Transforming Students’ Global Knowledge and Perspectives through International Service- Learning (ISL): How U.S. University Agriculture Students Made Sense of their Lived Experiences Over Time

2016 ◽  
pp. 7-22 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richie Roberts ◽  
M. Craig Edwards
Keyword(s):  
Service Learning ◽  
Transformative Learning ◽  
Lived Experiences ◽  
Border Crossing ◽  
Theory Building ◽  
Global Knowledge ◽  
Agriculture Students ◽  
Department Of State ◽  
International Service Learning ◽  
International Service

University agriculture students are failing in terms of their general global knowledge. As such, the need exists to examine instructional techniques that may assist in overcoming this deficiency. One such approach is international service-learning (ISL). The purpose of the current study, therefore, was to explore the lived experiences of university agriculture students who participated in an ISL opportunity to Uganda, which was partially funded by a grant from the U.S. Department of State. The essence of participants’ lived experiences is best described as a transformative shift in their global knowledge and perspectives. The processes that foregrounded this shift are described through six themes of meaning: (a) contextual border crossing; (b) dissonance; (c) personalizing; (d) processing; (e) connecting; and (f) sustained relationships. Findings suggest students’ perspectives could be modified through ISL. Using Kiely’s (2005) transformative learning model for service-learning (TLMSL), recommendations are offered for research, theory-building, and practice.

International Service-Learning

2016 ◽  
pp. 420-445 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joellen E. Coryell ◽  
Trae Stewart ◽  
Zane C. Wubbena ◽  
Tereza Cristina Valverde-Poenie ◽  
B. J. Spencer
Keyword(s):  
Service Learning ◽  
Transformative Learning ◽  
Learning Experience ◽  
Comparative Case Study ◽  
Future Research ◽  
International Service Learning ◽  
International Service ◽  
Working Together ◽  
Cultural Dialogue ◽  
The University

International Service-Learning (ISL) is a structured service-learning experience in another country where students learn from interaction, cross-cultural dialogue, and reflection. This humanistic pedagogy was utilized at the University of Canterbury after earthquakes rocked Christchurch, New Zealand (NZ) in 2010 and 2011. The present comparative-case study examined United States (US), European Union (EU), and Kiwi students' transformative learning through working together in a university-based ISL course designed around re-building Christchurch. Data were analyzed through the Kiely's (2005) Transformative Service-Learning Model. The findings of this study contribute new elements to the dimension of the model and argue that the concept of global citizenship may better explain a mixed cohort of international students' service-learning experiences in a post-disaster setting. Implications to the study's findings and recommendations for future research are briefly discussed.

scholarly journals Lived Experiences during International Service Learning: A Semiotic Analysis of Photo Journals

2020 ◽  
Vol 27 (3) ◽  
pp. 88-102
Author(s):  
Catherine Dobbins ◽  
Kristin Gibson ◽  
Leslie Edgar ◽  
Kim Dooley
Keyword(s):  
Content Analysis ◽  
Service Learning ◽  
Cultural Values ◽  
Lived Experiences ◽  
Cultural Context ◽  
Research Process ◽  
Semiotic Analysis ◽  
Narrative Methods ◽  
International Service Learning ◽  
International Service

International service learning (ISL) is a pedagogical approach used to prepare students to be global citizens and has emerged as a popular short-term program model for international experiences. Few studies of ISL have integrated semiotic photo analysis into their evaluations. Combining students’ photographs with text encourages reflection on knowledge and experiences as well as how they are related. The current study used semiotic analysis to understand the lived experiences of students on an ISL to Guatemala. The participatory nature of the research process was critical to the semiotic analysis, as the researchers had an understanding of the cultural perspectives and traditions that emerged in the images which could have been overlooked by a researcher without knowledge of the specific cultural context. Participants kept a photo journal of 10 images and associated narratives to depict their experiences on the ISL. Both semiotic and content analysis were conducted on each journal entry. Coding yielded nine themes: new perspectives, personal connections, impact of coffee, intercultural comparisons, reality of life in Guatemala, cultural values, impact of ISL, connection to photograph, and sense of place. Combining the semiotic and content analysis yielded concurrent meanings through narrative and visual reflections, which, when combined with the researchers’ participatory knowledge of the experience, informed future ISL projects for the research and teaching team. The combination of visual and narrative methods required students to think about what story they will tell about their experience, and brings new layers of meaning to the reflection process. Keywords: photo-based methods, experiential education, educational evaluation, Guatemala

scholarly journals Beyond Reflection: Refraction and International Experiential Education

2009 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
pp. 217-229 ◽  
Author(s):  
Monica Pagano ◽  
Laura Roselle
Keyword(s):  
Service Learning ◽  
Transformative Learning ◽  
Experiential Education ◽  
Subject Matter ◽  
Thinking Skills ◽  
Critical Thinking Skills ◽  
Alternative Programs ◽  
International Service Learning ◽  
International Service ◽  
Traditional Understanding

Students today are becoming more interested in international opportunities for study and are drawn to alternative programs such as international service-learning and international internships. These programs, however, must be carefully designed. This article proposes utilizing tools that go beyond the traditional understanding of reflection, in order to deepen the academic linkages to experience through reflection that leads to refraction. The authors introduce “refraction” as the transformative learning process that helps students understand and identify the intermediate processes of learning that aid the development of critical thinking skills. Refraction centers learning by integrating and elaborating the experience, the academic subject matter, and the context by examining assumptions and biases. 

International Service-Learning

2019 ◽  
pp. 1258-1283
Author(s):  
Joellen E. Coryell ◽  
Trae Stewart ◽  
Zane C. Wubbena ◽  
Tereza Cristina Valverde-Poenie ◽  
B. J. Spencer
Keyword(s):  
Service Learning ◽  
Transformative Learning ◽  
Learning Experience ◽  
Comparative Case Study ◽  
Future Research ◽  
International Service Learning ◽  
International Service ◽  
Working Together ◽  
Cultural Dialogue ◽  
The University

International Service-Learning (ISL) is a structured service-learning experience in another country where students learn from interaction, cross-cultural dialogue, and reflection. This humanistic pedagogy was utilized at the University of Canterbury after earthquakes rocked Christchurch, New Zealand (NZ) in 2010 and 2011. The present comparative-case study examined United States (US), European Union (EU), and Kiwi students' transformative learning through working together in a university-based ISL course designed around re-building Christchurch. Data were analyzed through the Kiely's (2005) Transformative Service-Learning Model. The findings of this study contribute new elements to the dimension of the model and argue that the concept of global citizenship may better explain a mixed cohort of international students' service-learning experiences in a post-disaster setting. Implications to the study's findings and recommendations for future research are briefly discussed.

Community Involvement and Benefits From an International Service Learning Program

2017 ◽  
Vol 2 (7) ◽  
pp. 5-12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lata A. Krishnan ◽  
Christi Masters ◽  
Jennifer M. Simpson
Keyword(s):  
Service Learning ◽  
Experiential Learning ◽  
Community Involvement ◽  
Learning Program ◽  
Short Term ◽  
International Service Learning ◽  
International Service ◽  
Short Term Study ◽  
Service Activities ◽  
Study Abroad Program

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.

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