Quality of Intercultural Experiences and Development of Intercultural Sensitivity: Case Study of Teachers Working With Refugee Children

• In Event: Navigating Disconnects Between Student and Teacher Identities

Abstract

Intercultural sensitivity is critical for teachers’ work especially in schools with diverse student populations. However, there are contradictory findings regarding the relationship between intercultural sensitivity development and intercultural experiences. This article offers insights into intercultural sensitivity development of educators working with refugee children. Within a context of a larger mixed-methods study, based on teachers’ reflections on several personal, education and work-related intercultural experiences, teachers reveal variations in how they encounter intercultural experiences (intrinsic motivation vs. extrinsic circumstances), individual differences within experiences, and in how these experiences are internalized. These findings point out the need to reexamine how we study intercultural experiences as factors contributing to intercultural sensitivity development of educators.

Authors

• Ekaterina Strekalova-Hughes, Columbus State University

• X. Christine Wang, University at Buffalo - SUNY