Research based learning
This page is the result of the seminar "Managing teaching & learning cultures at an international university- A research-oriened seminar" with Mr.Korbidian Biller. The purpose of this seminar was to realize a research based on a process model, which indicates seven steps. Below you can find our research design and our experiences throught which we have passed during the whole semester. Each step had the purpose to move forward in our research and to make us reflect our thoughts, actions and decisions. Our research is based on the idea of interaction between students in multicultural classes. It is a contribution to our seminar and represents our own situation, students from different cultures working in teams.
Our research design
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1. Pick a topic
The aim of the first step was to brainstorm about topics we are interested in regarding the field of “Teaching and learning culture at an international university” and to choose one concept/research topic we will work on during our group research.
We worked out a mind map and elaborated several subfields. Then we extracted concepts out of this subfields and chose one to be our research topic.
How we did it: We used brainstorming techniques and then structured our ideas in hierarchical way. At the beginning it was difficult to choose one topic we want to work on, because we didn’t have enough information about it, but it was significant that we elaborated it by our own from the very beginning. We learned how to develop a research topic out of one big field.
We came back to our first step many times, so we did our mind map three times with the purpose to dig depper and to elaborate a very specific topic
- This was the moment when we chose the topic "interaction"
2. Consider Environment
The goal of the second step of our research was to elaborate the chosen topic and consider its place in the research environment.
At this level we did another mind map to specify our research topic. We searched for articles and other scientific sources in order to collect more information about our research field and to understand its place in the scientific environment (what was already done, which problems researchers had).
How we did it: We used all collected information to put our ideas in the right order. It was difficult to find specific scientific sources which exactly matched our research topic. It was also complicated to overview the whole research field, because we didn’t have enough information and we needed an expert advice. The positive side of this stage was that we gained more knowledge about our topic and formed a concept of what should be done in our research. We learned how to search for scientific sources in the field and how to find information which will be is useful for our specific question.
- The second picture reflects the moment when we developed a new mind map for our topic
- The third picture shows the moment when we tried to improve our mind map
3.Dig deeper
Articles related to our topic
Inclusive approaches to effective communication and active participation in the multicultural classroom – Glauco de Vita
The article deals with the cultural diversity of students in a British international business management class.
First contextual aspects of intercultural communication are analyzed, like stereotypes, pronunciation, rate of speech, the use of metaphors, literacy and plagiarism. One key issue are stereotypes which need to be challenged in multicultural groups. They have influence on the international communication and by facing them, intercultural boundaries can be minimized. Also, language factors can cause misunderstandings. Pronunciation is mostly very important for non-native English speakers because they try to speak as understandable as they can to avoid misunderstandings. It is important for students to understand the lectures, so pronunciation is an issue also for the teachers. Colloquialism is used a lot in lectures and the daily life. To make sure the non-native speakers understand the meaning of these idioms it is necessary to explain them while using. The same happens when it comes to analogies and metaphors. Expressions always must be explained for students who come from a different cultural background. Also in written texts the background gets obvious. The discourse style is different in every culture which means that something that seems to be unstructured can be in accordance with the discourse style of the home country. If teachers want students to apply local discourse rules they must be explained. Also, bibliographic rules and plagiarism need an explanation. The concept and knowledge of plagiarism is not the same in every country and can cause problems.
Another important aspect of the text is the participation in discussions and work groups. For some students participation in class is completely new and they are afraid to speak. It is not common in every culture to use participation methods in class. To encourage participation some teachers use the grading system, other try to motivate the students with group work. Important is also the atmosphere in the class room. Not only between the students also the relation between student and teacher needs to be good. Positive influence helps the integration and adjustment.
The article shows the influence of cultural background on the learning but also on the teaching style. With the increasing number of international students the culture gets more and more important in class.
Participative pedagogies, group work and the international classroom: an account of students‘ and tutors‘ experience – Carole Jane Elliott, Michael Reynolds
The paper examines the problems emerging from intercultural work groups. The aim of the text is to understand the sociopolitical process of work groups and present ideas for future support of students and teachers.
After reviewing various research findings from other authors about the impact and circumstances of intercultural group works the authors try to find ways of improving group work experiences for the students. Baker and Clark found out that working in groups improved the understanding of cultural differences but at the same time the lecturers do not feel prepared for this type of work.
For most students it is unfamiliar to give feedback to their own group members. They must be encouraged, and the different working styles need to be combined while working in groups. To find out the preferences, thoughts and ideas of the international students the authors examined the research data from their own class.
The first problem is the aspect of member choice and control. Students want to work with their friends but also expand their experience and work with strangers. Another aspect is the commitment of the group members. Differences in effort and working styles influence the choice of members. Also, language influences the work in class. Arguments needs to be understood to guarantee a pleasant discussion. Even the amount of contribution is cultural related. If there are dominant students in class or in the group others could get afraid to contribute their opinion.
