Article: Bridging gaps - effective links Journal: European Journal of Cross-Cultural Competence and Management (EJCCM) 2017 Vol.4 No.3/4 pp.218 - 235 Abstract: Children by virtue of their curiosity about facts and phenomena, usually ask 'why and how' questions. This important behaviour in children who want to learn about the world was actively used in the project 'bridging gaps'. The aim of this research project was to foster the integration process as well as raise enthusiasm for science and technology among children and youngsters. As a strategy for cross-cultural intelligence, 'the bridge' was on the one hand used from a technical point of view and on the other hand as a symbol for socialisation. This was achieved by integrating schools into the project with a high proportion of children and youth with an immigration background. The intensive collaborative work with different class levels in various schools made it possible for researchers, some themselves with an immigration background, to be representative role models. With this approach, school children received impressions of both the technical and social aspects inherent in the concept of 'the bridge'. Inderscience Publishers - linking academia, business and industry through research

Title: Bridging gaps - effective links

Authors: Hirut Grossberger; Susanne Binder; Frank Michelberger

Addresses: Department of Rail Technology and Mobility, Carl Ritter von Ghega Institute for Integrated Mobility Research, St. Poelten University of Applied Sciences, Matthias Corvinus-Straße 1, St. Poelten, Austria ' Department of Social Sciences, St. Poelten University of Applied Sciences, Matthias Corvinus-Straße 1, St. Poelten, Austria ' Department of Rail Technology and Mobility, Carl Ritter von Ghega Institute for Integrated Mobility Research, St. Poelten University of Applied Sciences, Matthias Corvinus-Straße 1, St. Poelten, Austria

Abstract: Children by virtue of their curiosity about facts and phenomena, usually ask 'why and how' questions. This important behaviour in children who want to learn about the world was actively used in the project 'bridging gaps'. The aim of this research project was to foster the integration process as well as raise enthusiasm for science and technology among children and youngsters. As a strategy for cross-cultural intelligence, 'the bridge' was on the one hand used from a technical point of view and on the other hand as a symbol for socialisation. This was achieved by integrating schools into the project with a high proportion of children and youth with an immigration background. The intensive collaborative work with different class levels in various schools made it possible for researchers, some themselves with an immigration background, to be representative role models. With this approach, school children received impressions of both the technical and social aspects inherent in the concept of 'the bridge'.

Keywords: bridging divides; cross-cultural intelligence; linking gaps.

DOI: 10.1504/EJCCM.2017.084525

European Journal of Cross-Cultural Competence and Management, 2017 Vol.4 No.3/4, pp.218 - 235

Received: 05 Nov 2016
Accepted: 26 Feb 2017
Published online: 12 Jun 2017 *

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Title: Bridging gaps - effective links

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