Browsing by Subject "Intercultural"
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Item Conceptualizations of friendship between Chinese international students and U.S. nationals(2008-12) Huang, Yijia; Heuman, Amy N.; Olaniran, Bolanle A.; Punyanunt-Carter, Narissa M.The purpose of this qualitative study is to add to the understanding of intercultural friendships between Chinese students and United States nationals. The following research questions are posed: 1) How do Chinese international students and U.S. nationals conceptualize friendship, 2) how do these conceptualizations of friendship impact their intercultural relationships, 3) what types of communicative challenges do Chinese students face in developing friendship with U.S. nationals, and vice versa, and 4) what factors hinder Chinese international students from making friends with U.S. nationals, and vice versa? 22 Chinese international students and U.S. nationals participated in in-depth interviews. The results revealed friendship conceptualizations in both Chinese and U.S. cultures from three main aspects: level of friendship, function of friendship, and quality of friendship. The study also explores future directions for research in the areas of intercultural friendship.Item Examining (my)self: An autoethnographic exploration of cultural identity negotiation(Texas Tech University, 2005-08) Stow, Brandon D.; Heuman, Amy N.; Hughes, Patrick C.; Williams, David E.This thesis is an autoethnographic exploration of my dialectic cultural identity negotiation. Utilizing autoethnographic inquiry through the use of autoethnographic episodic narratives and Martin and Nakayama’s (2004) notion of cultural dialectics, I explore the contradictions that occur between the identities of critical scholar, Christian, and heterosexual white male. This study serves to build upon autoethnographic and cultural identity scholarship, specifically scholarship that interrogates the social, cultural, and political systems of power such that of white heteronormative privilege. I carry out this examination by evocatively sharing my experiences with the hope that readers will be able to know themselves in a deeper manner, as interrogating yourself in this manner is the first step toward true social change (McIntosh, 1988).Item The Intercultural Development of Aspiring Leaders at Texas A and M(2011-10-21) Palsa, Michele M.As we continue to work toward a better understanding of global issues and intercultural sensitivity, educators must identify areas where we can facilitate positive change in ourselves and in our students. This descriptive study incorporates the Intercultural Development Inventory to measure orientations toward cultural differences of three aspiring student groups, the Corps of Cadet Leaders, the Peer Diversity Leaders and the Tsunami Fulbright Leaders, as described in the Developmental Model of Intercultural Sensitivity (DMIS). The DMIS assumes that construing cultural difference can become an active part of one?s worldview, resulting in an expanded understanding of one?s own and other cultures, and an increased competence and sensitivity in intercultural relations. The quantitative portion of this study was reported using appropriate quantitative techniques. The data collected was processed and initially scored using the Intercultural Development Inventory (IDI). Data was then further analyzed using a statistical software program (SPSS) and statistical correlations, multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVAs) were computed. This study is unique in that it breaks new ground in the measurement of the levels of intercultural sensitivity of three groups of students from various organizations at the university level. The Intercultural Development Inventory, distributed to 38 students, revealed that students in this small study are all in a stage of denial, defense or minimization. The study points to recommendations for change, from a developmental training perspective, to encourage students to become effective in their intercultural relationships. Use of the IDI and interventions to assist in finding ways to increase cultural sensitivity will assist aspiring student leaders in all walks of life.