Search Results (100)

Oral tradition stories hold a vital place in language education, offering rich repositories of linguistic, cultural, and historical knowledge. In the Spanish as a Foreign Language (SFL) context, their inclusion provides dynamic opportunities to explore diversity, foster critical and creative thinking, and challenge dominant epistemologies. Despite their pedagogical potential, these narratives remain largely absent from formal curricula, with most SFL textbooks still privileging canonical works, particularly those from the Latin American Boom or European literary texts. This article aims to provide practical guidance for SFL instructors on designing effective, culturally responsive materials for the teaching of vocabulary. Drawing on a methodological framework for material design and a cognitive approach to vocabulary learning, I present original pedagogical material based on a Colombian oral tradition story about the witches of La Jagua (Huila, Colombia) to inspire educators to integrate oral tradition stories into their classrooms. As argued throughout, oral narratives not only support vocabulary acquisition and intercultural competence but also offer students meaningful engagement with the values, worldviews, and linguistic diversity that shape Colombian culture. This approach redefines language teaching through a more descriptive, contextualized, and culturally grounded lens, equipping learners with pragmatic, communicative, and intercultural skills essential for the 21st century. My goal with this article is to advocate for teacher agency in material creation, emphasizing that educators are uniquely positioned to design pedagogical resources that reflect their own cultural realities and local knowledge and to adapt them meaningfully to their students’ needs. Full article

Campus climate research has long been a focus of higher education scholarship; however, studies show that inequalities and a pervasive sense of not belonging continue to negatively affect students. This paper presents the results of a campus-wide survey conducted at a Minority-Serving Institution (MSI), with a sample of 820 undergraduate, master’s, Ph.D., and non-degree students. The authors explore students’ experiences on campus in relation to their identities as well as students’ perceptions of campus climate. Specifically, the paper examines students’ intergroup relations and how these influence their sense of belonging. The survey instrument developed in the frame of this project also included questions designed to assess opportunities students have to develop key values, attitudes, skills, knowledge, and critical understanding related to intercultural and democratic competences necessary for life and work in multicultural societies. This study identifies the areas students perceive as important for development, highlighting which values, attitudes, skills, knowledge, and critical understanding they have had the opportunity to cultivate during their time at the university and those they would like to develop further. The authors hope these findings will inform efforts to strengthen institutional support for more inclusive practices on culturally diverse university campuses and provide evidence-based guidance for designing effective pedagogical interventions. Full article

During the late Ming and early Qing Dynasties, China underwent a period of broad-based economic and societal transformation. Among the cultural forces at play, the Christian culture has significantly impacted the trajectory of Chinese history. At the time, responding to a distinct socio-political environment, Western missionaries employed a variety of religious methodologies to pursue the goal of proselytizing. As part of missionary efforts, they introduced Western scientific and cultural knowledge into China alongside Christian doctrines, coinciding with a period of political and cultural transformation and development in China. Accordingly, this influx of new ideas from the West had a far-reaching impact on Chinese society. This paper focuses on the Chinese translation of Euclid’s Elements, examining the intercultural dissemination of Western mathematical knowledge through missionary activities. Furthermore, the study also elucidates the positive impact of Western mathematics carried with religious efforts on the Chinese traditional mathematical system via presenting a comparison of paradigms in mathematics. Finally, this study argues that the translation practice by Christian emissaries from the West in the natural sciences during the Ming and Qing Dynasties engendered novel intellectual currents, thereby facilitating the development of a contemporary Chinese knowledge framework and a shift in religious research toward comprehensive perspectives. Full article

This study offers a unique perspective on the role of ancestral knowledge in sustainable river management and community resilience. Specifically, this study draws on (1) a systematic literature review using the PRISMA methodology and (2) a qualitative analysis of community surveys conducted with 39 women in Zambrano, Colombia, to examine the impact of ancestral knowledge on sustainability, peace promotion, and community development. The findings highlight that women’s traditional water management practices significantly contribute to environmental sustainability, conflict resolution, and social cohesion. Women play a central role in transmitting and applying ancestral water knowledge, yet they remain marginalized in decision-making processes, often facing barriers to participation in governance structures. Finally, these findings proposed strategies for integrating ancestral knowledge into sustainable resource management policies. This study underscores the urgent need for legal recognition, intercultural dialogue, gender-inclusive governance, and educational programs to ensure the transmission and adaptation of these practices in contemporary contexts. Integrating ancestral knowledge into water management policies is essential for strengthening gender equity, community resilience, and fostering governance models that harmoniously combine traditional and scientific approaches. Full article

