Multiculturalism in higher education: experiences of international teaching assistants and their students in science and math classrooms.
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| Title: | Multiculturalism in higher education: experiences of international teaching assistants and their students in science and math classrooms. |
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| Authors: | Avsar Erumit, Banu1 (AUTHOR) banu.avsar@erdogan.edu.tr, Akerson, Valarie L.2 (AUTHOR), Buck, Gayle A.2 (AUTHOR) |
| Source: | Cultural Studies of Science Education. Mar2021, Vol. 16 Issue 1, p251-278. 28p. |
| Subject Terms: | *Teachers' assistants, *Science classrooms, *Mathematics students, *Science students, *Higher education |
| Abstract: | Universities with a strong global presence host a large number of international doctoral students. Many of these students teach undergraduate courses as part of a teaching assistantship. There are many benefits associated with international teaching assistants. These include cultural exchanges within the universities and enhanced preparation for students entering into careers that are increasingly international in scope. These international teaching assistants, however, often encounter unique challenges. An understanding of these challenges is imperative in order to better meet their needs, as well as those of the undergraduate students in their classes. This qualitative study examined the experiences of international teaching assistants from science and math education departments in a Midwestern US university and their students' views about learning from them. Data sources included video and audio-taped semi-structured interviews conducted with seven international teaching assistants and their students. The findings revealed the teaching assistants experienced different kinds of language and cultural and contextual challenges. Accent and fluency in speaking, correct pronunciation of the words, and the differences in science and mathematics jargon across different countries are examples of linguistic challenges. The difficulty in understanding US humor, customs, values, and beliefs are examples of cultural challenges. In response to these challenges, the teaching assistants developed coping strategies such as honesty and being open to students. The findings revealed students experienced some difficulties such as language issues, but they also had positive experiences such as learning about different cultures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
| Copyright of Cultural Studies of Science Education is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.) | |
| Database: | Education Research Complete |
| FullText | Links: – Type: pdflink Text: Availability: 0 |
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| Header | DbId: ehh DbLabel: Education Research Complete An: 149336923 AccessLevel: 6 PubType: Academic Journal PubTypeId: academicJournal PreciseRelevancyScore: 0 |
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| RecordInfo | BibRecord: BibEntity: Identifiers: – Type: doi Value: 10.1007/s11422-020-09996-2 Languages: – Code: eng Text: English PhysicalDescription: Pagination: PageCount: 28 StartPage: 251 Subjects: – SubjectFull: Teachers' assistants Type: general – SubjectFull: Science classrooms Type: general – SubjectFull: Mathematics students Type: general – SubjectFull: Science students Type: general – SubjectFull: Higher education Type: general Titles: – TitleFull: Multiculturalism in higher education: experiences of international teaching assistants and their students in science and math classrooms. Type: main BibRelationships: HasContributorRelationships: – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Avsar Erumit, Banu – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Akerson, Valarie L. – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Buck, Gayle A. IsPartOfRelationships: – BibEntity: Dates: – D: 01 M: 03 Text: Mar2021 Type: published Y: 2021 Identifiers: – Type: issn-print Value: 18711502 Numbering: – Type: volume Value: 16 – Type: issue Value: 1 Titles: – TitleFull: Cultural Studies of Science Education Type: main |
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