Action Learning and Multiculturalism in Higher Education: Implications and Future Challenges – A Discussion

Abstract

The aim of this research paper is to present a cross-sectional analysis of action learning and its implementation in multicultural cohorts of higher educational institutes. The author presents a theoretical discourse that focuses on the use of action learning technique within sets of culturally-diverse students in higher educational institutes. In particular, this argument aims at drawing the attention of academics towards the underlying challenges of running action learning sets with multicultural cohorts. The methodology used to identify significant issues in action learning in cross-cultural set compositions is through a theoretical discourse. The discourse revolves around three key areas: (i) to establish an understanding of the philosophical foundations of action learning; (ii) to convey the significance of cultural variations in action learning sets; and (iii) to identify challenges for higher educational institutions willing to incorporate action learning in their learning process. The discussion results in an eye-opener which focuses on future challenges which academics might face while implementing action learning. The researcher proposes that researchers must consider cultural aspects of a classroom when using experiential learning methods.