Intercultural learning across contexts
Keywords:
International youth exchange, Intercultural learning, Cultural diversity, Intercultural communication, Learner-identityAbstract
International youth work in Europe (i.e. non-formal learning) demands a renewal of the
prominent intercultural theory and framework in the youth field in order to cope with
contemporary questions concerning pluralism and global challenges. This article provides a new
theoretical framework for intercultural learning that departs from a complex, multicultural, social
reality. Furthermore, the article explores how young people today experience international youth
exchanges as arenas for learning in relation to other learning arenas in and out of school. The
data consists of interviews and participant observation of a Norwegian youth group preparing
for, participating in and reflecting on their experiences in an international youth exchange
programme. The findings show that participation in international youth exchanges, in addition to
cultural knowledge, may contribute to increased motivation for learning, enhanced selfunderstanding
and personal growth that seems transferable to other contexts. Furthermore,
global youth culture plays a crucial role in young people`s experiences of being like one another
across national borders, cultures and social realities.
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References
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globalization and education. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press.
Svane, M. (2004). Interkulturel dynamik i kulturmødet: en fænomenologisk, individorienteret
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8962. Unipub.
Vasbø, K. (under review). Interkulturelt ungdomsarbeid i spennet mellom gamle og nye
forestillinger om kulturell forskjellighet. Tidsskrift for Ungdomsforskning, 2013 (2).
Vertovec, S. (2007). Super-diversity and its implications. Ethnic and Racial Studies, 30(6),
1024-1054.
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speech. In R. W. Rieber & A. S. Carton (Eds.), The collected works of L. S. Vygotsky. New
York: Plenum Press.
Wenger, E. (1998). Communities of practice: Learning, meaning, and identity. Cambridge:
Cambridge University Press.
Wortham, S. (2006). Learning identity: The joint emergence of social identification and
academic learning. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Bakhtin, M. & Slaattelid, R. (2005). Spørsmålet om talegenrane. Oslo: Pensumtjenesten.
Bakhtin, M., Holquist, M., & Emerson, C. (1981). The dialogic imagination: Four essays. Austin:
University of Texas Press.
Binkley, M., Erstad, O., Herman, J., Raizen, S., & Ripley, M. (2010). Draft White Paper 1:
Defining 21st CenturySkills. Retrieved from http://www.voced.edu.au/content/ngv57352
Bryman, A. (2008). Social research methods. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Dahl, Ø. (2006). Bridges of understanding: Perspectives on intercultural communication. In Ø.
Dahl, I. Jensen, & P. Nynäs (Eds.), Bridges of understanding: Perspectives on intercultural
communication. Oslo: Unipub Forlag.
Delors, J. (1996). Learning: The treasure within: Report to UNESCO of the International
Commission on Education for the Twenty-first Century. Paris: UNESCO Publishing.
Denzin, N. K & Lincoln, Y. S. (2003). Introduction. In N. K. Denzin & Y. S. Lincoln (Eds.), The
landscape of qualitative research: Theories and issues. London: Sage.
Fennes, H. & Hapgood, K. (1997). Intercultural learning in the classroom: Crossing borders.
London: Cassell.
Ford, M. E., & Nichols, C. W. (1991). Using a goal assessment to identify motivational patterns
and facilitate behavioral regulation and achievement. In M. Maehr, & P. R. Pintrich (Eds.),
Goals and self-regulatory processes. Advances in motivation and achievement, Vol. 7 (pp.
61-84). Greenwich, CT: JAI Press.
Friesenhahn, G. J., Schild, H., Wicke, H-G. & Balogh, J. (2013). Introduction. In G. J.
Friesenhahn, H. Schild, H-G. Wicke, & J. Balogh (Eds.), Learning mobility and non-formal learning in European contexts: Policies, approaches and examples. Paris: European
Commission.
Gee, J. P. (1999). An introduction to discourse analysis: Theory and method. New York:
Routledge.
Gomes, R. & Cunha, T. (2008). Against the waste of experiences in intercultural learning.
COYOTE, 13, 8-14.
Gomes, R. (2009). In the background of the seminar. Outlining twenty years of experience. In I.
Ramberg (Ed.), Intercultural learning in European youth work: Which way forward?
Strasbourg: Council of Europe Publishing.
Hall, E.T. (1976). Beyond culture. New York: Doubleday
Hannerz, U. (1992). Cultural complexity: Studies in the social organization of meaning. New
York: Columbia University Press.
Hartmeyer, H. (2008). Experiencing the world: Global learning in Austria: Developing, reaching
out, crossing borders. Münster: Waxman.
Heath, S. B. & Street, B. V. (2008). On ethnography: Approaches to language and literacy
research. New York: Teachers College Press.
Hofstede, G. (1994). Cultures and organizations: Software of the mind: Intercultural cooperation
and its importance for survival. London: HarperCollins Business.
Holland, D. & Leander, K. M. (2004). Ethnographic studies of positioning and subjectivity: An
introduction. Ethos: Journal of the Society for Psychological Anthropology, 32, 127-139.
