1 Introduction

Globalisation have influenced the educational environment and made cross-cultural diversity a prominent feature of contemporary classrooms. With the increasing entrance of culturally diverse students into educational institutions, educators have been challenged by the intricate nature of cross-cultural ideological and political education. Traditional educational methods often ignored the cultural diversities existing in the society and indoctrinated students with the same set of teaching and learning approaches, regardless of their cultural origins. This traditional educational approach is no longer effective in a pluricultural society with a diverse student population. A modern pedagogical system should be more flexible, adaptable, and culturally sensitive to cater to the various cultural needs of these students. This paper intends to examine the challenges of cross-cultural ideological and political education in modern educational institutions and to provide some suggestions for educators in promoting their core values to a multicultural student population. Cross-cultural ideological and political education is significant to the promotion of global citizenship and social integration through a common set of values that exceed the cultural differences. However, this education system could also face several challenges. Cultural resistance caused by the cultural divergence of students from their deeply rooted cultural values to those promoted in the classroom is one challenge. The risk of cultural misinterpretation resulting in misunderstanding and rejection of the core values to be promoted if not conveyed in a culturally sensitive manner is another challenge [1]. The inclusivity versus exclusivity dilemma in value education is another challenge that educators have to struggle with. Educators should strive to promote universal values and respect the cultural diversities at the same time. To address these challenges and to suggest some solutions, this paper endeavours to look deeply into the impact of globalisation to the educational environment and the role of global media in the educational teaching and learning processes.

2 The Impact of Globalization on Cross-Cultural Education

2.1 Changes in Educational Environments

As globalisation has displaced traditional centres of education, the learning environment has become one in which cultural diversity is the rule rather than the exception. Most institutions today are filled with students from a wide variety of cultural backgrounds and values. This shift has added a new dimension of complexity to the task of educating all learners. How can educators foster inclusion and equity when learners come from divergent cultural backgrounds, bringing with them different perspectives, values and worldviews? The industrial-age model of schooling relied on the notion that one size fits all. From a management perspective, it was an efficient strategy – educators delivered a standardised product, and learners who met criteria deemed essential for educated participation in a global economy were able to secure jobs [2]. But today, the one-size-fits-all model is not enough. Educators, in order to be successful, must be flexible, adaptive and culturally sensitive. Such an educator is responsive not only to students' cultural backgrounds but to the ways that these cultural backgrounds shape students' beliefs, attitudes and behaviours, and affect their learning and interactions with others. For today's global educators, learners come from a variety of cultural influences that occur, both inside and outside the classroom. As a result, the ways that students come to know about core values can be complex and sometimes contradictory.

2.2 The Role of Global Media

The influence of global media has also helped shape students' perceptions of core values, often functioning as a vessel for both the promotion and the erosion of cross-cultural values. On the one hand, global media can help promote the dissemination of universal values such as human rights, democracy or environmental sustainability by giving students access to various perspectives and narratives. On the other hand, the ubiquitous nature of global media can also promote the homogenisation of cultural values through the dominance of authoritative narratives over local or indigenous perspectives. This dual role of global media creates a conundrum for educators, who struggle to utilise the positive effects of global media while minimising the danger of its corrosive outcome towards cultural diversity [3]. Educators must actively select and curate the types of media exposure for students to prevent the global media from offering only a one-sided extravaganza for students to impulsively consume. Educators should also help students think critically about what they are learning through global media and how to become more culturally sensitive in voicing their opinions, so that students are not solely exposed to a wide range of ideas, but are also encouraged to reflect on and question these ideas in a way that is respectful of cultural diversity.

2.3 Cultural Homogenization vs. Cultural Preservation

Taking into account one of the most crucial tensions resulting from globalisation in the field of education – the tension between cultural homogenisation and the preservation of cultural identity – one can argue that globalisation introduced a new paradigm where certain universal values have the potential to be promoted and spread all around the world. This is, in fact, exactly what is happening nowadays, and this process of cultural convergence can lead to the homogenisation of certain social practices. This is something that many people worry about because cultural convergence can threaten the preservation of local and indigenous cultures. We have seen that global norms and values not only penetrate every area of people's lives, but can also end up displacing traditional values and beliefs. We need to take into account these new dynamics when we consider the role of ideological and political education in the 21st century [4]. In fact, this is the most complex and delicate aspect of education, because one needs to strike the right balance between the promotion of core values (which should all be universally inclusive) and the preservation of cultural pluralism and cultural identity. That is why modern educators need to find ways of promoting a set of universal core values that all students should master and cherish, and at the same time be stimulated to appreciate and explore the cultural diversity that adds a sense of richness to the fabric of the global community. This is a very delicate issue, which needs to be approached carefully and with a great deal of nuance. The data in Table 1 is quite enlightening in this respect, as it clearly shows that cross-cultural education initiatives involving the use of different assessment methods can have a measurable impact on student achievement, which proves that these strategies do lead to significant improvements in student outcomes.

