Education on doctoral supervisors has been a part of higher education pedagogy in Swedish universities for the last five decades, introduced in 1969 higher education reform and reviewed in 1998 (Jansson & Román, 2016). The purpose of this study is to identify dominant discourses on the education of doctoral supervision, with a particular focus on the construction of doctoral supervisors’ professional knowledge and practice. The study will be undertaken through a critical and pragmatic discourse analysis of doctoral supervision course plans collected from six universities and two university colleges in Sweden. The eight course plans are selected from two senior universities established more than 100 years ago, two universities established 50-100 years ago, and two universities and two university colleges established less than 50 years ago. Based on Fairclough’s critical discourse analysis (Fairclough, 1993, 2003) and a pragmatic discourse analysis, which draws on Dewey´s transactional perspective (Quennerstedt, 2008) and Foucault´s concepts of power (Foucault, 1980, 1982, 2002), the course plan texts will be analysed and discussed in three interrelated steps: (i) conducting a transitivity analysis (Halliday & Matthiessen, 2014), focusing on participants, processes (material, mental, verbal, relational), and circumstances; (ii) identifying the main discourses constructing reoccurring patterns of professional action in relation to supervision practice; and (iii) discussing implications for supervisors professional knowledge base, as well as for power relationships in supervision practices. Through these steps, we will closely scrutinize the purposes, goals, contents as well as the teaching and learning activities of the course plans. There will also be a focus on common areas that are addressed by the course plans, the differences that could be identified, as well as what are missing in the documents. Based on our critical analysis, we will suggest possibilities for considering vital issues in relation to future courses on supervising doctoral students. 

Picturebooks are media resources that combine illustrations and texts to reach young children with entertainment and messages about life. They can support children’s development of understanding of democratic principles. For this paper, picturebooks from Sweden and the US with content involving democratic principles were analysed with the goal of inquiring into specifically selected picturebooks through text- and illustration-based methods (iconotext). Ten picturebooks published since 2000 served as exemplars of five democratic principles: (a) equity/equality, (b) respect and appreciation for diversity, (c) rights, (d) freedom, and (e) participation. These picturebooks were examined with regard to power relations between groups or individuals. Dominance was expressed in the form of race differentiation and separation, gender dominance, and the limitation of others’ rights by force. Picturebooks from Sweden and the US differed with regard to individualism vs. collectivism. The picturebooks included contexts in which democratic solutions were sought and obtained; through read alouds they can present young children with models of decision making for their own lives. 

This study deals with all children’s possibilities of meeting the multilingual society and aims to explore the norms regarding language and culture that are reflected in picturebooks in preschools. Previous research has shown how picturebooks can be used to develop literacy skills and intercultural understandings among children. A postcolonial lens is used to identify social locations and thereby unfold hidden power relations and social positionings of who is to be included and who is not (Spivak, 1988; Yuval-Davis, 2006). 35 picturebooks collected from preschools in Iceland, Norway and Sweden have been analysed by frequency and qualitative content analysis, eleven of which were found to contain multilingualism and/or multiculturalism. The results show a) a prevailing monolingual norm in which solely artefacts carry multilingual trails; b) a strong monocultural norm, which places people of diversity in a marginalised position; c) the English language holds an advanced position compared to majority languages, which situates other minority languages as anomalous. The educational significance of the research implicates a need for multilingual and multicultural diversity to be more observable in picturebooks used in preschool, to help children develop languages, and their own linguistic and cultural identity/-ies and, thus, their sense of belonging to a multilingual society.

This study investigates roles teachers could play in developing their students’ critical thinking and transforming society. The study is based on a literature review. Critical pedagogy is used as a theoretical point of departure. The results show three important roles of teachers, the pedagogical, intellectualand activist roles. Teachers acting as pedagogues can help their students understand the subjects they are focusing on and develop a critical understanding of their own and their society’s situation. Teachers as intellectuals produce knowledge through research on their practice and other fields of knowledge, learn on how to disseminate such knowledge and understanding its consequences. As citizens, teachers use their own and their students’ experiences and knowledge of needs of their community/society to play an activist role in transforming society. Thus, the ideal teacher plays a multidimensional role as a pedagogue, an intellectual and an activist.

