Research Article
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Communication and Group Work in the Multicultural Classroom: Immigrant Students’ Experiences

Year 2019, Volume: 8 Issue: 2, 453 - 465, 15.04.2019

Artem İngmar Benediktsson Hanna Ragnarsdottir

https://doi.org/10.12973/eu-jer.8.2.453

Abstract

The paper is part of the qualitative research project Educational Aspirations, Opportunities and Challenges for Immigrants in University Education in Iceland, conducted in Iceland’s three biggest universities. The main goal of the paper is to investigate immigrant students’ experiences of communication with teachers during the learning process and their perspectives on multicultural group work. Furthermore, the paper explores immigrant students’ experiences of learner-centred approach and culturally responsive teaching methods applied by some teachers. The data was collected through focus group interviews and qualitative, semi-structured individual interviews with immigrant students. The theoretical framework is mainly based on the constructivist theory, which emphasises the importance of communication and the learner-centred approach. Additionally, the theoretical framework includes multicultural education theory, which puts an emphasis on applying culturally responsive teaching methods in classrooms with diverse student populations. The analysis of the interviews revealed that the participants’ experiences of communication with teachers and peers were mostly positive. However, culturally responsive teaching is still a rare phenomenon in Icelandic universities. When it comes to the participants’ perspectives on group work, the experiences ranged from being highly positive to negative.