The authors found out that most of the research on group dynamic is based on psychology. New perspectives are needed to understand the influence of culture on processes of power, authority and difference. For this reason, critical perspectives need to be involved in the research and improvement of intercultural group work, as compensatory, multicultural and anti-racist. The authors conclusion consists in the teachers’ preparation to offer theoretical explanations for the complex process of intercultural participatory courses.
Expert Interview with Setfanie Vogler-Lipp, Centre of intercultural Learning at the Viadrina University
Before the interview we had some vague ideas about our research, that is why we wanted our expert to clear them up. We had different feelings at that point: a confused one before the interview and an enthusiastic one after the interview and a confused one again when we tried to choose our research question. Our expert gave us so many ideas that our first thought was "our research will be great!". We had so many ideas.That was the moment when we realised that the best ideas come to your mind when you discuss them. The interview was about discussions and sharing thoughts and ideas. According to our basic idea of interaction in a multicultural class our expert gave us some suggestions: a triangle model, the effect of multicultural class on students. She also suggested ways how we could find the method and tips for the survey. So, the interview was very productive for us. The problem was that we couldn´t choose a specific and measurable question. It was hard making decisions, even more because we had too many options. One mistake was that we took the triangle model even though we didn´t find many information about it and still we went on.
4. Research Question
Our research question is "How do international students perform in team-work groups at the Viadrina Univesity" and is the result of a process: mind map, articles that we read, interview with an expert and many reconstructions. During the research we changed the question several times. This happened as result of the desire to formulate the "right question" from the big amount of ideas. I remember that at one moment I had a page with possible questions but didn´t know which one to choose. So, our basic idea was a result of our mind map, namely the interaction between students. Then we tried to make it more specific and we targeted international students at Viadrina Unversity. We added then two concepts, background and environment, because of reading the articles. We showed this idea to our expert who shaped it and gave us a framework. The triangle model has three parts: situation, culture and identity. However, this step was the one which caused most of our problems because of two things: the topic was too broad and the concepts of culture and identity were too wide to measure in such a short research time. So even if during the whole research we tried to fix our question we failed because we changed just the shape without solving the real problem, namely being specific and measurable.
(Our first questions)
(After the previous steps we put together and organized our ideas. Then we had the first version of our research question "How does culture influence the level of interaction within Viadrina University?")
KEEP
IT
SMART &
SIMPLE
7. Final Reflection
What we learned:
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Don´t move forward if something is unclear. A problem which doesn´t seem important at the beginning will influence your whole work.
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Don´t skip problems.
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Always choose a specific question instead of a broad one.
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The preview of literature is a very important step.
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Define the concepts you will use as clear as possible.
What was difficult:
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To take decision and choose which ideas are the best ones.
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To find possible problems before starting the research.
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To be simple in your questionnaire.
What we liked:
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The research was mainly about us. I was not just about our academic knowledge, more about reflection, perspectives, personality and values.
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We learned that the everything is about perspective.
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Everyone is shaped by a individual and particular culture star. So, we learned that culture is also subjective.
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We had the opportunity to work in a team, which means to learn taking decision by consensus and doing your task in time.
The goal of our activities was to go through all stages of the research cycle working on a specific research question. During this seminar we followed all steps of the research cycle. At the beginning we elaborated a specific topic “How does culture influence the level of interaction in the international university”. At the stage “Considering the environment” we searched for scientific sources and collected more information about our research field. Then we “dig deeper” and had an interview with an expert in the field of Cultural studies in order to receive an insight and take advice for future steps. After the interview we added the triangle of Culture-Identity-Situation to our research problem. Then we developed main research questions to “The behavior of international students in team-work” and concentrated on “team work” as a specific interaction activity. We elaborated the research design for this question. After making a survey we made reflections about positive and unsatisfying results. In all stages we divided tasks between group members and made discussions about the process. The most difficult thing for us was to determine the specific research question and elaborate survey questions which will give specific result. Our mistake was to take a very broad issue which doesn’t fit our time and resources constraints. We should have been more specific. We are satisfied that we did our survey and experienced real research process. Now we know how important it is to develop a clear research question. We learned how to make operationalization and prepare survey questions. Next time we want to be more specific and concentrate on one aspect.
5. Research Design
Our research design was a result of two things: a brain storming and a struggle with decisions and perspectives. So for this step we had two problems whose main causes were the research question. The first one was to decide which alternative was better. The second one was that we did not have scientific basis for our operationalization, considering that the main concepts were culture and identity. The real mistake was that we took that concepts like two different ones. And even if our operationalization were very well structured and clear we could not reach available results. Regarding the survey questions we elaborated them through a brain storming but we changed details several times. Criteria of our research design were to be simple and to be in accordance with our preferences. We thought that we did a good job, but we didn´t consider the validity of results. So problems appeared at the end, when one of us figured that out and tried to restore the operationalization but missed the principle of simplicity. Considering that, both research designs had flaws. We kept the simple one because it was closer to the main idea and was the result of our work during the semester.
