences, and difficulty navigating differences in verbal/nonverbal language differences and gender role expectations. this is consistent with the dimensions of cultural adjustment discussed by kim’s (2001; 2005; 2017) integrated communication theory of cross-cultural adaptation. the results of this study can be applied to help orient international students. introduction culture is a pattern of meaning, a way of defining the world and living in it. different cultures create quite different worlds (nolan, 1990). as hofstede, hofstede and minkov (2010) claim, culture is like a software of our mind, which is shared among a group of people. culture provides us with a framework for our worldviews, impacts perception, forms expectations, and shapes the shared reality of how members of a given group should be acting in a given context. when functioning within a mono-cultural context, we can be oblivious to these cultural differences. however, when one enters a different culture, all of the cultural differences become salient. moving to a new country is not an easy transition and can sometimes result in culture http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition february 2021, vol. 9, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 49 shock. culture shock is a multifaceted experience. one would experience culture shock at multiple levels affective, behavioral, and cognitive (ward, bochner, & furnham, 2001). when one plunges into a different culture or stays in another country or a culture for an extended period, it can result in various stressful and depressing situations. an altogether different culture, language, customs, traditions, and people, requires adjustment in various contexts; it often demands that individuals enter new cultures to learn how to “acculturate” or adjust to a new culture. (kim, 2002; 2005; 2017). international students face this particular issue as they choose to navigate their academic career. international students who move abroad for their higher education are vulnerable to a variety of challenges related to cultural changes and language barriers. these international students need to know the cross-cultural differences in navigating both their academic and social lives (morin, 2007). although international students are prepared for academic tasks, they are not particularly familiar with differences in the use of nonverbal cues such as eye contact, gestures, facial expressions, paralanguage, and proxemics (yang, 2015). given entirely new circumstances in an unfamiliar environment, they may experience anxiety, confusion, depression, acculturative stress, conflicts, and various adjustment issues. the number of arabic-speaking english learners in the united states is on the rise (mitchell, 2020). adjusting to a new culture is difficult enough, but students from the middle eastern cultures face several challenges. since the terrorist attack of september, 2011 (9/11) in the united states, anti-islamic sentiment has stirred up, fostering antimuslim rhetoric in the media, and resulting in various instances of anti-muslim violence (gerteis, hartmann, & edgell, 2019). abunab, dator, salvador, and lacanaria (2017) reported that arabic students, especially arab-muslim students who practice religious and restrictive cultural practices, face challenging times in the non-muslim countries encountering discrimination, stereotyping, and basic misconceptions about them. although it seems that the american society is embracing diversity and accepting multiculturalism, it seems that many minority members continue to face subtle forms of racism called microaggression (sue et al., 2007; sue, et al., 2009). arab-muslim students are often at the receiving end of these microaggressions in the climate after 9/11. they are often a visible target due to their choice of faith, visible nonverbal cues such as head-coverings, or other religious practices. given this background, the current study examined saudi students’ experiences of culture shock and adaptation, as they navigate adaptation in their academic and social lives in tertiary education institutions in the united states. http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition february 2021, vol. 9, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 50 cross-cultural adaptation process kim (2001, 2005, 2017) proposed the integrated communication theory of cultural adaptation, which explains the process of cross-cultural adaptation. when an individual enters a new cultural environment for an extended period of the time, kim (2001, 2005, 2017) claims that one will go through a continuous cycle of stress-adaptation process, during which one will gradually enjoy interpersonal and psychological growth. in a new cultural environment, one may experience some periods of stress. then, one learns to adjust to a new environment as they learn to engage in a new way of processing information, handling problems, and behaving. kim explains that “each stressful experience is responded to with a temporary setback, which, in turn, activates adaptive energy to reorganize and re-engage in the activities of cultural learning and internal change, bringing about a new self-reintegration. (kim, 2017, p.934).” at the initial stages of entering a new culture, one often faces intense culture shock, with more acculturative stress and challenges in adaptation. with time one learns to adapt to the new cultural environment and experiences less frustration. the intensity of the stressadaptation process decreases with the passage of time as an individual gets adjusted to the host culture. a variety of factors can have an impact on the process of adaptation to stress. kim (2001) mentions six structural features that influence on cross-cultural adaptation processes. they include an individual’s predisposition (e.g., preparedness, adaptive personality), host environment (e.g., receptiveness to strangers), host cultural understanding and communication competence (e.g., communication competence within the host society), engagement in social communication (e.g., engagement in host’s interpersonal and mediated communication), ethnic identity and interpersonal and mediated communication (i.e., communication with members of the host culture in person and in mediated contexts), and identity transformation (functional fitness, psychological health, intercultural identity). often, international students may not be fully objectively aware of the factors that may affect their experience of culture shock or adaptation. in the current study, we attempted to hear from saudi arabian students’ and understand their experience of adjustment at a public university in the united states. specifically, we inquired about the types of challenges they faced in their academic and social lives in american higher education institutions and their attempts at adjusting to the new culture. based on the saudi http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition february 2021, vol. 9, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 51 students’ accounts of these challenges and ways of coping with them, we hoped to identify solutions that might help facilitate the cultural adaptation process of incoming international students. methods participants seven students from saudi arabia, two females and five males, were interviewed between the fall of 2019 and the spring of 2020. all of the students speak arabic and english and identify themselves as muslims. the respondents were all between 25 and 30 years of age. they are studying english as their second language at a public university in the southeastern united states. all the respondents come from a conservative muslim families in saudi arabia. in this paper, we will use pseudonyms (fizza, fahim, hanin, suhail, bilal, ahmed and rahman) to protect the identity of the participants. procedures in order to gain an insight into the real experiences of saudi students in the world of american higher education, the authors conducted a semi-structured in-depth interview with the seven arabic international students. one of the authors teaches an english as a second language course at a university and recruited students to participate in this interview study using a network sampling technique. the participants were informed with an irb-approved informed consent before the interview. each participant took one and a half hours to perform the interview, during which the interviewer took notes as well as reflective memos. instruments the semi-structured interviews consisted of four sections. the first of them contained questions about demographic information, for example, national background, cultural/religious identity, etc. the next part concerned the culture shock experience and cultural differences perceived by the informants. the subsequent section discusses the misconceptions and stereotypes that american people may have about their culture as well as those that they have about american culture. it also discusses about how they adapted themselves to the american culture, and their suggestions as to how their transition to the american way of living can be improved. simply put, the emphasis was placed on how international students, especially students from the middle eastern countries, deal with the challenges in adapting to the american culture. http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition february 2021, vol. 9, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 52 results given the qualitative responses provided by the participants, we utilized qualitative thematic analysis steps that included, (1) familiarizing with the data, (2) generating initial coding, (3) iterative process of search for themes/reviewing themes, and naming and providing details for the themes, and (4) producing the report comprising the quotes (braun & clarke, 2006). the first author reviewed the participants' responses twice, noting repeated topics and important themes. we collected a list of six topics and challenges, namely, communication/relation, physical environment, american culture, religion/worldviews, and gender role differences. sources of culture shock communication/relation language. language is an essential factor in culture shock, since the competency level in the host language is often an integral part of cultural adaptation. all of the participants of this study were taking english as a second language (esl) classes. in saudi arabia, the use of the english language is minimal, hence all the participants had used the arabic language in schools. it often takes some time for international students to learn and adapt to american culture and get comfortable interacting with others in their daily lives (morin, 2007). they face many verbal and non-verbal misunderstandings on a daily basis due to differences in the culture and language. some examples of these include the following: ● greetings: saying ‘hello’, ‘smiling’, or greeting to a stranger is not a customary in saudi arabia. they had to get accustomed to the appropriate way of greeting in the us. ● eye contact: eye contact is considered as a sign of confidence, respect, or show of attention in the u.s., but it is considered rude in saudi arabia. ● gestures: the participants reported that they were not used to using a variety of hand gestures such as a high five, handshakes, or victory signs used in the united states. in saudi arabia, people greet others by saying 'wa ʿalaykumu s-salam' which means ‘may peace be upon you’. the use of curling fingers to mean ‘come here’ in the u.s., is considered rude in their culture. family ties. saudi arabian culture is intertwined with islamic worldviews. the society is highly conservative, religious, traditional, and family oriented. saudi arabian people stay together as an extended family, help each other, and oftentimes, domestic help is available to them. one participant, fizza stated, ‘i never had to worry about cooking food http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition february 2021, vol. 9, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 53 or about the upbringing of my daughter in saudi arabia as we have household help and our mothers live with us. here in america, from taking care of your children to cleaning the house, cooking, laundry, and studying, everything has to be managed alone'. besides having domestic help, the younger family members have assistance from elders in the family. when they move to the united states to pursue their academic career, they face challenges and have to learn to handle everything independently. buying a car, getting their driver's license, cleaning the house, doing the dishes, cooking, and grocery shopping everything falls on their lap along with their education. physical environment religious practice/sense of freedom. the participants stated that they visited a mosque regularly in saudi arabia and pray five times throughout the day (dawn, noon, afternoon, sunset, and night prayers). since moving to the united states, five participants responded that they did not have enough time to perform religious practices. they feel that they had more time for family and for following the traditions or religious customs in saudi arabia. as bilal mentioned, ’i hardly get time to visit mosques or say ‘namaz’ here in the u.s. as there is so much homework to do’. namaz is the holy prayer of muslims. however, they liked the fact that in the u.s. there is a lot of emphasis on human rights and everyone has the freedom to follow their own religion. for example, rahman was surprised to see a mosque in almost every city and that everything related to religious practice or grocery items are available in the u.s. social/community services. currency differences and social services can be a big factor in cultural adjustment. all the respondents found everything rather expensive in the united states especially when they converted the prices into their own currency. in saudi arabia, education and healthcare are free for the citizens, so they found buying medical insurance and going to a doctor in the u.s. is highly expensive. fahim mentioned that his daughter needed a dental treatment, though he was shocked with by the doctor’s fee as in his country ‘medical, dental, and education is all free for them’. he also stated that their education in the united states was also sponsored by their government as saudi arabians enjoy free education. in colleges, students are paid to attend school. he said, “it was shocking for us that medical is so expensive here. we took our daughter to a dentist and had to spend money even with the insurance. i find it weird that one has to take appointments to see a doctor here. we have free medical, dental and education in our country. in saudi arabia, public transportation is widely available, whereas in the united states it is less common. getting a driver's license, buying a car, and then buying insurance was indicated as requiring a lot of effort and cost a lot. when they choose to drive, they must http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition february 2021, vol. 9, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 54 first become accustomed to driving on the right side of the road, as in their home country people drive on the left and they must learn all the road signs and traffic rules, unlike in saudi arabia where the traffic rules are not very strictly followed. they also need to get adjusted to dealing with the differences in law enforcement. the participants liked the fact that in the u.s., 24/7 help from police is available by calling 911. on the other hand, in saudi arabia, the police do not intervene as frequently, especially when it comes to the case of domestic disputes. suhail claimed that the police in his country does not interfere even if a husband is mistreating his wife as they say it is their personal matter. religion religious-based society. saudi arabia’s culture is based on religion and strict rules. judgements and personal opinions may not be publicly expressed. often, saudi arabians do not choose whether to participate in the religion. women are expected to wear an ‘abaya’ in public, which is a robe that covers the face and only reveals the eyes. women cover themselves as it brings more value to a woman to be hidden. many women are expected to marry early and they move out of their family’s house thereafter. women are allowed to uncover their hair and faces at weddings and schools, since men and women are separated in those places. girls have their own buildings, classrooms, cafeterias, and teachers at schools separate from boys. instructors must be women, otherwise a male can only teach a class of girls through skype where they cannot see the students. the ‘abaya’ is only worn in public places where men are present, such as the grocery store or the mall. companies in saudi arabia have separate workstations solely for women. physical appearance. saudi arabia is a muslim country and has very strict islamic laws. everyone living there must abide by those rules. women must wear loose-fitting clothes and cover their bodies so that no other man can see their bodies. they cover their body with an ‘abaya’, i.e. a robe-like dress, and wear a headscarf called a ‘hijab’, and some even cover their face with a ‘burqa’, i.e. an outer loose-fit garment that covers the body and the face. they can remove it only in front of their husbands, fathers or their brothers. tsurui, camara, and sorrels (2012) report that international students’ clothing choices impact their level of acceptance in the host culture. in the case of saudi arabian students’ use of head/body covering, it is partly due to their religious beliefs, which is not something they can easily change to adjust to the host culture. saudi arabian participants believed that wearing the head/body covering is, to a certain extent a way of protecting and http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition february 2021, vol. 9, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 55 respecting women, though this type of covering is seen as putting down women in the united states. they all have a high level of pride in their religious beliefs and national identities, although they feel that in the u.s. sometimes people around them look at them differently. they stated they had to bear discrimination or being misunderstood due to their clothing as they were stereotyped as terrorists, based on their dress. rahman mentioned, "we are looked at with suspicion at the airports and that is the reason why [sic.] we now wear jeans/t-shirts and not traditional dresses”. post 9/11, unfortunately, muslim students had to face discrimination and racism, adding to the stereotyping challenges based by middle eastern students in the united states. gender roles expectations. in saudi arabia, gender role differences are respected. men hold more power at home and in various functions in the society, because of the very strictly religious-based society. when making decisions, often women need permission from the person they are dependent which could be father, husband or brother, in order to travel abroad. it could be their father, husband, or even brother in order to travel to other countries. if a woman works, they do not contribute to the household as that is the man’s duty. women do all the household chores, raise kids, and go to work so that only men are responsible for all the household payments. all women have a maid that lives with them and helps the family with household chores as well. in recent years, the saudi arabian society has transitioned from a traditional society into more of an equal opportunity society for women. despite the changes, the expectations related to gender differences remain strong in the saudi arabian society, especially compared to the american society. in the united states, men's roles are very different as they know how to cook, clean, do laundry, and perform many other household tasks that women generally do in saudi arabia. having a maid is not common in the u.s. as it is in saudi arabia, and even those with a maid do not live with the family. without a maid or family help, americans depend on themselves to get things done. given this difference, participants in this study felt that life in the u.s. keeps them very busy, and it is hard to find time to simply enjoy the company of friends/family, aside from holidays. in saudi arabia, men and women have separate buildings with teachers of the same gender. it has been hard for hanin to adapt to mixed gender classes and professors here in the united states. to cope with this cultural difference, hanin claimed that she chose to speak only to same gender professors as it was more comfortable. according to hofstede’s masculinity index (hofstede insights, 2020; hofstede & hofstede, 2005; hofstede, hofstede & minkov, 2010), there are differences in perceived gender role differences and expectations. the participants felt that they had to adjust to different gender role expectations in the united states. http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition february 2021, vol. 9, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 56 culture in the host country: us culture. diversity/multiculturalism. the participants stated that they would describe the culture of the united states as diverse and open. this is because the united states is a melting pot for so many different countries, cultures and backgrounds. the participants noted that the united states has pride in its culture of freedom. they felt that americans had the choice to be whatever they wanted to be and that they have the freedom to express themselves. the united states provides citizens freedom of speech and the right of their opinion, unlike in saudi arabia. the participants noted that the united states was greatly individualistic. this was reflected in the following statement: ‘having friends come over to your house at any time of day is not okay here in the u.s. in saudi arabia, we have people come to our houses without calling beforehand and it is normal.’ it was also indicated by the interviewees that they also noted that it seems like americans prefer to have privacy between people and focus on taking care of oneself instead of others. one participant gave an example of a situation in which he asked his american friend for someone’s phone number, and he was refused to pass the number before getting the person’s permission. this simple gesture was deemed unnecessary to the participants, though in the u.s. the gesture is a sign of respect. the culture in saudi arabia is more collectivist, as people get to know each other by inviting them to their homes. trust is assumed, and mutual trust is assumed throughout the culture and country. strangers are always willing to help in the same form they would help close family members. this is consistent with the principles of a collectivistic society detailed by hofstede and colleagues (hofstede insight, 2020; hofstede & hofstede, 2005; hofstede, hofstede & minkov, 2010). cultural adaptation process misconceptions of saudi arabia and the united states. according to the participants, americans perceive saudi arabians as angry people and potential terrorists. the participants also admitted to having misconceptions about the american culture. for example, they believed that american food is of high quality, but a considerable proportion of it proved to be fast food. another misconception/stereotype the participants had of the u.s. was that everyone is rich. they did not expect that americans must work really hard to make money. in addition, participants thought racism was not a continuing social issue in the united states. the participants had only seen the racial issues in movies and did http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition february 2021, vol. 9, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 57 not think it existed anymore. at times, adjusting their preconceived notions about american culture was something that they needed to overcome as they experienced the host culture. cultural adaptation strategies. in the interview, we asked the saudi students about the different actions they took to adjust to the new cultural environment. some of them claimed that getting involved in various clubs at the university helped them. for instance, rahman said that he joined the international students association and was involved in various events, which helped him to make new friends and overcome anxiety. fahim and fizaa spent time with their daughter, cooking food, and exploring the city together. this helped them stay busy, gain knowledge and get comfortable in the host country. some said watching english movies, listening to podcasts, and participating in weekly conversation hours at the university helped them improve their english skills, which helped reduce the language barriers. suhail, bilal and ahmed said going to the fitness center helped reduce their anxiety which also helped them maintain mental and physical stability. naturally, although there are individual differences as to which strategies are effective, each person attempted to find something that works for them. kim (2017) noted three facets of internal change taking place in newcomers as they undertake the process of cross-cultural adaptation a) increased functional fitness in carrying out daily transactions, b) improved psychological health in dealing with the environment, and c) an increasingly intercultural identity orientation. the participants of this study were engaged in ways to connect with others and to figure out strategies that help reduce acculturative stress and maintain psychological health, while being functional and engaging in smoother cultural adjustment. conclusion the study provides insights into the experiences of students from saudi arabia in the american tertiary education. specifically, we obtained an in-depth understanding of the various factors that contribute to their acculturative stress and misconceptions. this helped us identify ways to help them with the transition. these struggles that the saudi students shared here are also faced by other international students coming to the united states. therefore, the insights that we obtained from this study can be useful in assisting incoming international students not just from saudi arabia but also from other parts of the world. kim (2017) states that through active participation, and through cultivating the adaptive personality of openness, strength and positivity, one is more capable of overcoming temporary setbacks and attaining a level of functional efficacy one needs to pursue their personal and social goals. http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition february 2021, vol. 9, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 58 most of the participants in this study reported experiencing acculturative stress, yet they overcame the temporary setbacks and attained the level of functional efficacy they needed to pursue their personal and social goals. their active participation in the host culture, willingness to accept new perspectives, and cultivation of strength in dealing with negative views and maintaining positivity all helped them adjust to a new cultural environment. the current study will help us to underscore the point that it is normal to have these cultural differences and for anyone to face acculturative stress. instead of attempting to deny acculturative stress, it is important to prepare oneself to face these challenges and adapt to a new culture. the paper will also provide some guidelines to the office, such as global affairs, to help assist the international students on the day of their orientation at any university. we believe it is critical that the colleges and universities should not only offer generic orientations for incoming students but also special orientations for incoming international students. it will not only help facilitate their adjustment in a new environment but also ensure their academic success. by raising the awareness of these cultural differences and acculturative stress that international students face in the united states, american students can understand more about the cultural differences and to have empathy for foreign students. as the mission of many universities is to prepare graduating students for functioning in a global and diverse society, it is crucial for us to understand the struggles of international students while promote understanding and empathy among american students. references abunab, h. y., dator, w. l. t., salvador, j. t., & lacanaria, m. g. c. (2017). solitude, religious and cultural uniqueness in a foreign environment: adjustments as an arab student. journal of religion and health, 56(5), 1701–1718. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10943-017-0425-x braun, v., & clarke, v. (2006). using thematic analysis in psychology. qualitative research in psychology, 3(2), 77–101. gerteis, j. hartmann, d., & edgell, p. (2019). racial, religious, and civic dimensions of anti-muslim sentiment in america. social problems, 39, 1-22. retrieved from https://doi.org/10.1093/socpro/spz039 http://www.gpejournal.org/ https://doi.org/10.1007/s10943-017-0425-x https://doi.org/10.1093/socpro/spz039 global partners in education journal – special edition february 2021, vol. 9, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 59 hofstede insights, (2020). country comparison. retrieved on march 20th, 2020 from https://www.hofstede-insights.com/. hofstede, g. & hofstede, g.j. (2005). cultures and organizations: software of the mind. (second edition). new york: mcgraw-hill. hofstede, g., hofstede, g, j., & minkov, m. (2010). cultures and organizations: software of the mind/intercultural cooperation and its importance for survival. new york: mcgraw hill. kim, y. y. (2001). becoming intercultural: an integrative theory of communication and cross -cultural adaptation. sage, thousand oaks, ca. kim, y.y. (2002). adapting to an unfamiliar culture: an interdisciplinary overview. in w.b. gudykunst & b. mody (eds.), handbook of international and intercultural communication (2nd ed., pp. 259-273). thousand oaks, ca: sage. kim, y. y. (2005). adapting to a new culture: an integrative communication theory. in w. b. gudykunst (ed.), theorizing about intercultural communication (pp. 375– 400). thousand oaks, ca: sage. kim, y. y. (2017). integrative communication theory of cross-cultural adaptation. in y. y. kim (ed.), the international encyclopedia of intercultural communication (pp. 929-941). hoboken, nj: john wiley & sons. mitchell, c. (2020) u.s. schools see surge in number of arabicand chinese-speaking english learners. retrieved from https://tinyurl.com/y7ux7dkj. morin, a. (2007). communicative behavior of second language speaking students. louisiana communication journal, 7, 5-21. nolan, r. (1990). culture shock and cross-cultural adaptation or, i was ok until i got here. practicing anthropology, 12(4), 2-20. retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/44247160 sue, d. w., capodilupo, c. m., torino, g. c., bucceri, j. m., holder, a. m., nadal, k. l., et al. (2007). racial microaggressions in everyday life: implications for clinical practice. american psychologist, 62, 271-286. sue, d. w., lin, a. i., torino, g. c., capodilupo, c. m., & rivera, d. p. (2009). racial http://www.gpejournal.org/ https://www.hofstede-insights.com/ https://tinyurl.com/y7ux7dkj http://www.jstor.org/stable/44247160 global partners in education journal – special edition february 2021, vol. 9, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 60 microaggressions and difficult dialogues on race in the classroom. cultural diversity and ethnic minority psychology, 15(2), 183-190. tsurui, y., camara, s., & sorrells, k. (2012). does what i wear help me communicate better?: an investigation of communicative adaptability and clothing behavior of international japanese students in the us. intercultural communication studies, 21(2), 1–19. ward, c., bochner, s. & furnham, a. (2001). the psychology of culture shock. east sussex, england: routledge. yang, p. (2015). intercultural nonverbal communication competence: meeting body language challenges in facilitating and working with students from culturally diverse backgrounds in the australian higher education context. journal of communications research, 7(1), 81–95. nidhi sharma earned her masters of arts in international studies with tesol certificate from the east carolina university. she also has mba in human resources and marketing in india. she has worked as a graduate research and teaching assistant where she has taught english to non-native speakers of english. she has presented her research at the global issues conference (gic) in 2020. she is fluent in three languages and have tesol certification and feels comfortable addressing any language barriers with compassion. she currently works as a business operations specialist with a company in greenville in nc. sachiyo m. shearman earned her ph.d. in communication from the michigan state university. she is an associate professor in the school of communication at the east carolina university. she has taught courses titled global understanding, intercultural communication, conflict and communication, research methods, and communication across cultures in international studies as well as in the school of communication. she has written several book chapters and an electronic textbook titled communication across cultures. her research studies have been published in journals such as human communication research, communication quarterly, journal of family communication, and international journal of human resources development. http://www.gpejournal.org/ 5 tackling the insufficient food supply in the sufficient chinese hot-pot chain restaurant industry a summer project global partners in education journal – special edition december 2022, vol. 10, no. 2 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 34 tackling the insufficient food supply in the sufficient chinese hotpot chain restaurant industry a summer project mohan huo, jie peng, ke wu, linxuan zhang, and yiao liu xi’an jiaotong-liverpool university, suzhou, china abstract purchasing is widely acknowledged as a critical factor for business survival and success. this study uncovers the traditional purchasing model that affects the cost of vegetables and eventually food quality, based on our summer field research on chinese hot pot restaurants. seventeen retail branches were studied, and we propose an innovative procurement model to reduce the total cost of purchasing vegetables. in the new procurement model, vegetables shall be transported from the vegetable base to the central processing plant for cost-down measures by centralized processing and cleaning. compared to the traditional method, the innovative purchasing approach integrates upstream supplying resources and standardizes vegetable processing, contributing to cost reduction in vegetables and processing. in the research, the group collected data about food sales, prices from suppliers, and related processing to calculate aggregate procurement costs containing vegetables, delivery, and processing costs. the calculation indicates that the new method produces an additional 21,102 chinese rmb in vegetable and delivery costs. however, it removes the need for a vegetable cleaner in each outlet, which could save more than 70,000 chinese rmb. therefore, we verified such an assumption with qualitative interviews with the managers of hot-pot chain restaurants and found that the actual saving can be around 53,356 chinese rmb. in addition, the standardization and quality control of dishes and fuller utilization of staff have been overlooked in prior daily operation management. finally, the proposed new procurement model can also be applied to global hot pot restaurants. key words: purchasing, procurement model, saving introduction the food industry is fragmented, highly regulated, and increasingly complex due to globalization (pullman and wu, 2021). in particular, because of the rise of ecommerce, the correlation between market activities and geographic environment moderates, and food control, including cost and quality management, becomes arduous compared with past times. aktas and bourlakis (2020) asserted that food supply chains are crucial to satisfying community needs and underpin environmental sustainability. nowadays, approaches for more sustainable and circular food supply chains are also eagerly sought. however, the food supply chain has been hit hard by the covid-19 pandemic, which reinforces the requirement to improve the food supply chain to support business development. the entire agri-food sector needs more attention in the context of the pandemic, as online work cannot be implemented (sid et al., 2021). literature review global partners in education journal – special edition december 2022, vol. 10, no. 2 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 35 according to the literature, short food supply chain is an emerging sustainable supply chain experiment that eliminates the intermediaries in complex supply chains and facilitates direct connections between farmers and end consumers (weerabahu, malaarachchi, and samaranayake, 2021), thus as a promising sustainable alternative to industrial agricultural food supply systems (wang et al., 2022). lengthy supply chains generate high food prices in circulation, resulting in high rates of food waste (lan and wang, 2013). moreover, the researchers suggest that direct agricultural supply is a feasible and innovative way to reduce the additional costs and loss of food supplies (shi et al., 2011). upon further inspection, it is founded that short supply chains are also applicable to the chinese environment. additionally, owing to the current slightly chaotic situation in the food industry, the catering industry also urgently needs to innovate and improve the food supply chain. finding innovative methods to produce, distribute and consume food is a moral, financial, and environmental necessity (cagliano, caniato, and worley, 2016). case description the focused company is the “chen-ji-shun-he (cjsh) beef hot pot”, which has 17 chain stores, mainly in jiangsu (corporate website http://www.gzcjsh.com). its advantages are good service, high-quality dishes, and a self-developed digital system that predicts demand for dishes, which helps them be in the lead. however, it still has some pain points that impede development and expansion. according to field research, the group identified the problem in procurement. the problem is that the traditional procurement method influences the quality of vegetables and costs. traditional hotpot restaurants use regional distributors to supply vegetables. it has several negative impacts. lan and wang (2013) support that because the supply chain has many levels, the price of vegetables in the circulation link increases, and the attrition rate increases. in addition, decentralized suppliers may result in the uneven quality of vegetables among outlets. these pain points squeeze the profit margins and influence the standardization of dishes. the aims and objectives focused on pain points, there are two directions of research to solve them: reducing procurement costs and improving quality control and employee utilization. research design the research subjects are small and medium-sized chaoshan fresh beef hotpot chain stores with 17 outlets. the group mainly collected data from three stakeholders: hotpot restaurants, processing plants, and farms, including the number of vegetables needed, selling prices, and transportation costs. table 1: interviews of different stakeholders field respondent business position business size (number of branches) global partners in education journal – special edition december 2022, vol. 10, no. 2 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 36 hot pot restaurants beibei li cjsh beef hot pot project manager 17 processing plants shubiao chen suzhou youmile food co., ltd manager 11 farms lv qing ougennik (kunshan) agricultural technology co., ltd. manager 1 farms yangyang zhao yangyang farm manager 1 farms guishen zeng xiao zeng agricultural department store manager 1 farms fengwei chen shanghai qing agricultural department store manager 1 source: compiled by the authors. the purpose of the interview is to collect data to validate whether our assumptions are correct. the interview method is one-on-one semi-structured interviews. interview transcripts are in appendix a. the group applies the qualitative research method, which includes observation and interviews. there are three reasons for qualitative research. first, it is difficult to obtain hot pot restaurant operation data for quantitative analysis. second, the interactive method has a flexible structure, where the group can follow up on the answers given by the respondents in real time (rahman, 2016). finally, the group can have in-depth conversations with interviewees to gain more industry insights. in addition to the first-hand data obtained from observation and interviews, the group also gets second-hand data by searching industry reports. data collection through interviews, the group obtained the vegetable sales proportion of the cjsh hotpot restaurant in june 2021 (see figure 1). because the proportion of baby cabbages, potatoes, and lettuces account for the majority of the total sales, the research focuses on them. to compare different methods in figure 2 and figure 3, the group calculates costs respectively. cost calculation consists of vegetable cost, transportation cost, and processing cost. detailed data is shown as follows. global partners in education journal – special edition december 2022, vol. 10, no. 2 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 37 figure 1. sales proportion of different kinds of vegetables in june table 2: one day in june’s demand of 17 outlets of 3 kinds of vegetable vegetable type sales (portion) weight per portion (gram) june’s demand quantity (half a kilo) (demand quantity per day * 30) lettuce 3619 180 1448 potato 4729 240 2522 baby cabbage 9729 200 4324 ps: wastage exists and is accounted as 10%; june’s demand quantity = (portions sold per day * 30 / 0.9) *weight of portion / 500 table 3: the average vegetable price from the supplier of june vegetable type price (cny) per half kilo lettuce 2.68 potato 1.85 baby cabbage 4.93 global partners in education journal – special edition december 2022, vol. 10, no. 2 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 38 table 4: the vegetable price from a farm in suzhou a farm in suzhou unit price (cny/half a kilo) lettuce 1.5 potato 1.4 baby cabbage 1 table 5: processing costs of two schemes global partners in education journal – special edition december 2022, vol. 10, no. 2 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 39 processing type cost number by labor 4500 per worker (monthly) 1 worker every store by machine 24500 yuan per year 1 table 6: transportation costs of new schemes type cost from vegetable base to processing center 400 per day from processing center to stores 3.5 yuan per half kilo data analysis traditional scheme the traditional way of purchasing vegetables, shown in figure 2, is that each outlet has its specific supplier. the suppliers would deliver the vegetables each day without charging an extra transportation fee as it is inherently contained in the vegetable price. moreover, traditionally, the vegetables are processed manually by an employee at each outlet. based on these, the fee of the traditional purchasing method per month is calculated in table 7. global partners in education journal – special edition december 2022, vol. 10, no. 2 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 40 figure 2: traditional scheme table 7: total cost of the traditional method in june vegetable unit price demand quantity for june (0.5kg) total price (cny) lettuce 2.68 1,448 3,881 potato 1.85 2,522 4,666 baby cabbage 4.93 4,324 21,317 aggregate 29,864 processing cost unit price (cny/outlet) number of outlets total price (cny) labor 4,500 17 4500*17=76,500 total cost (cny) 106,364 the proposed scheme the new purchasing scheme designed by the team (figure 3) is that the company would purchase vegetables directly from vegetable bases like farms and cut the middle supplier from making profits. the original centralized beef processing center will be equipped with a vegetable washing machine. the washed, cut, and selected vegetables would be sent to each outlet together with the beef, which reduces the time and labor cost of processing vegetables in the outlet. the cost of the new scheme is shown in table 8. figure 3: the new scheme table 8: total cost of the proposed method in june global partners in education journal – special edition december 2022, vol. 10, no. 2 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 41 vegetable unit price (cny/0.5kg) demand quantity for june (0.5kg) total price (cny) lettuce 1.5 1,448 2,083 potato 1.4 2,522 3,530 baby cabbage 1 4,324 4,324 aggregate 21,937 transportation unit price quantity for june total price (cny) delivery fee (from vegetable base to processing center) 400 (cny/day) 30 (day) 400*30=12000 delivery fee (from processing center to 17 outlets) 3.5 (cny/0.5kg) 1448+2522+4324=8294 (0.5kg) 3.5*8294=29029 processing cost annual cost (cny) monthly cost (cny) total price (cny) machine 24,500 24500/12 2,042 total cost (cny) 65,008 comparison in comparison, the proposed method can save 53,356 cny in total cost (figure 4). specifically, in the new scheme, thanks to the vegetable machine, the processing cost can be reduced by around 74,459 cny, and the purchasing cost can be saved by 7,927 cny because of the cut middle supplier. however, the new scheme can generate transportation costs because the middle supplier and the vegetable farm's pricing methods differ. overall, the main contributor to the cost reduction is employee costs. global partners in education journal – special edition december 2022, vol. 10, no. 2 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 42 figure 4: comparison of the cost of two different scenarios implication this study mainly identifies three implications for researchers and small and mediumsized chain restaurant managers in achieving a sustainable food supply chain. firstly, the research verifies possible cost reduction in raw materials and labor by shortening the food supply chain in the catering industry. compared with cjsh's traditional logistic plan, the overall cost of the proposed method would decrease by 53,000 cny. the main contributor to this reduction is the decrease in labor costs through replacing the manual labor in each outlet with the vegetable processing machine in the processing center. in the global catering industry, raw material cost accounts for 60% of the total cost, and personnel cost is predicted to rise with the growing salaries of positions like global partners in education journal – special edition december 2022, vol. 10, no. 2 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 43 the chef and the waiter (grand view research, 2021). the utilization of the central processing center and direct purchase from farms provide a direction for reducing raw material and labor costs for small and medium-sized chain restaurants worldwide. the proposed scheme could be implemented in small and medium-sized restaurant chains in other countries in asia having similar eating habits and cultures. secondly, this method can increase restaurant operation standardization through several cooperative initiatives. in chain hot pot restaurants, one of the qualifications emphasized most by managers is standard vegetables with high quality in each outlet. in the traditional method, each store is supplied by its nearest supplier, whose vegetable quality is unlikely to be controlled the same. however, in the research method, the quality could be standardized by purchasing the same bulk of vegetables and then distributing the processed vegetable to different outlets. there are also opportunities for restaurants to build long-term cooperative relationships with farms to improve the stability of the supply chain (monczka et al., 2016). thirdly, the research method also brings environmental benefits. the main principle of the proposed method is to reduce suppliers by centrally purchasing in bulk. the reduced purchasing process also implies reduced transportation distance and co2 emissions. co2 emission is also a global issue highlighted by many scholars. although co2 emissions from global transportation declined by 10% in 2020 compared to 2019, it is rebounding and will continue to rise after 2021 (iea, 2022). with the expected growth of carbon emissions damaging the environment, the new procurement scheme advocates for shortening transport distance by reducing layers of food supply and dispersed transportation, which is beneficial to decreasing energy consumption and emissions. therefore, the research provides possible approaches for enterprises to alleviate negative environmental impacts. research limitations prior to our group's research, limited research had been done on vegetable availability in hotpot restaurants, and there may be a lack of appropriate data models to support this study. data limitations also exist. the primary data comprising this model's vegetable prices, transportation, processing, and labor costs were collected mainly within the suzhou region. these prices vary across regions in china. additionally, the impact of time was not considered in data collection. transport prices are affected by different seasons and weather conditions (cassady, jetter and culp, 2007). labor costs also rise in winter (fink, jack and masiye, 2020). the models in the data may fluctuate accordingly, and fluctuations are ignored in this study. finally, the location of the processing plant is fixed in this model, which means that the corresponding transport costs are also fixed in the calculations. if the conclusions are to be applied to most hotpot restaurants in china in the future, more data will be required to support them. global partners in education journal – special edition december 2022, vol. 10, no. 2 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 44 references aktas, e., & bourlakis, m. (2020). food supply chains in cities. [electronic resource]: modern tools for circularity and sustainability (1st ed.). springer international publishing. cagliano, r., caniato, f. f. a., worley, c. g., shani, a. b., & mohrman, s. a. (2016). organizing supply chain processes for sustainable innovation in the agri-food industry. [electronic resource]. emerald. cassady, d., jetter, k. m., & culp, j. (2007). is price a barrier to eating more fruits and vegetables for low-income families? journal of the american dietetic association, 107(11), 1909-1915. fink, g., jack, b. k., & masiye, f. (2020). seasonal liquidity, rural labor markets, and agricultural production. american economic review, 110(11), 3351-3392. grand view research (2021, october) catering services market procurement intelligence report, 2025. https://www.grandviewresearch.com/pipeline/cateringservices-market-procurement-intelligence-report iea (2022, march) global energy review: co2 emissions in 2021. https://www.iea.org/reports/global-energy-review-co2-emissions-in-2021-2 lan, t, & wang, z. (2013). analysis and optimization strategy of vegetable supply chain. popular science /popular science, 11, 178. li, h., li, d., & jiang, d. (2021). optimising the configuration of food supply chains. international journal of production research, 59(12), 3722–3746. https://doiorg.ez.xjtlu.edu.cn/10.1080/00207543.2020.1751337 monczka, r. m., handfield, r. b., giunipero, l. c., & patterson, j. l. (2016). purchasing and supply chain management. cengage learning. pullman, m., & wu, z. (2021). food supply chain management : building a sustainable future (second edition.). routledge/taylor & francis group. rahman, m. s. (2016) the advantages and disadvantages of using qualitative and quantitative approaches and methods in language “testing and assessment” research: a literature review. journal of education and learning, 6(1), 102-112. shi, k, xu, z, xu, w and liang, l (2011) discussion on optimization mode of vegetable supply chain. modern business trade industry, 23(22), 24. https://doiorg.ez.xjtlu.edu.cn/10.3969/j.issn.1672-3198.2011.22.013 wang, m., kumar, v., ruan, x., saad, m., garza-reyes, j. a., & kumar, a. (2022). sustainability concerns on consumers’ attitude towards short food supply chains: an empirical investigation. operations management research, 15, 76–92. https://doiorg.ez.xjtlu.edu.cn/10.1007/s12063-021-00188-x global partners in education journal – special edition december 2022, vol. 10, no. 2 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 45 weerabahu, w. m. s. k., malaarachchi, d. n., & samaranayake, p. (2021). critical success factors in adopting short food supply chain practices under covid-19: a sri lankan case study. (2021) ieee international conference on industrial engineering and management (ieem), 284–288. https://doiorg.ez.xjtlu.edu.cn/10.1109/ieem50564.2021.9672877 appendix appendix a hotpot restaurants interview q：are your suppliers scattered? a：yes, by region. at present, each region has a fixed vegetable supplier, but it does not rule out changing into a unified procurement and distribution model after the establishment of our supply chain system in the future. q：is the vegetable center a centralized processing place for vegetables? a：yes, the purchased vegetables will be processed, including washing, picking, cutting and plastic packaging, and then sent to the store, the store can directly produce. this allows for highly uniform standardization. q：is your company going to build its own vegetable center? a：later construction may be carried out in the factory you visited last time, but this is not the company's plan in the short term. q：where is the specific location of the factory we visited before? we want to investigate the cost of self-dispatch transportation. a： suzhou youmele food company limited location: pingan road, haozhong district, suzhou city, jiangsu province (from tencent map) global partners in education journal – special edition december 2022, vol. 10, no. 2 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 46 q：what about the price of vegetables? a： price fluctuation table for supplier direct delivery of baby vegetables. price fluctuation table for supplier direct delivery of potatoes. price fluctuation table for supplier direct delivery of lettuce. global partners in education journal – special edition december 2022, vol. 10, no. 2 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 47 a：the price of vegetables varies with the seasons and there are grades of vegetables. we will require suppliers to provide us with the best quality products, so the unit price may be higher than your survey data. q：what is the price of the supplier? a：quotes from different suppliers on vegetables a：this one is a horizontal comparison of prices between our suppliers. after referring to the prices, we'll negotiate with the suppliers. q：well, thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule to interview us. a：you're welcome. farms interview q: can you introduce the supply processes from farm to restaurant? a: the process is normally as follows. global partners in education journal – special edition december 2022, vol. 10, no. 2 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 48 vegetable bases ---jiangqiao vegetable cargo center -----wholesale markets in shanghai ---clients generally they directly purchase. especially, the restaurant could also negotiate the transportation fee. q: if we want to reduce supply process of the vegetable supply chain, which level of supplier do you suggest we choose? a: you can investigate vegetable bases, and the quality is medium to above. the price is lower. but some green organic farms have higher prices. q: is daily delivery possible? a: of course, the requirement is daily delivery. q: the quality of the food is usually the same as the dealer's ? a: pretty much the same. q: should the price be based on its daily market price or fixed daily price based on the average price, if the restaurant has a long term corporation with it? a: long-term cooperation can be discussed, this is a very detailed thing, because the price fluctuates every day, so for example, the restaurant will talk about a relative price for long-term cooperation. in a general contract, one is to determine the price, and the other is to avoid the price risk in case of special circumstances. processing factory interview q: i would like to ask if there is a vegetable cleaning machine in your factory. a: no, manual cleaning. q: do you know the price of the vegetable cleaning machine on the market now? a: we don't use a lot of vegetables right now, so we haven't gotten to know the price yet. q: we are currently doing research, the goal is to reduce the cost of vegetables in hot pot restaurants, and we have come up with a plan to transport the vegetables to you in a unified manner for cleaning, and then distribute them to each hot pot restaurant. do you think this plan is feasible? a: yes. now there are some special vegetable companies, they can help clean the vegetables and deliver them uniformly. restaurants can directly purchase clean vegetables, ship them to various restaurants, and the restaurant could just simply clean the vegetables. however, clean vegetables will cost a lot. now this industry is very competitive, and the price has been compressed quite a lot. similarly, the cost of processing clean vegetables in a food factory will also increase, but you can investigate the specific price space to see if it is worthwhile to carry out unified cleaning in the processing plant. author notes mohan huo is a junior at xi’an jiaotong-liverpool university, majoring in supply chain management. she is interested in the procurement and logistics area of the supply chain, and she has two internships at bosch and nike. her email address is mohan.huo@outlook.com. jie peng is a junior, majoring in supply chain management at xi’an jiaotong-liverpool university. she is interested in supply chain finance. she participated in the 7th gic conference with a group project, aiming to shorten the food supply chain. her email address is jiepeng773@gmail.com. global partners in education journal – special edition december 2022, vol. 10, no. 2 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 49 ke wu is a junior at xi’an jiaotong-liverpool university, majoring in supply chain management. she is interested in the procurement and logistics area of the supply chain. her email address is 13020100118@163.com. linxuan zhang is a student of intelligent supply chain at xi’an jiaotong liverpool university. she has researched supply chain technologies, logistics, and procurement. she participated in the 7th gic conference to demonstrate a group project which is related to the food supply chain. her email address is zlx124509@gmail.com. yiao liu is a junior at xi’an jiaotong-liverpool university, majoring in supply chain management. he is interested in supply chain lean management and logistics management. his email address is yiao.liu@outlook.com. global partners in education journal – special edition january 2025, vol. 11, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 23 positive masculinity and disaster preparedness in pakistani urban communities iqra waheed malik and nadia bukhtawer fatima jinnah women university, rawalpindi, pakistan abstract this qualitative study explores the intersection of positive masculinity and disaster preparedness in pakistani urban communities. through focus group discussions with 24 men aged 19 and above from rawalpindi and peshawar, the research highlights the transformative potential of positive masculinities in enhancing community resilience. the findings reveal that men in pakistan have both traditional and positive perception of masculinity. men with positive masculine traits, such as emotionality, responsibility, and perceiving women as allies are advocating for change. they can facilitate women's active participation in disaster preparedness efforts. these men emerge as pivotal agents in creating a conducive environment for collaboration, communication, and collective action in disaster mitigation and response. the study underscores the need to redefine traditional gender roles and promote gender-sensitive approaches that recognize and harness the strengths of both men and women in disaster risk reduction efforts within pakistani urban contexts. it fosters inclusive and resilient communities in the face of disasters. keywords: positive masculinity, disaster preparedness, gender roles, urban communities introduction and background disasters, whether natural or man-made, pose a significant threat to nations across the globe. pakistan is vulnerable to various types of disasters, including floods, earthquakes, and droughts, which have caused widespread damage and loss. effective disaster preparedness is crucial for mitigating the impact of these events, particularly in urban areas like islamabad, rawalpindi, and peshawar, which are prone to earthquakes, fires, and flooding (national disaster management authority [ndma], 2022; ansari et al., 2019; qasim et al., 2016; siddique & akhtar, 2020). these urban areas are particularly more vulnerable as they are thickly populated, hub of economic activities and home to poor people (rana & routray, 2018). disasters are much gendered in nature and thus the preparedness for disasters should be gender inclusive. the literature on gender and disasters emphasizes the contrast in how men and women plan for, handle, and recover from disasters. studies reveal that the way men and women perceive hazard and react to alerts about forthcoming catastrophes is different. men are more inclined than women to want to stay and put out the fire, while http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition january 2025, vol. 11, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 24 women are more likely to seek refuge (pease, 2014). this variation is influenced by gender roles socially constructed within a society. pakistan’s social structure is influenced by the patriarchy and binary gender roles clearly divide men and women into specific roles. similarly, masculinity and femininity are seen as opposite poles of a continuum (ahmed et al., 2021). the concept of masculinity is diverse and multidimensional, impacted by a range of elements such as personal experiences, familial context, and cultural standards (levant, 2007; jabeen, 2018; sinn, 1997). connell (1995) defines masculinity as social construct which comprises of all the norms, behaviors and expectations which are attached with being a man in any society. in pakistani society, men are expected to be strong, able to protect their family particularly women and unemotional in their demeanor (ullah & chaudhry, 2021). adhering to these traditional traits of masculinity encourages men to behave in a certain way and it has significance for disaster preparedness. for instance, studies show that men in pakistan use negative coping strategies including aggression, addiction and other harmful behavior when they are in stressful situations. cases of domestic violence rise during disasters and crisis. (chaudhry & amis, 2021; soomar et al., 2023). additionally, it may put pressure on men to be protectors during disasters and it may challenge their ability to learn new disaster preparedness skills which increase the community’s resilience. researchers have highlighted the need to challenge these traditional ideas of masculinity and promote positive masculinity approach to address these challenges particularly in the context of disaster management. this can be achieved through mass awareness campaigns on gender sensitization, empowerment and promoting men with positive masculine identities (aurat foundation, 2018). michael flood highlights the dual role of men as a hegemonic group increasing inequality and a catalyst for empowerment by being allies. he emphasized that excluding men from women gender mainstreaming activities may lead them to become more toxic in their masculine roles and creates a pressure on women alone to promote gender equality. in contrast, he advocates to consider men as agents of change so that they feel responsibility to work gender equality he has identified three main areas in which he advocates male engagement. first is the need to collaborate with men in the roles of decision makers and providers. secondly, involve men in development agendas using gender sensitive framework. finally work on men and their vulnerabilities. in this regard, major focus has been in the context of gbv and health. however few researches have highlighted their role in disaster context as well. they have discussed that when men are engaged in activities for enhancing disaster preparedness, they become allies of women and act as catalyst to increase women participation. thus, communities become more resilient with positive masculinity (mustafa et al., 2015; dunn, 2016). the main objective of this study focused on exploring the role of positive masculinity in promoting disaster preparedness among communities of selected urban areas in pakistan. the research question inquires how do men with positive masculine traits http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition january 2025, vol. 11, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 25 perceive their role in disaster preparedness and to what extent do they collaborate or facilitate women’s role? theoretical framework for the current research, connell’s theory of masculinities is selected as a theoretical framework as this theory has major implications for disaster management. connell published his theory of multiple masculinities in 1995 which posits that masculinity is a socially constructed schema moulded by sociocultural norms of a society (connell, 1995). he explains that masculinity is not a singular concept but constructed over a continuum of traits close or far from cultural ideals. on one hand he defines hegemonic masculinity which is dominant in patriarchal cultures, characterising men as assertive, authoritarian, heterosexual, and brave. boys and men are deemed manly based on how well they conform to this normative idea. connell's (2000) categorization of subjugated and marginalised masculinities is also helpful in comprehending the connection between gender and how it intersects with other stratum elements like sexual orientation, class, and race. connell (2000) employs these ideas to show how hierarchy and exclusion characterise the multiplicity of masculinities. therefore, critical masculinity studies which view masculinity as interpersonal, socially constructed, enacted, and institutionally embedded have a great deal to offer critical social work perspectives on men and women in disasters as well as to gender and disaster studies more broadly. figure 1 figure 1 represents theory of critical positive masculinity in the context of disasters. connell assumes that men are able to constructively resist or redefine traditional hegemonic norms and create more positive or inclusive masculinities that are more conducive to health and wellbeing. thus, he advocates a new perspective in gender studies ‘critical positive masculinity’ exploring the complex potential for positive change in men. this theory can be very crucial in the context of disaster response and preparedness as it will aid in comprehending the role of masculine traits in shaping men’s behaviors during disaster response and recovery. we have already discussed the need for gender sensitive disaster management strategies. without taking into account men as well as women, these efforts cannot be fruitful. http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition january 2025, vol. 11, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 26 methodology research design with a qualitative research approach, the study was designed using focus group discussions (fgds) as our selected method, a commonly used technique involving an indepth discussion on a given topic. the group is generally between 6 to maximum 12 persons. the main advantage of this method is that it can yield rich information by giving opportunity to the participants to engage in meaningful discussion (krueger & casey, 2014). sample and data collection the fgds were conducted with a total of 24 men aged 19-50 years, recruited from the urban cities of rawalpindi and peshawar, pakistan. the steps of fgd included planning, facilitation, documentation and content analysis and data collection was carried out in the following steps: planning phase: the research objectives were clearly defined, and a semi-structured fgd question guide was developed to facilitate the discussions. 