Keywords

Communication group work immigrant students higher education Iceland

References

  • Banks, J. A. (2007). Multicultural education: Characteristics and goals. In J. A. Banks & C. A. M. Banks (Eds.), Multicultural education: Issues and perspectives (2. ed., pp. 3-30). Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.
  • Banks, J. A., & Banks, C. A. M. (Eds.) (2010). Multicultural education: Issues and perspectives (7th ed.). Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.
  • Bender, S. S. (2003). Rynihopar [Focus groups]. In S. Halldorsdottir & K. Kristjansson (Eds.), Handbok i adferdafrædi og rannsoknum i heilbrigdisvisindum [Handbook of methodology and research in health sciences] (pp. 85-99). Akureyri, Iceland: University of Akureyri.
  • Boesch, B. (2014). The importance of the professor in college classroom climate for immigrant students. College Quarterly, 17(4).
  • Books, S., Ragnarsdottir, H., Jonsson, O. P., & Macdonald, A. (2011). A university program with “the whole world as a focus”: An Icelandic response to globalization. Innovative Higher Education, 36(2), 125-139. doi: 10.1007/s10755-010-9163-7
  • Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2013). Successful Qualitative Research : A Practical Guide for Beginners. London, UK: Sage.
  • Brinkmann, S., & Kvale, S. (2009). InterViews: Learning the craft of qualitative research interviewing (2. ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
  • Brooks, J. G., & Brooks, M. G. (1993). The case for the constructivist classrooms. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.
  • Brown, K. L. (2003). From teacher-centered to learner-centered curriculum: Improving learning in diverse classrooms. Education, 124(1), 49–54.
  • Cornelius-White, J. (2007). Learner-centered teacher-student relationships are effective: A meta-analysis. Review of Educational Research, 77(1), 113–143. doi: 10.3102/003465430298563
  • Creswell, J. W. (2008). Educational research: Planning, conducting, and evaluating qualitative and qualitative research. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson.
  • De Vita, G. (2002). Does assessed multicultural group work really pull UK students' average down? Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 27(2), 153-161. doi: 10.1080/02602930220128724
  • De Vita, G. (2005). Fostering intercultural learning through multicultural group work. In J. Carroll & J. Ryan (Eds.), Teaching international students: Improving learning for all (pp. 75-83). New York, NY: Routledge.
  • Erisman, W., & Looney, S. (2007). Opening the door to the American dream: Increasing higher education access and success for immigrants. Washington, DC: Institute for Higher Education Policy.
  • European Commission/EACEA/Eurydice. (2015). The European Higher Education Area in 2015: Bologna Process Implementation Report. Luxembourg, Luxembourg: Publications Office of the European Union.
  • Flick, U. (2009). An introduction to qualitative research (4th ed.). London: Sage.
  • Forehand, J. W., Leigh, K. H., Farrell, R. G., & Spurlock, A. Y. (2016). Social dynamics in group work. Teaching and Learning in Nursing, 11(2), 62-66. doi: 10.1016/j.teln.2015.12.007
  • Freeman, T. M., Anderman, L. H., & Jensen, J. M. (2007). Sense of belonging in college freshmen at the classroom and campus levels. The Journal of Experimental Education, 75(3), 203-220. doi: 10.3200/JEXE.75.3.203-220
  • Gay, G. (2000). Culturally responsive teaching: Theory, research and practice. New York, NY: Teachers College Press.
  • Gay, G. (2001). Preparing for culturally responsive teaching. Journal of Teacher Education, 53(2), 106-116. doi: 10.1177/0022487102053002003
  • Gay, G. (2010). Acting on beliefs in teacher education for cultural diversity. Journal of Teacher Education, 61(1-2), 143-152. doi: 10.1177/0022487109347320
  • Grant, M. M., & Hill, J. R. (2006). Weighing the rewards with the risks? Implementing student-centered pedagogy within high-stakes testing. In R. Lambert & C. McCarthy (Eds.), Understanding teacher stress in the age of accountability (pp. 19-42). Greenwich, CT: Information Age Publishing.
  • Guy, T. C. (1999). Culture as context for adult education: The need for culturally relevant adult education. New directions for adult and continuing education (82), 5-18. doi: 10.1002/ace.8201
  • Hassanien, A. (2006). Student experience of group work and group assessment in higher education. Journal of teaching in travel & tourism, 6(1), 17-39. doi: 10.1300/J172v06n01_02
  • Henson, K. T. (2003). Foundations for learner-centered education: A knowledge base. Education, 124(1), 5–16.
  • Jabbar, A., & Hardaker, G. (2013). The role of culturally responsive teaching for supporting ethnic diversity in British University Business Schools. Teaching in Higher Education, 18(3), 272-284. doi: 10.1080/13562517.2012.725221
