scholarly journals Creating a Biomedical Engineering Summer Study Abroad Program in Costa Rica

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elizabeth Bucholz ◽  
Robert Malkin
Author(s):  
Barbara A. Bradley ◽  
Andrea M. Emerson

Culturally responsive teaching is grounded in an understanding of students' cultural backgrounds. However, how do preservice teachers learn about culture? While coursework and field placements can help preservice teachers to begin to understand what culture is, a study abroad program in which participants are immersed in a community and schools can help them move beyond surface-level ideas of culture to a deeper understanding of it. This chapter describes a 4-week summer study abroad program in Italy in which each preservice teacher lives with a host family and observes and teaches in an Italian school. It presents findings from preservice teachers' reflections on culture and teaching based on blog entries. Finally, it provides suggestions for future research related to better understanding and preparing preservice teachers to engage in culturally responsive teaching.


2015 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 175-187
Author(s):  
Kenneth J. Levine ◽  
Michelle E. Garland

This paper examines how the study-abroad experience enhances intercultural communication competence. This study used Bennett’s (1986, 1993) model of ethnorelative typology of acceptance, adaptation, and integration to explore intercultural communication competency. Central to intercultural communication competency is intercultural sensitivity and modified perceptions of cultural differences. A pre-test/post-test open-ended questionnaire design was utilized to uncover what was learned by students while participating in a four-week summer study-abroad program in Paris and Brussels. Based on 110 participants over 16 years, results indicated that both sensitivity to and understanding of cultural differences are heightened as a result of the study-abroad experience. Further, these findings provided support for outcomes showing attainment of intercultural communication competency learning objectives.


Author(s):  
Roger L. King ◽  
Steve Melsheimer ◽  
Roger Moses

2011 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 34-35
Author(s):  
Hailie Allen

Upon returning to the Memphis airport on the third of July 2011, having been out of the country for a month, the thirteen other students from Arkansas State University and I were exhausted, ready to see our loved ones, and to eat anything other than rice and beans. It was a bittersweet feeling to be home. We had just completed a study abroad program in the extraordinarily beautiful country of Costa Rica.


2019 ◽  
Vol 31 (2) ◽  
pp. 139-157
Author(s):  
Theresa Schenker

The article summarizes the effects of an eight week short term study abroad program four weeks in the U nited S tates and four weeks in Germany on students’ global competence. Students’ global competence was measured with the Global Competence Aptitude Assessment (GCAA) before and after the eight week summer program. Data was collected from three summer programs and a total of 42 students participa ted in the study. The results indicate that students made statistically significant improvements in several dimensions of global competence but also statistically declined in one area. Suggestions for possible curricular and programmatic changes were made that may be put into place to provide more opportunities for the development of global competence in future iterations of this summer study abroad program.


Hispania ◽  
1991 ◽  
Vol 74 (3) ◽  
pp. 778 ◽  
Author(s):  
Margo Milleret ◽  
Charles W. Stansfield ◽  
Dorry Mann Kenyon

Author(s):  
Jamie Colwell ◽  
Diane Nielsen ◽  
Barbara A. Bradley ◽  
Mindy Spearman

This chapter studies 21 preservice teachers' blog reflections about working in an Italian classroom and living with a host family during a four-week study abroad program in Northern Italy. During the program, preservice teachers were required to blog about their experiences living and studying abroad using personal blog sites. To encourage more candid reflection about the program, the blog posts could be related to any aspect of the program preservice teachers chose to reflect on. After setting the context of the study through description of the study abroad program and its requirements, the authors present qualitative findings regarding preservice teachers' (a) thoughts related to their observations of Italian classrooms, (b) thoughts related to becoming an Italian language learner, and (c) lessons learned from the study abroad experience. Findings discuss preservice teachers' reflections on making sense of educational and cultural differences, experiences as Italian language learners, and opportunities for professional and personal growth.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document