Chinese university teachers' experiences of a Finnish university pedagogical workshop

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to investigate Chinese university teachers' experiences of a Finnish university pedagogical workshop. The qualitative research data were collected from the participants' learning journals and feedback. The findings reveal that Western educational practices cannot be imported as such, but have to be adapted to the Chinese culture. In a multicultural training, participants may face challenges that remain unrecognized by the educators. Similarly, participants may expect educators to behave in a manner that is unfamiliar to the educators. In order to further develop worthwhile tools for teaching and learning in the Chinese context, there is a need for collaboration between educators and participants. The findings of this study have practical implications for higher education related to developing university pedagogical training in multicultural and multidisciplinary contexts. In particular, the study generates new information for pedagogical cooperation projects between Western and Chinese universities.