Building the 'space' for culture learning and interculturality in designing offshore, immersion INSET programs

Abstract

The data examined in this paper arises from a case study of an in-service education and training program (INSET) program delivered in Australia for teachers of English from Hong Kong secondary and primary schools. The focus explored here is the place of developing intercultural competence within such an example of offshore, immersion programs. This component of the case study maps learner and provider perceptions of the 'cross-cultural experience' — an experience generally perceived as intrinsic to offshore programs which is both advertised by providers and expected by learners. Such a mapping of perceptions of culture learning and cross-cultural experiences not only provides an account of this aspect of the phenomenon but also provides a basis for recommendations for an intercultural competence component in future INSET programs.