20 potential participants were identified through purposive sampling and contacted to seek their consent belonging to peshawer and rawalpindi. 17 responded positively and 12 each were finalized from both cities based on availability. facilitation phase: two fgds were conducted, one in each city, from march 2024 to april 2024. each lasting between 1 hour 45 minutes to 1 hour 50 minutes. a moderator guided the discussions, using probes to encourage participation from all attendees, while maintaining a neutral stance. audio recordings were made with the consent of the participants. the moderator initiated each fgd with brief introduction and posed each question one by one. she used probes and involved all participants in the conversation without expressing any value to their answers to keep it neutral. at the end of each discussion, participants were thanked for their time. they were provided tea and snacks. no summary was provided at the end as this is a recommended method for conducted fgd (rice & ezzy, 1999; anderson 1990). documentation phase: the audio recordings were transcribed verbatim by a note-taker immediately after each fgd, as recommended by qualitative research experts (anderson, 1990; rice & ezzy, 1999). content analysis phase: the transcripts were analyzed using a grounded theory-based thematic analysis approach. the researchers reviewed the data, identified recurring themes and patterns, and developed a coding framework. verbatim quotes were used to support the interpretation of the findings. verbatim was added with each theme to completely link the interpretation with the participants’ own perceptions as recommended by anderson (1990). findings are discussed in the next section. http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition january 2025, vol. 11, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 27 results table 1 demographic profile of men who participated in fgds (n=24) characteristic category frequency age 19 to 24 years 25 to 30 years 31 to 39 years 40 to 49 years 50 and above 5 5 2 5 7 education informal education/ primary school matric intermediate undergraduate post graduate 10 5 4 4 1 city peshawar rawalpindi 12 12 native language urdu punjabi pashto kashmiri 3 10 9 2 marital status married single 14 10 employment status employed 13 unemployed 11 the demographic characteristics of our participants are presented above which indicate the diversity of the participants included in the discussion to get many viewpoints and representation of the population of both cities. based on the data analysis, two over arching themes were identified: i. traditional masculine identity and responsibility ii. men, women and disaster preparedness these themes which included subsequent subthemes are discussed below with illustrative quotes from the participants. theme 1: traditional versus positive masculine identity this emerged as a major theme in our discussion around disaster preparedness. all of the participants were highly aware of their traditional masculine identity and most of them http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition january 2025, vol. 11, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 28 recognized the pressure of responsibilities which are associated with it. they expressed that being a man is their foremost identity which influences their behaviors in every aspect of their lives. further sub-themes were identified pertaining to the masculine identity. man as protector and provider: this sub theme was expressed by all of the men above 40 who participated in the discussion that they identify the role of men as protectors and providers of their families. they believed that to help, provide and protect their family is what a real man must do. they didnot see any other way to be real men and have to be strong at all times. according to one participant: man is foundation of house. if the base is weak then house will fall into pieces (53, peshawar, fgd 1). these findings are consistent with the existing literature as ullah and chaudry (2021) have explained that traditional ideals of masculinity are hegemonic and men tend to perceive ideal manhood as being strong and identify with breadwinner role. on the other hand, younger participants had a different opinion. they recognized that traditional role is not their ideal manhood, they can say no to being protector but in cultural norms, there is no option to say no to the provider role. many of them believe women should contribute equally to this role. they also feel it causes stress and pressure to be strong and supportive for their family and is too much to ask. as one participant expressed: we men are expected and perceived to be strong and heroic, which creates unrealistic expectations and pressure to take unnecessary risks. women are strong too. they don’t need to be dependent on us, they can share our burden. (28, rawalpindi, fgd 1) this shows that alternative perceptions of masculine identity exist and not all men are falling for hegemonic masculine identity. this is what connell (2000) has explained in his theory on masculinities are they are negotiated in different ways in a society. strength versus vulnerability this theme was reported by older men above 30 years. they highlighted that masculinity includes traits of strength and courage. men should be brave and face any challenge boldly. since a man is expected to earn and protect their family, if he is not strong enough to perform roles or responsibilities he won’t be respected. they also talked about taking risks for family and community. one participant said: http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition january 2025, vol. 11, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 29 man is like wall who can face any challenge. he becomes a shield for his children. (60, rawalpindi, fgd2). young age men below 30 years reported and shared different insights about masculinity. they have flexibility in attitude about roles if men of this community. according to them men can also express that they have emotions and feelings. it is okay for a man to be afraid sometimes and they don’t have to face all the risks. they can also panic in crisis situations. they mentioned that mental and emotional wellbeing of men is neglected in disaster situations and even physical injuries are taken for granted as compared to women. as one participant said: it is not in every case for men to be strong enough. i have a fear of blood and i can’t help an injured person if they are bleeding. it doesn’t mean i am not a man. a man can have fears too. (24, peshawer, fgd 1). these findings are supported by literature that more mental health problems are prevalent in men post disaster as their emotional needs are neglected. they suffer more from anxiety, depression or stress as compared to women (rao, 2006). theme 2: men, women and disaster preparedness men in the two fdgs were very well aware of disaster and its mitigation plans related to common disasters in respective cities. they expressed mixed opinions about including women as helping hand in disaster rescue and preparedness procedures. most of them identified feminine role of women with household, domestic chores and caretaking of children or elderly in their families. in regard to their collaboration in disaster preparedness, mixed reviews were found. they are discussed in following sub themes emerged: women as allies under this subtheme, young men above 30 expressed that including women in disaster preparedness and post disaster activities is vital for swift outcomes and less vulnerabilities. young men think that women can also help and support in crisis situations and as they are the one who know household matters much better than men. they can be more valuable partners in terms of decision making and finding helping way out in community settings. they mentioned that women bring unique perspectives that can greatly contribute to more comprehensive disaster preparedness and response and women should be better included in disaster trainings for measures and rescue so that we can reduce the casualties. according to one participant: my sister is better than me at handling crisis. by valuing and integrating women's perspectives, we can foster a more inclusive and resilient community that works http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition january 2025, vol. 11, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 30 together to mitigate risks and support each other during crises (20, rawalpindi, fgd 1). women as supporters the men above 30 reported on this sub theme. they viewed women more as supporters and followers rather than leaders in disaster related activities. their traditional gender roles and perception influenced their attitudes towards women. they do recognize that norms are changing in contemporary pakistani society. as one participant expressed: in our days women rarely went out. so, they cannot handle crisis. but yes, they can help men in dealing with crisis by providing support. nowadays things are different. (55, peshawer, fgd2). collaboration and support between genders majority of the men advocate trainings for women for disaster situation and show willingness to support them for this purpose. as women are more involved in household and care work, they know better how to handle children and elders in disasters and are also very much familiar with the house infrastructure for safety and rescue purpose. men point out that men's position in society can be used as functional and eliminating power imbalance rather than obstacle for each of them; men and women. men acknowledge women have certain capacities especially in child and elderly care to enhance disaster preparedness and response capabilities. in our community, everyone needs to be prepared to handle emergencies, regardless of gender. i think all brothers and fathers should encourage their sisters and daughters to become well trained (40, rawalpindi, fgd 1). this finds support in previous studies. many men who are educated in pakistan empower their female members of the family to get education, careers etc. (malik & courtney, 2011). advocating for change this subtheme highlights men advocating for policy changes that promote inclusivity and gender equality in disaster preparedness. they are of the view that these efforts can help the females of their community and families in future. this includes just and fair policies for disaster preparedness and post disaster allocation of resources. they recognize the importance of diverse perspectives and experiences, moreover they call for better planning and effective community resilience training for women and men. both need better and professional trainings including first aid, rescue training and disaster awareness. one participant of the study explained: http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition january 2025, vol. 11, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 31 changes need to be made in existing plan of action for disasters. community leaders and organizations can better support women in disaster resilience by creating inclusive policies and programs that prioritize women's voices and needs (41, peshawar, fgd 2). literature highlights that gender needs have been recognized in the context of disaster management. many efforts for gender mainstreaming in the society are already underway by different stakeholders including government, ngos and civil society. studies have critically evaluated policies for their gender blindness and demanded reforms which include disaster management (aurat foundation, 2018; ullah & chaudhry, 2021). conclusion this study provides valuable insights into the complex relationship between masculinity and disaster preparedness in pakistani urban communities. the focus group discussions revealed two key themes. older men expressed a strong attachment to traditional masculinity, viewing men as protectors and providers. however, younger participants advocated for a more flexible approach that allows men to express vulnerability and collaborate with women. participants acknowledged the importance of involving women, with younger men seeing them as valuable allies. while older men tended to view women in traditional supportive roles, the majority expressed willingness to support women's inclusion in disaster preparedness. these findings highlight the need to redefine gender norms and promote positive masculinity emphasizing resilience, responsibility, compassion, and collaboration. by empowering men to embrace these qualities, and actively involving women, communities can foster a more inclusive and resilient approach to crisis management. further research is needed to explore the nuances of this relationship in diverse cultural settings and to develop evidence-based strategies for promoting gender-inclusive disaster risk reduction and response. references ahmed, f., ferdoos, a., & faiz, f. a. 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(2016). community resilience to flood hazards in khyber pukhthunkhwa province of pakistan. international journal of disaster risk reduction, 18, 100-106. http://www.gpejournal.org/ https://api.semanticscholar.org/corpusid:145749126 https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315678122-18 https://doi.org/10.19080/asm.2018.01.555570 https://doi.org/10.1002/9781119171386.ch20 https://doi.org/10.3149/jms.1502.130 https://doi.org/10.1080/17477891.2015.1075859 https://www.anzswwer.org/wp-content/uploads/advances_vol16_no2_2014_chapt5.pdf global partners in education journal – special edition january 2025, vol. 11, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 33 rana, i. a., & routray, j. k. (2018). multidimensional model of social vulnerability to floods: an empirical assessment for rawalpindi and nowshera, pakistan. geomatics, natural hazards and risk, 9(1), 1199-1218. rice, p. l. & ezzy, d. (1999). qualitative research methods: a health focus oxford: oxford university press. rao, k. (2006). psychosocial support in disaster-affected communities. international review of psychiatry, 18(6), 501-505. https://doi.org/10.1080/09540260601038472 soomar, s. m., arefin, a., & soomar, s. m. (2023). “women are again unsafe”: preventing violence and poor maternal outcomes during current floods in pakistan. journal of global health, 13. siddique, a., raza, s. m., & akhtar, s. (2020). seismic risk assessment of quetta city, pakistan. geomatics, natural hazards and risk, 11(1), 1-19. sinn, j. s. (1997). the predictive and discriminant validity of masculinity ideology. journal of research in personality, 31(1), 117–135. https://doi.org/10.1006/jrpe.1997.2172 ullah, s., & chaudhry, a. (2021). the impact of traditional masculinity on men's engagement in disaster response. journal of disaster research, 12(2), 1-12. author notes iqra waheed, an mphil graduate in gender studies from fatima jinnah women university, rawalpindi, pakistan. her academic research focused on disaster preparedness, intersectionality, and the vulnerabilities faced by women in urban areas of pakistan. with a strong background in gender advocacy, research, and project management, she has worked with organizations such as un women, oxfam, and ssdo on initiatives related to gender equity, climate action, and community health. her experience includes conducting field research, designing awareness campaigns, and leading workshops on topics such as girls' education in balochistan, gender safety, and the care economy. she is passionate about promoting social equity and empowering marginalized communities through evidence-based advocacy and interdisciplinary approaches. her work has been published in the journal of positive school psychology, and she continues to contribute to projects that advance gender equality and social justice in pakistan and beyond. nadia bukhtawer is an experienced lecturer in the department of gender studies at fatima jinnah women university, a seasoned researcher and a practicing psychologist, currently pursuing her phd in sociology. she holds an mphil in international development studies and a master's in clinical psychology. her research focuses on psychosocial http://www.gpejournal.org/ https://doi.org/10.1080/09540260601038472 https://doi.org/10.1006/jrpe.1997.2172 global partners in education journal – special edition january 2025, vol. 11, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 34 issues affecting adolescents, women's health, and gender dynamics, employing an interdisciplinary approach to address complex societal challenges including climate change. recognized for her exceptional public speaking skills, she has presented critical gender issues at both national and international forums, establishing herself as a leading voice in gender studies. through her work and dedication to academia and community engagement, nadia aims to create impactful change, enhancing the visibility and participation of women in socio-economic development. http://www.gpejournal.org/ 5 kashmir global partners in education journal – special edition march 2022, vol. 10, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 36 kashmir as a nuclear flashpoint: complexities of the issue and measures for its resolution kinza javed, afshin ikram, nimra safdar, zainab iqbal, dr. nadia khadam fatima jinnah women university, rawalpindi, pakistan abstract the paper aims to highlight the issues related to the disputed territory called kashmir located between india and pakistan and to look for possible ways for their resolution. the dispute broke out after the partition of the subcontinent in 1947 and was presented to the un security council by india in 1948 under article 35 of the un charter. the unrest at line of control and unleash on the innocent unarmed kashmiri people has been continuing since the dispute arose. in august 2019, due to the revocation of special status of kashmir by modi’s regime, curfew was imposed and extreme violations of human rights of the kashmiri people took place. pakistan protested on the situation and there was escalation on both sides; however, both countries are equipped with nuclear technology and there is an apprehension that kashmir can be regarded as a nuclear flashpoint. this study concludes that a peaceful settlement of this dispute is required or else if nuclear war is started, it will impact global peace and security. thus, the international community should make comprehensive and fruitful efforts to address this issue. introduction after the partition of pakistan and india in 1947, kashmir has become a bone of contention, affecting regional peace in various ways. since the conflict erupted, there has been unrest along the line of control, with attacks on unarmed kashmiri civilians, resulting in multiple wars fought between the two countries. many efforts have been made on national and international level to resolve the kashmir conflict, but they have all been fruitless. both countries have nuclear weapons, and there is apprehension that kashmir could become a nuclear flashpoint. thus, peaceful settlement of the dispute is required under international law. historical background of kashmir conflict the landlocked territory of jammu and kashmir is situated in the north-western section of the indian subcontinent. the kashmir conflict between india and pakistan has remained intractable since the separation of british india and pakistan in august 1947. after the partition, kashmir was meant to either unite with one of two countries or remain independent, relying on the wishes of the people and the principle of partition. kashmir was mostly a muslim-dominated state. furthermore, it was closer to pakistan than india. as a result, it was expected to either join pakistan or remain independent. however, as a hindu, the maharaja (ruler) rejected the first choice and could not manage the second one (syed rifaat hussain, 2009). faced with a popular uprising, the maharaja devised a plan for india to send its forces to assist him in suppressing the rebellion. india demanded maharaja to sign an global partners in education journal – special edition march 2022, vol. 10, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 37 agreement of accession to india, as a condition for its armed intervention. india, on the other hand, did not wait for his signature before deploying troops into the state. though meticulously planned and promptly carried out, india’s annexation of kashmir was not easy. so it is suggested after purportedly upholding the idea that when the ruler’s wishes collide with the issues of their subjects, the latter must prevail. india’s military intervention on support of the besieged maharaja was condemned by kashmiri people, and the protest in kashmir was backed by pakistan, resulting in the first india pakistan war over kashmir (ghulam nabi fai, 2013). un resolutions on the kashmir issue with the passage of time, the un has issued numerous resolutions relating to the conflict between the two parties over the kashmir issue, as well as discussions about the demilitarization of the region and holding an impartial plebiscite to determine the kashmir destiny. below is a brief description of each of these resolutions. in 1948 unsc passed four resolutions on the kashmir question. both pakistan and india were required by unscr 38, adopted on 17th january, to avoid escalating the situation. the unsc also established a three member’s commission to resolve the problem, one from india, one from pakistan and one to be picked by both. in unscr 47, it was determined that the question of accession of jammu and kashmir should be decided democratically through a free and impartial plebiscite. unscr 51 mandated the commission to visit the disputed area and carry out the responsibilities listed in resolution 47 (toobah khurshid, 2016). on january 1, 1948, on complaint of india lodged with the united nation security council, the security council recommended the establishment of the uncip on april 21, 1948, to proceed immediately to the location of conflict and report back to the security council (brian farrel, 2003). the uncip enacted two resolutions: one on august 13, 1948, in which pakistan and india reiterated that the future status of the state of j&k will be resolved in line with the will of the people, and the other on jan 5, 1949, in which it was stated that accession of j&k will be decided by plebiscite (brian farrel, 2003). in the year 1950, the unsc had only passed one resolution. unscr 80 of 14th march, 1950 directed uncip to exercise all rights and responsibilities vested in it by existing unsc resolutions and agreements of parties enshrined in uncip resolutions (toobah khurshid, 2016). in 1951, the unsc passed two resolutions. the main goal of unscr 91 was to remind governments and other authorities of the principle embodied in unscr’s of 47, 1948, 1949 and 80, which states that the final disposition of the state shall be established in accordance with the will of the people. unscr 96 was based on a report by un representative frank graham, according to which both india and pakistan consented to a truce (ministry of foreign affairs, n.d.). unscr 98 was the only resolution passed in 1952 with the aim of recalling the provisions of uncip resolutions requiring that the subject of accession be settled global partners in education journal – special edition march 2022, vol. 10, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 38 through a democratic process conducted under un auspices (ministry of foreign affairs, n.d.). in 1957, three resolutions were passed. the affirmations in unscr 47, 1948, 1949, 91 and 98 were reaffirmed in unscr 122. unsc resolution 123 was adopted on feb 21, 1957, which asked the unsc’s president to tour the disputed area with the governments of pakistan and india and to report back to the council by april 15 to evaluate proposals. the unsc resolution 126 issued on 2 dec 1957 in response to the unsc report, urged both the governments to avoid making any statements or not to perform any act that may aggravate the situation. a un envoy was invited to visit the subcontinent and report back with suggestions (ministry of foreign affairs, n.d.). in addition, the unsc issued five resolutions in 1965, including unsc resolution 209, which ordered the un secretary general to report back within 3 days after the resolution was implemented. unsc resolution 210, based on the report by the un secretary general, called on both countries to end hostilities in the region and return to their previous positions. the unscr 211 council set the time for the ceasefire to begin at 700 hours gmt on 22 september 1965. unscr 214 called on both countries to keep their ceasefire commitments. unscr 215 calls for both states’ officials to meet a un representative after the ceasefire failed (ministry of foreign affairs, n.d.). the un enacted two resolutions in 1971 on the kashmir issue. the issue was reported to the un general assembly in unscr 303, and the unsc requested refugee rehabilitation in unscr 308 (ministry of foreign affairs, n.d.). plans for resolution of the kashmir issue in addition, the united nations has enacted numerous resolutions. some of the strategies to speed up the resolution of the kashmir conflict have also been offered by well-known pakistani politicians. musharraf’s four point strategy on the kashmir issue president musharraf made a proposal to india on december 17, 2003, in an attempt to end the kashmir dispute. although he maintained throughout that pakistan’s basic position on kashmir was the 1948 un resolutions, he emphasized that both countries must move away from their stated positions. president musharraf proposed four points’ strategies that involved: 1. softening the borders meant to allow the people to move freely without changing the borders. 2. identifying zones in kashmir, followed by phased withdrawal of soldiers. 3. self-governance or autonomy, but not independence. 4. a framework allowing both pakistan and india to jointly supervise the region (muhammad abdul qadeer, n.d). in addition, he also urged that the line of control be made irrelevant and the roads be re-opened to foster people-to-people contact and transit trade, thus speeding up the global partners in education journal – special edition march 2022, vol. 10, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 39 kashmir process. the strategy suggests that pakistan is willing to make bold actions if india is willing to do the same. however, india’s response to president musharraf’s recommendations was limited, with only minor adjustments of the line of control (muhammad abdul qadeer, n.d). kashmir calls for resolving the kashmir issue prime minister nawaz sharif encouraged indian authorities to address the kashmir issue through peaceful talks for the benefit of the entire south asian region. pakistan’s desire for peace, according to the prime minister, was also obvious in its negotiations with the taliban. mr nawaz sharif cautioned india that in the absence of resolution to the kashmir conflict hostility and uncertainty would continue to reign in the area, posing a threat to regional stability and growth. he stated pakistan was committed to resolve the kashmir issue in accordance with the un resolutions and the aspiration of the kashmiri people (tariq naqash, 2014). he stressed that the subcontinent was partitioned to eliminate mutual hostilities and to allow good neighbours to live in peace. the prime minister said that pakistan had repeatedly indicated its desire to resolve all issues with india, including kashmir, through meaningful, purposeful, and a results-oriented dialogue. he added that pakistan had taken a number of initiatives to develop mutual trust with india, including the opening of the line of control to alleviate kashmiri’s miseries and allow separate families to reunite (tariq naqash, 2014). wars fought between pakistan and india on the kashmir issue territorial conflict over the kashmir issue prompted two of the three main indo-pakistan wars in 1947 and 1965, as well as a short war in 1999, as a result of a continued bloodshed in kashmir and a growing hazard of arsonist activity (takenori horimoto, 2015). the first indo-pakistan war lasted from october 1947 until december 1948. the war came to an end when the united nations security council enacted a ceasefire resolution to divide kashmir into two sections; the ceasefire line was constructed. in particular, the un commission for india and pakistan won a truce, effectively ending the first indo pakistan war. despite this, the ceasefire failed to produce either an armistice that would fundamentally resolve the kashmir dispute or a public referendum to follow such an armistice (takenori horimoto, 2015). the tashkent declaration, which was brought about by soviet intervention, ended the second indo-pakistan war, which had lasted from april 8 to september 23, 1965. in january 1966, prime minister lai bahadur shastri and pakistani president ayub khan met in tashkent, and, mediated by the soviet union, signed the tashkent declaration, ending the kashmir problem (takenori horimoto, 2015). a small indo-pakistan war as well as the battle known as the fourth indo-pakistan war erupted between india and pakistan in 1999. the kargil conflict in 1999 was widely seen as one of the major turning points in the relationship between pakistan and india, two neighbouring but antagonistic countries. it was a defensive strategy of pakistan, which eventually led to the permanent confrontation. this war started in kashmir along global partners in education journal – special edition march 2022, vol. 10, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 40 the loc. both countries had signed a number of border accords, notably the ceasefire line in 1948 and the simla agreement and loc in 1972. all of these agreements have failed to produce the desired results because india consistently broke them and considered them to be useless (takenori horimoto, 2015). revocation of special status of kashmir in the recent past, the india government unilaterally revoked article 370 and 35a of the indian constitution without the assent of the state government of kashmir, which was unlawful because article 370 of the indian constitution could only be modified with the state government’s agreement (kaur, 2020). thousands of additional indian troops were deployed on august 5, 2019, a major hindu pilgrimage was cancelled, schools and universities were closed, visitors were ordered to leave, phone and internet services were suspended, and area political leaders were placed under house arrest. however, the high prediction was that article 35a of the indian constitution, which granted special privilege to state residents, would be scrapped (ahmed, 2021). the government then startled everyone by announcing that it was revoking all of article 370, which includes 35a and has governed kashmir’s complicated relationship with india for nearly 70 years (kaur, 2020). significance of article 370 the article gave the state some autonomy, including a separate constitution, flag, and the liability to adopt laws. the central government was still in charge of foreign affairs, defense and communications. as a result, jammu and kashmir was capable to set its own rules for permanent residency, property ownership and fundamental rights (hoskote, 2017). it also prevented non-indians from purchasing land or settling in the state. but after revocation of article 370, kashmir no longer has its own constitution and is subject to the indian constitution in the same way as any other state. kashmir has to follow all indian laws and people from outside the state are now able to purchase property there. according to the indian government, this step is helpful in the development of the region (shah, 2020). pakistan’s reaction pakistan reacted in a variety of ways from august 6 onwards. india’s revocation was described as an illegal “unilateral step” by the foreign office. pakistan’s army chief stated that the pakistan army would “go to any extent” to help kashmiri people. an emergency joint parliamentary sitting on august 7 passed a motion condemning india’s move. pakistan’s diplomatic relations with india have been downgraded following a meeting of the national security committee. all cultural interactions with india were halted, as was the exhibition of indian films and dramas within pakistan. on august 9th, 2019, the majority of pakistan’s trade contract with india was formally stopped. on tuesday, august 13, pakistan’s foreign minister, shah mehmood qureshi, announced that he had written a letter to the president of the unsc, requesting that the council convene an emergency meeting to discuss india’s illegal action that violated un resolutions on kashmir. the letter should also be circulated among members of the global partners in education journal – special edition march 2022, vol. 10, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 41 security council, according to the foreign minister. on august 20, 2019, pakistan declared that it would take the matter to the international court of justice, citing alleged human rights violation by india as the basis for its case (mishra, 2020). kashmir’s reaction over 10,000 people demonstrated in srinagar on august 9 against the indian government’s decision to remove article 370, with some protestors throwing stones at security forces. indian police responded by dispersing the protestors with tear gas and pellets. clashes erupted between protestors and indian forces, which were accompanied by pellet gun attacks and tear gas shells fired by the indian forces. according to some reports, bystanders had been severely injured and lacerated as a result of the pellet gun attacks. however, all claims were refuted by the indian government by regarding them as a few sporadic protests in srinagar (fitri adi setyorini, 2020). according to the reports of jammu and kashmir coalition of civil society, in august 2020, after one year of clampdown in occupied kashmir, 229 killings were recorded during more than 100 military operations since the start of 2020 and also 55 internet shutdowns and destruction of 48 structures were observed (international federation for human rights, 2019). the curfew imposed is partially ongoing as most of the communication services are restored except some areas of south districts and also extra troops of security forces are withdrawn (international federation for human rights, 2019). the scenario discussed above clearly shows that the indian government’s step to remove special status of kashmir is illegal and unilateral and can lead to serious consequences if not resolved mutually through legal and peaceful means. can kashmir be a nuclear flashpoint? there is no doubt that the kashmir issue, sometimes known as the “unfinished agenda of division” is the longest-running and most important conflict between pakistan and india. due to the fact that it is a perennial source of contention, it has been termed the nuclear flashpoint. india and pakistan are the two nuclear armed countries in south asia. a popular perception holds that the kashmir issue is the one that has the capacity to push the two nuclear armed states to the brink of war (salik, 2019). the kargil conflict in 1999, which occurred against the backdrop of the kashmir dispute, created the most difficult conditions for the two countries, as the world saw them positioning their soldiers along the border (hilali, 2001). they were preparing their naval forces to fight each other on the border. it was widely assumed that the situation had pushed them to the edge of another war, with potentially irreversible consequences, given that they had both gone nuclear by that point. the former us president bill clinton, after the kargil war called kashmir a “nuclear flashpoint”. it occurred at a period when india and pakistan had both been designated as nuclear weapon states. even today, the threat of conflict between india and pakistan looms large as an unsolved dispute, particularly in jammu and kashmir, ending up plaguing both countries, and any miscalculation on either side might mean disaster not just for the two countries, but for the whole world (jindal, 2003). global partners in education journal – special edition march 2022, vol. 10, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 42 the ongoing instability along the line of control, which has been unleashed on the defenseless kashmiri people, as well as recent statements from india’s political and military establishment, have increased the risks of a nuclear conflict between pakistan and india. what can be the possible impacts if nuclear war begins? • pakistan and india could have 400-500 nuclear bombs by 2025, with outputs ranging from 12-45 kilotons to a few hundred. if india deploys 100 strategic weapons and uses 150 of them, approximately 50 to 125 million people might be killed, and nuclear fueled fires could release 16 to 36 tg of black carbon into the atmosphere, depending on yield (owen b. toon, charles bardeen, alan robock, lili xia, hans kristensen, matthew mckinzie, r. j peterson, cheryl s. harrison, nicole s. lovenduski and richard p. turco, 2019). • due to unfavorable weather, it is expected that the world will lose 10-40% of its corn, wheat and rice yields for years during the war between india and pakistan. there will be insufficient food to feed the world’s population for 60 days. (brian toon, 2018) • according to ira helfand, a member of the nobel peace prize winning international physician for the prevention of nuclear war, a war between india and pakistan would result in the deaths of 1-2 billion people due to starvation (case adams, n.d). • after a full-scale nuclear war, temperature would drop to ice age levels and the world would be in nuclear winter, with no crops growing. it is projected that 90% of the planet population would starve to death, civilization would be obliterated, and no one would be safe (brian toon, 2018). • a nuclear war between india and pakistan, according to the new study published in science advances on october 2, would not only kill 50-125 million people directly, but it would also endanger the entire planet by causing sharp drops in global temperature and precipitation, putting the world food supply at risk (owen b. toon, charles bardeen, alan robock, lili xia, hans kristensen, matthew mckinzie, r. j peterson, cheryl s. harrison, nicole s. lovenduski and richard p. turco, 2019). • in 2025, if pakistan attacks urban targets with 150 nuclear bombs, and india reacts with 100, smoke from burning cities will emit 16-36 tg of black carbon into the atmosphere, obstructing sunlight and chilling the world surface by 2 to 5 degrees celsius (brian toon, 2018). • based on the weapons tested by pakistan in 1988, modern weapons are to have yields of 5-12 kt; however, theoretically, much higher yields are possible, which might result in a huge rise in both mortality and worldwide environmental implications (brian toon, 2018). the nuclear war in history (hiroshima and nagasaki) global partners in education journal – special edition march 2022, vol. 10, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 43 an american b-29 bomber known as the enola gay detonated an atomic bomb on the japanese cities of hiroshima and nagasaki in august 1945. it was the first time that a nuclear weapon was used, while the nuclear bombs dropped on hiroshima and nagasaki 74 years ago were of rudimentary class and lethality. even back then, they killed 200, 000 people in both cities, with the later damage caused by radiation killing an equal number. those that lived had to deal with the trauma for the rest of their lives, which included thousands of birth deformities. when it comes to modern day devastation, nuclear scientists believe that today’s nuclear bombs are 100-1000 times more powerful than hiroshima and nagasaki in terms of lethality (tomonaga, 2019). recommendations a. kashmir should be given the opportunity to choose between the options presented at time of independence of pakistan and india, which were: to remain independent or accede with india or pakistan (bose, 1999). b. kashmir, jammu, ladakh (a section of indian jammu and kashmir), azad kashmir and pakistan northern areas should be separated into five independent autonomous provinces. c. both states should resolve the issue through discussions, as it is more than a boundary dispute; it is also a matter of kashmiri people’s right to self-determination (international federation for human rights, 2019). d. the international community should assist both states in resolving their disputes. e. global peacekeeping organizations must act to sort out the kashmir conflict peacefully in order to avert a nuclear conflict that would devastate the entire area (brian farrel, 2003). f. a framework should be established allowing both pakistan and india to jointly supervise the region of jammu and kashmir. conclusion in conclusion, kashmir has been a controversial place for the past 70 years. despite the fact that indian constitution grants kashmir the status of a distinct state, the kashmiri people have never been able to enjoy that status and have instead been victims of indian forces’ atrocities. both pakistan and india have nuclear weapons, and any carelessness on either side could result in a nuclear war, which is expected to affect peace of the globe. hence, it is the responsibility of the international community and international organizations to take effective steps to mitigate or avoid any breach in the regional and international peace and security. references ahmed, m. (2021). a study on abrogation of article 370. think india, 5160-5170. a-z hilal. (2001). kashmir emerging nuclear threat in south asia. 34-56. global partners in education journal – special edition march 2022, vol. 10, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 44 bose, s. (1999). kashmir: sources of conflict, dimensions of peace. economic and political weekly, 762-768. brian farrel. (2003). the role of international law in kashmir conflict. the role of internatioal law in kashmir conflict, 298-300. brian toon. (2018, feb 1). i've studied nuclear war for 35 years -you should be worried.ted talk: https://www.ted.com/talks/brian_toon_i_ve_studied_nuclear_war_for_35_years_you_ should_be_worried/transcript. case adams. (n.d). a limited nuclear war will kill billions of people. retrieved from real natural : https://www.realnatural.org/limited-nuclear-war-will-kill-billions/ fahmida ashraf. (2003). models of conflict resolution and the kashmir issue: pakistan options. pakistan horizon, 119-133. farzana shakoor. (2004). kashmir: fundamental to flexible choices. pakistan horizon, 21-39. fitri adi setyorini, t. a. (2020). the revocation of kashmir's special status by narendra modi administration in 2019. nation state: journal of international studies, 130-146. ghulam nabi fai. (2013). resolution of the kashmir dispute: a way forward. strategic studies, 1-14. hilali, a. (2001). kashmir: emerging nuclear threat in south asia. institute of international relations , 34-56. hoskote, a. (2017). jammu & kashmir & the politics of article 370 : seeking legality for the illegitimate. international journal of social sciences, 813-822. international federation for human rights. (2019). kashmir briefing note. jammu kashmir coalition of civil society , 1-15. jindal, d. n. (2003). kashmir issue in nuclearised south asia. india quarterly: journal of international affairs, 3-14. k shankar bajpai. (2003). untangling india and pakistan. foreign affairs, 112-126. kaur, a. (2020). genesis of special status to kashmir and its abrogation. international journal of law management & humanities, 1793-1800. ministery of foreign affairs. (n.d.). un resolutions on jammu and kashmir. retrieved from government of pakistan: http://mofa.gov.pk/un-resolutions-on-jammu-kashmir/ mishra, v. k. (2020). the abrogation of article 370, international reactions. indian journal of asian affairs, 120-129. muhammad abdul qadeer. (n.d). united nations resolutions on kashmir and their relevance. journal of strategic affairs, 65-95. naeem ahmed. (2000). india's changing policy on kashmir. pakistan horizon, 23-38. global partners in education journal – special edition march 2022, vol. 10, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 45 owen b. toon, charles bardeen, alan robock, lili xia, hans kristensen, matthew mckinzie, r. j peterson, cheryl s. harrison, nicole s. lovenduski and richard p. turco. (2019). rapidly expanding nuclear arsenals in pakistan and india pportend regional and global catastrophe. science advances, 1-13. rakisits, c. (2020). diplomacy in south asia: a four-step plan for kashmir. australian journal of international affairs, 2-7. rathnum indurthy. (2010). the kashir conflict: why it defies solution. international journal on world peace, 9-44. salik, d. n. (2019). kashmir and the abrogation of article 370: pakistani perspective. future directions international, 1-5. shah, k. s. (2020). kashmir after article 370: india's diplomatic challenge. orf occasional papers, 5-47. sumantra bose. (1999). kashmir: sources of conflict, dimensions of peace. economic and political weekly, 762-768. sumit ganguly. (1990). avoiding war in kashmir. foreign affairs, 57-73. sumit ganguly and kanitbajpai. (1994). india and the crisis in kashmir. asian survey, 401-416. syed rifaat hussain. (2009). introduction . resolving the kashmir dispute: blending realism with justice, 1007-1035. takenori horimoto. (2015). the indo-pakistan wars. the indo-pakistan wars and the india china border conflict, 91-100. tarik jan. (1991). kashmir suffers. islamabad: institute of policy studies. tariq naqash. (2014, february 6). sharif invites india to resolve kashmir issue through talks. retrieved from dawn: https://www.dawn.com/news/1085225 tomonaga, m. (2019). the atomic bombings of hiroshima & nagasaki: a summary of human consequences. journal for peace and nuclear disarmament, 1-48. toobah khurshid. (2016). united nations security council resolutions: statuts of the people of jammu and kashmir. institute of strategic studies, 100-122. varun vaish. (2011). negotiating the india pakistan conflict in relation to kashmir. international journal on world peace, 53-80. yoginder sikand. (2010). jihad, islam and kashmir: syed ali shah gilani's political project. economic and political weekely, 125-134. author notes kinza javed is an ambitious student of law at fatima jinnah women university, pakistan. she is enthusiastic for research work that is based on protection of rights of women, children or any other vulnerable social groups. she has keen interest in research work related to international law. her participation in 6th global issues global partners in education journal – special edition march 2022, vol. 10, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 46 conference on the issue of kashmir boosted her assertiveness and determination to present her viewpoint at an international forum. kinza javed can be contacted at: kinzajaved98@gmail.com. afshin ikram is a vigilant student of law at fatima jinnah women university, pakistan. her prime interest is in shariah law, criminal law and international humanitarian law. she is enthusiastic and determined for research work that was motivated by the idea to work for the growth and protection of humanity. her participation in the 6th global issues conference on the issue of kashmir enhanced her confidence to raise her voice for the protection of humanity. afshin ikram can be contacted at: afsheenikram97@gmail.com. nimra safdar is an ambitious student of law at fatima jinnah women university, pakistan. she is interested in research based on justice system. she has much interest in laws related to justice especially for women. she has participated in the 6th global issues conference with the view that she wants to raise a voice for justice in kashmir. nimra safdar can be contacted at: ns9047685@gmail.com. zainab iqbal is currently working as a lecturer in the department of law at fatima jinnah women university rawalpindi, pakistan. she has completed her master's degree (llm international law) in 2019 at the international islamic university, islamabad. in her llm, she wrote the thesis on “the need for a comprehensive arms trade treaty to prevent violations of international humanitarian law”. she has served as a consultant for various international organizations including un women, british council and eu. contact email is zainab.iqbal412@gmail.com. nadia khadam is currently serving as assistant professor/head of the department of law at fatima jinnah women university, pakistan. after getting practical advocacy experience, she joined the ph.d program in criminal law, policy and procedure. her areas of research are criminal law, cybercrime laws, cyber security policies, ecommerce policy and reform in the justice sector of pakistan. she is associated with different initiatives with reference to internet governance in pakistan. moreover, she represented pakistan at different national and international forums. contact email is nadiakhadam@gmail.com. 12 increasing trend of suicide among youtha social and psychological problem global partners in education journal – special edition december 2022, vol. 10, no. 2 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 104 increasing trend of suicide among youth: a social and psychological problem dua soomro, hamna javed, hala saadat ullah khan, salwa nadeem, and zainab iqbal fatima jinnah women university, rawalpindi, pakistan abstract suicide among young people appears to be a severe issue that requires immediate attention and concerted global initiatives. suicide is now a leading cause of death in all parts of the world. according to a world health organization (who) estimate, low and middle-income countries account for approximately 77% of all suicides worldwide. pakistan, which is also a developing country, has seen an upsurge in the number of suicides among its youth, but official suicide numbers in the country are still unclear. pakistan neither submits suicide fatality numbers to the who nor compiles national suicidal statistics. certain social and religious factors make reporting and collection of data on suicide difficult in pakistan, however, research of several studies reveals that household problems are the leading cause of suicide in asian countries. the research paper is divided into two sections: (1) variables that contribute to the rise of child and teenage suicide, and (2) evidence-based therapy of child and adolescent suicide. academic success, physical condition, mental health and well-being, economic status, financial difficulties, and overall life enjoyment are all crucial matters to consider. according to a survey, the leading cause of mortality among persons in 2019 was suicide. as a global goal, who has prioritized the lowering of suicide moral. this paper indicates that the only way forward is to eliminate all risk factors through integrated and multi-sector prevention programs, with essential prevention methods that can be population-based as well as targeted to high-risk sub-groups. keywords: suicide, adolescent suicide, national suicidal statistics, suicide morality introduction suicide is a major public health concern among young people. it has now become an incredibly major societal issue in all modern societies. it is the second biggest cause of death among people aged 15 to 29. according to world health organization report (2019), almost 703,000 people commit suicide globally in 2019(who, 2019). several frequent elements interact to increase a person's proclivity to commit suicide. personal, social, psychological, cultural, biological, and environmental aspects can all be considered. according to the who, 75 percent of suicides occur in poor and middleincome nations as opposed to western ones (shekhani et al, 2018). furthermore, covid-19 has exacerbated the situation and produced a serious mental health challenge around the world. pakistan, as a developing country, witnesses a high suicidal rate; however, official statistics on suicide in the country are still lacking due to different socio-cultural and religious stigmas (shekhani et al, 2018). moreover, this article examines the reasons of adolescent suicide as well as techniques for preventing it. causes of suicide among adolescents global partners in education journal – special edition december 2022, vol. 10, no. 2 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 105 there are two major factors which lead to suicide among adolescents. these are, 1. psychological factors 2. social factors psychological factors mental health problems and psychiatric disorders according to the study of shaffer and craft (1999), the 90% of adolescent who committed suicide had suffered from one or more psychiatric disorders such as anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, or schizophrenia. these disorders brought a person to highest risks of committing suicide but due to combination of any of these two disorders, for instance depression and schizophrenia, will lead to highest risks of suicide. among all other disorders, depression is the most common disorder resulting in the suicide among adolescents poor coping skill according to research adolescents who are involved in suicidal behaviors seem to behave more aggressively and impulsively, have lack positive coping and problem solving skills, feel less supported by family and friends, and have a general feeling of hopelessness. they perceive their life as worthless and meaningless as they do not feel like any change or improvement in their life. they become hopeless and lack interest in any healthy activity. they do not know how to manage all the difficulties of the life and end up by committing suicide. trait impulsivity, observed using self-report measures, has been shown to predict suicidal ideation and suicide attempt among adolescents and young adults. social factors family conflicts suicidal cases associated with family disputes are most common all over the world. peer support and school environment are necessary elements for healthy life. disruption and unhealthy environment of home makes thing more complex for adolescents. peer relationship with a child has major impacts on the life of adolescents. when there is lack of support of parents, the adolescents feel insecure and unsafe. they lack the power to cope up with problems, which develops the sense of fear, uncertainty, and self-doubt among them and it increases with age. bullying, social pressure and physical maltreatment during childhood and early adolescence causes higher risks of suicide among adolescents. social media usage global partners in education journal – special edition december 2022, vol. 10, no. 2 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 106 as cited by u.s department of health and human services in a report of september, the suicide rate for pediatric patients rose by 57.4% from 2007 to 2018. the report stated that problematic use of the internet causes poor mental outcomes (allie squires, 2020). the excessive use of internet results in sleep problems, eye vision issues, headache and it changes person’s emotions at the same time. the adolescents who use social media more often exhibit lack of low self-esteem, an inferiority complex, a negative body image, and risk-taking behaviors. teens who reported using social networking sites for more than two hours per day were substantially more likely to have negative mental health outcomes, such as anxiety and suicide thinking, according to pew research center research from 2015. employment unemployment is an identified risk factor for suicide in a developing country. the research shows that the suicide rate increases with an increase in unemployment. it is the well-known cause of social stress among adolescents as the family tensions increase with time. most companies employ the people with better experience. companies do not prefer adolescent but due to the heavy responsibilities on their shoulder, adolescents feel hopeless and worthless. they lose the hope for struggling and ending up their life becomes the only best solution to them. poverty poverty is also the main cause of suicide in developing countries. due to poverty some people do not have sufficient resources to fulfil their own needs and the needs of their family. it is stated that the risk of suicide is 37% higher in the countries which are facing the problems of poverty than developed countries. people living in poverty are having a stressful environment, worrying about how to fulfill needs of the family members. adolescents who grow up in poverty live the life full of abuses and stress. they face many challenges to survive in the environment and get the experience of isolation, hopelessness and stress due to the limited opportunities. substance use or abuse according to the research of groves, stanley and sher (2007), the substance abuse also has an impact on the rates of adolescent suicide, as it causes self-destructive behavior (groves et al, 2007) the abuse of prescription and illicit drugs, excessive alcohol consumption, self-mutilation, and numerous dangerous or violent sexual experiences were all or part of the self-destructive activities. the combination of different mental disorders and substance use by adolescents can cause fatal results. according to research of kolves and de leo (2017), substance use increases the suicidal thoughts among males 17 times more than in a normal person who commits suicide without taking drugs ( kolves et al, 2017). gaming and suicide an emerging connection these days, access to a game just requires a small installation due to advancement in gaming industry. even though we are all aware of the enjoyable aspects of gaming, there is also a darker side to it. the youth risk behavior survey from 2007 to 2009 global partners in education journal – special edition december 2022, vol. 10, no. 2 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 107 found that teens who spend five hours or more using social media feel depressed, have more suicidal thoughts, and plot suicide more frequently (erick messias et al, 2011). the excessive use of the internet and gaming causes depression, self-doubts and lack of coping power. adolescents who play games are more likely emotionally less stable, having aggressive issues, severe anger, guilt, envious and mentally less stable. as they spend more time in gaming, they do not feel any need for social interactions so they even stop interacting with their parents and siblings. sometimes, losing games makes them more aggressive and they start getting self-doubts, which leads them to commit suicide. facts and figures about suicide worldwide suicide is the fourth most common cause of death for persons across the globe between the ages of 15 and 29 and happens throughout life. every suicide is a tragedy that has an impact on the survivors as well as the families, communities, and entire nations. according to world health organization report (2019), almost 703,000 people commit suicide globally in 2019. (who, 2019). men have a greater suicide rate than women, on the other hand women often have higher rates of suicidal thinking and action (helene. s, 2019). the death rates, which are lower in women than in males, seem to be the source of the discrepancy. according to denning et al. (2000), males prefer weapons and hanging whereas women choose drug overdose and carbon monoxide poisoning. this may explain variations in suicide death rates, as males tend to utilize more fatal methods such as weapons and hanging which offer minimal prospect of rescue or survival compared to drug overdose, carbon monoxide poisoning, or self-harm. it is observed that men are more impulsive than women, which is demonstrated by the fact that men are more likely to engage in aggressive behavior, accidents, injuries caused by violence, drug usage, and criminal activity, all of which have been connected to impulsivity. the greatest rates of suicide are seen in east european and east asian nations, while the lowest rates are found in latin american and muslim nations. (john. s, 2018). in low and middle-income nations, suicide rates were highest (77 percent), while high-income countries have the highest agestandardized suicide rate (10.9 per 100 000). in 2019, the rate in lower-middle-income countries was slightly lower (10.1 per 100 000). (who, 2021). china and india account for the majority of global suicides, while south korea has seen a significant increase in suicide rates over the last decade. (steve. m, 2018) suicide in the context of pakistan pakistan, a country in south asia, has the sixth-largest population in the world despite its tiny size geographically. pakistan has a 97 percent muslim majority, but there are sizable religious minorities there as well, including christians, hindus, sikhs, buddhists, and zoroastrians. in 2008, there were 782,000 suicides worldwide, which accounted for 1.4% of all deaths and 15% of reported injury deaths (sadiq et al, 2017). according to who report (2019), more than one in every 100 deaths (1.3%) in 2019 was the result of suicide (who, 2019). however, only about half of the world's nations have allowed the who to gather data from them. the who received no data from pakistan about suicide mortality. global partners in education journal – special edition december 2022, vol. 10, no. 2 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 108 legal aspects of suicide in pakistan islam views suicide as a sin, and as pakistani law is based on islamic principles, engaging in suicidal conduct or attempting suicide is a crime subject to fines and/or imprisonment. the pakistan penal code, 1860, contains the penal provision known as section 325, which is in force all across the nation. according to the law, "anyone who tries suicide or commits any act that contributes to the commission of such an offence will be punished with simple imprisonment for a time that may not exceed one year, or with fine, or with both." according to the legislation, attempts at suicide and suicides must be reported to the police for further investigation. suicide prevention treatment suicidal thoughts frequently have a treatable underlying mental health condition. if this is the case, the patient should consult a psychiatrist or another medical professional with expertise in the diagnosis and treatment of mental illness. likewise suicidal thoughts may occasionally be related to an underlying physical health issue. to find out if this is the case, the person would undergo blood testing and other examinations. treatment for suicidal thoughts and behavior is based on one's individual circumstances, including suicide risk and any underlying issues that might be driving then (jo robinson, 2016). media adults frequently use social media and most of the interactions take place on digital platforms nowadays. in comparison to the virtual world, face-to-face discussion takes far less time (prakash singh, 2019). the quick introduction and advancement of smartphones is to blame for the sudden rise in young people’s use of digital media. therefore, it is preferable to approach them through social media or digital media by conducting awareness campaigns. youth participation and engagement youth participation and engagement among different preventions programs can reduce the suicide risk. adolescent pregnancy, delinquency, substance misuse, and depression are all risk factors and correlates of suicide that have been demonstrated to be effectively prevented and/or reduced by school-based programs using a health promotion approach. (heather l ramey 2010). additionally, these programs foster interpersonal problem solving, self-esteem, self-efficacy, and social support as protective factors against suicide family support family members and other caregivers have a crucial role in preventing suicide and can become involved in a variety of ways. they can boost a person’s life’s protective aspects, for instance by aiding in the development of interpersonal relationships and global partners in education journal – special edition december 2022, vol. 10, no. 2 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 109 life skills. they can also urge the person to seek and adhere to therapy, offer support during suicidal crises, and aid in keeping the person safe (john wiley, 2021). restriction of access to common means of committing suicide by way of restricting access to common means of suicide, which include firearms, poisonous gas, pesticides and other, has been proven effective in reducing rates of suicide. among all means, firearms are the most commonly used means. overdose of medicinal drugs is another method which can be minimized by decreasing the amount of drugs. many suicide attempts take place in the course of a short-term crisis, so it is essential to consider someone's access to deadly means during those durations of increased risk (marco sarchiapone et al, 2011). education interventions in education at the school level greatly reduce young suicidal thoughts and attempts (lynsayayat, 2022). hence awareness through education is much needed at school and college level because teens are more likely to have suicidal thoughts (christina m. cammarta, 2020) health facilities and health workers to prevent the risk of suicide before it occurs two main categories of strategies can be supported and implemented by health workers. the prevention strategies that health workers may consider include: 1. increasing access to mental health screening tools for self-assessment. 