On behalf of Mr. Koichiro Matsuura, Director-General of UNESCO, it is my great pleasure to welcome you all to this international scientific conference. Drylands are often considered fragile ecosystems, yet they have a remarkable resilience to stress. They are home to unique and well-adapted plant and animal species that we need to conserve. Some of the world’s greatest cultures and belief systems have originated in drylands. On the other hand, desertification and land degradation in drylands often result in poverty and cause environmental refugees to abandon their homes. These problems can only be addressed in a holistic manner, based on sound scientific research and findings. Solutions to the problems of dryland degradation need to be communicated as widely as possible through education at all levels. These are many reasons why UNESCO – within its mandate of science, education, culture and communication – took the intiative to organize this conference. And we are glad that so many partners have responded to our call. UNESCO considers this conference as its main contribution to the observance of the International Year of Deserts and Desertification in 2006. We have deliberately chosen the title ‘The Future of Drylands’ as we feel it is time to redefine our priorities for science, education and governance in the drylands based on 50 years of scientific research in arid and semi-arid zones. In fact UNESCO has one of the longest traditions, within the UN system, of addressing dryland problems from an interdisciplinary, scientific point of view. In 1955, the ‘International Arid Land Meetings’ were held in Socorro, New Mexico (USA). They were organized by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), sponsored by UNESCO and supported by the Rockefeller Foundation. One important output of the International Arid Land Meetings was a book entitled The Future of Drylands, edited by Gilbert F. White and published in

United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)

Introduction 1. Critical Pedagogy as cultural politics 2. Philosophical foundations for critical cultural awareness 3. The critical dimension in foreign culture education 4. The teachers' voices: How they view critical cultural awareness in foreign language/culture classes 5. Preparing critical citizens and educators for an intercultural world Bibliography Appendices

Critical Citizens for an Intercultural World: Foreign Language Education as Cultural Politics. Languages for Intercultural Communication and Education.

Communicative English Language Teaching in China

Utilizing a structural equation modeling approach, this article aims to examine the dynamics between Informal Digital Learning of English (IDLE) and Intercultural Competence (ICC). Altogether, 1490 Chinese college students from different types of universities in China answered the self-developed and validated IDLE-ICC questionnaire. The results indicated that Knowledge of Self, Knowledge of Others, Attitude, Awareness, and Intercultural Communication Skills stood out to be the core dimensions of measuring ICC in the Chinese higher education context. It was also found that by participating in IDLE activities, Chinese college students could acquire knowledge of the English language and culture, take attitudes of openness and curiosity, foster the ability to understand cultural differences, and thus gradually acquire the competence to engage in future successful intercultural communication. Additionally, it has been confirmed that students’ knowledge of the Chinese language and culture served as an important factor in developing their ICC, and that intercultural awareness featured in understanding Chinese college EFL learners’ ICC. This article also provides implications for future intercultural research and pedagogical practices. 

Toward a model of informal digital learning of English and intercultural competence: a large-scale structural equation modeling approach

With a sample of 473 Filipino Americans in 35 states in the United States, this quantitative study was designed to investigate factors which surround Filipino Americans’ glass ceiling challenges in attaining higher-level positions in the workplace. The investigation explored the related variables, including years of management experience, adherence to two dimensions of Filipino cultural values (interpersonal norms and conservatism), and assertiveness.  Years of living in the United States, geographic location, and generational levels were also examined. The study revealed a statistically significant negative relationship between assertiveness and the interpersonal norms dimension of the Filipino culture. Findings revealed specific Filipino cultural traits which conflict with assertiveness. Results from the current study can be used for the development of assertiveness training for Filipino Americans who desire to advance in the workplace.

Filipino Americans and the Glass Ceiling: A Quantitative Analysis of Cultural Adherence, Assertiveness, and Management

Situated in Byram’s intercultural competence model, this study employed survey questionnaires and face-to-face interviews to investigate the current situation of Chinese college students’ intercultural competence through exploring a class of English majors. The results show that students were not satisfied with their reported intercultural competence; their desire for cultural learning was constrained by the current language teaching methods and content. Suggestions are made on how to position culture in language teaching and learning with implications for how teachers could provide more opportunities for authentic intercultural learning and prepare students to participate as global citizens.

Baohua Yu

Papers

Chinese college students’ intercultural competence: Current situation, barriers and solutions