Intercultural Interventions in Study Abroad

Jane Jackson, Susan Oguro, Jane Jackson, Susan Oguro

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 2017
• Print ISBN: 9781138244863
• eBook ISBN: 9781351996822
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Education
• Subtopic: Education General

As a consequence of globalization and internationalization, there has been a dramatic increase in the number and diversity of students who are gaining international educational experience. Making connections between contemporary study abroad research, theory, and practice, Intercultural Interventions in Study Abroad describes innovative programmes that have been designed to deepen the intercultural learning and engagement of student sojourners. In addition to reviewing the benefits and limitations of these interventions, this volume offers recommendations for further enhancements in the field.

Exploring examples of intercultural interventions in a wide variety of countries from pre- to post-study abroad, this book helps readers develop a critical awareness of their strengths and limitations, and provides directions for future developments in intercultural pedagogy. Written by intercultural educators and study abroad scholars from different parts of the world, each chapter describes an innovative pedagogical intervention that has been designed to enhance intercultural learning and engagement, including:

• designing and implementing pre-sojourn intercultural workshops;
• using guided, critical reflection to deepen students' intercultural learning and engagement;
• monitoring class interaction to maximize intercultural learning;
• optimizing intercultural learning and engagement abroad through online mentoring.

Truly international in scope, this text is essential for study abroad professionals who seek to enhance the intercultural development, global-mindedness, and second-language learning of students through innovative intercultural programming.

Chapter 1

Introduction

Enhancing and extending study abroad learning through intercultural interventions

Jane Jackson and Susan Oguro

Internationalisation and study abroad

As a consequence of globalisation and internationalisation, there has been a dramatic increase in the number and diversity of students who are gaining some form of international educational experience (e.g., study abroad, service learning, non-credit internships, work placements) (Green, Marmolejo, and Egron-Polak 2012; Jones 2013; Rumbley, Altbach, and Reisberg 2012). While the term ‘study abroad’ may be defined in numerous ways, in this book, it refers to ‘a subtype of education abroad that results in progress toward an academic degree at a student’s home institution’, excluding ‘the pursuit of a full academic degree at a foreign institution’ (Forum on Education Abroad 2011: 12). In European contexts this form of education abroad is referred to as ‘credit mobility’ (European Commission 2015).

According to a report issued by the British Council in October 2013, by 2024 around 3.85 million higher education students will study outside their home country for part of their tertiary education, up from 3.04 million in 2011, with China and India accounting for 35 percent of the growth (British Council 2013). International educational experience is often assumed to be ‘transformative’ or life altering, leading to significant development in intercultural competence, second-language proficiency, global-mindedness, and personal growth. Accordingly, in the past decade, institutions of higher education across the globe have been bolstering their internationalisation efforts and dramatically increasing participation rates in study abroad programmes. The number of secondary schools which sponsor programmes of this nature has also been on the rise. More and more agreements with foreign counterparts are being signed to facilitate international exchanges for both students and teachers, including postgraduate students. Pressure from national and regional governments to grow study abroad is leading to a dramatic increase in the number of shorter-term study abroad programmes (e.g., summer language immersion, faculty-led tours).

While an increase in the number of students gaining international educational experience is a welcome development, a large body of research has drawn attention to the complexity and idiosyncratic nature of study abroad learning, raising troubling questions about what students actually gain from their stay abroad when there is no pedagogical intervention (e.g., Jackson 2012; Paige and Vande Berg 2012; Vande Berg, Paige, and Lou 2012). In particular, contemporary investigations of study abroad learning have challenged the immersion assumption (Coleman 2013; Jackson 2012) and raised awareness of the limited meaningful interactions between local and international students on campus (Brown 2009; Leask 2009; Montgomery 2010; Yefanova, Baird, and Montgomery 2015). The findings strongly suggest that many of the common aims of internationalisation are not being realised by simply increasing participation rates in study abroad programmes.

To promote meaningful intercultural dialogue on campuses and help student sojourners become more interculturally competent and globally minded, a growing number of study abroad scholars are calling for research-driven, theory-based intercultural interventions (e.g., experiential learning, intercultural mentoring) in all phases of study abroad: pre-sojourn, sojourn, post-sojourn (e.g., Bathurst and La Brack 2012; Deardorff and Arasaratnam-Smith 2017; Jackson 2012, 2015a, 2015b, 2017; Vande Berg et al. 2012). Nowadays, more study abroad researchers who track the language and intercultural learning of student sojourners are making an effort to bridge the research-teaching nexus by designing their own pedagogical interventions or inspiring other educators to apply new understandings in their own situations and contexts.

