ERIC Number: EJ806099
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2004
Pages: 19
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0033-6882
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
Language and Cultural Immersion: An Ethnographic Case Study
Jackson, Jane
RELC Journal: A Journal of Language Teaching and Research, v35 n3 p261-279 2004
This paper focuses on an evaluative, ethnographic case study of an English language and cultural immersion programme for Hong Kong university students. Prior to a five-week sojourn in England, the 15 English majors completed a survey and interview to determine their expectations and concerns. While in Oxford, they took courses in an English Language Centre, investigated a cultural scene of their choice, visited cultural/literary sites, took part in informal activities with international students, and lived with a British family. They reflected on their experiences across cultures, including stressful or confusing encounters, in a diary. During the sojourn, the researcher (their ethnography teacher) observed, photographed, and recorded their behavior in field notes and gathered additional information by way of informal discussions. Post-sojourn, the students filled in a questionnaire and offered their perceptions about their experiences in interviews and a series of debriefing sessions. The analysis of the triangulated data helped to understand the sojourn better from the students' perspectives and suggested specific issues that should be addressed in future pre-departure intercultural communications seminars. The paper aims to illustrate the valuable role that ethnographic research can play in programme evaluation and enhancement.
Descriptors: Majors (Students), Ethnography, Foreign Countries, English (Second Language), Case Studies, Program Evaluation, International Educational Exchange, Student Exchange Programs, Acculturation, Sensitivity Training, Participant Satisfaction, Student Attitudes, Expectation, Cross Cultural Studies
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Evaluative
Education Level: Higher Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Hong Kong; United Kingdom (England)
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A