Students' intercultural development through language learning in Vietnamese tertiary education: a case study on the use of film as an innovative approach

Vietnam's open-door policy, its socialist-oriented market economy, recent growth in cross-border education and skills mobility, regionalisation and globalisation have created an increasing demand for Vietnamese graduates to develop not only their English language but also their intercultural competence. This paper discusses the issue of student intercultural learning and development in the Vietnamese English as a foreign language (EFL) class. Especially, it addresses the use of film as an innovative approach to engage Vietnamese students in intercultural learning and development in the EFL classroom. The study reported in this paper draws on rich sources of data which include in-depth interviews with students, student reflective journals and video-recorded class observations at a university in central Vietnam. Overall, five key themes relating to student intercultural learning through film have been identified in this study. These include enhancing knowledge about cultural differences, engaging in cross-cultural comparison, breaking cultural stereotypes, immersing students in authentic learning and living in the world of ‘other’ culture and the integrated mode of intercultural language learning. The study is a significant contribution to scholarly research on the use of media objects to enhance student intercultural learning in language classrooms in developing countries.

Adopting bilingual education : an Australian school community`s journey

This article describes a case study of an Australian deaf facility and its changes in language policy. The study documents the process of change in a school community as the researcher worked collaboratively with teachers and parents to investigate the place of Auslan and bilingual pedagogy in deaf education. Teachers’ dissatisfaction with educational outcomes and current practices propelled the discussion about language policy. Gaining the support of parents is a key feature of this study. Beliefs about language policy and practices are explored and the implications for change investigated. This is part of a larger study of deaf education and the politics of language practices (see Komesaroff, 1998).

Globalisation and the restructuring of higher education for new knowledge economies: new dangers or old habits troubling gender equity work in universities?

This article undertakes a feminist critique of the restructuring of the modern university in Australia. It considers the interaction of the processes of globalisation, corporatisation (through the twin strategies of marketisation and managerialism) and the social relations of gender, and their implication for gender equity work in the academy. The paper locates the reform of Australian universities within their Western context, and considers the gendered effects of the new disciplinary technologies of quality assurance and online learning on the position of women academics. It concludes with some comments about the shift in language from equity to diversity which has accompanied corporatisation, and how this has effectively coopted women's intellectual labour to do the work of the entrepreneurial university.

Deaf education and underlying structures of power in communication

This article argues that claims of diversity in communication in deaf education are empty rhetoric when underlying structures of power are unexamined and remain unchanged. The field of deafness provides a powerful example of the way in which competing interests can be played out under the guise of choice of communication methods. Historically, teachers of the deaf have been divided about whether deaf children should be educated through speech or sign. However, recognition of the legitimacy of native sign languages has caused a shift in the debate to the linguistic basis of this communication and the way in which language policy privileges one cultural group and its method of communication over another.

Allegations of unlawful discrimination in education: parents taking their fight for Auslan to the courts

This paper examines the use of the Disability Discrimination Act (Commonwealth of Australia, 1992) by parents seeking access for their deaf children to native sign language in the classroom. It reviews a number of cases in which Australian parents have claimed indirect discrimination by educational authorities over their children's lack of access to instruction through Australian Sign Language (Auslan) and discusses the outcomes of such litigation. The policies endorsed by deafness organizations are contrasted with those of state educational authorities. The author discusses the limitations of a complaints-based system to address systemic discrimination and suggests the need for legislation to protect the linguistic rights of deaf children.

Towards the mature ePortfolio : some implications for higher education

Electronic portfolios [ePortfolios] are a recent addition to the language of higher education. Commencing with a summary of their role from EDUCAUSE, whose mission is to advance higher education by promoting the intelligent use of information technology, the distinctive characteristics of ePortfolios are outlined and salient differences from conventional portfolios in terms of process and outcomes are explored. Having considered the attributes of a mature ePortfolio, the paper focuses on pedagogical and technological issues for students and staff to move to mature ePortfolios. While accepting the valuable role ePortfolios can play in higher education, and that students increasingly come to the tertiary sector with expectations and experience that appear to warrant this approach, the paper concludes that decision making in this area is not yet adequately supported by research. Educators need to be open to the promise ePortfolios offer their students and staff but be aware of the implications for their adoption.

Globalisation and reflexivity: some challenges for research into quality education mediated by ICTs

Globalisation can be characterised, Giddens (1994) suggests, as a process of 'intensified reflexivity' that creates the conditions for 'a world of clever people'. Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) are fundamental to globalisation and they have also been incorporated into the new educational technologies deployed by educators to (re)create 'a world of clever people'. Together, education and the ICTs are strong forces for globalisation where both curriculum and pedagogy shape the knowledge and values of the rising generation of 'clever people'. This chapter posits some research issues and questions that might be usefully pursued in transnational collaborative research or are germane to its conduct and contexts. These matters include: the place of ICTs in research work; the challenge of globally inclusive curricula and the impact of English as the global language; and ICTs decentring the research centre.