As evidenced in the colloquium ‘Facilitating students’ intercultural learning through study abroad’ that took place at the University of Bern, Switzerland in April 2016,¹ scholars in many parts of the world are now drawing on research findings and a variety of learning theories to inform and enhance study abroad practice. In particular, the current emphasis on criticality in both language and intercultural communication pedagogy is influencing the design and delivery of intercultural education in a growing number of study abroad programmes and contexts (Dasli and Díaz 2017; Díaz 2013; Dervin 2017). This approach entails ‘a reflective, exploratory, dialogic and active stance towards cultural knowledge and life that allows for dissonance, contradiction and conflict as well as consensus, concurrence, and transformation’ (Guilherme 2002: 219).

Building on empirical studies and practical experience, educators are devising innovative pedagogical interventions to scaffold, enrich, and/or extend the intercultural learning and engagement of students in diverse study abroad programmes and contexts. Some intercultural educators are taking advantage of developments in communication technology and social media to develop learner-centred interventions that promote global citizenship, language learning, and intercultural engagement in study abroad contexts. We are also witnessing creative advances in the assessment of intercultural learning in study abroad programmes (Deardorff 2015; Lou and Bosley 2012; Savicki and Brewer 2015) and more educators are recognising the importance of carrying out systematic, comprehensive programme reviews to provide direction for the enhancement of intercultural interventions (Jackson 2018). There is also much more recognition in the field that the development of intercultural competence entails a lifelong journey and does not begin with study abroad experience and end when students return home.

The sharing of pedagogical innovations through professional organisations

More and more study abroad scholars are sharing their pedagogical expertise within professional organisations that are dedicated to the enhancement of international education. Annual conferences, publications, seminars, webinars, workshops, and other events afford scholars the opportunity to discuss their intercultural interventions and learn from each other. These organisations encourage interaction between study abroad administrators and advisors, international student and scholar directors and advisors, and educators interested in improving the intercultural skills of students studying outside of their home country.

NAFSA: the association of international educators, the world’s largest non-profit organisation dedicated to international education and exchange, has professional knowledge communities (e.g., ‘Education Abroad’, ‘International Student and Scholar Services’, and ‘Teaching, Learning, and Scholarship’) that encourage the sharing of innovative pedagogical interventions in study abroad. NAFSA’s annual conference, which takes place in the United States or Canada, showcases advances in the field and provides an opportunity for various forms of intercultural interventions to be presented.

The European Association for International Education (EAIE) serves as the centre for expertise, networking, and resources in the internationalisation of higher education in Europe. Similar to NAFSA, this organisation has a number of knowledge communities that are concerned with the intercultural dimension of study abroad, including ‘Guidance and Counselling’, ‘Language and Culture’, and ‘Mobility Advising’. These sub-groups provide a platform for study abroad professionals to exchange information and experiences concerning the use of intercultural pedagogies. In addition to organising an annual conference, the EAIE develops publications, toolkits, and other resources (e.g., blogs, webinars) that are designed to foster pedagogical advances in study abroad, including intercultural interventions.

Each year, the International Education Association of Australia (IEAA), together with International Development Program Education, presents the Australian International Education Conference (AIEC), the largest conference of its kind in the Asia-Pacific region. This event enables international education practitioners, teaching staff, researchers, policy makers, and other stakeholders to learn about developments in study abroad programming (e.g., intercultural interventions) and to network with Australian and international colleagues. The IEAA International Research Roundtable, a day-long event which centres on advances in study abroad policies, research, and practice, takes place at the beginning of the AIEC conference.

The International Education Association, a representative body for international education professionals in Australia and New Zealand, organises an annual conference that is concerned with advocacy, international student support services, teaching, and policy development in international education. At this event, many sessions focus on the quality of study abroad experience and ways to enhance intercultural learning and engagement through cultural mentoring and other interventions.

Another annual event in the region is hosted by the Asia-Pacific Association of International Education (APAIE), a non-profit organisation that aims to promote and enhance the internationalisation of higher education in the Asia-Pacific region. Similar to their sister organisations in other regions, the conference hosted by APAIE provides the opportunity for presentations and discussions that centre on ways to promote the language and intercultural development of student sojourners.

