Nursing Students in a Global Learning Environment: Creative Teaching Methods on Culture, Emotion, and Communication

Two tools were created to help international students to better understand culture by becoming more astute observers of nonverbal behaviors, particularly behaviors depicting emotions among Norwegian students.

The two tools were a trilingual list of words illustrating emotions and an exercise with images to practice verbalizing their observations of emotional expression.

Students compared the subdued behaviors of Norwegians to the Israelis' very vivid behaviors. The intense emotional expression of Israelis influenced their interpretations. By making comparisons and through the experiences with Israelis, they learned more about culture and their own emotional expression.

Creative strategies can contribute to students understanding and reflection of patients in a different culture.

Encouraging students to grasp the nuances of emotional expression is part of understanding a different culture. Students, like faculty, learn that self-exploration is an evolving process that requires checking out one's assumptions and interpretations.