INVESTIGATING INTERCULTURAL SENSITIVITY in SAUDI ARABIAN WOMEN in the UNITED STATES: MAKING SENSE of LIVED EXPERIENCES by Kathle
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Investigating Intercultural Sensitivity in Saudi Arabian Women in The United States: Making Sense of Lived Experiences Item Type text; Electronic Dissertation Authors Hertenstein, Kathleen Foley Citation Hertenstein, Kathleen Foley. (2020). Investigating Intercultural Sensitivity in Saudi Arabian Women in The United States: Making Sense of Lived Experiences (Doctoral dissertation, University of Arizona, Tucson, USA). Publisher The University of Arizona. Rights Copyright © is held by the author. Digital access to this material is made possible by the University Libraries, University of Arizona. Further transmission, reproduction, presentation (such as public display or performance) of protected items is prohibited except with permission of the author. Download date 03/10/2021 20:25:14 Link to Item http://hdl.handle.net/10150/648657 1 INVESTIGATING INTERCULTURAL SENSITIVITY IN SAUDI ARABIAN WOMEN IN THE UNITED STATES: MAKING SENSE OF LIVED EXPERIENCES by Kathleen Hertenstein ____________________________________ Copyright © Kathleen Hertenstein 2020 A Dissertation submitted to the Faculty of the DEPARTMENT OF TEACHING, LEARNING AND SOCIOCULTURAL STUDIES In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements For the Degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY In the Graduate College THE UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA 2020 2 3 Acknowledgements Although there are more individuals to thank than could possibly fit in this section, I would like to thank my dissertation committee, and especially my advisor, Dr. Perry Gilmore, for all her support and wisdom. Dr. Gilmore’s encouragement was the spark I needed, and I will forever be grateful. This dissertation is about women listening to other women and about women helping other women, so it is very befitting that Dr. Gilmore and Dr. Mary Carol Combs guided me through the process. I also wish to thank Dr. Nick Ferdinandt, who tirelessly helped me with revisions and questions and who believed in me enough to give my first position as an ESL teacher. Lastly, I want to thank all the women in my study for graciously sharing their experiences with me and allowing me into their lives. Shukraan! 4 Dedication This dissertation is dedicated to my mother Catherine Grafft Foley, and to my father, Donald F. Foley. And to my siblings, Shannon Foley Beirne and Brendan Patrick Foley. Thank you all for your support and unconditional love. Thank you for believing in me. Even though our dad (Da Papa) is no longer physically with us, his presence is felt in our lives and our children’s lives. During this process, I often felt a little extra “help” when I was up late at night, and everyone was asleep. I never felt alone. Thanks, Dad. This dissertation is also dedicated to my daughter, Hannah Foley Hertenstein, and to my son, Tyler Donald Hertenstein. Thank you both for your encouragement and help during this process. Thanks for being responsible for yourselves when you needed to be, for forgiving me when I was working too much, and for making me feel that you were proud of me. Lastly, I dedicate this dissertation to my husband Mark Alan Hertenstein. Whose love and support helped to make one of my dreams possible. 5 Table of Contents List of Tables……………………………………………………………….….…..….…...9 List of Figures……..………………………………………………………………… .…..10 Abstract……………………………………………………………………………………11 Chapter 1: Introduction to the Study: A Paradigm Shift…………………………….……13 A Brief History and Context: The Beginning of a Kingdom………...…………..,22 Design of the Study……………………………………………………………….31 Research Questions……………… ……………………………………………... 33 Organization………………………………………….……………………....…...34 Key Terms………………………………………………………………..……….35 Assumptions…………………………………………………………………...…36 Summary…………………………………………………………………………38 Chapter 2: Literature Review……….……………………………………………………40 Introduction………………………………………………………………………40 Theoretical Frameworks………...…..……………………………………...……40 Symbolic Interactionism: Meaning Making…………………..................40 Intercultural Epistemology and Paradigmatic Confusion………………..44 Models for Intercultural Competence……………………………………………45 Developmental Stages: Theoretical and Conceptual Frameworks………………54 Conceptual Focus: Constructivist Communication……………………………...55 Ethnocentric Stages……………………………………………………...56 6 Ethnorelative Stages……………………………………………………..57 Intercultural Competence Assessment Tools for Understanding….….…………59 Lack of Literature on Saudi Females Studying in the United States….....64 Behavior and Roles………………………………………………………67 Summary…………………………………………………………………………68 Chapter 3: Methodology…………………………………………………………………71 Purpose, Significance, and Goals………………………………………………..71 Research Design and Rationale………………………………………….74 Grounded Theory: Shaping Interview Questions………………………..74 A Constructivist Lens……………………………………………………75 Scope, Delimitations, and Limitations…………………………………………..76 Dual Roles: From Etic to Emic………………………………………….77 My Positionality and Participation as a Researcher……………………….