Topic 6

Case studies for the analysis of intercultural situations, Intercultural conflict and solutions

Introduction

Topic 6 is meant to enhance teachers’ competences to successfully manage multicultural contexts and overcome possible sources of conflict/misunderstanding by applying several practical solutions and exercises. To this aim, this chapter is structured around some case studies, coming from project partner’s countries: Italy, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Greece, Portugal.

Depending on the situation described, we propose either a preventive measure or a solution. Moreover, users are invited to share their suggestions on how they would deal with each specific occurrence, by interacting in TEACHmi online forum, thus enabling them to exchange ideas with other interested professionals from across the EU.

Each case study includes the following aspects:

Description of critical cultural differences
Impact on the classroom
Teacher’s initial reaction
Possible solutions/exercises to overcome the situation
Conditions to develop a whole-school approach: the involvement of different actors, primarily parents

The methodology of case studies was chosen because it “provides tools for researchers to study complex phenomena within their contexts¹” and thus can add a unique practical insight to the topics developed in this toolkit. Among others, the methodology is particularly useful when the focus of the study is to answer “how” and “why” questions², which are two essential aspects that come up when managing intercultural contexts and dealing with possible conflicts.

Through the analysis of real-life scenarios from the educational environment, readers will be able to identify sensitive topics and develop their own solutions to deal with them.

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1 Baxter, P., & Jack, S. (2008). Qualitative Case Study Methodology: Study Design and Implementation for Novice Researchers. The Qualitative Report, 13(4), 544-559

2 Yin, R. K. (2003). Case study research: Design and methods (3rd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

Specific objectives

To apply suggested approaches and exercises to real-life scenarios
To propose possible solutions to the challenges posed by multicultural contexts
To spur reflection on individual cases

Learning outcomes

Analyse critical intercultural situations and related behaviours
Recognise potential sources of conflict, hidden in multicultural encounters
Identify sensitive issues in multicultural classes and appropriate ways to address them
Discover how the suggested solutions can work in practice
Self-assess one’s own personal experience through real-life scenarios
Use proper analytical, problem-solving and diversity management skills for the analysis and management of intercultural encounters