Recognising linguistic diversity as a person’s characteristic is arguably central to their multilingual identity and is important as an equity issue. Different indicators suggest that students with migrant backgrounds, whose linguistic diversity is often not reflected in European education systems, tend to underperform compared to their peers without migrant backgrounds. There is a dire need, therefore, to alleviate the educational inequalities that negatively affect some of the most plurilingual students in European school systems. This can be carried out by revisiting assessment tools. Developing assessments to make children’s full linguistic and cultural repertoire visible, and what they can do with it, is one way that potential inequalities in school systems and assessment practices can be addressed so that cultural and linguistic responsiveness of assessments and practices can be improved. This paper explores the concept of discontinuities or mismatches between the assessment of plurilingual children’s linguistic practices in one primary school in Catalonia and their actual linguistic realities, including heritage languages. It asks: (1) What are the children’s linguistic profiles? (2) What mismatches and/or educational inequalities do they experience? and (3) How does the co-creation and use of a rubric assessing plurilingual and intercultural competence attempt to mitigate these mismatches and inequalities? Mismatches are identified using a context- and participant-relevant reflection tool, based on 18 reflective questions related to aspects of social justice. Results highlight that mismatches exist between children’s plurilingual and intercultural knowledge and skills compared to the school, education system, curriculum, and wider regional and European policy. These mismatches highlight two plurilingual visions for language education. The paper highlights how language assessment tools and practices can be made more culturally and linguistically fair for plurilingual children with migration backgrounds. Full article

In the wake of intensifying global Extreme Climate Incidents (ECIs), which have particularly noticeable effects on indigenous populations, integrating value-driven education has become a global imperative. While Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) for SDG 13 climate action has been widely adopted in science and engineering curricula, language and culture programs remain underexplored as venues for transformative sustainability learning in Global Competence (GC). Learners in these fields often demonstrate critical literacy and global awareness, but lack the interdisciplinary tools and strategies to translate values into climate-conscious behavior. This study responds to this gap by incorporating virtual reality (VR) into a modified Global Competence Framework (GCF) in an experiment study within intercultural communication courses (N = 303, VR explorative group = 152, control group = 151). A mixed methodological approach was adopted by evaluating pretest–posttest quantitative data of ESD knowledge, attitudes, behaviors, and qualitative data of critical online reflection. The results demonstrate increase localized ESD knowledge in terms of climate, attitudes, and ecological behaviors in both groups in the lived experience of GCF, yet the VR explorative group showed a greater improvement in knowledge and behavior because of their visualization of the 3D rotation of rarely acquired scientific knowledge in monsoonal movement and the local indigenous village reconstruction after destruction. By localizing the Typhoon Morakot tragedy that devastated Shiaolin Village, the intervention provided a culturally specific and interactive context for ESD concepts, enabling interdisciplinary learners to experience climate injustice firsthand with value-based strategies while critically reflecting on global responsibility and sustainable action. Full article

This study explores the ways in which Canadian teachers construe the complexity of citizenship education, utilizing the key concepts of affect and difficult knowledge to examine the challenges to democratic citizenship within increasingly diverse intercultural societies. The findings from the semi-structured qualitative interviews with six social studies teachers reveal how affective dynamics emerge prominently as they grapple with tensions between idealized conceptions of multi- and intercultural citizenship and ongoing challenging issues (e.g., social inequality and exclusion). The findings reveal a problematic pattern of antinomical attitudes as a dilemma—where teachers outwardly acknowledge ethical obligations to address ongoing injustices while simultaneously resisting the deeper structural changes necessary for sustainable intercultural societies. In doing so, this study illuminates how affective dynamics function as an onto-epistemological power behind social production that shapes our cognitive rational deliberations on citizenship and undergirding ideology(ies). These findings offer critical insights into the ethical challenges of education for sustainable intercultural societies amid a global landscape where extreme nationalism intertwines with neoliberal market-driven imperatives. This study thus provides implications for critical pedagogical approaches for citizenship that embrace myriad affective dynamics to create transformative learning spaces for citizenship education, particularly in addressing systemic inequalities. Such approaches could pave pathways toward acts of citizenship to disrupt already defined orders, practices, and statuses so integrally as to make claims for justice. Full article