2. increased access to mental health services (e.g. employee assistance programs) and easier access to employee support services (e.g. mental health, medicines, and financial advice) (hope tiesman, 2021). poverty suicide rates are on peak in those nations where rates of poverty are high. it has been observed that 75% of suicides occur in low and middle earning nations (j. bantjes, 2014). research has shown that suicidal behavior is also linked to financial status of the individuals (government of such nations need to take control of unemployment and provide basic resources and jobs to meet the needs of people so that they live their life fairly in a better way and they do not commit suicide in order to solve their problems (maria cohut, 2020). it indicates that suicide among young people is a major issue that calls for quick attention and organized actions on a worldwide scale. conclusion global partners in education journal – special edition december 2022, vol. 10, no. 2 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 110 when someone commits a suicide, psychological issues are key contributing factors. mental illness is a significant psychological risk factor for a suicide. however, other risk factors are also significant; they often have to do with societal systems and particular stresses. pakistan, an islamic nation, is one of the nations that forbids suicide. suicide attempt is a crime in pakistan under section 325 of the penal code, which needs to be reassessed. the concept of social and public health recognizes the possibility of preventing suicide. modifying attitudes about suicide through educational initiatives and legal tools is an important step in such a strategy. references addis, m.e. 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(2015), suicide. https://ourworldindata.org/suicide. sadiq.n , tooba.q , a.waqas, (2017). suicide and its legal implications in pakistan: a literature review, cureus. https://doi.org/10.7759%2fcureus.1665 school-based programming for suicide prevention . rural health information hub. https://www.ruralhealthinfo.org/toolkits/suicide/2/schools/programming shekhani, s.s., perveen, s., hashmi, akbar, k., bachani, s. & khan, m.m.(2018). suicide and deliberate self harm in pakistan: scoping review. bmc psychiatry, 18 (44), 1-15. steve. m. ( 2018). south korea takes aim at high suicide rate. https://www.voanews.com/a/south-korea-suicide/4657846.html ta blakley, (2001), unemployment and suicide. evidence for a causal association, bmj journals, 57. https://jech.bmj.com/content/57/8/594 global partners in education journal – special edition december 2022, vol. 10, no. 2 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 112 varnik, p. (2012), suicide in the world. international journal of environmental research and public health, 9(3), 760-771. https://doi.org/10.3390%2fijerph9030760. white, j. (2015). shaking up suicidology. social epistemology review and reply collective, 4(6), 1-4. world health organization. (2019). suicide worldwide in 2019 global health estimate. https://www.gktoday.in/topic/who-report-suicide-worldwide-in-2019/ world health organization. (2021). suicide key facts. https://www.who.int/newsroom/fact-sheets/detail/suicide world health organization. (2018). preventing suicide a community engagement toolkit. world health organization, (2019, oct 10). world mental health day sheds light on worrying rates of youth suicide. un news. https://news.un.org/en/story/2019/10/1048931 world health organization (2014). preventing suicide: a global imperative. https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789241564779 author notes dua soomro has completed her intermediate in pre-engineering from gul model science college jacobabad. now she is studying law at fatima jinnah women university rawalpindi. she is from the northern area of sindh called jacobabad. she worked hard with determination and always passionate about their advocacies for quality education, women rights. she believes in humanity and social justice in society. she participated in gic to highlight the issue that increasing trend of suicide among youth is a social and psychological problem. her email address is duamanzoor283@gmail.com. hala saadat ullah khan has completed her intermediate in pre-medical from punjab group of colleges, rawalpindi. now she is studying law at fatima jinnah women university, rawalpindi. she is basically from wanna, south waziristan agency. she is strongly motivated by prevailing justice in society, protect civil liberties and rights and serve for humanity because she believes that the sole purpose of life is to serve humanity. that is why she participated in gic to highlight the issue of suicide rate among youth which is becoming a grave problem and needs to be addressed because life is precious. her email address is halasaadat7@gmail.com. hamna javed has opted for law and currently studying in fatima jinnah women university rawalpindi. she has done her intermediate from peace group of college mansehra. her native town is mansehra. she always participates in extra-curricular activities and she has done many community works as well. she is very keen about spreading positivity around the world and wants to work for well-being of humanity for that particular reason. she participated in gic. she researched about the causes of suicide. her email address is hamnaj019@gmail.com. global partners in education journal – special edition december 2022, vol. 10, no. 2 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 113 salwa nadeem has completed her intermediate in humanities from government federal government college abid majeed road raway. now she is studying law at fatima jinnah women university rawalpindi. she is from a punjab province in pakistan. she is interested in human welfare and she decided to study law in order to use it for the welfare of people, believing that lawyers can speak out when others fear to do so and can stand for the betterment of people and for the rights of individuals. that is why she participated in gic to highlight the issue of suicide rate among youth. her email address is salwanadeem786@gmail.com. zainab iqbal is currently working as a lecturer in the department of law at fatima jinnah women university rawalpindi, pakistan. she has completed her master's degree (llm international law) in 2019 from international islamic university, islamabad. in her llm, she wrote a thesis on “the need for a comprehensive arms trade treaty to prevent violations of international humanitarian law”. she has served as a consultant for various international organizations, including un women, british council, and eu. she can be contacted at zainab.iqbal412@gmail.com. global partners in education journal – special edition january 2025, vol. 11, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 35 linguistic mistakes or a distinct variety? how l2 speakers influence english in international contexts. mateusz urbaniak state university of applied sciences, krosno, poland abstract the study aims to examine the development of localised varieties of english within the expanding circle of world englishes, as defined by kachru (1992), based on an example of the polish speech community. employing a questionnaire consisting of translation and phonological items, the research explores how native polish influences manifest themselves in l2 english language use. the translation task revealed common patterns of linguistic interference, such as calques and grammatical structures imported from the participants’ native language, while the rhyming task highlighted phonological deficiency in distinguishing vowel length differences. results indicate that polish speakers tend to employ non-standard linguistic forms due to cognitive influences from their native language, suggesting that these recurring patterns, if properly identified, could potentially evolve into distinct features of a polish variety of english. the findings underscore the need to adapt teaching methodologies to better address the specific challenges faced by learners. the study concludes that while the emergence of a polish english variety remains speculative, acknowledging and addressing such linguistic interference could enhance both our understanding of language evolution and language instruction practices. future research should incorporate more interactive tasks and larger samples to further investigate these phenomena and compare findings across different linguistic contexts. keywords: world englishes, varieties of english, expanding circle, linguistic interference, l2 english, native language influence introduction the global proliferation of the english language as observed over the course of the past century has created demand for a standardised framework categorising its usage depending on a variety of geographical and sociolinguistic factors. according to crystal (2007), there are currently over 75 territories worldwide where english is spoken either as a first language (l1) or as an institutionalised or unofficial second language (l2) in key fields such as education, law and government, with new varieties constantly emerging and being discovered. kachru’s (1992) ‘three circles of english’ model provides a better understanding of this linguistic diversity, classifying english-speaking populations into one of the three geographically-based concentric circles, i.e. the inner circle, which refers to countries where english is spoken as a primary langue by the majority of population (e.g. the uk, australia); the outer circle, encompassing largely, but not exclusively, members of the british commonwealth where it serves as a lingua franca for communication between multiple speech communities (e.g. india, nigeria, papua new guinea); and the expanding circle, including countries where english has no official status and is widely taught as a foreign language (e.g. poland, italy). countries of the first two circles can be described as ‘norm-providing’ and ‘normdeveloping’ respectively, meaning that they either establish linguistic standards that are recognised and adopted globally (the uk, united states) or develop distinct national varieties of english by adapting the language to local cultural influences (india, http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition january 2025, vol. 11, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 36 nigeria). the expanding circle on the other hand is, in principle, ‘norm-dependent’, as it relies entirely on the standards set by native speakers from the inner circle (jenkins, 2009). as a consequence, countries of the inner and outer circles develop their own national varieties of english (i.e. british english, american english, indian english, etc.), whilst learners in the expanding circle are taught according to frameworks for teaching english as a foreign language, which are based on an existing national standard – predominantly british or american. the theoretical expectation is that speakers within the expanding circle will infallibly adhere to the externally-imposed linguistic norms without developing their own distinct varieties of the language (matsuda, 2003). however, the reality of teaching english as a foreign language does not seem to corroborate this presumption, with several studies arguing that localised varieties of english can and do emerge within the expanding circle, despite its lack of official status or widespread native use (seidlhofer, 2011). it could be argued, that irrespective of the organised efforts to teach english in a uniform way across different countries, certain linguistic features and patterns can be observed among members of a single speech community in their effort to speak standard english. these include calques and grammatical structures imported from their native languages, as well as common mispronunciations of sounds that are absent in their own vernacular. the current paper seeks to investigate the emergence of localised varieties of english outside of the inner and outer circles as well as the discrepancy between global language standards and local linguistic practices based on an example of native speakers of polish. it will deliberately construe the most frequent grammatical, syntactic and phonetic errors committed by an average member of the polish speech community not as linguistic mistakes per se, but as observable features of a potential ‘polish variety’ of english. it will also argue, that repeated non-standard speech patterns among l2 speakers occur as a result of linguistic choices that are suggested by one’s native language at a subliminal level, and as such should be examined through the lens of the categories whereby a speaker of a particular language formulates and verbalises their thoughts. methodology for the purpose of the research, a group of 34 first-year english philology students from a polish university (ages 18-20), accessible at the time of the study and taught in accordance with the british standard of the language, were requested to complete an online questionnaire comprising a selection of 12 contextually unrelated polish sentences to be translated into english without contemplating grammatical and vocabulary choices. the participants were instructed to translate the sentences as naturally as possible, without delaying the answer in search for the optimal linguistic solutions. to elicit instinctive rather than deliberate responses, a 5-minute time constraint was applied, discouraging pauses between questionnaire items or backtracking in order to correct the original input. the choice of polish sentences was designed to include components that are partially translatable, with their optimal english renditions using similar expressions that differ by a single element. these components include, among others: collocations that employ a different verb (e.g., en: ‘to make sense’ – pl: ‘mieć sens’ [to have sense]); fixed prepositional phrases that employ a different preposition (e.g., en: ‘at first sight’ – pl: ‘od pierwszego wejrzenia’ [from first sight]); and nouns that are plural in english but singular in polish (e.g., en: ‘the police are’ – pl: [the police is]). additionally, several items included elements requiring revised syntax or unintuitive vocabulary choices to be correctly translated. http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition january 2025, vol. 11, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 37 the latter includes presence of lexical pairs that exhibit similar orthographic and phonological forms but diverge in meaning (i.e. false friends), e.g. pl: ‘aktualny’ [upto-date] and en: ‘actual’; and a phenomenon called lexical asymmetry, which refers to a situation where two different words in one language are rendered by the same word in another, e.g. en: ‘lend’ and ‘borrow’ = pl: ‘pożyczyć’. the purpose of this task was to observe patterns in the way the participants translate certain problematic linguistic items into english, as well as to record the frequency of common grammatical and lexical errors within a sample whose common denominator is the native use of the polish language. the questionnaire also featured a rhyming task consisting of 20 pairs of english words of varying degrees of similarity arranged in a random order, with the participants being required to mark those which according to their judgement rhymed perfectly (i.e. had identical vowel and consonant sounds in their final stressed syllables). the set of word pairs contained 5 perfect rhymes (e.g. snail – whale, dutiful – beautiful) and 5 slant rhymes, i.e. pairs which rhymed except for the vowel length (e.g. bit – beat, slip – sleep), with the remaining 10 pairs having entirely different vowel sounds (e.g. scratch – sketch, lemon – demon). to facilitate answers true to one’s individual understanding of what constitutes a rhyme, the quantity of perfect rhymes included in the task had not been specified prior to its completion. the procedure was designed to elicit responses that demonstrate the degree to which each participant perceived short and long english vowels as separate sounds. a potential repeated misconstruction of vowel length differences, which is considerably more likely to occur in speakers of a language where such a distinction is absent, could indicate regularities in the way speakers of polish mispronounce certain sounds and entire words based on their spelling. results for the translation task, each of the 34 responses was processed on an individual basis and analysed in terms of unique solutions to the linguistic problems contained in each question. for each item the focus was placed on specific translation challenges, disregarding any non-standard responses in areas in which they had not been anticipated by the questionnaire’s design. the results are represented as the percentage of occurrences of the optimal solution and the most frequent non-standard solution to each sentence’s focus problem. the research indicates varying degrees of grammatical and lexical compliance of the responses with standard english, with the non-standard response being predominant in 4 out of 12 items. below is a summary of selected questionnaire items that are particularly relevant to the subsequent discussion. structures and expressions that were the focus of each sentence were underlined. for the complete set of results, please refer to appendix 1. question 2 – collocations employing a different verb pl: uważam, że twój pomysł nie ma sensu. en: i think your idea makes no sense. literally: [i think that your idea does not have sense.] the majority of participants (19 responses, 56%) correctly used the collocation ‘to make sense’ in their translations. however, there was a notable tendency (14 responses, 41%) to translate the phrase as ‘to have sense’, a clear calque of the polish expression ‘mieć sens’. the remaining one participant employed an alternative http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition january 2025, vol. 11, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 38 approach, replacing the collocation with a copular construction with an adjective, translating it as ‘to be senseless’. question 3 – prepositional phrases employing a different preposition pl: to była miłość od pierwszego wejrzenia. en: it was love at first sight. literally: [it was love from first sight.] item 3 saw the majority of the participants (20 responses, 59%) providing a literal translation of the polish phrase ‘od pierwszego wejrzenia’ (‘from first sight’) as opposed make sense 56% have sense 41% senseless 3% question 2: uważam, że twój pomysł nie ma sensu. en: i think your idea makes no sense. make sense have sense senseless at first sight 26% from first sight 59% other 15% question 3: to była miłość od pierwszego wejrzenia. it was love at first sight. at first sight from first sight other http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition january 2025, vol. 11, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 39 to the standard expression ‘at first sight’. the latter response was the preferred one among only 9 of the respondents, amounting to 26% of the sample. alternative solutions (5 answers, 15%) included the use of other prepositions and the replacement of the prepositional phrase with the predicative use of a noun phrase (‘first-sight love’). question 6 – singular-plural asymmetry pl: od wczoraj policja poszukuje przestępcy. en: the police have been looking for the criminal since yesterday. literally: [since yesterday the police is looking for the criminal.] the noun ‘police’, which in english requires plural verb conjugation when used collectively, is exclusively singular in the polish language. this has been reflected by the results obtained in item 6, which sees as many as 22 respondents (65%) using the singular form of the phrasal verb ‘to look for’, with only 8 of them (23%) employing the plural. the remaining 4 participants (12%) provided answers that did not ascribe any grammatical number to the word ‘police’. question 9 – lexical interference pl: jak wygląda twój pokój? en: what does your room look like? literally: [how looks your room?] the original sentence in question 9 can be rendered in two ways in standard english, either as ‘what does your room look like?’ or ‘how does your room look?’. the polish equivalent begins with the interrogative adverb ‘jak’ (‘how’), to which the language offers no alternative solution. the results indicate that an overwhelming majority of the participants began their translated sentences with the word ‘how’ (26 responses, 77%) with only 8 respondents opting otherwise (23%). however, it is worth noting that only plural 23% singular 65% undetermined 12% question 6: od wczoraj policja poszukuje przestępcy. the police have been looking for the criminal since yesterday. plural singular undetermined http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition january 2025, vol. 11, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 40 5 of those 26 responses (15%) used the correct syntax (‘how does your room look?’), with as many as 21 participants (62%) providing the non-standard ‘how does your room look like?’. if one assumes that the primary choice in this sentence was in fact between the syntax employing the final ‘look’ and the one ending with ‘look like’, the ‘how does your room look like?’ response could be explained as a result of lexical interference, i.e. subconscious replacement of ‘what’ with ‘how’ in the sentence ‘what does your room look like?’, dictated by the original polish structure. question 11 – lexical asymmetry pl: wczoraj pożyczył mi pieniądze. en: he lent me money yesterday. what … look like 23% how … look 15% how … look like 62% question 9: jak wygląda twój pokój? what does your room look like? / how does your room look? what … look like how … look how … look like http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition january 2025, vol. 11, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 41 literally: [yesterday he lent/borrowed me money.] the polish verb ‘pożyczyć’ is an illustration of lexical asymmetry, with its meaning encompassing that of both english verbs ‘to lend’ and ‘to borrow’. it was therefore reasonable to expect the linguistic interference to result in a roughly equal distribution of participants opting for either verb in their translations. the obtained results however do not align with this assumption, as 27 of the respondents (79%) correctly translated the original verb as ‘to lend’, with only 6 of them choosing ‘to borrow’ (18%). whereas the latter choice can well be attributed to the effect of interference, other factors, including insufficient language proficiency, cannot be ruled out. rhyming task – phonological interference the results of the rhyming task indicate a significant tendency to disregard the differences between short and long vowels in english, with all but one pair of slant rhymes having been marked as perfect rhymes by over a half of the respondents (from 41% for bit beat to 82% for glitch beach). a significant majority of the participants correctly recognised all 5 pairs of perfect rhymes, with results varying between 70% (beautiful dutiful; snail whale) and 97% (rabbit habit; dog frog). 9 out of 10 pairs of words which do not rhyme due to divergent vowel sounds were correctly construed as non-rhymes by a vast majority of the respondents, with results ranging from 26% (trick track) to 0% (bright bread). the only remarkable exception within this group was the pair lemon demon, which was marked as a perfect rhyme by as many as 24 participants (71%). the latter is a case of phonological interference, as the polish equivalent of the noun ‘demon’ is pronounced with a short /e/, which does rhyme with the english ‘lemon’. it could be argued, however, that this effect may have been amplified by the two vowel sounds being graphically represented by the same lent 79% borrowed 18% neither 3% question 11: wczoraj pożyczył mi pieniądze. he lent me money yesterday. lent borrowed neither http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition january 2025, vol. 11, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 42 character ‘e’, which given the scarcity of time available to complete the task, may have acted as a distracting visual cue. discussion the research conducted for the purpose of this paper sought to provide an insight into how members of the same speech community tend to commit similar, and in many cases identical linguistic errors when speaking english, even when instructed in one of its standard varieties at an academic level. this presumptive tendency was particularly visible in the results of the rhyming task, which revealed a reasonably uniform perception of polish speakers with regard to the distinction between long and short vowels in english, a feature that has been absent in the polish language for several http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition january 2025, vol. 11, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 43 centuries. the participants’ consistent disregard of this phonological aspect suggests that native use of polish not only impairs the speaker’s ability to discern between sounds which in many cases determine meanings of words, but also causes them to mispronounce certain sounds in a predictable way. this finding points to one of the potential causes of reduced mutual intelligibility between l1 and l2 speakers of english, particularly those with little prior exposure to the native use of the language. in as much as the translation task proposed in the questionnaire may not entirely replicate the settings in which participants are able to produce purposeful utterances of speech typical of a casual conversation, it does provide an understanding of the thought process behind the linguistic choices they make as they verbalise their thoughts. not only does a large proportion of them apply non-standard solutions to the translation problems they encounter, but they also exhibit a strong tendency to solve them in a similar fashion. this is reflected in an overall low number of unique ways of translating the same linguistic items recorded for the entire sample. in the majority of cases, the participants were split between those who translated certain phrases and expressions according to the standard and a considerable fraction of those who opted for one single common non-standard alternative. notably, they did so despite operating on a strict time limit and without conferring their answers among themselves. while this phenomenon may be interpreted as a result of a varying degree of command of the language within the sample, undermining the validity of carrying out similar research in this specific context, an insufficient knowledge of english among the participants helps to shed some light on the mechanism of the emergence of common linguistic mistakes and their subsequent fossilisation in everyday speech. proficiency gaps in an l2 english speaker require them to seek alternative ways to convey their intended meaning. if a missing portion of information cannot be swiftly paraphrased or substituted by a synonymous standard english phrase, the speaker may, more or less consciously, resort to means of expression known from their own native language. this semi-intuitive approach is also additionally reinforced in case of languages belonging to the same language family, which tend to share a substantial amount of translatable and partially translatable expressions between one another, of which speakers are, more often than not, fully aware. given the limited time allowed for the completion of the research questionnaire and other measures applied to elicit instinctive responses to consecutive questions, the participants could only rely, apart from their english skills and their ability to quickly rephrase their utterances using limited lexical means, on automated responses suggested by native language patterns. since virtually no l2 speaker of english is immune to this effect, especially when producing speech under conditions where the pressure factor is present, complete eradication of thus created ‘common errors’ appears impossible on multiple levels. assuming that the frequency of errors resulting from the interference of polish is inversely proportional to one’s proficiency in a foreign language, it appears reasonable to expect that an l2 speaker, irrespective of their degree of mastery in english, is considerably more subject to exposure to other l2 speakers using a set of non-standard expressions typical to members of the polish speech community, than to the native use of the language. this in turn provides a partial explanation as to how non-standard expressions enter and become entrenched in the mainstream language. it also explains how communities which historically underwent a shift from the expanding into the inner circle, as per kachru’s model, http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition january 2025, vol. 11, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 44 developed their own idiomatic expressions and linguistic structures unique to their variety of english. the magnitude of the effect observed in the sample allows for a speculation about the potential for a distinct ‘polish variety’ of english to develop, with the most common structures and calques from polish serving as its core element. whereas the current study did by no means attempt to compile a definitive list of features characterising this speculative variety, it endeavoured to demonstrate several speech patterns caused by linguistic interference which circulate among polish speakers of english, and which could in certain, albeit unlikely circumstances become codified and institutionalised as the official national standard. identifying the source of many linguistic errors committed by l2 speakers as a function of uncontrollable cognitive factors amplified by a number of individuals of average english proficiency contributing to the proliferation of nonstandard structures and expressions, may call for a redefinition of what constitutes an error, or even for introducing a separate category to classify terms which originated in the expanding circle and which are in circulation within a particular local variety. this approach, though unorthodox and arguably lenient towards errors from the perspective of classical linguistics, could help identify areas for improvement for english teaching methodology by tailoring it to the unique needs of learners speaking a specific native language. conclusion the research presented in this paper provides an insight into the phenomenon of linguistic interference and its fundamental role in shaping non-standard forms of english among l2 speakers. through examining the specific grammatical, syntactic and phonetic patterns that emerge when polish speakers translate and pronounce english, the study outlines how certain recurring linguistic errors ought to be construed as more than merely isolated mistakes, and that they reflect deeper cognitive processes influenced by one’s native language. these observations challenge the conventional expectation that speakers from the expanding circle, as defined by kachru’s model, will strictly adhere to linguistic norms without developing their own variations of the language. in fact, the evidence suggests that even within this group there is potential for the development of distinct localised varieties of english. the implications of these findings are significant for both linguistic theory and language teaching practices. on the one hand, they suggest the need to reconsider what constitutes an error in the context of l2 english, particularly when such errors are widespread and consistent within a speech community. on the other hand, they point to the necessity of adapting english teaching methodologies to better address the specific challenges and needs of learners from different linguistic backgrounds. this may involve acknowledging and incorporating elements of the learners' native languages into the curriculum, rather than striving for an unattainable ideal of perfect conformity to native speaker norms. while the emergence of a full-fledged polish variety of english remains speculative, the study provides circumstantial evidence that linguistic interference can lead to the development of unique patterns and structures within l2 english. acknowledging and addressing them not only enhances our understanding of language evolution but also releases the potential to improve language instruction in a way that is more responsive to the realities of global english usage. the current study, albeit informative within the context of linguistic interference, is not without its limitations, as the questionnaire http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition january 2025, vol. 11, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 45 design based on rigid translations may not fully capture the complexities of actual spoken language use. to more effectively reflect natural speech patterns, future research could incorporate more realistic and interactive tasks, such as dynamic conversation simulations or multi-dimensional studies tracing language development over time. it should also focus on identifying a more robust and definitive set of characteristic features of l2 english among speakers of polish, to be attained through larger and more diversified samples as well as adopting a contrastive approach to ascertaining the most challenging differences between the two languages from the learner’s perspective. comparing new findings with similar studies conducted in the context of other speech communities could provide a better understanding of how localised varieties of english develop and differ across various linguistic backgrounds. references crystal, d. (2007). english as a global language (2nd ed.). cambridge university press. jenkins, j. (2009). world englishes: a resource book for students (2nd ed.). routledge. kachru, b. b. (1992). the other tongue: english across cultures (2nd ed.). university of illinois press. matsuda, a. (2003). the ownership of english in japanese secondary schools. world englishes, 22(4), 483-496. seidlhofer, b. (2011). understanding english as a lingua franca. oxford university press. appendices appendix 1. i translation task 1. czy mógłby mi pan zrobić zdjęcie? could you take a photo of me? take a photo 29 85,29% make a photo 3 8,82% do a photo 2 5,88% 2. uważam, że twój pomysł nie ma sensu. i think your idea makes no sense. make sense 19 55,88% have sense 14 41,18% senseless 1 2,94% 3. to była miłość od pierwszego wejrzenia. it was love at first sight. at first sight 9 26,47% from first sight 20 58,82% other 5 14,71% http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition january 2025, vol. 11, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 46 4. w tej chwili piszę zadanie domowe. i am doing homework right now. do homework 23 67,65% write homework 11 32,35% 5. muszę porozmawiać z menadżerem. i need to speak to the manager. to 20 58,82% with 13 38,24% other 1 2,94% 6. od wczoraj policja poszukuje przestępcy. the police have been looking for the criminal since yesterday. plural 8 23,53% singular 22 64,71% undetermined 4 11,76% 7. bardzo lubię pływać. i like swimming a lot. really like / enjoy 22 64,71% … very much 7 20,59% very much like 1 2,94% very like 1 2,94% avoided altogether 3 8,82% 8. jutrzejsze zajęcia zostały odwołane. tomorrow's classes have been cancelled. tomorrow's 24 70,59% tomorrow 10 29,41% 9. jak wygląda twój pokój? what does your room look like? what … look like 8 23,53% how … look 5 14,71% how … look like 21 61,76% 10. ten harmonogram nie jest aktualny. this schedule is not up-to-date. actual 3 8,82% is not 23 67,65% 11. wczoraj pożyczył mi pieniądze. he lent me money yesterday. lent 27 79,41% borrowed 6 17,65% neither 1 2,94% 12. wiadomości w telewizji były nudne. the news on tv was boring. singular 11 32,35% plural 23 67,65% on 7 20,59% in 17 50,00% tv news 7 20,59% news 3 8,82% http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition january 2025, vol. 11, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 47 ii rhyming task perfect rhymes: dog – frog 33 97,06% rabbit – habit 33 97,06% leather – feather 31 91,18% beautiful dutiful 24 70,59% snail whale 24 70,59% slant rhymes: glitch beach 28 82,35% quiz squeeze 26 76,47% ship sheep 18 52,94% slip sleep 18 52,94% bit beat 14 41,18% non-rhymes: lemon demon 24 70,59% trick track 9 26,47% bell rail 8 23,53% knit knight 4 11,76% scratch sketch 3 8,82% skip stop 3 8,82% latch ledge 2 5,88% climb clamp 1 2,94% drum dream 1 2,94% bright bread 0 0,00% author notes mateusz urbaniak is an undergraduate student of english philology and translation studies at the state university of applied sciences in krosno, poland. his primary areas of interest include translation of classical literary works and the problem of translatability of idiomatic expressions and proverbs. his academic endeavours revolve around english, german, polish and portuguese languages, in which he demonstrates varying levels of proficiency. he also aspires to explore the work of a translator from multiple perspectives and to establish himself in a field that is being increasingly menaced by advancements in ai technology. http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition january 2025, vol. 11, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 110 shadows of the past: tracing intergenerational trauma in seychelles diana benoit durban university of technology, durban, south africa abstract this article examines the intergenerational trauma resulting from the 1977 coup d’état in seychelles, revealing how the psychological impacts experienced by victims continue to affect their descendants. the study highlights that trauma has manifested in the children of victims as anxiety, depression, and a pervasive sense of insecurity, underscoring the complex nature of healing in post-conflict societies. through analysis of diverse emotional responses to the truth commission, ranging from relief to re-traumatization, the article illustrates the challenges of achieving collective healing. a significant collective call for reparations and justice has emerged, emphasizing the need for acknowledgment, accountability, and comprehensive redress to foster reconciliation. the study advocates for the implementation of holistic support systems, including psychological counselling, legal assistance, and community engagement initiatives tailored to the needs of affected populations. by exploring the transmission of trauma across generations, this research offers practical recommendations for breaking the cycle of suffering and promoting resilience within seychelles. the findings have broader implications for other post-conflict societies, demonstrating the importance of integrating mental health care, justice mechanisms, and public acknowledgment of historical injustices into post-conflict recovery efforts. this work contributes to a deeper understanding of the enduring impacts of political violence and the critical need for comprehensive approaches to healing that address both individual and collective dimensions of trauma to foster a more just and resilient future. keywords: intergenerational trauma, seychelles, post-conflict healing, truth commission, reparations and justice tracing intergenerational trauma in seychelles the 1977 coup d’état in seychelles marked a pivotal moment in the nation’s history, instigating a period of political upheaval and societal turmoil that continues to resonate across generations. this event, characterized by the violent overthrow of the government, resulted in widespread human rights violations, including arbitrary detentions, forced disappearances, and a climate of fear that pervaded daily life (shillington, 2009). while the immediate victims of the coup have been acknowledged in historical accounts, the enduring impact on their descendants has received comparatively less attention. this study aims to fill this gap by exploring the phenomenon of intergenerational trauma, http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition january 2025, vol. 11, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 111 whereby the psychological scars of the past are transmitted from parents to children, influencing the mental health and social well-being of subsequent generations. intergenerational trauma refers to the transmission of emotional and psychological effects of trauma across generations, often resulting in similar or related patterns of distress among descendants who did not directly experience the original traumatic events (danieli, 1998). this concept has been extensively studied in various post-conflict societies, such as those affected by the holocaust, apartheid in south africa, and the genocides in rwanda and cambodia, revealing a persistent legacy of suffering that transcends time and direct experience (yehuda et al., 2016). in seychelles, the legacy of the coup has been largely overlooked in public discourse and policy, yet the findings of this study underscore its profound and enduring impact on the children of those who lived through the turmoil. the study conducted in seychelles reveals that trauma experienced by the victims of the coup continues to affect their children, manifesting in various forms such as anxiety, depression, and a pervasive sense of insecurity. these psychological effects are not merely isolated instances but are indicative of a broader pattern of emotional distress that has been passed down through familial and societal lines (chung & bemak, 2002). the complexity of healing in post-conflict societies is further highlighted by the diverse emotional responses observed among individuals engaging with the truth commission, ranging from relief and closure to re-traumatization. this variability in response underscores the challenges in addressing historical injustices and the intricate process of collective healing (hamber, 2009). a significant collective call for reparations and justice has emerged among the affected populations, emphasizing the need for acknowledgment and redress to foster healing. the demands for reparations are not solely about financial compensation but are deeply rooted in the need for official recognition of the harm suffered and a commitment to address the wrongs of the past (laplante, 2008). this study advocates for comprehensive support systems, including psychological counselling, legal assistance, and community engagement, tailored to the specific needs of affected populations. such measures are crucial not only for alleviating individual suffering but also for promoting resilience and stability within seychelles, contributing to the broader understanding of trauma transmission in post-conflict contexts. by highlighting the ongoing impact of the coup on subsequent generations, this work aims to shed light on the long-term consequences of political violence and the critical importance of addressing intergenerational trauma in the pursuit of societal healing and justice. intergenerational trauma in post-conflict contexts http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition january 2025, vol. 11, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 112 intergenerational trauma, also known as transgenerational trauma, is a psychological phenomenon in which the effects of trauma experienced by one generation are passed down to subsequent generations. this transmission occurs through complex mechanisms that include behavioural patterns, psychological responses, and even genetic alterations, which together influence how descendants of trauma survivors experience and cope with their environments (yehuda et al., 2018). intergenerational trauma has been observed in various contexts, such as among descendants of holocaust survivors, indigenous populations affected by colonialism, and communities recovering from civil conflicts and genocides. in the case of seychelles, the trauma inflicted by the coup d’état has similarly permeated the lives of the children and grandchildren of those directly affected, shaping their mental health and social realities. the concept of intergenerational trauma challenges the traditional understanding of trauma as a singular event with isolated impacts. instead, it highlights the enduring nature of traumatic experiences and their capacity to influence multiple generations. this is often facilitated by maladaptive coping mechanisms adopted by the original trauma survivors, such as avoidance, hypervigilance, or emotional numbing, which can become embedded in family dynamics and social interactions (kellermann, 2001). in seychelles, many survivors of the coup endured prolonged periods of fear, mistrust, and instability, conditions that have been internalised and mirrored by their descendants as chronic anxiety, depression, and a pervasive sense of insecurity. research on intergenerational trauma has identified several pathways through which trauma is transmitted across generations. these include direct communication of traumatic experiences, where survivors share their narratives with their children, often framed by unresolved grief or bitterness (danieli, 1998). conversely, silence and secrecy about the traumatic past can also be detrimental, as children may perceive this as a taboo topic, leading to a sense of mystery or danger associated with their heritage (kaitz et al., 2009). biological pathways have also been explored, with studies suggesting that trauma can induce epigenetic changes that affect stress responses in descendants, although the exact mechanisms and their implications remain areas of ongoing research (yehuda & lehrner, 2018). in seychelles, the consequences of the coup extend beyond the immediate victims to affect the social fabric of the community. the study findings suggest that descendants of those impacted by the coup experience significant emotional and psychological challenges, often without a clear understanding of their origins. this intergenerational impact is compounded by a lack of formal recognition or support for trauma survivors, leaving families to grapple with the legacy of the past on their own. moreover, societal narratives that either glorify or dismiss the coup complicate the healing process, as individuals struggle to reconcile their personal histories with broader public discourses. http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition january 2025, vol. 11, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 113 addressing intergenerational trauma in seychelles requires a holistic approach that considers both the historical context and the contemporary needs of affected populations. this includes creating spaces for dialogue and acknowledgment, providing access to mental health resources, and fostering resilience through community engagement. by understanding and addressing the intergenerational impacts of trauma, seychelles and similar post-conflict societies can work towards breaking the cycle of suffering and building a more stable and resilient future. impact of the coup on victims and descendants the 1977 coup d’état in seychelles not only altered the nation’s political landscape but also left deep psychological scars on those who lived through it. the violent overthrow of the government and the subsequent years of repression resulted in widespread human rights violations, including arbitrary arrests, torture, forced exile, and the suppression of dissent (shillington, 2009). while the immediate impacts on the direct victims have been documented, the long-term effects on their descendants reveal a more pervasive and enduring form of suffering, manifesting as intergenerational trauma. this section explores how the coup’s legacy continues to affect the children of those who experienced the events firsthand, contributing to a cycle of anxiety, depression, and insecurity that persists in seychelles today. for many descendants of the coup’s victims, the trauma experienced by their parents has significantly shaped their mental and emotional development. studies on intergenerational trauma suggest that children of trauma survivors often exhibit heightened levels of anxiety, depression, and other mental health issues, even when they have not directly experienced the traumatic events themselves (kaitz et al., 2009). in seychelles, this pattern is evident among the descendants of those affected by the coup. interviews and surveys conducted as part of the study reveal that many individuals report experiencing a pervasive sense of insecurity and fear, which they attribute to the stories and behaviours of their parents. this inherited anxiety is not merely a reflection of personal disposition but is deeply rooted in the collective memory of violence and instability that characterised the post-coup period. one of the key ways in which trauma is transmitted across generations is through family dynamics and communication patterns. in many seychellois families affected by the coup, the traumatic experiences of parents were either directly communicated to their children or manifested in their behaviour and attitudes. some parents spoke openly about their suffering, recounting stories of imprisonment, torture, or loss of loved ones. while this openness provided a context for understanding the past, it also served as a constant reminder of the dangers associated with political dissent and the fragility of personal safety (danieli, 1998). conversely, in other families, the trauma was shrouded in silence, with parents avoiding discussions of the past to protect their children from pain or to shield themselves from re-traumatization. this silence often created a sense of mystery and http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition january 2025, vol. 11, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 114 fear, leaving children to imagine the worst and internalise a sense of unease about their identity and place in society. the psychological impact of the coup on descendants is further compounded by the socio-political environment in seychelles, where narratives of the coup remain contested and politicised. for many descendants, the lack of a clear and unified public acknowledgment of the suffering caused by the coup exacerbates their sense of injustice and alienation. the truth commission established to address past human rights abuses has provided some victims and their families with a platform for acknowledgment and redress. however, the emotional responses to these processes have been varied. while some individuals found participating in the truth commission to be a cathartic experience, others felt re-traumatised by recounting their stories or felt that the commission’s efforts were insufficient in addressing their needs (hamber, 2009). this divergence in experiences highlights the complexity of healing in post-conflict societies, where individual and collective needs may not always align. moreover, the impact of the coup extends beyond mental health to influence broader social and economic outcomes for descendants. many children of coup victims grew up in environments marked by economic hardship, social marginalisation, and limited access to educational and employment opportunities. the coup disrupted the lives of many families, leading to forced displacement, the loss of property, and diminished social capital. these conditions have had lasting effects on the socio-economic mobility of descendants, who often find themselves grappling with the dual burdens of inherited trauma and structural disadvantage (laplante, 2008). the cumulative impact of these factors can lead to a sense of hopelessness and disconnection from broader societal goals, further entrenching the cycle of trauma and inequality. addressing the ongoing impact of the coup on victims and their descendants requires a multifaceted approach that goes beyond individual psychological interventions. while mental health support, such as counselling and therapy, is crucial, there is also a need for systemic changes that address the socio-economic and political dimensions of intergenerational trauma. this includes efforts to promote social justice, such as reparations, legal assistance, and community engagement initiatives that foster resilience and a sense of urgency among affected populations. importantly, creating spaces for open dialogue and acknowledgment of the past can help to bridge the divide between personal and collective memory, allowing for a more comprehensive healing process (chung & bemak, 2002). diverse emotional responses to the truth commission the establishment of the truth commission in seychelles was a critical step towards addressing the historical injustices stemming from the coup. tasked with uncovering the truth about human rights abuses, facilitating reconciliation, and recommending http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition january 2025, vol. 11, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 115 reparations, the commission aimed to provide a platform for victims and their families to share their stories and seek acknowledgment. however, the emotional responses to the truth commission among affected individuals have been diverse, reflecting the complex nature of trauma and healing in post-conflict societies. these varied reactions underscore the challenges of pursuing collective healing while accommodating the personal and often deeply individualised needs of those impacted by past violence. for some victims and their descendants, participating in the truth commission provided a sense of relief and validation. the opportunity to publicly recount their experiences and have them formally recognised by a state institution offered a form of psychological closure that had previously been unavailable. this acknowledgment of their suffering was seen as a vital step towards healing, not just for the individuals involved but also for the broader community. the act of telling one’s story and having it heard without dismissal or minimisation helped some participants process their trauma and feel a renewed sense of agency over their narratives (hamber, 2009). for these individuals, the truth commission represented a chance to reclaim a part of their personal history that had been overshadowed by silence and denial. however, not all experiences with the truth commission were positive. for some, recounting their traumatic pasts in a formal setting led to re-traumatisation, as they were compelled to relive painful memories and confront unresolved emotions. the process of testifying before the commission, which often involved revisiting deeply personal and distressing events, triggered feelings of anger, sadness, and vulnerability. in some cases, the perceived lack of a tangible outcome, such as concrete reparations or justice for perpetrators, left participants feeling disillusioned and frustrated (laplante, 2008). this sense of being let down by the process exacerbated their suffering, as it seemed to reinforce the notion that their pain would never be adequately addressed or remedied. furthermore, there were those who felt ambivalent about the truth commission, recognising its symbolic importance but questioning its practical effectiveness. for some participants, the commission’s work was seen as a necessary but insufficient step towards justice and healing. they appreciated the effort to document and acknowledge past abuses but felt that the commission fell short in providing meaningful reparations or accountability measures. this ambivalence reflects a broader scepticism towards truth commissions in general, where the symbolic acts of truth-telling and reconciliation are often weighed against the concrete needs for justice, reparations, and systemic change (brounéus, 2008). the feeling of ambivalence suggests that, while truth commissions can play an important role in addressing historical trauma, they are not a panacea and must be complemented by broader initiatives that address the socio-economic and legal dimensions of post-conflict recovery. the diverse emotional responses to the truth commission in seychelles highlight the multifaceted nature of trauma and the complexities involved in collective healing. the http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition january 2025, vol. 11, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 116 truth commission’s work, while valuable in providing a space for narrative and acknowledgment, also illuminated the deeply personal and varied ways in which individuals engage with their traumatic histories. some found solace and closure, while others experienced renewed pain or remained sceptical of the process’s efficacy. these differing responses underscore the importance of tailoring post-conflict interventions to meet the varied needs of affected populations, recognising that healing is not a one-sizefits-all process but a journey that requires sensitivity, flexibility, and a willingness to address both individual and collective grievances. to foster a more comprehensive approach to healing, it is essential to supplement the work of truth commission with additional support systems, such as mental health services, community engagement initiatives, and legal recourse for victims. acknowledging the diverse emotional landscapes of those affected by past violence can help build a more inclusive and effective path towards reconciliation and recovery. by understanding and addressing the broad spectrum of emotional responses, seychelles can better navigate the delicate process of coming to terms with its past and moving towards a more just and harmonious future. collective call for reparations and justice the legacy of the coup in seychelles has not only left deep psychological scars but also ignited a powerful collective call for reparations and justice among the affected communities. for many victims and their descendants, the trauma of past abuses ranging from arbitrary arrests and torture to forced exile and the loss of livelihoods remains a painful and unresolved chapter of their lives. the call for reparations and justice is driven by a need for acknowledgment, redress, and a sense of closure that has eluded many despite the establishment of the truth commission. this section explores the nature of these demands, the challenges they face, and the broader implications for healing and reconciliation in post-conflict seychelles. reparations, in the context of post-conflict justice, are measures intended to compensate victims for the harm they have suffered and to restore, as far as possible, their dignity and rights. in seychelles, the call for reparations is not limited to financial compensation but also encompasses symbolic acts such as official apologies, public memorialisation, and the restoration of confiscated properties. victims and their families have expressed a strong desire for the state to acknowledge the wrongs of the past formally, with many viewing such acknowledgment as a critical component of the healing process (de greiff, 2006). the demand for reparations reflects a collective yearning for validation and recognition of the pain endured, as well as a practical need to address the material and psychological consequences of historical injustices. justice, as called for by the victims, involves holding perpetrators accountable for their actions and ensuring that the truth about past abuses is publicly acknowledged. in many http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition january 2025, vol. 11, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 117 cases, perpetrators of the coup’s associated human rights violations have never been brought to justice, either due to a lack of political will or legal constraints that prevent retrospective accountability. this lack of accountability has been a significant source of frustration and anger for victims and their descendants, who perceive it as a continuation of the injustice they have long endured (laplante, 2008). for these individuals, justice is not merely about punishment but about affirming the rule of law and the principle that all individuals, regardless of their status, are subject to accountability. the pursuit of reparations and justice in seychelles faces several challenges, including political resistance, limited resources, and societal divisions regarding the legacy of the coup. political resistance often stems from concerns that revisiting the past could destabilise the current political landscape or reopen old wounds. moreover, the financial and logistical constraints of providing reparations to a large number of victims can be daunting, especially for a small island nation with limited economic resources (borer, 2009). furthermore, societal divisions about the coup, where some segments of the population may view the events of 1977 through a more sympathetic or ambivalent lens, complicate the process of building consensus on what justice and reparations should entail. despite these challenges, the collective call for reparations and justice remains an important aspect of the healing process in seychelles. reparations serve not only to address the individual needs of victims but also to contribute to the broader goals of societal reconciliation and the rebuilding of trust between citizens and the state. by acknowledging past wrongs and taking concrete steps to redress them, the government can signal its commitment to human rights and the rule of law, thereby fostering a more inclusive and cohesive national identity. moreover, justice for past abuses can help to break the cycle of impunity, ensuring that future generations do not suffer from similar injustices. to effectively address the collective call for reparations and justice, a comprehensive approach is needed one that goes beyond symbolic gestures and provides tangible support to those affected. this includes legal reforms to facilitate accountability, financial compensation where appropriate, and the establishment of community-based initiatives that promote dialogue, education, and reconciliation. by addressing both the material and emotional needs of victims, seychelles can take significant steps towards healing the wounds of the past and building a more resilient and just society. recommendations for support systems addressing the legacy of the coup in seychelles requires a comprehensive approach that not only acknowledges the past but also provides practical support to victims and their descendants. given the multifaceted nature of intergenerational trauma, a robust support system is essential to foster healing, resilience, and long-term stability. this section http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition january 2025, vol. 11, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 118 outlines key recommendations for support systems that should be implemented to address the unique needs of those affected by the coup, with a focus on psychological counselling, legal assistance, community engagement, and educational initiatives. psychological counselling and mental health support one of the primary recommendations is the establishment of accessible psychological counselling services tailored specifically to the needs of trauma survivors and their descendants. mental health support should include individual and group therapy sessions facilitated by trained professionals who are well-versed in trauma-informed care. these services should be culturally sensitive and incorporate local understandings of mental health to ensure they resonate with the affected communities. additionally, providing trauma education and resilience training can empower individuals and families to better understand and manage the long-term effects of intergenerational trauma (silove, 2013). integrating these services into existing community health structures would enhance accessibility and reduce the stigma often associated with seeking mental health care. legal assistance and advocacy legal assistance is crucial for victims seeking justice and reparations for past abuses. many survivors and their families may face significant legal and bureaucratic hurdles in pursuing their claims, including navigating complex legal systems and understanding their rights. providing free or subsidised legal aid can help these individuals advocate for their rights, seek reparations, and hold perpetrators accountable where possible. legal clinics or partnerships with human rights organisations could offer a practical avenue for delivering this support, ensuring that victims have the resources and knowledge needed to engage effectively with the legal process (de greiff, 2006). advocacy efforts should also focus on pushing for legal reforms that facilitate the recognition of historical injustices and provide clear pathways for reparations and redress. community engagement and dialogue initiatives community engagement plays a vital role in the healing process by fostering dialogue, understanding, and reconciliation among affected populations. creating safe spaces for open dialogue such as community forums, workshops, and storytelling events can help individuals share their experiences, validate their feelings, and connect with others who have similar histories. these initiatives can also serve as platforms for educating the broader public about the impacts of the coup, helping to bridge societal divisions and build a more inclusive narrative around the nation’s history (hamber, 2009). additionally, community-led support groups and peer-to-peer counselling can complement formal mental health services, providing ongoing social support and strengthening communal bonds. educational programmes and historical acknowledgment http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition january 2025, vol. 11, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 119 educational programmes that incorporate the history of the coup and its impacts into the national curriculum can play a crucial role in preventing the erasure of this traumatic past and fostering a more informed and empathetic society. by teaching future generations about the coup, its consequences, and the resilience of those affected, seychelles can promote a culture of acknowledgment and respect for human rights. these programmes should be developed in consultation with affected communities to ensure they accurately reflect their experiences and perspectives (borer, 2009). public memorialisation, such as commemorative events or monuments, can further enhance the acknowledgment of victims and provide a collective space for reflection and remembrance. tailored socio-economic support finally, targeted socio-economic support is essential to address the broader impacts of intergenerational trauma, which often include economic hardship and social marginalisation. programmes aimed at improving access to education, vocational training, and employment opportunities for descendants of coup victims can help break the cycle exclusion that many affected families experience. microfinance initiatives, scholarships, and community development projects can empower individuals to rebuild their lives and contribute positively to their communities (chung & bemak, 2002). by addressing the socio-economic dimensions of trauma, these support systems can help foster long-term resilience and stability. implications for post-conflict societies the findings from the study on the coup in seychelles have broader implications for postconflict societies around the world. the persistence of intergenerational trauma among the descendants of those affected by the coup highlights the long-term impacts of political violence and underscores the importance of addressing historical injustices to promote healing and stability. for post-conflict societies, this study serves as a reminder that the consequences of conflict are not confined to the immediate aftermath but can ripple across generations, influencing the mental health, social cohesion, and economic prospects of entire communities. one of the key implications is the need for comprehensive and multi-dimensional approaches to post-conflict recovery that go beyond conventional truth and reconciliation processes. while truth commissions and similar initiatives play a fundamental role in acknowledging past abuses and fostering dialogue, they are often insufficient on their own to address the deep-seated psychological and socio-economic needs of affected populations. as seen in seychelles, the diverse emotional responses to the truth commission reveal that healing is a highly individualised process, requiring tailored support systems that include psychological counselling, legal assistance, and socioeconomic interventions (hamber, 2009). post-conflict societies must therefore prioritise http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition january 2025, vol. 11, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 120 holistic approaches that integrate mental health care, justice mechanisms, and community engagement to effectively address the legacies of trauma. another significant implication is the importance of acknowledging and validating the experiences of all victims, including those whose suffering may not have been directly visible during the conflict. in many post-conflict settings, there is a risk of marginalising or overlooking the descendants of trauma survivors, who may bear the burden of their ancestors’ experiences without explicit recognition. ensuring that reparations, educational programmes, and public memorialisation efforts include these second and third generations is vital for breaking the cycle of trauma and fostering a sense of inclusion and justice (de greiff, 2006). furthermore, the study underscores the role of education and public discourse in shaping collective memory and societal healing. post-conflict societies must actively work to integrate honest and inclusive accounts of their histories into educational curricula and public narratives. this approach helps future generations understand the complexities of their past, learn from it, and work towards a more equitable and empathetic society. public acknowledgment of historical injustices, through both formal and informal means, is essential in building a foundation for reconciliation and unity (borer, 2009). conclusion the study of intergenerational trauma in seychelles following the 1977 coup d’état reveals the enduring impacts of political violence on both direct victims and their descendants. the trauma experienced by those who lived through the coup has permeated subsequent generations, manifesting in various forms such as anxiety, depression, and a pervasive sense of insecurity. these psychological effects underscore the complexity of healing in post-conflict societies and highlight the importance of addressing not only the immediate consequences of conflict but also the long-term and often hidden legacies of trauma. a key finding of the study is the diverse emotional responses to the truth commission, which reflect the deeply personal nature of trauma and the varied needs of those affected. while some individuals found relief and closure in recounting their experiences, others felt re-traumatised or dissatisfied with the outcomes, pointing to the limitations of onesize-fits-all approaches to reconciliation and justice. this highlights the necessity for tailored support systems that address the specific mental health, legal, and socioeconomic needs of victims and their descendants. comprehensive interventions, including psychological counselling, legal assistance, community engagement, and educational initiatives, are essential in fostering resilience and promoting long-term healing. the collective call for reparations and justice in seychelles illustrates a broader demand for acknowledgment, accountability, and redress. for many, reparations are not solely http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition january 2025, vol. 11, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 121 about financial compensation but also about the need for official recognition of their suffering and a commitment to rectify past wrongs. addressing these calls is crucial for building trust between the state and its citizens and for creating a foundation for sustainable peace and reconciliation. the study emphasises that justice in post-conflict societies must go beyond punitive measures and include restorative approaches that validate the experiences of victims and foster societal healing. the implications of this study extend beyond seychelles, offering valuable insights for other post-conflict societies grappling with the legacies of historical trauma. the persistence of intergenerational trauma underscores the importance of holistic and inclusive approaches to post-conflict recovery. by integrating mental health support, legal reforms, community dialogue, and public acknowledgment of past abuses, societies can work towards breaking the cycle of trauma and building a more just and resilient future. references borer, t. a. (2009). truth telling as a peace-building activity: a theoretical overview. in t. a. borer (ed.), telling the truths: truth telling and peace building in post-conflict societies (pp. 1-38). university of notre dame press. chung, r. c.