Running head: CULTURAL COMPETENCY, POST-SECONDARY STAFF

Cultural Competency, Post-secondary Staff and International Student Engagement

Nathan D. Martin
599 Millwood Dr,
Kingston, ON K7M 8Y3

Author Note
Nathan D. Martin, Department of Education, Memorial University of Newfoundland
This paper was completed in partial fulfillment of the requirements for ED 6890 Research
& Development Seminar, taught by Dr. Barrie Barrell, Dr. Lenora Perry and Professor Rob Kelly,
for the degree of Master of Education (Post-Secondary Studies).

CULTURAL COMPETENCY, POST-SECONDARY STAFF

Abstract
This paper examines the importance of cultural competency development on the part of postsecondary staff and faculty within North American post-secondary institutions and the effect that
such competency can have in relation to the academic and institutional engagement of the
international students that they are tasked with teaching and/or supporting. The literature
researched for this study shows that there are three specific factors directly related to academic
and institutional engagement. They are, an awareness of the cultural an awareness of the cultural
biases inherent in ones own personal world view, acknowledgement of the existence and
potential validity of other culturally unique expectations for learning and engagement, and a
willingness to actively demonstrate to and discuss with international students how to
appropriately and effectively engage within the unique cultural context of a given institution. The
findings of this paper also highlight the need for North American post-secondary institutions to
implement appropriate cultural competency training for all postsecondary faculty and staff.
Keywords: cultural competency, student engagement, international students

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Table of Contents
Abstract . 1
Introduction ... 3
International Student Engagement .6
Role of the Institution in International Students' Engagement.......9
Developing the Cultural Competency of Staff and Faculty..10
Culturally Competent Pedagogy ..12
Intentional International Student Support 14
Supporting International Student Success ...17
Limitations and Conclusion..18
References 21

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Cultural Competency, Post-secondary Staff and International Student Engagement

In todays higher education landscape International students constitute an increasingly
important segment of the overall student population. The staff and faculty who are tasked with
instructing and supporting these students must address challenges and scenarios that are often
unique to this particular segment of the student population. This paper focuses on the cultural
competencies and understandings of postsecondary staff and faculty in dealing with international
students. It primarily deals with how they can encourage engagement for those students attending
four year degree granting institutions. The question that this paper seeks to answer is as follows:
What are the most essential elements of cultural competency that staff and faculty need to
practice when it comes to supporting the student engagement of first year international students
at 4 year degree granting institutions in North American?
For the purposes of this paper cultural competency will be defined as a set of congruent
behaviors, attitudes, and policies that come together in a system, agency, or among professionals
and enable that system, agency, or those professionals to work effectively in cross-cultural
situations (Nieto and Booth, 2010, p. 408). Also, for the purpose of this paper cultural
competency will be assumed to encompass terms such as intercultural competency, as well as
cultural and international sensitivity. In addition, Student engagement will be understood as
representing the time and effort students devote to activities that are empirically linked to
desired outcomes of college and what institutions do to encourage students to participate in these
activities (Kuh, 2009, p. 683). Within the classroom, engagement could be seen as the time and
effort devoted to class discussions and the asking of questions. Outside the classroom,
engagement could be seen as actively seeking out student services and resources, participation in
campus clubs or joining a study group.

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It is the responsibility of all postsecondary faculty and staff members to provide

