Browsing by Author "Beek, Avis"

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    Contextual Interpretations of International Mindedness in International Baccalaureate Diploma Students
    (2016) Beek, Avis; Davis, Brent; Bohac-Clarke, Veronika; Tarc, Paul
    The purpose of this study was to examine contextual interpretations of international mindedness by International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma students in a national and an international school in the Czech Republic. Three research questions were addressed in the study: • How is international mindedness actualized by IB Diploma students? • What is the experience of education for international mindedness for IB Diploma students? • What is the role of context in developing international mindedness in IB Diploma students? The conceptual framework was based on Wilber’s (2006) comprehensive integral theory, a novel application in the study of international mindedness. Through integral methodological pluralism, a form of mixed methods research, quantitative and qualitative data was collected and analyzed. Using an empirical methodology, the Global Perspectives Inventory (Braskamp, Braskamp & Engberg, 2014) was administered to IB Diploma students. Descriptive statistical analysis of the results revealed no significant difference between participants from the two schools. Using a hermeneutic phenomenological methodology, interviews were conducted with IB Diploma students and experienced IB Diploma teachers. Findings revealed the experience of international mindedness can be characterized by the development of an intercultural identity, the ability to take alternate perspectives and the capacity to resolve disconnection from important others. Contextual factors of privilege, parent influence and exposure to diversity also characterized the experience of student international mindedness. Implications for improving the education for international mindedness at the level of the school and IB organization are discussed.
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    Critical Thinking in International Contexts: Poly-Ethnographic Accounts of Multicultural Research Collaboration
    (University of Calgary, 2016-05) Woodend, Jon; Fedoruk, Lisa; Beek, Avis; Wu, Xueqin; Roy, Sylvie; Groen, Janet; Li, Xiang; Werklund School of Education
    In December 2015, selected doctoral students and faculty from Queensland University of Technology (QUT) and the University of Calgary (U of C) participated in a seminar hosted by Beijing Normal University (BNU) for interdisciplinary/international collaboration. In this paper the U of C participants outlined their reflections of this experience through a poly-ethnographic approach, with consideration for the Twelfth Dimension Framework for School Systems Success. The main themes that emerged included the role of culture and the impact of power dynamics when working academically on an international level.