The Cross-Cultural Adaptability Inventory (CCAI) was developed as a tool to assess an individual's effectiveness in cross-cultural interaction and communication. Because limited validity evidence had been published regarding the CCAI, the purpose of the current study is to evaluate the psychometric properties of CCAI scores, specifically focusing…

This paper describes a research project sponsored and funded by the State Department's Bureau of International Narcotics and Affairs (INL) on substance abuse and treatment in ten countries. The purpose of the study was to identify promising practices in drug treatment in Europe, Latin America, and Southeast Asia. The steps taken to complete this…

With the advent of European unity, understandings of the terms "Europe" and "European" have become even more complicated than they were before. A contested concept within its borders, how is "Europe" understood and seen from the outside? This paper deals with the under-researched issue of public perceptions of the…

This paper analyses how cultural understanding of the target culture can be addressed at beginners' level. To do this, I will discuss how some theoretical and pedagogical principles from Intercultural Learning, Cultural Studies and Second Language Acquisition throw light on the teaching of culture at the outset of foreign language learning. While…

This collection of articles offers some practical responses to what is broadly termed internationalisation in higher education. They relate to work done at a research-intensive university in southeastern Australia, with a specific focus on the student learning experience. Various local interpretations of internationalisation are exemplified and…

This case study evaluates the potential of synchronous chat for deep learning in the context of a distance education program between two universities in different cultural contexts, with a focus on interaction and facilitation. Three rubrics--functional moves, social construction of knowledge, and teaching presence--were applied in a longitudinal…

Adult language learners have specific learning goals that reflect their lives within a global society, and adults negotiate multiple and changing identities throughout their personal, academic, and professional lives. Chapters in "Authenticity in the Language Classroom and Beyond: Adult Learners" highlight how teachers have the ability…

Negotiation skills are essential in everyday life, whether in a professional or personal context. Negotiation enables two parties to address misunderstandings and avoid conflicts through an exchange that depends as much on the interpersonal skills of the negotiators as the tactics employed. Acquiring these skills requires not only sound conceptual…

This series captures the dynamics of the contemporary ESOL classroom. It showcases state-of-the-art curricula, materials, tasks, and activities reflecting emerging trends in language education and seeks to build localized language teaching and learning theories based on teachers' and students' unique experiences in and beyond the classroom. Each…

Efforts have been made by language educators and researchers to use computer technology to assist L2 learners' growth in either linguistic or intercultural competence. Nonetheless, web-based environments devoted to developing both types of competences in tandem are new and experimental. The purpose of this project, which involves the collaboration…

Based on the idea that linguistic competence depends ultimately on knowledge of the culturally determined norms of language use, this paper focuses on the way business-related telephone conversations between Finns and Anglo-Americans are organized, with special attention to differences in the way the opening "How are you?" sequence is…

This book is the story of four nonnative children's acculturation into an American elementary school, as seen by the author, the teachers, the parents, and the children themselves. The book states that some of the challenges stem from linguistic barriers, but that others are cultural issues so endemic that neither the teacher nor the student is…

Juxtaposing Chinese and American culture, this paper anticipates problems Chinese students have with their perception of the interpersonal communication course and suggests lesson plans American teachers can utilize. The paper first discusses salient patterns within the American and Chinese educational systems, noting that Chinese students are…

This report introduces the concept of syncretic literacy by examining an exchange in which a 6-year-old Samoan-American boy, in his urban Los Angeles (California) home, involves members of his extended family to complete homework. The study illustrates how English is sometimes used in ways that are consistent with the socialization practices…

Relations between ethnic groups on the nation's college campuses are being viewed with increasing interest. Research suggests that the presence of certain types of interracial or inter-ethnic experiences appear to positively influence White college students' racial attitudes. The purpose of this document is to address how the racial attitudes of…