Mieke Witsel

Transcultural teachers: experiences of academics teaching tourism and hospitality in multicultural and transnational contexts

Mieke Witsel — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 16:24:22 PDT

The rapid growth in internationalisation of education has led to the point where Australia has become a world leader in transnational education. Simultaneously, the provision of hospitality and tourism management education has developed rapidly from its inception in 1974 with numbers of international students rising steadily. Although robust research into the international student experience has been conducted, the impact of these changes upon tertiary academics has received little attention from researchers.

Within this context, this research project aims to develop a better understanding of academics’ experiences of teaching tourism and hospitality in transcultural settings. More specifically, the study seeks to discover the impacts of working in a multicultural, multinational and multilingual environment on the tourism and hospitality academic (Objective One), and to explore the concept of competence in multicultural and transnational teaching (Objective Two).

This thesis is presented in five stages. The first stage considers the formative background to the research, and explores literature and concepts surrounding transcultural contexts of higher education. The current state of internationalisation of tourism and hospitality higher education in Australia is outlined, and gaps in the research field are highlighted. This section observes a need for transcultural competence in teaching.

Stage Two addresses methodological considerations and explores the use of interpretive phenomenological methodology for gaining a greater understanding of the lived experiences of academics teaching in transcultural contexts. The practice and philosophies surrounding phenomenology, interviewing, and transcribing talk are critically examined. This stage also proposes the use of mind mapping as a tool for qualitative research analysis.

Employing the interpretive methodologies outlined in the previous stage, Stage Three considers Objective One by addressing the research question ‘What are the concerns and constraints experienced by academics teaching in transnational and multicultural contexts?’ In keeping with a phenomenological approach which encourages testing initial intuitions by subjecting them to critical evaluation, this section incorporates a peer-reviewed paper written by the researcher. Findings showed that academics experienced concerns and constraints relating to their sense of self, the intercultural other (the students) and the temporal and education environment in which they are situated. Stage Three also addresses the second research question, ‘What influences the positive experiences of academics teaching in transnational and multicultural contexts?’ Findings showed that travel and journeying (both physical and metaphorical) were highly significant, beneficial, and contributed greatly to emotional well-being as they allowed the academics to experience joy in transcultural teaching.

Stage Four addresses the second research objective and incorporates two research questions. The question ‘How are academics’ intercultural competences in multicultural education formed?’ involved the theoretical delineation of the specific research area through an in-depth systematic literature review in order to develop a holistic explanatory model. The model considers epistemology and ontology of teaching practice, and contains four quadrants: self-knowledge, values, knowledge and skills. The final research question, ‘How do successful international tourism and hospitality educators embody and integrate competence in their teaching within multicultural and transnational classrooms?’ entailed close phenomenological analysis of the narrated experiences of four academics who had not only derived much enjoyment from their transcultural teaching, but had been publicly recognised by peers and by their universities as being successful teachers. The narrated experiences, approaches and opinions of these academics are analysed and organised according to the model and are explored under the headings Epistemology – which includes ‘cultural knowledge’ and ‘skills’; and Ontology, which covers ‘values’ and ‘self’.

Stage Five considers the implications and significance of this research for higher education. The thesis contributes not only to research into teaching and internationalisation of education, but also makes original contributions to qualitative research methodology.

Develop teams and individuals

H Mol et al. — Wed, 06 May 2009 16:45:52 PDT

Establish business networks

Mieke Witsel — Wed, 06 May 2009 16:45:51 PDT

Communication lifts borders

Mieke Witsel — Wed, 06 May 2009 16:25:38 PDT

Concerns and constraints of teaching tourism and hospitality in a multicultural context

Mieke Witsel — Wed, 06 May 2009 16:25:38 PDT

As an outcome of the author’s ongoing PhD research, this paper describes how a phenomenological research method was employed to gather meaningful, essential understanding of the lived experiences of tourism and hospitality academics in the multicultural classroom. Twenty-seven lecturers, across seven campuses of two Australian schools teaching tourism and hospitality, were interviewed to ascertain what experiences the lecturers thought were of importance in the teaching of tourism and hospitality, in a multicultural context. Three main areas outline the scope: the experiences surrounding the self, surrounding the multicultural other, and surrounding the environment. In this paper the form and value of this type of interpretive phenomenological method is explained, as it explores the darker side of lecturers’ experiences: the constraints (those influences which restrict the lecturer in carrying out teaching in an optimal manner), and their concerns (the emotional cares which are experienced as negative). The concerns and constraints experienced by these lecturers show that these lecturers experience an essential sense of ‘lostness’ in each of the three areas as they can feel professionally and personally lost, and at a loss, in each of these areas.

