Independent effectiveness: A reconsideration of cross-cultural orientation and training

Despite the good intentions, high energy and unquestionable commitment of most people in the field, cross-cultural orientation and training programs are all too often ineffective because of unintended outcomes. There is a need for a new model, one which will move people toward developing/enhancing the skills they need to become independently effective cross-cultural sojourners. In order to achieve this aim, training and orientation programs must focus on “learning how to learn” rather than on learning a particular fact or set of information. The skill training, described in this article, allows sojourners to develop the means to deal with new situations after the program has ended. It grows out of rigorous experiential training methodology that is in turn based on sound principles of adult education. Rather than leading people toward conclusions (“Don't you think that…?”) or telling participants what they will learn from living abroad, this model requires of trainers an unusually disciplined combination of study, feedback and in-depth knowledge of the educational process. Malgre les bonnes intentions, les depenses et l'engagement incontestable de la majorite dans le domaine, l'orientation et les programmes d' education interculturels sont trop souvent inefficaces a cause de resultats non intentionnels. Nous avons besoin d'un nouveau modele qui incite les gens a developper/ ameliorer les capacites qu'il leur faut pour devenir des visiteurs interculturels independamment efficaces. Pour atteindre ce but, les programmes d' education et d' orientation doivent se concentrer sur 〈apprendre a comment apprendre〉 plutot que d'apprendre un certain fait ou une serie de morceaux d' information. Cette education de competence, comme decrite dans cet article, permet aux visiteurs de developper les moyens de venir a bout de nouvelles situations apres la fin du programme. Plutot que de mener les gens vers des conclusions (〈N'est-ce pas que. l'etranger, ce modele exige des enseigneurs une combination exceptionnellement disciplinee d' etude, de reactions, et de connaissances profondes du processus pedagogique, (author-supplied abstract) A pesar de las buenas intenciones, alto nivel energetico e indudable compromiso de la mayoria de las personas en el campo, la orientacion y el entrenamiento intercultural son demasiado a menudo ineficaces debido a resultados imprevistos. Se neoesita un modelo nuevo, uno que haga que la gente torne hacia el desarrollo y mejoramiento de las dest