This paper is based on an interview with one of the principal leaders of an international partnership program between Ethiopia and Sweden, 2018–2022. The purpose of this interview was to deepen the understanding of these kinds of partnerships and to learn more about the possibilities and pitfalls of working in a joint program between national and cultural contexts. We interviewed Professor Gun-Britt Wärvik, the Swedish coordinator of the doctoral program between Addis Ababa University (AAU) and the University of Gothenburg (GU). The interview results suggest that doctoral supervisory challenges were present as students often used concepts produced in cultural contexts foreign to their assigned supervisors. Additionally, the administrative burden was particularly challenging for the Ethiopian counterpart that coordinated the program. Overall, the program created many positive work opportunities for students, provided possibilities for the staff of both universities to exercise supervision and examination of doctoral students, and enriched international experiences for all involved. 

Africa have about 1225 officially registered higher education institutions

(https://www.4icu.org/Africa/). Some of them are founded by formal colonizers and while

others through national and local initiatives. The majority of these institutions are Euro-

Centric in their approach. This text will investigate briefly what is expected of African higher

education to transform societies to the better.

The study is based on analysis of secondary data searched and found from Google Scholar,

ERIC, and Primo database. Terms such as Higher education in Africa, African higher

education, possibilities and limitations of African higher education are used for the search.

15 articles relevant to the purpose of the study are identified and used.

The result of the study shows that African universities need local epistemologies and

knowledge production systems to identify, research and propose solutions to local

problems. Teaching and research should take in to consideration social experiences and

knowledge of the local communities. Local languages should be considered to undertake

research, to distribute knowledge and to secure communities’ engagement.

Teachings and research need to address the political unrest, social injustice, economic

underdevelopment and technological backwardness most countries are facing. Focus on the

local realities and transformation should be prioritized instead of international competition

and commodification of higher education. For transforming higher education to focus on

local context, there is a need that the management, administration and academic staff

students as well as the society at large should stand together.

07. Social Justice and Intercultural EducationPaper

Internationalisation and Intercultural Competence in Higher Education.Getahun Yacob AbrahamUniversity of Borås, SwedenPresenting Author: Abraham, Getahun YacobThe aim of this study is to find out how concepts and practices of internationalisation and interculturality in higher education are understood. The study will also investigate the relation between the two concepts, what they have in common and how they could be used to facilitate internationalisation and interculturality in higher education. Uzhegova & Baik (2020) use in their work Knight´s definition of internationalisation as ‘the process of integrating an international, intercultural or global dimension into the purpose, functions or delivery of post-secondary education’ (2003, 2) (Uzhegova & Baik, 2020, 2).Internationalisation involves actors, context and different factors that facilitate or hinder its implementation. The actors include students from institutions, international students and staff from host institutions (Trahar & Hyland, 2011). On the other hand, internationalisation could be undertaken locally, by including students with varied cultural and linguistic backgrounds within the institution or within the country (Sanderson 2011). Internationalisation of the curriculum is thought to benefit the internationalisation process. It is supposed to empower students to gain global citizenship skills to take employment in most countries and undertake the work expected for the position (Kirik et al, 2018). The level of internationalisation in a higher education institution is influenced by different factors. Development of higher education in a country, the languages used in the education system, the economic development of a country as well as the attractiveness of the location of the higher education institution are supposed to influence the internationalisation of the specific institution (Uzhegova & Baik, 2020). Intercultural communication skill is one of the prior conditions to develop intercultural competence. Intercultural competence makes it possible to lay the ground for intercultural understanding and creating common learning platforms for students of diverse linguistic and cultural backgrounds (Henneby & Fordyce, 2018). One of the important aspects of intercultural communication is language. Language could enhance or hinder intercultural communication and in extension intercultural competence (Dunworth et al, 2021). To develop intercultural communication competence (ICC), Munezane (2021) considers some factors from Byram´s model (1997, 2008). The factors are, “knowledge of self and other, of interaction; relativising self, valuing other; skills of interpreting and relating; skills of discovering and/or interacting; and political education, critical cultural awareness” (Munezane, 2021, 1666).While understanding others in relation to self is important, authors also emphasis for developing intercultural competence there is need for openness to others experiences, curiosity and interdependence (Munezane, 2021). According to Yarosha et tal (2018), knowledge, awareness, skills and attitudes are the building blocks for intercultural competence, and contribute to creating cooperative learning environment for participants (Hennebry & Fordyce, 2018). Spencer-Oatey & Dauber (2019) strengthens these points on developing intercultural competence by emphasising the importance of “(a) positive attitudes (e.g. openness and curiosity) towards diversity and motivation to learn about/engage with it and (b) experiences of difference that take people out of their comfort zones and stimulate new thinking and behaviour”. (pp.1049-1050). Bilingualism is considered as one of the main challenges for intercultural communication (Tucker King et al, 2021). In many countries English is used as lingua franca in higher education institutions. However, how English is used by native speakers in higher education institutions, is perceived often by international students as creating hindrance to written and spoken communication (Holliday, 2017). In addition to language barrier, there are also challenges of ethnocentrism (Munezane, 2021; Harrison, 2011) and fear of threat from outside to one´s own language and cultural identity (Kirk et al, 2018). Less willingness to communicate with people other than one’s own group (Munezane, 2021) is also considered as an obstacle to intercultural communication and competence. 

