scholarly journals Using a PRISM for Reflecting: Providing Tools for Study Abroad Students to Increase their Intercultural Competency

2017 ◽  
Vol 29 (2) ◽  
pp. 18-34 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tracy Rundstrom Williams
Keyword(s):  
Study Abroad ◽  
Student Learning ◽  
Intercultural Competence ◽  
Reflective Writing ◽  
Know How ◽  
Intercultural Competency ◽  
Study Abroad Students

Numerous studies have shown that simply being in another culture does not guarantee the development of intercultural competence. Students need guidance to seek out opportunities to engage and to make sense of those experiences. Reflection has become a popular methodology to assist students with this. Unfortunately, students often do not know how to do reflective writing or do not have cultural incidents to write about. This research examines one approach to guiding reflection: the use of prompt questions to elicit thoughtful responses and the integration of readings to provide context and grounding. This study demonstrates that reflective writing can be an effective tool for intervening in student learning abroad if done with structure and intentionality.

scholarly journals Promoting intercultural competence in study abroad students

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christian Tarchi ◽  
Alessio Surian
Keyword(s):  
Study Abroad ◽  
Cultural Differences ◽  
Active Control ◽  
Intercultural Competence ◽  
Critical Incident ◽  
Conceptual Knowledge ◽  
Studying Abroad ◽  
Long Time ◽  
Short Intervention ◽  
Study Abroad Students

AbstractUniversities have been promoting study abroad programmes for a long time to improve intercultural competence. However, the mere exposure to cultural differences while studying abroad does not ensure intercultural competence, unless study abroad students’ reflective processes are explicitly targeted. The article presents the results of a short intervention grounded in the problem-based approach aimed at improving intercultural competence in study abroad students. Students were assigned to three conditions: a video-log condition (in which they have to narrate a critical incident occurred to them), a reflection-induced video-logs (in which they were prompted to reflect on the video-logs produced), and an active control condition. The reflection-induced video-log intervention improved students’ perceived proficiency in Italian and perceived opportunities for cultural reflection, but it did not contribute to improve students’ applicable and conceptual knowledge of intercultural competence.

scholarly journals Intercultural Competence in Short-Term Study Abroad

2017 ◽  
Vol 29 (2) ◽  
pp. 109-127 ◽  
Author(s):  
Annie Nguyen
Keyword(s):  
Study Abroad ◽  
International Education ◽  
Intercultural Competence ◽  
Document Analysis ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Study Abroad Programs ◽  
Term Study ◽  
Intercultural Effectiveness ◽  
Intercultural Competency ◽  
Short Term Study

            Assessment is growing for short-term study abroad as the majority of students (63.1%) continue to choose this option (Institute of International Education, 2016). This study examines possible gains and factors influencing such gains in students’ overall intercultural competency following participation in a short-term program. Using the Intercultural Effectiveness Scale (IES) survey distributed before, after, and three months following the study abroad experience, data was analyzed for fifty-five students across eight different short-term programs at three distinct institutions within the state of Texas. Document analysis of program syllabi also looked at connections to structured activities and assignments. The results demonstrate the potential for short-term study abroad programs ranging from two to five weeks to have significant impacts on students’ self-perceived intercultural competency that appear most affected by intentional structures. These findings support recommended practices of using well-defined activities and assignments, incorporating opportunities for meaningful local interaction, and providing planned re-entry.

scholarly journals The Reflective Model of Intercultural Competency: A Multidimensional, Qualitative Approach to Study Abroad Assessment

2009 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
pp. 289-306 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tracy Rundstrom Williams
Keyword(s):  
Data Collection ◽  
Study Abroad ◽  
Learning Outcomes ◽  
Intercultural Competence ◽  
Qualitative Data ◽  
Qualitative Approach ◽  
Innovative Approach ◽  
Intercultural Competency ◽  
Collection Process ◽  
Rich Data

This paper presents a multidimensional, qualitative approach to data collection. This approach makes qualitative data easy to collect and encourages students to reflect and contextualize their experience so that the students themselves articulate their own growth towards intercultural competence. This article will demonstrate how I established a set of learning outcomes for study abroad, encouraged student awareness of these learning outcomes prior to departure and during the program, and collected qualitative data to measure how well students were reaching these outcomes. This innovative approach, the Reflective Model of Intercultural Competence, shows both the benefits of qualitative data and of a multidimensional collection process. This approach provides rich data about student gains and it encourages students to consider their experience in broad terms, providing them with meaningful ways to articulate their experience to others. Furthermore, integrating learning outcomes into assessment reinforces their importance. The Reflective Model of Intercultural Competence provides a new and effective multifaceted tool for assessing study abroad outcomes

Assessing study abroad students’ intercultural sensitivity with narratives

2019 ◽  
Vol 34 (4) ◽  
pp. 873-894 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christian Tarchi ◽  
Alessio Surian ◽  
Colette Daiute
Keyword(s):  
Study Abroad ◽  
Intercultural Sensitivity ◽  
Study Abroad Students