Introduction: Engaging social actors dedicated to education has facilitated dialogue, emotional connection, action, and the accumulation of knowledge to create insights that address community needs and promote its development. This study aims to understand the relationship between education, culture, and community as described by teachers working in Mapuche contexts in the Araucanía region of Chile. Method: This research was based on social science research, using a qualitative approach and a non-experimental emergent design. The participants interviewed for the study consisted of 15 in-service teachers in three schools in Mapuche contexts in the Araucanía region of Chile. The study used a semi-structured interview script to collect data, and in the analysis plan the Grounded Theory (GT) was used, to conceptualize the emerging patterns in categorized concepts and theories. Results: The analysis revealed three distinct categories: culture and diversity; education; and community. Discussion: There is a connection between culture and diversity, education, and community, with learning as the central theme. However, each of these dimensions tends to operate mainly in isolation, lacking effective connections that would facilitate consistent development in the learning and teaching processes. Conclusions: It is essential to incorporate inclusive strategies that recognize and value social and cultural diversity within school classrooms and promoting the dialogue of knowledge and wisdom through intercultural education fosters the active participation of all actors involved in the teaching and learning processes. Full article

Animal health strategies in rural Colombia face significant challenges due to a gap between institutional technical approaches and the sociocultural contexts of local communities. This study examines the social representations of animal health and welfare among small- and medium-scale livestock producers in rural Huila. Through a qualitative methodology, semi-structured interviews were applied and focus groups were conducted in different municipalities with the objective of contrasting and enriching the findings obtained in the interviews. In total, the perceptions, knowledge, and practices of 263 small and medium livestock producers from 23 municipalities in Huila were explored with respect to animal vaccination campaigns and healthcare in rural settings. Findings indicate that health management is shaped not only by technical protocols but also by cultural values, collective imaginaries, and symbolic relationships with animals. Representations of animal welfare are diverse—ranging from emotional and economic to preventive and communal perspectives—and often diverge from scientific–technological frameworks. These differences influence the level of community adherence to national animal health programs. The study highlights the limitations of top–down approaches and underscores the need to incorporate local knowledge and practices into policy design. It concludes that promoting sustainable livestock farming requires acknowledging these varied representations, fostering intercultural dialogue, and adopting a territorial approach to integrated health. Recognising the sociocultural dimensions of animal care is essential for developing effective, inclusive, and context-sensitive animal health strategies. Full article

There has been an increase in the number of users on digital platforms. Similarly, technology is prevalent in the daily lives of young people, therefore, it is crucial to address the topic of digital citizenship with them, ensuring they use technology in a responsible and healthy manner. The present study argues that the foreign language classroom constitutes a privileged space for the promotion of digital citizenship. To address this research gap, the present study examines digital citizenship within the context of foreign language education, with a particular focus on its articulation with the intercultural dimension, and explores its impact on participants’ knowledge, attitudes, and opinions. More specifically, this study aims to determine the effectiveness of a five-session didactic intervention in developing students’ knowledge, attitudes, and opinions regarding digital citizenship within an intercultural dimension in an EFL secondary classroom. The research question formulated is: how can digital citizenship be developed in conjunction with the intercultural dimension in the English language classroom in secondary education, namely concerning students’ knowledge, attitudes, and opinions? With the intention of addressing this question, an intervention project was implemented with a class of 11th-grade students at a school in the Aveiro district, Portugal. The didactic project consisted of five sessions conducted in the English classroom, in a total of 450 min. Through the content analysis conducted on the collected data, it revealed significant improvements in students’ understanding of online rights and responsibilities, and a positive shift in attitudes toward intercultural interaction. While some initial prejudices persisted, the project fostered increased awareness of diverse cultural perspectives in the digital world. These findings suggest that targeted interventions integrating intercultural awareness within digital citizenship education can be effective in promoting responsible digital engagement and intercultural sensitivity in EFL secondary education. Full article

This article reports on a case study where students of Initial Teacher Education in Spain and Germany collaborated with in-service teachers from around Europe on the theme of Foreign Language materials development. It examines to what extent engagement in this model of virtual exchange contributes to student teachers’ and in-service teachers’ intercultural and didactic competence development. The study also explores how students’ perspectives on teaching foreign languages and their future profession change through collaboration with in-service teachers and how the student teachers’ and in-service teachers’ roles unfold in this type of collaboration. It is based on a qualitative content analysis of focus-group interviews, learning portfolios, recordings of online meetings, and questionnaires with open-ended questions. The findings indicate that this type of collaboration can reduce the gap between theory and practice: through the classroom experiences of in-service teachers, student teachers gain intercultural, professional knowledge and motivation, while in-service teachers gain knowledge about recent methodologies and technology through the alternative perspective of student teachers. We use the findings of our study to make recommendations on how other teacher trainers can use this Virtual Exchange model in the classroom. Full article

