Faculty of Education - Theses
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ItemFace-to-face : cross-cultural communication with Somali-speaking parents( 2008)This research thesis reports on an investigation of cross-cultural communication at one Victorian primary school, at which the linguistic and cultural backgrounds of the staff and a sizeable proportion of the parents differ markedly. This qualitative, case study investigated the perspectives of one group of parents, all from a Somali speaking background, and school staff about the current levels of cross-cultural communication and how these key stakeholders believed home/school links could be improved. Data for this investigation were gathered from parent participants through group and individual interviews, some of which were conducted in Somali with the assistance of a bilingual research assistant. Consideration of these participants' vulnerable social status (Liamputtong, 2007), was an important aspect of this research process thus ensuring these parents, seldom heard within the school environment, had the opportunity to express their opinions and relate their experiences of cross-cultural communication with school staff. The data collection process, therefore, provides a model for excellent cross-cultural communication between an institution, such as a school, and a marginalised parent community. Written questionnaires, comprising open-ended and some ranked questions were used to investigate staff perspectives of cross-cultural communication. This was followed by a group interview with some staff members in which issues were discussed with greater depth. This research project revealed that the low-levels of cross-cultural communication noted at this school are not an indication of the level of goodwill held by Somali-speaking parents and school staff. On the contrary, all participants expressed a strong desire to learn more about the other and for communication levels to improve, recognising the importance of strong home/school links in improving educational outcomes for students. Through the suggestions, opinions and experiences of participants, a series of recommendations are made in this report, so that the momentum of improved communication, initiated by the research project, might be continued at the school, or within similar educational contexts.
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ItemMulticultural education: medical practitioners' experiential perspectives( 2006)This is a qualitative study exploring the experiences of medical practitioners in conducting consultations where the patient is from a non-English-speaking background. The purpose of this study is to present an overview of the medical practitioners' experiences in conducting culturally diverse consultations and their perception of their preparedness. This is to develop an understanding of their needs and their suggestions for training to ensure a high quality service is available for all. It was found that the combination of four levels of investigation into this subject was not in available literature. Data was collected from current medical practitioners, undergraduate medical students and their pedagogy team, prescriptive documents of the students' education, plus two affiliated observers. Questionnaires, interviews and document exploration were the data tools. The survey focused on the training of undergraduate students and their perceptions of their professional preparedness. Current practitioners, the undergraduate medical pedagogy team, a medical interpreter service manager, and a hospital unit manager were all interviewed. The prescriptive documents included the university handbook, the appropriate curriculum components and the Medical Council's Guidelines. Analysis of the data revealed a dichotomy between the prescriptions of multi-cultural education and the perceptions of the medical professions' preparedness in the subject. It also revealed that they believed they needed more preparation for multi-cultural consultations and provided suggested solutions. It is concluded that the medical practitioners require ongoing education, pre and post-registration, in cross cultural awareness and sensitivity. This is to ensure the same quality of care is available for the English-speaking background patients and the non-English speaking background patients. It is established that further investigation is required in order to determine the cause of the disparity between the prescribed education and the practitioners' preparedness.