-y., & bemak, f. (2002). the relationship of ethnocultural variables to the symptomatic expression of trauma in vietnam war veterans. journal of counseling & development, 80(1), 111-119. https://doi.org/10.1002/j.1556-6678.2002.tb00172.x danieli, y. (ed.). (1998). international handbook of multigenerational legacies of trauma. springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4757-5567-1 de greiff, p. (2006). justice and reparations. in p. de greiff (ed.), the handbook of reparations (pp. 451-477). oxford university press. hamber, b. (2009). transforming societies after political violence: truth, reconciliation, and mental health. springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-137-02835-9 kaitz, m., levy, m., ebstein, r., faraone, s. v., & mankuta, d. (2009). the intergenerational effects of trauma from terror: a real possibility. infant mental health journal, 30(2), 158-179. https://doi.org/10.1002/imhj.20209 kellermann, n. p. f. (2001). transmission of holocaust trauma: an integrative view. psychiatry: interpersonal and biological processes, 64(3), 256-267. https://doi.org/10.1521/00332747.2001.11024914 laplante, l. j. (2008). transitional justice and peace building: diagnosing and addressing the socioeconomic roots of violence through a human rights framework. international journal of transitional justice, 2(3), 331-355. https://doi.org/10.1093/ijtj/ijn031 http://www.gpejournal.org/ https://doi.org/10.1002/j.1556-6678.2002.tb00172.x https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4757-5567-1 https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-137-02835-9 https://doi.org/10.1002/imhj.20209 https://doi.org/10.1521/00332747.2001.11024914 https://doi.org/10.1093/ijtj/ijn031 global partners in education journal – special edition january 2025, vol. 11, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 122 shillington, k. (2009). history of africa (3rd ed.). macmillan. silove, d. (2013). the adapt model: a conceptual framework for mental health and psychosocial programming in post conflict settings. intervention, 11(3), 237-248. https://doi.org/10.1097/wtf.0000000000000005 yehuda, r., daskalakis, n. p., lehrner, a., desarnaud, f., bader, h. n., makotkine, i., ... & bierer, l. m. (2018). influences of maternal and paternal ptsd on epigenetic regulation of the glucocorticoid receptor gene in holocaust survivor offspring. the american journal of psychiatry, 171(8), 872-880. https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.ajp.2014.13121571 yehuda, r., & lehrner, a. (2018). intergenerational transmission of trauma effects: putative role of epigenetic mechanisms. world psychiatry, 17(3), 243-257. https://doi.org/10.1002/wps.20568 author notes diana benoit is the director of the james r. mancham peace and diplomacy research institute at the university of seychelles, which is an academic research institute that focuses on eastern africa and the western indian ocean region. she is a founding member of the institute and is actively involved in research projects on peace processes, conflict and security, transitional justice and restorative justice. she is currently researching transitional justice processes in small states, with a focus on mitigating the ongoing effects of trauma from the 1977 coup in the seychelles. http://www.gpejournal.org/ https://doi.org/10.1097/wtf.0000000000000005 https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.ajp.2014.13121571 https://doi.org/10.1002/wps.20568 8 the yagua peopleindigenous tribe of peru global partners in education journal – special edition december 2022, vol. 10, no. 2 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 68 the yagua people: indigenous tribe of peru teadora stefanovska and iskra andreeska university american college, skopje, north macedonia abstract the overarching theme of the project is the indigenous yagua people of peru, who live along the amazon river. despite the fact that the project focuses on their lives as a whole, taking their culture and way of life into account, the study focuses on a more significant challenge that the yagua people face. their health problems, as well as topics affecting the arrival of modern medicine and the muchacha phenomenon, are investigated thoroughly. deforestation, drug trafficking and illegal mining are also discussed as prominent current issues. we chose to investigate the yagua people as we had some exposure to the variety of the peruvian culture through the virtual meetings with students from the esan university (lima) during the global understanding course and prepared a research project for the xvii international competition of research, practice-oriented and creative projects in english among university students organized by the ural state pedagogical university. the conducted small-size case-study research is based on the qualitative research method. we analyzed primary and secondary sources. the primary sources arise from a qualitative research we conducted through the survey research technique. we used the structured interview as a tool and we interviewed students from university of esan with whom we attended the global understanding course together and their course instructor. we also interviewed the photographer goran jovic who had visited the tribe and has raised the awareness of their culture through his photographs. the secondary sources arise from an extensive internet search for data and available information online. the findings showed that majority of the surveyed peruvian fellow-students were unaware of the yagua people's existence, let alone their health challenges. thus, we believe intercultural and cross-cultural contacts, partnerships, and collaborations can contribute in the raising awareness of various problems and can help us learn about various challenges people face around the world. keywords: indigenous yagua people, intercultural, challenges introduction indigenous tribes are of significant importance in many facets of our life that we are unaware of. such issues might include climate change and global warming control, agriculture, natural resource management, biodiversity, and many more. with these communities purposefully sequestered, it's no wonder that many people are unaware of their existence, let alone their difficulties. the yagua people of peru live in such a tribe beside the amazon. we have undertaken to investigate the peoples since we made contacts in peru through the global understanding course. the goal of this study article is to promote awareness of the yagua people's issues, which include the socalled "muchacha" phenomenon, their health system, and illicit mining, deforestation, and drug activities. global partners in education journal – special edition december 2022, vol. 10, no. 2 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 69 factual information the yagua are an indigenous tribe of roughly 6000 people that live in columbia and northeast peru. they presently reside along the rivers amazon, napo, putumayo, and yavari. they date as far back as 1768. the yagua tribe has been notified as a minority community, even characterized as “national minorities”, according to toledo (1999). furthermore, after reviewing several internet sources, we discovered that, while the yagua language, which includes a range of quechua vocabulary, is still spoken, it has been designated as an endangered language due to the fact that there are only around 6000 native speakers. pena(2009, p. 20) quotes thomas payne’s findings by saying “as of the early 1980’s, thomas payne estimated that 75 % of women and 25 % of men were monolingual in yagua. spanish proficiency varies; we have observed a few instances of probable multilingualism stemming from the desire of yaguaspeaking parents to have their children speak only spanish.” they are well-known for their culture of recognizing hardworking and competent workers. having said that, it is crucial to remember that throughout history they have been legendary hunters, diligent farmers and they have become well-known for their exquisite. basket weaving, pottery, and the manufacture of blowguns are examples of other crafts. the expertise required to accomplish such trades is passed down from generation to generation. their parenting practices are not dissimilar to most social norms. they adhere to conventional gender conventions. boys are required to provide for their families by hunting small animals, whilst girls are expected to keep the home in order. yagua boys are taught to hunt small animals with a blowpipe, and they are very skilled at it. methodology we started the research by analyzing secondary sources from an extensive internet search for data and available information online. we focused mostly on other research papers and online books. this helped us come to knowledge of the most prevalent issues at the time concerning the yagua tribe. after acquiring factual information, we moved onto the next part of the research; conducting a small-size case-study research that is based on the qualitative research method. interviews were used as a primary source for acquiring data. we used the structured interview as a tool and we interviewed students from university of esan with whom we attended the global understanding course together and their course instructor. we also interviewed the photographer goran jovic who had visited the tribe and has raised the awareness of their culture through his photographs and videos. the questions were formed around the information that was previously acquired. the interviews with the peruvians were done by email, while the interview with photographer jovic was done through social media; via instagram. we wanted to first confirm the general facts about their way of life, beliefs and traditions, and next assess the interviewees’ understanding of the current issues that the yagua people are facing. health issues the yagua people, like any other indigenous community, confront significant challenges in their healthcare system. the most notable problem is the insufficient introduction of modern medicine. their system is comprised of a shaman, apparently global partners in education journal – special edition december 2022, vol. 10, no. 2 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 70 performing the role of a doctor, yet the two are polar opposites. shamans are more concerned with the spiritual and intangible causes of sickness, and their job in the community is to explain to the patient what factors have caused their illness. in contrast to our professionals, who utilize biology and symptoms to establish a diagnosis, shamans are not able to do it in this way since they lack essential expertise and practice. because it is the only way they know, the yagua people turn to natural medicines for healing. there have been numerous attempts to apply modern medication but they have failed for a variety of reasons. for a start, it may not have been introduced appropriately. one should not try to utilize the medication as a substitute for their present ways; rather, it should be used as a supplemental treatment when traditional therapies are insufficient. ‘’white medicine need not be seen as a substitute for shamanism, but as a therapeutic complement which can work concurrently with traditional pharmacopoeia’’ (chaumeil, 1984, p. 52). second, even if the medicine is broadly acknowledged by the public, price is not publicly available. it is too costly, especially given the yagua people's economic position. more so, individuals are not given enough information to enable them to operate with modern pharmaceutical drugs. lastly, in addition to their unique medical procedures, other issues like as hygiene and malnutrition have a role. they have been robbed of cultivable areas as a result of invaders seizing enormous swaths of land and abusing the yagua people, but this is only one of numerous concerns. as a result, solutions to help improve yagua's health tend to be largely preventative in character, such as immunization programs under pre-vaccine care, the establishment of indigenous health advocates, and a revaluation of herbal medicine. the ‘’muchacha’’ phenomenon peruvians have a saying that goes way back in time, and it states that the yagua people are the cheapest labor in the loreto area. the patronage system, which is the interplay of economic transactions based on the use of male labor (as seen with lumber, rubber, skins, and daily or seasonal work), has been prominent and constant throughout the years, until recently. in the last 10 years, the focus of attention has shifted from males to women, and that is where the concept of the muchacha or muchacha phenomenon is derived from. until 1975, men left and women stayed; now, the converse is true. first and foremost, the market for "muchachas" or servants, is in trouble; examine the rising number of ads proclaiming "se necesita muchacha" (servant or aid sought) that one sees in the windows of limenian or provincial residences. if it is true that the vast majority of females employed as maids are of indigenous descent, they will mostly migrate from the sierra to the coastal area where there is the highest demand. however, many highland females are now refusing to work as domestics since they are itinerants selling food or clothes. furthermore, and this is without a doubt the driving element, demand is significantly expanding as the peruvian middle class emerges, which is extremely thirsty for the advantages of the well-to-do. jean-pierrechaumeli (1984) has discovered that the people of caballococha have been vocal that everybody wants a muchacha now. aside from the devalued chores that are assigned to them (cooking, washing, and child care), the vast majority of yagua muchachas are not compensated or educated. they are most typically kept in solitude in the patron's house. they may be seen at caballo-cocha, sitting mutely by the window, hiding from passengers and reappearing once they have passed. in the presence of their new "adopted family," they learn to reject their roots and fully break connections with their community. with the existence of racial global partners in education journal – special edition december 2022, vol. 10, no. 2 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 71 consciousness in the minds of the yagua women, new times are on the way. until recently, women have been the most deprived of knowledge and abilities in society, and they are now regarded as keepers of the elders, customs, and the preservation of their language. illegal mining illegal mining has proven to be a major environmental crime for the indigenous peoples that live in the area of activity. the yagua are one of these tribes. the ramifications of this heinous illegal conduct may be seen in areas such as madre de dios. extensive online research led us to the discovery that not so long ago, reporters from mongabay latam visited san josé de karene, a town in madre de dios with an official name where the impacts of illegal mining could be witnessed. ‘’according to the research, illegal mining has stolen 6,282 hectares (15,523 acres) of forest from the community’’ praeili (2021, para. 31). the mongabay latam research demonstrated that, despite all attempts by communities to remedy the issue, unlawful mining has damaged 129 villages throughout the five areas analyzed. these communities face a paucity of remote sensing satellites as well as well-defined territorial boundaries. the seized territory can then be invaded and legitimized by outsiders. catoteni and san josé de karene have also experienced this. praeli (2021, para. 37) reports back and quotes francis quiqie, who is a member of the governing board of san josé de karene by stating “today, customs are no longer practiced. even parents themselves do not handle this knowledge, and this is being lost due to mining. if we lose our customs, then it would not even make sense to call ourselves an indigenous community.” figure 1: illegal mining in hectares *original information portrayed in the graphs belongs to rigoberto carvajal, who developed the graph for the latin american center for investigative journalism drug trafficking and deforestation: the link global partners in education journal – special edition december 2022, vol. 10, no. 2 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 72 drug trafficking has become a problem in the recent two and a half years. the death of arbildo meléndez in april 2020, just after the start of the covid-19 epidemic, signaled the start of the violence that would explode in the coming months. meléndez was the head of the unipacuyacu indigenous community in huánuco, which was made up of members of the kakataibo ethnic group. so far this year, four kakataibo chiefs and three ashaninka leaders have been assassinated. in terms of the existence of criminal activities, particularly drug trafficking, kakataibo lands in both the ucayali and huánuco regions have become the most critical places. there have been multiple reports from multiple journalists that have entered the area and witnessed wreckage in the region and deployed a drone to photograph what is thought to be a secret airfield. the residents of the town have claimed to be terrified. figure 2: illegal coca crops in hectares in loreto, ucayali, huánuco and pasco *original information portrayed in the graphs belongs to rigoberto carvajal, who developed the graph for the latin american center for investigative journalism across ucayali, indigenous tribes confront a similar situation. according to the reports by pareli (2021), as a result of drug trafficking, at least 16 indigenous villages are threatened with deforestation. statistics from 2020 may paint an even bleaker image, since peru lost more forest land last year than it had in the preceding 20 years. "it's disgraceful," said ibc's ráez (2021, para. 23) of peru's rising deforestation, outpacing the 2019 rate by 50,000 hectares. berlin diques, president of the ucayali branch of the interethnic association for the development of the peruvian rainforest (aidesep) also spoke up last year by saying “during the pandemic, illegality has increased a lot, because while we were obedient and did not go anywhere, the criminals continued to advance”. the ministry of environment indicated in a letter response to mongabay latam's inquiries that "the regions where the biggest spike in deforestation has been detected during 2020 have been ucayali, loreto, and madre de dios, compared to global partners in education journal – special edition december 2022, vol. 10, no. 2 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 73 2019." the motivators have been numerous. the government also reported that indigenous people may have been disproportionately affected by forestry difficulties in 2020. they have been more vulnerable and prone to a range of diverse and unscrupulous agents who have exploited the situation as a result of the absence of control measures as a consequence of the covid-19 pandemic. per a government reporter's assessment of deforestation in peru's five regions, about 276,000 hectares worth of forest land have been destroyed inside indigenous areas in the previous ten years. indigenous regions surrounded by deforestation have appeared, and many of its inhabitants have banded together to safeguard their territory. however, their rebellions have become exceedingly hazardous. figure 3: forest loss 2012-2020 in hectares *original information portrayed in the graphs belongs to rigoberto carvajal, who developed the graph for the latin american center for investigative journalism collected data from the interviewees as previously said, we conducted interviews with four peruvian students, their esan university professor, and photographer goran jovic. it is crucial to highlight that three of the students and the professor were uninformed of the existence of such an indigenous group in the first place, therefore they were not much assistance, but rather aided in the goal to raise awareness of their presence and difficulties. one of the students who had visited the tribe confirmed whatever accurate information we had learned on the internet, but she had nothing new to offer to what we already knew. she, on the other hand, mentioned the yagua's deforestation problem. ‘’everything they do on a daily basis, everything that they use every day such as tools for hunting, or making baskets, or even their clothing, all comes from different types of trees. when i visited they showed us different techniques that they use and it was beautiful’’, she global partners in education journal – special edition december 2022, vol. 10, no. 2 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 74 commented. she also added: ‘’the trees are their most precious source to be able to continue living and that is why this situation is so devastating to me’’. photographer goran jovic was asked the same questions as he had previously visited and lived with the tribe. he refused to comment on matters such as their health care system or the "muchacha" situation, but he was unaware of illicit mining and drug operations. regarding their hygiene, he stated that the media's portrayal of them is erroneous; they are more exposed to their outside environment, therefore it is unavoidable for them to get dirty or muddy, but this does not imply that they have poor hygiene. he discussed with us more about their customs and way of life, since his mission is to raise awareness of such tribes' ancient practices and the necessity of understanding and accepting them. when asked how he felt being among such people, particularly the yagua, he responded:’’ for me, it is a return to the simplicity of life, something that we in the modern world have somewhat lost along the way”. conclusion raising public awareness for the difficulties the yagua tribe faces that include the "muchacha" occurrence, their medical system, and illegal mining, forestry, and organized crime is the purpose of this research piece. their health-care system struggles with the entrance and implication of modern medicine as a replacement for their traditional methods. with this in mind, as well as their rejection of the medicine, or simply poor conditions for it to be excepted, solutions to help improve yagua's health do seem to be mainly precautionary in nature, like vaccination programmers under prevaccine care, the institution of indigenous caregivers, and a reassessment of traditional remedies. the "muchacha" phenomenon, or rather the development in the demand for such maids, poses a significant danger to the women of indigenous descent. nonetheless, with the presence of racial awareness in the yagua women's thoughts, new times are on the horizon. women were historically the most deprived of information and talents in society, and they are today recognized as the protectors of the elderly, traditions, and the retention of their language. furthermore, new problems have risen in the past two years, especially since the epidemic of the corona virus. illegal logging and drug trafficking have proven to be severe environmental disasters for the indigenous peoples that reside nearby. both are related to the growing issue of deforestation. indigenous territories encircled by deforestation have emerged, and many of its residents have come together to protect their land as a result of the consequences. their uprisings, unfortunately, have grown quite dangerous. according to our empirical findings, the plurality of the polled peruvian fellow-students was uninformed of the yagua people and their challenges. as a result, we agree that intercultural and cross-cultural connections, partnerships, and collaborations may assist raise awareness of various issues and help us learn about the numerous challenges individuals experience throughout the world. it is critical to help them, just as they help us in ways we cannot comprehend. references chaumeli, j. p. (1984). between zoo and slavery: the yagua of eastern peru in their present situation. iwgia publications. chaumeil, j. p. (2001). the blowpipe indians: variations on the theme of blowpipe and tube among the yagua indians of the peruvian amazon. in l.m. rival and global partners in education journal – special edition december 2022, vol. 10, no. 2 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 75 n.l.whitehead (eds.), beyond the visible and the material: the amerindianization of society in the work of peter rivière (pp. 81-100). oxford university press. fejos, p. (1943). ethnography of the yagua. viking fund publications in anthropology, 1. viking foundation. gonzalez, a. (2021). voiceless development, toxic injustice, criminal resistance: a study of peruvian natural resource extraction through the political ecology of voice. inioris, a.a.r. (eds.)environment and development (pp. 305-335). palgrave macmillan. labriola, c. (2009). environment, culture, and medicinal plant knowledge in an indigenous amazonian community.florida international university electronic theses and dissertations. 143. https://digitalcommons.fiu.edu/etd/143. learn about yagua indigenous culture. (n.d.). retrieved from https://www.perunorth.com/yagua-indigenous-amazonia. payne, d. l. (2007). source of the yagua nominal classification system. international journal of american linguistics, 73(4), 447-474. pena, j. g. (2009). a historical reconstruction of the peba-yaguan linguistic family (doctoral dissertation, university of oregon). praeli, y. s. (2021, november 6). in peru’s amazon, deforestation and crime sweep through indigenous communities.mongabay retrieved from https://news.mongabay.com/2021/11/in-perus-amazon-deforestation-and-crimesweep-through-indigenous-communities/ toledo, v. m. (2001). indigenous peoples and biodiversity. encyclopedia of biodiversity, 3, 451-463. yagua tribe, peru. (n.d.). retrieved from https://www.anywhere.com/peru/attractions/yagua-tribe-indigenous-culture author notes teadora stefanovska is a first-year student at the university of american college's school of foreign languages in skopje, north macedonia. teadora is also a permanent resident of skopje. she and her partner chose to research indigenous tribes as part of an international competition on the same subject. they came in second place thanks to their research project. her interest in the differences between cultures began at a young age, prompting her to constantly research the living standards and traditions of people like the yagua. she believes that such projects can raise awareness and, as a result, help those who are less fortunate than others. iskra andreeska is a first year student at university american college skopje, at the faculty of foreign languages. she was born and raised in ohrid, however, she is now located in skopje for college. iskra believes indigenous groups play an important role in today's world due to the fact that they constantly make efforts to protect our land and global partners in education journal – special edition december 2022, vol. 10, no. 2 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 76 biodiversity. by caring and raising awareness about indigenous groups and their problems, we also contribute to protecting their rights as well as our environment. 3 english language curriculum in macedonia global partners in education journal – special edition december 2022, vol. 10, no. 2 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 10 english language curriculum in macedonia bisera dalcheska-taleska, marjana vaneva university american college, skopje, north macedonia abstract in order to highlight the need for change in the instructional practices and english language curricula in macedonia, this paper targets the first-grade curriculum in the country and the lesson plans adhering to the planning standards developed by the bureau for development of education. the study employs a mixed-methods approach to conduct research in a village in macedonia. qualitative data have been gathered from an online semi-structured interview with two educators from the united states of america, cuchiarra and fillmore, who have conducted extensive research in urban districts throughout the country. another source for qualitative data is the comments on the reflection checklists that have been developed and filled out by the author of the study. then, the author randomly chose 32 students from the same grade-level, divided them into two focus groups that had students with different proficiency levels and implemented two curricula; the one developed by the bureau with group a, and another one based on the 3ls framework, which is a framework developed by the interviewees, with group b. in order to gather quantitative data, four posttests were administered, and the results are subject to analysis and comparison. two hypotheses are tested, null – which refers to having no difference in the posttest results, and alternative – with regards to a possible difference in the posttest results. when it comes to the design, this is a qual -> quan design, i.e., more data is coming from the core qualitative component due to the limitation of the quantitative data. the core component is the qualitative data that can stand on its own, yet the quantitative data is regarded as a supplemental component and does not stand on its own. however, both outcomes of the research process will lead to integration in the conclusion because both types of data are in constant interaction. the findings of the study show that the current english language curriculum in macedonia does not prepare the students for lifelong learning nor life in the 21st century, does not nurture a culture for independent learning, nor requires critical thinking or meaningful discussions. key words: curriculum, research, outcomes, data background north macedonia is located on the balkan peninsula, southern europe. according to the census in 2002, north macedonia is a country with around 2.02 million inhabitants. ethnically, 64.17% are macedonians, 25.17% are albanians, 3.5% are turks, and there are other ethnic groups such as roma, vlachs, serbs, and bosnians (population, 2002). the official language of north macedonia is macedonian, which is spoken by most inhabitants. on the other hand, 20 % of the citizens speak albanian, which holds the status of an official language too. children start going to primary school at the age of 6. primary education in north macedonia is compulsory, free of charge and with equal access to all students. the main responsible institution is the ministry of education and science which adopts the curricula and the annual teaching plans for all primary education grades developed by global partners in education journal – special edition december 2022, vol. 10, no. 2 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 11 the bureau for development of education (an official website of the european union, 2020). in north macedonia, students start learning english at the age of 6. however, there are options to begin even before the age of 6 when children go to preschool. nevertheless, preschool is optional, thus this project focuses on the compulsory primary education that every child receives. english has become a global language. thus, parents and guardians in north macedonia see it as a priority and believe that it is of utmost importance for their children’s future. english language teaching in north macedonia is based on cefrl (common european framework of reference for languages). more precisely, cefrl is a framework which organizes language proficiency in six levels and that is from a1 to c2 (council, 2001). however, many parents decide that their children should attend private english lessons or a private school because of the public system’s inefficient implementation of instructional practices and lesson plans based on simple sentences or vocabulary out of context. this study assumes that the traditional drilling and prompting, answering questions yet never relying on questioning, failing to provide progress data, memorizing by heart, are demotivating factors. it also assumes that the traditional practice of teaching english in the first foundational year of the students or the following years is not helpful, but inefficient and lacking in many aspects that are to be discussed. methodology this study employs a mixed-methods research approach in order to answer two research questions. 1. do content-rich texts in el lessons build more knowledge than ‘considerate’ texts? 2. does the 3ls (learning, language and literacy) approach improve fluency more than the traditional ‘prompting’ method? mixed-methods research is an analysis of both qualitative and quantitative data (shorten & smith, 2017). the overall reason for this choice of approach is to expand and strengthen the conclusion and by that contribute to the published literature (schoonenboom & burke johnson, 2017). the use of mixed methods is helpful with regards to the examination of the research questions and the information obtained in the end. mixed-methods research does not limit the researcher to only one type of data (creswell w. & clark plano l., 2018), but it enables them to use all the tools of data collection. qualitative data is collected in order to explain quantitative results. this project analyzes data from the collaborative work of maryann cucchiara and lily wong fillmore when they implemented the 3ls framework in new york city public schools through interview questions as well as the reflection notes from each lesson with two focus groups and the vignettes presented in chapter iii. then, with regards to quantitative data, this study shows results of the conducted posttests of two focus groups. the participants in this study are 1st grade students from north macedonia who followed classes in english. the two focus groups consist of 16 students each: group a followed the state curriculum developed by the bureau for development of global partners in education journal – special edition december 2022, vol. 10, no. 2 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 12 education, and group b was exposed to the 3l lesson flows through a combination of esa and task-based language teaching approaches. this study is based on two theories: constructivism and behaviorism. the 3ls framework falls under the category of constructivism, and the instructional practice in macedonia under behaviorism, that is group b. both groups were facilitated by the author of this study. when it comes to the design of the study, this is a qual -> quan design (schoonenboom & burke johnson, 2017). this means that more data is coming from the core qualitative component due to the limitation of the quantitative data. the core component is the qualitative data that can stand on its own, yet the quantitative data is regarded as a supplemental component and does not stand on its own. however, both outcomes of the research process will lead to integration in the conclusion because both types of data are in constant interaction. “quantitative dominant [or quantitatively driven] mixed methods research is the type of mixed research in which one relies on a quantitative, postpositivist view of the research process, while concurrently recognizing that the addition of qualitative data and approaches are likely to benefit most research projects.” (johnson & aj., 2007). this study relies on carefully examined qualitative and quantitative data and can speak to different audiences – those that are attracted to understanding and meaning, and those that rely on statistical data. the advantages of conducting a mixed method research are addressing and answering more than one question, perceiving the data from different perspectives, avoiding bias, and, in our opinion, this is suitable for evaluating instructional practices. second language teaching second language acquisition (sla) takes into consideration the fact that the learner already speaks another language and “encompasses the process an individual goes through as he or she learns the elements of a new language, such as vocabulary, phonological components, grammatical structures, and writing systems.” (robertson & ford, 2009). there are six stages of sla; pre-production, also known as “the silent period,” when the student does not speak but takes in the new language, then early production when the student starts using a few words and simple sentences, speech emergent, longer sentences and more words on familiar topics, beginning fluency, the student still struggles to speak fluently due to lack of vocabulary yet the sentences can be understood better and the speech is considered fairly fluent, intermediate fluency when the student starts speaking fluently in social situations, also they can easily manage a new situation or unfamiliar topics, the errors are not that frequent, and finally, advanced fluency, communicating fluently in all contexts (robertson & ford, 2009). the time that it takes to go through all the stages largely depends on the individual, but the instructional strategies of the teacher are of utmost importance as well. since the target participants in this study are first-grade students, it is assumed that they are in the pre-production stage at the beginning of the school year. taskbased teaching in sla started towards the end of 1960s (ellis, principles of instructed language learning, 2005). tasks were usually linked to problem-solving or role-play techniques (brown, 2007). since sla is a field of study that is still in its developing stage, one can easily deduce that there is no agreement whether the instruction should be based on tbt or ppp. this study takes into consideration the characteristics of both teaching methods. there are many people who have learnt to speak a language without any lessons, yet there are some who, even though they have been taught a language for years in global partners in education journal – special edition december 2022, vol. 10, no. 2 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 13 school, have not managed to reach a level of proficiency nor fluency at all. people who have learnt a language on their own have a desire and a motive to do so, that is what makes the difference. (willis j. , 1996) they are usually people who travel for business or people who are in contact with the language because of a friend, thus they are presented with many opportunities to use the vocabulary and the phrases they know. in addition, native speakers of the language do not expect them to be flawless, so they learn as they participate in exchanges without any pressure. on the contrary, those people who are motivated enough to use the language while receiving proper guidance, thrive and achieve accuracy easily. it leads to the role of the teacher being a facilitator or a guide in the process of learning. willis states that it is important to use the language freely in order to learn to speak it. “free use involves a far broader range of language and gives learners richer opportunities for acquiring. they need chances to say what they think or feel, and to experiment in a supportive atmosphere with using language they have heard or seen without feeling threatened.” (willis j. , 1996). willis refers to the classroom setting in which teachers should implement an instructional practice that allows the students to engage in a lot of speaking activities, but general topics that are familiar to them, so they get more comfortable when using the language. another important point that this study takes into consideration is “reading widely is one of the best ways to learn another language.” (willis j. , 1996), therefore the firstgrade curriculum should be based on children stories and nursery rhymes that the students will understand with the guidance of the teacher, and one of the main goals is to develop the desire to read. in addition, re-creating natural learning conditions in the classroom leads to all learners learning, thus this is one of the basic characteristics of tbl. in order to become fluent in a language, there are certain conditions that should be met. the following diagram shows the essentials conditions that lead to effective language learning. (willis j. , 1996) this diagram presents that exposure, use, motivation and instruction are very important factors when learning another language. thus, the classroom can provide all the aforementioned conditions by planning lessons that relate to being exposed to real language, numerous instances for discussion, motivating the students to global partners in education journal – special edition december 2022, vol. 10, no. 2 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 14 reproduce the language, and providing instruction that allows them to become comfortable when using the target language. tasks in sla are understood as pieces of work that are related to the real world but facilitated by the teacher. (ellis, task-based language learning and teaching, 2003) it is an activity that is characterized by social interaction, meaning, comprehension and production of the language in a meaningful way. (lee, 2000) tasks present the means to urge students to produce an output after setting the instruction flow. (brown, 2007) another important source is vygotsky who was a strong believer in social interaction and stated that the process of learning requires mediated learning; using material tools, interaction with others, and using symbols. (vygotsky, 1978) tblt is closely linked to vygotsky’s zpd as well in the sense that while doing tasks the learner relies on their own knowledge, but they also build new knowledge by relying on other people’s knowledge. the more knowledgeable one does not need to be the teacher, it can be another student, thus it meets zpd’s criterium that learning needs the presence of a learner and the presence of the more knowledgeable one. tasks provide the learners with numerous opportunities to use the language, especially children who can learn more through tasks than responding to drills. (poehner, group dynamic assesment: mediation for the l2 classroom, 2009) this study assumes that tasks provide the students with the right motivation to learn the language. presentation, practice, production as a teaching method ppp (present, practice, produce) as a teaching approach is commonly used when teaching a foreign language. the first part of the lesson plan in ppp is presentation, that means that the teacher introduces a situation which represents the target vocabulary and linguistic frames, then the students practice the vocabulary by choral repetition or individual repetition where a student repeats a word, phrase or a sentence urged by the teacher, finally, the teacher nominates a student to make the desired response connected to the vocabulary (harmer, 2007). ppp was practiced during the 1960s, then it came under attack in the 1990s. ivan illich in his work deschooling society stated “in fact, learning is the human activity which least needs manipulation of others. most learning is not the result of instruction. it is rather the result of unhampered participation in a meaningful setting.”, pointing to the teacher’s role of an instructor and the straight-forward teaching method, as well as high restricted vocabulary, yet what the students need is being exposed to an authentic language environment (illich, 2000). moreover, ppp was considered inadequate because it does not create a natural learning setting, so as a response to the criticism alternatives to ppp were offered. johnson and byrne suggested to start the lesson with the production phase, notice what aspects of the students’ output need mediation, then go to the present and practice phase in order to overcome the problems (lewis, 1993) (byrne, 1987). then, as a response, another trilogy was introduced esa which stands for engage, study, activate (harmer, 2007). the engage phase happens in the first phase of the lesson when the teacher motivates the students to learn and emotionally engage with the topic. then, study, introducing the unit theme for the day, finally, activate, when global partners in education journal – special edition december 2022, vol. 10, no. 2 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 15 students are encouraged to use the language they know. esa has three lesson flows which can be seen in the figure below. (harmer, 2007) a straight arrows lesson procedure follows the three phases accordingly and is the most similar to ppp. the lesson starts with the teacher showing a picture that is related to the unit theme, then by engaging them, the teacher manages to get to the study phase where meaning and form are explained. the lesson ends with the students using the vocabulary or the grammar structure in sentences of their own. then, a boomerang lesson procedure is when the teacher first engages the students, then asks them to produce the language they know on the topic, then based on their output some aspects of the language are studied. a patchwork lesson may follow different sequences based on the needs of the students. ppp and its alternative esa are useful when introducing forms such as can or can’t, yet their use when it comes to communicative tasks is not efficient. (harmer, 2007). a lesson based exclusively on ppp is an inefficient delivery of concepts that need tblt to be put into context. when it comes to choosing the right method, john dewey is one of the names that is of importance for this study. as stated by dewey “i believe that the active side precedes the passive in the development of the child nature…” he is therefore a strong believer in expression and physical movements, otherwise, the child is becoming passive and has an absorbing attitude. he believed that all the intellectual and rational processes result from action. (dewey, 1897) he places images as the best instrument of instruction, and this is closely linked to esl teaching methods, preparing a lesson that leads to the child’s ability to mentally form images of various subjects. then, carefully observing the students’ interest and evaluating what the student is ready for. “i believe global partners in education journal – special edition december 2022, vol. 10, no. 2 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 16 that next to deadness and dullness, formalism and routine, our education is threatened with no greater evil than sentimentalism.” (dewey, 1897), as stated dewey since he meant to convey a message that emotions should be welcomed in education. his my pedagogic creed outlines the need to take into consideration the psychological and social needs of the child instead of just flying through the curriculum. 3ls framework in 2007, maryann cucchiara began working with dr. lily wong fillmore to introduce changes in the el classroom in more than 300 schools in new york city (schools, 2021). their mission was to change the decontextualized texts to compelling texts in order to increase the english language proficiency and decrease the number of students who stalled. they named those compelling and complex texts “juicy texts” and strongly believed that through instruction centered on juicy texts students will develop their language skills, critical thinking and fluency. they created a framework based on the 3 ls: learning, language, and literacy. cuchiara and fillmore based the framework on three instructional principles: 1. text, talk and tasks should be cognitively demanding (3ts), 2. instruction should provide access, attention, and active engagement (3as), and 3. students learn from quality texts that are complex, compelling, concise, and connected (4cs) (schools, 2021). the 3ls approach comprises of six elements that are to be discussed in detail since it is the approach used with one of the focus groups, group b. the six elements build on each other and are interconnected, and they are tied to an essential question which is overarching, and students are supposed to explore throughout the unit. (schools, 2021) as shown in the picture, the six elements are: framed motivation, word play, reading closely, juicy sentences, differentiated tasks, and closure/wrapping up. all of them are supported by instructional practices that teachers use on an everyday basis. the first global partners in education journal – special edition december 2022, vol. 10, no. 2 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 17 element of the framework, framed motivation, calls for the students’ previous knowledge on the unit. learners are motivated to explore the topic by watching a video, or powerful images, even quotes. besides tapping into the students’ previous knowledge, framed motivation, also builds background knowledge needed for the upcoming text. next, the second element, word play, is the part of the unit when the teacher provides 3-8 words carefully chosen that are one of the learning outcomes of the unit. in order for the students to comprehend the text, they need to understand the words, so before indulging into listening to or reading the narrative, the teacher presents some words that are to be found in the text later. the teacher does not provide translation, but through instructional conversation, they guide the students to uncover the meaning of the words. activities that might be used with young learners are: talk it out, act it out, grow it, draw it, stretch it, and feel it. using visuals is extremely helpful, so that the teacher avoids mere translating. next, reading closely, the text that is to be presented is related to the essential question as well as the framed motivation, and some of the words that the teacher perceives as challenging for the students are examined in the word play stage. the teacher steps into the role of the learner and chooses a text that is worthy. then, teachers guide the students through the text and highlight language points while encouraging students to use them in their own speech and writing. also, the teacher has a few questions ready, called textdependent questions, such as “how does the author’s tone change from paragraph four to paragraph five?” and together with the students they answer the questions though turn and talk, stop and jot, and whole class discussions. the main point is to address big ideas and to attend to the academic language of the text. next, juicy sentences developed by fillmore; after reading closely, the teacher selects a sentence that contains big ideas or one that is richly detailed. collaboratively, they deconstruct the sentence, and reconstruct it again, either as it was before or in some other possible way. during this part, the teacher can explain grammar or lexical points that the students need to grasp. then, differentiated tasks as the fifth element of the framework, require detailed and careful design. this element is supported by the vygotskian learning theory, “it is a time for students to work as apprentices in becoming critical readers and writers while employing the academic language they have been learning.” (schools, 2021) it is best developed when it allows for individual work, pair work and group work. it is a time when the students work in their zone of proximal development, tackling difficult tasks at their instructional level with appropriate scaffolds to support their effort. although many of the tasks need to be scaffolded, they should not be overly scaffolded so that they do not remove any cognitive demand. the teacher’s role as the more knowing expert can vary, but mainly they should provide feedback, guidance and evaluation. these tasks are very important to foster students’ output. also, as students work with individuals and groups during this time, they can make assessments of the students’ learning as well as make assessments for the next steps in the learning language and literacy instruction. finally, wrapping up the 3ls lesson with a closure which is usually done through a ticket-out-the-door activity. it is a time for the students to present their work, to read their writing, or share their new learnings. it is during this time when the teachers return to the essential question and encourage students to share their views, opinions, and understanding. data collection in order to answer the first research question, do content-based texts in el lessons build more knowledge than ‘considerate’ texts?, qualitative data is gathered in the form global partners in education journal – special edition december 2022, vol. 10, no. 2 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 18 of a semi-structured interview and a teacher’s reflection checklist with the support of observation vignettes. with regard to the interview as a data collection tool, the researcher was focused on three categories; 1. why adapt the curriculum to 3ls?, 2. were students more knowledgeable after receiving 3ls lessons?, and 3. is differentiation necessary? to answer the first question, this research summarizes the interviewees’ answers regarding the need for change. continually throughout the years, the el departments in the united states noticed that there were students who reach a certain level and never progress. in order to address the stalling, they adapted the curriculum and changed the coursebooks that consisted of texts below their grade level, texts that are overly simplified to texts that require more skills. cuchiara and fillmore agreed that the texts should not confuse the learners, thus, the teacher’s support is inevitable. they believed that teachers do not need a prescriptive curriculum but support for their instructional vision so they could create texts, talk, and tasks to examine content, develop knowledge, and uncover learning, all while developing rich and complex academic language. their main objective is text, talk and tasks that are cognitively demanding. they saw that the 3ls curriculum leads to active engagement, improved attention, and students learn more. the texts and lesson the students tackle should be compelling to them. in that way, those texts immediately create a sense of wonder and invite investigation which again supports the importance of independent learning and motivation. the shift to 3ls improved participation in class, they noted. they believe that besides the compelling texts and topics, what the curriculum needs is a caring teacher that would scaffold to meet the students need. taking into consideration the second question as a category, were students more knowledgeable after receiving 3ls lessons?, besides the data that showed the increased number of exited students, all the educators and teachers who implemented or observed the implication of the 3ls, agree that while improving their language skills students tackled different generic topics of importance and researched with the teacher’s assistance topics such as, how do volcanoes form rocks?. thus, while trying to answer that question, and learning new vocabulary and grammar rules, the students found out more about a natural phenomenon and the lessons did not feel like imposed learning, but a discussion and tasks through which they acquire language skills. the 3ls curriculum provides an opportunity to differentiate the instruction based on the students’ interests, readiness, and needs. during the word play, the teacher provides different tiers of words that are synonymous and asks the students to either write the word or draw it. during reading closely, students can answer the text-dependent questions or address the tasks in different ways, that is by writing, acting it out, or working with a more knowledgeable peer on a project. the part where differentiation is mostly highlighted is during differentiated tasks. a teacher should prepare materials for the different types of learners in the classroom. yet, what cuchiara and fillmore state as the most important is “although many of the tasks need to be scaffolded, they should not be overly scaffolded as to remove any cognitive demand. it is always important to remember that there is no learning without productive struggle.” teachers should make sure that each student is challenged during their work period. global partners in education journal – special edition december 2022, vol. 10, no. 2 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 19 moreover, the reflection checklists and the vignettes show a difference when it comes to participation, self-motivation, confidence and enjoyment between the students from the two groups, and the coding of the categories goes in favor of group b. in order to answer the second research question, does the 3ls approach improve proficiency more than the traditional method?, pretest results are analyzed as a covariate, and posttest results provide the answer to the question with regard to two hypotheses; null hypothesis and alternative hypothesis. to begin with, the pretest results serve as a covariate because they explain any variability that might occur in the posttest results. this study regards the pretest scores as having two roles. the first one is to prove that 21st century students in north macedonia enter first grade with at least a little knowledge of english, even some of them with a mid or high level in speaking and listening. the second role of the pretest as a covariate is to show the students’ initial knowledge of english, so that the results on the posttests can be clearly analyzed. thus, after screening a total of 32 students chosen randomly, but in the same grade level and from a similar socio-economic background, their scores showed that all students had knowledge of english. graph 1. the proficiency level according to the pretest conducted before starting the lessons the pie chart shows that 50 % of the students that were tested had some knowledge of english. they scored low according to the scoring table. low starts from 0 to 10, however, none of the participants in this study scored 0 in the pretest. thus, having in mind these results, low refers to students who can name either objects, family members, or some animals. this shows that they have had little exposure to the language. then, 25 % of the students scored mid which is a significant increase and it shows that students have already grasped some of the vocabulary such as colors, animals, family members, and some objects. 16 % scored high which shows a more global partners in education journal – special edition december 2022, vol. 10, no. 2 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 20 extensive knowledge of english, ability to form a sentence and understand a simple question, provide an answer and easily name all the colors, family members, objects and things in nature. 