  • Jones, M. G., & Brader-Araje, L. (2002). The impact of constructivism on education: Language, discourse, and meaning. American Communication Journal, 5(3), 1-10.
  • Karge, B. D., Phillips, K. M., Jessee, T., & McCabe, M. (2011). Effective strategies for engaging adult learners. Journal of College Teaching & Learning, 8(12), 53-56.
  • Kimmel, K., & Volet, S. (2010). Significance of context in university students' (meta) cognitions related to group work: A multi-layered, multi-dimensional and cultural approach. Learning and Instruction, 20(6), 449-464. doi: 10.1016/j.learninstruc.2009.05.004
  • Lichtman, M. (2013). Qualitative Research in Education (3rd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE.
  • Maiden, B., & Perry, B. (2011). Dealing with free‐riders in assessed group work: results from a study at a UK university. Evaluation in Higher Education, 36(4), 451-464. doi: 10.1080/02602930903429302
  • Moore, P., & Hampton, G. (2015). ‘It’s a bit of a generalisation, but …’: participant perspectives on intercultural group assessment in higher education. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 40(3), 390-406. doi: 10.1080/02602938.2014.919437
  • Nieto, S. (2010). The light in their eyes: Creating multicultural learning communities (10th Anniversary ed.). New York, NY: Teachers College Press.
  • Popov, V., Brinkman, D., Biemans, H. J. A., Mulder, M., Kuznetsov, A., & Noroozi, O. (2012). Multicultural student group work in higher education: An explorative case study on challenges as perceived by students. International Journal of Intercultural Relations, 36(2), 302-317. doi: 10.1016/j.ijintrel.2011.09.004
  • Ragnarsdottir, H., & Blondal, H. (2014). Fjolmenningarlegt namssamfelag: Reynsla nemenda af albjodlegu nami í menntunarfrædi vid Haskola Islands [Multicultural learning community: The experiences of students in the International Studies in Education programme at the University of Iceland]. Uppeldi og menntun [Icelandic Journal of Education], 23(1), 27-45.
  • Rubenson, K. (2011). Adult Learning and Education. Oxford, UK: Academic Press.
  • Slee, J. (2010). A systemic approach to culturally responsive assessment practices and evaluation. Higher Education Quarterly, 64(3), 246-260. doi: 10.1111/j.1468-2273.2010.00464.x
  • Smart, K. L., Witt, C., & Scott, J. P. (2012). Toward learner-centered teaching: An inductive approach. Business and Professional Communication Quarterly, 75(4), 392 - 403. doi: 10.1177/1080569912459752
  • Statistics Iceland. (2017). Innflytjendum heldur afram ad fjolga [Number of immigrants keeps increasing]. Retrieved from https://www.hagstofa.is/utgafur/frettasafn/mannfjoldi/mannfjoldi-eftir-bakgrunni-2017/
  • Statistics Iceland. (2018). Fjoldi nynema a haskolastigi hefur tvofaldast a tuttugu arum [Number of new university students doubled during past twenty years]. Retrieved from https://hagstofa.is/utgafur/frettasafn/menntun/nynemar-i-haskolum-2010-2017/
  • Swaminathan, R., & Alfred, M. V. (2001). Strangers in the mirror: Immigrant students in the higher education classroom. Adult learning, 13(1), 29-32. doi: 10.1177/104515950101200408
  • Sweeney, A., Weaven, S., & Herington, C. (2008). Multicultural influences on group learning: A qualitative higher education study. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 33(2), 119-132. doi: 10.1080/02602930601125665
  • Thang, P. O., & Larson, M. (2010). Integration genom vuxenutbildning och vidareutbildning. Landrapport Sverige [Integration through adult education and further education. Country report Sweden]. Copenhagen, Denmark: Nordisk Ministerrad.
  • Tonnessen, E., & Larsen, H. (2018). Andelen av innvandrere som tar hoyere utdanning gar ned [The percentage of immigrants who pursue higher education goes down]. Khrono.no. Retrieved from https://khrono.no/ntnu-uio-unik5/andelen-av-innvandrere-som-tar-hoyere-utdanning-gar-ned/217837
  • University of Iceland. (2018). International Studies in Education. Retrieved from https://english.hi.is/international_studies_in_education
  • Villegas, A. M., & Lucas, T. (2002). Preparing culturally responsive teachers rethinking the curriculum. Journal of Teacher Education, 53(1), 20-32. doi: 10.1177/0022487102053001003
  • Wahlgren, B., Lund, K., & Geiger, T. (2010). Integration gennem voksen- og efteruddannelse [Integration through adult and further education]. Copenhagen, Denmark: Nordisk Ministerrad.
  • Webber, K. L. (2012). The use of learner-centered assessment in US colleges and universities. Research in Higher Education, 53(2), 201–228. doi: 10.1007/s11162-011-9245-0
  • Wood, C. M. (2003). The effects of creating psychological ownership among students in group projects. Journal of Marketing Education, 25(3), 240-249.doi: 10.1177/0273475303257553