6. Research - Survey Questionnaire and Results
Summary of the interpretation of the results
For our Research we did a small survey with three international students of the Viadrina University. In relation to our Research question: How does culture and identity influence the level of interaction within international group works? – we focused on how students behave in working groups and which are the factors that influence this work.
We found out that our participants are used to work in groups. It seems that students know about the difficulties that can erase in group works. Then they try to behave fair and find a solution for misunderstandings or bring different ideas together. The survey showed that the students are more comfortable with facing problem in direct communication. The evaluation between imposing ideas and finding compromises is quite equal, which shows that students try to handle problems with patience and fairness. Students are also aware of the linguistic differences which they try to solve through better explanations.
In conclusion we found out that international students at the Viadrina University know about potential difficulties in group works. The survey showed that culture and identity influence the working style of groups. To clarify the influence of different factors it is necessary to realize more research with a specific and narrow research question.
Survey Questionnaire and Results
1.Your gender is: 3x Male
2.Your home state is: Peru, Spain, Ghana
3.In which countries did you live before? Germany, Russia
4.You age is: 30, 25, 26
5.At which faculty do you study at the Viadrina? 1x Business Administration, 2x Cultural Sciences
6.Which degree? 3x Master
7.Which semester? 1x Second semester, 2x 3semester
8.How many times have you worked in teams? 10 +
9. On a scale from 1 to 7, where 1 means not at all and 7 very much, how much to you trust in person that
a. you know 3x 7
b. don’t know 1, 2, 4
10. Do you feel comfortable when you have to change things in group work? 3x Yes
11. When you have a different opinion than the majority of the group, what do you do?
a. Impose your idea b. Give up c. Try to mix the ideas d. Something else(what?)
2x c, 1x b, 1xd: Say it
12. If someone doesn’t do the tasks what you do?
a. Start a fire b. Do his task c. Nothing d.Get him out of the team f. Something else(what?)
3x f: Talk and try to solve the problem
13. What position you prefer in team work?
a. Follower b. Coordinator c. Leader
2x b, 1x a
14. What are your goals for your study?
a. good grades b. Knowledge c. safe future d. other
3x b, 1x a
15. When you work in multicultural team do you understand the person with different ideas?
3x Yes
16. How much do you speak in group works– from 1 to 7?
3x 5
17. On a scale from 1 to 7, where 1 means not at all and 7 very much, how important is the language that you use for the group work?
5, 6, 7
18. What communication channels do you prefer?
a. face to face b. Internet c. Others A.
3x a
19. Where do you study the best?
a. library
b. home
c. university
d. cafeteria
e. other
2x a, 1x b, 1x c
20. On a scale from 1 to 7, where 1 means not at all and 7 very much, how important is your interest in the topic?
3, 5, 7
21. Do you think the interest in the topic relates to your commitment?
2x Yes, 1x No
22. What is your family position toward your education?
a. They support you b. they force you c. they let you to choose d. they do not care
2x a, 1x c
23. Do you consider yourself as a representative of your culture?
2x Yes, 1x No
24. On a scale from 1 to 7, where 1 means not at all and 7 very much, how important is the punctuality of group members in
a. group meetings 5, 6, 7
b. keeping deadlines 2x 6, 1x 7
25. Is it common to have participatory classes in your home country?
2x Yes, 1x No
26. How do you evaluate the relations in your home university?
a.It is very formal, strong hierarchy
b. Informal relations play a bigger role
1x a, 2x b
27. When you work in multicultural teams do you feel that some members understand the task/situation in a completely different way?
3x Yes
28. Do you think you perform better in group work than individual?
2x Yes, 1x No
29. When you work in team do you like: (multiple choice)
a. to divide tasks for each person
b. To work on the same tasks together
c. To discuss face to face
d. To have a leader
2x b, 1x a
30. Did you have problems with your team members? What kind?
2x No, 1x Yes: Misunderstandings
31. How did you manage that?
Explain myself
32. On a scale from 1 to 7, where 1 means not at all and 7 very much, how much does the relation between team members influence the final result?
3, 4, 7
33. Which from the next factors you think that influence the final result?
a. topic
b. Implication of teacher
c. Language
d. Good communication between members
e. clear division of tasks
f. Other
1x a, 2x d, 2x e
34. In what kind of group do you prefer to work?
a. multicultural group b. monocultural c. both
2x c, 1x a
35. What kind of personal contribution into group work is most important?
a.to participate in group meetings
b.to do your tasks on time
c.to do your tasks
d.to create new ideas
e.to keep deadline
f. other
2x a, 2x c, 2x e, 1x b, 1x b
What did help us to reflect
During the research we reflected on our personality and our culture and we tried to figure out how these influenced our decisions.
For this we used the culture star model, where we identified groups which influence our personality. We also understood that everyone is different because of their subjective culture view.
Another concept that helped us to reflect was the comfort zone model. We thought about our actions and we classified them acording to our comfort zone.