The Role Of Education In Achieving International Mindedness

Introduction

In today’s globalized world, most people have encounters with members of other cultures. These encounters happen in social, political, commercial, and educational contexts. The culture people belong to affects how they think, interact, communicate, and transmit knowledge from one generation to another. The ability to interact successfully with people who are from different cultures – with their different values, practices, and ways of communicating – is called intercultural competence. Teachers prepare their students for future intercultural encounters to negotiate differences and use strategies to minimize conflict and misunderstanding. Acquiring intercultural competence demands to meet the requirements of globalization. The question arises: “Why do people face with difficulties to respond to global requirements?” The answer is: “Because people suffer from a lack of international mindedness”. But what is it? International mindedness can be defined as being open-minded about the common humanity of all people, acknowledging and accepting different societies’ cultures, beliefs and their usual environment. The mission statement of international mindedness is: “Other people with their differences can also be right” (Philpot 2014). Question breeds a question. Another crucial issue is: “How to achieve international mindedness?” The rapid increase in changes around people and the world bring challenges to globalization which can be countered through proper education to achieve international mindedness.

Challenges of globalization

There are the following challenges of globalization: complexity, diversity, inequality and cultural dimensions.

Complexity

“Complexity” is a set of behaviours or characters that people find it complicated to accept or get accustomed to. For instance, people from different cultural backgrounds have different traits and qualities. If they are not tolerant of other cultures, they will not be able to get your head round other people’s bearings or habits and finally they will be confused.

How education deals with “complexity”

The contribution education makes in creating international cognition is teaching foreign languages. Languages have a great impact on connecting people possessing different cultures as they deal with understanding people with different behaviours or characters.

Diversity

There are a variety of cultures and these cultural varieties lead to confusion. In other words, the same custom may be accepted in one culture and may not be accepted in another one. To illustrate this, in the USA students can call the teacher by his or her name whereas it can be regarded as insult and disrespect to teachers in other countries or it is offence to give things to elderly people with one hand in Korea, but in other cultures it seems quite normal.

Contribution of education to solve the problem with “diversity”

No one can be completely prepared for all the intercultural experiences they will have in the future. So, intercultural competence requires flexibility. It requires to think critically about differences. As the world becomes more interconnected, teachers must help their students understand that it is more important than ever for them to be able to activate their “cultural antennas” to understand not only other cultures, but their own as well. That means raising their awareness not only of the target language but of their own as well. So, a necessary step in developing intercultural competence is to have a very clear understanding of oneself as a cultural being. In other words, people need to understand what their own culture is and how it affects them day to day. Education can connect nationalism with internationalism by bringing in international students and providing local students with studies overseas. Students who go to different parts of the world for their future studies, bring with them their cultural diversities and different cultural values. It helps them begin to compare other countries’ national mentality with theirs. As a result, they get to become aware of their own culture on the basis of such comparison. In addition to it, they get to know how to conduct themselves in accordance with the norms of diverse societies and groups of people. This teaches to be respectful to other cultures and accept cultural differences.

Inequality

“Inequality” deals with the values of how people should be treated and how they should treat others. It manifests itself in the unequal treatment and undervalue of people from all walks of life. It means people show more respect to people who are in high status positions than people who are in low status positions. “Inequality” coincides with Hofstede’s “power distance index” as it is defined as the extent to which less powerful members of organizations and institutions accept and expect that power is distributed unequally (Hofstede 2011).

Education prevents “inequality”

Education makes students communicators by teaching communication skills. Students learn to adjust communications and control conflicts. By communication skills they can also develop international research partnerships. Such partnerships attract collaborative activities, networking and raise international reputation. International research partnerships make them continuous learners as they are based on continuous growth and improvement. Students work in diverse teams, listen and observe international partners’ researches or projects and show respect for one another’s opinions. It helps them tolerate ambiguity and be open-minded to new ideas and arguments. The power and efficiency of communication or partnerships depend on everyone’s equal treatment and participation within teamwork and groups.

Cultural dimensions

By exploring cultural dimensions, teachers can help students connect to the target culture, raise their awareness of cultural differences, and improve their “intercultural communicative competence” (Byram 1997). Apart from power distance index Hofstede defines individualism versus collectivism, uncertainty avoidance and long-term orientation as cultural dimensions.

