Developing intercultural competence and critical thinking skills through young adult fiction: How Margaret Balderson’s When Jays Fly to Barbmo has the potential to cultivate intercultural competence, enhance critical thinking abilities, and foster identification among adolescents

Abstract

This thesis aims to answer how Margaret Balderson's When Jays Fly to Barbmo has the potential to cultivate intercultural competence, enhance critical thinking abilities, and foster identification among adolescents. The process of identification within literature plays a pivotal role in shaping one’s identity, which, in turn, holds significant importance in relation to intercultural competence. Expanding upon the principles of deep reading, reflection, and identification, this thesis aims to demonstrate how works of fiction that address cultural minorities and identities on the margins highlight the critical significance of intercultural competence. By delving into these narratives, this thesis discerns the profound role intercultural understanding plays in fostering empathy, dismantling stereotypes, and nurturing a more inclusive society. This thesis will also explore how intercultural competence and abilities such as empathy and critical thinking overlap. The characters in When Jays Fly to Barbmo serve as conduits for fostering critical thinking and empathy among adolescent readers, and the narrative presents a thought-provoking journey that encourages introspection and challenges preconceived ideas that may be worth bringing into the classroom. This thesis by no means represents a definitive or flawless approach to developing intercultural competence or critical thinking skills, its purpose, however, is to offer insights and perspectives that can enrich pedagogical practices regarding the cultivation of intercultural understanding and critical thinking abilities among learners.