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What Happens before Learning Happens? Psychological Readiness as the Missing Foundation of Informal Intercultural Learning

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Title: What Happens before Learning Happens? Psychological Readiness as the Missing Foundation of Informal Intercultural Learning
Language: English
Authors: Teavakorn Khumsat, Dech-siri Nopas
Source: International Education Studies. 2026 19(2):48-60.
Availability: Canadian Center of Science and Education. 1595 Sixteenth Ave Suite 301, Richmond Hill, Ontario, L4B 3N9 Canada. Tel: 416-642-2606 Ext 206; Fax: 416-642-2608; e-mail: ies@ccsenet.org; Web site: http://www.ccsenet.org/journal/index.php/ies
Peer Reviewed: Y
Page Count: 13
Publication Date: 2026
Document Type: Journal Articles
Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education
Postsecondary Education
Descriptors: Foreign Countries, Higher Education, Second Language Learning, Thai, Cultural Education, Readiness, Informal Education, Student Adjustment, Learning Processes, Learning Activities, Student Participation
Geographic Terms: China
ISSN: 1913-9020
1913-9039
Abstract: Informal intercultural learning is frequently assumed to emerge naturally once formal assessment is removed. However, little attention has been paid to what must occur before learners are able to participate meaningfully in informal contexts. This qualitative study interrogates the pre-learning phase of an informal intercultural activity to theorize psychological readiness as a foundational condition for participation. Drawing on interviews, participant observation, and written reflections from international university students engaged in a non-assessed, board-game-based cultural activity, the study examines how learners transition from assessment-oriented identities to informal learning roles. Findings reveal that learners initially entered the informal setting as "assessed subjects," carrying internalized evaluative logics--particularly linguistic anxiety--that constrained participation despite the absence of formal grading. Psychological readiness did not emerge through reassurance alone, but through deliberate facilitation practices that visibly suspended evaluative authority and allowed learners to experience non-judgment in action. This process enabled a shift from performance-based self-monitoring to participatory engagement. The study reconceptualizes psychological readiness not as motivation or confidence, but as an epistemic and identity-based condition that permits engagement without self-protection. By foregrounding what happens before learning begins, the study offers a temporal reordering of informal and intercultural learning theory and highlights the critical role of pre-learning design in enabling meaningful participation.
Abstractor: As Provided
Entry Date: 2026
Accession Number: EJ1505346
Database: ERIC
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  Data: What Happens before Learning Happens? Psychological Readiness as the Missing Foundation of Informal Intercultural Learning
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Teavakorn+Khumsat%22">Teavakorn Khumsat</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Dech-siri+Nopas%22">Dech-siri Nopas</searchLink>
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="SO" term="%22International+Education+Studies%22"><i>International Education Studies</i></searchLink>. 2026 19(2):48-60.
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  Data: Canadian Center of Science and Education. 1595 Sixteenth Ave Suite 301, Richmond Hill, Ontario, L4B 3N9 Canada. Tel: 416-642-2606 Ext 206; Fax: 416-642-2608; e-mail: ies@ccsenet.org; Web site: http://www.ccsenet.org/journal/index.php/ies
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  Data: 1913-9020<br />1913-9039
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  Data: Informal intercultural learning is frequently assumed to emerge naturally once formal assessment is removed. However, little attention has been paid to what must occur before learners are able to participate meaningfully in informal contexts. This qualitative study interrogates the pre-learning phase of an informal intercultural activity to theorize psychological readiness as a foundational condition for participation. Drawing on interviews, participant observation, and written reflections from international university students engaged in a non-assessed, board-game-based cultural activity, the study examines how learners transition from assessment-oriented identities to informal learning roles. Findings reveal that learners initially entered the informal setting as "assessed subjects," carrying internalized evaluative logics--particularly linguistic anxiety--that constrained participation despite the absence of formal grading. Psychological readiness did not emerge through reassurance alone, but through deliberate facilitation practices that visibly suspended evaluative authority and allowed learners to experience non-judgment in action. This process enabled a shift from performance-based self-monitoring to participatory engagement. The study reconceptualizes psychological readiness not as motivation or confidence, but as an epistemic and identity-based condition that permits engagement without self-protection. By foregrounding what happens before learning begins, the study offers a temporal reordering of informal and intercultural learning theory and highlights the critical role of pre-learning design in enabling meaningful participation.
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        StartPage: 48
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      – SubjectFull: Thai
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      – SubjectFull: Cultural Education
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      – SubjectFull: Readiness
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      – SubjectFull: Student Adjustment
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      – SubjectFull: Learning Processes
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      – SubjectFull: Learning Activities
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