Year 2019, Volume: 8 Issue: 2, 453 - 465, 15.04.2019

Artem İngmar Benediktsson Hanna Ragnarsdottir

https://doi.org/10.12973/eu-jer.8.2.453

Abstract

References

  • Banks, J. A. (2007). Multicultural education: Characteristics and goals. In J. A. Banks & C. A. M. Banks (Eds.), Multicultural education: Issues and perspectives (2. ed., pp. 3-30). Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.
  • Banks, J. A., & Banks, C. A. M. (Eds.) (2010). Multicultural education: Issues and perspectives (7th ed.). Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.
  • Bender, S. S. (2003). Rynihopar [Focus groups]. In S. Halldorsdottir & K. Kristjansson (Eds.), Handbok i adferdafrædi og rannsoknum i heilbrigdisvisindum [Handbook of methodology and research in health sciences] (pp. 85-99). Akureyri, Iceland: University of Akureyri.
  • Boesch, B. (2014). The importance of the professor in college classroom climate for immigrant students. College Quarterly, 17(4).
  • Books, S., Ragnarsdottir, H., Jonsson, O. P., & Macdonald, A. (2011). A university program with “the whole world as a focus”: An Icelandic response to globalization. Innovative Higher Education, 36(2), 125-139. doi: 10.1007/s10755-010-9163-7
  • Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2013). Successful Qualitative Research : A Practical Guide for Beginners. London, UK: Sage.
  • Brinkmann, S., & Kvale, S. (2009). InterViews: Learning the craft of qualitative research interviewing (2. ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
  • Brooks, J. G., & Brooks, M. G. (1993). The case for the constructivist classrooms. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.
  • Brown, K. L. (2003). From teacher-centered to learner-centered curriculum: Improving learning in diverse classrooms. Education, 124(1), 49–54.
  • Cornelius-White, J. (2007). Learner-centered teacher-student relationships are effective: A meta-analysis. Review of Educational Research, 77(1), 113–143. doi: 10.3102/003465430298563
  • Creswell, J. W. (2008). Educational research: Planning, conducting, and evaluating qualitative and qualitative research. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson.
  • De Vita, G. (2002). Does assessed multicultural group work really pull UK students' average down? Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 27(2), 153-161. doi: 10.1080/02602930220128724
  • De Vita, G. (2005). Fostering intercultural learning through multicultural group work. In J. Carroll & J. Ryan (Eds.), Teaching international students: Improving learning for all (pp. 75-83). New York, NY: Routledge.
  • Erisman, W., & Looney, S. (2007). Opening the door to the American dream: Increasing higher education access and success for immigrants. Washington, DC: Institute for Higher Education Policy.
  • European Commission/EACEA/Eurydice. (2015). The European Higher Education Area in 2015: Bologna Process Implementation Report. Luxembourg, Luxembourg: Publications Office of the European Union.
  • Flick, U. (2009). An introduction to qualitative research (4th ed.). London: Sage.
  • Forehand, J. W., Leigh, K. H., Farrell, R. G., & Spurlock, A. Y. (2016). Social dynamics in group work. Teaching and Learning in Nursing, 11(2), 62-66. doi: 10.1016/j.teln.2015.12.007
  • Freeman, T. M., Anderman, L. H., & Jensen, J. M. (2007). Sense of belonging in college freshmen at the classroom and campus levels. The Journal of Experimental Education, 75(3), 203-220. doi: 10.3200/JEXE.75.3.203-220
  • Gay, G. (2000). Culturally responsive teaching: Theory, research and practice. New York, NY: Teachers College Press.
  • Gay, G. (2001). Preparing for culturally responsive teaching. Journal of Teacher Education, 53(2), 106-116. doi: 10.1177/0022487102053002003
  • Gay, G. (2010). Acting on beliefs in teacher education for cultural diversity. Journal of Teacher Education, 61(1-2), 143-152. doi: 10.1177/0022487109347320
  • Grant, M. M., & Hill, J. R. (2006). Weighing the rewards with the risks? Implementing student-centered pedagogy within high-stakes testing. In R. Lambert & C. McCarthy (Eds.), Understanding teacher stress in the age of accountability (pp. 19-42). Greenwich, CT: Information Age Publishing.
  • Guy, T. C. (1999). Culture as context for adult education: The need for culturally relevant adult education. New directions for adult and continuing education (82), 5-18. doi: 10.1002/ace.8201
  • Hassanien, A. (2006). Student experience of group work and group assessment in higher education. Journal of teaching in travel & tourism, 6(1), 17-39. doi: 10.1300/J172v06n01_02
  • Henson, K. T. (2003). Foundations for learner-centered education: A knowledge base. Education, 124(1), 5–16.
  • Jabbar, A., & Hardaker, G. (2013). The role of culturally responsive teaching for supporting ethnic diversity in British University Business Schools. Teaching in Higher Education, 18(3), 272-284. doi: 10.1080/13562517.2012.725221