Methodology, Methods, Research Instruments or Sources UsedMethod/methodology.

This study is based on a brief literature review. There are several databases with the possibility of searching articles with different themes, for this study I limited myself to one database, Web of Science. In Web of Science, I searched for articles using the terms “internationalisation + higher education”, then “interculturality + higher education” and finally “internationalisation and interculturality in higher education”. These searches gave quit a large number of articles. By limiting my search to peer reviewed journal articles and articles written after 2010, I could reduce the number of articles. By reading the titles and abstracts of 54 articles, I could identify the purpose, research questions, theoretical perspective, methods used, results, discussions and conclusions. These helped me to choose 14 of the 54 articles with the focus on internationalisation in higher education, intercultural competence in higher education and articles dealing with both themes. For the purpose of this conference abstract, I am limiting myself to the 14 articles. When I develop the abstract into a full-fledged paper, I am planning to search and include more relevant literature, articles, scientific reports and books.

To be able to understand the result of the different studies, content analysis is used as methodology. With the help of content analysis, the aims of the studies, methods of studies, theoretical perspectives, findings and discussions are critically scrutinized. The study focused on relevant findings in relation to internationalisation and intercultural competences. But this does not mean all findings from the literature review are included in this short text. 

Conclusions, Expected Outcomes or FindingsConclusion

Internationalisation could be steered by top-down directive or bottom-up initiative and there are also possibilities that it is a combination of both (Kirik et al, 2018). There could be motives for internationalisation to increase quality of education, exchange knowledge and experiences. It is also possible that some higher education institutions are motivated mainly for attracting fee paying students, improve the position of their institution in the national, regional or international ranking systems (Kirik et al, 2018) or impose what they consider as their “best practice” on others.  

The possibility of developing intercultural communication and gaining intercultural competence could contribute to creating cooperative learning environment (Hennebry &Fordyce, 2018). In this process participating individuals´ agency helps to achieve the goals of intercultural communication and competence (Sanderson, 2011; Tucker King et al, 2021). When unwillingness and lack of curiosity dominate it can hinder developing intercultural competence. 

In conclusion successful internationalisation obviously need intercultural communication skills and competence (Spencer-Oatey & Dauber, 2019). Suitable intercultural environment can lead to development of three stages of interactivity, reciprocity and unity (Kudo et al, 2018). While it is difficult to separate the concepts of internationalisation and intercultural competence (Collins, 2018), it is possible to consider the interplay between them. Intercultural competence can pave the way for internationalisation. Openness, curiosity, and willingness to share life experience with others could be commonly used for achieving intercultural competence and internationalisation in higher education.

ReferencesCollins, H. (2018). Interculturality from above and below: navigatinguneven discourses in a neoliberal university system. Language and Intercultural Communication, 18 (2), 167-183.

https://doi.org/10.1080/14708477.2017.1354867

Dunworth, K., Grimshaw, T., Iwaniec, J. & McKinley, J. (2021). Language and the development of intercultural competence in an ‘internationalised’ university: staff and student perspectives. Teaching in Higher Education, 26 (6), 790-805.

https://doi.org/10.1080/13562517.2019.1686698

Harrison, N. (2012). Investigating the impact of personality and early life experiences on intercultural interaction in internationalised universities. International Journal of Intercultural Relations 36, 224– 237. 

