Chapter 5: Dewey's Perspective: Internationalization and Intercultural Learning Diversity

The significance of intercultural learning in John Dewey’s educational philosophy emerges from his views on human nature and the diversity of experience. For Dewey, human beings are inherently social, malleable through adequate stimuli, and developed through interactions with their physical and social environments. Experience is thus the basis of learning and the source of knowledge and growth. In the context of higher education, internationalization and intercultural learning become key processes for cultivating individuals’ capacities, enabling participation in an increasingly global society, and supporting democratic values. By engaging students with diverse cultural and social contexts, internationalization broadens their experiential horizons, fosters multiple perspectives on global problems, and strengthens critical, reflective thinking. Dewey maintains that democratic societies require individuals from different cultures to live and work together and that education should provide such environments. This study philosophically examines contemporary higher education internationalization through Dewey’s concepts of human nature, experience, and intercultural learning.