Student Engagement with Difference at a Canadian University

Mutual respect is an essential component of a peaceful society in which everyone is honoured and treated as equals. Using a phenomenological approach, this study examined the experiences of nine post-secondary students in culturally diverse classrooms in an urban Canadian university. Through individual interviews, using phenomenological reduction, findings suggest that participants defined and engaged with cultural diversity in a variety of ways and exhibited various levels of intentionality of engagement and non-engagement with each other. Participants observed differences pertaining to language, culture, ethnicity, skin colour, and religion. From these discussions of difference, participants proposed practical pedagogical practices that might promote cross-cultural competencies, including: active participation, open dialogues, out of the classroom learning, and non-adherence to clocks and desks in cookie cutter order. The study revealed that implementing Freirian critical pedagogy and Cummins’ empowerment model in culturally diverse post-secondary classrooms can increase the students’ comfort level, which strengthens their ability to learn in their classrooms and from each other