Individualism versus collectivism

In a collectivist society, people’s strongest identity is with the group they belong to. Their individual identity is less important. If the group’s needs conflict with their individual needs, they will expected to sacrifice their individual needs for the group. In collectivist societies, long-term relationships built on trust are very important.

People in individualistic societies are the opposite. They may be willing to sacrifice personal relationships if that is necessary for personal gain. Written contracts in these societies are very important documents for defining relationships among many people.

Uncertainty avoidance

“Uncertainty avoidance” refers to different value assumptions, unfamiliar cultures and unawareness how to behave in unstructured situations. It requires to be flexible of cultural dynamics in order to avoid the incompatibility of values and norms. Greeting etiquettes can be set as a simple example of it. The right way to greet different kinds of people can usually be described in a few rules. The rules vary widely from culture to culture. In Azerbaijan people more often kiss on both cheeks while greeting. In Japan people bow when they greet each other. Americans shake hands, smile at strangers and talk much to people even they don’t know. The also shake hands with each other in greeting, but on the contrary to Americans, they stand apart from strangers and don’t talk too much to people they don’t know. Their main topic with strangers is weather. They should know such cultural differences in order to suit new circumstances, otherwise they will be subjected to culture shock.

Long-term orientation

“Long-term” orientation tends towards a perception of future orientated goals, sustainability and steadfastness. Traditions can be changed. Future cultural changes can be accessible to people if they learn from other countries, change the values they hold in approaching different cultures, respect status differences and value long range goals. This dimension focuses on the future with the aim to reaping benefits in the long period.

Education teaches “cultural dimensions” and form intercultural competence

Requiring classes on international subjects education contributes to teaching intercultural skills. On the grounds of teaching syllabus students are taught culture studies, country studies, world literature at educational establishments and at times those skills in their turn are handed over to young generation by themselves. Education is like a series of filters that turn students into principled, reflective and balanced thinkers. Besides international subjects, education teaches leadership skills that make students care for others and not be afraid of taking risks. Every nation is strong by its education and by leadership skills. Teaching cultural differences of the target language helps students concentrate on their sustainable development goals and future career, become orientated according to the terms and conditions of the countries whose languages they learn.

Three steps of achieving international mindedness

According to Philpot there are three steps of international mindedness. These steps are: to see things differently, to see things inaccurately and to see not all differences are inaccuracies.

People see things differently

This difference represents itself in intercultural beliefs, manners and viewpoints. To emphasize it, in Bulgaria, Albania and Greece people see nodding as a sign of “no”, in North and South America people see it as a sign of “yes” or shaking your head left and right means “yes” for people in Sri Lanka and India, but in other countries it gives the meaning “no”. Another example of it, some people can see a rug as a place of prayer, some as a souvenir and some others can see it as a decor.

People see things inaccurately

To support this statement, a father can see his son as a leader, a mother as a doctor, friends as a common employee, other people just as a married man without holding any job position within the next five years.

Not all differences are inaccuracies

This statement stands for the things that are true and the things that are false in the world of others’. Such a thing, giving a seat to elderly people in public transport is accuracy in the world of Azerbaijanis’ whereas it is inaccuracy in other nationalities’ world. Each country and nation has a different world, a different outlook and a point of view about accurate and inaccurate things.

Conclusion

Culture is dynamic, its perspectives, practices and products change over time. Education is a bridge that students must go over to reach international mindedness. Because it gives an opportunity to answer in time to the requirements of the changing environment to be able to manoeuvre. Intercultural competence is not an all-or-nothing ability. It requires to recognize that people are complex. People have different levels of intercultural competence among themselves, and from context to context. Students’ intercultural competence will be more or less depending on their familiarity with the particular culture whose language they learn. They cannot be considered to have mastered a foreign language until they understand the cultural contexts in which the target language is spoken (NSFLEP 1996, 27). Teachers need to provide students opportunities to explore and recognize cultural differences. In doing so, they will be better prepared to participate more fully in the global community of which their local community is a part. Thus, education can break cultural boundaries and help achieve international mindedness.

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