Aim. Although cultural dimensions theory is a topical strand of quantitative cultural research, few intercultural simulation games use it. We present the design and review of the application of OASISTAN, an intercultural role-playing simulation game that is specifically based on cultural dimensions theory. Method. OASISTAN was first designed in 1999 for use in Master’s courses on cross-cultural management at Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands, attracting 20-23 year old students with a Bachelor degree in engineering and from various cultural backgrounds. Since its first design the game has been played approximately 45 times at Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands and three times at Harbin Institute of Technology in China in the years 2006-2008. We reviewed their experiences designing and facilitating OASISTAN since 1999. Results. The game has a no-tech role-play design and revolves around the geopolitically complex region of the Caspian Sea, specifically the fictional country of ‘Oasistan’. The game consists of students forming small teams of Oasistani, Western and non-Western public/private actors collaborating with each other to try and reach the common goal of oil exploration and production in this country. In total 15-30 students were involved. We found that OASISTAN allowed its players not only to intensely experience the difficulty and awkwardness of being confronted with cultural differences, but also to interpret and understand these differences through cultural dimensions. Students who played OASISTAN identified ten out of the 12 dimensions by Maleki and De Jong. The two dimensions that students were not able to identify are uncertainty avoidance and collaborativeness. Conclusion. OASISTAN shows how a game design field (i.e., intercultural simulation gaming) can be reinvigorated in light of new or updated scientific theories pertaining to the field’s subject matter (i.e., cultural dimensions). Several opportunities for future research are identified.
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In the present dissertation I explored if study abroad – defined as a form of educational mobility for earning credits at the home university and aimed at realizing objectives of internationalization of higher education – contributes to the development of intercultural competence. The research further included measuring if facilitation of cultural learning during study abroad leads to higher levels of intercultural competence after study abroad.In four consecutive empirical studies, and one meta-analysis, the different levels of intercultural competence prior to, and after study abroad were measured among 341 students randomly divided over an intervention- and a control group. The outcome was that students generally score low to average on intercultural competence after a five to six months episode of study abroad, also when facilitated in cultural learning during study abroad. However, the research does include indications that a more intensive intervention during study abroad may lead to significantly higher levels of intercultural competence.This study did not reveal a systematic relationship between personal characteristics and degrees of change of intercultural competence during study abroad. Further, this study did not reveal that students with supervisors who were trained in intercultural competence score higher levels of intercultural competence than students with untrained supervisors.Concerning the instrument used for measuring intercultural competence the conclusion is that for a more sophisticated understanding of one’s intercultural competence development, it is advisable to make use of qualitative data next to quantitative data; test scores alone may not be sufficiently informative.
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The range of studies that has been conducted on the role of gossip in organizations suggests that gossip in the workplace plays a variety of important roles in organisational processes. However, relatively few studies have explored its role in intercultural situations. This is surprising given how organisations are becoming increasingly diverse. This paper addresses this gap in the literature. It reports on an exploratory project that sought to determine how perceptions of organisational gossip vary between members of different cultural groups. Using a sensemaking, interpretative approach, we showed two gossip scenarios to 8 Chinese, 8 German and 8 Dutch first year students, and conducted semi structured interviews, asking them how they perceived the nature of the gossip, the gossiper and the object of gossip (i.e., the person being gossiped about). After analysing the data with ATLAS.ti, we observed certain patterns emerging. For example, while all students condemned a manager’s bad behaviour, the Chinese students seemed to expect it more than did their Dutch or German counterparts. Moreover, we found that the relationship and amount of trust that exists between gossiper, listener and object of gossip greatly influenced how the gossiper and object of gossip were perceived. After reflecting on our research methodology, this study sets the stage for the next phase of our research on the role of gossip in intercultural situations. LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dominiquedarmon/
Een veelbelovend model voor de professionele ontwikkeling van docenten/opleiders, gebaseerd op diepgaande samenwerking tussen docenten/opleiders en gericht op het verbeteren van het leren van studenten, is Lesson Study. Lesson Study wordt echter nauwelijks in het mbo toegepast. Met het Europese LS4VET-project gaan we de Lesson Study methode aanpassen en geschikt maken voor het mbo.Doel Het doel is om een diepgaande en duurzame impact te bereiken - dat wil zeggen, verbetering van de kwaliteit van het onderwijs – bij mbo’s die de methode toepassen. Aanpak Projectleden zijn onder meer hoger onderwijsinstellingen met vooraanstaande onderzoekers en lerarenopleiders die ervaring hebben met Lesson Study. Elke hogeschoolinstelling werkt samen met partner MBO- instelling die op zoek is naar effectieve manieren om de samenwerking tussen hun docenten en het beroepsonderwijs te verbeteren. Relevantie Het korte termijn resultaat van het project is een methode en een handboek van een effectief docentprofessionaliseringsmodel, Lesson Study, dat specifiek is gericht op het mbo. De resultaten zullen publiekelijk toegangkelijk zijn. Het lange termijn resultaat is dat het LS4VET-project docenten/opleiders van mbo’s wil ondersteunen bij het vormen van professionele leergemeenschappen door ze de Lesson Study-methode en een bijpassende toolkit aan te bieden. Looptijd 01 september 2020 - 31 augustus 2023 Resultaten In het project ontwikkelen we een: 1. Model - een theoretisch model dat richtlijnen biedt voor Lesson Study in het mbo 2. een online cursus 3. Storyboard and Toolkit 4. eBook - een handboek voor docenten/opleiders en managers binnen het mbo Samenwerking met kennispartners Stichting Landstede (Netherland) ELTE Eötvös Loránd University Institute of Intercultural Psychology and Education (Hungary) – project coordinator iTStudy Hungary Educational and Research Centre Ltd. (Hungary) Neumann János Computer Science Technical School (Hungary) Pedagogische Hochshule Niederösterreich (Austria) Vocational School Baden Lower Austria (Austria) Universita ta Malta (Malta) Institute of Tourism Studies (Malta)