Without Crossing a Border: Exploring the Impact of Shifting Study Abroad Online on Students’ Learning and Intercultural Competence Development during the COVID-19 Pandemic

2021 ◽  
Vol 25 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yingjie Liu ◽  
Thomas Shirley
Keyword(s):  
Study Abroad ◽  
Intercultural Competence ◽  
Cultural Exchange ◽  
Competence Development ◽  
Study Abroad Programs ◽  
Online Study ◽  
Curriculum Redesign ◽  
Online Format ◽  
The Impact

While all higher education was affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, study abroad programs were uniquely challenged by the associated restrictions and limitations. This case study integrates a Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) pedagogy approach and virtual reality (VR) technologies into the curriculum redesign process to transform a business study abroad course into an online format. Using VR technology, U.S. students and their international partners in Germany, Brazil, and India created and shared cultural exchange virtual tours. The redesigned online study abroad course engaged students in active learning activities and cultivated students’ intercultural competence development.

Promoting international learning outcomes during a study abroad: the moderating role of internationalisation at home

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Joris Boonen ◽  
Ankie Hoefnagels ◽  
Mark Pluymaekers ◽  
Armand Odekerken
Keyword(s):  
Study Abroad ◽  
Learning Outcomes ◽  
Intercultural Competence ◽  
Competence Development ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Home Institution ◽  
Internationalisation At Home ◽  
International Learning ◽  
At Home

PurposeThe authors examine the role of internationalisation at-home activities and an international classroom at a home institution to promote intercultural competence development during a study abroad.Design/methodology/approachThe authors use large scale longitudinal data from the global mind monitor (GMM) (2018–2020) to examine change over time in both multicultural personality (MPQ) and cultural knowledge (CQ) among students in Dutch higher education institutions. The authors analyse the moderating effect of the preparation in the home institution by looking at the added value of both intercultural communication courses and international classroom setting for intercultural competence development during a study abroad.FindingsThe results show that particularly courses on intercultural communication significantly promote intercultural competence development during a stay abroad. Frequent interactions with international staff also seem to be beneficial for this development.Research limitations/implicationsThis study was conducted in the Netherlands, in one of the most internationalised educational systems in the world. Therefore, it is difficult to generalise these findings to other contexts before any further empirical research is conducted.Practical implicationsBased on the findings, the authors formulate practical advice for higher education institutions that aim to get the most out of the international learning outcomes of a study abroad.Originality/valueThis paper is the first to assess the moderating effect of preparatory internationalisation at home initiatives on the intercultural learning effects of international experiences later on in a study program. Other studies have proposed that these effects will exist but have not tested them empirically with longitudinal data.

scholarly journals The Practice of the Fieldbook: Facilitating and Evaluating Field-based Learning

2002 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 113-142 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carol Brandt ◽  
Thomas Manley
Keyword(s):  
Study Abroad ◽  
Student Learning ◽  
Field Study ◽  
Applied Research ◽  
Pedagogical Practices ◽  
Study Abroad Programs ◽  
New Directions ◽  
Study Programs ◽  
Improving Student Learning

Our purpose is to elucidate a writing technique devised for experience-based study abroad programs. Known as the Fieldbook, the technique has been used with significant success on field study programs offered through Pitzer College. We believe the applied research offered in our case study contributes in critical ways to our understanding of pedagogical practices and suggests positive new directions for improving student learning.

scholarly journals Innovations in Integrating Language Assistants: Inter-Collaborative Learning

2018 ◽  
Vol 4 (4) ◽  
pp. 54-62
Author(s):  
Fumie Kato
Keyword(s):  
Study Abroad ◽  
Language Learners ◽  
Native Speakers ◽  
The United States ◽  
Japanese Language ◽  
Japanese Study ◽  
Language Classes ◽  
One Year ◽  
Study Abroad Program ◽  
Study Abroad Students

A language assistant (LA) program was introduced into a university-level Japanese program. The LAs in this program consisted of Japanese study abroad students, that is English as a second language students, coming to study from Japanese universities for either one semester or one academic year, as well as American learners returning from a one-year academic study abroad program in Japan. In the southeastern region of the United States, the Japanese language is not yet considered a major foreign language, thus few opportunities exist for American learners to connect with native speakers of Japanese. The LA program endeavors to ease this limitation. It has been extremely beneficial for our American learners to have opportunities to communicate regularly with Japanese study abroad students in the classrooms. Furthermore, it was found tremendously valuable for Japanese study abroad students and greatly helpful for the instructors as well. This paper describes the procedures and examines the effectiveness of introducing an LA program into Japanese language classes. To analyze the program, questionnaires were distributed to LAs (N=20); five department instructors wrote comments concerning the program; and five Japanese language learners submitted reflection papers. Analyses of the qualitative data indicate that the LA program has many advantages for everyone participating.

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