Transnational Students: International Service Learning and Short-Term Study Abroad Mobilities

Author(s):  
Marianne A. Larsen
2017 ◽  
Vol 2 (7) ◽  
pp. 5-12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lata A. Krishnan ◽  
Christi Masters ◽  
Jennifer M. Simpson

Service learning (SL) is a form of experiential learning in which students are involved in community service activities that are related to academic course objectives. A key aspect that separates SL from other forms of experiential learning is the mutually beneficial nature of the service activities. Much of the SL and international SL (ISL) literature has focused on positive learning outcomes for students, with much less focus on the benefits of SL to the community. Speech, Language, and Hearing Services (SLHS) in Zambia is an intensive SL short-term study abroad program. This paper describes the benefits to the community via the SLHS in Zambia program.


2020 ◽  
Vol 32 (2) ◽  
pp. 145-162
Author(s):  
Joe Pavelka ◽  
Carmanah Minions

Globalization has created a need for culturally aware globally minded students across North America. Study abroad has increasingly become a normalized part of a young person’s education however financial and temporal commitments attached to longer study abroad experiences hinder participation for many. In response, the field school model, which generally involves shorter stays and less financial commitment, has increased in popularity. The field school is a particular model of study abroad that shares characteristics with short-term study abroad, fieldwork, service learning and other models but requires definition. The purpose of this paper is to define the field school model of study abroad within the contest of study to assist administrators when presented the option, faculty when determining experiential learning opportunities and students in determining their educational path. The paper provides a working definition and nine defining features of the field school that distinguish it from other study abroad models.


2019 ◽  
Vol 31 (1) ◽  
pp. 22-45
Author(s):  
Andrea Paras ◽  
Michael Carignan ◽  
Ashley Brenner ◽  
Jane Hardy ◽  
Jodi Malmgren ◽  
...  

With the proliferation of short term study abroad programs at institutions of higher education, there is a need for more rigorous assessment of how these pr ograms contribute to intercultural learning. This article presents a multi institutional comparative study of students’ intercultural learning in six short term study abroad programs in Canada and the U nited S tates , employing both quantitative and qualitat ive methods. The study combines pre and post IDI survey scores with a qualitative analysis of student writing to present evidence about the impact of specific program features on students’ intercultural learning, as well as an analysis of how the students themselves make sense of their experiences abroad. We argue that the extent of pre departure intercultural training has a positive relationship with intercultural learning outcomes. Additionally, we present evidence that service learning opportunities and intra group dynamics contribute to students’ intercultural competence. We conclude that mixed methods analysis provides the most effective way of identifying how different program factors contribute to intercultural growth, when that growth occurs in a pr ogram cycle, and how program leaders can provide effective intercultural interventions to best facilitate student learning abroad.


2017 ◽  
Vol 29 (2) ◽  
pp. 35-50
Author(s):  
Nuria Alonso García ◽  
Nicholas V. Longo

This essay explores the potential value of short-term study abroad experiences within the unique framework of a new global service-learning program at Providence College which connects international with local engagement as a way to “do more with less.” Authors first introduce a typology for global service-learning, illustrating how this model fits within current approaches to international service-learning.  They then describe a case study, Voices Across Borders, the global service-learning program which provides opportunities for students to engage with rural Nicaraguan and urban Providence youth through projects that harness the power of storytelling to make connections across borders. Based on the lessons from this effort, the essay offers a set of civic practices that can support the longer-term impact of short-term global service-learning, including i) fostering storytelling across borders; ii) cultivating students as partners; iii) developing reciprocal community partnerships; and iv)creating public work, visual, auditory or performing public artifacts. After describing the challenges for short-term international engagement, the authors conclude that global service-learning initiatives might more appropriately be focused on collaborative learning, rather than service, as a way of thinking more comprehensively about the entire global “ecology of education” which links learning at the international and local levels.


2018 ◽  
Vol 30 (3) ◽  
pp. 100-118 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jacqueline McLaughlin ◽  
Mit Patel ◽  
D. Kent Johnson ◽  
Carlos L. De la Rosa

Short-term study abroad experiences are the most common type of undergraduate study abroad programs in the United States. However, and to the best of our knowledge, little empirical research exists on students’ learning outcomes following their participation in a short-term program using an integrated research praxis. To address this, we structured an international embedded program in Costa Rica and Panama which allowed students to engage in authentic research experiences topically centered in ecology and service-learning activities in conservation biology. Mixed methods analyses on data generated from the assessment of students (n=54) in three cohorts, revealed students’ gains (both positive and negative) in specific scientific skills and knowledge domains in both the fields of ecology and conservation biology, as well as interest in doing further field research, perceptions of authentic international field research, appreciation of the value of biodiversity, advocacy, and future actions as conservationists and informed citizens (global citizenship).


2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (5) ◽  
pp. 1231-1242
Author(s):  
Celeste Domsch ◽  
Lori Stiritz ◽  
Jay Huff

Purpose This study used a mixed-methods design to assess changes in students' cultural awareness during and following a short-term study abroad. Method Thirty-six undergraduate and graduate students participated in a 2-week study abroad to England during the summers of 2016 and 2017. Quantitative data were collected using standardized self-report measures administered prior to departure and after returning to the United States and were analyzed using paired-samples t tests. Qualitative data were collected in the form of daily journal reflections during the trip and interviews after returning to the United States and analyzed using phenomenological methods. Results No statistically significant changes were evident on any standardized self-report measures once corrections for multiple t tests were applied. In addition, a ceiling effect was found on one measure. On the qualitative measures, themes from student transcripts included increased global awareness and a sense of personal growth. Conclusions Measuring cultural awareness poses many challenges. One is that social desirability bias may influence responses. A second is that current measures of cultural competence may exhibit ceiling or floor effects. Analysis of qualitative data may be more useful in examining effects of participation in a short-term study abroad, which appears to result in decreased ethnocentrism and increased global awareness in communication sciences and disorders students. Future work may wish to consider the long-term effects of participation in a study abroad for emerging professionals in the field.


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