9 % of the students scored exceptional, which shows that those students were able to go through the test easily. exceptional knowledge of english in the first-grade means that the student is able to form simple sentences, prove answers to questions either by pointing or stating, describe pictures in more detail. after obtaining the results, the students were divided into two groups. the teacher divided them according to their scores, but not according their placement level. the theory on which this selection was based was vygotsky’s sociocultural theory; one can learn from a more knowledgeable other and that does not have to be the teacher but working collaboratively with a peer who is more skilled can lead to efficient learning. these pie charts show that between the groups there was little difference with regard to the proficiency level. group a consisted of 50 % low, 25 % mid, 19 % high, and 6 % exceptional students. group b consisted of 50 % low, 25 % mid, 13 % high, and 13 % exceptional students. the results on the pretest are important and they serve as a systematic factor so that the posttest results can be considered valid. both groups had 70 lessons in total; group a following the ministry of education’s guidelines and curriculum, and group b following a 3ls curriculum, however, its structure was based on the state’s curriculum as well. the reason for that is because both groups took the same posttest. four posttests were administered because both curricula consist of 4 units, shown in appendices 2 and 3. after receiving lessons on unit 1, the first posttest was administered. there were 7 questions in total, the administrator was not allowed to translate into macedonian, which was not the case during the pretest, each correct answer was marked with 1, each incorrect with 0. the students had the following results. global partners in education journal – special edition december 2022, vol. 10, no. 2 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 21 the results showed that no students scored below 2 points from group b, however, there are 4 students who scored 0-2 points from group a. on the vertical axis, it can be seen that group b had 7 students who scored 3-5 points on the range scale, and 9 students who scored high, i.e. 6-7 points. the results from the first posttest showed differences that need to be remediated, however, the lessons continued in the same manner, following the curricula and adhering to the standards listed in the planning phase. there was another difference when analyzing the results and it can be found in the administrator’s notes as well; all the students from group b tended to use full sentences after posttest 2 when answering the questions with a few exceptions. while, students from group a, restricted their answer to one-syllable words. the total sum of all posttests’ scores at the end of the school year was 28 points. after summing up the scores from the four posttests that were administered, the following results were analyzed. global partners in education journal – special edition december 2022, vol. 10, no. 2 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 22 conclusion this study was inspired by the author’s teaching experience in two different settings; in a private language school and in a public school in north macedonia. being able to observe and deliver lessons and having experience with curricula developed by the bureau for development of education from grade 1 to grade 9, the author started questioning the efficient application of methods and instructional practices, discussed students’ dissatisfaction and the need to revise material from two or three grade levels behind. this study’s goal is to reject pavlov and watson’s theory that human beings are born as blank slates and can be trained like animals, and to suggest that all curricula should take into consideration that regardless of the age of the student, they all come with a certain type of knowledge. students have been having real life experiences long before they start going to primary school. those real-life experiences have played an important role in their cognitive development and highly influenced their opinions, preferences, and thoughts. besides their experience, all of them have been exposed to social interactions with other human beings and have an unfinished personality that should be expressed and further developed. thus, another theory that this study refutes is the notion that students learn though rewards and punishments. this research attempts to highlight the need for students to fall in love with the learning process itself and accept that it never ceases. they should know the capital cities of the countries, but also realize and be able to explain why a certain capital city is crucial for the country. the lessons should foster their curiosity, nurture dialogue and discussion, encourage them to think critically, and work on their intrinsic motivation. piaget’s stages of development are taken into consideration and first-grade students are understood as human beings who are only aware of their own perspective, enjoy role-playing and being recognized as a central figure of all the happenings, yet some of them are shifting towards the next stage of logical thinking and are able to connect different ideas. thus, the 3ls curriculum even though it puts the student in the center global partners in education journal – special edition december 2022, vol. 10, no. 2 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 23 of the attention, it provides additional information that might be connected to their world and their everyday activities. discussion and dialogue are prevalent throughout the 3ls lessons and that practice is supportive of vygotsky’s social theory that interactions lead to learning. for the students to work in their zpds, the teacher’s role is of a facilitator, and exposing them to rich input is also a demanding task for the teacher because they are the ones who need to decide when the right time to assist is to make it more comprehensible for the students. another factor is to never let the students be completely confused or lost in a task. thus, the 3ls manages to create lessons that need active participants not passive absorbers of content that has already been too much scaffolded and does not present a challenge. the students who were part of the experiment enjoyed the lessons immensely, especially group b, who were more privileged and had a classroom equipped with computers, they were shown lots of presentations, videos and pictures. they became more confident and prouder of their accomplishments. the reflection checklists serve as proof of the increased students’ engagement and confidence, as well as the teacher’s enjoyment while delivering the lessons and collaborating with the students. the posttests’ results showed an increase in the attitude of the students from group b towards the lessons; relying on their verbal skills to produce full sentences regardless of the mistakes they would make. from the vignettes it can be easily noticed that students enjoyed the lessons and were exposed to rich content without realizing that they are studying and exploring complex topics. the data provided by cuchiarra and fillmore suggest that the 3ls is a successful practice and especially when having in mind the scope of their research is a proven approach that results in success, efficiency, lifelong learning, democratic relationship between the teacher and the students, active participation, and willingness to be involved in dialogue. all in all, the findings from the analysis of both types of data complement each other and show that a mixed-methods research is the right choice to address issues such as changes in education especially in rural or semi-urban places in an underdeveloped country that lacks in budget and professional development for teachers and educators in general. students should have the same chances in school regardless of their residential status. students from rural or semi-urban areas in north macedonia should have the same access to materials and options for further growth and participation in events. while this is an issue that deserves attention, it is the goal of the study to raise awareness of the need for a change in the educational practices and curricula in north macedonia, a change that will bring enjoyment, satisfaction, more knowledge, and equity. references an official website of the european union. 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(2017). mixed methods research: expanding the evidence base. evidence-based nursing, 20: 74-75. shurley, b. (2018, july 12). what is the valute of a pretest? retrieved from: https://blog.shurley.com/blog/2018/7/11/what-is-the-value-of-a-pretest valamis (2021, june 17). lifelong learning. retrieved from valamis: https://www.valamis.com/hub/lifelong-learning vygotsky, l. (1978). mind in society: the development of higher psychological processes. harvard university press . willis, j. (1996). a framework for task-based learning. pearson. author notes bisera dalcheska-taleska has been an english language teacher since 2016. she received her bachelor’s degree in english language and literature from blaze koneski faculty of philology in 2016 and is currently enrolled in a master’s program in english language teaching at university of american college skopje, as well as a master’s program in linguistics at blaze koneski faculty of philology. she has been a guilford county schools employee for two years, teaching english as a second language in greensboro, north carolina, usa. marjana vaneva, phd, is an associate professor of linguistics and english and a dean of the school of foreign languages at the university american college skopje. she is a certified teacher of english, with an ma degree in linguistics, with the thesis title: “means of expressing negation in english and macedonianˮ and a phd degree also in linguistics, with the thesis title: “zero derivation in english and macedonianˮ, all obtained from the english department of the faculty of philology “blaze koneskiˮ, skopje at the ss cyril and methodius university. global partners in education journal – special edition january 2025, vol. 11, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 1 introduction to the 8th global issues conference special edition anna łobodzińska, guest editor state university of applied sciences, krosno, poland the 8th global issues conference, organized jointly by east carolina university and the state university of applied sciences in krosno on behalf of global partners in education (gpe), took place online from april 8th to april 11th. this annual event brought together students, faculty, and staff from gpe member institutions worldwide to share insights and perspectives on a wide range of global issues. as in previous years, the conference featured multiple thematic sessions, each comprising presentations followed by moderated discussions. these interactive discussions fostered the exchange of diverse perspectives, enriching the exploration of the issues presented. the 2024 conference covered a broad range of topics under several thematic areas, including: • business, technology & the future of work, • community development, • education, language and society, • environment & society, • economics & society, • health, medicine & wellbeing, • human rights & justice. following the conference, the organizing committee selected outstanding presentations for publication in the global partners in education journal. this year the following eight articles are presented to a wider audience. 1. “exploring gendered dynamics in performing domestic care activities” 2. “positive masculinity & disaster preparedness in pakistani urban communities” both studies critically examine gender roles within society, addressing how traditional perceptions influence societal structures and functions. the articles challenge conventional gender norms and advocate for redefined roles that promote equity and inclusivity. they underline the transformative potential of addressing gender dynamics in diverse societal domains. 3. “linguistic mistakes or a distinct variety? how l2 speakers influence english in international contexts” http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition january 2025, vol. 11, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 2 4. “the application of wordwall.net in english language instruction for young learners: the learning motivation of taiwanese elementary school third graders” 5. “authentic learning and assessment in lebanon and uae private schools: implementation, impacts, and challenges” these studies highlight the use of innovative approaches to enhance language learning. all of them emphasize the importance of tailoring educational practices to learners’ specific needs and contribute valuable insights to the fields of language acquisition and instruction. 6. “bullying dilemmas: cyberbullying and mental health strain for university students in mount lebanon” 7. “investigating compulsive staring behavior in men: a gender-sensitive examination of sociocultural and psychological influences” both studies investigate behavioural phenomena that have psychological, social, and cultural implications. they consider the sociocultural dimensions of selected features as well as highlight the psychological repercussions of the behaviours in focus. both studies stress the importance of targeted interventions. 8. “shadows of the past: tracing intergenerational trauma in seychelles” this article highlights the effects of trauma and reveals how much influence it has not only on the people who experienced it but it continues to affect their descendants as well. the study advocates for holistic recovery measures, including mental health care, legal aid, and community programs, to break the cycle of trauma and foster resilience. the 8th global issues conference once again provided an invaluable platform for researchers to present their work to an international audience. the breadth of topics ensured that every attendee could engage with areas of interest and participate in meaningful discussions. we extend our gratitude to all participants, authors, and reviewers who contributed to the success of this event. their dedication and effort were essential in making the conference and this special edition possible. it would not have been possible without invaluable help of our reviewers from state university of applied sciences who also proofread the articles: agnieszka habrat jack lala anna łobodzińska anna rewiś-łętkowska ewa rusek http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition january 2025, vol. 11, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 3 dorota rygiel bogdan wolski joanna ziobro http://www.gpejournal.org/ 10 cultural appropriation and cancel culturea global survey global partners in education journal – special edition december 2022, vol. 10, no. 2 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 84 cultural appropriation and cancel culture: a global survey chiamaka ezedimbu, dr. emeka agba, prof. femi olufunmilade igbinedion university okada, edo, nigeria abstract a cultural practice that might be once unique to a particular set of people can go global. in a globalizing world, cultural diffusion has become a widespread phenomenon. this global dispersal has led to clash of cultures, giving rise to defenders people who want to defend their culture from outsiders they view as threats i.e. outsiders with no plans to give credit to origins of the borrowed culture. this leads us to the concept of 'appropriation', which, literally, means to take something and adapt it for use in another context. this sets the background for the emergence of the concept of 'cultural appropriation'. while cultural appropriation may be novel in theory, it is not so in praxis. it can be seen in the things that constitute our day to day life. this is unlike the shallowness of the definition that most people, especially active social media users, use. recently, it is mostly used in accusation, and is perceived as malicious intent, even in cases where none is intended. the misinterpretation of cultural appropriation is being used as an outlet for online jungle justice, ‘cancel culture’. a situation where people take law into their hands and backlash individual or group that say or perform actions that are deemed unacceptable. this paper scrutinizes the misuse of cultural appropriation as a concept and how it causes more cases of cancel culture. this study finds that cancel culture is heightened with the increased misuse of the concept cultural appropriation online and tries to proffer solution to this rising phenomena. key words: global, culture, appropriation introduction various scholars have discussed the concepts of cultural appropriation and cancel culture, but as different topics. cultural appropriation has been discussed as hypersensitivity, traced to capitalism as its root, even invalidated by some scholars under claims of globalization. some even discussed how it is a good thing and people cannot thrive without it, because it has acted as the leverage upon which civilization grew. alanna (2019) discusses the root of appropriation as failure to give credit (profit) to the black creator, whereas the white appropriator gets it all, the money, the fame and credits. she talks about the inevitability of appropriation and that cultures will interact ‘by choice or by force’, and acts of appropriation are mostly not deliberate. since the beginning of time, appropriation has been present and acted as key to growth of civilization. her work acts as a compass of clarity to fully understand the concept of cultural appropriation and how there is more than meets the eye. on the other hand, cancel culture keeps thriving according to dershowitz (2020) due to moral clarity. this is a concept that is built on the theory that ‘america is systematically racist, and a whitesupremacist project’, so there is no other side of the narrative. this idea makes it clear that there is only one way to see things and anyone who disagrees is racist, morally inferior and politically incorrect. today, this theory has shifted and now it includes all races, with racial minority pointing against the majority. his work explains how ‘an american problem’ has shifted to a wider scope, and now is spreading at a global pace. advocates are rising irrespective of the country, to defend their ‘truth’, thus feeding global partners in education journal – special edition december 2022, vol. 10, no. 2 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 85 extremists. kovalik (2021) explained how people fail to acknowledge that we are all flawed, and despite it, still deserve love. there is no need to destroy all they have built in a moment, because of allegations, which even when cleared, they are unable to rise from. the importance he placed on free speech and expression is not overstated and should be closely examined. ridding people of these rights is one of the consequences of cancel culture, although its advocates do not consider it. the research paper will essentially talk about increase of cancelling people online linked with defense of the wrong concept of cultural appropriation, which is embroiled in cultural discrimination. this is an exaggerated form that acts as an anger outlet and takes away the rights of the recipient. people tend to see cultural appropriation in every situation and retaliate with cancelling the person with the problematic behavior. this behavior has gone too far and left netizens (internet users) threading carefully, in order to avoid being cancelled, leaving them with restricted freedom to practice their rights of free speech, expression, and pursuit of beauty. cultural appropriation to properly look at this growing social phenomenon, it is only right that we have an understanding of the concepts, starting with culture. according to oxford dictionary, culture can be defined as the ideas, customs and social behavior of a particular people or society. it is a particular way of life, an expression of a particular way of life (storey, 2018). this is an identifying factor of a group of people, for example the igbo culture. this is the way of life that is used to identify the igbo people from eastern nigeria, in africa. culture covers anything from religion, food, language, clothing and accessories, down to behavior, how we greet elders, our perception of right or wrong, among others. now to cultural appropriation. appropriation is not a new word. it means to take something and find use for it in another context. this word, appropriation, has mostly been used to describe the use of money. that is, taking something from somewhere to find use for it elsewhere. so with this prior understanding of culture and appropriation, putting the two words together, cultural appropriation, simply put, would mean the adoption of customs, ideas and other elements of one cultural group by another. cultural appropriation is found everywhere; in food, dressing, writing, artworks, etc. it is important to know that these acts of appropriation are usually not intentional. it most often becomes a touchy topic when the culture appropriated is that of indigenous people or racial minority. cultural appropriation is considered harmful when: there is a violation of property right (theft), and attack on the viability or identity of cultures or their members. profit made off the culture in question, especially when none of the profit is remitted to the insider (member of the culture) creator, is a reason for profound offense. even without profit in the question, an attack on the members of the culture, or the culture itself, that is in form of mockery or wrong representation, is considered an attack on one’s identity and is also a reason for offense. misconception of cultural appropriation any teen and young adult conversant with the internet will find that this is not a new term. as these words are found on most pages, on websites, in the comment sections, and elsewhere. cultural appropriation has become so common a word on the internet, that its meaning today has become twisted and vague. it has shifted from its original global partners in education journal – special edition december 2022, vol. 10, no. 2 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 86 meaning of bracketing racial minority exploitation to defining anything people do that is not culturally associated with them. the twisted definition of cultural appropriation that most people use, has created an outlet for cultural racism and discrimination. this outlet is embodied in cancel culture. though cultural appropriation is not the only cause, it is becoming a fast rising reason for ‘cancelling’ people online. it is a reason of concern because people who hide under the umbrella of cultural appropriation, most times, do not fully understand the concept. they just criticize anyone that does anything that is seen as not locally associated with them, and they forget this is inevitable because of globalization. it is important to bring to the fore, that civilization and globalization we have today is a product of cultural appropriation. this concept may sometimes be bracketed as cultural exchange, cultural assimilation or cultural diffusion. but in all it simply means that culture is fluid. culture moves, and this movement is the reason we have the alphabets, mathematics, the calendar, and so many things as we know them today. cultures change and this change allows us to embrace each other as one humanity. cancel culture advocates do not see or consider this aspect, due to the fact that a good percentage of them are ignorant of the concept of cultural appropriation and are just on the bandwagon train. globalization has moved cultures around on a global scale. cultural diffusion is seen in our everyday life. this could be something as simple as craving chinese food accepted in your country when you’ve never been to china and so have no idea of the techniques and ingredients used, hanging up an african dream catcher without knowing it, just because you thought it looked pretty, learning french and imitating the accent with no plans to travel to france, etc. these are examples of cultural appropriation that are overlooked. appreciation is not considered an option and blind backlash is given to an innocent or a victim of exaggeration. it has become the norm of cancel police to consider any use of anything from another culture problematic. cancelling people because others are too, pointing fingers and making victims of people appreciating other cultures is in a sense a threat to globalization. because all these accusations will eventually limit cultural spread and create a stagnant society, where different cultures and races are enclosed in their own bracket. who is considered appropriating? after looking at misconceptions of cultural appropriation, it is normal for questions like who exactly is appropriating, to arise. this section will be looked at from two points; who the internet think is appropriating and who is really appropriating. who the internet think is appropriating? the internet, made up of misguided people, are quick to point fingers, call out and cancel any person involving themselves in any other culture outside their cultural bracket. they are quick to pick offence about the subject, and project their feelings as being hurt. it is important to note that ‘it is common for people to frame their objections to cultural appropriation in terms of offense.’ (young & brunk , 2012. p. 5). this is usually the case, as no profound harm or offence is caused but cancel police pick up the case and portray it in terms of offense, as if they are looking for a reason to be offended. they then advocate that others should be offended too, with their preaching. in the end people act offended so they are not left out and cancel the victim without full understanding. global partners in education journal – special edition december 2022, vol. 10, no. 2 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 87 who is really appropriating? this paper aims to correct the misuse of the word cultural appropriation, which does not invalidate the fact that indeed cultural appropriation in its rightful sense does exist. it is important to understand when exactly an outsider (a non-member of a culture) is appropriating, and when the outsider is appreciating. what constitutes cultural appropriation is mostly profit made either in cash or kind, which is acknowledgement. to be sure someone is appropriating there are certain important questions to be asked. is this person making a profit of this culture? is this person making a caricature or a stereotypical image of this culture? is this person claiming to be an expert on the culture and making false claims? these are important questions to be asked before pointing out a person as an appropriator and cancelling the person. outsiders having the wrong representation of the culture. the representation of, against its misrepresentation (brunk & young, 2012, p. 100), because it is general knowledge that outsiders do not have the knowhow to decide if what have been appropriated is authentic. when an outsider is engaged in portraying a caricature image of another’s culture, this is a reason for profound offense, because it is a direct attack on a person’s identity, when an outsider sheds light on a culture in a bad and stereotypical manner. people who engage in these activities, making a profit of or mocking a culture, are the true appropriators whose activities are embedded in a place of exploitation. cancel culture cancel culture refers to the mass backlash to individuals that take actions deemed unfit by the public (ethantofyu, 2021), usually on social media. cancel culture is a fairly new term, though recently scholars have been tracing its use in past times. the tide of cancelling people is becoming terrifying on social media, as anyone can be cancelled even by the slightest allegation. even in cases where cancelled persons are able to prove innocent, if given the chance (which is rarely), the consequences of being cancelled stay with them for a long time. they are left handicapped and unable to defend themselves. in this era of cancel culture, public opinion is becoming more important than the truth. accusation is considered conviction. an example of this can be seen during a discussion once held with a friend who made a statement that goes thus; ‘people start to think and talk’. this statement explains how speculations are made on accusations without any verification. such speculations spread and in turn feed cancel culture. it will not be denied that the advocates of cancel culture are well meaning, it is just clear they lack understanding, and this lack causes extremism. in this era where public opinion has an elevated place, especially via social media as dershowitz says ‘the truth can’t even find its shoes’. it has become hard to sort the right from the bundle of wrongs. although cancel culture has been linked with other concepts such as political correctness, moral clarity, and others (dershowitz, 2020), understanding how it is related to cultural appropriation is also crucial. this generation of highly culturally sensitive people have made this relation prominent. cases of cancelling have been on the rise because of cultural appropriation, where in most cases, the reason pointed out as cultural appropriation is usually very trivial, and not even cultural appropriation in its rightful sense. cancel culture is an enemy to free speech as its advocates ‘want what they want and they want it now’ (dershowitz 2020). to get to their goal they will ignore due process and leave the recipient with no say, because public opinion is on their side. leaving such unfortunate person with no rights global partners in education journal – special edition december 2022, vol. 10, no. 2 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 88 whatsoever to express themselves. these cancel culture advocates are very vocal about free speech and use it as the basis of their claims to cancel people, while forgetting they are stripping people of the same rights of free speech, when they give them no room for explanation because they are blinded by their “truths”. a simple accusation is enough to get a person cancelled. the advocates of cancel culture are impatient, so there is seldom need for veracity, because they believe accusation is conviction. this statement by alarilla (2021), ‘if you think about it, cancel culture is really an american thing that’s being spread like a virus all over the world via social media’, is not wrong. starting out as a problem of the united states because of the diverse nature of the country, the internet has acted as medium and spread it to the rest of the world. this spread is causing problems to these cancelled people, especially the innocent of the lot. consequences of cancel culture discrimination and ostracism is on the rise because of cancel culture which is closely linked with cultural appropriation. thus, it is quickly becoming another form of cyberbullying. an example of cancel culture can be seen in the case of shay mitchell, the 34 year old pretty little liar’s actress, who was called out for cultural appropriation after she posted on tiktok (a social media platform) the outfits for her photo shoot that had her spotting braids. the comment section of the video was filled with hateful comments, where people told her to remove it and other hurtful words were hauled her way. people failed to see that she was appreciating the look and she looked great, all they saw was she is canadian and braids is not canadian, so she should not be wearing braids. she was called out and not allowed to express herself. another example can be seen when korean singer, lisa, wore braids for her song ‘money’. she had to tender an apology, an apology for expressing herself. even the black community online came forward to express that they did not find it offensive (alarilla, 2021), but of course were shut up with claims that they do not speak for everybody. other cases abound on the internet. these barrage of hate comments, and sometimes threats, are cases of cyber bullying that those cancelled face. online jungle justice is carried out against them. discrimination is also one among the consequences cancelled persons face. they are barred from attending events, boycotted when their works are released, lose fan following, and face many other acts of discrimination. cancelled people lose their rights to due process, especially the innocent. they are not given the space to prove innocent after these accusations are rendered. people out of fear of being cancelled hide and refrain from saying and doing anything that might cause them to be cancelled. racism is another effect cancelling is having, especially in its relation with cultural appropriation. racist persons from minority cultures can use this as an outlet for their racist moves. lastly, cancel culture due to cultural appropriation is narrowing the boundaries of individuality because of fear/threat of backlash. statistics a total of sixty people from different parts of the world responded to the online survey. respondents were ten to fourteen at 3.3, fifteen to nineteen at 31.7%, twenty to twentyfour at 50%, twenty-five to twenty-nine at 13.3%, and thirty and above at 1.7%. the respondents are active social media users. 33.3% of the respondent population did not global partners in education journal – special edition december 2022, vol. 10, no. 2 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 89 know about cultural appropriation, and 45% did not know about cancel culture, prior to the survey. out of 60 respondents, 59 responded to the question of if cancel culture can be toxic. 26 persons representing 44.1% of those that responded strongly agreed that this is the case with cancel culture, and 19 persons at 32.2% agreed. this number goes to show that the good cancel culture advocates claim to do is just counterproductive and in reality creates more problems than it solves. cancel culture in actuality is mostly toxic, because its advocates tell people the reason why they should cancel someone and not give them room to judge for themselves if that act of cancelling is wholly necessary. going forward, the numbers for the question if cancel culture is a form of cyberbullying had 37 persons affirming to this. cancel culture has become an outlet for people to victimize others, victims. cancelling is already cyberbullying in a sense, but once it is paired with cultural appropriation, it skyrockets. cancelled persons are not allowed the opportunity to clear up the situation and are just shut out. other findings global partners in education journal – special edition december 2022, vol. 10, no. 2 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 90 6.8% opined that cultural appropriation affected their culture and made them upset. 28.8% opined that it affected their culture, but it was not considered a big deal. 23.7% opined that it did not affect their culture, but understood the concept, thus are upset by it. 40.7% opined that it did not affect their culture, and they do not think it is a big deal. 26.7% have a personal experience regarding cultural appropriation, 73.3% do not. 31.9% have cancelled someone, 68.3% have not. 22% of the number that have, made this choice influenced by social media. 12.3% lied about cancelling someone, and kept following the online persona of the cancelled person. 16.1% strongly agreed that cancel culture is beneficial for checking people’s behavior, 19.6% agreed, 33.9% were neutral, 21.4% disagreed, and 8.9% strongly disagreed. 5.3% strongly agreed that cancel culture brings about beneficial effects, 21.1% agreed, 43.9% were neutral, 14% disagreed, and 15.8% strongly disagreed. the most picked reason for cancel culture was cultural appropriation, with bandwagon activity as a close second. conclusion this paper is another addition to what other scholars, critics, and activists of free speech and cultural diffusion in globalization have started. their work aimed to make people understand that cultural spread is inevitable, and should not just be considered cultural appropriation, because since the onset it has been the foundation of civilization. this is why there is a need to point out and cure this cancer called cancel culture. the number of innocent victims of cancel culture is on the rise, because of the misused concept of cultural appropriation. as a problem most prominent on the internet, which is a hub that connects the whole world, it is important that people be aware of the consequences. it is breeding an age of silence online where people only respond to bandwagon activity and shy away from voicing and expressing their individuality due to fear of being cancelled, a situation that brings whatever hard work of cancelled individual in the past to come crashing down and become invalid. the cankerworm of misused concept of cultural appropriation and the increase in cancel culture advocates will only leave room for the passing on to the oncoming generation of social media users wrong internet etiquette. it is time for us to rise and speak against the extremism of cancel culture. some people are oblivious to the consequences of their actions and just follow the tide of bandwagonism. powerful public opinion has seen the trend of cancel culture becoming more than a phase and showing potentials for continuity. this makes it important that this problem be explored and solutions proffered. if not, what would be left is an intolerant society caused by cancelling. recommendations enlightenment talks have not shown much of a difference; instead, other countries outside the united states have joined the spread of cancel culture as they nitpick, in global partners in education journal – special edition december 2022, vol. 10, no. 2 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 91 the bid to find a cultural appropriator. this method has proved unfruitful because most people are so fixated on the past, they forget the current generation is innocent of the allegations thrown their way. but little result should not stop us from speaking on people’s excesses. we should rise to challenge these advocates of cancel culture, who wield their free speech as a weapon against others. a little can go a long way, so this paper acts as one of many wakeup calls that wishes to draw people’s attention to the vice of our generation. the exposure is important to make people understand the difference between cultural appropriation and appreciation. that cultural diffusion as the foundation of civilization should not be casually considered cultural appropriation. using cancelling as a weapon wielded against even the innocent is simply wrong, therefore it should be called out. this is why this paper is joining the many voices of this generation, in our fight to cut down these excesses. references alarilla, j. (2021, sep 30). lisa’s braids did not offend them, say black youtubers. digital life asia. retrieved from https://digitallifeasia.com/2021/09/30/lisas-braids-didnot-offend-them-say-black-youtubers/ alarilla, j. (2021, sept 23). cancel culture: cultural appropriation and the pc police. digital life asia. retrieved from https://digitallifeasia.com/2021/09/23/cancel-culture-culturalappropriation-and-the-pc-police/ avins, j., & quartz (2015, oct 20). the dos and don’ts of cultural appropriation. the atlantic. retrieved from https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2015/10/the-dos-and-donts-ofcultural-appropriation/411292/ bedo, s. (2020, december 16). 'doesn't make a lot of sense': why we need to cancel woke culture. news.com.au. retrieved from https://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/reallife/news-life/doesnt-make-a-lot-of-sense-why-we-need-to-cancel-woke-culture/newsstory/743128bac910e802456018347cd28e7f brunk, c. g. & young, j. o (2012), ‘the skin off our backs’: appropriation of religion. in young, j. o., & brunk, c. g. (eds) the ethics of cultural appropriation. (pp. 93114). wiley-blackwell. dershowitz, a. (2020). cancel culture. chicago: hot books. ethantofyu (2021, july 14). opinion: appropriation and cancel culture. los angeles times hs insider. retrieved from https://highschool.latimes.com/yorba-linda-highschool/opinion-cultural-appropriation-and-cancel-culture/ ezedimbu, c (2022). online field work. retrieved from https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1vskxp0pbcbyqdr6vowrsl_f1qbxhs6ogsdjxcckwr0/edit#responses harper’s magazine (2020, july 7). a letter on justice and open debate. retrieved from https://harpers.org/a-letter-on-justice-and-open-debate/ global partners in education journal – special edition december 2022, vol. 10, no. 2 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 92 justich, k. (2021, june 24). shay mitchell gets called out for cultural appropriation: ‘why would you choose box braids?’ yahoo! life. retrieved from https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/shay-mitchell-cultural-appropriation172646395.html?fr=sycsrp_catchall kovalik, d. (2021). cancel this book: the progressive case against cancel culture. chicago: hot books. lauren, m.j. (2019). white negroes: when cornrows were in vogue and other thoughts on cultural appropriation. boston: beacon press. okun, a. (2019, dec 5). the driving force behind cultural appropriation? capitalism. vox. retrieved from https://www.vox.com/the-goods/2019/12/5/20995415/laurenjackson-white-negroes-cultural-appropriation oxford languages (n.d). culture. oxford university press. retrieved june 17, 2022, from https://languages.oup.com/google-dictionary-en/ pappas, s., & mckelvie, c. (2021, dec 15). what is culture? live science. retrieved from https://www.livescience.com/21478-what-is-culture-definition-of-culture.html potaraju, s. (2021, dec 15). [book review] ‘cancel culture the latest attack on free speech and due process’ by alan dershowitz. bar and bench. retrieved from https://www.barandbench.com/columns/book-review-cancel-culture-the-latest-attackon-free-speech-and-due-process-by-alan-dershowitz storey, j. (2018). cultural theory and popular culture: an introduction. london and new york: routledge. weiss, b. (2017, aug 30). three cheers to cultural appropriation. the new york times. retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/30/opinion/culturalappropriation.html/ young, j. o. & brunk, c. g., (eds.) (2012). the ethics of cultural appropriation. wiley-blackwell. author notes ezedimbu chiamaka is an undergraduate student at igbinedion university okada, edo state, nigeria. currently in her fourth year studying international relations and strategic studies. her interest in international cultural studies led her to her study course and even further motivated the writing of this paper. she aspires to, through her consistent efforts, make the world a better place starting with the little she can, helping people understand the beauty of cultural exchange. contact email: ezedimbu.chiamaka@iuokada.edu.ng dr. emeka agba is currently a lecturer at igbinedion university okada, nigeria’s premier private university. he is a lecturer at the department of international relations and strategic studies, the department of political science and public administration, global partners in education journal – special edition december 2022, vol. 10, no. 2 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 93 the general studies unit, and the buratai center for contemporary security affairs in the university. he obtained his ph.d in political science in 2016 and his major areas of research interest have been international political economy and conflict studies. he has authored a major textbook on conflict studies titled ‘an introduction to conflict and peace studies’ in addition to a number of peer-reviewed journal articles on conflict and political economy. prof. femi olufunmilade is, currently, pioneer director, buratai center for contemporary security affairs, igbinedion university, okada, edo state, nigeria. at igbinedion university, prior to his current position, he was head of department, international relations and strategic studies; and dean, college of arts and social sciences. prof. olufunmilade is also a pioneer of e-learning in nigeria as professor of global understanding programme at east carolina university, greenville, north carolina, usa, in collaboration with his parent university in okada. his research interests, inter alia, include china's rise, international security, and peace & conflict studies. he has published books and articles in peer reviewed journals. his published books include: "china's economic miracle" "the rudiments of foreign intelligence", and an edited book of reading of the buratai center titled, "perspectives on boko haram insurgency". contact email: director.bccsa@iuokada.edu.ng global partners in education journal – special edition february 2021, vol. 9, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 36 stereotypes in polish culture aleksandra brzana, paulina szot, justyna warchoł carpathian state college, krosno, poland abstract prejudices, stereotypes, hostile attitudes they are all derived from a source. some of them may ring true while some can make no sense. still others are the result of historical or social events, not just part of someone’s imagination. in this article we will discuss these phenomena in terms of poland’s relationships with some european countries. we will try to explain where the opinions come from, whether they can be regarded as true or not and how they have affected our cooperation with those countries. in addition to politics, we will also mention daily life, during which some prejudices can be damaging. the main focus in this article is on the polish-russian, polish-czech and polishhungarian relations and stereotypes which derive from them. the reasons for choosing those three countries were different. many poles hear about hungary and their friendly attitude towards poland thus we were curious to see where it derives from. we decided to write about russia because our history seems rather complicated and we often hear similar opinions about them and poles from foreigners. the czech republic was chosen for the opposite reasons – they are our neighboring country, although we do not know much about them. we will aim to explain political situations, social relationships and concentrate on certain historical events which changed or shaped the way we view these countries and affected their opinion about us poles. however, it is best to start with explaining what a stereotype is. a number of researchers have long been trying to account for it, although there is still a relative lack of a satisfactory definition. according to the cambridge dictionary, it is “a set idea that people have about what someone or something is like, especially an idea that is wrong” (stereotype, 2020). according to cardwell (cf. walas, 1995), a stereotype is a fixed, overgeneralized belief about a particular group or class of people. 1. hungary to understand where stereotypes in the polish-hungarian relations come from, it is crucial to investigate some important historical matters. http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition february 2021, vol. 9, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 37 the vast majority of both nations have positive attitudes when it comes to the polishhungarian relationship. andrzej sieroszewski (cf. walas, 1995) describes the stereotype of a hungarian as shortened, simplified and evaluative. the first person that was important for both poles and hungarians was saint adalbert of prague. thanks to him both countries were christianized and could practice the christian religion. for poland, it was especially significant since it was the beginning of the nation (sroka, 2015). another crucial historical factor are polish rulers who ruled in hungary and hungarians who ruled in poland. the first polish king to sit on the hungarian throne was géza, the grandson of bolesław i chrobry – the first polish king. he reigned from 1074 to 1077. after his death, the crown was given to his brother ladislaus, known in poland as saint władysław węgierski. he ruled from 1077 to 1095. he was christian and contributed immensely to the spread of christianity in hungary (he was canonized in 1992) (sroka, 2015). one of the best known monarchs of poland is queen jadwiga. she was crowned king, because the polish law at that time did not allow queens to be rulers. she was the daughter of louis i of hungary the preceding hungarian ruler of poland (sroka, 2015). king casimir the great, who had ruled in poland between 1333 and 1370, had not had a male descendant. he reached a deal with louis i of hungary which stipulated that if one of them died, the other one would become king in both countries (rhode, 2020). it was a sign of great respect and trust. jadwiga was very well educated and understood the political matters in poland. together with her husband, she established a new dynasty in poland the jagiellonians (named after her husband, who was her successor). the first person who mentioned a similarity between poles and hungarians was gregory of sanok in the 15th c. there was a dispute in hungary in jan vitez’s property, who at that time was the bishop of oradea (a town in today’s romania). gregory was asked to explain where poles came from and his answer was surprising. he claimed that both poles and hungarians originated from the same place. his reasoning was based on the similarity between poles and hungarians, e.g. in fighting, religious views or politics (sroka, 2015). the saying “pole and hungarian cousins be, good for fight and good for party” was mentioned for the first time in jan zachariasiewicz’s novel called sąsiedzi (eng. the neighbours) in 1856. today, this novel is not particularly popular, but the saying is still commonly known both among hungarians and poles. unfortunately, there is no evidence when it was first used among people (cf. walas, 1995, csaplaros 1964). http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition february 2021, vol. 9, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 38 the aforesaid novel is not the only one in which the polish-hungarian relations are mentioned. the polish-hungarian friendship is also mentioned in sándor petőfi’s poem “armia siedmiogrodzka”, in hungarian “az erdélyi hadsereg,” from 1848, written right before the breakout of an uprising in hungary. the leadership over the hungarian army was given to józef bem – a polish general and under his command hungarians won many battles. thanks to that, bem became a heroic icon for hungarians. his monument in budapest is a symbol of peaceful demonstrations (cf. walas, 1995). another example of this special bond between the two countries in literature are such collections of short stories as węgrzy (1956) and przeprowadzka (1967), written by jerzy stefan stawiński and jan józef szczepański, respectively. in both collections, poles are shown as full of sympathy for hungarians and as eager to help their friends in need. there are also some literary works in which hungarians are described. one of them is a novel by teodor tomasz jeż entitled szandor kowacz from 1861, where a hungarian is shown as a handsome, tall and strong man who exudes courage (cf. walas, 1995, jeż 1898). the political situation became complicated after 1956. janos kadar, prime minister of hungary and the first secretary of hungary’s communist party (encyclopaedia britannica, 2020), considered this friendship dangerous (walas, 1995). in the fall of 1956, the hungarian uprising broke out, which was a call for freedom and peace. it was ruthlessly suppressed by the soviet army (encyclopaedia britannica, 2018). in the meantime, poles showed their support for hungarians poets, writers and journalists wrote about it, while ordinary people donated blood, food and clothes to be sent to hungary. neither soviet nor hungarian politicians liked it, and yet, polish support for hungarians uplifted common people. the official dislike of the polish-hungarian relation was the beginning of negative polish stereotypes. hungarians were taught by the officials that poles were lazy and reluctant to work. since those stereotypes had already existed in other countries, it was easy to bring them to hungary. this attempt was not very successful and the remaining stereotypes about poles are mostly positive (walas, 1995). 2. russia poland and russia share several centuries of history during which we had some ups and downs. however, it cannot be denied that our neighbor is a country that significantly influenced the history of poland and left an imprint on it. historical events and the memory of them affect myths and stereotypes. they are particularly permanent and influence the image of the polish neighbor already at the early stage of school learning. http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition february 2021, vol. 9, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 39 in the stories read by polish children, poland and russia are shown to share common slavic roots. in the legend of lech, czech and rus, the founders of these three nations are brothers and travel together to find a place where they can establish their burghs (chotomska, 2012). this could already tell us that our relations should be quite warm since we have the same, slavic roots, but the reality is much more complicated. although our relations are influenced not only by historical events but also by the media, our own experiences and the current political situation, it is the former that is a determinant. the image of russia has been formed over the centuries. it is recorded in various texts and stored in the memory of poles. to find out the reasons for russian stereotypes and understand why such an image has become established, we need to reach for various sources, subjective and objective. some stereotypes have paled, and some are still vivid (handke, 2000). the earliest “stereotype” of muscovites was outlined by mikołaj rej, a polish renaissance poet, in 1568: “moscow, we already know, what kind of men those are, we know them by their traditions, we know them through conversations, the serf, like a bird locked in a cage, can sing, but he can’t express in words what he is thinking.” (uściłowicz, 2008, p. 28) as it will be shown later in the text, the concept of russia as “the cage”, existed even in the sixteenth century. rej also described the serfs as stupid people with very little brains but at the same time quite clever (uściłowicz, 2008). 2.1. polish -russian relations in the 17th and 18th centuries the image of poles in the 17th century manifests itself in diverse texts with some ambivalence depending on social groups, as well as the historical period. in russia, at that time there was a dynastic crisis, and polish kings tried to take over the russian throne, although without success as strong opposition came from members of the russian society. avraamy palitsyn in his work presented poles almost only negatively: as the deceitful enemies of russia. the polish army was associated only with evil: both the purpose of the fight and its commanders were unholy. poles occupied moscow for a couple of years, and they were accused of introducing their own lifestyle, regardless of public opposition. the image of a pole as enemy, invader, non-christian, and not respecting orthodox traditions was consistently shaped (moczałowa, 2000). in many works, poles appeared as heretics, outsiders, and even pagans, and this happened because their authors were mainly protestants, not catholics, and they had a different point of view. the russian society was also brought up in the spirit of hatred of catholicism, represented as a symbol of everything foreign. these events shaped the first russian stereotype of a pole – a dandy, catholic, and at the same time a sneaky plunderer (moczałowa, 2000). http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition february 2021, vol. 9, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 40 poles had an equally unfavorable opinion about the russians. the diaries by jan chryzostom pasek are a great mine of information about russians. in his work, there is an extract in which the author, unfairly treated to vodka of inferior quality, refers to the outrageous behavior of the perpetrator by calling him grubianitas, which is a latinized version of the polish word “grubiański”, whose meaning is close to the english word “boorish”. it meant that the russians lacked in courtesy and manners and could not behave at the table. the diplomatic ceremony there was also in a deplorable condition. according to poles, russians were obsessed with respecting the person of the tsar. pasek in his diaries wrote how he received a sheet of paper with titles of the tsar so that he could learn them (pasek, 1836, p.113). 2.2. polish -russian relations in the 19th century in the 19th century, polish people did not hold much affection for the russians, and strong dislike was the feeling that grew at that time. the clash of two cultures, orthodox and christian, could be the reason for the exacerbation of aversion. the russians believed that the orthodox religion was the only right religion that slavs should practice. what is more, poles were fascinated by the west, especially france and england, and they desperately wanted to be part of western culture, although they were closer to the east and the slavic roots. poles deemed themselves to be admirers of democracy and excessive freedom, calling it “golden freedom”, while they considered russia a lawless state (giza, 2000). during the partitions, many uprisings took place to break free from the russian yoke. the russian historian, nikolay karamzin, was known for his aversion to poland and poles. “memoir on ancient and modern russia” (zapiska o drevnei i novoi rossii, 1811) is one of his books where he writes that poland should not exist. he emphasized in his works that poles were infidels and prone to betrayal, condemned them, disapproved of their service to napoleon and deepened the hostility (shkandrij, 2001). according to russians, during the fighting of 1830-1831, poles behaved like cowards and all commanders were inept. after the kościuszko uprising, a stereotype of a dishonest, duplicitous, hypocritical, and haughty pole arose. before the polish–russian war of 1830–31, the idea of romantic slavic brotherhood, known as panslavism, existed, but after this historic event, it collapsed. alexander pushkin, an outstanding russian poet, created a poem where he said that there would never be an agreement between the two nations. he was the first to note that poland and russia always fought against each other: for ages past still have contended, these races, though so near allied: and oft ‘neath victory’s storm has bended http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition february 2021, vol. 9, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 41 now their, and now our side. which shall stand fast in such commotion the haughty liakh, or faithful russ? and shall slavonic streams meet in a russian ocean? – or il’t dry up? this is point for us. (pushkin, 1831) however, in polish literature there was a stereotypical image of the enemy, who was usually russian. adam mickiewicz used it, in forefathers – his famous poetic drama – when talking about senator novosiltsev, and such references also appear in konrad wallenrod (1828), where the enemies and tyrants are old and look like monsters, and the defenders of the homeland are young and innocent. the tsar, in the opinion of the people in forefathers, is a faithful disciple of satan. in the works, the keywords are “victim, revenge, guilt and punishment.” interestingly, mickiewicz does not blame muscovites for what the government does. he even writes the poem “to my muscovite friends”: to my muscovite friends do you remember me? whenever my mind traces the story of my friends' deaths, jailings and banishments, i remember all of you, and your foreign faces possess, in all my musings, the rights of citizens (mickiewicz, 2016 [1832]). 3. czech republic we should also take a closer look on polish-czech relations and the stereotypes that started to shape around the 18th century and are still present among people in both countries. as it turns out, a lot of different factors have had an influence on the perception of polish-czech relations. the main factors are historical events, literature, own experiences of people from both countries, and also politics and politicians. to understand how these stereotypes were shaped throughout the years, we need to go back to the late 18th century, when russia, prussia and austria signed a treaty that partitioned poland. austria acquired the regions in the south of poland, known as galicia. at that moment, galicia became a part of habsburg empire, just like austria and hungary. czech lands were also under the influence of the empire, which resulted in migrations of czechs to work in galicia, which, at that time, was the poorest and the least developed part of http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition february 2021, vol. 9, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 42 poland. it was an amazing opportunity for czechs, who were well-educated and enterprising people. those who came to poland were mostly doctors, professors, police officers, craftsmen and musicians. they did a lot to economically develop galicia (walas, 1995). however, the very first czechs, who came to galicia, were “strict officials”. they were usually people unsuccessfully looking for a job in their home country, novice clerks, or people having problems with the law. in the polish community, a stereotype (often true) of a conscientious czech official appeared quickly, as well as a diligent austrian citizen, to whom the national attachment of polish society was alien. thus, more and more difficulties in communication and problems between poles and czechs appeared (kaleta, 2014). czech officials created their own, modern administration, and poles, who were not used to paying taxes, were outraged by the necessity to give their money to the state authorities (walas 1995). that is when the first stereotypes about czechs started appearing among polish people. they saw czechs as strict officials and submissive to those in power. at the same time, many czechs decided to join the russian army. they idealized russia and believed that russians would help them gain independence. polish people, who were terrorized by russian invaders, felt betrayed by czechs and started to see them as enemies and opponents of independent poland (kaleta, 2014). however, thanks to the literature and well-known polish writers from the 19th century, czechs created many positive stereotypes about poles, too. józef ignacy kraszewski was so popular among czech people that they did not consider him a foreign writer but their own. later, henryk sienkiewicz became even more popular. his books were translated and published many times. his books led to the emergence of new stereotypes among czech readers. they started to see poles as people who always loved their homeland and were adventurous, brave, and chivalrous. this stereotype has actually survived to this day (walas, 1995). relations between poles and czechs in the 20th century were very complicated. lack of real knowledge about the other side caused some misunderstandings. intellectuals, politicians as well as ‘ordinary’ people definitely too often relied on the stereotypes and that was the deepest root of the political quarrels (przeperski, 2016a). during the interwar period, poles admired czech organization and economic development, but on the other hand, showed contempt towards brutal czech policy towards other nationalities of the region, naturally including poles. but czechs were, generally, no better. one of the most important czech politicians, tomas masaryk treated the polish state as a kind of ‘temporary state’. and from his opinions about poles, czechs developed many negative stereotypes, for example, about poles being http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition february 2021, vol. 9, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 43 focused too much on religion and entertainment rather than politics or important issues (przeperski, 2016a). many stereotypes have disappeared throughout the years but still a lot of them exist among people in both countries. as it turns out, polish people now do not have so many stereotypes about czechs and, even if some of them are still present, they do not really affect the way poles treats czech people (przeperski, 2016b). however, in the czech republic a lot of stereotypes from the 19th and 20th century have survived to this day. what is more, some of the new stereotypes appeared at the beginning of this century, and they were shaped by czechs’ own experiences of polish-czech relations. unfortunately, many of these stereotypes are negative and most czechs still rely on them. latest statistics show that 17% of czechs have a negative attitude towards poles (przeperski, 2016b). the most popular stereotypes about poles among czechs say that polish people tend to be hypocritical and treacherous. nevertheless, it has to be mentioned that the political relations between the countries are friendly, and czech people living close to the polish border often say that they do not imagine their daily lives without polish friends. as it turns out, even these negative stereotypes present in czech society do not have a big impact on everyday life and political relations (przeperski, 2016b). 4. stereotypes nowadays we have also conducted a survey among polish students on national stereotypes about russians, hungarians and czechs. the survey questions (in translation from polish) were the following: • have you ever heard the stereotype about russia/russian? ___yes ___no • if so, what are they? ____________ • have you ever heard the stereotype about hungary? ___yes ___no • if so, what are they? ____________ • have you ever heard a stereotype about czechs? ___yes ___no • if so, what are they? ____________ • can you find that your views have changed based on the stereotypes you heard? ___yes ___no • if so, are they more tolerant or less tolerant? _____ more tolerant _____less tolerant • how often do you judge someone by stereotypes? __always __often __rarely __never http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition february 2021, vol. 9, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 44 the aim of our survey was to learn what stereotypes about czechs, russians and hungarians are the most popular among poles, and if they truly influence the way polish people assess their neighbors. this report analyses the results of the survey in which 30 respondents answered our questions connected with the topic. ninety percent of those questioned confirmed that they were aware of the existence of many stereotypes concerning the russian people and were also able to enumerate many of them. as it turned out, most of the stereotypes were negative and presenting russians in a bad light. almost all respondents pointed out alcohol and a fondness for it in their answers. responses mentioning poverty, aggressiveness and backwardness of the country appeared less frequently. slightly more than ninety-three percent of those surveyed did not know any stereotypes about hungarian people. however, those who knew some of the stereotypes mainly enumerated very positive aspects of hungarians. the responses mainly spoke of a friendly attitude towards polish people. ninety five percent of people who participated in that survey were not aware of any stereotypes concerning czechs. the rest of those questioned, however, wrote down very mixed stereotypes – half of them positive and half negative. their sense of humor and language similarities were the most frequently quoted answers. the replies also spoke of the czechs’ negative attitude towards poles. almost eighty-three percent of those questioned were sure that all the stereotypes they know have changed the way they perceive other nations. about 63% claim that the stereotypes they know have changed their views to be more tolerant. nearly seventy-six percent of the respondents claimed that they rarely let stereotypes influence the way they judge russians, hungarians, and czechs. also, seventeen percent of those surveyed said that they never judge others through stereotypes. overall, the results of this survey show that despite the existing stereotypes poles are withdrawing from judging others and changing their views to be more tolerant. 