Running head: INCA AND CRITICAL INCIDENTS

INCA Survey Reflection and Critical Incidents

Paula Angela Sanchez
Professor Erika Gravett
HRMN 302 7981
November 21, 2015
UMUC ASIA

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Part 1 - Reflection

The INCA survey result indicates that I did quite well in most aspects of the theory.
According to the survey, I deal with ambiguous situations with practicality and the uncertainty
and stress of ambiguous situations generally doesnt frustrate me. I find this to be almost
accurate and I think it may be due to the fact that I had the opportunity to work in Japan and the
first few months were definitely challenging but I was able to effectively cope with the sudden
cultural shift from individualistic to collectivistic. Also, my diverse upbringing has a profound
impact on this. Communicating across cultures can be difficult, not only because of the language
barrier but also because each culture has their own set of rules of communication; however, the
result also shows that Ive developed intercultural awareness. Yet again, I attribute this ability to
my diverse upbringing and the opportunity given to my family and I to reside in Japan. I am
currently learning their language and am able to interact with the locals verbally and nonverbally. I respect that they conduct business differently and admire their work ethic.
Additionally, the result also shows that I am able to interact with others from different
backgrounds and am able to adapt to different environments. Growing up in California an
ethnically diverse state also allowed me to go to school and work with many people of different
backgrounds. That gave me a valuable insight about how some cultures are in regards to their
beliefs, norms and traditions. I definitely agree with this interpretation of the result because I am
generally very accepting when it comes to other cultures and I am comfortable adapting my
behavior accordingly.
My opinion is that the INCA survey is a valuable instrument in assessing ones
intercultural competence; the questions and results can help one to become aware of ones
attitude towards cultural diversity.

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Part 2 - Critical Incidents Analysis

Critical Incident #1-2
Jane entered her classroom after the morning coffee break and saw a group of students looking
at photos. A young woman in her twenties was showing the photos. The photos were of a threemonth-old infant. The teacher commented that the baby was very cute. Then the teacher noticed
that the baby was in a coffin and, after a pause, commented that the baby had died. The woman
said yes, and then the teacher asked her a few more questions about the child. The teacher was
surprised. This group of students had been together for only two weeks. Later, the word
undertaker came up as a vocabulary word in the same class. When the teacher explained the
meaning, the student went on to describe in detail the process of preparing her babys body for
burial. The teacher wondered if she should talk to the student privately to explain that some
people might be uncomfortable with this topic. The teacher certainly was!
The theme and cultural orientation that are relevant in this scenario are death/dying and
customs. While death and dying are undeniably universal, behaviors associated with how
individuals express their grief are culturally bound (Carteret, 2011). The subject of death/dying
is virtually forbidden and many countries even consider the topic a taboo (Paul, 2013). This is
perhaps why Jane wondered if she should talk to the young woman and explain what she and
many other cultures believe is an acceptable behavior on the topic. What Jane fails to realize is
that although this may be the case for many, it is acceptable or rather customary for some
cultures to talk about the subject openly. Filipino customs, for example, accept public grieving
and it is perfectly normal especially for women to faint, sob, and even hug the casket of their
beloved (Clark, 1998). According to Clarks interview session with a Filipino woman, this is the
manner in which they demonstrate their affection for the deceased and to also let God understand
how much the death has affected them (1998). Furthermore, the topic is not frowned upon and
Filipinos discuss death/dying casually, even with people whom they are not closely related to.
Although Janes sensitivity to the subject is understandable coming from a culture where
it is frowned upon to discuss publicly what may seem like gory details, people in general should
be aware that cultures have different customs on what is normal and acceptable.

