Cultural and social differences as one of the aspects of the integration of foreign scientific and academic staff in the Czech Republic

Eva Fichtnerová, Jitka Vacková
University of South Bohemia in České Budějovice, Faculty of Health and Social Sciences, Institute of Social and Special-Paedagogical Sciences, České Budějovice, Czech Republic

Korespondenční autor: Eva Fichtnerová (fichtnerova@jcu.cz)

ISSN 1804-7181 (On-line)

Full verze:

Submitted:5. 9. 2022
Accepted: 12. 1. 2023
Published online: 30. 6. 2023

Summary

This article aims to provide information about cultural and social differences as an obstacle to integrating foreign staff working in research and higher education institutions in the Czech Republic. The theory was based on the individual concept of the social-ecological perspective, which is disadvantaged by an unfamiliar environment, and the intention of internationalizing tertiary education in the Czech Republic. This questionnaire-based quantitative research was supplemented with openended questions to increase its validity. The questions were processed using open coding without counting frequencies. The reason for this was to find out aspects of integration without radical generalization. It mainly dealt with capturing an accurate picture of the respondents’ feelings. The answers brought fresh insights into the integration of foreign scientists and academics. The respondents reported on cultural differences and their view of society. Also, they drew attention to problems and barriers in integration at the workplace and everyday life in the Czech Republic. The results revealed the need for standardized support in the form of coordinated integration services to help remove cultural, social, and other barriers arising when working in an intercultural environment.

Keywords: Acculturation; Adaptation; Foreign staff; Integration; Internationalization; Scientific research institution; University

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