  • Jones, M. G., & Brader-Araje, L. (2002). The impact of constructivism on education: Language, discourse, and meaning. American Communication Journal, 5(3), 1-10.
  • Karge, B. D., Phillips, K. M., Jessee, T., & McCabe, M. (2011). Effective strategies for engaging adult learners. Journal of College Teaching & Learning, 8(12), 53-56.
  • Kimmel, K., & Volet, S. (2010). Significance of context in university students' (meta) cognitions related to group work: A multi-layered, multi-dimensional and cultural approach. Learning and Instruction, 20(6), 449-464. doi: 10.1016/j.learninstruc.2009.05.004
  • Lichtman, M. (2013). Qualitative Research in Education (3rd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE.
  • Maiden, B., & Perry, B. (2011). Dealing with free‐riders in assessed group work: results from a study at a UK university. Evaluation in Higher Education, 36(4), 451-464. doi: 10.1080/02602930903429302
  • Moore, P., & Hampton, G. (2015). ‘It’s a bit of a generalisation, but …’: participant perspectives on intercultural group assessment in higher education. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 40(3), 390-406. doi: 10.1080/02602938.2014.919437
  • Nieto, S. (2010). The light in their eyes: Creating multicultural learning communities (10th Anniversary ed.). New York, NY: Teachers College Press.
  • Popov, V., Brinkman, D., Biemans, H. J. A., Mulder, M., Kuznetsov, A., & Noroozi, O. (2012). Multicultural student group work in higher education: An explorative case study on challenges as perceived by students. International Journal of Intercultural Relations, 36(2), 302-317. doi: 10.1016/j.ijintrel.2011.09.004
  • Ragnarsdottir, H., & Blondal, H. (2014). Fjolmenningarlegt namssamfelag: Reynsla nemenda af albjodlegu nami í menntunarfrædi vid Haskola Islands [Multicultural learning community: The experiences of students in the International Studies in Education programme at the University of Iceland]. Uppeldi og menntun [Icelandic Journal of Education], 23(1), 27-45.
  • Rubenson, K. (2011). Adult Learning and Education. Oxford, UK: Academic Press.
  • Slee, J. (2010). A systemic approach to culturally responsive assessment practices and evaluation. Higher Education Quarterly, 64(3), 246-260. doi: 10.1111/j.1468-2273.2010.00464.x
  • Smart, K. L., Witt, C., & Scott, J. P. (2012). Toward learner-centered teaching: An inductive approach. Business and Professional Communication Quarterly, 75(4), 392 - 403. doi: 10.1177/1080569912459752
  • Statistics Iceland. (2017). Innflytjendum heldur afram ad fjolga [Number of immigrants keeps increasing]. Retrieved from https://www.hagstofa.is/utgafur/frettasafn/mannfjoldi/mannfjoldi-eftir-bakgrunni-2017/
  • Statistics Iceland. (2018). Fjoldi nynema a haskolastigi hefur tvofaldast a tuttugu arum [Number of new university students doubled during past twenty years]. Retrieved from https://hagstofa.is/utgafur/frettasafn/menntun/nynemar-i-haskolum-2010-2017/
  • Swaminathan, R., & Alfred, M. V. (2001). Strangers in the mirror: Immigrant students in the higher education classroom. Adult learning, 13(1), 29-32. doi: 10.1177/104515950101200408
  • Sweeney, A., Weaven, S., & Herington, C. (2008). Multicultural influences on group learning: A qualitative higher education study. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 33(2), 119-132. doi: 10.1080/02602930601125665
  • Thang, P. O., & Larson, M. (2010). Integration genom vuxenutbildning och vidareutbildning. Landrapport Sverige [Integration through adult education and further education. Country report Sweden]. Copenhagen, Denmark: Nordisk Ministerrad.
  • Tonnessen, E., & Larsen, H. (2018). Andelen av innvandrere som tar hoyere utdanning gar ned [The percentage of immigrants who pursue higher education goes down]. Khrono.no. Retrieved from https://khrono.no/ntnu-uio-unik5/andelen-av-innvandrere-som-tar-hoyere-utdanning-gar-ned/217837
  • University of Iceland. (2018). International Studies in Education. Retrieved from https://english.hi.is/international_studies_in_education
  • Villegas, A. M., & Lucas, T. (2002). Preparing culturally responsive teachers rethinking the curriculum. Journal of Teacher Education, 53(1), 20-32. doi: 10.1177/0022487102053001003
  • Wahlgren, B., Lund, K., & Geiger, T. (2010). Integration gennem voksen- og efteruddannelse [Integration through adult and further education]. Copenhagen, Denmark: Nordisk Ministerrad.
  • Webber, K. L. (2012). The use of learner-centered assessment in US colleges and universities. Research in Higher Education, 53(2), 201–228. doi: 10.1007/s11162-011-9245-0
  • Wood, C. M. (2003). The effects of creating psychological ownership among students in group projects. Journal of Marketing Education, 25(3), 240-249.doi: 10.1177/0273475303257553
There are 49 citations in total.

