Peer mentoring and intercultural understanding: Support for refugee-background and immigrant students beginning university study. (September 2017)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Vickers, Margaret; McCarthy, Florence; Zammit, Katina
• Is Part Of: International journal of intercultural relations. Volume 60(2017)
• Page Start: 198
• Page End: 209
• Publication Date: 2017-09
• Subjects: Inter-cultural understanding -- Peer mentoring -- Refugee-background students -- Learning communities -- Higher education; Intercultural communication -- Periodicals; Cultural relations -- Periodicals; Cross-cultural studies -- Periodicals; Communication interculturelle -- Périodiques; Relations culturelles -- Périodiques; Études transculturelles -- Périodiques; Cross-cultural studies; Cultural relations; Intercultural communication; Periodicals; 303.482
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ijintrel.2017.04.015
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0147-1767

Abstract

Abstract: This study explored the effects of the Equity Buddies Program, an intercultural cross-level mentoring course designed to link more advanced university students, as mentors, with first year refugee-background or immigrant students. It was designed to address the needs of refugee-background and immigrant students as they transitioned into university culture. The data included mentors' written reflections, log books, and a brief demographic survey. Through the processes adopted in the course, it was found that cross-cultural pairing influenced mentors' intercultural understandings, enabled cross-cultural relationships to develop and provided opportunities for students to interact with people of other cultures and religions. Mentors changed their views of others – of immigrants, of refugees, and also of Anglo-Australians. They experienced increased personalised understanding or gained a widened perspective of their mentees who were of cultures different from their own. Mentors stated that over time their interactions evolved into either a mutually rewarding friendship or a comfortable relationship within a learning community that valued collective learning. It is proposed that increased intercultural understanding emerges from an increased emphasis on the creation of meaningful, transactional relationships among culturally diverse students within a supportive academic environment.