international students with opportunities to successfully engage in learning and activities which
will lead to success in their chosen program. With rising pressure from institutional
administrators and the public sector to see increases in international enrollment it is always
satisfying to see international applicants submit successful applications for admission. But for
the majority of these students their attendance at a North American institution means a
considerable amount of cultural adjustment. When an international student is assisted as they
navigate the admission process it is not only hoped that they will be successful in gaining an
offer of admission, it is also hoped that they will continue on as a successfully engaged student
who achieves their educational goals and graduate on time.
Like numerous universities and colleges around the world, the higher education
landscape in North America as a whole is under continual pressure to become more globalized in
regard to the students that it seeks to attract. According to Knight-Grofe and Deacon (2016) in a
2014 survey conducted by Universities Canada, 95 percent of Canadian universities include
internationalization or global engagement as part of strategic planning, with 82 percent
identifying internationalization as one of their top five priorities (p. 130). Korobova and
Starobin (2015) note that the value these students bring to US institutions and communities is
undeniable: increased diversity on campuses and communities, exposing American students to
the globalized workforce they are likely to face after graduation, [ as well as ] a significant
financial contribution to the U.S. economy, nearly $24 billion in 2012-2013 (p. 72).
While the pressure for tertiary institutions to meet enrollment targets is ever present the
marketplace in general is seeing an increase in demand for skilled laborers and becoming ever
more globalized. The pressure on higher education institutions to increase their international

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presence in order to aid in meeting this expected labor demand and remain competitive also ties
into this drive to strengthen their international student enrollments. According to the AUCC
reports cited by Charboneau (2011) international student enrolment in Canada has tripled over
the past 15 years to about 90,000. The AUCC reports cited by Charboneau (2011) also indicate
that the number of international students is only going to continue to grow. And while some of
these students may help to meet future North American labor demands there is also the potential
for Loyal alumni to return to their home countries and become successful in the marketplace,
automatically helping to solidify an institutions international presence and appeal.
While the benefits to increasing international student enrollment are evident there are also
challenges that are inherent. One particular challenge is that of offering an educational
environment that adequately meets the needs of international students from numerous different
academic, and cultural backgrounds. Any given university or college may have a vested interest
in attracting international students to their institution, but that is only the first step in a longer
process. It is also in the best interest of both the institution and the student that successful student
engagement is taking place during the students first year of enrollment in order to facilitate
continuation on to degree completion and graduation. According to Zhao, Kuh and Carini (2005)
most of what is reported in the literature about students experiences emphasizes the challenges
they face in adapting to a foreign living and learning environment (p. 210). With these
challenges in mind it is important to pay heed to the findings of researchers such as Nieto and
Booth (2010) which indicate that college instructors cultural competence is essential to making
international students feel welcomed and comfortable while studying in the United States (p.
421).

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This paper acknowledges the ever increasing numbers of international students enrolling
at North American post-secondary institutions as well as the expectations and pressures that are
driving this increase. However, the primary focus is set towards examining the unique
competencies that staff and faculty need to develop and employ in order to effectively serve this
particular segment of the student population. Specifically, this paper seeks to identify the specific
elements to cultural competency that post-secondary staff and faculty must practice in order to
significantly influence first year international students to achieve more effective levels of student
engagement within their institutions of study. In an effort to address the above mentioned goal
the following sections focus on key issues addressed by the research findings. First a general
understanding of student engagement is established, followed by a closer look at international
student engagement in particular. The role of the institution in creating an environment that will
foster international student engagement is then examined, followed by a section that focuses
directly in on the development of cultural competency on the part of staff and faculty. Specific
attention is then paid to faculty and the employment of culturally competent pedagogy. The role
of staff in providing culturally competent student supports is also addressed as well as how the
support of international students in general should be viewed. The final section of this paper
summarizes the research findings, identifies the specific elements of cultural competency that the
literature shows to be essential and provides suggestions for staff and faculty development as
well as future research.
International Student Engagement
As previously mentioned in this paper, we adhere to Kuhs (2009) definition of the term
student engagement, understanding it to mean the time and effort students devote to activities
that are empirically linked to desired outcomes of college (p. 683) It therefore follows that

