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"It's so much easier to go with what's easy": "Mindfulness" and the discourse between home and international students in the United Kingdom

Peacock, Nicola; Harrison, Neil

"It's so much easier to go with what's easy": "Mindfulness" and the discourse between home and international students in the United Kingdom Thumbnail


Authors

Nicola Peacock

Neil Harrison Neil.Harrison@uwe.ac.uk
Occasional Associate Lecturer - ACE EDU



Abstract

A recent aspect of U.K. higher education has been the internationalisation of university campuses, driven by a rapid increase in student numbers from overseas and growing pressure to prepare all students for global careers. It is often assumed by policy makers that the benefits of an internationalised university will include opportunities for enhancing cultural awareness and capability among U.K. students, with contact with other cultures helping to foster a sense of global citizenship and responsibility. This article reports initial findings from two English universities which suggests that U.K. students instinctively take a strategic approach to cross-cultural interaction based on perceptions of cultural proximity and comfort. Although U.K. students do appear to identify some of the gains predicted by policy-makers, these are often low level, incidental, and unconnected to wider learning. Furthermore, it is noteworthy that data collection and analysis has been hindered by a strong taboo around discussions of diversity. © 2009 Nuffic.

Citation

Peacock, N., & Harrison, N. (2009). "It's so much easier to go with what's easy": "Mindfulness" and the discourse between home and international students in the United Kingdom. Journal of Studies in International Education, 13(4), 487-508. https://doi.org/10.1177/1028315308319508

Journal Article Type Article
Publication Date Dec 1, 2009
Deposit Date Dec 20, 2011
Publicly Available Date Mar 28, 2024
Journal Journal of Studies in International Education
Print ISSN 1028-3153
Electronic ISSN 1552-7808
Publisher SAGE Publications
Peer Reviewed Peer Reviewed
Volume 13
Issue 4
Pages 487-508
DOI https://doi.org/10.1177/1028315308319508
Keywords internationalisation, international students, intercultural education, mindfulness, cultural anxiety
Public URL https://uwe-repository.worktribe.com/output/1004981
Publisher URL http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1028315308319508

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