Tourism & hospitality academics teaching in transnational and multicultural contexts: where the bloody hell are they? Plenary session

Mieke Witsel — Wed, 06 May 2009 16:25:37 PDT

Communication in organisations

Mieke Witsel — Wed, 06 May 2009 16:25:37 PDT

'The content for this custom publication is drawn from: Bretag / Communication skills for international students in business -- Creme-Lea / Writing at university -- De Janasz-Wood-Gottschalk-Dowd-Schneider / Interpersonal skills in organisations -- Hybels-Weaver / Communicating effectively -- Hynes / Managerial communication; strategies and approaches -- Lesikar-Flatley / Basic business communication' - t.p. 'Prepared by Mieke Witsel for Southern Cross University'.

Discovering self through teaching in a second language in the multicultural classroom

Mieke Witsel — Wed, 06 May 2009 16:25:36 PDT

Report of the working party on international and intercultural perspectives at Southern Cross University

Mieke Witsel et al. — Wed, 06 May 2009 16:25:35 PDT

Teaching in a multicultural context

Mieke Witsel — Wed, 06 May 2009 16:25:35 PDT

The joys and journeys of teaching tourism and hospitality in an international context

Mieke Witsel — Wed, 06 May 2009 16:25:34 PDT

Teaching and learning issues in the multicultural classroom

Mieke Witsel — Wed, 06 May 2009 16:25:34 PDT

As the Western educational system becomes more geared to multicultural society, and a need to find funding outside the usual paddock of local students and research projects emerges, more pressure is being exerted on tertiary institutions to open their doors to foreign students. This paper explores the intercultural communication issues facing the lecturer teaching in the multicultural classroom. The original research draws on studies of Dutch lecturers and ancillary staff upon teaching (in English) within the multicultural tertiary classroom, in locations across the Netherlands, Belgium and Indonesia. However, additional findings emerged which allow for an interpretation of the impact of functioning in a professional sense with students from different cultural backgrounds, irrespective of the lecturer’s cultural background. Working with a diverse, multicultural classroom has an impact on the lecturer’s sense of self, on matters of trust, and on confidence. The paper also explores the impact of variations in students’ learning styles, logic structures, high and low context communication, and metalinguistic communication. The implications of the use of a second language and the effect on the speaker are investigated, and as a consequence the impact of varying levels of English-language competency can be seen to be quite significant. Both student and lecturer can be seen in many cases to relinquish a level of control that previously had been taken for granted. Finally, the paper suggests some tactics – both practical and attitudinal - which will aid lecturer and student in more effective teaching and learning in the multicultural classroom.

Communication skills: meeting the real needs of the successful tourism professional

Mieke Witsel — Wed, 06 May 2009 16:25:33 PDT

The ontology of teaching tourism and hospitality in a transcultural context: the voices of four successful academics

Mieke Witsel — Wed, 06 May 2009 16:25:32 PDT

Sustainability: an ecology of whole tourism systems

Mieke Witsel — Wed, 06 May 2009 16:25:32 PDT

The benefits of journeys: teaching tourism and hospitality in a transnational context

Mieke Witsel — Wed, 06 May 2009 16:25:31 PDT

Lessons from the lighthouse: action research and learning in tourism and hospitality education

Mieke Witsel — Wed, 06 May 2009 16:25:31 PDT

In response to the increasing need for tourism academics to cope with the tripartite load of teaching, research and community service, this discussion paper focuses on a synergetic strategy which enhances teaching and improves student outcomes within tourism and hospitality education, as well as supporting the community and providing input for research purposes. For two years running, the students of the university’s School of Tourism and Hospitality Management have engaged in an assessable industry-based research project, which took place at Cape Byron Reserve, a place of outstanding natural beauty as well as a place of cultural significance to the indigenous Arakwal people of Byron Bay. The results of the studies were of value to not only the traditional owners of the land, but also to the management of Cape Byron Trust and National Parks and Wildlife. In addition, the students benefited greatly from the experience, and the research material generated is of use to the academic staff as a basis for further research. This paper does not go into the details of the research results but rather discusses the various rewards of action research in a tourism teaching context. The most valuable strategy was to combine action research and action learning with assessment.

Leadership, empowerment and trust development in team teaching

Mieke Witsel — Wed, 06 May 2009 16:25:30 PDT

Joy and journeys: tourism and hospitality academics' positive experiences of education in a multicultural context

Mieke Witsel — Wed, 06 May 2009 16:25:30 PDT

Interpersonal communication skills in organisations (2nd edn)

Mieke Witsel — Wed, 06 May 2009 16:25:29 PDT

'Include chapters from the following texts: De Janasz-Dowd-Schneider / Interpersonal skills in organizations [&] Lesikar-Flatley / Basic business communication' - t.p. Cover - 'Prepared by Mieke Witsel for Southern Cross University'.