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the goal of post-secondary staff and faculty in relation to international students is to see these
students fully invested in activities that aid them in becoming satisfied individuals who can
realize their academic expectations and successfully graduate from their chosen programs of
study. And according to Kuh (2009) if post-secondary staff and faculty wish to see their goal
realized then they must embrace the second half of his definition of student engagement, that
being what institutions do to induce students to participate in these activities (p. 683).
Post-secondary staff and faculty must realize that their roles as impactors of international student
engagement requires that they address issues that are often unique to international students and
should not be taken lightly.
When an international student successfully navigates through the admission processes of
a North American university or college it means that they have already demonstrated that they
are academically competitive and that they are competent enough with the official language of
instruction at that institution to proceed with their first year of post-secondary studies. According
to the literature many international students may initially appear to be well engaged and may
even excel in certain areas such as the skillful utilization of class-related communication
technologies. However, excelling in this one area can also be a sign of other issues. In their
research Zhao, Kuh and Carini (2005) found that international students may use technology
instead of talking directly to peers or instructors to avoid embarrassing exchanges created by
language barriers and unfamiliarity with cultural idiom (p. 223). International students who face
this challenge may indeed be able to demonstrate a high level of academic proficiency in the
language of instruction at their university, but this does not automatically mean that they have
mastered the cultural nuances that surround and infuse the language in which their studies are
conducted. Australian based research presented by Kettle (2011) notes that many international

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students will initially cite language barrier as their greatest challenge to becoming fully engaged
students. However, her research also confirmed that a lack of student engagement could be
overcome with the aid of instructors who actively teach students how they are expected to
engage in academic discourse. The key factor is that adjustment to a foreign culture must be
considered. This time the adjustment is in relation to the sometimes unrecognized culturally
influenced expectations that institutions, their staff and faculty place on students in relation to the
way that they are expected to learn and engage. As Kettle (2011) points out in her research
findings, acceptable modes of engaging in academic discourse within a classroom can vary
depending on the cultural context of the institution that the classroom is set within. For example
certain instructors may expect their students to engage them in debate-style dialogue, but this
expectation may be completely foreign and even seem disrespectful to international students
from certain countries. Therefore, post-secondary staff and faculty need to be cognizant of this
and must take deliberate steps to clearly explain to international students what is expected of
them during every stage of the engagement process, both inside and outside the classroom.
On the opposite side of this is the issue of the expectations of international students. Like
staff and faculty these students also enter their institution and classrooms with certain
expectations. For these students their expectations often concern how they hope to become
engaged in the academic life and culture that surrounds them. At the end of their first year of
study a true sign that their expectations have been met is if they start their summer break with a
genuine sense of satisfaction as a student. According to McFarlane (2015) as caretakers of
students educational experience, institutions must address and embrace a greater level of
expectation and engagement in order to positively affect student satisfaction (p. 84). It is
understandable that many of these students come with sizable expectations regarding what their

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first year of university in a foreign country will be like. For many of these students just being
there has meant a significant investment on their part and often on the part of their support
groups back home. Again these students have already demonstrated that they are academically
competitive. They know what it means to study hard and achieve desired results. The findings of
Lobo and Gurney (2014) show that international students often come to a given course with
certain expectations concerning what they will learn, how they will be taught and what type of
interactions they will have with their instructor. Their research also highlights a link between
student expectations being satisfied and student attitudes towards engagement in the course. As
the literature indicates, what post-secondary staff and faculty need to keep in mind is that both
their expectations and the expectations of the international students that they are interacting with
are shaped by unique cultural influences. In order to effectively navigate the various issues that
can arise as a result of bringing numerous, and sometimes clashing cultural influences and
expectations together, post-secondary staff and faculty need to develop their cultural
competency.
Role of the Institution in International Students' Engagement
As has already been noted in the preceding section of this paper, McFarlane (2015)
stresses the need for post-secondary institutions to fully accept and actively address the reality
that the educational experience of students can and will be influenced by the level of engagement
and quality of effort put forward by their staff and faculty. A key element that can be drawn from
McFarlans (2015) work is the concept that institutions committed to employing and equipping
engaged staff and faculty are more likely to foster true engagement among their students.
Specifically concerning the engagement of international students McFarlan (2015) stresses that it
is essential for institutions to think more intentionally about how to build a campus community

