Exploring intercultural competence through the lens of self-authorship |
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Authors: | Julia Mascadri Jo Lunn Brownlee Susan Walker Jennifer Alford |
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Institution: | 1. Faculty of Education, School of Early Childhood, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Australia;2. Faculty of Education, School of Cultural and Professional Learning, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Australia |
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Abstract: | Intercultural competence among educators has long been recognised as important, especially in contexts characterised by growing and shifting cultural diversity such as Australia. However, the capacity to be interculturally competent has only recently been enshrined in teacher standards in Australia, and research into this field among early childhood educators is fledgling. Through the theoretical lens of self-authorship, this case study integrated a developmental model of intercultural maturity with a compositional model of intercultural competence. Combining these two models allowed for a holistic exploration of the complexities of intercultural experiences in an early childhood educational setting. This new integrated framework is applied to a case study that focuses on Heidi, an early childhood educator in a culturally diverse kindergarten. Data were collected through interviews, classroom observations and analysis of philosophy, policy and observational documents. The findings indicated the importance of critical reflection and internal meaning making, as part of a self-authored identity, in relation to intercultural competence. Implications are discussed with a focus on the potential significance of the integrated framework to explore as well as enhance educators’ critical reflection about their intercultural experiences. |
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Keywords: | Early childhood education case study intercultural maturity intercultural competence personal epistemology self-authorship |
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