Learning to Drive on the Other Side of the Road: Preparing 21st ...

<strong>Learning</strong> <strong>to</strong> <strong>Drive</strong> on the Other Side 

of the Road: Preparing 21st Century 

Citizens through Study Abroad 

Laura Vander Broek, Patricia Bloem, Elena Selezneva, Grand Valley State University 

Vicki TenHaken, Hope College 

Alber<strong>to</strong> Veiga, College of Charles<strong>to</strong>n

Using Study Abroad <strong>to</strong> Prepare Students 

for Future Careers 

• 80% of employers surveyed seek and give preference <strong>to</strong> 

college graduates who have studied abroad 

• 2011 QS Global Employer Survey of 10,000 employers 

• Employers are looking for employees who exhibit intercultural 

sensitivity 

• Knowledge of other cultures (understanding) 

• Open-minded attitude (acceptance) 

• Flexibility <strong>to</strong> adapt (behavior) 

Vicki TenHaken, Hope College

Using Study Abroad <strong>to</strong> Prepare Students 

for Future Careers 

• Employers see study abroad experience as a demonstration of 

a student’s ability <strong>to</strong>: 

• work independently 

• undertake unfamiliar and risky tasks 

• apply information in new contexts 

• identify new problems or new solutions <strong>to</strong> problems 

• work effectively in a stressful situation 

Vicki TenHaken, Hope College

Overview of GVSU survey 

• GVSU students who participated in short-term (2-13 weeks) 

faculty-led programs from 2005 <strong>to</strong> 2011 

• Zoomerang survey, 35 questions 

• Solicited quantitative and qualitative feedback 

• 1443 surveys emailed (175 bounced back = 1268) 

• N = 424 responses 

• Response Rate = 33.4% 

Laura Vander Broek, Patricia Bloem, Elena Selezneva, Grand Valley State University

GVSU Short-term Faculty-led 

Study Abroad Programs 


Profile of GVSU respondents 

Gender 

19.23% 

Male 

80.77% 

Female 

Age 

Had you ever traveled overseas before your study abroad program? 

49.1% no 

50.9% yes 

Personal Impact 

To what extent did your study abroad 

experience impact your ability <strong>to</strong> be 

independent? 

A little or not at 

all - 18.71% 

Quite a Bit- 

15.13% 

Significant or 

Highly Significant 

- 66.15% 


experience impact your willingness 

<strong>to</strong> take risks? 


experience impact your self-confidence? 


all - 11.026% 

Quite a Bit- 

19.23% 


Highly Significant - 

69.74% 


all - 15.64% 

Quite a Bit- 

21.79% 



- 62.56% 



Please elaborate on the ways the Study Abroad experience 

influenced you on a personal level. 

• Studying abroad has helped increase my self-confidence and 

my ability <strong>to</strong> be independent. I felt like I could accomplish 

anything after traveling abroad. 

• I learned so much about myself and people as a whole. I am 

much more comfortable in my own skin and it strengthened 

my desire <strong>to</strong> learn more about the world and experience other 

cultures…. 

• The ability <strong>to</strong> experience a way of life that was significantly 

different from my own was truly the most beneficial aspect of 

my study abroad experience. It opened my eyes <strong>to</strong> the types 

of values I hold…. 



• Will you travel overseas again if possible? 

99.5% 

Yes 

0.5% 

No 


Global Engagement 

What are your sources for national 

and international news and events? 

Only domestic- 

29.94% 

Domestic and/or 

other news 

sources- 70.06% 


experience impact your interest in world news 

and current events? 

A little or not at all - 

25.123% 

Quite a Bit- 27.69% 

Significant or Highly 

Significant - 47.18% 




experience foster your interest in other 

cultures and other ways of living? 

A little or not at all 

- 7.179% 

Quite a Bit- 

22.56% 



70.25% 


experience shape your worldview? 


all - 12.053% 

Quite a Bit- 

26.41% 



- 61.53% 




experience foster your interest in 

volunteerism and/or civic 

organizations? 

A little or 

not at all - 

50.77% 

Quite a Bit- 

24.87% 

Significant 

or Highly 

Significant - 

24.36% 

To what extent do your personal 

relationships now include people 

from diverse cultures? 


all - 28.465% 

Quite a Bit- 

27.18% 


Highly 

Significant - 

44.36% 



To what extent has your study abroad 

experience raised your interest 

in obtaining overseas work? 


all - 34.617% 

Quite a Bit- 

18.46% 



46.92% 

To what extent did your SA experience 

foster your desire <strong>to</strong> use or <strong>to</strong> improve 

your ability <strong>to</strong> speak a foreign language? 


all - 29.997% 

Quite a Bit- 

19.23% 


Highly 

Significant - 

50.77% 




Global engagement 

Elaborate on the ways the study abroad experience has 

influenced your global engagement 

• When I returned from the trip, my perspective on my own 

country changed. I saw how things could run in another 

country….. I wanted <strong>to</strong> know how <strong>to</strong> make things better here 

by instilling what I had learned. 

• Since being in the study abroad programs….. I have moved 

from "what is going on in the world <strong>to</strong>day?" <strong>to</strong> "what can I do 

in the world <strong>to</strong>day that will help others and make a 

difference?” 

• The world has gotten smaller and closer <strong>to</strong> my heart. 


Final Reflections 


Final Reflections 

Are there any other ways that study abroad impacted your life 

that you would like <strong>to</strong> comment on? 

• It put me outside of my comfort zone more than I ever 

thought possible, and it was the best thing for me. 

• I could never completely describe the way studying abroad 

changed me. It made me more confident and excited <strong>to</strong> see 

the world and be part of something bigger than West 

Michigan. 