Details

Primary Language English
Subjects Studies on Education
Journal Section Research Article
Authors

Artem İngmar Benediktsson This is me

Hanna Ragnarsdottir This is me

Publication Date April 15, 2019
Published in Issue Year 2019 Volume: 8 Issue: 2

Cite

APA Benediktsson, A. İ., & Ragnarsdottir, H. (2019). Communication and Group Work in the Multicultural Classroom: Immigrant Students’ Experiences. European Journal of Educational Research, 8(2), 453-465. https://doi.org/10.12973/eu-jer.8.2.453
AMA Benediktsson Aİ, Ragnarsdottir H. Communication and Group Work in the Multicultural Classroom: Immigrant Students’ Experiences. eujer. April 2019;8(2):453-465. doi:10.12973/eu-jer.8.2.453
Chicago Benediktsson, Artem İngmar, and Hanna Ragnarsdottir. “Communication and Group Work in the Multicultural Classroom: Immigrant Students’ Experiences”. European Journal of Educational Research 8, no. 2 (April 2019): 453-65. https://doi.org/10.12973/eu-jer.8.2.453.
EndNote Benediktsson Aİ, Ragnarsdottir H (April 1, 2019) Communication and Group Work in the Multicultural Classroom: Immigrant Students’ Experiences. European Journal of Educational Research 8 2 453–465.
IEEE A. İ. Benediktsson and H. Ragnarsdottir, “Communication and Group Work in the Multicultural Classroom: Immigrant Students’ Experiences”, eujer, vol. 8, no. 2, pp. 453–465, 2019, doi: 10.12973/eu-jer.8.2.453.
ISNAD Benediktsson, Artem İngmar - Ragnarsdottir, Hanna. “Communication and Group Work in the Multicultural Classroom: Immigrant Students’ Experiences”. European Journal of Educational Research 8/2 (April 2019), 453-465. https://doi.org/10.12973/eu-jer.8.2.453.
JAMA Benediktsson Aİ, Ragnarsdottir H. Communication and Group Work in the Multicultural Classroom: Immigrant Students’ Experiences. eujer. 2019;8:453–465.
MLA Benediktsson, Artem İngmar and Hanna Ragnarsdottir. “Communication and Group Work in the Multicultural Classroom: Immigrant Students’ Experiences”. European Journal of Educational Research, vol. 8, no. 2, 2019, pp. 453-65, doi:10.12973/eu-jer.8.2.453.
Vancouver Benediktsson Aİ, Ragnarsdottir H. Communication and Group Work in the Multicultural Classroom: Immigrant Students’ Experiences. eujer. 2019;8(2):453-65.
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