University teaching: A reflection on tax teaching and cultural diversity

This article concerns a reflection upon selected aspects of two tax topics taught in a lecture/tutorial arrangement as part of an Australian tax law unit, in a higher education business course setting. The article enquires into the effectiveness of modifications in the teaching practice for a culturally diverse international-domestic student cohort. A particular focus is on tax law students whose second language is English. The article draws upon pedagogical literature as the first step to embark on the journey of reflection and to devise a teaching practice intervention. The methodological design is essentially non-positivist for its constructivist sense-making of the information gathered and its use of methods complementary to reflective practice. The analysis of the relational processes in tax teaching is undertaken through the lens of Pierre Bourdieu s social practice theory, which includes the concepts of field, habitus and doxa. The article contributes to the use of reflective practice in higher education and acknowledges culturally mixed learning groups as a way of furthering professional practice in tax teaching.