Emirati students encounter Western teachers : tensions and identity resistance

• Published in: Learning & teaching in higher education Gulf perspectives Vol. 11; no. 2; pp. 1 - 14
• Main Author: Diallo, Ibrahima
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Dubai Emerald Group Publishing Limited 01-01-2014
• Subjects: Arabic; Arabs; Bilingual education programs; Bilingual teachers; Cultural background; Cultural differences; Cultural identity; Educational policy; English (Second language); English teachers; Epistemology; Gender issues; Higher education; Ideologies; Intercultural communication; International relations; Islamic culture; Learning theories; Phenomenography; Postsecondary education; Resistance (Psychology); Second language learning; Secondary education; Sociolinguistics; Student attitudes; Student beliefs; Student teacher relationship; Students; Teaching effectiveness; Teaching models; Western civilisation; United Arab Emirates
• ISSN: 2077-5504; 2077-5504
• DOI: 10.18538/lthe.v11.n2.158

This paper discusses tensions and identity resistance in a cross-cultural educational context in the United Arab Emirates. It focuses on how Emirati students, living and socialised in a conservative Arabic-Islamic society and shaped by Islamic values and epistemologies, construct their cultural identities while learning English with their Western-trained teachers, who are influenced by liberal ideologies and secular epistemologies. To understand the complex engagement between Emirati students and their Western-trained teachers this article uses both phenomenography and reflection on critical incidents to explore, investigate and interpret Emirati students' intercultural experience with their Western-trained teachers and to highlight the tensions and identity resistance that arise from this educational encounter. [Author abstract]