Founded in 2001, the Forum on Education Abroad (FEA) is a US-based organisation concerned with the provision of quality international education programmes. Stated goals of the FEA include education abroad advocacy, the establishment of ‘Standards of Good Practice’ in education abroad, the collection of reliable data, the assessment of education abroad outcomes, and the promotion of excellence in curriculum design. As well as hosting an annual conference and workshops in the United States, since 2012, the FEA has organised a biannual European conference that affords study abroad practitioners in Europe (and elsewhere) the opportunity to discuss the design, delivery, and assessment of intercultural interventions in study abroad programmes as well as other forms of education abroad (e.g., service learning, work placements, internships).

In addition to the professional international education bodies mentioned above, among others, a number of organisations that are devoted to intercultural communication research and practice host annual or biannual meetings and other events that enable study abroad practitioners to share pedagogical innovations and research findings. For example, at the biannual conference that is organised by the Intercultural Academy for Intercultural Research, there are typically multiple presentations and/or colloquia that focus on empirical research and intercultural interventions in study abroad.

In the United States, since 2013, Wake Forest University has organised the Workshop on Intercultural Skills Enhancement, a conference for study abroad programme coordinators, administrators, and educators who wish to develop the knowledge and skills needed to help students advance their intercultural skills and awareness during their abroad experiences.

In addition, a number of study abroad researchers regularly attend language-oriented intercultural communication conferences, where they share their research on the language and intercultural development of student sojourners and related pedagogical interventions. The International Association of Language and Intercultural Communication is a professional body that brings together interculturalists and applied linguists to critically engage with the notion of mediating between languages and cultures. The annual conference provides a forum for researchers and practitioners to explore ways in which research into language and culture mediation can inform praxis, including intercultural interventions in study abroad contexts.

In the United States, since 2008, the Center for Educational Resources in Culture, Language, and Literacy at the University of Arizona has been organising a biannual conference that centres on the development and assessment of intercultural competence. Many of the plenaries and sessions focus on intercultural research and pedagogy in study abroad contexts.

At their annual conference, the American Association of Applied Linguistics usually hosts at least one colloquium or panel that focuses on the study abroad learning of second-language (L2) speakers and/or pedagogical interventions that aim to enhance the language and intercultural development of student sojourners. The International Association of Applied Linguistics (AILA), which hosts a major international conference every three years, has a research network (ReN) ‘Study abroad and language learning’, which promotes related research and its dissemination through specialised conferences/symposia and publications. At AILA conferences, a ReN meeting showcases innovative study abroad research and practice. In addition to the professional bodies mentioned above, other national and regional applied linguistics conferences around the world provide avenues for scholars to present pedagogical research and practice concerned with the language and intercultural learning of student sojourners.

Journals that showcase intercultural interventions in study abroad

While there are no peer-reviewed journals that focus specifically on intercultural interventions in study abroad contexts, a number publish articles that deal with this topic. Since 1995, Frontiers: The Interdisciplinary Journal of Study Abroad has been presenting articles that centre on study abroad research and practice. Since 2015, the journal has been managed by the FEA.

Within the field of intercultural communication, a number of journals publish articles that centre on intercultural interventions, namely Intercultural Education, Language and Intercultural Education, and the Journal of International and Intercultural Communication, among others. These publications have enriched our understanding of study abroad learning and raised awareness of innovative ways in which intercultural learning can be enhanced through well-designed interventions.

Rationale for this book

An increase in the number of conference presentations that centre on intercultural interv...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Half Title
• Series Information
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Contents
• List of figures
• List of tables
• List of contributors
• Acknowledgements
• Foreword to the series: Internationalization in Higher Education
• Chapter 1 Introduction: Enhancing and extending study abroad learning through intercultural interventions
• Chapter 2 Designing and implementing pre-sojourn intercultural workshops in an Australian university
• Chapter 3 Monitoring class interaction to maximise intercultural learning in mobility contexts
• Chapter 4 ‘I want to be able to understand each and every person that I come into contact with’: Critical interculturality training, student mobility, and perceptions of the ‘intercultural’
• Chapter 5 Aspiring to postcolonial engagement with the Other: Deepening intercultural learning through reflection on a South India sojourn
• Chapter 6 Mentoring students’ intercultural learning during study abroad
• Chapter 7 Foregrounding intercultural learning during study abroad as part of a modern languages degree
• Chapter 8 Optimizing intercultural learning and engagement abroad through online mentoring
• Chapter 9 Employing telecollaborative exchange to extend intercultural learning after study abroad
• Chapter 10 Developing globally prepared students through an experiential constructivist-driven intervention during study abroad
• Chapter 11 PluriMobil: Pragmatic enhancement of intercultural learning before, during, and after study abroad
• Chapter 12 Structured reflection and immersion in Ecuador: Expanding teachers’ intercultural and linguistic competencies
• Commentary
• Index