Holland, D., Lachicotte, W. L., Skinner, D. & Cain, C. (1998). Identity and agency in cultural
worlds. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
Illman, R. (2004). Gränser och gränsöverskridanden: skildrade erfarenheter av kulturella möten
i internationellt projektarbete. Åbo: Åbo Akademisk förlag.
Jensen, I. (2004). The practice of intercultural communication: Reflections for professionals in
cultural encounters. In G. Titley (Ed.), Resituating culture. Strasbourg: Council of Europe
Publishing.
Lauritzen, P. (1998). Intercultural learning – One big bluff or a learning strategy for the future?
Concepts, objectives and practices in informal education. European Journal of Intercultural
Studies, 9 (Supplement), 35-48.
Lemke, J. (1990). Talking science: Language, learning, and values. Norwood, NJ: Ablex.
Markussen, E., Frøseth, M. W., Lødding, B., & Sandberg, N. (2008). Bortvalg og kompetanse.
NIFU STEP Rapport 13/2008. Oslo: NIFU STEP.
Nynäs, P. (2001). Bakom Guds rygg: en hermeneutisk ansats till interkulturell kommunikation
och förståelse i industriella projekt. Åbo: Åbo Akademis förlag.
Otten, H. (2009). Ten theses on the correlation between European youth work, intercultural
learning and the qualification and professionalization demands on full and part-time staff
working in such contexts. In I. Ramberg (Ed.), Intercultural learning in European youth work:
Which way forward? Strasbourg: Council of Europe Publishing.
Ramberg, I. (Ed.). (2009). Intercultural learning in European youth work: Which way forward?
Budapest: Council of Europe.
Rommetveit, R. (2004). Om dialogisme og relasjonen mellom individuell psyke og kulturelt
kollektiv. In I. Frønes, & T. S. Wetlesen (Eds.), Dialog, selv og samfunn. Oslo: Abstrakt
Forlag
Roth, J. (1999). Intercultural learning in European youth work: Some east-west perspectives.
COYOTE, Issue 0 (July 1999). Retrieved from; http://youth-partnership-eu.coe.int/youthpartnership/
publications/Coyote/0/Index
Ryan, G. W. & Bernard, H. R. (2003). Techniques to identify themes. Field Methods, 15(1), 85-
109.
Shames, W. & Alden, P. (2005). The impact of short term study abroad on the identity
development of college students with learning disabilities and/or AD/HD. Frontiers:
Interdisciplinary Journal of Study Abroad, 10, 165–177. Retrieved from
http://www.frontiersjournal.com/issues/vol10/index.htm
Strauss, A. & Corbin, J. (1990). Basics of qualitative research: Grounded theory procedures and
techniques. Newbury Park, CA: Sage.
Suarez-Orozco, M. M. & Satting, C. (2007). Introduction: Learning in the global era international
perspectives on globalization and education. In M. M. Suarez-Orozco (Ed.), Learning in the
global era: International perspectives on globalization and education. Berkeley, CA:
University of California Press.
Suarez-Orozco, M. M. (Ed.) (2007). Learning in the global era: International perspectives on
globalization and education. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press.
Svane, M. (2004). Interkulturel dynamik i kulturmødet: en fænomenologisk, individorienteret
analyse og forståelse. Aalborg: Aalborg University Press.
Titley, G. (2008). Youth, intercultural learning and cultural politics in Europe: Some current
debates. Youth Studies Ireland, 3(1), 3-14.
Titley, Gavan (2005/2007), Plastic, Political and Contingent: Intercultural learning in DYS
activities. In I. Ramberg (Ed.) (2007), Intercultural Learning in European Youth Work: Which
Ways Forward? Budapest: Council of Europe Publishing, pp. 59-85.
Trompenaars, F. (1993). Riding the waves of culture: Understanding cultural diversity in
business. London: Nicholas Brealey.
Vasbø, K. (2011). Det interkulturelle ungdomsmøtet som læringsarena. En etnografisk studie av
læring mellom formelle og uformell kontekster. Universitetet i Oslo. Nr. 139. ISSN 1501-
8962. Unipub.
Vasbø, K. (under review). Interkulturelt ungdomsarbeid i spennet mellom gamle og nye
forestillinger om kulturell forskjellighet. Tidsskrift for Ungdomsforskning, 2013 (2).
Vertovec, S. (2007). Super-diversity and its implications. Ethnic and Racial Studies, 30(6),
1024-1054.
Vygotsky, L. S. (1987). Problems of general psychology: Including the volume thinking and
speech. In R. W. Rieber & A. S. Carton (Eds.), The collected works of L. S. Vygotsky. New
York: Plenum Press.
Wenger, E. (1998). Communities of practice: Learning, meaning, and identity. Cambridge:
Cambridge University Press.
Wortham, S. (2006). Learning identity: The joint emergence of social identification and
academic learning. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
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Published
2017-08-04
How to Cite
Vasbø, K. B. (2017). Intercultural learning across contexts. International Electronic Journal of Elementary Education, 6(1), 83–94. Retrieved from https://iejee.com/index.php/IEJEE/article/view/34