The language of design resolution in a digital building information model

Information in construction industry is delivered and interpreted in a language specific to the industry in which large complex objects are only partially described and with much information being implicit in the language used. Successful communication therefore relies on participants in the industry leaming how to interpret the language through many years of education, training and experience. With the introduction of computer technology, and in particular the detailed digital building information model (DB 1M), the accepted language currently in use is no longer a valid method of describing the building. At all stages in the paper based design and documentation process it is generally readily apparent which parts of the design require further completion and which are fully resolved. This is able to be achieved through the complex graphical language currently in use. In the DBIM, all information appears at the same level of resolution making difficult the interpretation of implicit information embedded in the model. This compromises the collaborative design environment which is being described as a fundamental characteristic of the future construction industry. This paper focuses on two areas. The first analyses design resolution and the role uncertain information plays in the design process. It then discusses the manner in which designers and the industry in general deal with incomplete or unresolved information. The second describes a theoretical model in which a design resolution (DR) environment incorporates the level of design resolution as an operable element in a collaborative DBIM. The development and implementation of this model will allow designers to better share, understand and interpret design knowledge from the shared information during the various stages of digital design and before full resolution is achieved.

The positioning of practitioners in vocational education and training research

What is the status and role of research in VET reform? How are the views of practitioners positioned in VET research and reform? What access do VET practitioners have to research that empowers them to critique current policy and practice? This paper explores the sequestions drawing on literature and also on my experience as a VET practitioner and researcher. The national VET research strategy supports a substantial research effort to inform policy and practice. However, in a complex and unstable VET environment, funded research focuses on implementation, rather than critique, of current directions. I argue that the complexity of the VET system gives rise to new research problems, and that VET practitioners have knowledge and insight to offer in exploring these problems. But I question the extent to which current VET consultation and research processes incorporate the views of practitioners. I illustrate these issues by providing a brief overview of my PhD research project, currently being conducted through the Faculty of Education, Deakin University. This project explores the proposition that the language form typically used in official national VET texts is representative of, and constructive in, unequal power relationships.

Assessment of online reflections : engaging English second language (ESL) students

Online discussion boards are being used increasingly by tertiary educators as a tool for encouraging greater student interaction and developing learning communities. In particular, educators who have adopted a learner centered, socio-constructivist approach to teaching have sought to facilitate collaborative learning in which students reflect upon and share their experiences and perspectives, and construct knowledge together through developing shared meanings. This paper presents the findings of an electronic survey of the perceptions of 70 distance education EFL and ESL students concerning a compulsory assessment item involving contribution to an online course discussion board. The study revealed that the majority of the students enjoyed the assessment item and agreed that posting to the online course discussion board had allowed them to achieve a range of cognitive and social learning outcomes, as well as to develop some important graduate skills. In particular, ESL students reported the benefits of posting to the discussion board in terms of sharing their experiences with others and reducing the feeling of isolation. Further, when considering social outcomes, ESL students perceive the discussion board provided them with an opportunity to meet and develop a closer relationship with other students in the course and encouraged them to keep up with their studies.

Re-badged environmental education: is ESD more than just a slogan?

In the field of environment-related education, the period from the early 70s to the present is marked by continuity and contestation. There has been a remarkable continuity of environmentrelated practice; and there has also been contestation in the language of the field, with terms like ecology education, environmental education and education for sustainable development becoming highly visible at different times. Presently, the environment-related work formerly known as ‘environmental education’ (EE) is being aggressively and extensively ‘re-badged’ as ‘education for sustainable development’ (ESD). This paper explores the role of slogans in the fields of environmental education and education for sustainable development.

Music education and minority groups cultural and musical identities in the 'newer' South Africa : white Afrikaners and Indians

Music Education, as well as cultural and musical identities are all being renegotiated, post-Apartheid, within the so-called 'newer' rather than the commonly known 'new' South Africa. The developing situation with certain minority groups is particularly interesting. Education in general has undergone much change since the first democratic elections in 1994: music education specifically has been affected by such change in terms of content, delivery and assessment. Within the South African context, cultural and musical identities are often intertwined with language, racial and even tribal identities, and discussing one implies the others. We are particularly interested here in the role of formal Music Education in relation to white Afrikaners and Indians as they renegotiate their cultural development, including musical aspects

Development and applications of an experimental database for structural engineering education

A great number of research organisations in Japan have been conducting structural steel experiments for many years, particularly seismic tests of steel structures like cyclic-loading and pseudo-dynamic tests, in order to determine their seismic performances. However, the original test data gained by most research organisations are not well stored in an appropriate manner for distribution and possible usage by others. With the rapid development of information networks, structural engineers and researchers are able to exchange various types of test data through the Internet. In this paper, the authors present the development of a distributed collaborative database system for structural steel experiments. The database is made available on the Internet, and the use of Java language enables efficient interactive retrieval. The potential applications of the developed database system for structural engineering education are validated for the retrieval of experimental data and seismic numerical analysis.

Language learning : an introduction for teaching

The fourth edition ... continues to provide an accessible and comprehensive explanation of language acquisition and use, written specifically for Australian teacher-education students and teachers.