5. conclusions taking everything into consideration, the article has attempted to explain the most important factors that influenced the development of stereotypes concerning hungary, russia and czech republic. we presented the history of stereotypes that significantly influenced poland’s relations with those countries. in the past, as discussed in this article, stereotypes had a greater impact on people. nowadays, as it turned out, there http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition february 2021, vol. 9, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 45 are many positive and negative stereotypes present in polish society, although they do not have such an impact on our approach to other nations, as shown in the survey. people are now influenced by education and raising awareness of the harmful influence of stereotypes on relations between people. globalization has also contributed to the development of intercultural communication competence. due to easy access to the internet and social media, there is a possibility to contact other people, not necessarily paying attention to where they come from and focusing on common traits such as hobbies. especially teenagers, who speak english, can verify if the stereotypes are well-founded. moreover, mobility programs like erasmus, educate young people about the culture of other countries, which makes the university stays even more valuable and allows them to develop intercultural communication competence. references chotomska, w. (2012). legendy polskie. wydawnictwo literatura. csaplaros, i. (1964). “polak, węgier dwa bratanki". (les polonais et les hongrois sont des bons amis.) l'existence, la function d'un proverbe polonais et le paraléllisme dans la litterature hongroise. slavica annales instituti philologiae slavicae universitatis debreceniensis de ludovico kossuth nominatae 4, 81-106. encyclopaedia britannica. (2018, april 22). hungarian revolution. encyclopedia britannica. retrieved from https://www.britannica.com/event/hungarianrevolution-1956 encyclopaedia britannica. (2020, may 22). jános kádár. retrieved from https://www.britannica.com/biography/janos-kadar giza, a. (2000). opinie rosjan o polakach w i połowie xix wieku. in: r. bobryk & j. faryno (eds.), polacy w oczach rosjan – rosjanie w oczach polaków: zbiór studiów, (pp.151-163). warszawa: slawistyczny ośrodek wydawniczy. handke, k. (2000). wizerunek sąsiadów. in: r. bobryk & j. faryno (eds.), polacy w oczach rosjan – rosjanie w oczach polaków: zbiór studiów (pp. 11–14). warszawa: slawistyczny ośrodek wydawniczy. jeż, t. t. (1898) szandor kowacz. tom 1. warszawa: biblioteka dzieł wyborowych. kaleta, p. (2014). czesi w galicji wschodniej w xix wieku: społeczeństwo, gospodarka, kultura. zeszyty naukowe uniwersytetu jagiellońskiego. prace historyczne 141, z. 1 (2014), pp. 61–75. retrieved from http://www.ejournals.eu/sj/index.php/ph/article/view/4882/5048 mickiewicz, a. (1828), konrad wallenrod. wolne lektury. retrieved from https://wolnelektury.pl/media/book/pdf/konrad-wallenrod.pdf mickiewicz, a. (1832), dziady. wolne lektury. retrieved from https://wolnelektury.pl/media/book/pdf/dziady-dziady-poema-dziady-czesciii.pdf http://www.gpejournal.org/ https://www.britannica.com/event/hungarian-revolution-1956 https://www.britannica.com/event/hungarian-revolution-1956 https://www.britannica.com/biography/janos-kadar http://www.ejournals.eu/sj/index.php/ph/article/view/4882/5048 https://wolnelektury.pl/media/book/pdf/konrad-wallenrod.pdf https://wolnelektury.pl/media/book/pdf/dziady-dziady-poema-dziady-czesc-iii.pdf https://wolnelektury.pl/media/book/pdf/dziady-dziady-poema-dziady-czesc-iii.pdf global partners in education journal – special edition february 2021, vol. 9, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 46 mickiewicz, a. (2016). forefathers' eve, translated by charles s. kraszewski. glagoslav publications. pp. 309-344. moczałowa, w. (2000). polska i polacy oczyma rosjan w wieku xvii. in: r. bobryk & j. faryno (eds.), polacy w oczach rosjan – rosjanie w oczach polaków: zbiór studiów (pp. 67-81). warszawa: slawistyczny ośrodek wydawniczy. pasek, j.ch. (1836), pamiętniki. wolne lektury. retrieved from https://wolnelektury.pl/katalog/lektura/pamietniki.html przeperski, m., (2016a), nieznośny ciężar braterstwa. konflikty polsko-czeskie w xx wieku. kraków: wydawnictwo literackie. przeperski, m., (2016b, october 13), polacy, czesi i potęga stereotypów. histmag.org. retrieved from https://histmag.org/polacy-czesi-i-potegastereotypow-14052/ pushkin, a. (1831), to the slanderers of russia. retrieved from https://russianuniverse.org/2014/09/24/slanderers-of-russia/ rhode, g. k. s., (2020, april 26). casimir iii. encyclopedia britannica. retrieved from https://www.britannica.com/biography/casimir-iii shkandrij, m. (2001). russia and ukraine: literature and the discourse of empire from napoleonic to postcolonial times. canada: mcgill-queen’s university press. sroka, s.a., (2015), węgry. poznań: wydawnictwo poznańskie. stereotype. (2020). in cambridge dictionary. retrieved from https://dictionary.cambridge.org/pl/dictionary/english/stereotype uściłowicz, f. (2008), to destroy our souls: polish perceptions of russians between 996-1918. retrieved from: honors papers 2008 (rutgers.edu). walas, t., (1995), stereotypes and nations. kraków: international culture centre. aleksandra brzana is a student of the second year of english philology at the carpathian state college in poland. she lives in a small village in the south of poland, but she has always been interested in other languages and cultures. currently, she is learning english and spanish. after completing her english studies, she plans to study japanese, as she has been interested in japanese culture for a long time. in her free time, she reads books and tries to write her own short stories. paulina szot is in her second year of english philology at the carpathian state college in poland. despite the fact that she has been living in poland her whole life, she has always been interested in other cultures and languages. that was one of the reasons why she decided to study english. beside english, she is also learning how to speak spanish, german and russian. languages are paulina’s passion. her goal is to be fluent in as many languages as possible. additionally, paulina is interested in social matters, such as racism or traditional gender roles and many others. http://www.gpejournal.org/ https://wolnelektury.pl/katalog/lektura/pamietniki.html https://histmag.org/polacy-czesi-i-potega-stereotypow-14052/ https://histmag.org/polacy-czesi-i-potega-stereotypow-14052/ https://russianuniverse.org/2014/09/24/slanderers-of-russia/ https://www.britannica.com/biography/casimir-iii https://dictionary.cambridge.org/pl/dictionary/english/stereotype https://history.rutgers.edu/docman-docs/undergraduate/honors-papers-2008 global partners in education journal – special edition february 2021, vol. 9, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 47 justyna warchoł was born and raised in a small village in south-eastern poland. currently, she is attending the carpathian state college and studying english philology. her love for this language increases every day. after completing her study, justyna wants to be a teacher. she adores learning the history of great britain and her favorite period is the wars of the roses. she is also a great coffee and tea enthusiast. in her free time, she writes her own stories, which discuss issues related to feminism, politics and human emotions. nowadays she is working on her first fantasy series and one day, with a little luck, she hopes to publish her works and will start a writing career. http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition january 2025, vol. 11, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 101 investigating compulsive staring behavior in men: a gender sensitive examination of socio-cultural and psychological influences hajra shoukat and dr. sahira zaman fatima jinnah women university, rawalpindi, pakistan abstract examining psychological, sociological, and cultural aspects, this study investigates the complicated phenomenon of compulsive staring. a person's inner self (psyche), the people in immediate environment (society), and certain customs or traditions (culture) may have a significant influence in enhancing or diminishing this behavior. students pursuing bachelors and master's degrees from highly populated universities in rawalpindi and islamabad participated in this qualitative study. focus groups and interviews were done with the use of snowball sampling. to create themes from the data analysis, open and axial codes were extracted, and themes were generated. the results show that connections, social obstacles, and the social environment all have a big impact on compulsive staring. cultural traditions can cause this behavior, such as when objectification becomes normative, although they have less effect than social and psychological elements. the psychological components of compulsive staring, such as suppressed feelings, urges, and coping mechanisms, are also major contributors. it is important to uncover further details or root causes of this behavior to have a deep understanding, which may help us to understand how to deal with the person exhibiting this behavior and if someone has tendencies to develop it, how to counsel him to get rid of it. all of these efforts are necessary to make this world a beautiful place to live in. keywords: social environment, snowball sampling, focus group discussions, cultural traditions, psychological components introduction according to kulkarni (2020), staring is regarded as a mental ritual linked to obsessions and compulsions. in the "indian journal of private psychiatry" kulkarni describes compulsive staring as a form of mental checking accompanied by incessant doubt. it is also note that staring is a way to demonstrate aggression or dominance, which can cause unease and discomfort. additionally, pleasant attitudes and verbal interactions, particularly smiling, can mitigate this tendency (ellsworth et al., 1972). hegemonic views on gender performances led to the normalization and acceptance of the objectification of the objectification of women in media portrayals (yiran, 2021). these views reinforce cultural norms of femininity “outlining specific beauty standards women are expected to follow” the objectification of women in media portrayals is a result of one http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition january 2025, vol. 11, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 102 of the prevailing attitudes about gender performances in popular media, which maintains that women must adhere to a particular beauty standard to gain acclaim. because of this, women's bodies and appearances are subjected to control under the dominant male gaze. samuel et al. (1983) described a case study involving a 52-year-old woman with frequent, compulsive staring rituals utilized self-monitoring and thought-stopping tactics taught through made-up instructions. as she refrained from her compulsive rituals during the treatment session, thought-stopping was creatively portrayed. results showed that these techniques effectively addressed several target behaviors.. the study shows that patients with ocd-related cognitive rituals that are hard to replicate in a therapy session, imaginatively depicted thought-stopping can be a valuable therapeutic tool. gaze behavior—a social attention-centering behavior—influences romantic and sexual interactions. the term "male gaze" refers to men examining women with their eyes often focusing on their genitalia. benjamin et al. (2016) studied the factors influencing men's gaze behavior, acceptance of the behavior, and satisfaction derived from it. the study focused on theories on gender perspectives (ambivalent sexism theory) and sexual preferences (sociosexuality) to justify men's gaze behavior. the study showed that male gaze was affected by five factors: frequency of glance, the unacceptability of stare, male pleasure of staring, perceived female contentment of being glanced at, and awareness of gaze behavior. the results demonstrated that men's views toward immediate sex, need for short-term sex, and hostile sexist ideas were the best predictors of men's frequency of staring at women as well as their assessments of the behavior's acceptance and enjoyment. the objectification hypothesis, which holds that women are commonly seen as the victims of male sexual attraction, sociosexuality, and multiple sexism hypotheses, explained the findings. the primary conclusion of the study was that men's attitudes toward casual sex and their sexist beliefs significantly influenced how they behaved and thought about themselves when looked at whom? social, cultural and psychological factors of compulsive staring according to thomson (2009), compulsive staring has been connected to social behaviors like information gathering and rudeness. cultural factors, such as eye contact and personal space also influence this behavior (colombatto et al., 2020). furthermore, compulsive staring may disrupt typical cognitive processes, leading to perplexity, ambiguity, and derealization—a state in which a person perceives their surroundings are not real (hout et al., 2008). background compulsive staring defined as an ongoing obsession with a person or objects and combines psychological, cultural and social elements. in order to recognize its influence http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition january 2025, vol. 11, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 103 on social interactions and mental health, this research attempts to explore its intricate psychological foundations, cultural variations, and social implications. compulsive staring has not received enough scholarly attention despite being present in a variety of contexts, especially when it comes to the obsessive aspect that that distinguishes it from other forms of staring. studies that have already been done examine many facets of staring, but they do not concentrate on the compulsive staring. operational definition staring typically, "staring" is the act of looking intensively at someone or something. it might be a normal and infrequent activity, when someone is engrossed in something fascinating (garland, 2009). compulsive staring a prolonged, intense fixation, intense fixation on a particular subject or person that frequently lasts longer than socially acceptable periods of time is known as compulsive gazing, and it can cause discomfort or anxiety for the person being observed. compulsive gazing is a phenomenon that has not received much scientific attention, but it has been related to problems related to psychological health, personal boundaries, and social norms. theoretical perspective psychodynamic theory the idea of compulsive staring can be connected to psychodynamic theory, especially when we consider how psychodynamic concepts relate to the root causes and processes of this behavior. psychodynamic theory views obsessive staring as an expression of unconscious needs, conflicts, or desires that remain unmet; the act of maintaining a prolonged look acts as a conduit or metaphor for these unspoken needs and emotions. this conduct could be an outward manifestation of suppressed emotions that are transferred onto the target of the stare, such as desire, envy, or fascination. according to psychodynamic theory, we can comprehend the psychological foundations and underlying causes of compulsive staring better by examining the unconscious dynamics and motivations (zeanah, et al. 1989). objectives of the study • to understand the role of social, psychological, and cultural factors in shaping the behaviors associated with compulsive staring http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition january 2025, vol. 11, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 104 • to establish connections between psychological, cultural, and social providing a comprehensive and well-rounded explanation of compulsive staring. significance staring is one of the most fundamental and widespread human actions. we glance at objects that catch our attention, at each other, and around us. but when staring turns from an infrequent, fleeting glance into continuous, compulsive activity, it becomes more complex and nuanced, necessitating deeper exploration. a condition at the intersection of psychology, culture, and society known as compulsive gazing is typified by a strong and enduring fixation on a single object or person. from a societal perspective, compulsive gazing can have serious consequences. people subjected to prolonged stares may experience unease, harassment, or even discrimination, which can have an impact on their mental health. as a society, we also need to think about things like consent, privacy, and the ethics of staring in public. examining the wider societal effects of excessive gazing is essential to foster more polite and inclusive relationships in the society. research question how do social, psychological, or cultural elements influence an individual's complicated behavior of compulsive staring? methodology research approach the study areas for this semi-structured questionnaire survey were the most populated universities of rawalpindi and islamabad. in order to gather comprehensive data and public opinion regarding compulsive staring behavior, a qualitative research approach was employed research design three complex compulsive staring behavior categories were identified for this qualitative analysis in order to better understand the causes of compulsive staring. open-ended, semi-structured interviews were conducted with students from various universities in the twin cities (islamabad & rawalpindi). to gather information, in-depth one-on-one interviews were done with every student. the researcher developed an interview guide based on the literature study before conducting these interviews. this guide was developed with explicit regard for the experiences and factors related to compulsive staring as reported by the pilot interview participants. http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition january 2025, vol. 11, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 105 sampling method snowball sampling was employed to recruit participants. this method was chosen because it is effective for accessing niche or hard-to-reach populations-to-reach communities. initially, just a few individuals who met the study's criteria were found. after the interviews, they were asked to recommend other individuals who met the same criteria. this method was repeated until the required sample size (12 respondents) was reached ensuring a representative and diverse sample. instruments or tool to gather information, ten open-ended questions from a semi-structured interview guide were asked. this guide was designed to extract comprehensive responses pertaining to compulsive staring behavior. data analysis technique data was organized and analyzed after completing semi-structured interviews and focus group discussions. initially, a variety of open codes were chosen from the entire set of data, and then those codes were dispersed across three distinct dimensions: social, cultural, and psychological. repetitive codes were eliminated and similar codes were grouped together. following that, an axial code was created from four to five open codes, which helped create a theme. afterwards, distinct verbatim quotes were identified to support the themes. for the cultural and psychological components, the same method was used. ethical considerations by following the ethical guidelines established by the fjwu ethics committee, this qualitative study guaranteed participant debriefing, informed consent, and confidentiality. transparency and reflexivity among researchers on potential conflicts of interest were maintained during the course of the study. ethical issues were included into the results report, and the limitations and ethical challenges encountered were thoroughly examined. the sincere appreciation of the contributions made by the participants underlined the researchers’ commitment to upholding ethical standards in all research projects. analysis table 1 social factors that affect compulsive staring behavior open codes axial codes themes verbatim common issue social influence socio-economic and environmental influence “look how beautiful she is” http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition january 2025, vol. 11, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 106 surrounding environment public areas friends circle social dimensions and media influence “we are just looking, there is nothing wrong in it” “girls wear bold to being stared” way of communication unemployment type of job bad social networking educated parents joint family social media media and relationship impact late marriages marital conflicts careless unhealthy relationships attraction for beauty bold dress visually appeal table 2 cultural factors that affect compulsive staring behavior open codes axial codes themes verbatim norms enjoying dominance having power cultural impacts traditions and values “man can stare. there is nothing wrong in it” “girls should cover thems elves to not being stared” moral values dress code date promoting culture western style dressing cultural values poetry diplomatic words bold language language table 3 psychological factors that affect compulsive staring behavior open codes axial codes themes verbatim realities of life insecurities unfulfilled desires emotional distress not social inferiority complex psychological experience “people can’t control themselves to stare others” http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition january 2025, vol. 11, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 107 objectifying female misinterpreting words wish to harass good way for sexual health personal growth and sexual behavior regulating emotions coping strategies “it is normal to stare beautiful women” “people think they have the right to stare” habitual or fun free time activity short-term pleasure inner satisfaction activities for pleasure discussion and conclusion whenever we aim to eradicate problems or issues negatively affecting our society it is essential to identify their root causes or contributing factors. different social factors such as friends’ circle, economic conditions, surrounding environment plays a very important role. most of our respondents mentioned the importance of controlling the environment in which individuals live to prevent behaviors like compulsive staring from being triggered. beauty or physical attraction is also considered as an excuse by those who engage in staring, but this excuse is ignored by most of the respondents as they think that women wearing abaya or hijab are also stared at or harassed, this means that physical appearance alone cannot explain the compulsive staring behavior.” culture also plays an important role as in many cultures women are and staring at them is not considered inappropriate in most of the patriarchal systems, men are permitted to do whatever they want, which exacerbates the problem of unequal gender rights. one of the respondents mentioned that in some cultures it is normalized to stare: “he is a man; he can do whatever he wants” psychological factors like unconscious desires, suppressed emotions and the pursuit of short-term pleasure activities are the factors that lead to this behavior. the respondents also said that men who want to harass women do stare first to feel women uncomfortable and check what she will do in response. in conclusion, it is important to do further research further research to uncover more relevant causes of compulsive staring. understanding these factors can help develop effective strategies to address and control social issues that result from such behaviors. references benjamin, lee, compton. (2016). characteristics of the male gazer: application of ambivalent sexism theory and sociosexuality on male gazing behavior. http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition january 2025, vol. 11, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 108 colombatto, c., buren, b., & scholl, b. (2020). gazing without eyes: a “stare-in-thecrowd” effect induced by simple geometric shapes. perception, 49, 782 792. https://doi.org/10.1177/0301006620934320. ellsworth, p. c., carlsmith, j. m., & henson, a. (1972). the stare as a stimulus to flight in human subjects: a series of field experiments. journal of personality and social psychology, 21(3), 302–311. https://doi.org/10.1037/h0032323 garland-thomson, r. (2009). staring: how we look. oxford university press. hout, m., engelhard, i., boer, c., bois, a., & dek, e. (2008). perseverative and compulsive-like staring causes uncertainty about perception. behaviour research and therapy, 46(12), 1300-1304. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.brat.2008.09.002 kulkarni, h. (2020). episodic, event-triggered staring compulsion: an unusual form of obsessive-compulsive disorder. indian journal of private psychiatry, 14(1), 9-10. samuel, m., turner., arnold, holzman., rolf, g., jacob. (1983). treatment of compulsive looking by imaginal thought-stopping.. behavior modification, doi: 10.1177/01454455830074007 thomson, r. (2009). staring: how we look. . https://doi.org/10.5860/choice.47-0931. yiran, dang. (2021). the hegemonic male gaze in the media culture. doi: 10.2991/assehr.k.220704.188 zeanah, c. h., anders, t. f., seifer, r., & stern, d. n. (1989). implications of research on infant development for psychodynamic theory and practice. journal of the american academy of child & adolescent psychiatry, 28(5), 657-668. author notes hajra shoukat holds mphil degree in gender studies from fatima jinnah women university, rawalpindi (2006), as well as m. sc psychology from national university of modern languages (2020) and msc zoology from virtual university of pakistan (2022). she has published an article before in a renowned journal of pakistan. she actively participates in international conferences as well. she is working as a freelancer with several international clients as she believes it is important to have degree with skills to be successful in modern world. dr. sahira zaman holds a ph.d. in psychology from the national institute of psychology, quaid-e-azam university islamabad (2015). she is an assistant professor at the department of gender studies and additional director of the quality enhancement cell (qec) at fatima jinnah women’s university rawalpindi. she has been a full-time faculty http://www.gpejournal.org/ https://doi.org/10.1177/0301006620934320 https://doi.org/10.1037/h0032323 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.brat.2008.09.002 https://doi.org/10.5860/choice.47-0931 global partners in education journal – special edition january 2025, vol. 11, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 109 member in the department of gender studies at fatima jinnah women's university rawalpindi, pakistan, for 18 years. she has also served at the university of the punjab lahore, pakistan, for over two years. she also has served as head of the department for gender studies at fatima jinnah women's university rawalpindi. she is a lifetime pakistan psychological association (ppa) (ppa/lm/22/924) member. she also had membership in the american psychological association (apa), division 35: society for psychology of women. member no: c2203967395, and a member of the council of social sciences pakistan since 2016. she has presented her 25 research papers at several national and international conferences and has published 21 empirical research works in many reputed academic journals. dr. zaman has been actively involved in academic services and has also served as session chair and judge in scientific sessions at many national and international conferences and other scholarly activities. she is part of many statutory bodies in different universities, e.g., the board of studies, the board of faculty, etc. she has also served as an external evaluator or head examiner for many pakistani universities for mphil and ph.d. theses. her brief research interest revolves around mental health, gender issues, social cognition, work-family balance, education, and emotion regulation. she has also developed and validated many indigenous scales for research in many local studies, showing her endeavors in research and psychometrics. http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition february 2021, vol. 9, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 3 impact analysis of glacial lakes on land use land cover dynamics of karakoram using satellite imagery from 1998-2018 anila alam, aliya fazal1 fatima jinnah women university rawalpindi pakistan karamat ali karakorum international university gilgit-baltistan, pakistan abstract land use land cover change (lulcc) detection is vital for managing natural resources and monitoring environmental changes. ishkoman valley being a part of glaciated region is facing the problem of altered land features. natural disasters triggered by human activities are altering the land cover of the basin. the valley is facing the floods, glof and landslides almost every year from glacier melt due to temperature fluctuation. present exploration is to identify lulc dynamics in context of the creation of an artificial lake in ishkoman basin which had blocked the flow of immit river. gis and rs techniques were applied for geographic and temporal evaluation of land use modifications in the ishkoman basin from the year 1998 to 2018. it is identified that barren land and vegetation cover of region declined significantly in twenty years while snow and glacier cover was increased. 1. introduction land is one of the dynamic natural resources hosting all natural and anthropogenic activities. although land use and land cover (lulc) are separate features of the earth surface but they are very interrelated. each parcel of land is distinctive in the cover it possesses (meyer, 1995). lulc of a region is controlled by natural and socioeconomic factors. natural disasters like drought, rainfall, forest fires, and fluctuations in climate can cause alterations in land cover. the continuous pressure on land to meet the needs of a growing population and several demands driven developmental activities have imposed stress on the earth’s land (foley et al., 2011; weinzettel et al., 2013). the changes in the traditional land use pattern caused by growing human population are higher than ever (hansen et al., 2010). lack of scientific analysis and evaluation of resources resulted in unsustainable use of land resources. therefore information on the geographic and temporal allocation of lulc is an important 1 corresponding author, email: aliyafazal38@yahoo.com. http://www.gpejournal.org/ mailto:aliyafazal38@yahoo.com global partners in education journal – special edition february 2021, vol. 9, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 4 prerequisite for management and monitoring programs at the local and regional level (fan et al., 2007). the lulc information acquired by gis and rs for identification of hazard and risk from glacier lakes in the karakoram must be explored. the purpose of the study is to create lulc classification maps for ishkoman valley of gilgit baltistan, pakistan from 1998 to 2018, and to analyze the impacts of glacial lake on lulc dynamics of ishkoman. generated data will assist policy makers in updating their planning for ishkoman basin. 2. materials and methods 2.1 study area ishkoman is a splendid valley situated at 36.5677° north and 73.7426° east, in north of ghizer district of gilgit-baltistan (fig. 1). in the hindu kush and karakoram hills, ishkoman is one of the high mountain valleys, located at an altitude of 7,000 and 12,000 feet. figure 1: map showing geographical location of ishkoman at a distance of 140 kilometers from gilgit, valley is known for beautiful natural lakes, alpine pastures, huge glaciers, and blue ice-cold water. it is a host to several mountain paths and treks from glaciers that makes it a popular tourist destination. the valley includes approximately 25 villages with a population of 30,000 inhabitants. it has a desert climate because it gets little monsoonal rain from june to september. temperature variation throughout the year is about 26.9 °c. during summer season, many streams increase dramatically, transporting 20 % more water than in winter because of the melting of glaciers and snow. http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition february 2021, vol. 9, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 5 2.2 glacial lake of a valley in gilgit-baltistan and khyber pakhtoonkhawa, more than 3,044 glacial lakes have already been formed of which 33 are considered hazardous (undp estimate). a glacial lake outburst flood (glof) event occurred on 17 july 2018, struck immit, bilhnaz and badswat villages of ishkoman basin (fig. 2). figure 2: the glacial lake image of 26th july 2018 (source: akdn). a lake was formed in badsawat village and resulted in the destruction of many houses and blocked 10 villages. two people were killed during the initial rush of floodwaters and more than 1,000 people were evacuated to safer locations before this catastrophic event (dawn news 20th july 2018). flooding is one of the severe problems in and around the ishkoman valley. these particular natural hazards have made ishkoman subject to flooding. 2.3 study method this research is focused on analyzing the satellite imagery of the ishkoman watershed. since the study aims to detect the lulc changes in ishkoman basin from year 1998 to 2018, so the landsat was the best available option. http://www.gpejournal.org/ https://twitter.com/pamirtimes/status/1019599667888316417 global partners in education journal – special edition february 2021, vol. 9, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 6 figure 3: the glacial debris image of 26th july 2018 (source: pamir times/twitter). landsat multispectral imageries of valley for said years with a spectral resolution of 30 m were acquired from the earth explorer of united states geological survey (2014). real time data is very important while analyzing remotely sensed data. therefore field observation was carried out despite of the rough terrain, unusual weather, very cold temperature, and remoteness. in addition, acquiring satellite images for the expected interval of time was a difficult task because of cloud cover. landsat images of ishkoman basin were acquired for september 1998. selection of this month for acquisition of landsat images is made due to melting of heavy snow. snow melting starts from june and continues till august. all the images downloaded were either from the july or early august to keep the analysis free from the impact of seasonal variability. two separate images for each year were downloaded to cover the whole basin. acquired input data was imported to earth resources data analysis system (erdas imagine 13 software). the different bands were stacked using layer stack in order to generate a false color composite (fcc) image of the acquired tiles of the image. landsat satellite images were selected on the basis of the quality of images with low cloud cover (fig. 4). for georeferencing, world geodetic system (wgs 84) and the north coordinate system of the transverse mercator zone 35 were used. suitable band combinations of landsat 4-5 and 7-8 were selected. for the landsat 4 5 bands of image display on the channel of red, green, blue and near infrared were used while for landsat 7-8 band 1,2,3,4,5 were selected. arcmap software was used to clip the study area and histogram equalization has been used as the primary technique in the current research to enhance image contrast. http://www.gpejournal.org/ https://twitter.com/pamirtimes/status/1019599667888316417 global partners in education journal – special edition february 2021, vol. 9, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 7 figure 4: flow chart showing the method used in the study in order to determine the lulc changes supervised classification following the maximum likelihood algorithm was used in arcmap software to classify the images of three different time periods. on the basis of the major types of lulc of an area, a classification scheme was thought-out (table 1). based on the information from local inhabitants in a field study lulc classes considered are barren land, snow and glacier, vegetation, water bodies, and settlements. based on the pixel number and total area the area of each lulc class was calculated. table 1: classification theme for lulc classes elements description barren land it comprises bare soil, sand, rocks, strip mines and quarries snow &glacier it includes glacial lakes, ice and snow lulc maps for each year area estimation change detection preprocessing of images layer stacking band and color combination supervised classification actual field data satellite images landsat 1998 landsat 2008 landsat 2018 http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition february 2021, vol. 9, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 8 vegetation it covers land under crop fields, fallow, plantation, rangelands, scattered plants, forests, meadows on the mountains water bodies it includes surface water e.g. lakes, canals, ponds, streams, rivers and reservoirs settlements it includes residential area and cattle homes 3. results and discussion 3.1 lulc maps of ishkoman valley anthropogenic activities and its consequent lulc change have become an important issue for the present time that risks the environmental degradation (gamble et al., 2003). ishkoman basin's lulc analysis for past twenty years revealed some important transformations (see fig. 5). 3.1.1 for the year 1998 the analysis of 1998 image showed that barren land covered the largest proportion of land in ishkoman basin covering 68% of the total land, followed by the snow and glacier (18%). the vegetation and settlement constituted 10% and 3% respectively while the water bodies showed coverage of 0.7 %. 3.1.2 for the year 2008 the assessment of 2008 image revealed the same trend as noted for 1998, that barren land covered about 64% followed by the snow and glacier which accounts for 19% of the whole basin. the vegetation constitutes 14%, while computed values for settlements and water bodies are 3% and 0. 7% respectively. http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition february 2021, vol. 9, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 9 figure 5: lulcmaps of ishkoman valley for the year 1998, 2008, and 2018 3.1.3 for the year 2018 the scrutiny of 2018 image showed that barren land accounted for the 40% while snow and glacier covered about 38% of the whole basin. the vegetation constitutes 16%, while settlement and water bodies showed coverage value of 4% and 0.8% respectively. table 2: area transition for lulc classes for years 1998, 2008, and 2018 lulc type 1998 2008 2018 area in hectares percentage area in hectares percentage area in hectares percentage barren land 195383.4 68.15% 182217.1 63.78% 108660.54 40.31% snow &glacier 51436.58 17.94% 53213.33 18.63% 102772.67 38.12% vegetation 28200.7 9.84% 39714.78 13.9% 44128.02 16.37% water bodies 1909.54 0.67% 1934.39 0.68% 2259.99 0.84% settlements 7787.47 2.72% 8625.47 3.02% 9748.80 3.62% 3.2 dynamics of lulc of ishkoman basin each class computed from lulc maps is presented in the table 2. 3.2.1 barren land as the land belongs to the individuals of a specific village in gilgit-baltistan, so the people of the village have the privilege of individual ownership and have the rights in areas contiguous to a specific village. in 1978 ownership rights were introduced on barren lands under cultivation. still districts of hunza, ghizer and diamer are unsettled in comparison to the districts of gilgit, astore, skardu and khaplu (bhatti & ali, 2016). this might be a reason for a larger share of barren land for the basin under analysis. http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition february 2021, vol. 9, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 10 figure 6: barren land area distribution of ishkoman basin continuous decrease in area is figured out for barren land which was identified as largest in share. the decline is 4% from 1998 to 2008 while 25% from 2008 to 2018. figure (6) reveals decreasing trend, probably caused by encroachment and conversion into other land use and land cover. the current study suggests shift of barren land area with snow and glaciers. 3.2.2 snow and glaciers about 23% of the karakoram range possesses ice reserves of about 2,387 km. some 2,398 glaciers, including siachen, hispar, biafo, baltoro and batura, are among the largest glaciers other than polar glaciers (ashraf et al., 2010). in the karakoram range, glaciers are stable/stagnant or even growing (hewitt, 2005).this study also supports the same finding, from the year 1998 to 2018 snow and glacier cover was recognized enhancing from 51437 hectares to 102773 hectares in ishkoman basin. the area computed from 2018 map is simply double to the 1998 map. a significant increase of 51336 hectares was estimated for the 2 decades under comparison (fig. 7). 195383.4 182217.1 108660.54 1998 2008 2018 area in hectares http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition february 2021, vol. 9, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 11 figure 7: snow and glacier area distribution of ishkoman basin 3.2.3 vegetation in gilgit-baltistan the vegetation and interface areas constitute the third highest land cover after barren land and snowcapped mountains. it covers 2.34 million hectares of the land (khan et al., 2013). vegetation and pasture land of an ecosystem are not only essential for air and water regulation but also a great asset for continuous economic growth. the increase in area under vegetation for the 1st decade was more (11514 hectares) than the 2nd decade (4413 hectares). increasing human population suggests growing need for livelihoods, which put stress on agricultural land and vegetation in terms of production and consumption. the improvement in vegetation cover is probably due to better practice of land ownership which restricts grazing in someone else land. vegetation expansion was 4 % from 1998 to 2008 while 2 % from 2008 to 2018 (fig. 8). glof disaster can change the land cover so that hectares of the agricultural land have been destroyed by glof under study. seasonal crops like wheat, potatoes, and cereals were submerged creating a food shortage. the native people already suffered and this disaster had severely impacted their socioeconomic condition. 1998 24% 2008 25% 2018 51% http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition february 2021, vol. 9, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 12 figure 8: vegetation area distribution of ishkoman basin 3.2.4 settlements residential area covered about 7787 hectares in 1998, increased to 8625.47 hectares in 2008 that further increased to 9749 hectares in 2018 of the whole area. the lulc maps generated for settlements have shown an increase from 2.72% to 3.62% from 1998 to 2018 respectively. due to the geographical location a slight increase of 1% in residence for 2 decades was noted. the rangelands provide an extensive amount of fuel wood to meet domestic energy needs, fodder for livestock, and medicinal plants for traditional uses and sale purpose. 1n 1998, residential area was identified in the lower areas of the basin, but in the other two periods, it has shifted to the upper areas of the basin i-e towards the rangeland area. field visits and responses from local inhabitants helped to reason out this shifting. wood from the rangeland is the only source of fuel for them so shift to upper areas make collection of wood easier for them. primarily this relocation of resident to safer places is a potential risk of more damage to downstream population due to glof events. 3.2.5 water bodies ishkoman river is the source of irrigation for the various villages in ishkoman and puniyal that drains into the gilgit river. water bodies increased from the initial 1910 hectares (1998) to around 1934 hectares (2008) leading in a total rise of 2260 hectares (2018). 1998 2008 2018 9.84 13.9 16.37 % area http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition february 2021, vol. 9, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 13 figure 9: water bodies area distribution of ishkoman basin 3.3 land use land cover changes and glof impact of climate change have been well observed in hkh region, in particular, with respect to the increase of the snowline, formation of glacier lakes and change in biodiversity in the ecosystem (rasul et al., 2003; dwarakish & ganasri, 2015). global circulation patterns and local topography influences greatly the occurrence of glof events. the topography of the ishkoman river basin experiences various types of meteorological conditions according to elevation, aspect, slope and landforms (khan et al., 2013). the mechanism for flood generation in the northern pakistan depends on extremely different variables. the contributing factors of lulcc for the area under study are natural disasters such as glof, rock sliding, avalanches, land slips, earthquakes, climate change, and trampling effects. potential risk of outburst floods from 8 glacial lakes of hanging nature from gilgit river basin has been reported by ashraf et al. (2010). several glof occurrences can be connected with more rainfall leading to rise in river level over the previous few years. in past years temperature and precipitation patterns has changed and directly affected the overall land cover. in the month of april and may, rainfall had occurred in badsawat, bilhanz and the other villages of ishkoman. due to heavy snowfall in last year’s, the percentage of snow and glacier has somehow increased in 2018. the occurrence of any extreme glof incidence in the future is very difficult to predict due to rapid dynamics of glacial system. but effective monitoring and planning can reduce impact of natural disasters like glof. 1850 1900 1950 2000 2050 2100 2150 2200 2250 2300 1995 2000 2005 2010 2015 2020 a re a (h e ct ar ) years http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition february 2021, vol. 9, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 14 4. conclusions the mountainous areas of northern pakistan are rich in biodiversity, glaciers and key watershed of indus river system. effective assessment and monitoring is indispensable to capture land use land cover changes of the region. present exploration is to identify the reason of land cover dynamics in the ishkoman basin in context of creation of an artificial lake which had blocked the flow of immit river. from the overall characteristics of land cover a significant change is measured for snow and glaciers, vegetation and barren land while settlement and water bodies did not show any major transformation. snow and glaciers cover were found accelerated along proportionate decrease to barren land and vegetation. 5. recommendations in the framework of adjustment to climate change, following are the suggestions to maintain the region's mountain ecosystem and manage land cover:  as ishkoman is disaster prone area, there is need to inform people about anticipated disaster hazards and set up an early warning system in ishkoman  special measures are needed first and foremost to secure the built infrastructure of the basin from the impact of climate change,  climate resilient building methods must be drawn into account and promoted,  maintain an inventory of all significant climate-prone hydrometerological events of region for tracking and formulation of risk assessments,  another step forward in protecting and restoring the vegetation would be providing incentives to the local people for guarding the new plantations, and  a comprehensive watershed resource management is essential for the socioeconomic development of inhabitant in future. acknowledgement the author wishes to thank dr. aftab ahmed from department of computer sciences, karakoram international university, gilgit, pakistan for providing technical support. references ashraf, arshad, roohi, rakhshan, naz, rozina & mustafa, naveed (2010). identification of glacial flood hazards in karakoram range using remote sensing technique and risk analysis. science vision, 16, 71-80. bhatti, muhammad ajmal & ali, zahir (2016). land tenure and title system in gilgitbaltistan, journal of studies in social sciences, 15(1), 1-31. http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition february 2021, vol. 9, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 15 dwarakish, g.s. & ganasri, b.p. (2015). impact of land use change on hydrological systems: a review of current modeling approaches, cogent geoscience, 1(1), 1115691. fan, f., weng, q. & wang, y. (2007). land use land cover change in guangzhou, china, from 1998 to 2003, based on landsat tm/etm+ imagery. sensors, 7, 1323– 1342. doi: 10.3390/s7071323. foley, j., ramankutty, n., brauman, k. et al. (2011). solutions for a cultivated planet. nature 478, 337–342. https://doi.org/10.1038/nature10452 gamble, janet, caitlin simpson et al., (2003). human contribution and responses to environmental change, in strategic plan for the u.s climate change science program. a report by the climate change science program and the subcommittee on global change research (pp. 33). retrieved from: the u.s. climate change science program: vision for the program and highlights of the scientific strategic plan | globalchange.gov. hansen, m.c., stehman, s.v. & potapov, p.v. (2010). quantification of global gross forest cover loss. proceedings of the national academy of science of the united states america, 107, 8650-8655. hewitt, k. (2005). the karakoram anomaly? glacier expansion and the ‘elevation effect’, karakoram himalaya. mt. res. dev., 25(4), 332–340. khan, muhammad zafar, khan, babar, awan, saeed, khan, garee & ali, rehmat (2013). high-altitude rangelands and their interfaces in gilgit-baltistan, pakistan: current status and management strategies. in: high-altitude rangelands and their interfaces in the hindu kush himalayas, w. ning et al (eds). pp. 66-77, nepal: international centre for integrated mountain development. meyer, w.b. (1995). past and present land-use and land-cover in the u.s.a. consequences. 1(1), 24-33. rasul, g. & thapa, g.b. (2003). shifting cultivation in the mountains of south and southeast asia: regional patterns and factors influencing the change. land degradation and development, 14, 495-508. undp project, scaling-up of glacial lake outburst flood (glof) risk reduction in northern pakistan. weinzettel, jan, hertwich, edgar, g. peters, glen, p., steen-olsen, & kjartan, galli, alessandro (2013). affluence drives the global displacement of land use. global environmental change, 23(2), 433-438. http://www.gpejournal.org/ https://doi.org/10.1038/nature10452 https://www.globalchange.gov/browse/reports/us-climate-change-science-program-vision-program-and-highlights-scientific-strategic https://www.globalchange.gov/browse/reports/us-climate-change-science-program-vision-program-and-highlights-scientific-strategic https://www.globalchange.gov/browse/reports/us-climate-change-science-program-vision-program-and-highlights-scientific-strategic https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/s0959378012001501#! https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/s0959378012001501#! https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/s0959378012001501#! https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/s0959378012001501#! https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/s0959378012001501#! https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/s0959378012001501#! https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/09593780 https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/09593780 https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/09593780/23/2 global partners in education journal – special edition february 2021, vol. 9, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 16 author notes ms. anila alam has completed her bs in environmental sciences from fatima jinnah women university, rawalpindi in 2019. her bs research work was “identification of hazard and risk from glacier lakes in the karakoram using satellite imagery from 20002018”. right after graduation, she got involved in a base line survey conducted by icimod in different regions of gilgit-baltistan. she has a keen interest to work as a meteorologist and wishes to pursue mphil in the field of gis and rs. dr. aliya fazal is currently working as assistant professor in the department of chemistry, of fatima jinnah women university rawalpindi, pakistan. she obtained her phd degree in the field of environmental sciences from the same university in year 2012. her phd study was “chemistry, kinetics and activation of biomaterials for waste water treatment”. dr. aliya has presented her research work in many international conferences and published research articles in diverse fields. her research interests are metal nanoparticles synthesis & applications, biofuel production & desulfurization of fossil fuel, glof risk mapping, drinking water quality assessment, and pollutants remediation. she has supervised 17 bs students and 5 mphil scholars in their research pursuit. dr. karamat ali is a lecturer in the department of environmental sciences, karakoram international university (kiu) gilgit, pakistan. he has completed his msc in geography from karachi university, mphil from kiu and phd in environmental sciences from kathmandu university. his phd study was “flash flood hazard and vulnerability assessment in the gilgit river basin, norther areas of pakistan”. dr. karamat joined kiu as a contractual faculty in 2006 and become permanent in 2012. his research interest includes disaster risk assessment & reduction, gis and rs based glofs risk assessment, land use land cover change & climate change impact assessment. he has published a few papers on various topics and supervised more than 30 bs students and currently supervising 5 mphil scholars. he completed three research projects as pi and co-pi and is currently involved in the project titled “scaling up and transferring community-managed rural water systems to urban” funded by british academy infrastructure well-being project. http://www.gpejournal.org/ 4 transgender rights global partners in education journal – special edition march 2022, vol. 10, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 23 rights of transgender: national and international legal protection fatima idrees, saadia salman, zainab iqbal, dr. nadia khadam fatima jinnah women university, rawalpindi, pakistan abstract this study focuses on the rights of transgender persons, who are a vulnerable human group facing a lot of challenges. transgender persons are humans whose gender identity is not in alignment with birth sex. international human rights treaties do not specifically protect gender non-conforming people, but general treaties for the protection of human rights are interpreted to include transgender persons. international human rights law aims at making states conscious of universal human rights and binding states to address such rights in their domestic legal frameworks. for this purpose, this study analyses the legal protections available to transgender persons in the united states of america (usa), the united kingdom (uk), and pakistan. the usa has no specific legislation yet at the federal level, but multiple case laws extend the general protection of fundamental rights to transgender persons. the uk has protected the rights of transgender persons actively by legislating on the matter. pakistan is the first and only muslim state which enacted the law to specifically protect the transgender community. this study further analyses islamic law and its implication in the muslim states concerning the rights of transgender persons. in islamic law, there is no specific evidence against the rights of transgender persons. in the muslim states, there has been a conservative approach of societies and governments towards transgender persons, which is by no means justified leading to years of misfortune for transgender persons. this study finds that, although constitutions of many jurisdictions guarantee equal protection to all citizens, laws are still not adequate for the protection of the rights of transgender persons because the vulnerable groups of society need additional and specific legal protections. introduction transgender persons are a vulnerable human group whose position in society needs strong consideration. after birth, a human psychologically tends to identify his/her gender, it may or may not align with the birth sex. gender identification is influenced by multiple factors; prenatal gonadal hormonal exposure and cognitive development etc. (roselli, 2018). transgender is an umbrella term and can be defined as to include persons who have gender identity not aligning with birth sex: sexually female with the gender identity of male or vice versa (tauches, 2021). due to such deviation from prevailing gender sex alignment, resulting in social non-acceptance and marginalization, transgender persons have to face discrimination and struggle for fundamental rights globally. the following research work will first address certain misconceptions towards transgender persons and the challenges they have been facing in general. it will then highlight the legal protections available for the rights of transgender persons internationally as well as in the national legal systems of the usa, the uk, and global partners in education journal – special edition march 2022, vol. 10, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 24 pakistan. moreover, it will highlight the islamic perspective on the rights of transgender persons. the research will lead to critically analyzing the adequacy of laws in this respect, pointing out gray areas in law and thereby, making recommendations for the better protection of the rights of transgender persons globally. who are transgender persons? before analyzing the position of transgender persons in the contemporary world, at first, we need to understand who they are. multiple factually wrong perceptions prevail in the mindset of common people. people mistakenly use the terms gender and sex interchangeably without realizing the difference between them. sex is determined by the biology of a person and refers to differences in the function and structure of the reproductive organs and consequential physiological differences based on which humans are distinguished as female or male. in contrast, gender refers to the behavioral or psychological traits culturally assigned to each sex (walker, 1998). transgender persons deviate from prevailing gender stereotypes for their sex. furthermore, people associate transgender persons with sexual orientation due to the commonly used acronym lgbt. in lgbt, l stands for lesbian, g for gay, b for bisexuals, and t for transgender. lgb people are distinguished by sexual orientation which describes a person's romantic and sexual attraction towards another person, while t people essentially are distinguished by gender identity which is a person’s perception about his/her gender. another misunderstanding about transgender people is that they deviate from their gender expression. gender expression is an outward character implying one’s physical expression of one’s gender, that is by way of dressing, talking, and walking etc., which is not inherent to one’s gender identity that is an inner character relevant to the psychology of a person. thus, one person may perceive him/herself as a female and express as a male and vice versa, and the same goes with transgender persons (ginsley, 2017). these misconceptions have implications on the treatment of transgender persons specifically in muslim countries. in the majority of muslim countries, due to religious constraints, people reject the concept of sexual orientation and gender expression not aligning with birth sex. being unable to differentiate sexual orientation from gender identity and thereby t from lgb, muslim states prosecute transgender under anti-gay laws and anti-cross-dressing laws (watch, human rights watch country profiles: sexual orientation and gender identity, 2021). global partners in education journal – special edition march 2022, vol. 10, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 25 challenges faced by transgender persons transgender persons, unfortunately, have to face a lot of challenges that are a barrier to the full realization of their potentials. discrimination faced by transgender people makes them socially, economically, and culturally marginalized globally. the discrimination starts from their birth; they are mostly disowned by their families and forced to live in separate small communities, especially in developing countries like pakistan, india, and bangladesh, etc. due to discrimination in educational institutions and job market, transgender persons are suffering from high rates of poverty. discrimination makes transgender persons face economic and financial pressures, hence they are forced to get involved in begging, crimes, and sex work for their living. transgender persons are more susceptible to health disorders like hiv due to involvement in sex work and poor health facilities. for transition-related needs, there is a lack of tailored medical assistance. moreover, para-medical staff and health professionals are not trained enough and lack awareness regarding transgender terms to deal with them properly (gupta, 2016). there is an all-time high rate of physical violence against transgender people especially those who are involved in sex work and informal ways of earning a livelihood. brutal murders of transgender persons are recorded frequently that are not redressed by law-enforcing agencies. due to a lack of trust in authorities, there is very little formal reporting of violence against transgender persons (divan, 2016). due to non-acceptance, there is very little participation of transgender persons in the state decision-making. suffering leads them to depression and thereby a high suicidal rate among transgender persons is recorded. despite the extensive legal needs of transgender people, their civil rights are not significantly recognized and duly respected to cope up with the challenges they face (khan, 2020). global partners in education journal – special edition march 2022, vol. 10, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 26 international legal protection international human rights law does not specifically protect transgender people, even though general treaties are interpreted as extending protection to them. the universal declaration of human rights (udhr) in its article 2 maintains that everyone is entitled without any discrimination to all the rights and freedoms upheld under this declaration (nations, 1948). this implies that the rights under udhr extend to transgender individuals on an equal and non-discriminatory basis. similarly, international covenant on civil and political rights in its article 9 provides for the right to liberty and security for everyone, and its article 26 guarantees equality before the law without discrimination for everyone (nations, international covenant on civil and political rights, 1966). moreover, international covenant on economic, social and civil rights in its article 12 protects the human right to health and is interpreted to include transgender persons requiring positive state protections in this regard (nations, international covenant on economic, social and cultural rights, 1966). in 2007, yogyakarta principles on the application of international human rights law set up guidelines to instruct state actors to protect lgbt people against violence, abuse, and discrimination (jurists, 2007). afterward, in june 2008, united nations (un) adopted a resolution on human rights, sexual orientation and gender identity addressing rights of transgender persons specifically for the first time. since then, there have been multiple resolutions passed by the un that recognize the rights of transgender persons and direct member states to take positive steps for transgender protection especially against torture (watch, un makes history on sexual orientation, gender identity, 2016). national legal protection legal protection for transgender persons in the usa global partners in education journal – special edition march 2022, vol. 10, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 27 the status of the transgender community in the usa has been evolving for a long time. the constitution of the usa does not explicitly refer to transgender people. the 14th amendment’s equal protection clause refrains states from denying any person equal protection of the laws which applies to transgender persons as well. in 1975, minneapolis city for the first time in the usa passed legislation to protect the civil rights of transgender people (margolin, 2016). there is no explicit legislation at the national level for transgender person’s rights in the usa yet, but many judgments from courts have tried to protect the rights of transgender persons in the usa. in the case of darnell v. lloyd, the court found that there is no valid justification in denying a change in sex from that which is on the birth certificate (darnell v. lloyd, 1975). in obergefell v. hodges, supreme court upheld that the constitution’s 14th amendment guarantees all people, particularly same-sex couples and transgender persons, the fundamental right to marry (obergefell v. hodges, 2015). at the onset of the 21st century, many groups started emerging like the transgender law center and the national center for transgender equality for the rights of transgender persons. resultantly, in 2008, the subcommittee on health, employment, labor, and pensions of congress opened a discussion on discrimination against transgender persons. under the obama administration, interpretations of the federal government’s major pieces of legislation such as title vii (employment), title ix (education), and the affordable care act were made to extend their protection to transgender people. affordable care act, 2010 has been redefined to include gender identity along with sex to strictly prohibit gender-based