Table 1. Effectiveness of Cross-Cultural Education Initiatives

3 Challenges in Promoting Core Values Across Cultures

3.1 Cultural Resistance

Cultural resistance is one of the chief challenges educators face when promoting core values in a multicultural educational setting. Most students are products of their cultural environment, and they often come to the classroom with values and beliefs that are so ingrained in the cultural norms of their traditional culture that they underpin every aspect of their daily life. When such values are in conflict with the core values the educator is promoting in the classroom as universal values, it can lead to resistance. Students may interpret the promotion of certain values as an attempt to impose a foreign culture or ideology, which they are unlikely to accept [5]. For example, when an educator promotes individualism and critical thinking as core values in their university classroom, students who come from collectivist cultures (as is often the case for East Asian students) may resist participating in debates or challenging the opinions of others, as they see such behaviour as disrespectful to the authority of the teacher and the collective harmony of the class. Student resistance of this kind can be tackled only with a culturally sensitive approach that recognises the source of resistance and respects the cultural background of students. The educator must also be culturally astute enough to find to build shared understanding of core values. Promoting effective intercultural engagement in the classroom depends on the educator's ability to recognise the source of cultural resistance and develop strategies to engage students in a respectful dialogue that encourages critical, constructive and mutually beneficial discussions. Such strategies may involve the use of culturally relevant examples and case studies, creating space for students to express their own values and beliefs, and facilitating discussions that encourage critical thinking and mutual understanding.

3.2 The Risk of Cultural Misinterpretation

Aside from the difficulty of teaching culturally diverse students about core values, there's also the risk of cultural misinterpretation. If educators present core values to students without enough context and cultural understanding of the students, there's a risk that students may misinterpret or misunderstand the core values, which could lead to confusion, resentment and even a backlash against the values being promoted. It's important for educators to be aware of the cultural contexts of the students they teach, especially when it comes to promoting core values [6]. Educators should strive to present core values in a way that is culturally sensitive and contextually appropriate to the students' learning experiences, which may involve adjusting the language that educators use and the examples they provide to reflect the cultural backgrounds of the students. Educators should make sure that students have opportunities to explore the core values within the context of their own cultural experiences, and try not to impose their own cultural biases on the teaching of core values.

3.3 Inclusivity vs. Exclusivity in Value Education

The next challenge is deciding between value education that is inclusive or one that is exclusive. Inclusivity in value education refers to creating a learning environment that makes the students feel that they are included and valued regardless of their cultural background. However, at the same time, value education must promote the core values that are universal and could serve as a basis for social cohesion and global citizenship. Finding a balance between these two imperatives is challenging, as promoting values for the sake of social cohesion could be perceived as exclusive, or as privileging one perspective over the other. In order to overcome this challenge, educators need to explore ways to encourage core values in an inclusive manner and in a way that respects the cultural diversity of students. This could be done by creating opportunities for students to explore and express their values and beliefs, but also to reflect on the values of others. This would create an environment of mutual respect and understanding that would allow students to develop a shared understanding of core values that is inclusive and meaningful [7]. Table 2 shows the huge contrast between the inclusive and exclusive approaches in value education, revealing that inclusivity is associated with higher levels of engagement, cultural representation and satisfaction, despite the challenges related to perceptions of exclusivity [8].

Table 2. Inclusivity vs. Exclusivity in Value Education

4 Strategies for Effective Cross-Cultural Ideological and Political Education

4.1 Culturally Responsive Curriculum Design

Culturally responsive curriculum design – designing the content and instructional method of curriculum in a way that is responsive to the cultural background and experiences of the students – is another important strategy of effective cross-cultural ideological and political education. For instance, when teaching about core values such as justice or equality, educators might provide culturally relevant materials and examples for students to learn how the same core value can be understood and applied in different cultural contexts [9]. Offering culturally relevant contexts and perspectives can help make the content more relevant for students, and help them see the universality of core values and their importance in different cultural contexts. Culturally responsive curriculum design can also alleviate the challenges of cultural resistance and misinterpretation posed by students.