The Critical Pedagogies Research Team (PEDACRI-ULL) participates in the Program for the Inclusion of Migrants at Risk of Social Exclusion (PIPE) 2023-1-ES01-KA220-ADU-000160578, funded by the European Union. This project aims to design, implement and promote a transnational cooperation network to enhance the skills and competencies of migrants. Its purpose is to provide an educational response aligned with the European Commission’s Pact on Migration and Asylum.. Among its objectives, the program develops tools for professionals and institutions working with migrants, fostering collaborative learning to envision a culture of peace. In this essay, we explore the Pedagogy of Hospitality through critical pedagogies and the dialogue of knowledge. We propose a model of migrant citizenship based on an interlinguistic didactic relationship that promotes intercultural coexistence, grounded in an ethic of miscegenation. Furthermore, we advocate language teaching as a universal right and argue that hospitality should not be seen as an act of generosity but as a moral duty. This perspective supports an inclusive and just education, where language serves as a bridge for integration and mutual recognition. Full article

This study examines how Japanese Generation Z, “digital natives” currently in higher education, engage in cross-cultural learning and develop global skills. In the modern digital era, encountering and studying international topics, cultures, and languages is no longer limited to the traditional physical movement of people to acquire new experiences. We seek to investigate a modernized educational model for intercultural exchange, learning, and internationalization that emphasizes the technological information, platforms, and tools that the digital native generation uses daily. We use survey data from 123 Japanese higher-education students to investigate this subject and help reveal how they can operate and learn global skills in an increasingly digital landscape. Our findings indicate a strong desire to gain intercultural competence through digital sources, remote communications, and interactions with inbound international students. Digital information provides a significant opportunity for students to gain foundational international knowledge and competencies without the level of investment and limited accessibility of traditional study-abroad programs. We consider the pros and cons of integrating digital information into future academic endeavors. Full article

According to European organizations, intercultural competence is considered a prerequisite for achieving social cohesion. Even though its development calls for a lifelong learning approach, the formal education system has a primary task in its development through all school subjects, i.e., the entire school curriculum. In the last twenty years, international and European organizations have emphasized the importance of religious education in developing students’ intercultural competence. The Republic of Croatia has applied European recommendations in its educational documents and defined intercultural competence as one of the fundamental competencies in the national educational curriculum. The question arises of how religious education in the Republic of Croatia helps students achieve and develop intercultural competence concerning knowledge of other religions and worldviews. This paper is focused on Catholic Religious Education in primary and secondary education. Data are collected using semi-structured interviews among nine Catholic RE teachers in Zagreb County, Republic of Croatia. Qualitative research is based on findings of a quantitative survey conducted among Catholic religious education teachers in 2022. The research questions are: (1) Why are guest lectures and visits to religious communities less represented forms of learning in confessional Religious Education? (2) Which methods are used to develop specific dimensions of intercultural competence (conflict resolution, analytical and critical thinking, attitudes)? (3) Does interreligious learning lead to changes in students’ behaviour, and what are the obstacles to interreligious learning? This paper aims to examine the methodical approaches of RE teachers in the development of intercultural competence, as well as the obstacles they encounter in the process of imparting knowledge about other religions and worldviews within Catholic religious education. Results have shown that the teaching process remains at an informational level; the development of attitudes, critical thinking skills, and conflict-resolution skills is lacking. The absence of experiential learning can largely be attributed to external factors, such as administrative obstacles and teacher’s/parents’ attitudes. Full article

To change the course of traditional citizen participation towards ecological transition (ET) and to promote a sustainable transformation of social systems, it is necessary to implement a transformative policy that is based on a deep understanding of the territories in their biophysical, socioeconomic, and cultural dimensions. This policy should incorporate and articulate a plurality of knowledge, technologies, powers, and local positions. In this paper, we propose five ideas inspired by initiatives and examples from around the world to promote plural, reflexive, intercultural, transnational, ecological, and dynamic citizenship, which may foster a fair and inclusive ET. This scenario aims to envision alternative modes of social organization to anticipate ecologically and globally equitable futures. Full article