Pedagogic ResearchThe Nature of Cross-Cultural Teaching and

Learning

Dr. Alison Morrison

University of Strathclyde

PROJECT MANAGEMENT & IMPLEMENTATION

Overall project management: Dr. Alison Morrison, Director of Research

Research Principal: Dr. Dennis Nickson, Iran Programme Manager

Research Principal: Bill Johnston, Centre for Academic Practice

PROJECT BACKGROUND

In 1999 The Scottish Hotel School (SHS) established an offshore higher education provision in Tehran

Students complete a two-year diploma devised by SHS delivered by Iranian lecturers

SHS personnel deliver the third year in Tehran leading to a BA Hotel & Hospitality Management degree

PEDAGOGIC ISSUES

Quality assurance Cross-cultural dimensions Offshore challenges Geographically volatile environment Politically charged following 1979 Islamic Revolution Current Iraq war situation

PROJECT AIMS

Investigate the impact of cross-cultural features at a micro-level within the context of the learning & teaching environment

Examine the implications of widening participation in higher education cross-culturally

Analyse appropriate innovative & effective learning & teaching practices

PROJECT OBJECTIVES

Culturally align learning & teaching approaches that achieve stated educational objectives

Formulate learning & teaching strategies that explicitly recognise & address the diversity of cultural profiles

Provide an evidence-based example of innovative & effective learning & teaching methods with reference to QAA frameworks

PROJECT METHODOLOGY:Phase 1

Review associated documentation:– Course design– Class outlines– Teaching packages– QAA evaluation reports– Samples of student coursework– Minutes of review boards etc.

PROJECT METHODOLOGY:Phase 2

Fieldwork Tehran– Focus groups with the total first cohort of 38 student– In-depth taped interviews with a sample of 5 of the

students– Focus groups with Iranian lecturers & senior staff

within the educational institute

STUDENT EXPERIENCE

‘The induction programme in my opinion wasvery good – professional and it made us think

that Strathclyde really cared about us..’

‘They taught us how to be more in control of whatwe learn through asking questions and being more

active in and out the classroom to find out informationto help our studies.’

STUDENT EXPERIENCE

Our teacher was different from Iranian teachers..if I wanted them to help me out of class, I could

run to them with a question and they would spendtime helping me to understand things’

‘I was used to memorising the lessons and then cometo the exam and just write like a parrot and this

escapes from your mind very easily’

PROJECT METHODOLOGY:Phase 3

Fieldwork SHS– Taped in-depth interviews with all SHS staff who had been

involved in the management & delivery of the programme in Tehran

– Written reflections from each of these persons reflecting on the key issues & challenges they encountered following the ‘surfacing’ of trains of thought in the interview

– Focus group to discuss findings from two stages above & to consider implications for future

TEACHER EXPERIENCES

‘..one of the issues is the challenge to professionalism…I was a female teaching in a very male dominated

environment…personnel seem determined to undermineprofessionalism’

‘There was excellent social interaction within the groupwhich didn’t have a gendered image’

TEACHER EXPERIENCES

‘Using teaching materials of western origin didn’tcause a problem, in fact the students were perhaps

more interested because I was a foreign teacherrather than someone perpetuating what was

happening in Iran.’

‘It is a culture of an intelligent nation that has gonethrough turbulent times. There is an extremist

approach to organising society but what you see nowis the emergence of a generation that is questioning

these values.’

PROJECT METHODOLOGY:Phase 4

Analysis, synthesis, conclusions & recommendations

Currently this is on-going

SOME EARLY FINDINGS

Professionalism in course design & practice of teaching & learning as important as staff/student cultural background

Fundamental human aspects of the ‘learning alliance’ such as rapport, trust, reliability, commitment & ambition appear to have been significant in achieving a genuine breaking down of cultural barriers

Attention to the practical and pedagogical features of offshore micro culture & context is crucial

SOME MORE EARLY FINDINGS

The nature of critical thinking & its explicit positioning in offshore, cross-cultural teaching programmes may provide a major focus in future development of teaching & learning strategies

Given the nexus of global, international, regional and local relationships represented in the discipline of hospitality management it would seem essential to develop a strong sense of cross cultural influences in teaching the socio-political dimensions of the field of study

EXPECTED OUTCOMES

Development of teaching & learning strategies & practices that are transferable & generalisable within wider international HE environment

Enhancement of learning & teaching methods within HLST subject specific areas

Understanding & knowledge contribution to the nature of cross-country & offshore teaching