Education Commons^™

International K-12 Schools Seeking U.S. Accreditation: An Analysis Of The Rationales Involved In Earning Accreditation Through The Western Association Of Schools And Colleges, Kerri Knapp

Capstone Collection

The international K-12 school market is growing fast, and new international schools are opening every year. Hundreds of those international K-12 schools seek out accreditation to help validate their institution’s authenticity. Accreditation allows potential students and families to trust that the education provided is legitimate according to a set of principles and standards provided by the accreditation organization. Colleges and universities, particularly those in the United States, where thousands of international students strive to be accepted, typically require students to matriculate from an accredited school. With this market growth comes a need for accountability, and therein lies accreditation. The United …

Bridging Knowledge Systems In The Peruvian Andes: Plurality, Co-Creation, And Transformative Socio-Ecological Solutions To Climate Change, Domenique Ciavattone

Capstone Collection

In the current era of anthropogenic climate change, Quechua farmers in the Peruvian Andes are some of the most impacted by, yet some of the lowest contributors to global warming. Dominant Western systems alone have proven insufficient in tackling the climate crisis, and there have been increasing efforts to elevate and center Indigenous voices and epistemologies when addressing climate change. Researchers and communities are calling for a bridging of knowledge systems, in which Indigenous and Western methods collaborate to co-create innovative solutions to climate challenges. This research sought to explore methods and successes in bridging Indigenous and Western knowledge systems …

Building On Best Practices And Organizational Expertise: Informing Curriculum Design For Refugee And Asylum-Seeking Youth At Philadelphia Outward Bound School, Emily Della Fera

Capstone Collection

Refugee and asylum-seeking youth experience a variety of barriers within education, social adjustment and inclusion, and mental and physical health when resettling to a new country. These barriers which can be mitigated with outdoor education programs that supplement existing resettlement programs. Outdoor education has proven positive outcomes in youth’s self-perception and confidence, school performance, community and relationship building, and physical and mental health. This course-linked capstone designs curriculum for an outdoor education program that will be proposed to the Philadelphia Outward Bound School. Designed specifically for refugee and asylum-seeking youth, the curriculum fosters environments for participants to build relationships, gain …

Colombia Intercultura Study Abroad, Nadeen Black

Capstone Collection

The Colombia Intercultura (CI) summer study abroad program connects racially diverse students from the United States to lesser-known locations in Colombia to foster a unique and comparative educational experience. Most study abroad programs available to foreigners in Colombia are offered in big cities like Bogotá and Medellín. The goal of this program is to facilitate intercultural learning for globally minded learners in various locations off the beaten track in Colombia. A growing economy, improved security, and greater access to social services are among some of Colombia’s most notable achievements towards growth in the last two decades. The civil war that …

Pathway Provider Programs: The International Student Experience, Aaron A. Mendez

Capstone Collection

As part of their commitment towards internationalization, many higher education institutions seek new recruitment practices to increase international student enrollment, to both enhance cultural diversity and increase the potential for revenue. Partnering with third-party pathway providers offers international students an opportunity to refine their English language skills, all while taking for-credit-bearing academic courses that ultimately prepare them for their second year upon matriculating into their degree-seeking programs. One difference between direct-entry international students and pathway program international students is the additional level of support for the latter.

This study explores the following research question: What are the experiences of international …

Diversity And Worldliness At The Compass School, Luiz A. Batista

Capstone Collection

This paper demonstrates how the application of International Education principles and practices to curricula at the Compass School of Westminster, Vermont would augment worldliness and diversity as well as improve the overall quality of education offered at this secondary school. This research identifies deficiencies in areas pertaining to internationalization and diversity and provides recommendations to remedy these deficiencies. The realization of these recommendations would help to increase students’ preparedness for participation in a globalized society and would provide an enhanced educational experience for all. This research is intended to support faculty and staff at the Compass School by providing an …

L'Enracinement Et L'Ouverture: A Relevant Global Citizenship Education In Senegal, Alanna Margaret Ross

Capstone Collection

As the international community strives to work together to respond to globalization implications in education, global citizenship education (GCE) has become more prominent in the educational agenda of the international community. While much literature has critiqued GCE’s potential neo-imperialist effects in postcolonial context, there have been very few studies that have sought out the voices of key stakeholders, such as students, parents, teachers, and school leaders. A total of nineteen school leaders, teachers, parents, and students were interviewed to examine whether they found global citizenship education relevant to students in Senegal. The study found that global citizenship education was perceived …

Spanish Language And Culture In Buenos Aires And Córdoba, Argentina, Sarah Eidt

Capstone Collection

The Spanish Language and Culture in Buenos Aires and Córdoba, Argentina program is a theoretical faculty-led multi-site semester-long program that is designed for Boston University students for the fall semester of 2022. The purpose of the program is to give student participants the opportunity to learn Argentine history and culture at two distinct locations with different sets of host families and speaking partners, while visiting contrasting regions around Argentina in order to obtain a more complete understanding of the country. Students will become more proficient in the Spanish language and gain a greater understanding of Argentine culture by immersing in …