discrimination in the domain of healthcare (rhodan, 2016). in congress, a bipartisan group has introduced the equality act which is been passed by the house of representatives and is pending in the committee on the judiciary in the senate. this bill specifically prohibits the denial of access to public places and places of common use, such as restrooms or dressing rooms, according to the gender identity of a person. it aims to explicitly and strongly extend civil rights protections to lgbtq people nationwide (morshedi, 2019). this act is expected to improve the situation of transgender persons’ rights in the usa. legal protection for transgender persons in the uk the uk started recognizing and protecting transgender persons through legal instruments by 2002 (nevrkla, 2018). in 2002, the european court of human rights ruled in the case of goodwin v. the united kingdom that the uk is violating the rights of transgender persons to their private life, marriage and family. the court directed the uk to take steps for the protection of transgender persons by legally recognizing their transgender identity (goodwin v. the united kingdom, 2002). this led to the passage of the gender recognition act of 2004 in the uk to facilitate the rights of transgender persons. under the gender recognition act of 2004, transgender persons are given the right to obtain a gender recognition certificate as per their perceived gender (kingdom, 2004). in 2009, a denial of shifting a transgender woman from a men’s prison to a women’s prison was held to be a violation of her rights by the london high court, and accordingly, directions were given to authorities (news, 2009). the rights of transgender persons to employment and public services without any discrimination based on sex-reassignment surgery are protected under the equality act 2010, except global partners in education journal – special edition march 2022, vol. 10, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 28 where the opportunity is limited to a single-sex. it has been reported by the organization for security and co-operation in europe that incidents of violence against transgender persons are most underreported (europe, 2006). to properly redress the crimes, reporting is vital; therefore, to tackle this, a policy and practice has been developed by crown prosecution service in england and wales to ensure investigation of all transphobic crimes. the duty has been imposed on public authorities by the uk public sector gender equality duty to eliminate unlawful discrimination and harassment on the grounds of gender (commission, 2008). legal protection for transgender persons in pakistan transgender persons had been a symbol of respect in muslim communities due to their role inside haram and the same was manifested in the sub-continent. the status of transgender persons was then adversely affected by the colonial period and the same was carried over to contemporary pakistan. in the 1850s, eunuchs subverted the hierarchy of masculinity, and in response british rulers started erasing them by criminalizing them under the criminal tribes act, 1871. similarly, in the post-colonial era, they continued to struggle for their due rights in pakistan till the state finally provided them with due protection. being marginalized, transgender persons are forced to live in collective residences under the supervision of guru in pakistan (islam, 2019). there have been numerous efforts in pakistan to protect the fundamental rights of transgender persons. these efforts towards the mainstreaming of this community have achieved progress with the aid of judicial decisions and special legislation. article 3 of the constitution of pakistan obliges the state to ensure elimination of any kind of exploitation and article 4 makes treatment in accordance with the law a fundamental right of every citizen. moreover, article 25 states that every citizen is equal and is entitled to equal legal protection without being subjected to discrimination based on sex (farhat, 2020). in 2009, dr. aslam khaki filed a petition in the supreme court against the reported police violence on the transgender (khawaja sira) community in taxila, pakistan. he claimed that the transgender community has always been subject to sheer discrimination. the respected supreme court held that provincial governments should protect the fundamental rights of the transgender community. it led nadra to add options to the “sex” category and directed federal government to legislate new laws (dr. muhammad aslam khaki vs. s.s.p, rawalpindi, 2012). strict orders and wise recommendations were made which did not lead to overnight change but eventually led to legislation and enactment of the transgender persons act, 2018. in 2017, the final draft of the transgender persons bill was presented before parliament by senator babar awan. in 2018, the parliament of pakistan approved this bill and it is now enforceable as the transgender person (protection of rights) act, 2018. this act uses the term transgender in a wider sense and its section 2 defines “transgender” to include intersex (individuals having a mixture of male/female genitals), eunuchs, who are male by birth but later undergo castration, and transgender global partners in education journal – special edition march 2022, vol. 10, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 29 man/woman, whose gender identity or expression differs from social norms based on sex assigned at birth (pakistan, 2018). section 3 recognizes the right of transgender people to get registered with governments with their self-perceived gender. the act does not require any district screening committees to verify self-perceived gender as required in certain other countries including india. this complies with article 7 and article 17 of the international covenant on civil and political rights. applicants for national identity cards are given a choice between five different genders including male, female, transgender male/female, and khunsa-e-mushkil (hermaphrodite/intersex). section 4 prohibits any kind of discriminatory behavior against the transgender community in educational institutions, workplaces and also forbids unfair treatment towards them. section 5 prohibits any kind of harassment based on their gender identity and expression (pakistan, 2018). section 7 exclusively deals with inheritance rights and states that the transgender person must not be subjected to any discrimination in acquiring a share of property through the inheritance. the share shall be in accordance with the gender recorded on id card; • for a transgender male, the share of man • for a transgender female; the share of woman • for a person having ambiguous characteristics, upon reaching the age of 18 self-perceived gender identity is to be considered; however, if the individual turns out neither, the share will be a medial three-fourths share (pakistan, 2018). fundamental rights of the transgender community are protected under sections 8-14 which pertain to the right to education, employment, vote, property, to hold a public office, to health, to protest and assembly, and right to access public places. section 16 also states that all the rights mentioned in chapter i, part ii of the constitution of pakistan shall be equivocally applicable to the transgender community of pakistan. section 6 imposes duties on the state which include the establishment of protection centers, separate prisons, and safe houses. the state is now obliged to ensure the awareness of law enforcement officials and healthcare workers. section 17 prescribes punishment against those who employ/compel transgender persons to beg, which is imprisonment that may extend to 6 months or with a fine of rs 50,000 or with both (pakistan, 2018). this act is by far the most extensive form of protection of transgender rights and its fruitful outcomes can be seen in the society of pakistan. islamic law and its implications on rights of transgender persons sources of islamic law do not explicitly cover the concept of gender identity, which has led to miseries for transgender persons in muslim communities. islam forbade any behavior that sought to imitate the opposite sex, both in appearance and behavior. the same has been applied to transgender persons and sex-reassignment surgery by many (afif, 2019). ibn hajar, the sunni scholar, maintains that prophet condemned those who consciously depart from the norm of their set genders with which they are global partners in education journal – special edition march 2022, vol. 10, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 30 born, but not a behavioral abnormality such as dressing like another gender due to such psychological tendency (snigdha, 2019). the prophet (p.b.u.h) respected transgender people as human beings and did not punish them unless they were liable for an immoral act and even then, they were only asked to leave medina. after prophet (p.b.u.h), the mukhannaths (males who resembles females) were accepted in islam and were appointed as royal teachers and given significant positions in the courts (aymanee, 2020). islam forbade same-sex marriage, therefore, a transgender person with visual signs of being a male can marry a non-transgender woman or a transgender person with visible feminine signs. however, a transgender person with clear signs of both sexes is not permitted to marry, according to the fatwa (deleer, 2016). in islamic law, a transgender person is to be given inheritance as per birth sex. if a transgender person is khunsa-e-mushkil, then a transgender person is given a share as a female, except when as a male such a person will get a lesser share according to the majority of muslim scholars (nyazee, 2016). the fatwas of ayatollah khomeini in iran and sheikh muhammad al-tantawi in egypt declare that sex-reassignment surgery is not forbidden in islam. (alipour, 2017) due to the narrower interpretation of islam, in most muslim countries there is no specific legal recognition and protection of transgender persons’ rights. in recent years, bangladesh has taken some positive steps by giving legal recognition to the third gender category, but mandatory medical examination has resulted in the abuse. egypt rejected recommendations in the third universal periodic review to end arrests and discrimination based on gender identity as it does not recognize the term gender identity. iran has now permitted sex reassignment surgery for transgender people (wareham, 2020). in saudi arabia as well, efforts made by human rights activists for transgender persons are labeled as a violation of the public order. in turkey, positive steps are taken by the courts to safeguard the right to speech of transgender persons, but still, bans are imposed on their assemblies and events. in the united arab emirates, the federal penal code punishes cross-dressing which is used against transgender persons (watch, human rights watch country profiles: sexual orientation and gender identity, 2021). these restrictive approaches towards transgender persons are a result of a misapplication and misinterpretation of islamic laws. recommendations international and national legal instruments are not adequate to protect transgender persons because the vulnerable social groups need specific protection. the interpretation of general international human rights treaties to protect transgender persons is not sufficient. the status of women and children improved when they were specifically addressed by the international legal framework through specific legal instruments. an international human rights treaty should be adopted specifically for transgender persons to enforce the transgender persons’ rights more efficiently. pakistan’s constitution in its article 25 maintains that there shall be no sex-based discrimination in any field of life, although it is indispensable in the present context that gender should also be explicitly mentioned along with sex. furthermore, article 25 global partners in education journal – special edition march 2022, vol. 10, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 31 empowers the state to make any special provisions for the protection of women and children, considering them vulnerable, and the same consideration should be extended to transgender people. federal legislation is there in pakistan but now provinces should also bring legal reforms for matters under their jurisdiction to extend the protection for the transgender community at the grass-root level. there is a need to refer to transgender persons separate from lesbians and gays as they are completely different-natured people scientifically. in muslim countries, anticross-dressing laws, anti-gay laws, and vague provisions of indecency need reforms to protect transgender persons from a misapplication of laws. medical approval for gender re-assignment should not be there as it is discrimination when no one else is required to give proof of their gender identity. medical students and paramedical staff should be trained to deal with transgender persons. domestic legal frameworks should prohibit explicit discrimination based on gender identity. moreover, policies for better implementation of laws and social awareness campaigns should be introduced for the social inclusion of transgender persons. conclusion in a nutshell, it can be concluded that transgender people are the most vulnerable social group globally. they face challenges of multiple dimensions in respect of their social, civil, economic, and political rights. the rights of transgender persons are not yet specifically addressed by core human rights treaties, but protection of these treaties is extended to the transgender persons through interpretation. states, when compared, demonstrate different trends in offering legal protections to transgender persons. only a few states have explicit laws to provide needed specific legal protections to transgender persons. in the usa, the high judiciary has played a vital role in transgender persons’ rights. the uk has been actively addressing transgender persons through effective legislation and policymaking. in pakistan, the improvements are evident concerning laws as well as social acceptance, but still, there is a need for the strict observance of laws. in islamic law, there is just confusion in interpretation that displays a sense of conservatism on the rights of transgender persons in muslim countries. islam forbade same-sex relationships, although this is a question of sexual orientation, not gender identity, which are erroneously conflated. there is an immediate need to improve legal protections, adoption of effective policies for transgender persons in all jurisdictions, mass awareness movements to sensitize and educate the general public as well as transgender persons about the rights of 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(1998). brief communication: gender and sex: vive la difference. american journal of physical anthropology, 106, 255-259. doi:https://doi.org/10.1002/(sici)1096-8644(199806)106:2<255::aidajpa11>3.0.co;2-%23 global partners in education journal – special edition march 2022, vol. 10, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 34 wareham, j. (2020). new report shows where it’s illegal to be transgender in 2020. retrieved from forbes: https://www.forbes.com/sites/jamiewareham/2020/09/30/this-is-where-its-illegal-tobe-transgender-in-2020/?sh=a3c445a5748f. watch, h. r. (2016). un makes history on sexual orientation, gender identity. retrieved from human rights watch: https://www.hrw.org/news/2016/06/30/unmakes-history-sexual-orientation-gender-identity# watch, h. r. (2021). human rights watch country profiles: sexual orientation and gender identity. retrieved from human rights watch: https://www.hrw.org/videophotos/interactive/2021/04/23/country-profiles-sexual-orientation-and-gender-identity author notes fatima idrees is an ambitious student of law and student researcher at fatima jinnah women university rawalpindi, pakistan. she was born in sialkot and raised in rawalpindi. she is committed to make wider social impact and in pursuit of that she has been a millennium fellow and campus director for class of 2021. her prime interest is in international human rights law, which was boosted by her participation in international law certification course 2021 organized by rsil. she is strongly motivated by the idea of empowering women and other vulnerable groups of society to contribute towards growth of humanity. she is looking forward to serve with her all potentials in order to bridge the gaps between law and society and bring into effect the ideas of polity established over principles of democracy in state of pakistan. fatima idrees can be contacted at: fatimaidrees502h@gmail.com. saadia salman was born in karachi, pakistan. growing up, she was fascinated by the dynamic political situation of her country, which carved an effect on her personality and increased her interest in the subject. she is currently studying law at fatima jinnah women university rawalpindi. her educational background in law has provided her broader approach to multiple fields including the international relations. being a muslim and a humanitarian, she advocates the prevalence of human rights and strongly endorses the notion of justice and equality. she participated in the 6th global issues conference where she advocated the rights of transgender. saadia, from her early age, engaged herself in pursuits of social welfare and remained engaged with organizations like sos village and skmch. being a descendant of a migrated family, she feels proud to have inherited culturally rich ethical values. she has keen interest in literature and has written multiple poems and proses for the school journal. in addition to the academic arena, she has proved her ingenuity in extra-curricular activities by engaging in community services clubs and debate contests. empathy and assertiveness lie at the core of leadership, and saadia has got both features, which justifies her to be acknowledged and inspire her to be the face of true change. saadia salman can be contacted at: sadiasalmanp@gmail.com. zainab iqbal is currently working as a lecturer in the department of law at fatima jinnah women university rawalpindi, pakistan. she has completed her master's global partners in education journal – special edition march 2022, vol. 10, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 35 degree (llm international law) in 2019 at the international islamic university, islamabad. in her llm, she wrote the thesis on “the need for a comprehensive arms trade treaty to prevent violations of international humanitarian law”. she has served as a consultant for various international organizations including un women, british council and eu. contact email is zainab.iqbal412@gmail.com. nadia khadam is currently serving as assistant professor/head of the department of law at fatima jinnah women university, pakistan. after getting practical advocacy experience, she joined the ph.d program in criminal law, policy and procedure. her areas of research are criminal law, cybercrime laws, cyber security policies, ecommerce policy and reform in the justice sector of pakistan. she is associated with different initiatives with reference to internet governance in pakistan. moreover, she represented pakistan at different national and international forums. contact email is nadiakhadam@gmail.com. global partners in education journal – special edition january 2025, vol. 11, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 4 exploring gendered dynamics in performing domestic care activities marrium zahra and dr. shahla tabassum fatima jinnah women university, rawalpindi, pakistan abstract women’s domestic care work has been overlooked and is considered unproductive. it is rarely counted in the domestic, communal, and national economies. this research explores the total time men and women spend on domestic care activities the economic value they perceive and the market value of these domestic activities. the research design of the study is quantitative and uses only the domestic care dimension of the tool developed by tabassum et al. (2023). the total sample of 530 participants, i.e., 170 males and 360 females, was selected from the inner areas of rawalpindi, pakistan, using simple probability random sampling. the results revealed significant gender differences in time spent on domestic care activities, with females spending 86,158 hours per month while men spent only 16032 hours per month, meaning women spent more than five times more. the findings further revealed the perceived economic value by the participants to be 9.76 million rupees in a month, while the market-based economic value was 20.44 million rupees in a month, which is four times higher than the perceived economic value, showing the undervaluation of these domestic activities by participants. the study emphasizes the need for a more equitable recognition of roles and contributions within the domestic sphere and the necessity of redistributing gender roles and reevaluating social assumptions regarding the financial and emotional costs involved with these vital obligations. keywords: care, domestic, gender, unpaid, value, work background of the study care is a range of activities that promote the well-being of homes and communities. caregiving encompasses direct caregiving for individuals, housework, and unpaid community work, including volunteer work and care for friends and neighbors (maestre & thorpe, 2016). klein (2021) succinctly underscores that care is not merely a luxury, but a necessity, a force that supports and nurtures individuals in their endeavors (maestre & thorpe, 2015). a gendered narrative emerges within the context of caregiving, revealing a stark division. a division that is engraved by societal norms that designate care predominantly to women (klein, 2021). gendered norms define duties and obligations and create conditions that maintain the duality, in which, women and girls provide unpaid care for society's well-being (rost, 2021). various research studies emphasized a significant gender discrepancy in the distribution of time devoted to these domestic care activities, wherein women bear the majority of the burden. in their study, rubianomatulevich, & viollaz, (2019) stated that on average, women dedicate a considerably greater number of hours per week to domestic care responsibilities than men. dorji et al., (2020) also mentioned that women devote twice as much time to unpaid care as men, http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition january 2025, vol. 11, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 5 regardless of their income or family status however, this labor is not a straightforward equation; it is a multifaceted interplay of societal dynamics. dorji et al. (2020) underscore the paradox of unpaid care labor, which is concealed behind market transactions, is disregarded despite its social value, and yet provides a public benefit that transcends economic concerns. women have been neglected and undervalued in the household, community, and/or national economy due to their contributions to family domestic labor being treated with little respect. this contribution is considered unproductive and has no financial worth. economic surveys fail to recognize and acknowledge women's economic contributions, ignoring a large sector of the economy. this unseen sector is otherwise critical for the smooth functioning of a family and has a significant impact on the broader economy (ferrant et al. 2014). this invaluable contribution is concealed by hurdles such as unequal distribution, which results in time poverty, the invisibility of their efforts, and the weight that jeopardizes their well-being. maestre and thorpe (2015) provided a detailed account of how pleasure and satisfaction can rapidly transition into exhaustion and restriction, thereby further entrenching women in societal hierarchies. a contradiction is concealed beneath the surface: the capitalist system's dependence on unpaid caregiving, a foundation that frequently goes unnoticed. the unpaid care work done by women is not limited by geographical boundaries; it resonates throughout the asia-pacific region. crisologo (2022) shared the statistics that women account for 60% of the 187 million hours spent daily on unpaid activities. this gender disparity has a ripple effect on households. it is a testament to the dedication of women, as an average of 4 hours and 32 minutes is spent on unpaid care each day, and a testament to their resilience in the face of overwhelming responsibilities (un women, 2022). the intricacies of this discourse become increasingly complex as it progresses. unpaid care labor is both a foundation and a constraint for the development of human capital, societal participation, and the well-being of women. dong and an (2014) unravel this complex equilibrium, which impedes women's equal participation in the labor market due to the burden of care work. the economic consequences of unpaid care labor are evident beyond the confines of domesticity. stuart (2014) posits that this labor could represent a significant portion of the gdp if it were assigned a monetary value, a hidden treasure that is yet to be recognized. it is a realization that encourages policymakers and experts to imagine a world in which caregiving is not confined by gender. a vision in which male involvement is encouraged, and in which the potential of women is not restricted by care labor, but rather enhanced by their societal engagement. as folbre (2006) emphasizes, a comprehensive comprehension is achieved: the cost of care includes debts and sacrifices, as well as profound bonds, intrinsic satisfaction, and invaluable services for dependents. the dimension of unpaid labor, which has been neglected, is given prominence in this economic and societal context (picchio, 2017). it is an essential element, a propelling http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition january 2025, vol. 11, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 6 force that supports both economies and households. it reflects the multifaceted roles that women play, as singh and pattanaik (2020) reveal the complex interplay of restrictions, choices, and vocations that propel women into this field. the complex interplay of caregiving and its gendered subtleties becomes apparent when society expectations clash with personal ambitions, which are elaborately shaped by factors like age, marital status, family size, as well as caste, and religious background (samantroy & giri, 2015). care is a thread that unites lives, communities, and ecosystems within the intricate tapestry of existence. unpaid care labor predominantly performed by women, is an unquestionably vital yet underappreciated force, from its gendered division to its societal implications. by acknowledging and valuing the contributions of women to the care industry, it may be possible to prevent social and gender inequality in the development of sustainable communities. research questions the following are the research questions of the study: • how much time do men and women spend on domestic care activities? • how do men and women perceive the economic value of domestic care activity? • what is the market-based economic value of domestic care activities? methodology this study adopts a quantitative research design to explore and find out the types of tasks men and women perform in the household and also the time spent on each activity in the old city of rawalpindi. the target population comprised the residents of rawalpindi of one union council no.38 and the locality of ‘rehmat abad’. using a non-probability purposive sampling technique, 530 participants took part in this study. out of the 530 sampled participants 300 were from union council no.38 and 200 from ‘rehmat abad’. additionally, data were collected from specific subgroups, like 100 pregnant women, a sample of 100 female participants from different paid working categories like public sector primary school teachers, lady health workers (lhws), and domestic workers, and the remaining 300 from the males and females from the selected communities. the data for the current study was collected through the survey method by using a questionnaire developed by tabassum et al., (2023) in their recent study on ‘measuring women’s contribution in care economy: constructing survey based indexed questionnaire’. the questionnaire consists of five dimensions namely child care, elderly care, domestic care, and the care of persons with special needs, and one additional component i.e., reproductive care. only one dimension i.e., domestic care dimension was included. the collected data was entered using the software spss (statistical package for social sciences). ethical considerations were paramount throughout the study. before data collection, participants were fully informed about the purpose of the study and informed consent was obtained ensuring their voluntary participation. participants' identities were kept confidential, and their responses were anonymized to protect their http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition january 2025, vol. 11, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 7 privacy. data were stored safely and only authorized researchers have access to this data. the researchers were mindful of their own biases and preconceptions, ensuring that these did not influence the data collection process or analysis. calculation of economic value following the study of suh (2021), the economic value of domestic care activities is measured as: 𝑉 =# ! "#$ [𝐷"𝑓"(𝐻" ∗ 60 +𝑀")/60] ∗ 𝑊% where v is the total economic value of all respondents for performing composite domestic and care activity, 𝐷" = 𝑁𝑜. 𝑜𝑓 𝑑𝑎𝑦𝑠 𝑝𝑒𝑟𝑓𝑜𝑟𝑚𝑒𝑑 𝑎 𝑐𝑒𝑟𝑡𝑎𝑖𝑛 𝑎𝑐𝑡𝑖𝑣𝑖𝑡𝑒𝑠 𝑖𝑛 𝑎 𝑚𝑜𝑛𝑡ℎ 𝑏𝑦 𝑎 𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑝𝑜𝑛𝑑𝑒𝑛𝑡 𝑓" = 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝑞𝑢𝑒𝑛𝑐𝑦 𝑜𝑓 𝑑𝑜𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑎 𝑐𝑒𝑟𝑡𝑎𝑖𝑛 𝑎𝑐𝑡𝑖𝑣𝑖𝑡𝑦 𝐻" = 𝐻𝑜𝑢𝑟𝑠 𝑠𝑝𝑒𝑛𝑡 𝑜𝑛 𝑎 𝑐𝑒𝑟𝑡𝑎𝑖𝑛 𝑎𝑐𝑡𝑖𝑣𝑖𝑡𝑦 𝑖𝑛 𝑎 𝑑𝑎𝑦 𝑀" = 𝑀𝑖𝑛𝑢𝑡𝑒𝑠 𝑠𝑝𝑒𝑛𝑡 𝑜𝑛 𝑎 𝑐𝑒𝑟𝑡𝑎𝑖𝑛 𝑎𝑐𝑡𝑖𝑣𝑖𝑡𝑦 𝑖𝑛 𝑎 𝑑𝑎𝑦 𝑊% = 𝑤𝑎𝑔𝑒 𝑝𝑒𝑟 ℎ𝑜𝑢𝑟 the wage rate for calculating the economic value for domestic care activities is considered the minimum wage i.e., 32 thousand (w.e.f. july 2023, as announced by the government of punjab). a worker is required 40 hours to work in a week, using the minimum wage, we’ve converted per hour wage using the formula below: 𝑊% = 32000 𝑚𝑖𝑛𝑖𝑚𝑢𝑚 𝑤𝑎𝑔𝑒 𝑖𝑛 𝑎 𝑚𝑜𝑛𝑡ℎ (40 ∗ 4) ℎ𝑜𝑢𝑟𝑠 𝑖𝑛 𝑀𝑜𝑛𝑡ℎ = 153.85 𝑅𝑢𝑝𝑒𝑒𝑠 𝑝𝑒𝑟 ℎ𝑜𝑢𝑟 results and discussion this part of the study describes the major findings. following are the details, table 1: descrip(ve sta(s(cs of quan(ta(ve aspects of demographics http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition january 2025, vol. 11, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 8 variables obs. mean stand. dev. minimum maximum age (years) 530 33.5 10 17 65 monthly household income (in rupees) 530 45,214 28583 2000 200000 education of respondents 530 8.7 4.9 0 18 total time spent in 24 hours 530 7.2 4.3 0 20 table 1 shows descriptive statistics of quantitative aspects of participants. the mean age of participants is 33.5 years, with a minimum and maximum of 17 and 65 years respectively. the monthly income of a household varies from rs. 2000 to rs. 200000. the education of participants has an average of 9 years of schooling, with a maximum of 18 years of education. the average time spent on domestic care work is 7.2 hours a day, with a minimum of zero hours and a maximum of 20 hours a day. table 2: descriptive statistics of qualitative aspects of demographics variables obs. category frequency percentage gender 530 male 170 32 female 360 68 marital status 530 never married 48 09 married 437 83 divorced 43 08 widowed 2 0.4 employment status 530 employed 186 35 not working 270 51 http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition january 2025, vol. 11, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 9 self-employed 74 14 family system 530 nuclear 230 44 joint 300 56 type of household earners 530 dual earner 267 50.5 single male earner 223 42 single female earner 40 7.5 feeling while doing these activities 530 fresh 46 8.7 better 80 15 fine 150 28.3 fatigued 203 38.4 drained 51 9.6 table 2 depicts gender, marital status, family system, types of household earners, and overall feelings of participants for performing domestic care activities. the gender-wise representation of participants shows 32% males and 68% females. the majority of participants were married (i.e., 83%), followed by never married and divorced (9% and 8% respectively) and the least is widowed which is less only 0.4%. the employment status of participants includes 35% employed, 51% unemployed, and 14% self-employed. the types of household earners include dual earners 50.5%, single male earners, 42% and single female earners 7.5%. 38.4% of participants feel fatigued while doing domestic care work, followed by fine with 28.3% and 15% of participants feeling better. out of the total, 9.6% responded to being drained and only 8.7% felt fresh in doing domestic care activities. time spent on domestic care activities the following section covers the gender differences in the time spent on domestic care activities: figure 1: http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition january 2025, vol. 11, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 10 mean gender di*erences in time spent per day on domestic care activities figure 1 shows the mean time spent per day by males and females in different domestic care activities. it reveals that females spend around 9 hours a day on average on domestic care activities. whereas males spend 3.4 hours on average on domestic care activities out of 24 hours. it is pertinent to mention that females spend almost three times more time spending on domestic care activities than males. figure 2: gender difference in (me spent per month on cleaning ac(vi(es in domes(c care http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition january 2025, vol. 11, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 11 figure 2 shows the gender differences in spending time based on several hours in a month on cleaning of house and washing utensils. females spend more time cleaning of house and washing utensils 64.8 and 31.8 hours in a month whereas males spend time only 14.7 and 11.2 hours in a month. various research studies emphasized a significant gender discrepancy in the distribution of time devoted to these domestic care activities, wherein women bear the majority of the burden (rubiano-matulevich, & viollaz, 2019). figure 3: gender difference in (me spent on preparing and serving different meals to family and guests 14.7 11.2 64.8 31.8 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 cleaning of the house washing utensils n o. o f h ou rs in a m on th activities male female 9.2 9.9 16.8 6.8 2019.2 25.9 30.1 18 23.9 0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 making breakfast preparing lunch preparing dinner serving meal serving guest n o. o f h ou rs in a m on th activities male female http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition january 2025, vol. 11, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 12 figure 3 reveals time spending based on number of hours in a month on preparing food and serving meals to the family and guests. females spend more time for preparing dinner, followed by lunch, and then making breakfast as 30.1, 25.9 and 19.2 hours on average in a month. whereas males spend 16.8, 9.9, and 9.2 hours per month on average for preparing dinner, lunch, and breakfast. the time for serving meal is 18 and 6.8 hours in a month for females and males respectively. while serving guest, females spend 23.9 hours and males spend 20 hours per month. the results are similar to the study conducted in 2008 by fontana and natali that discovered, women in tanzania dedicated three times more time than males to caregiving and household chores. figure 4: gender difference in (me spent on washing, and ironing clothes in domes(c care ac(vi(es figure 4 shows the time spent based on the number of hours in a month on washing, ironing, and mending of clothes by males and females. females spend more time in each activity that is 15, 10.5 and 8.2 hours in one month as compared to males who spend 5.1, 6.1, and 1.2 hours per month. the results are supported by the ilo report (2018) that mentioned that regardless of demographic or cultural contexts, women devote significantly more hours per week to unpaid care work than males. figure 5: gender difference in (me spent per month on shopping for domes(c care ac(vi(es 5.1 6.1 1.2 15 10.5 8.2 0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 washing and drying clothes ironing mending of clothes n o. o f h ou rs in a m on th activities male female http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition january 2025, vol. 11, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 13 figure 5 highlights time spend based on number of hours in a month for shopping. it reveals that males spent substantially larger amount of time in a month as compared to females. these activities comprise of doing groceries, shopping household supplies/appliances, personal shopping and travel related to household maintenance and shopping. males spend 11, 5.5, 5 and 22.8 hours in one month while females spend 8.4, 5.8, 8.6 and 14.3 hours per month for the sequence of above-mentioned activities. it is very much evident from pakistani culture where mobility of women is restricted, therefore males spent more time on shopping than females. while the time spent for shopping of household personal shopping by females outweighs than males. figure 6: gender difference in (me spent on collec(on of household supplies for domes(c care ac(vi(es 11 5.5 5 22.8 8.4 5.8 8.6 14.3 0 5 10 15 20 25 buying groceries shopping household supplies/appliances personal shopping travel related to household maintenance, and shopping n o. o f h ou rs in a m on th activities male female 6 13 3.3 10.1 0 5 10 15 fuel collection fetching water n o. o f h ou rs in a m on th activities male female http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition january 2025, vol. 11, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 14 figure 6 shows time spend based on number of hours in a month on collection of household supplies for domestic care. these activities (consisting of fuel collection and fetching water) are related to outdoor activities. males are spending 6 and 13 hours in a month while females are not much far from males, they are spending 3.3 and 10.1 hours per month for fuel collection and fetching water in urban context of pakistan. figure 7: gender difference in (me spent per month on livestock management and gardening figure 7 reveals time spend based on hours in a month on livestock management and gardening. the figure highlighted that females are more inclined towards gardening as they spend 17.2 hours per month on it while males are spending 12.2 hours on these activities. the time spent on taking care of livestock is dominantly by males than females that is 30.3 and 13.2 hours per month in an urban setting of pakistan. figure 8: gender difference in total (me spent on different dimensions of domes(c care ac(vi(es 30.3 13.213.2 18.2 0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 livestock management gardening n um be r o f h ou rs in a m on th activities gender difference in livestock managment and gardening male female http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition january 2025, vol. 11, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 15 figure 8 illustrates the gender difference in time spent based on the number of hours per month on different activities of domestic care. females spend the most time on preparing food and serving meals to the family and guests, followed by cleaning of house, washing and ironing of clothes, shopping, livestock management and gardening, and collection of household supplies. the quantum for this domestic care is: 34194.2, 32755.08, 10178.42, 5179.03, 3083.67, 767.43 hours for one month. male spent the highest time on shopping (6115.15 hours), followed by preparing food and serving meals/guest (4355.22 hours), cleaning of house (1766.72 hours), livestock management (1620.32 hours), collection of household supplies (1434.57 hours) and washing/ironing of clothes (730.33 hours) per month. it is understandable that male spent higher time than females on the dimension of domestic care which are related to activities outside of house (i.e., shopping, collection of household supplies, livestock management). on the other hand, the activities related to indoor tasks including cleaning of house, preparing food, washing/ironing clothes and even gardening, females dominate in spending higher time than males. these results are supported by the study conducted arora (2015) that analyzed data on time allocation in mozambique and discovered that males dedicate around 1.5 hours per day to household duties, but women spend over five times as much time, namely 7.6 hours (dhungel, 2022; rios-avila, et al., 2021). figure 9: gender difference in total (me per month spent on domes(c care ac(vi(es 17 66 .7 2 43 55 .2 2 73 0. 33 61 15 .1 5 14 34 .5 7 16 20 .3 2 32 75 5. 08 34 19 4. 2 10 17 8. 42 51 79 .0 3 76 7. 43 30 83 .6 7 0 5000 10000 15000 20000 25000 30000 35000 40000 cleaning of house preparing foods and serving meals/guests washing and ironing clothes shopping collection of household supplies livestock management and gardening n um be r o f h ou rs in a m on th domains of domestic care males males http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition january 2025, vol. 11, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 16 figure 9 shows the total time spent by males and females in different 19 domestic care activities in a month. it reveals that females spend around 86158 hours in total in a month on domestic care activities. whereas males spend 16032 hours in total on domestic care activities in a month. it is pertinent to mention that females spend almost more than 5 times higher time spending on domestic care activities than males. economic value of domestic care figure 10: 16032 86158 0 10000 20000 30000 40000 50000 60000 70000 80000 90000 100000 total time h ou rs in a m on th total time spent in a month males females http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition january 2025, vol. 11, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 17 gender difference in economic value of different dimensions of domes(c care ac(vi(es figure 10 illustrates the economic value of various domestic care activities, as perceived and determined by the market. for women, the perceived economic value of cleaning the house is 1.76 million rupees per month, while for males, it is 1.55 million rupees. however, the actual market-based value of female economic value (5.04 million rupees) which is higher than the perceived value, indicating that females are undervaluing their contributions. the perceived economic value of the preparation and serving food is 3.45 million rupees for females and 2.96 million rupees for males per month. in contrast, the market-based economic value for women is significantly higher (6.03 million rupees), indicating that they are undervaluing their responsibilities. conversely, the value for men is low (0.67 million rupees), indicating that they highly value their contributions to domestic tasks. the perceived value of washing and ironing clothes is higher for women than for men (1.73 million rupees versus 1.50 million rupees per month), while the market-based economic value is higher for women (1.57 million rupees versus 0.11 million rupees per month). this indicates that males place a high value on their role in the washing and ironing of clothes. the perceived economic value for household shopping is 1.61 million rupees for males and 1.69 million rupees for females while the market based economic value for household shopping is 0.94 and 0.80 million rupees for males and females respectively. this indicates that both males and females’ priorities their contribution. in the similar manner, collection of household supplies, the perceived economic value for 1. 55 1. 76 0. 27 5. 04 2. 96 3. 45 0. 67 6. 03 1. 50 1. 73 0. 11 1. 57 1. 61 1. 69 0. 94 0. 80 0. 29 0. 30 0. 22 0. 12 0. 38 0. 43 0. 19 0. 47 0.00 2.00 4.00 6.00 8.00 10.00 12.00 14.00 16.00 male female male female pe rc ei ve d ec on om ic v al ue m ar ke t b as ed e co no m ic v al ue million rupees in a month gender difference in economic value of different dimensions domestic care activities cleaning of house preparaing & serving food washing & ironing of clothes shopping collecting household supplies livestock management & gardening http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition january 2025, vol. 11, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 18 females is 0.30 and 0.29 million rupees for males. while the market based economic value calculated for the same activities for females is 0.12 and 0.22 million rupees for males. this shows that participants prioritize their involvement in these activities. the last activities of livestock management, perceived economic value for females is 0.43 million rupees and 0.38 million rupees for males per month. while the market-based economic value for these activities for females is 0.47 and 0.19 million rupees for males. a lot of researches indicate that caregiving activities are frequently under value in terms of financial recognition and compensation to females (kolovich, et al., 2024; maestre, & thorpe, 2016; grimshaw, & rubery, 2007). this has been mentioned that the reasons behind this gender disparity is due to traditional associated activities which are neglected and male-dominated in major societies and industries of the world (oxfam, 2020). figure 11 gender difference in total economic value of domes(c care ac(vi(es figure 11 shows the total economic value for 19 domestic care activities by males and females in a month. for females the total economic value of all these activities worth 14.03 million pakistani rupees while for male, the economic wroth is 2.4 million pakistani rupees in a month based on 19 domestic care activities which are calculated on the minimum wage rate of workers on a monthly basis. conclusion 2.4 14.03 0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 economic value m ill io n ru pe es in a m on th total economic value males females http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition january 2025, vol. 11, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 19 domestic care responsibilities between men and women are not equally shared in pakistani society but there is a huge disparity between them to perform these activities. there are 19 domestic care activities that are measured in the urban context of pakistan. the average daily commitment of males to these activities is 3.4 hours per day, which is significantly lower than that of women, who perform approximately 9 hours per day on these activities. the total time spent by females is more than 86000 hours per month as compared to males, this time spent is 16000 hours per month. the economic value calculated against these activities for females is 14.03 million pakistani rupees while the economic value for males is 2.4 million pakistani rupees per month. this shows a significant gender difference based on the government per month minimum wage for workers. despite this gender-based disparity, unpaid caregiving labor remains a critical component of society, providing maintenance to communities and individual lives. addressing this gender disparity is important to promote sustainable development, enhance social well-being, and to promote gender equality. to achieve this objective, it is essential to encourage male involvement in caregiving responsibilities and ensure that caregiving responsibilities are organized in a manner that facilitates women's participation in society, rather than impedes it. it is imperative that we acknowledge and provide support for the valuable contributions of women in the care industry to create a more sustainable, inclusive, and equitable future for all. references crisologo, r. 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(2020). time to care. oxfam. https://oxfamilibrary.openrepository.com/bitstream/handle/10546/620928/bp-time-tocare-inequality-200120-en.pdf ozyildirim, g. (2020). what is the beijing declaration and platform for action? soroptimist international. https://www.soroptimistinternational.org/what-is-the-beijingdeclaration-and-platform-for-action/ http://www.gpejournal.org/ https://www.ids.ac.uk/download.php?file=files/dmfile/genderedpatternsoftimeuseintanzaniapublicinvestmentininfrastructurecanhelp.pdf https://www.ids.ac.uk/download.php?file=files/dmfile/genderedpatternsoftimeuseintanzaniapublicinvestmentininfrastructurecanhelp.pdf https://www.oecd.org/dev/development-gender/unpaid_care_work.pdf https://doi.org/10.1080/14649880600768512 https://www.njl.nu/uploads/paper_2007_jill_rubery.pdf file:///c:/users/fjwu/desktop/wcms_649127.pdf https://doi.org/10.1111/gwao.12679 https://www.elibrary.imf.org/display/book/9798400246968/ch017.xml https://beamexchange.org/uploads/filer_public/67/d8/67d89507-ab22-44c5-8e66-bdb17646e1f4/unpaidcarework-report2016.pdf https://beamexchange.org/uploads/filer_public/67/d8/67d89507-ab22-44c5-8e66-bdb17646e1f4/unpaidcarework-report2016.pdf https://beamexchange.org/uploads/filer_public/fa/73/fa73f0e0-f2de-4913-b409-fb6d575dbaad/unpaid_carework.pdf https://beamexchange.org/uploads/filer_public/fa/73/fa73f0e0-f2de-4913-b409-fb6d575dbaad/unpaid_carework.pdf https://oxfamilibrary.openrepository.com/bitstream/handle/10546/620928/bp-time-to-care-inequality-200120-en.pdf https://oxfamilibrary.openrepository.com/bitstream/handle/10546/620928/bp-time-to-care-inequality-200120-en.pdf https://www.soroptimistinternational.org/what-is-the-beijing-declaration-and-platform-for-action/ https://www.soroptimistinternational.org/what-is-the-beijing-declaration-and-platform-for-action/ global partners in education journal – special edition january 2025, vol. 11, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 21 patchett, h. (2022). who cares? the gendered distribution of unpaid care work in jordan. oxfam. https://doi.org/10.21201/2022.9493 picchio, a. (2017). unpaid work and the economy a gender analysis of the standards of living. routledge. https://library.oapen.org/bitstream/id/77fe7c26-7353-43c1-a72fedf5d34bfdba/1006069.pdf rios-avila, f., oduro, a., & nassif-pires, l. (2021). intrahousehold allocation of household production: a comparative analysis for sub-saharan african countries. international labour office, geneva https://www.levyinstitute.org/pubs/wp_983.pdf rost, l. a. (2021). by sharing work we are moving forward: change in social norms around men’s participation in unpaid care work in northern uganda. oxford development studies, 49(1), 39–52. https://doi.org/10.1080/13600818.2020.1869926 rubiano-matulevich, e., & viollaz, m. (2019). gender differences in time use. allocating time between the market and the household policy research working paper, 8981. samantroy, e., & giri, v. (2015). reconciling work and family life: a study of women’s time use patterns, unpaid work and workplace policies. v.v. giri national labour institute. https://www.timeuse.org/sites/ctur/files/public/ctur_report/9901/nli_research_series_113 _final_pdf_print.pdf seedat, s., & rondon, m. (2021). women’s well-being and the burden of unpaid work. bmj, 374(374). https://www.bmj.com/content/374/bmj.n1972 singh, p., & pattanaik, f. (2020). unfolding unpaid domestic work in india: women’s constraints, choices, and career. palgrave communications, 6(1). https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-020-0488-2 stuart, s. (2014). situation of unpaid work and gender in the caribbean the measurement of unpaid work through time-use studies. united nations. https://repositorio.cepal.org/bitstream/handle/11362/36619/s2014006_en.pdf?sequence =1&isallowed=y tabassum, s., khan, y., zarrin, u., & zahra, m. (2023). measuring women’s contribution in care economy: constructing survey based indexed questionnaire. human nature journal of social sciences, 4(2), 701–715. http://hnpublisher.com/ojs/index.php/hnjss/article/view/465/385 un women (2022). baseline survey on unpaid care work status among women and men in 8 districts of rwanda. united nations women. https://africa.unwomen.org/sites/default/files/202205/3r%20baseline%20survey%20rep ort%20draft%202.pdf http://www.gpejournal.org/ https://doi.org/10.21201/2022.9493 https://library.oapen.org/bitstream/id/77fe7c26-7353-43c1-a72f-edf5d34bfdba/1006069.pdf https://library.oapen.org/bitstream/id/77fe7c26-7353-43c1-a72f-edf5d34bfdba/1006069.pdf https://www.levyinstitute.org/pubs/wp_983.pdf https://doi.org/10.1080/13600818.2020.1869926 https://www.timeuse.org/sites/ctur/files/public/ctur_report/9901/nli_research_series_113_final_pdf_print.pdf https://www.timeuse.org/sites/ctur/files/public/ctur_report/9901/nli_research_series_113_final_pdf_print.pdf https://www.bmj.com/content/374/bmj.n1972 https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-020-0488-2 https://repositorio.cepal.org/bitstream/handle/11362/36619/s2014006_en.pdf?sequence=1&isallowed=y https://repositorio.cepal.org/bitstream/handle/11362/36619/s2014006_en.pdf?sequence=1&isallowed=y http://hnpublisher.com/ojs/index.php/hnjss/article/view/465/385 global partners in education journal – special edition january 2025, vol. 11, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 22 vyas, n. (2021). undermining the role of women in the economy: the interplay between paid work and unpaid care work in india. industrial law journal, 51(4). https://doi.org/10.1093/indlaw/dwab035 author notes marrium zahra is a dedicated professional with a strong academic background in gender studies, holding an mphil degree from fatima jinnah women university, rawalpindi pakistan. she has extensive experience in project coordination, research, and community engagement, focusing on gender-related issues mainly girls education, human trafficking, and unpaid care work. marrium has worked as a program officer, project co-lead, and research associate on various research projects. she has expertise in qualitative and quantitative research, data analysis, and thematic analysis using maxqda and spss. she is committed to advancing gender equality through research, community engagement, and education. dr. shahla tabassum is an accomplished academic and researcher, currently serving as the head of the department of gender studies at fatima jinnah women university (fjwu), rawalpindi, pakistan. with a career spanning over three decades, she has significantly contributed to the field of gender studies through her teaching, research, and consultancy, and has been an active advocate for gender equality and women’s rights. she has led several research projects and publications, focusing on topics like women’s contributions in the care economy, women in digital spaces, sexual harassment, rape survivors and girls’ education. additionally, dr. tabassum has worked as a consultant and trainer on feminist research methodologies, aiming to promote inclusivity and equality in pakistan. dr. tabassum has received several honors, including the fatima jinnah award for research productivity and nominations for the global partners in education award. http://www.gpejournal.org/ https://doi.org/10.1093/indlaw/dwab035 global partners in education journal – special edition january 2025, vol. 11, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 77 bullying dilemmas: cyberbullying and mental health strain for university students in mount lebanon nermine abi farraj, sawsan hasan and ghina nassar modern university for business and science, beirut, lebanon abstract the study investigates the link between cyberbullying and mental health among university students, acknowledging the prevalence of online harassment and its possible influence on people’s well-being. using a cross-sectional research approach, the study examines the frequency of cyberbullying encounters among university students, as well as their understanding of many forms and consequences of cyberbullying. the findings show that respondents have a high degree of awareness about cyberbullying, with a consensus on its definition and acknowledgment of its negative consequences. furthermore, the study finds a strong link between cyberbullying and negative mental health outcomes such as poor self-esteem, anxiety, despair, social isolation, and trust concerns. this highlights the critical need for preventative measures and support structures to combat cyberbullying and preserve people’s psychological well-being. the study recommends comprehensive strategies for combating cyberbullying, such as education and awareness programs, stricter consequences for perpetrators, victim support, parental involvement, collaboration with social media platforms, and the promotion of empathy and responsible internet usage. it also underlines the significance of incorporating cyberbullying prevention education into university courses and working with mental health professionals to provide counseling and assistance to those impacted. overall, the study emphasizes the crucial need of collaborative efforts from multiple stakeholders, including educators, parents, lawmakers, and mental health experts, in addressing the complex issue of cyberbullying and creating safer online environments for university students. keywords: cyberbullying, mental health, university students, online harassment, awareness, prevention, intervention, education, psychological well-being. with almost a billion internet users worldwide, the online world has become an integral part of daily life and plays an important role in society. today’s society is largely reliant on technology, and adolescents are increasingly living a digital existence via the internet. the rapid development of information and communication technologies has had a significant impact on humans. this quick technological advancement has not only brought benefits, but it has also brought up a slew of issues, one of which is cyberbullying. the internet has proven to be a double-edged sword, providing unparalleled convenience in our everyday lives. on the other hand, the internet has created grounds for several harmful behaviors, such as cyberbullying, communicated electronically (shaikh et al., 2020). http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition january 2025, vol. 11, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 78 young adults and university students have become sophisticated users of technology and often lead the way in adapting new technologies for everyday use. sometimes their technological savvy can become a gateway, exposing them to a host of sordid activities including pornography, drugs, violence, and cyberbullying (kowalski et al., 2008). although online technologies provide numerous benefits like learning and teaching activities, they also have potentially harmful outcomes (campbell, 2005). the current study focuses on the harmful consequences of cyberbullying that are serious and farreaching on individuals (finn & banach, 2000). although cyberbullying is a method of harassment by means of virtual reality, its effects are anything but virtual; they are real and have potentially serious negative consequences (arıcak et al., 2008). overview and the significance of the study the study examines the impact of cyberbullying on the mental health of university students residing in mount lebanon, revealing that it poses a significant risk. it suggests that targeted intervention and prevention strategies can be developed to reduce the negative effects of cyberbullying. due to the widespread use of social media and digital communication, the effects of cyberbullying are not limited to a particular area but rather have an international impact. this highlights the necessity for concerted global efforts to tackle and fight this type of harassment. understanding and addressing cyberbullying in lebanon helps the worldwide debate about creating a more safe and friendly online community. through research, data analysis has proven that many lebanese adolescents and university students are suffering from cyberbullying and its negative impacts. moreover, research shows that cyberbullying is clearly a global issue. research objectives the fundamental goal of this study is to delve into the complexities of the correlation between cyberbullying and mental health strain among university students. the study aims to investigate and uncover the correlation between cyberbullying experiences and mental health strain among lebanese university students with a detailed examination of the psychological impact of cyberbullying on mental well-being. also, it examines potential moderating factors that may influence the relationship between cyberbullying and mental health strain while exploring demographic variables, coping mechanisms, and social support networks. furthermore, it develops practical intervention strategies to mitigate the adverse effects of cyberbullying on mental health among university students, and provides actionable recommendations for educational institutions and policymakers to address cyberbullying effectively. in essence, the goal of this study is to bridge the gap in understanding the correlation between cyberbullying and mental health strain among university students. the objectives include examining the correlation, exploring moderating factors, and developing intervention strategies to support student well-being. http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition january 2025, vol. 11, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 79 research questions 1. to what extent are university students aware of cyberbullying and possess sufficient knowledge about its various forms and effects, and what are their attitudes towards it? 2. how does the experience of cyberbullying contribute to the manifestation of mental health challenges, and what are the underlying mechanisms that link online victimization to adverse psychological outcomes? 3. what role do parents, schools, and other social institutions play in educating university students about cyberbullying and its effects? research hypothesis null hypothesis (h₀1): the experience of cyberbullying among teenagers does not have a significant association with the manifestation of mental health challenges, and there are no underlying mechanisms that connect online victimization to adverse psychological outcomes. alternative hypothesis (h₁1): the experience of cyberbullying among teenagers significantly associated with the manifestation of mental health challenges, and there are underlying mechanisms that connect online victimization to adverse psychological outcomes. literature review definition and forms of cyberbullying as the number of people using computers and mobile phones has expanded, one type of bullying that has emerged more recently is cyberbullying which can be manifested in several forms (smith et al., 2006). according to strom and strom (2005, p.21), cyberbullying is simply described as “an electronic form of peer harassment.” also, faryadi (2011) defines cyberbullying as an act of violence that occurs online in the virtual sphere. the mental health effects of cyberbullying because of the wide-ranging implications and harmful repercussions that cyberbullying actions have on victims, cyberbullying should be considered a broad mental and public health concern. as the number of incidents recorded has been growing in the united states, canada, japan, scandinavia, turkey, the united kingdom, australia, lebanon and new zealand, further studies in this area are critical for establishing effective preventative and intervention strategies (national children’s home, 2008). studies imply that there is a strong relationship between cyberbullying and mental symptoms among university students, which requires a direct intervention (myers & cowie, 2017). http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition january 2025, vol. 11, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 80 thomas et al. (2016) state that bullying has several forms which include physical harm, rumor spreading, name-calling, or cyber bullying. cyberbullying, according to bauman (2015) has various types like social exclusion, harassment, outing, trickery, cyberstalking, trolling, and many others. also, faryadi (2011) points out that cyberbullying exposes a person’s personal information, true name, and address to criminals with a goal of causing serious harm to the targeted individual or group. also, being under a lot of emotional stress, victims of cyberbullying find it difficult to focus on academics, which negatively impacts their academic success (schenk, 2011). schenk and fremouw (2012) state that it leads to low self-esteem, family problems, aggressive behavior and violence. risky behavioral and psychosocial issues like drug and alcohol abuse, fights, dropping out of school, having suicidal thoughts, and carrying a weapon to school have all been linked to cyberbullying (goshe, 2016). ongoing involvement in cyberbullying may be considered a long-term source of stress. both instrumental and emotional social support can be valuable tools for young people experiencing bullying since they not only help prevent bullying from starting early on but also provide support when it occurs (hellfeldt et al., 2020). also, kowalski and limber (2013) mention that bullied children and those who are “bully victims” are more likely to have more psychosomatic issues than their mates that are not exposed to cyberbullying. however, rivituso (2012) states that students who are cyberbullied will be suffering from more terrible psychological issues that push them to make such miserable actions toward their peers. in lebanon, fekih-romdhane et al. (2023) state that almost one in four lebanese teenagers are thought to have engaged in bullying, making lebanon appear to have one of the highest rates of bullying in the arab world. given the high frequency of local incidents, it is worrying that there are currently few researches evaluating the individual and social variables linked to cyberbullying perpetration in lebanon (awad et al., 2021). methodology research methodology is a critical aspect guiding the systematic strategy and protocols of studies. the methodological approach employed in this study is aligned with its objectives of investigating the correlation between cyberbullying and mental health strain among university students. just as emphasized by flick (2015), the research methodology is designed to ensure the quality and dependability of the study’s findings, thereby enhancing the validity of the results. a rigorous research approach encompassing study design, data collection techniques, sampling tactics, data analysis, ethical considerations, data validation, and resource planning is pivotal in establishing the reliability of the study (zohrabi, 2013). the comprehensive exploration of research methodology discusses the design and measures of the survey questionnaire. statistical methodologies and data analysis http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition january 2025, vol. 11, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 81 strategies employed in the study process are also outlined. the overarching goal of this comprehensive approach is to uphold the validity and reliability of the study’s conclusions, directly addressing the need to understand the correlation between cyberbullying and mental health strain among university students. survey method: design and administering of a survey quantitative approach this research article adopts an exploratory and explanatory approach, utilizing a quantitative research method to address the study’s research questions. as emphasized by nardi (2018), employing quantitative methods necessitates careful consideration of various factors such as reliability, appropriateness, and cost. a systematic survey was designed to collect quantitative data on cyberbullying experiences, mental health outcomes, and related factors among university students. the survey utilized closedended questions to measure students’ experiences and perceptions. the survey encompassed sections capturing demographic information, cyberbullying experiences, mental health indicators, coping mechanisms, and social support networks. clear instructions were provided at the beginning of the survey to ensure participant confidentiality and comprehension. random sampling the survey was conducted during a specific period, the second week of february 2024, considering the prevalence of cyberbullying incidents among university students. random sampling was employed to ensure the inclusion of a diverse range of university students, minimizing bias and enhancing the representativeness of the sample. outreach strategies included distributing the survey link via emails and various social media platforms to reach a broad spectrum of students. the sample size comprised 100 university students mainly from aley campus-mount lebanon. data analysis method with spss all survey responses were analyzed using the statistical package for the social sciences (spss) software. descriptive statistics, including mean, median, mode, range, and standard deviation, were computed to summarize the data. in summary, the research methodology employed in this study aims to systematically investigate the correlation between cyberbullying and mental health strain among university students, employing quantitative research methods to achieve robust and reliable findings. results http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition january 2025, vol. 11, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 82 participants were 100 undergraduate university students (70 females and 30 males) from different programs and faculties of education at the modern university for business and sciences -aley campus. most of the students’ ages ranged from 19 to 21 years (m = 2.37, sd = 1.002). figure 1 figure 2 male 30% female 70% gender male female 0 20 40 60 80 100 120 between 17 and 19 between 19 and 21 between 21 and 24 above 24 total age http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition january 2025, vol. 11, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 83 overall, the sample exhibits a skew towards females and is predominantly composed of individuals between the ages of 19 and 24, with a significant portion falling between 19 and 21. figure 3 the majority of participants, 94 out of 100, are from mount lebanon. 