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with strong cross-cultural student engagement and highly developed intercultural competence
(p. 85). McFarlans (2015) findings are in line with research conducted by Sherry, Thomas and
Chui (2010). Their research into the experiences of international students yields several
suggestions for improving campus community, cross-cultural engagement. Sherry, Thomas and
Chui (2010) recommend that institutions take active steps towards raising the profile of
international students on campus, enhancing cross-cultural understanding, and providing greater
opportunities for international students to become involved in the University and local
community (p. 44). Although the above mentioned recommendations may be directed towards
institutions in general, it eventually becomes the responsibility of individual staff and faculty
members to ensure that they are acted upon. It therefore follows that institutions must recognize
the need for investing in the development of cultural competency on the part of their staff and
faculty. They must acknowledge that such actions are essential as they strive to support the
engagement of international students.
Developing the Cultural Competency of Staff and Faculty
As previously stated, for the purposes of this paper cultural competency will be
understood as a set of congruent behaviors, attitudes, and policies that come together in a
system, agency, or among professionals and enable that system, agency, or those professionals to
work effectively in cross-cultural situations (Nieto and Booth, 2010, p. 408). Within the context
of this paper the congruent behaviors and attitudes referenced in the above definition of cultural
competency will refer to those of post-secondary staff and faculty, those same being the
professionals referred to. The policies would be those of the institutions that they work for, the
system would be the higher education systems within North America and the cross-cultural

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situations would be interactions that these same professionals have with international students
that attend their institutions.
According to Nieto and Booth (2010) with increasing globalization, cultural competence
is steadily becoming essential for all professionals to be more effective (p. 409). Tanner and
Allen (2007) emphasize the importance of being self-aware, reflective and having a dedication to
continual improvement as essential for educational professionals that wish to develop their
cultural competency. For post-secondary staff and faculty, being cognizant of the existence of
unique cultural influences infusing both their expectations of ideal student engagement and the
expectations of their international students is a vital first step in the development of their cultural
competency. However, competency development must go further than this. While addressing the
extent to which cultural competency must be developed Murray (2015) points out the following:
[Post-secondary faculty and staff] require an intercultural competence that involves
not just a reactive facility that enables them to respond appropriately and
constructively to students cultural, linguistic and experiential diversity, but
also a proactive one that allows them to objectify and adjust their own behaviours
in order to reconcile or reduce cultural divergence or misalignment. (p. 4)
In order to effectively adjust and develop their own behaviors post-secondary staff and faculty
must first be aware that the way they view the world may very well be different than that of the
international students that they are attempting to aid and/or instruct. According to Nieto and
Booth (2010) educators must be aware of different worldviews they may encounter in a
classroom and work toward the understanding and knowledge of the culturally different
students (p. 409). By cultivating such an awareness post-secondary staff and faculty will ideally
be better equipped to develop not only their reactive skills but also their methods of proactively
leading international students into effectively engaging activities, thus continuing to develop
their cultural competency.

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While addressing the need for the continual development of cultural competence Murray
(2015) also stresses that teaching staff need to be cognizant of the fact that how they say
something is just as important as what they say and that occasional misunderstandings are bound
to occur when dealing with international students from diverse linguistic backgrounds. This ties
back to what has already been discussed regarding international students who may have a solid
academic proficiency in the language instruction at their institution, but may not necessarily be
fully aware of the various cultural nuances that infuse the language and its native usage. Tanner
and Allen (2007) point out that even when an instructor is attempting to establish their classroom
as a culturally neutral they may still be unintentionally operating under certain cultural
assumptions and may cause some international students to feel excluded or unsure of what
exactly is expected. Again the importance of cultural competency and the vital context that it can
provide to so many different subjects must be considered. Nieto and Booth (2010) are keen to
point out that instructors must not only teach their subject, they must also teach the culture that
surrounds the instructional subject. According to Nieto and Booth (2010) in order to effectively
teach the contextually appropriate culture alongside the subject matter college teachers should
utilize various instructional strategies such as the explanation of ideas in different ways, the use
of cooperative work, and the integration of activities and questions that lead to discussions (p.
420). In essence, an instructors pedagogical approach to their classroom must become adaptable
and responsive to their growing cultural competency in order for their cultural competency to
become effective within their classroom.
Culturally Competent Pedagogy
With ever increasing numbers of international students enrolling in North American
universities and with the corresponding need for post-secondary faculty to actively develop their