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijintrel.2011.03.007

Hennebry, M. L. & Fordyce, K. (2018). Cooperative learningon an international masters. Higher Education Research & Development, 37 (2), 270-284. 

https://doi.org/10.1080/07294360.2017.1359150

Holliday, A. (2017). PhD students, interculturality, reflexivity, community and internationalisation. Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development, 38 (3), 206-218.

https://doi.org/10.1080/01434632.2015.1134554 

Kirk, S. H., Newstead, C., Gann, R & Rounsaville, C. (2018). Empowerment and ownership in effective internationalisation of the higher education curriculum. Higer Education, 76, 989-1005.

https://doi.org/10.1007/s10734-018-0246-1 

Kudo, K., Volet, S. & Whitsed, C. (2018). Development of intercultural relationships at university: a three-stage ecological and person-in-context conceptual framework. Higher Education, 77, 473-489.

https://doi.org/10.1007/s10734-018-0283-9

Munezane, Y.  (2021). A new model of intercultural communicative competence: bridging language classrooms and intercultural communicative contexts. Studies in Higher Education, 46 (8), 1664-1681.

https://doi.org/10.1080/03075079.2019.1698537

Sanderson, G. (2011). Internationalisation and teaching in higher education,Higher Education Research & Development, 30 (5), 661-676.

https://doi.org/10.1080/07294360.2011.598455  

Spencer-Oatey, H. & Dauber, D. (2019). Internationalisation and student diversity: how far are the opportunity benefits being perceived and exploited? Higher Education, 78, 1035-1058.

https://doi.org/10.1007/s10734-019-00386-4

Trahar, S. & Hyland, F. (2011). Experiences and perceptions of internationalisation in higher education in the UK. Higher Education Research & Development, 30 (5), 623-633.

https://doi.org/10.1080/07294360.2011.598452

Tucker King , C. S. & Bailey, K. S. (2021). Intercultural communication and US higher education: How US students and faculty can improve International students’ _classroom experiences. International Journal of Intercultural Relations 82, 278–287.

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijintrel.2021.04.007

Uzhegova, D. & Baik, C. (2020). Internationalisation of higher educationin an uneven world: an integrated approach to internationalisation of universities in the academic periphery. Studies in Higher Education. 

https://doi.org/10.1080/03075079.2020.1811220

Yarosha, M., Lukicb, D. & Santibáñez-Gruber, R. (2018). Intercultural competence for students in international joint master programmes. International Journal of Intercultural Relations, 66, 52–72.

DOI:10.1016/J.IJINTREL.2018.06.003 

This study investigates prominent themes about newly arrived immigrant students’ situation in life and at school as reflected in interviews with four teachers in a vocational upper secondary school located in a Swedish city suburb dominated by residents with immigrant background. Foucault’s concept of power and counter-power as well as Riessman’s narrative analysis are used to discuss and analyse the interviewed teachers’ descriptions. The results highlight the power and counter-power mechanisms involved in the discrepancy between well-behaved and ambitious immigrant students and the media representations of the students' housing area as criminal. The study also points to the power and counter-power relations between certain immigrant student groups with strong solidarity and other non-belonging students. There is also a power and counter-power dynamic between authorities making decisions affecting the immigrant students' life situation and resistance to these decisions. The study contributes valuable information of the mechanisms involved in the lives of newly arrived immigrant young students in Sweden, with possible relevance to similar contexts in other Nordic and European countries. 

Purpose: This study assesses the educational visions of Kwame Nkrumah and Julius Nyerere and what contemporary Africa can learn from their thoughts and visions.

Methodology: A selective literature review was conducted of historical and contemporary academic texts of Nkrumah and Nyerere and other writers.

Findings: The results show that Nkrumah and Nyerere emphasised the need for further educational development in their own and other countries in Africa. They also stressed relating education to the local reality and the relevance of adopting usable knowledge and experiences from other parts of the world. The instrumentality of education to change the life of the masses was given a vital place in their work. For Nkrumah and Nyerere, education should aim to create equity among the population instead of contributing to the rise of an elite class that prioritises its interests rather than the interests of society at large. They stressed that education should not be too theoretical at the expense of practical activities.

A unique contribution to theory, practice and policy: The views and actions of Nkrumah and Nyerere have received criticism, but their visions are still relevant for contemporary Africa and beyond. I argue that those who are researching decolonisation and reform in education in African countries should consider reviewing the thoughts and visions of these pioneers. Their visions can lead to a better theoretical understanding to develop sustainable policies and practices that will alleviate the problems facing the individual countries as well as the continent.