4.2 The Role of Educators as Cultural Mediators

Educators are also a central part of the process of cross-cultural ideological and political education. They act as cultural mediators who help bridge the cultural divide between students and core values. Cultural mediators are particularly important in cross-cultural education because they need to understand the cultural background of students, the core values taught, and the communications tools that can be used to make core values accessible to and appreciated by students. These individuals should also have a set of conversation design principles and strategies that promote dialogue and discussion between teachers and students, and between students themselves. In this regard, they should be able to address students' values and create a learning environment that is safe and inclusive and welcomes diverse voices and values. In particular, they should be able to provide a learning environment where students have the ability to appreciate the values of others, relationship-build and develop a set of shared values and beliefs that are inclusive and culturally relevant.

5 Evaluating the Effectiveness of Cross-Cultural Education Initiatives

5.1 Qualitative Assessment Methods

Qualitative assessment methods are vital in offering meaningful evaluation of cross-cultural education initiatives: qualitative methods can help educators to delve more deeply into students' experiences, perceptions and reflections. For instance, qualitative assessment methods could include student feedback, reflective essays or interviews that ask students to discuss 'how they are taking up core values in a cross-cultural context', and offer insights into whether or not students are 'understanding core values more deeply', or how they are interpreting core values in relation to their own cultural contexts, or how they are navigating any feelings of challenge or resistance. Qualitative methods can further help educators to assess cross-cultural education by working with the nuance and complexity inherent in cross-cultural education: the rich descriptions and nuanced insights can go further to understanding the efficacy or otherwise of cross-cultural education.

5.2 Quantitative Assessment Methods

Besides qualitative assessment methods, assessment methods that quantify outcomes in measurable terms can be useful in evaluating the effect of cross-cultural education initiatives. For instance, quantitative assessment methods can provide measurable data on changes in students' values, attitudes and worldviews, and allow educators to evaluate the impact of their initiatives in an objective and systematic manner. For example, through quantitative assessment methods, educators can use surveys, tests or questionnaires to collect students' knowledge and understanding of core values, as well as their attitudes towards cultural diversity and global citizenship [10]. The collected data can be analysed to detect trends and patterns, such as the extent to which students' knowledge of core values has increased, or the extent to which their attitudes towards cultural diversity have changed, relative to the baseline upon which the initiative was launched. Quantitative assessment methods can be especially useful in comparing the effectiveness of different strategies, and identifying the most cost-effective strategies for promoting cross-cultural understanding and core value consensus. By combining qualitative and quantitative methods, educators can develop a comprehensive evaluation of their CCCE initiatives.

5.3 Continuous Evaluation and Adaptation

Continuous evaluation and adaptation are crucial for ensuring the long-term effectiveness of cross-cultural education initiatives. The rapidly changing nature of globalization and cultural diversity means that educators must be constantly vigilant in assessing the effectiveness of their strategies and in making necessary adjustments. This requires a commitment to ongoing research and feedback, as well as a willingness to experiment with new approaches and to adapt to changing circumstances. Continuous evaluation involves regularly gathering and analyzing data on the effectiveness of cross-cultural education initiatives, as well as soliciting feedback from students, educators, and other stakeholders.

6 Conclusion

This study has highlighted the significant impact of globalization on cross-cultural ideological and political education, emphasizing the challenges that educators face in promoting core values across diverse cultural contexts. Through an in-depth analysis of cultural resistance, the risk of cultural misinterpretation, and the debate between inclusivity and exclusivity, the research has underscored the need for culturally responsive approaches to curriculum design and teaching. The strategies proposed in this paper, including the role of educators as cultural mediators and the creation of collaborative learning environments, offer practical solutions for addressing these challenges. Additionally, the emphasis on continuous evaluation and adaptation ensures that cross-cultural education initiatives remain effective in promoting global citizenship and social cohesion. As the world continues to globalize, the importance of fostering a shared understanding of core values among students from diverse backgrounds cannot be overstated. This paper contributes to the ongoing discourse on cross-cultural education and provides valuable insights for educators and policymakers seeking to navigate the complexities of a multicultural world. Future research should continue to explore innovative approaches to cross-cultural ideological and political education, ensuring that educational practices evolve in tandem with the changing global landscape.