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Critical Incident #2-3

Sandra gave her students a grammar test. During the test, a student was looking at another
students answers and writing them on his paper. The teacher asked him to do the test on his own.
The student continued to look at the other students answers. The teacher took his paper away
and threw it into the garbage in full view of all the other students to make the point that the
students answers were not an indication of his understanding of the grammar and that it was
pointless to write the test if he was just going to cheat. The student was very upset and went to
the office to complain.
This critical incident deals primarily with cheating, respect, teacher/student and conflict
as the cultural orientation and themes. Cheating is evident in this scenario when Sandras student
breaks her rule on cheating and continues to copy another students paper to his advantage even
after he was advised to stop. Cheating in this scenario is an academic misconduct to gain unfair
advantage to misrepresent his ability (King, Guyette & Piotrowski, 2009), in this case, to indicate
the cheating students knowledge of grammar. Teacher/student is another theme in this scenario
as noted by the roles: Sandra as the teacher and the male student. In general, it is expected that
students listen and follow their teachers guidelines and directions within the scope of academic
activities (Purdy & Borisoff, 1997) and while that may be the case, teacher/student conflict is a
perennial challenge in schools. This brings another theme relevant in this case, which is conflict.
The student defies Sandra even after he was instructed to complete the test on his own. He
continues to violate his teachers rule of no cheating and that is when Sandra decided to
discipline her student by taking the paper and throwing it in the garbage. She even threw it away
in full view of everyone to possibly let all the students know that cheating will not be tolerated.
It is apparent that the student has no regard for academic integrity and authority. Respect
(or lack of) is another orientation relevant here. Respect should be part of all educational
activities (Goodman, 2009) and Sandra instructing her student not to cheat is also asking him to
be respectful of his classmates who most likely studied diligently for the test.

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Critical Incident #3-15

Two women in their late fifties were walking along the street holding hands when a truck drove
by and the passenger shouted lesbo13 at them. They were very upset that people thought they
were lesbians, and so they stopped holding hands like that. They couldnt understand why some
people had a problem with two women holding hands. It is a normal thing to do.
This incident relates with interpersonal distance and touch, high/low context as well as
non-verbal communication. In high-context cultures, notably much of Asia, Africa, South
America and Middle East, are much more accepting of interpersonal distance and touch.
Interpersonal relationships are emphasized and gestures such as holding hands and facial
expressions to demonstrate feelings are normal (Bela & Osland, 2009). Those who
misinterpreted the womens non-verbal communication of holding hands failed to realize that it
is acceptable for the same gender in certain cultures to hold hands without any sexual
connotations. Italians have no problem with interpersonal distance as well because they are used
to showing their admiration for one another with hugs and kisses. Additionally, while touch is
commonly a part of human interaction and a behavior that is expected, the amount of touching
that is acceptable varies from culture to culture (Dibiase & Gunnoe, 2004). In Latin America, for
example, they are also much more accepting of interpersonal distance/touch and closer proximity
to one another is normal and widely accepted (Blumber, Hare, Kent & Davies, 2008).

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References:

Bela, F., & Osland, G. (2009). High-versus low-context national cultures: preferences for type of
retailer and for human interaction. Indian Journal of Economics and Business, 97.
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Carteret, M. (2011). Cultural aspects of death and dying. Retrieved from:
http://www.dimensionsofculture.com/2010/11/cultural-aspects-of-death-and-dying/
Clark, S. (1998). Death and loss in the Philippines. Retrieved from:
http://www.indiana.edu/~famlygrf/culture/clark.html
Dibiase, R., & Gunnoe, J. (2004). Gender and culture differences in touching behavior. The
Journal of Social Psychology, 144(1), 49-62. Retrieved from:
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Goodman, J. (2009). Respect-due and respect-earned: negotiating student-teacher relationships.
Ethics & Education, (4)1, 3-17. doi: 10.1080/17449640902781356

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King, C., Guyette, R., & Piotrowski, C. (2009). Online exams and cheating: an empirical
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WTFvfu5Exi&sig=rmkNLswS4fOMZ1sAgNqnp99IiGU&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEw
j0gLvqw6HJAhWFMqYKHRnYCxoQ6AEIKjAC#v=onepage&q=students%20are%20s
upposed%20to%20listen&f=false