P.J. Moore-Jones, Ed.D

Emirati students at public universities have a wide demographic of faculty members teaching them courses in their second language, English. These faculty members bring with them their own cultural assumptions, epistemologies and use of language which at times are in stark contrast to those of the students.The aim of the research is to shed light on the effects that a multicultural faculty have on a monocultural student body and vice versa. This study looks at both faculty and students’ perceptions of public tertiary education in the UAE. Namely, the research questions surround themes regarding the benefits and pitfalls of multiculturalism in a university environment.Contentions are made based on qualitative data received regarding the levels of intercultural competence of both faculty and students. Noted are the importance of intercultural competence, how and why it is significant to have not only as a globalized member of a multicultural teaching faculty but how and why it is a cen...

Chinese students studying in the United States face great challenges when adapting to cultural,
linguistic, and pedagogical differences. Although discouraged in the literature, self-segregation is
a practice common among some international students and is especially prevalent in the Chinese
community. This qualitative study explored the motivation and frequency of this practice vis-à-vis
social support, and its effect on the participants’ sense of belonging. Insider status was employed
to conduct focus groups of mainland Chinese students currently enrolled in graduate programs at
a Mid-Atlantic University in the United States. Findings from the study explore how
administrators, educators, and the students themselves view the practice of self-segregation and its
consequences.

The ideas, terms and concepts surrounding intercultural competence are robust and offer varying degrees, phases and precursors. Working off of the definitions, models and stages of previous works, this review starts by providing working definitions of culture, intercultural sensitivity, intercultural competence and intercultural intelligence. This presentation of literature is sequenced in a way to give insight into how and why each of these terms lead into and overlap each other and how a causal relationship is manifested in each step. This review is approached through the lens of education and how these concepts can and are applied in a classroom environment. Conclusions are made regarding the linear, yet not prescriptive relationship among these steps.

Emirati students studying at the University of the Emirates, one of three major public institutions of higher learning in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), have a wide demographic of faculty members teaching them an equally wide variety of courses. These faculty members bring with them their own cultural assumptions, methods, expectations, educational practices and use of language.The history of multiculturalism in the UAE coupled with the contemporary multiculturalism that exists in higher education Dubai create intriguing phenomena within the classroom. This study seeks to delve into students' and faculty members' perceptions of the social stratification that exists in this context. Data were collected via semi-structured interviews with both faculty and students and analyzed from an interpretivist perspective. Findings suggest the social stratification with is deeply-seeded in the multicultural history of the region and country are reflected in the everyday interworkings of education in modern day Dubai in both beneficial and detrimental ways. The relevance of this research lies in that these findings can provide valuable insights into not only the attitudes and perceptions of these Emirati students but might also apply to any international institutions which accept Emirati students.

Emirati students studying at the University of the Emirates, one of three major public institutions of higher learning in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), have a wide demographic of faculty members teaching them an equally wide variety of courses. These faculty members bring with them their cultural assumptions, methods, expectations, educational practices and use of language. While previous studies in multiculturalism explore how faculty members engage, know and understand a multicultural student population, the focus of this study is to explore the differing academic practices, expectations and outcomes in regards to the diversity of cultures from each side of the classroom. Through this research, I sought to better understand the how the dynamic of having a multicultural teaching faculty differs from what one might call a more traditional cultural education setting in which both the faculty members and students were of the same national culture. All parties involved, being multicultural teaching faculty, any student who encounters multiculturalism in education and any administration that employs such multiculturalism in education are stakeholders for whom such findings are relevant.

Public tertiary education in Dubai and all of the United Arab Emirates is comprised primarily of expatriates with virtually no local representation in the teaching faculty. Students have a wide variety of nationalities teaching them from class to class. Teachers come to Dubai and encounter Emirati culture with varying levels of exposure to it, Arab culture or even the Islamic religion. Efforts are made to make this transition easier for faculty members by a week-long Orientation program for newly-arrived faculty members however, it is debated as to whether these efforts are effective in developing teachers' intercultural competence to live, effectively teach and thrive in this educational environment which may be vastly different from any cultural or educational model they have previously encountered. This study explores teaching faculty currently employed at the University of the Emirates (pseudonym), and their perceptions of the transmission model of Cultural Orientation or the experiential model that may take several years to complete. Local Emirati students and Faculty participants, from various regional and religious backgrounds were questioned about their perceived levels of intercultural competence and what has led them to these levels.

Emirati students at public universities have a wide demographic of faculty members teaching them courses in their second language, English. These faculty members bring with them their own cultural assumptions, epistemologies and use of language which at times are in stark contrast to those of the students. The aim of the research is to shed light on the effects that a multicultural faculty have on a monocultural student body and vice versa. This study looks at both faculty and students’ perceptions of public tertiary education in the UAE. Namely, the research questions surround themes regarding the benefits and pitfalls of multiculturalism in a university environment.
Contentions are made based on qualitative data received regarding the levels of intercultural competence of both faculty and students. Noted are the importance of intercultural competence, how and why it is significant to have not only as a globalized member of a multicultural teaching faculty but how and why it is a central skill the fresh graduates must develop during their undergraduate careers.

As professionals in the TESOL industry, we often proudly profess to have had a wealth of international experience and with it, worldly knowledge. Our job is one which, if desired, can take us to multiple destinations and posts around the world which often are diverse in language, ontology, religion, landscape and autochthonous cultures. Some of us have had the opportunities to explore places quite different from our own homelands and with this comes not only cultural awareness, linguistic ability, a heightened sense of our own place in the world but an acute ability of intercultural competence.

There is perhaps no place quite as unique as the United Arab Emirates. It has seen and continues to see rapid progress in industry, architecture and business but these pale in comparison to the linguistic and cultural hybridity that dictates the public and educational lives of its residents, both expatriate and national.
This position paper seeks to address and dissect the trends and practices of this phenomenon in the world of higher education as well as the residual effects the secondary school system have on the Emiratis students who currently populate its tertiary institutions which deliver its content through the medium of the English language.