• It was the most important, exciting, and challenging 

experience of my life. With college courses alone you cannot 

learn necessary life lessons. Study abroad crams about 10 

years of life experiences in<strong>to</strong> a short frame of time at a crucial 

age and time of development. 


Best Practices: Program Examples 

• Semester-long Study Abroad Program: Spain: Hispanic 

Studies, 15 weeks, Trujillo (Extremadura), Spanish majors and 

minors, live with host families 

• Short-term Study Abroad Program: Netherlands: English 

Education, 4 weeks, Maastricht, English majors, live in 

international dorm 

Laura Vander Broek, Patricia Bloem, Elena Selezneva, Grand Valley State University 


Best Practices 

• Experiential learning, field placement or service 

learning component

Experiential <strong>Learning</strong> Activities: Avoiding 

the “Island Syndrome” 

• Diminish the classroom as the primary place of learning, 

help diversify teaching methods (Grabois 2007) 

• Establish environment where authentic interaction = 

social reality, not a pedagogical goal (Grabois 2007) 

• Have a positive effect on motivation and attitude of the 

learner (Chen 2007, Hummel 2013) 

• Offer opportunity <strong>to</strong> exhibit conversational skills in real 

situations, create effective cultural interaction, foster 

student initiative 

• Lead students beyond the idea that some of their 

experiences are strange or unusual and turn them in<strong>to</strong> 

learning experiences 


Field Trips 

Trips <strong>to</strong> Merida, Cordoba, Granada, Sevilla, Monfrague 

National Park, Toledo 

• Combine lecture sessions with guided site visits 

• Reinforce content 

• Learn while asking and experiencing 

• Connect the mind and the body: meaningful experience 

that links class and real world (Beard and Wilson 2006) 

• Display concrete applications of academic material 

(Hummel 2013) 


Visits <strong>to</strong> High-Schools 

• Foster active community involvement 

• Enhance cultural awareness 

• Make further connections with host society 

• Engage at a personal level (learn more and share) 

• Increase linguistic self-confidence 

• Increase L2 skills 

• Create personal satisfaction from helping 

• Build knowledge about native speaking community 

(McGowan 2007, Rodriguez & Roberts 2011, Hummel 

2013) 



• Experiential learning, field placement or service learning 

component 

• Assignments & activities that draw on the international 

context 

• Utilization of onsite experts 

• On-going reflection 

• Pre-departure curriculum 

• Integration of curriculum with home department 

• Use of social media

Use of Social Media 



• Experiential learning, field placement or service learning 

component 

• Assignments & activities that draw on the international 

context 

• Utilization of onsite experts 

• On-going reflection 

• Pre-departure curriculum 

• Integration of curriculum with home department 

• Use of social media 

• Return activities

Closing comment from a GVSU student 

“Study abroad really gave me greater faith in and love 

for humanity. I feel both more independent as a 

person and more connected <strong>to</strong> the whole of humanity 

at the same time. On the whole, a profound 

revelation.”

References 

Beard C. & Wilson J.P. (2006). Experiential learning: A best practice handbook for educa<strong>to</strong>rs and trainers (2 nd edition). 

Philadelphia, PA: Kogan Page. 

Bhawuk, D.P.S. & Sakuda, K.H. (2009). Intercultural sensitivity for global managers. In M.A. Moodian (Ed.), Leadership and 

intercultural competence: Exploring the cross-cultural dynamics within organizations (pp. 255- 266). Los Angeles: 

SAGE Publications, Inc. 

Donnelly-Smith, L. (2009). Global <strong>Learning</strong> through short-term study abroad. Peer Review, 11 (4), 1-6. 

Gardner, P., Gross, L. & Steglitz, I. ( 2009), Translating study abroad experiences for workplace competencies. Peer Review, (19- 

22). 

Grabois, H. (2007). Service-learning throughout the Spanish curriculum: An inclusive and expansive theory-driven model. In A. J. 

Wurr & J. Hellebrandt (Eds.), <strong>Learning</strong> the Language of Global Citizenship: Service-<strong>Learning</strong> in Applied Linguistics 

(pp. 164-89). Bol<strong>to</strong>n, MA: Anker. 

Hummel, K. H. (2013). Target-language community involvement: Second-language linguistic self-confidence and other perceived 

benefits. The Canadian Modern Language Review, 69 (1), 65-90. 

Institute of International Education. (2013). Open door 2012 fast facts [Data file]. 

Retrieved from http://www.iie.org/en/Research-and-Publications/Open-Doors/in fastfacts2012/pdf 

McGowan, M. (2007). Benefits and preparation for an international study abroad experience: A student’s perspective. Journal of 

International Agricultural Extension Education, 14 (2), 61-67. 

Molony, J., Sowter, B., & Potts, D. (2011). QS Intelligence Unit. QS Global Employer Survey Report 2011, London. QS Intelligence 

Unit. 

Paige, R. M., Fry, G. W., Stallman, E. M., Josie, J. & Jon, J. (2009). Study abroad for global engagement: the long-term impact of 

mobility experiences. Intercultural Education, 20:sup1, S29-S44. 

Rodriguez, M.T. & Roberts, T.G. (2011). Identifying best practices for a successful study abroad program. Journal of International 

Agricultural Extension Education, 18 (1), 19-33.

Contact Information 

• Laura Vander Broek vanderbl@gvsu.edu 

• Patricia Bloem bloemp@gvsu.edu 

• Elena Selezneva seleznee@gvsu.edu 

• Alber<strong>to</strong> Veiga veigaa@cofc.edu 

• Vicki TenHaken tenhaken@hope.edu

Learning to Drive on the Other Side of the Road: Preparing 21st ...

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?