Home students' experiences of intercultural learning: a qualitative descriptive design

Background Higher education institutes are witnessing an increase in the cultural and ethnic diversity of their student population. While this adds to the learning experience, there is a dearth of evidence examining how students on nursing programmes, from different cultural and ethnic backgrounds learn with and from each other. There is need for a greater understanding of the factors that both facilitate and inhibit intercultural learning within the classroom. Objectives This study explored the perceptions and experiences of home students on a postgraduate nursing programme, of intercultural learning within the classroom. Design A qualitative descriptive design was used. Settings Home students enrolled on a suite of postgraduate nursing programmes in one region of Ireland who were registered for co-scheduled modules with international students, were recruited to participate on a voluntary basis. Participants Fourteen home students (13 females and 1 male) were purposively sampled. Methods Data were collected using digitally recorded one to one semi-structured interviews (ten ‘face to face’ and four telephone). Data were thematically analysed using a modified version of Braun and Clarke's (2006) framework. Results This study describes the value of intercultural learning in the classroom and draws attention to some of the challenges experienced by home students. Furthermore, it highlights the importance of exploring similarities, whilst respecting differences in prior educational experiences, learning styles and cultural backgrounds. The overarching theme, Navigating intercultural learning describes home students' experiences of developing awareness, connecting and sharing cultural knowledge. Conclusions Intercultural learning takes time and requires commitment, emphasising the need for careful consideration of facilitation techniques, preparation, support and planning pedagogies that encourage effective intercultural learning. The findings make a valuable contribution to existing knowledge on internationalising nurse education, specifically with regards to intercultural relations and the perceptions and experiences of teaching and learning in intercultural classrooms