Making talk work: using a dialogic approach to develop intercultural competence with students at an Australian university

ABSTRACT

Despite clear claims that higher education institutions prepare graduates for a world that is increasingly globalised, diverse and interconnected, how best to develop intercultural competence in places of learning is less clear. Drawing focus to a purpose-built intercultural programme, this paper explores the development of intercultural competence within a group of culturally diverse students at a regional Australian university. Eight students participated in a series of forums that were guided by a dialogic approach to facilitate discussion around cross-cultural topics. Through a fine-grained qualitative analysis of interviews and reflections, students were found to develop a deeper self-awareness and understanding of others’ views and reported better seeing themselves in a global context. The programme also promoted greater individual awareness around adjusting communication skills to relate to others, and students reflected on what it might mean to interact in a broader global society. This paper highlights the value of intentionally promoting cross-cultural interactions in higher education learning spaces and offers a dialogic approach as a way forward for universities to produce globally ready students.

KEYWORDS:

• Intercultural competence
• dialogic interaction
• higher education
• intercultural programme
• Australia

Disclosure statement

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

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Johanna Einfalt

Johanna Einfalt completed her PhD at QUT in 2019 and is currently a Lecturer in the School of Education and Tertiary Access at USC. Her research interests include dialogic pedagogy, developing intercultural competence and the successful transition of students to the university environment. In 2012, she was awarded a national citation for co-implementing a collaborative assessment support model.

Jennifer Alford

Jennifer Alford, PhD, is an Associate Professor at QUT in the School of Teacher Education and Leadership, Faculty of Education, Queensland University of Technology (QUT). Her research interests are intercultural competence for teachers, teaching in multilingual settings, critical literacy for English language learners, and English teachers’ interpretation and enactment of curricula.

Maryanne Theobald

Maryanne Theobald, PhD, is an Associate Professor in the School of Early Childhood and Inclusive Education at Queensland University of Technology (QUT). Her research focuses on communication practices and social interaction of children’s participation, friendships, disputes and peer cultures in classrooms, playgrounds, in multilingual and therapy settings.