ABSTRACT

This research presents a joint project between Texas A&M University and CBS International Business School, designed to bring awareness to students’ understandings of other people, cultures, feelings and behaviors. While both explicit and implicit cultural knowledge helps shape our interactions with others, it is the deeper level of understanding that creates cultural competence, allowing one to work and communicate effectively with varying cultures. Applying the Iceberg Concept of Culture and Deardorff’s understanding of intercultural competence, we show the effect virtual interaction can have on higher-level cultural learning amongst students. Through interactions, knowledge was co-constructed organically and caused a frame of reference shift. Pre- and post-interaction culture themes demonstrate a move toward cultural competence. This study shows the value of human interaction and the importance of education by offering face-to-face cultural exchanges through virtual discussion. Implications for educators and the potential of virtual travel experiences are discussed.

摘要

这项研究展示了德克萨斯 A&M 大学和 CBS 国际商学院之间的一个联合项目，旨在提高学生对他人、文化、感受和行为的理解的意识。虽然显性和隐性文化知识都有助于塑造我们与他人的互动，但更深层次的理解创造了文化能力，使人们能够与不同的文化有效地工作和交流。应用冰山文化概念和迪尔多夫对跨文化能力的理解，我们展示了虚拟互动对学生更高层次的文化学习的影响。通过互动，知识被有机地共同构建，并引起参考框架的转变。互动前和互动后的文化主题展示了文化能力的发展。本研究通过虚拟讨论提供面对面的文化交流，展示了人际互动的价值和教育的重要性。讨论了对教育者的影响和虚拟旅行体验的潜力。