Education Commons^™

Building Global Skills: Broader Concepts Of Internationalization In An Ontario College, Mariam Raza

The Dissertation-in-Practice at Western University

The Canadian federal government, national associations, and internationalization scholars have identified the need and demand for Canadian students to acquire global skills and competencies during their post-secondary education. Opportunities to acquire global skills can be offered through a wide variety of global engagement programs, such as study-abroad exchange programs, faculty-led excursions abroad, and other programs that allow students to interact with the global world. However, these programs are costly and do not consider the significant financial resources students require to participate in such activities. Most at-home students are left out of global engagement programming and therefore do not have the …

Efl Learners’ Post-Sojourn Perceptions Of The Effects Of Study Abroad, Sandra Steinwidder

Comparative and International Education / Éducation Comparée et Internationale

This qualitative study investigated in what ways tertiary-level English foreign language (EFL) learners believed that they had changed following their study abroad. The participants were 12 Austrian EFL learners who had been exchange students in the UK or US. I conducted a cross-sectional study, grouping participants according to the duration of their stay abroad, as well as the period of time since they had returned to their home country. Comparisions were drawn between students who spent one semester, and those who spent two. I also investigated the differences displayed depending on how long a student has been back in their …

Interdisciplinary Study Abroad As Experiential Learning, Jean Wilson, Rachel Brain, Erik Brown, Leila Gaind, Kaila Radan, Julia Redmond

Comparative and International Education / Éducation Comparée et Internationale

Abstract

Although study abroad would appear to be an ideal context for the learning through doing and reflecting that constitutes experiential education, if it fails to be rigorously approached as experiential learning, it not only falls short of its potential, but also risks reinforcing rather than confounding consumerist assumptions and behaviours in education. Co-authored by five former academic exchange participants and their professor/program director (who had remained at the home university), the paper explores the need and various possibilities for programming that would pay more than lip service to the idea of international study as experiential learning. Facilitation of ongoing …

Chinese International Students' Informal Second Language (L2) Learning Through Technology For Enhancing Lived Experiences In Canada, Xuewei Zhou

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

An increasing amount of attention has been drawn to international students’ academic development in the context of studying abroad; however, few studies shed light on students’ studying and lived experiences outside of school. This thesis explores how technology can enhance Chinese international students’ informal acquisition of second language (L2) and their lived experiences in Canada. Through a qualitative case study, I describe what language difficulties newly arrived Chinese international students encounter, and how they cope with those language difficulties through technology-assisted informal L2 learning. Data sources include in-depth interviews and follow-up interviews, participants’ personal narratives, and researchers’ reflective journals. Theories …

Globalisation And Internationalisation Of Teacher Education: A Comparative Case Study Of Canada And Greater China, Marianne A. Larsen

Education Publications

This article begins with a brief overview of the relationship between globalisation and the internationalisation of higher education. This serves as a backdrop for the focus of the article, which is the internationalisation of teacher education. In order to see the diverse ways that teacher education programs have been internationalised over the past 15 years, a case study comparing internationalisation initiatives in Greater China and Canada is presented. This comparative case study demonstrates how different globalising processes influence various forms of internationalisation. Comparison also sheds light on the importance of attending not only to broader, global processes, but specific, local …

Investigating The Experiences Of Queer International Students, Elizabeth S. Patrick

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

There is a great deal of academic literature reporting homophobic discrimination against queer students in higher education. However, queer international students, who have potentially experienced different cultural constructions and understandings of sexualities based upon their cross cultural international studies, have received little to no attention in academic literature. This is significant considering the increasing number of international students studying in Canadian universities. In light of this, this research examines the self-described experiences of seven queer international students attending one Canadian university in order to investigate their experiences as queer identifying subjects. Drawing on their voices, it also attempts to examine …

Challenging Problematic Dichotomies: Bridging The Gap Between Critical Pedagogy And Liberal Academic Approaches To Global Education, Michael W. O'Sullivan Dr., Harry Smaller

Comparative and International Education / Éducation Comparée et Internationale

This empirical exploration examines two case studies involving secondary school students’ involvement in global education. The paper begins with brief discussions of three related concepts (global citizenship education, study abroad, and international service learning), followed by a description of the case studies and an analysis of our empirical findings. We conclude with some comment on the possible connections between our findings and the ongoing tensions between advocates of explicitly critical/transformative pedagogy, as compared to those favouring a liberal academic perspective – suggesting that, in some circumstances at least, there may be more similarities than differences in outcomes for individual students …