Title: Acculturation strategy and innovation in higher education: a study of individuals and dyads

Authors: Rukhsar Sharif

Addresses: Department of Teaching, Learning, and Educational Leadership, College of Community and Public Affairs, Binghamton University, P.O. Box 6000, Binghamton, NY 13902, USA

Abstract: This novel quasi-experimental study examines the relation between two salient constructs: acculturation strategy and innovation in higher education. A sample of 54 undergraduates, comprising equal numbers of assimilated and bicultural students, participated in the first study session where they individually assembled comic books and stationery into new product prototypes to cheer stressed classmates. In the second study session, the students were randomly grouped into 13 homogeneous and 13 heterogeneous acculturated pairs to assemble the comic books and stationery into novel prototypes to help classmates reconcile over a disagreement. Two external innovation judges blindly scored the degree of innovation of each prototype. Findings exhibit that acculturation strategy significantly predicts the original dimension of individual innovation, but dyad acculturation type does not significantly predict dyad level innovation. The study suggests that pairing may not need to be solely based on acculturation strategy for enhancing pair innovation in higher education and organisations.

Keywords: acculturation strategy; biculturalism; dyad acculturation type; pair acculturation type; homogeneous acculturated dyads; assimilation; individual innovation; dyad innovation; higher education; homogeneous acculturated pairs; heterogeneous acculturated dyads; heterogeneous acculturated pairs; organisations.

DOI: 10.1504/IJIIE.2019.101762

International Journal of Innovation in Education, 2019 Vol.5 No.3, pp.182 - 204

Received: 05 Mar 2018
Accepted: 25 Nov 2018

Published online: 26 Aug 2019 *

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