Do students value intercultural group work? The effects of perceived value in diversity on intercultural interactions

ABSTRACT

To understand under what conditions intercultural group work (IGW) leads to more intercultural interactions, a survey was conducted among local students (n = 80) and international students (n = 153) in Dutch universities. In this study, students were more inclined to engage in intercultural interactions when they perceived that working with culturally diverse others prepared them to work and live in a diverse setting. The positive association was strengthened when students perceived that diversity, in terms of nationality within their work group, was also beneficial for accomplishing their group task. The findings demonstrate the significance of students’ perceptions of IGW, including the perceived general value for personal development and intellectual benefits related to specific tasks. This implies that institutions and teachers could be made responsible for engaging with innovative educational methods to address and incorporate student diversity into curriculum.

KEYWORDS:

• Diversity
• intercultural group work
• intercultural interactions
• value of diversity

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank the programme coordinators for giving us permission and assistance in the data collection and thank the participants involved in the study for generously sharing their learning experiences.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the China Scholarship Council funding (File No. 201907720049).

Notes on contributors

Weiwei Li

Weiwei Li is a Ph.D. candidate works at the Centre for Internationalisation of Education, Campus Fryslân, University of Groningen, Wirdumerdijk 32, 8911CE Leeuwarden, The Netherlands. Weiwei Li completed her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Education Sciences in China. Currently, she is conducting Ph.D. research on student diversity and intercultural teaching and learning in European higher education with particular emphasis on intercultural group work.

Sabine Otten

Sabine Otten, PhD, is full professor at the Department of Psychology, Faculty of Behavioural and Social Sciences, University of Groningen. Her area of expertise is intergroup relations and social integration. In recent years, she and her collaborators especially focused on (cultural) diversity, both at the workplace and within Higher Education institutions. The conditions under which diversity can provide added value, and the determinants and outcomes of psychological inclusion are core issues in her work.

Indira S.E. Van der Zande

Indira S.E. Van der Zande, PhD, is Assistant Professor Ethics & Education at the Department of Governance and Innovation and Programme Director of the BSc Global Responsibility & Leadership at the Campus Fryslân, University of Groningen. Her research focuses on responsible leadership and inclusion and internationalisation in higher education, with the aim to conduct research to inform educational practices.

Robert Coelen

Robert Coelen, PhD, is an emeritus professor at NHL Stenden UAS and Director of the Centre for Internationalisation of Education, Campus Fryslân, University of Groningen. His area of expertise is internationalisation of education and sees this aspect with the lens of diversity. The benefits of placing internationalisation in the broader context of diversity in general are the expansion of opportunities at all levels of education to equip students with the wherewithal for intercultural competence.