…….78 Research Participants………………………………………….…………………81 Participation and Selection………………………………………………82 Background Information: Front Stage…………………………………...82 Amira…………………………………………………………….83 Hana……………………………………………………………...83 Atefah……………………………………………….……………83 Naima…………………………………………………………….83 Elham…………………………………………………………….84 Fatima…………………………………………………………....84 7 Nawra…………………………………………………………….84 Zaida……………………………………………………………..85 Jameelah…………………………………………………………85 Asha…………………………….………………………………..85 Aleena…………………………………………………….……...85 Laila…………………...…………………………………………86 Amal…………………………………………………...…………86 Dahab………………………..……………………….…………..86 Data Collection…………………………………………………………………..87 Data Analysis…………………………………………………………………….89 Research Timeline…………………………………………….………….91 Summary…………………………………………………………………………92 Chapter 4: Findings…………………..…………………………………………………..94 Interview Data………..…………………………………………………….….....96 1. Five Thematic Aspects of Life………………………………….……..96 Theme 1: Restructuring Daily Life………………........................96 Theme 2: Re-establishing roles as woman ………………………98 Theme 3: Reconceiving aspects of life in theU.S./K.S.A………..100 Theme 4: Redefining Self as Student………..…………....……...102 Theme 5: Realizing Self-Accomplishments……………….….….105 2. Back Stage Ethnographic Insights……………………………….…….107 Identity, Third Space, and a "Trans-temporal Model"………..….107 8 The Center and Cultural Experiences………………..…………..114 Survey Data………………………………………………………………..…….128 1.Results of the DMIS Scale……………………………………..………128 2.Results of the Intercultural Sensitivity Survey…………………….…..130 3.The Developmental Model of Intercultural Sensitivity………………..131 Summary…………………..…………………………………………….….…...135 Chapter 5: Conclusion, Discussion, and Recommendations …………………………..137 Overview………………………………………………………………………..137 Summary of Findings…………………………………………………………...140 Conclusion……………...………………………………………………………144 Pedagogical Implications..……………………………………………………...148 Recommendations.…………………………………………………….………..149 Final Reflections………………………………………………………………..153 Appendix A: Interview Questions……………………………………………………...155 Appendix B: Intercultural/Cultural Sensitivity Survey……………………………...…156 Appendix C: Individual Score of ISS…………………………………………………..158 Appendix D: Interviews : Transcripts………………………………….………………164 References…………………………………………….……………………..…………205 9 List of Tables Table 1. Milton Bennett’s Developmental Model of Intercultural Sensitivity (DMIS).…18 Table 2. Research Participants……………………………….…………………….…….81 Table 3. Summary statistics of Intercultural Sensitivity Survey scores………….…......130 Table 4. DMIS & ISS results by participant………………………..……………….….132 Table 5. Age and DMIS score per participant.…………………………………………133 Table 6. Highest year of education completed and DMIS score per participant……….134 Table 7. Length of stay in the U.S. in years & DMIS score per participant…………....134 Table 8. Average DMIS score of participants by marital status………………………..135 Table 9. Ethnorelative Side of Bennett’s Scale……………………....………………..143 10 List of Figures Figure 1. Five Thematic Aspects of Life.……………….……………………………96 Figure 2. Trans-Temporal Model……………………………………………………113 11 Abstract Globalization affects our careers and education, and now more than ever interacting effectively with people from other cultures is of the utmost importance. In today’s classroom, cultivating intercultural sensitivity has become a necessity due to the pervasiveness of intercultural misunderstandings and misinformation in society. To that end, this dissertation aims to provide 1) a conceptualization of intercultural sensitivity, 2) a delineation of the components of intercultural sensitivity, 3) an understanding of the role intercultural sensitivity plays in training for educators, students, and citizens, and 4) a critique of the findings and further recommendations. Using Milton Bennett’s Developmental Stages of Intercultural Sensitivity (1986,1993, 2004, 2013) as a conceptual and theoretical framework and Chen and Starosta’s (2000) ISS survey, I asked eleven female Saudi students at the tertiary level how they perceived themselves regarding their developmental stage of intercultural sensitivity. In addition to the scale and survey, I conducted a three-part interview (Seidman, 2006) to gather data pertaining to the participants’ lived experiences. In viewing identity through a constructivist lens, I examined my dual roles: etic and emic (Pike,1967) and conducted a micro-analysis using symbolic interactionism (Blumer, 1969) as a way to shed new light on the participants lived experience as sojourners in the U.S. The results of this dissertation are intended to inform students, teachers,