3 participants come from beirut, while 2 and 1 participant(s) come from the beqaa governorate and north governorate, respectively. participants, while the beqaa governorate and north governorate each have 2 and 1 participant(s) respectively. this indicates a significant concentration of participants from mount lebanon, with smaller representation from other regions. 94 3 2 1 100 0 20 40 60 80 100 120 mount lebanon beirut beqaa governorate north governorate total valid region frequency http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition january 2025, vol. 11, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 84 figure 4 the results indicate that the majority of respondents (65%) have heard about cyberbullying, while 6% have not. additionally, 11% claim to know some information about it, and 9% consider themselves very knowledgeable about cyberbullying. a further 9% have heard of it but do not know much about it. overall, the findings suggest that cyberbullying awareness is relatively high among the surveyed group, with a significant portion indicating some level of familiarity or knowledge about the issue. 6 65 11 9 9 100 0 20 40 60 80 100 120 no yes i know some information about it i am very knowledgeable about cyberbullying i've heard of it, but i dob't know much about it total have you heard about cyberbullying before? http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition january 2025, vol. 11, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 85 figure 5 the results indicate that there is a consensus among the respondents regarding the definition of cyberbullying. the majority (51%) define cyberbullying as a form of harassment, embarrassment, or intimidation perpetrated through electronic means such as social media, texting, or gaming platforms. a significant portion (34%) also emphasizes the intentional aspect of cyberbullying, highlighting that it involves purposeful actions to harm others online. additionally, a smaller percentage (15%) emphasize the repetitive and aggressive nature of cyberbullying, emphasizing that it occurs repeatedly over digital devices or platforms. overall, these findings underscore the multifaceted nature of cyberbullying as a phenomenon involving intentional, repetitive, and aggressive behaviors carried out through technology to harm or intimidate others. 34 51 15 100 0 20 40 60 80 100 120 cyberbullying is the use of technology to intentionally harass, embarrass, or intimidate someone online it is a form of bullying that occurs through electronic means, such as social media, texting, or gaming platforms cyberbullying involves repeated and aggressive behavior towards a person using digital devices or platforms total define cyberbullying frequency http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition january 2025, vol. 11, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 86 figure 6 the survey results indicate a strong consensus regarding the negative effects of cyberbullying on individuals. a significant majority, 80%, firmly believe that cyberbullying does have detrimental impacts. only a small minority, 3%, hold the opposite view, while 5% are uncertain. additionally, 12% recognize that the severity of cyberbullying plays a role in its effects. overall, the overwhelming sentiment is that cyberbullying is indeed harmful to individuals. figure 7 3 80 5 12 100 0 20 40 60 80 100 120 no, i don't think cyber-bullying has negative effects yes, i believe cyberbullying has negative effects i am not sure if cyber-bullying has negative effects it depends on the severity of the cyberbullying total do you believe cyber-bullying has negative effects on individuals? frequency 42 54 4 100 0 20 40 60 80 100 120 extremely concerned moderately concerned not concerned at all total how concerned are you about the prevalence of cyberbullying in today's society? frequency http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition january 2025, vol. 11, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 87 from these results, we can see that the majority of respondents are either extremely concerned (42%) or moderately concerned (54%) about the prevalence of cyberbullying in today’s society. this indicates that a significant portion of the sample population perceives cyberbullying as a serious issue. overall, the end result indicates that there is a notable level of concern regarding cyberbullying in today's society among the surveyed individuals. this suggests that addressing cyberbullying may be important for both policymakers and community leaders. figure 8 based on the provided results, it's evident that a significant majority, 95 out of 100 respondents, believe that cyberbullying can have equally harmful effects as physical bullying. only 5 respondents believe that cyberbullying cannot have a significant impact on a person’s mental health and well-being. this indicates a strong consensus among the respondents that cyberbullying can indeed be as harmful as physical bullying. the perception is that the psychological and emotional toll inflicted by cyberbullying can be comparable to that of physical bullying, despite the absence of physical contact. this sentiment underscores the growing recognition of the severity of cyberbullying and its potential to cause profound harm to individuals' mental health and well-being. as a result, it emphasizes the importance of addressing and combating cyberbullying effectively, both at the individual and societal levels, to ensure the safety and well-being of individuals, particularly in the digital age where online interactions are increasingly prevalent. 5 95 100 0 20 40 60 80 100 120 no, cyberbullying can have no significant impact on a person's mental health and well-being yes, cyberbullying can have equally harmful effects as physical bullying total do you think cyberbullying can be as harmful as physical bullying? frequency http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition january 2025, vol. 11, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 88 figure 9 from these results, we can see that the majority of respondents (68%) consider all three behaviors mentioned (hurtful comments/messages, sharing personal information without consent, and creating fake profiles for harassment) to be forms of cyberbullying. sharing embarrassing or personal information without consent had the second-highest frequency at 16%, while creating fake profiles had the lowest frequency at 3%. however, it is essential to note that all three behaviors are considered forms of cyberbullying, with a significant majority of respondents acknowledging this. figure 10 13 16 3 68 100 0 20 40 60 80 100 120 hurtful comments or messages sent through social media sharing embarrassing or personal information without consent creating fake profiles to harass or mock someone all of the above total which types of online behaviour do you consider cyberbullying? frequency 37 23 19 21 100 0 20 40 60 80 100 120 no yes not sure i have not experienced it personally, but i know someone who has total have you or someone you know experienced cyberbullying? frequency http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition january 2025, vol. 11, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 89 this data suggests that cyberbullying is not uncommon, affecting nearly a quarter of the respondents, and a significant portion are uncertain about its occurrence. additionally, a notable proportion of respondents know someone who has experienced cyberbullying, indicating its prevalence in their social circles. figure 11 the results suggest that a vast majority (92 out of 100) of respondents believe that cyberbullying can lead to various negative impacts on a person’s mental health, encompassing a range of effects. these effects likely include emotional distress, anxiety, depression, low self-esteem, and feelings of isolation, among others. additionally, a smaller portion of respondents (8 out of 100) specifically highlighted the potentially severe consequence of cyberbullying: triggering suicidal thoughts and behaviors. this underscores the gravity of the issue and the potentially life-threatening implications of online harassment. in summary, the analysis of these results indicates a widespread recognition of the detrimental effects of cyberbullying on mental health, with particular emphasis on the significant risk of suicidal ideation and behavior. this underscores the urgency of addressing and combating cyberbullying to safeguard individuals’ psychological wellbeing. 0 20 40 60 80 100 120 all of the above mentioned affects it can trigger suicidal thoughts and behaviors; total how do you think cyberbullying can affect a person's mental health? frequency http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition january 2025, vol. 11, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 90 figure 12 the overwhelming majority of respondents (77%) believe that awareness and education about cyberbullying can indeed help prevent it. this indicates a high level of confidence in the efficacy of educational efforts in combating cyberbullying. overall, the results indicate a general consensus among the respondents that awareness and education are valuable tools in the prevention of cyberbullying. however, further research or exploration could be warranted to understand the reasons behind the uncertainty among some respondents and the perspectives of those who do not believe in the efficacy of awareness and education. figure 13 3 77 20 100 0 20 40 60 80 100 120 no yes not sure total do you think awareness and education about cyberbullying can help prevent cyberbullying? frequency 85 8 6 1 100 0 20 40 60 80 100 120 no yes not sure i prefer not to answer total have you ever been a victim of cyberbullying? frequency http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition january 2025, vol. 11, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 91 the provided data represents responses to a question regarding experiences with cyberbullying. here is an analysis of the results: the majority of respondents (85%) reported that they have not been victims of cyberbullying. this suggests that cyberbullying might not be a widespread issue among the surveyed population. however, it is worth noting that a small proportion (8%) of respondents did indicate that they had been victims of cyberbullying. overall, while the majority of respondents have not experienced cyberbullying, the data suggests that it remains a relevant issue for a minority of individuals. additionally, there is a portion of uncertainty and a small group who choose not to disclose their experiences, indicating the complexity and sensitivity surrounding this topic. figure 14 the results indicate a significant impact of cyberbullying on mental health among the respondents surveyed; 5 respondents reported that cyberbullying significantly impacted their self-esteem and confidence. this suggests that being subjected to cyberbullying has led to feelings of inadequacy and lowered self-worth among these individuals. seven respondents indicated that they have developed anxiety and depression as a result of cyberbullying. this finding highlights the serious mental health consequences of cyberbullying, as anxiety and depression are significant psychological disorders that can greatly affect an individual’s well-being. six respondents reported feeling more isolated and lonely because of cyberbullying. this suggests that being targeted by cyberbullies has resulted in social withdrawal and feelings of alienation among these individuals. five respondents stated that their trust in others, especially online, has been greatly affected by cyberbullying. this indicates that the experience of being cyberbullied has eroded their 5 7 6 5 77 100 0 20 40 60 80 100 120 it has significantly impacted my selfesteem and confidence i've developed anxiety and depression as a result i feel more isolated and lonely because of cyberbullying my trust in others, especially online, has been greatly affected i didn’t experience cyberbullying total how has your experience with cyberbullying affected your mental health? frequency http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition january 2025, vol. 11, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 92 trust in both online and offline social interactions. interestingly, 77 respondents reported that they did not experience cyberbullying. while this is a significant portion of the sample, it is important to note that the impact of cyberbullying on mental health is still evident among those who did report experiencing it. overall, the results underscore the serious negative consequences of cyberbullying on mental health, including effects on self-esteem, anxiety, depression, social isolation, and trust. these findings emphasize the importance of addressing and preventing cyberbullying to safeguard the mental well-being of individuals, particularly in online environments where such behaviors are prevalent. figure 15 forty-eight participants suggest that education and awareness programs in schools can tackle cyberbullying. this suggests that there is a recognition of the importance of educating students about cyberbullying and its consequences. such programs likely aim to raise awareness, promote empathy, and equip students with skills to prevent and address cyberbullying incidents. and a portion (16 participants) suggest that teaching online etiquette and responsible internet usage can bring down cyberbullying. this received a significant number of 48 6 8 1 6 8 2 4 1 16 100 0 20 40 60 80 100 120 educatio n and awareness… enforcing stric ter c onsequences… encouraging open communicatio n… providing support a nd re sources… involving parents in m onito rin g… colla boratin g w ith social m edia… empowerin g bystanders to … im plementin g stric t s ecurity … promotin g empathy and… teaching onlin e etiq uette and… total in your opinion, what are some effective ways to tackle cyberbullying? frequency http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition january 2025, vol. 11, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 93 responses, indicating a recognition of the importance of educating students about appropriate online behavior and the responsible use of the internet. in conclusion, tackling cyberbullying requires a comprehensive approach that involves education, enforcement, support, collaboration, and empowerment. no single strategy is sufficient on its own, but rather a combination of these approaches tailored to the specific needs of the community is necessary to effectively address cyberbullying. discussion the presented results shed light on various aspects of cyberbullying, its prevalence, impact, and potential preventive measures. the sample predominantly comprises females and individuals aged 19 to 24, indicating a specific demographic focus in the study. this aligns with previous research indicating that young adults, particularly females, are more likely to experience cyberbullying due to their increased use of digital platforms for communication and social interaction (shaikh et al., 2020). the majority of respondents demonstrate a high level of awareness regarding cyberbullying, with a consensus on its definition as a form of harassment or intimidation perpetrated through electronic means. this aligns with previous studies highlighting the pervasive nature of cyberbullying and the need for a clear understanding of its definition among the public (zhang et al., 2010). respondents overwhelmingly believe that cyberbullying has detrimental effects, with a significant level of concern about its prevalence in society. this underscores the seriousness of cyberbullying as a social issue and emphasizes the importance of addressing it effectively to mitigate its impact on individuals’ well-being. there is a strong consensus among respondents that cyberbullying can have equally harmful effects as physical bullying. this highlights a shift in societal perceptions, recognizing the severity of online harassment and its potential to cause significant psychological harm comparable to traditional forms of bullying. various behaviors, including hurtful comments/messages and sharing personal information without consent, are widely recognized as forms of cyberbullying (ndiege, et al., 2020). the data also indicates a significant prevalence of cyberbullying experiences among respondents, underscoring the need for preventive measures and support mechanisms. cyberbullying is shown to have profound negative effects on mental health, including lowered self-esteem, anxiety, depression, social isolation, and trust issues (zhang et al., 2010). the findings emphasize the urgent need to address cyberbullying to protect individuals’ psychological well-being and prevent potentially severe consequences, such as suicidal ideation. http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition january 2025, vol. 11, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 94 various preventive measures, including education and awareness programs, stricter consequences for perpetrators, encouraging open communication and reporting, providing support for victims, involving parents, collaborating with social media platforms, empowering bystanders, and promoting empathy and responsible internet usage (ndiege et al., 2020). overall, from university students’ perspectives, our study assumes that the experience of cyberbullying among teenagers is significantly associated with the manifestation of mental health challenges, and there are underlying mechanisms that connect online victimization to adverse psychological outcomes. study limitations while the study provides valuable insights into university students’ perspectives regarding cyberbullying and mental health strain, it is essential to acknowledge its limitations. a larger sample size could provide more robust results and allow for a deeper analysis of subgroups within the population. the majority of participants come from mount lebanon, with smaller representation from other regions. this regional imbalance may affect the generalizability of the findings to other geographic areas with different socio-cultural contexts. conclusion and recommendations in conclusion, the findings of this study demonstrate the enormous impact of cyberbullying on individuals’ mental health and well-being, emphasizing the critical need for effective preventive and intervention techniques from the perspective of university students. addressing cyberbullying involves a multidimensional strategy that includes education, enforcement, support, collaboration, and empowerment. by implementing comprehensive solutions customized to the individual requirements of communities, politicians, educators, and stakeholders may collaborate to build safer online environments and alleviate the negative consequences of cyberbullying. to successfully combat cyberbullying among university students, comprehensive training programs for educators, parents, and students should be devised and executed simultaneously. these initiatives should focus on raising awareness of cyberbullying, educating people about its consequences, and offering effective response techniques. furthermore, peer support networks inside educational institutions can provide students with a secure environment in which they can discuss their experiences, seek guidance, and get emotional support from their peers, reducing feelings of loneliness and increasing resilience. collaboration with mental health specialists is required to provide counseling and support services to persons affected by cyberbullying. this partnership may include individual counseling sessions, group therapy, and workshops on coping strategies and resilience http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition january 2025, vol. 11, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 95 development. furthermore, engaging local communities through community engagement projects such as campaigns and seminars can help to increase awareness of cyberbullying and foster a culture of respect and inclusion. moreover, integrating cyberbullying prevention education into university curricula is critical to ensuring that children hear consistent messages about appropriate online conduct and the repercussions of cyberbullying. this may be accomplished by integrating cyberbullying prevention instruction into a variety of courses, including health, social studies, and technology programs. furthermore, ongoing study and assessment of cyberbullying prevention initiatives is critical for determining their success, identifying best practices, and addressing emerging trends and issues. parental participation and education have an important role in combatting cyberbullying. providing tools and workshops to parents to educate them on cyberbullying, online safety, and effective monitoring tactics will help them assist their children as they navigate the digital world. furthermore, lobbying for the creation and implementation of comprehensive policies at the municipal, state, and national levels is critical. these rules should contain clear reporting standards, disciplinary measures for abusers, and victim support systems, thus establishing a climate favorable to effectively tackling cyberbullying. references aricak, t., siyahhan, s., uzunhasanolgu, a., saribeyoglu, s., capilak, s., yilmaz, n., & memmedov, c. 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(2020). cyberbullying: a systematic literature review to identify the factors impelling university students towards cyberbullying. ieee access, 8, 148031–148051. https://doi.org/10.1109/access.2020.3015669 schenk, a. m. (2011). psychological impact of cyberbully victimization among college students (publication no. 3293) [master’s thesis, west virginia university]. research repository. https://researchrepository.wvu.edu/etd/3293 schenk, a. m., & fremouw, w. j. (2012). prevalence, psychological impact, and coping of cyberbully victims among college students. journal of school violence, 11(1), 21–37. https://doi.org/10.1080/15388220.2011.630310 smith, p. k., mahdavi, j., carvalho, m., & tippett, n. (2006). an investigation into cyberbullying, its forms, awareness, and impact, and the relationship between age and gender in cyberbullying. research brief no. rbx03-06. department for education and skills (dfes). strom, p. s., & strom, r. d. (2005). when teens turn cyberbullies. the education digest, 71(4), 35–41. https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ej741205 thomas, h. j., chan, g. c., scott, j. g., connor, j. p., kelly, a. b., & williams, j. (2016). association of different forms of bullying victimisation with adolescents' psychological distress and reduced emotional wellbeing. the australian and new zealand journal of psychiatry, 50(4), 371–379. https://doi.org/10.1177/0004867415600076 zhang, a. t., land, l. p. w., & dick, g. (2010). key influences of cyberbullying for university students. in proceedings of the pacific asia conference on information systems (pacis) (article 83). association for information systems. https://aisel.aisnet.org/pacis2010/83/ zohrabi, m. (2013). mixed method research: instruments, validity, reliability, and reporting findings. theory and practice in language studies, 3(2), 254–262. https://doi.org/10.4304/tpls.3.2.254-262 appendix a. ques%onnaire section 1: demographic information 1. what is your gender? o male o female o other 2. what is your age? http://www.gpejournal.org/ https://doi.org/10.1109/access.2020.3015669 https://researchrepository.wvu.edu/etd/3293 https://doi.org/10.1080/15388220.2011.630310 https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ej741205 https://doi.org/10.1177/0004867415600076 https://aisel.aisnet.org/pacis2010/83/ https://doi.org/10.4304/tpls.3.2.254-262 global partners in education journal – special edition january 2025, vol. 11, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 98 o 13 years old o 14 years old o 15 years old o 16 years old o 17 years old 3. in which region do you currently reside in lebanon? o beirut o mount lebanon o north governorate o south governorate o beqaa governorate o nabageh governorate o akkar o baalbek-hermel section 2: knowledge 1. have you heard before of cyberbullying? o yes o no o i’ve heard of it, but i don’t know much about it o i know some informagon about it o i am very knowledgeable about cyberbullying. 2. how would you define cyberbullying? o cyberbullying is the use of technology to intengonally harass, embarrass, or ingmidate someone online o it is a form of bullying that occurs through electronic means, such as social media, texgng, or gaming plauorms o cyberbullying involves repeated and aggressive behavior towards a person using digital devices or plauorms 3. do you believe cyberbullying has negagve effects on individuals? o yes, i believe cyberbullying has negagve effects o no, i don’t think cyberbullying has negagve effects o i am not sure if cyberbullying has negagve effects o it depends on the severity of the cyberbullying 4. how concerned are you about the prevalence of cyberbullying in today’s society? o extremely concerned o moderately concerned http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition january 2025, vol. 11, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 99 o not concerned at all 5. do you think cyberbullying can be as harmful as physical bullying? o yes, cyberbullying can have equally harmful effects as physical bullying o no, cyberbullying can have no significant impact on a person’s mental health and well-being 6. which types of online behavior do you consider cyberbullying? o huruul comments or messages sent through social media o sharing embarrassing or personal informagon without consent o creagng fake profiles to harass or mock someone o all of the above 7. have you or someone you know experienced cyberbullying? o yes o no o not sure o i have not experienced it personally, but i know someone who has 8. how do you think cyberbullying can affect a person’s mental health? o it can lead to depression and anxiety o it can cause low self-esteem and self-worth o it can result in social isolagon and loneliness o it can trigger suicidal thoughts and behaviors o it can lead to a lack of trust and fear of others o it can result in changes in behavior and mood o it can affect academic performance and school ayendance o it can lead to self-harm and other harmful coping mechanisms o it can cause long-term psychological damage o it can have a significant impact on relagonships and social interacgons o all the above-mengoned affect 9. do you think awareness and educagon about cyberbullying can help prevent cyberbullying? o yes o no o not sure section 3: cyberbullying experience http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition january 2025, vol. 11, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 100 1. have you ever been a victim of cyberbullying? o yes o no o not sure o i prefer not to answer 2. how has your experience with cyberbullying affected your mental health? o it has significantly impacted my self-esteem and confidence o i’ve developed anxiety and depression as a result o i feel more isolated and lonely because of cyberbullying o my trust in others, especially online, has been greatly affected o i didn’t experience cyberbullying 3. in your opinion, what are some effecgve ways to tackle cyberbullying? o educagon and awareness programs in schools o enforcing stricter consequences for cyberbullying o encouraging open communicagon and reporgng of incidents o providing support and resources for vicgms o involving parents in monitoring their child’s online acgviges o collaboragng with social media plauorms to remove harmful content o empowering bystanders to intervene and stand up against cyberbullying o implemengng strict security measures to prevent cyberbullying o promogng empathy and understanding in schools o teaching online egqueye and responsible internet usage author notes nermine abi farraj graduated from mubs with a bs in public health. she has a strong interest in research and has actively participated in various university research projects, earning valuable experience in studying crucial themes and contributing to important studies. nermin is firmly committed to community development and education, working to promote positive change and address important societal issues. nermin's current research on cyberbullying reinforces her enthusiasm for developing a safer and more inclusive digital environment. sawsan hassan holds a bachelor's degree in business management from the modern university of business and science (mubs) and is currently pursuing a teaching diploma in math and science at mubs. she is passionate about management and organizing social events, bringing a dynamic perspective to her academic and professional endeavors. http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition january 2025, vol. 11, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 101 ghina nassar is a business information systems student with a strong passion for entrepreneurship, community engagement, and cultural exchange. she serves as the president of an entrepreneurship club at mubs university, where she organizes workshops and events. with international experience through the erasmus+ program in poland and a virtual exchange program with a school in south carolina, ghina has developed a global perspective and strong communication skills. her dedication to raising awareness on social and environmental issues reflects her commitment to addressing societal challenges, including cyberbullying and community well-being. http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition january 2025, vol. 11, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 59 authentic learning and assessment in lebanon and uae private schools: implementation, impacts, and challenges nadim s. taha and samar thebian modern university for business and science, beirut, lebanon abstract in today's world, it is vital to establish an educational system that equips students with critical thinking and problem-solving abilities, rather than encouraging them to be passive learners. to achieve this aim, authentic learning and assessment are crucial. this research seeks to explore the implementation of authentic learning and assessment, their impact, and the challenges faced by teachers in private schools in lebanon and the united arab emirates (uae). the study employs a mixed-methods approach to gather data from a survey that includes closed and open-ended questions for 91 teachers in ten private schools (50 teachers from lebanon, five private schools from mount lebanon, and 41 from the uae). the findings demonstrate that authentic learning and assessment are effective in developing teaching strategies and improving learning outcomes in both countries, despite the challenges that teachers face. the research also reveals a significant positive impact on student performance in lebanon. as a result, the study provides valuable insights into future interventions to promote education in both the arab and global contexts. keywords: authentic, assessment, impacts, challenges, lebanon, uae it is crucial to incorporate authentic learning and assessment in the current school curricula to meet the 21st-century themes and skills (revington, 2018). authentic learning happens when students apply what they have learned in the classroom to the complexities and ambiguities of real-life circumstances. this learning engagement should reflect real-world, complex problems and their solutions, using various activities such as role-playing exercises, problem-based scenarios, case studies, and participation in virtual communities. (devito, 2016). it is considered an effective form of education, either as a contrast to or in conjunction with traditional methods. several researchers have studied and improved traditional education, which is still prevalent in countries such as lebanon and the united arab emirates (uae) (lombardi, 2007; sahera, 2022; chaaban, 2021; halloun, 2018). learning in a traditional setting involves a teacher-centered approach where the instructor conducts lessons according to the study program and curriculum structure within the confines of a classroom (rashty, 2013). also, this form of education is based on 19th-century philosophy, executed in outdated settings, and under unfavorable conditions, leading to flawed instruction and poor learning outcomes. therefore, authentic learning and assessment can enhance the traditional teaching approach to education and improve students’ learning (halloun, 2018). http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition january 2025, vol. 11, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 60 purpose of the study this study aims to investigate how teachers in the uae and lebanon incorporate authentic learning and assessment methods in their teaching practices. the study also seeks to determine the impact of these strategies on students' academic performance, achievement, and behavior, as well as the challenges teachers face during planning, implementing, and assessing authentic learning. significance of the study the study provides teachers with knowledge, skills, and strategies to help them effectively implement authentic assessment techniques in their classrooms. this can improve teaching methods and elevate student learning outcomes. this study intends to contribute to the existing literature on authentic learning and assessment by providing empirical evidence on its impact on student’s achievement and behavior. as there is currently insufficient research on authentic learning and assessment in the uae and lebanon, this study is significant in urging the ministry of education in these countries to conduct further research studies and develop tools to evaluate teaching methods in school curricula and assess their effectiveness. research questions 1. how do teachers in lebanon and the uae implement authentic learning and assessment? 2. what is the effect of authentic assessment on students' academic performance, behavior, and achievements in schools in lebanon and the uae? 3. what are the challenges that teachers encounter during authentic learning planning, implementation, and assessment processes? literature review the transition to authentic learning in the context of traditional education, true knowledge can be canned between the 2 covers of a textbook, unpacked, and delivered through lecture and demonstration to students sitting quietly between the 4 walls of a classroom during 6 (or 7) packed periods a day under one-size-fits-all all curricula (halloun, 2017). traditional practices like teaching to the test, be it school, state, or other high-stakes exams, can lead only to rote, short-term learning and never to meaningful learning sustained in long-term memory, especially not to the development of 21st-century skills and dispositions (mourshed, 2010). people who believe in traditional learning seem also to ignore or turn a blind eye to comparative research and studies that keep showing that lebanon lags behind most countries around the globe when it comes to students' meaningful understanding of what our curricula are supposed to cover (halloun, 2018). http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition january 2025, vol. 11, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 61 education must bring about well-rounded, creative, innovative value-driven citizens actively sensible to local and global causes and issues (oecd, 2016). therefore, in today’s classrooms, traditional methods commonly associated with objectivism, behaviorism, and transmission models of teaching, are being replaced with approaches that emphasize active learning and students’ diverse needs (roessingh, 2011). these non-traditional, active, or authentic learning methods of instruction have become a necessity at all levels of education to support students’ acquisition of 21st-century skills (niemi, 2002). on the other hand, if the united arab emirates aims to increase the student’s academic performance so that they can achieve competitive levels internationally and link to the concept of the knowledge economy, then there would be cultural changes, improvements, and shifts along with the reforms in education (tabari, 2014). in tabari’s working paper, many teachers in ras al khaimah highlighted the traditional curriculum as a major contributor to the difficulties they experienced both in terms of quality and the primary method of instruction (through rote learning). like other nations, the uae needs to work continuously to introduce necessary reforms in education to increase the potential it has (aleisseh, 2021). definition of authentic learning and assessment authentic learning emphasizes learning by experience, problem-solving, and associating with everyday life. in authentic learning insight, students are active learners and teachers are guides and facilitators of the learning process (koçyiğit, 2013). authentic assessment is a more meaningful or significant form of evaluation (wiggins, 1999). two studies by goodrich-andrade (2000) and hart (2004) suggest that assessment is authentic when it enables students to communicate their academic strengths, as well as their educational needs. authentic assessment involves asking students to perform real-world tasks that demonstrate their essential knowledge and skills (mueller, 2011). it is a method of evaluation that is also known as performance assessment which aims to implement creative and effective learning experiences to assess students’ skills in a realistic situation (fisher, 2019). assessing if students can transfer learned skills and knowledge from the classroom to another context is the crux of an authentic process-centered approach (kinay, 2018). authentic learning and assessment tasks authentic learning practices and assessments involve a variety of methods that immerse students in real-world scenarios, requiring them to apply their critical thinking skills and problem-solving abilities. for example, simulation-based learning involves using environments that simulate real-life situations and role-playing to equip students with the communication, collaboration, and leadership skills required for their future professions (chernikova, 2020). inquiry-based learning, problem-based learning, and project-based learning are other examples of authentic performance tasks where students work together in teams to explore complex questions and resolve challenging problems to gain new http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition january 2025, vol. 11, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 62 knowledge and skills (savery, 2016; lombardi, 2007; hmelo-silver, 2004). going on field trips, writing reports, and recording videos are some further examples of how students can participate in authentic learning experiences (craft, 2015). with the advancement of technology, authentic assessments can be conducted through the use of student blogs, electronic role-play, posters/infographics, videos, e-booklets, e-portfolios, virtual simulations, and electronic resources like apps and wikis (chermak, 2015). students can also create 3d virtual reconstructions using 3d model editor applications, allowing them to learn by reconstructing places from the real world (kopcha, 2003). impacts of authentic learning and assessment on students’ performance, achievement, and behavior authentic learning and assessment have a positive impact on students' thinking, social skills, and behavior. according to lombardi (2007), authentic assessment can motivate and inspire students to explore various aspects of themselves and the world that they might otherwise overlook. olusola-fadumiye et al. (2022) argue that authentic learning effectively enhances students' learning outcomes, assimilation of knowledge, and social skills. academically, it encourages students to construct their knowledge, engage in problem-solving, practice higher-order thinking, and reflect on real-world contexts. socially, it increases interaction and collaboration, empowers students' social relations, and boosts their motivation. authentic learning also improves students' behavior, increases their sense of responsibility, and maintains a positive attitude toward learning (gürgil, 2018). challenges of authentic learning and assessment although authentic assessment has numerous benefits, it is also associated with some challenges (decastro & cho, 2005). one of the main hurdles is that some teachers may not be familiar with the definition, implementation, and methods of authentic learning and assessment. authentic learning has become increasingly popular in the past decade; however, many teachers may not have received training on it (kopcha, 2003). recent changes in education have led to an increased focus on standardized test scores as a measure of growth and accountability for both students and teachers (newmann, 1988). this shift has made it difficult for educators to implement authentic learning due to the traditional curriculum, causing added stress (abdul aziz et al., 2020). in addition, teachers may be less motivated to implement authentic learning due to a lack of support from school administration and parents, as well as the burden of teaching hours and documentation (archbald, 1998). methodology research study design http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition january 2025, vol. 11, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 63 this research study uses a mixed-methods approach and survey to explore the implementation of authentic learning and assessment. it aims to evaluate the impact of authentic assessment on students' academic achievement and behavior while also investigating the challenges faced by teachers in lebanon and the uae. mixed methods research is defined as a research design in which the researcher collects and analyzes data, integrates the findings, and draws conclusions employing both qualitative and quantitative approaches or methods in a single study (tashakkori, 2018). in this research, the quantitative part measures teachers' implementation of authentic learning and assessment in the classroom and its impacts on students’ learning and behavior in the uae and lebanon. on the other hand, the qualitative part of the study elaborates on the teachers’ perspectives regarding the challenges they encounter during the process of authentic learning and assessment implementation. by utilizing both quantitative and qualitative methods, this research study enhances its validity and reliability. furthermore, it enables the exploration of research questions in a more profound and meaningful manner, leading to more insightful answers. data collection tool surveys serve as tools for quantitatively assessing subjective information, but by incorporating open-ended questions, they enable the collection of qualitative data as well (hammer, 2017). for this research, a survey with both close-ended questions for quantitative data and open-ended questions for qualitative data will be created and administered to teachers in the uae and lebanon. the survey questions are classified into the following sections: 1. socio-demographic section (consisting of five closed questions). 2. authentic learning and assessment implementation section (consisting of ten closed questions). 3. authentic learning and assessment impacts on students’ performance, achievement, and behavior (consisting of ten closed questions). 4. teachers’ perspective on authentic learning and assessment challenges (consisting of four open-ended questions). population and sampling our study targets teachers in private schools in lebanon and the uae. we aim to explore how these teachers implement authentic learning and assessment, and how it impacts their students. to achieve this, we randomly select a sample of 91 teachers from both countries across five private schools, from mount lebanon and the abu dhabi emirate in lebanon and the uae respectively. by using this method of sampling, we hope to minimize the margin of error and obtain enough data to reflect the practice in the population. http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition january 2025, vol. 11, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 64 ethical consideration ethical considerations are a set of rules that guide the design and procedures of a study, with a focus on truth, knowledge, and avoidance of mistakes. the potential ethical issues that may arise during the study are addressed, including informed consent, privacy and confidentiality, harm reduction, fairness, and equity. participants are provided with a consent form that explains the purpose, procedures, risks, benefits, and their right to withdraw from the study. deception or misleading information will not be used to recruit or carry out the study. by examining the implementation of authentic learning and assessment practices in private schools in lebanon and the uae, this study aims to provide valuable insights for improving educational practices and fostering student success in the 21st century. data analysis and discussion section 1: demographic information out of all the study participants, 50 were from lebanon and 41 were from the uae. the majority of the teachers were language, science, and math teachers. all teachers in both countries have a minimum of a bachelor's degree, but those in the uae hold more advanced degrees. lebanon has a lower percentage of teachers with more than 10 years of experience (46%) compared to the uae (60%). lebanon and the uae show excellent results in professional development, with an average of 70% of teachers receiving annual training respectively. this reflects the commitment of teachers in both countries to keep up to date with genuine learning and assessment principles. table 1 the demographic information of teachers in lebanon and uae key ideas lebanon uae language teachers 62% 7.30% science teachers 40% 53.70% math teachers 26% 36.60% education level (ba/bs) 78% 19.50% education level (ba/bs& td) 62% 26.80% educational level: master/phd 25% 44% teaching experience (less than 10 years) 54% 36.60% teaching experience (less than 5 years) 32% 22% training workshop and engagement (once or more per year) 72% 68% http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition january 2025, vol. 11, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 65 section 2: authentic learning and assessment implementation positive outcomes of authentic learning and assessment were recognized in lebanon and the uae, with over 70% practice in most areas. teachers' professional development, education, and experience, as well as their dedication, contributed to these remarkable results. notable practices were the use of real-world examples, designing learning activities based on real-world context, and project-based learning. table 2 authentic learning and assessment implementation practices key ideas lebanon uae definition of authentic learning and assessment 84% 73.20% use of real-life examples in teaching 82% 87.70% design of learning activities based on real-life context 72% 68.30% student assessment knowledge through real-world tasks or simulations 90% 84.50% metacognition and self-system 48% 36.60% project-based learning 94% 92.60% role playing 92% 78% problem-based learning 62% 51.20% inquiry-based learning 66% 51.20% use of technology tools 92% 90.20% incorporation of students reflection on authentic learning 78% 58.50% students presentation to authentic audience 74% 75.30% classroom connection to current events 74% 56.10% integration of real-world challenges into assessment 40% 31.70% experts' involvement in the teaching process 36% 19.50% assessment feedback (oral comments) 48% 43.90% assessment feedback (written comments) 36% 58.50% assessment feedback (rubrics) 44% 61% assessment feedback (scores) 28% 36.60% section 3: impact of authentic assessment on students' academic performance, behavior, and achievements lebanese teachers were more confident than their counterparts in the uae about the impact of authentic learning and assessment on students. lebanese teachers showed higher confidence in various categories, including motivation, student application, retention of knowledge, and satisfaction. this difference can be attributed to the http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition january 2025, vol. 11, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 66 socioeconomic conditions and environment which these students come from. however, teachers in both countries agreed on the positive impact of authentic learning and assessment on students, overall improvement in academic achievement, improvement in positive behavior, and preparing students for the real world. table 3 impact of authentic learning on students behavior, performance, and achievements key ideas lebanon uae significant effect of authentic assessment on academic performance 58% 51.20% significant students motivation enhancement 76% 48.80% significant students knowledge/application & retention 70% 39% significant enhancement of problem solving and critical thinking 70% 43.90% significant students collaboration and communication enhancement 70% 53.70% significant self-directing learning enhancement 62% 53.70% significant self-confidence increase 68% 36.60% significant students satisfaction increase in education 60% 36.60% promotes positive behavior and engagement in class 80% 65.90% fosters positive attitude towards learning 84% 70.70% prepares students for the real world 72% 61% increases ownership and responsibility 74% 48.80% improves overall academic achievement 60% 53.70% improves students’ overall school performance 70% 43.90% section 4 internal challenges and external barriers the following responses are divided into four categories. the first three categories address the personal challenges teachers encounter while planning, implementing, and evaluating authentic learning. these challenges are referred to as internal challenges. the fourth and final category deals with external barriers, such as policies implemented by schools or ministries. internal challenges teachers encounter during authentic learning planning teachers from lebanon and the uae faced similar challenges when planning authentic learning and assessment. their confidence in the strategies they used to align the content http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition january 2025, vol. 11, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 67 of their lessons with authentic learning and assessment is limited. time constraints and limitations were also common challenges in addition to less frequently listed challenges such as resource limitations, professional development, and appropriate methods used for authentic learning. differentiation was more of an issue in the uae due to the need to accommodate all types of learners from different cultural and educational backgrounds. lebanon faced technological issues, while the uae had to deal with student attitude challenges. table 4 the challenges during planning authentic learning in lebanon and uae internal challenges teachers encounter during authentic learning implementation teachers from lebanon and the uae encountered challenges in implementing authentic learning and assessment. the biggest challenges were classroom management and student engagement, followed by time constraints. issues such as preparation, content, student abilities, differentiation, assessment, and technological and financial issues were also noted. lebanese teachers faced more financial constraints than their counterparts in the uae. table 5 challenges during the implementation of authentic learning in lebanon and uae similarities in the challenges during implementation frequency in lebanon frequency in uae differences in the challenges during implementation frequency in lebanon frequency in uae student engagement and classroom management 15 12 technology 3 similar challenges frequency in lebanon frequency in uae different challenges frequency in lebanon frequency in uae content alignment with real world 26 13 technological issues 1 time constraints & limitations 11 9 student attitude 1 differentiation 2 10 resource limitations 1 3 professional development 1 1 appropriate methods used in authentic learning assessment 2 1 http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition january 2025, vol. 11, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 68 time constraints 15 10 adaptation to education trends 1 preparation and content 7 5 financial issues 7 students’ abilities 5 7 differentiation 3 6 assessment 2 6 internal challenges teachers encounter during authentic learning assessment processes teachers in lebanon and the uae face similar challenges when it comes to assessing authentic learning. the limited experience in using proper assessment instruments is a common issue in both countries. aligning assessments with curriculum standards and meeting students' needs are the other challenges. lebanese teachers expressed more confidence in meeting students' needs. in the uae, the challenge of formally assessing authentic learning is more common due to a strict summative assessment policy in most schools. the use of ai to cheat is also a concern in uae classrooms. table 6 challenges during the assessment process in lebanon and uae similarities in the challenges during the assessment process frequency in lebanon frequency in uae differences in the challenges during the assessment process frequency in lebanon frequency in uae limited experience in using proper assessment instruments 10 10 class size 1 authentic assessment alignment with the curriculum standards 5 4 policies 2 validity and measurability of the assessment 2 2 resource limitations 1 meeting students needs and levels 2 5 using ai and cheating 2 formal authentic assessment 1 6 language barrier 2 creating rubrics 2 2 time consuming 2 5 external barriers to successful implementation of authentic learning and assessment teachers in lebanon and the uae face similar challenges in incorporating authentic learning and assessment into their curriculum. lack of curriculum accommodation, limited http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition january 2025, vol. 11, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 69 resources, professional development, and student abilities are among the barriers mentioned in both countries. resistance to change is a particular concern in the uae as many curricula are followed in different schools to meet the needs and interests of all students, while lebanese teachers are more adaptable due to circumstances they encounter daily due to the socioeconomic conditions in lebanon. other issues include parental acceptance, stakeholder cooperation, funding, and limited access to real-world context in the uae. table 7 external barriers while implementing authentic learning in lebanon and uae similarities of external barriers frequency in lebanon frequency in uae di>erence s of external barriers frequency in lebanon frequency in uae curriculum accommodation 15 4 funding 1 limited time and resources 5 9 limited access to real-world context 2 professional development 5 5 taking di^erent student abilities into account 5 6 resistance to change 2 11 parents acceptance 1 5 cooperation and support amongst all stakeholders 1 5 class size 1 2 findings discussion despite facing internal and external challenges in the uae and lebanon, the study found significant similarities and differences among teachers. factors such as limited ict and lab resources, low-quality professional development, lack of time for lesson preparation, and difficulties in classroom management make the process of implementing authentic learning in classrooms complicated in both countries (helder, 2021). however, the teachers in the uae and lebanon were able to shift from traditional teaching practices and implement authentic learning and assessment significantly using different strategies http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition january 2025, vol. 11, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 70 such as integrating real-life examples and activities into teaching and learning, applying project-based learning, inquiry-based learning, and giving constructive feedback using oral comments and rubrics. teachers in both countries also showed similarities in the challenges and barriers that they faced, especially in areas such as time constraints, limited targeted professional development, differentiating instructions, and little curriculum accommodation for authentic learning and assessment. this highlights the need for an advanced continuous professional development program. other areas that need further improvement were found to be written feedback, expert involvement in the teaching process, time management, and the policies created by schools and ministries. due to time constraints, teachers often give oral feedback instead of written feedback. additionally, teachers are restricted by policies that govern the school environment, including inviting guest speakers to the schools, due to the bureaucratic system of obtaining security clearance. therefore, it is essential to build room for flexibility and manage time effectively. changing policies to allow for authentic teaching and assessment should also be done at the school and ministry levels. the main significant difference between lebanon and the uae was evident in the impact of authentic learning and assessment on the students. more teachers in lebanon recognize that authentic learning and assessment have a greater impact on students due to the need to generate critical thinkers and problem solvers to overcome the continuous economic, social, and environmental crises in lebanon. recommendations and conclusion after analyzing the evidence provided in this research, several recommendations can be suggested. firstly, it is recommended that the ministries of education worldwide, especially in lebanon and the uae, should incorporate authentic learning and assessment in their curriculum plan and design standards. this would allow the teachers to integrate authentic learning and assessment into their regular classroom practices. secondly, teachers should be empowered by giving them the opportunity to participate in the decision-making process and allowing their voices to be heard. thirdly, more professional development programs should be targeted towards authentic learning and assessment, the various tools implemented, and the methods of integrating them into everyday classroom practice. fourthly, there should be an increase in resources and funding for the application of real-world tasks and activities through the reconstruction of structures that enable better authentic learning and assessment. fifthly, the teacher's role in designing the curriculum and implementation should be enhanced to incorporate realworld issues and engage experts in the field in the teaching process. sixthly, school stakeholders should be made aware of authentic learning and assessment, which would encourage policymakers to invest more funding into schools, reshape the curriculum, and http://www.gpejournal.org/ global partners in education journal – special edition january 2025, vol. 11, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 71 encourage parents to demand authentic learning and assessment for their children. these recommendations can be implemented across the globe, particularly in less stable countries where authentic learning and assessment can prepare students to become better problem solvers and critical thinkers. finally, further longitudinal research should be conducted on authentic learning and assessment to measure its long-term impact on the students. in conclusion, the research emphasizes the transformative potential of authentic learning and assessment in education, advocating for a shift from traditional methods to foster skills in authentic and realistic situations worldwide including lebanon and uae. although educators face difficulties in designing authentic tasks, assessing student work holistically, and managing diverse classrooms, with targeted professional development, support from parents, schools, and stakeholders, and curriculum integration, authentic learning can be successfully implemented. despite the obstacles, authentic learning offers great benefits 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(1999). a true test: toward more authentic and equitable assessment. phi delta kappan, 703-713. retrieved from https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/003172171109200721 mr. nadim taha i currently work as the group b subjects coordinator and business teacher at ali bin abi taleb school, a public school in the united arab emirates under the management of emirates schools establishment. i earned a bachelor's degree in business management from the lebanese international university and an advanced diploma in business administration with a specialization in accounting from algonquin college. i am also in the process of completing my teaching diploma from the modern university of business and science. my initial professional research was on "authentic learning and assessment in lebanon and uae private schools: implementation, impacts, and challenges". i am particularly interested in further research in the field of authentic learning and its application. i have also worked on a curriculum design that was presented to al qassimi foundation of ras al khaimah and i am currently working towards implementing this curriculum. as an educator, i am deeply passionate about engaging in educational research and staying updated with the latest methods and practices, as it helps me understand their efficiency and effectiveness. mrs. samar thebian i am currently a physics and biology teacher at al najah school, a private institution in the united arab emirates. with eight years of experience in teaching math and science across various levels and curricula in lebanon and saudi arabia, i am dedicated to fostering student success. i hold a bachelor's degree in biology from notre dame university in lebanon and a teaching diploma from the modern university of business and science. i am committed to staying current with educational trends and actively seek professional development opportunities through workshops and webinars. my participation in research on authentic learning and assessment has significantly http://www.gpejournal.org/ https://publications.alqasimifoundation.com/en/education-reform-in-the-uae-0 https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/2345678906293042 https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/003172171109200721 global partners in education journal – special edition january 2025, vol. 11, no. 1 http://www.gpejournal.org issn 2163-758x 76 enhanced my understanding of effective teaching strategies, ultimately improving my students' learning outcomes. http://www.gpejournal.org/ 