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cultural competencies, it follows that instructors pedagogical approaches to the classroom must
also evolve to become more culturally responsive. In relation to this expressed need Kuh (2009)
offers the following insight:
As student populations have become more diverse and participation in
postsecondary education became all but universal, policy makers and institutional
leaders increasingly recognized that institutions must also change teaching and
learning approaches and cultivate campus cultures that welcome and affirm
students as well as faculty and staff from historically underrepresented
backgrounds. (p. 696)
With the need for a more culturally competent pedagogical approach to instruction thus
acknowledged, the issue of how this might be realized must now be addressed. As has already
been mentioned, one example of where many international students can benefit from a more
culturally competent approach by instructing faculty is in the area of knowledge acquisition by
means of a second language. McFarlans (2015) research reveals that students who learn
English as a second language are in dire need of understanding the culture, historical context,
idioms and slang. (p. 90). McFarlans (2015) research also shows that international students are
often genuinely interested in engaging the culture of their institution by deepening their
understanding of not only the language that they are studying in but also the unique cultural
elements that surround its usage. The common need is simply that they are able to pursue such
knowledge at a pace that allows for lots of question, adequate answer time and in an environment
that is supportive and not critical of their initial ignorance.
While there may be a general consensus among North American higher education
institutions that teaching and learning approaches need to become more accommodating to
cultural diversity, there is also the issue of ensuring that such accommodations do not
compromise the academic standards integral to the identities of these institutions. In reference to
the findings of her research conducted in Denmark, Blasco (2015) describes the managing of this

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tension as [a] delicate tight-rope act of making their existing educational provision equitable,
accessible and intelligible to [international students], while assuring the distinctiveness and
quality on which competitive advantage and intercultural learning depend (p. 86). This
approach to providing a culturally competent response to the learning needs of international
students seems to align well with Nieto and Booth (2010) who stress the need to be aware of
various cultural differences and responsive, as well as pro-active, to the numerous learning and
engagement styles that may be expressed by these students. Their suggestion of not only
teaching the required subject matter but also taking care to explain the culturally unique way that
students are expected to engage with the subject matter is echoed in the findings of Blasco
(2015). According to Blasco (2015) post-secondary faculty should consider an alternative
approach to cultural inclusiveness that is based on rendering local learning cultures explicit rather
than adapting them to accommodate the diverse learning styles that [international students] bring to
the classroom (p. 86). Regardless of whether faculty are considering a culturally explicit approach
similar to what Blasco (2015) suggests or a culturally inclusive one, a review of the literature reveals
that the need for the development of a more culturally competent pedagogy appears to be widely
acknowledged and accepted. However, the need for greater cultural competency is not limited to
faculty alone.

