Διαπολιτισμική Επικοινωνία στα πλαίσια του σχολείου

Abstract

Intercultural Communication is not something new. It has existed since people from different cultures have been in contact with one another. In immigrant societies within countries like Germany, Intercultural communication is an everyday occurrence accompanied by many difficulties for individuals to face. Its analysis requires knowledge of the individual’s way of life, habits, living circumstances and showing sensibility towards them. Even interactions among people of the same mother tongue can often result in frustration, difficulties in understanding or misinterpretations.
This study however does not deal with all kinds of interaction, only the one between children and young people in school, meaning a school with a large quantity of immigrant pupils. This kind of school is nowadays the rule and not the exception. By dividing the term in its lexical components, we see that the two basic terms, the one of culture and the other of communication, are closely related to each other. When it comes to interactions between individuals of different orientation systems, every behaviour or act is being evaluated according to these standards. As consequence misunderstandings, misinterpretation and even conflicts arise. LaRay M. Barna studied the problems of intercultural communication even further and indicates Six Stumbling Blocks that prevent mutual understanding. This study mainly focuses on the fourth Stumbling Block, the preconceptions and stereotypes, especially between children and young pupils of different cultures within the school environment, considering that they have a great role in the choice of children’s friendships. Subsequently we concentrate on some projects that took place inside the school in Germany in order to encourage interaction between pupils from different cultural groups and fight racism, foreign hospitality and the prejudice which leads to them.