Intentional International Student Support

As this paper has already indicated, the acknowledgement and acceptance of a need for
greater cultural competency also extends to non-instructional staff, the student support
professionals who daily assist students that are keen to optimize their educational experience.
Like instructional faculty, post-secondary staff responsible for the development and facilitation
of student support services inevitably operate out of their own unique worldview, infused with
expectations for students that are shaped by their own culture. Kuh (2009) notes that not so long

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ago it was commonly believed that students who wished to succeed simply needed to adjust to
their institution. Thankfully such beliefs are falling to the wayside. Like faculty members, postsecondary staff are being encouraged to develop their cultural competency in order to better
assist international students as they attempt to navigate various challenges that arise due to the
process of cultural adjustment that they must endure. Chira (2011) identifies some of the current
obstacles that international students face while attending universities in Atlantic Canada.
Apparently while attracting international students seems to be largely successful, retention rates
are an issue due to multiple factors such as difficulty in establishing community connections and
local social networks. Chiras (2011) research found that the international student services
centers were deemed to be in need of increased funding and a broader offering of services that
would go beyond just aiding with visa renewals, arranging health insurance and assisting with
housing searches. Like Kuh (2009), Chira (2011) posits that changes to the way institutional staff
respond to the needs of international students need to be informed and guided by a more
developed cultural competency.
In their Australian based study of international students and the use of post-secondary
counselling services Ang and Liamputtong (2008) attempt to develop a better understanding of
the experiences of international students during their first year of post-secondary study and their
perceptions of post-secondary counselling services during that first year time period. Their
research revealed that, for the participants in their study, post-secondary counselling services
were unlikely to be utilized during periods of personal difficulty because of the language barrier,
their continued dependence on friends and family for support and their general lack of
knowledge regarding the counselling services. In order to improve international student
engagement in such circumstances their recommendation is for a group-based counselling

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program that is presented as a resource or skill development center that can aid international
students in achieving higher levels of academic progress. Adopting such an approach would be
evidence of increased cultural competency on the part of the counselling staff as they would be
acknowledging and responding to the unique cultural preferences and pressures that these
students are operating under.
Banjong (2015) found that many international students at a North American college faced
challenges such as a lack of English proficiency, loneliness, financial pressure and adaptation to
new technologies. Her study revealed that student services such as academic supports and
counselling services did positively impact international students if they were utilized. However,
her study also found that many international students either did not know enough about these
services or declined to utilize them due to an incorrect understanding of whom these services are
intended for. In order to see increased levels of international student engagement Banjongs
(2015) recommended course of action is to increase international student awareness to these
services and combat the negative stigma that some international students assume is attached to
utilizing these services. Unfortunately, according to Banjon, counselling services are often
viewed by international students as being intended only for students who were in some way
deficient or broken. The issues that need to be addressed here are firstly that student counselling
services are for all students, and secondly that students who may face mental or emotional
challenges should be considered brave for seeking help and can still go on to be successful.
As the literature indicates, the observational, adaptive and responsive skills that are
inherent in this papers understanding of cultural competency are increasingly recommended for
any post-secondary staff member who is tasked with aiding international students in becoming

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more fully and satisfactorily engaged and subsequently successful in achieving their educational
goals.
Supporting International Student Success
Previously this paper cited the research of Lobo and Gurney (2014) and their findings
which noted that many international students enter their classes with pre-established expectations
and goals regarding how they anticipate their studies to proceed. Some of these student
expectations may have to undergo a certain amount of adjustment in light of culturally unique
expectations for academic discourse presented by the class instructors. However, the overall goal
of seeing international students successfully complete their courses is common to students, staff
and faculty. As the literature has been shown to indicate, the development of cultural
competency on the part of post-secondary staff and faculty can aid these professionals in their
attempts to guide international students into more meaningful engagement with their studies and
their institutions in general. Kuh (2009) acknowledges that although student engagement is not a
guarantee of student success, research has shown it to be a strong indicator that student success is
likely to result.
In order to adequately address the challenges faced by international students that are
described by Banjong (2015) or combat the international student attrition rates like those
discussed by Chira (2011) post-secondary staff and faculty must dedicate themselves to regular
competency development. This can be pursued through personal application of the essential
elements of cultural competency described in this paper. However, post-secondary institutions
may wish to consider offering professional development seminars that focus on the development
of cultural competency for both staff and faculty. Regardless of how it is accomplished, all postsecondary professionals are urged by the findings of researchers such as Kuh (2009), Nieto and

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Booth (2010), Murray (2015), McFlarlan (2015) and Blasco (2015) to acquire and develop the
skills and perspectives that are inherent to cultural competency. The goal of these professionals
should be to strive towards actively leading international students into a better understanding of
how they can become more effectively engaged and ultimately successful during their first year
of post-secondary study and onwards. And it is this first year of study that Mantzourani et al
(2015) consider to be so vital when they write that many lecturers [within their study] felt that
early social and educational integration of students was essential to an optimal learning
experience (p. 641). Also, like McFlarlan (2015) Mantzourani et al (2015) found that advanced
proficiency in the official language of instruction and an understanding of the host nations
University learning culture were viewed as key promoters of [an optimal learning experience]
(p. 641). If we understand an optimal learning experience for international students to be
complete with high levels of academic and institutional student engagement that lead to the
realization of educational and experiential goals, then a fully engaged student supported by
culturally competent staff and faculty is likely to be a successful student.
Limitations and Conclusion
This paper has focused on the cultural competency of university staff and faculty and its
importance in relation to their ability to effectively encourage student engagement among
international students attending 4 year degree granting institutions in North America. After
reviewing the available literature that possessed even partial relevance, this paper finds that the
most essential elements of cultural competency which staff and faculty need to practice when it
comes to supporting the student engagement of first year international students at 4 year degree
granting institutions in North American are as follows:

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a) Post-secondary faculty and staff must strive to develop a personal awareness of their own
worldview and the culturally specific ways of understanding optimal student engagement
that inform and infuse their personal worldview and subsequent pedagogical or student
support approach.
b) Postsecondary faculty and staff need to also concede that other cultures possess their own
expectations and standards regarding what quality instruction and support should look
like and they must be prepared to acknowledge the potential validity of these
expectations.
c) Post-secondary faculty and staff must acknowledge and embrace their responsibility to
actively lead international students into informative and understanding dialogue, patiently
guiding them through examples of what positive engagement can and should look like
within the culture of their institutions.
The adoption and utilization of these three essential aspects of cultural competency by postsecondary staff and faculty at 4 year degree-granting institutions in North America would greatly
support their efforts to aid international students as they seek to become more fully engaged
students. It is also recommended that institutions take action to ensure that their staff and faculty
are provided with professional development opportunities to improve their cultural competency.
While this paper attempted to focus specifically on international students and post-secondary
staff and faculty engaged at institutions within North America, the findings of this papers
research are deemed to be general enough that wider applicability is encouraged.
During the research stage of this papers development it was discovered that there was
limited research specific to the North American context. In order to complete a more
comprehensive and thorough review of relevant literature that addresses the importance of

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cultural competency on the part of post-secondary staff and faculty tasked with encouraging the
engagement of international students, research conducted outside of the North American context
had to be consulted. As a result the research findings of this paper, although applicable to North
American post-secondary staff and faculty, are also just as applicable to post-secondary staff and
faculty in other countries. Additionally, even with the scope of the literature review broadened to
include research findings from around the world, there was still a limited supply of directly
relevant literature, leaving plenty of room for further research to be conducted in this area of
focus.
In conclusion the research findings resulting from this papers critical review of the
literature show that post-secondary staff and faculty need an awareness of the cultural biases
inherent in ones own personal world view. They need to acknowledge the existence and
potential validity of other culturally unique expectations for learning and engagement. They also
need to develop a willingness to actively demonstrate to and discuss with international students
how to appropriately and effectively engage within the unique cultural context of a given
institution.
Although the findings of this paper are informed by only a limited number of research
findings specific to North America, the scope of the additional literature that was referenced is
considered broad enough to be applicable and informative. It is hoped that post-secondary
faculty and staff who are tasked with supporting the higher education of international students
will find that this paper provides them with a more focused perspective on where they may wish
to refine or develop their cultural competency in order to better serve their international students.

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21

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