Influencing College Choice: Enrollment Factors For International Students At A Private Research University In The Northeast, Erin Slocum

Capstone Collection

This study aims to understand the factors that influence international students' decisions to enroll at a private research university in the Northeast. Through interviews with current students and staff members at the university, the study gathered data about trends in enrollment, how students learned about the university, obstacles faced by international students in the application process, and finally what factors were most important in their enrollment decisions. The most important factors in an international student's decision to enroll in the university were cost, environment, and recommendations. Due to the limited diversity in the demographics of the student participants, there is …

Global Citizenship Education In Homeschooling Practices And Experiences In Connecticut, New Jersey, New York, And Pennsylvania, Bethany Shackelford

Capstone Collection

Global citizenship education (GCED) has moved to the forefront of U.S. education policy. The core tenets of GCED are knowledge, skills, behaviors, actions, attitudes, and values. Through these tenets, GCED strives to prepare students to be contributing members of society through making positive change. In this study, I examined the extent to which GCED was integrated in homeschooling education in eight families located in four Northeastern states, Connecticut, New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania.

The findings derived from individual interviews and surveys with homeschooling parents and their adult children as well as document analysis demonstrate that seven of the eight …

Winter Travel For Cold Weather Novices; Methods For Making Challenging Outdoor Experiences More Inclusive, Anders Fristedt

Capstone Collection

Cold Weather for Winter Novices is a weeklong experiential education trip developed for students, between the ages of 17 and 21, from the Armand Hammer United World College of the American West (UWC-USA), an international boarding school in Montezuma, New Mexico. This trip is an opportunity to examine multicultural perspectives of adventure and wilderness. Specifically, the research question focuses on if the concepts of adventure and wilderness present inherent hurdles for diverse populations.

This program was developed trough a detailed literature review and needs assessment that involved both outdoor education professionals and potential students. The literature review looked at the …

Creating Global Citizens Through Returnee Programming, Kristen Foos

Capstone Collection

The purpose of study abroad is to facilitate students’ journey to global citizenship and a large part in doing this is having effective returnee programming. This research focused on what type of program models best facilitate this goal and are of interest to students at Washington State University (WSU). To answer this question, 12 WSU peer advisors, 4 global learning advisors at WSU, and 5 global learning advisors at other institutions were all interviewed. Along with that, a survey was sent out to all WSU student who had studied abroad within the past year. The results demonstrated that when WSU …

The Short-Term Youth Exchange Program, Kristia Grandison

Capstone Collection

The study abroad world is constantly changing and adapting to the diverse needs of the global market. One current trend in France is the demand for students to begin studying abroad at a younger age, when many people believe it is easier to learn new languages and develop intercultural skills. Informed by needs assessment with members of the community at Saint-Denis International School, located in Loches France, I designed the short-term French youth exchange program. This three-week program will take place during the academic year and was designed for preadolescent students in 6^th and 7^th grade (ages 10 …

The River Is Flooded By Tributaries: Incorporating Ways Of Knowing In Online Pedagogy, Julie Debenedictis

Capstone Collection

In the age of global education where online classes, trainings, and degree programs are drawing international and multicultural student cohorts, understanding how culture impacts a student’s online learning experience deserves attention. Tasked with co-creating the plan for pedagogy of SIT’s re-imagined Master of Arts in Sustainable Development online degree program, research into Indigenous epistemologies and experiential education inspired this inquiry’s guiding question: How can we, as online educators, incorporate multiple ways of knowing, pedagogically, into the facilitation of online courses? Foundational theories and principles were drawn from the aforementioned body of literature while studies on the impact of culture in …

Language Matters: What Are The Primary School Teachers' Perspectives And Lived Experiences Of Burundi's Language Policy?, Leah Passauer

Capstone Collection

Burundi is a small country in the Great Lakes region of Africa. Burundian language policy dictates that four languages, Kirundi, French, English, and Kiswahili, must be taught starting in the second trimester of grade one. The language policy decision is not an obvious one since the country is linguistically homogenous, meaning that almost the entire population speaks Kirundi as their first language. Primary school teachers in the public education system typically receive training in a vocational setting that may not fully prepare them for the complex multilingual classroom environment they are expected to cultivate. The aim of this small-scale mixed-methods …

Accent Modification Program: A Program For Foreign-Born Employees At St. Jude Children’S Research Hospital, Lisa Gaddy

Capstone Collection

Some foreign national employees lack English proficiency, have poor pronunciation skills, and find it difficult to be understood due to their strong native accent when speaking English. The Accent Modification Program (AMP) is designed to provide an opportunity for non-native English-speaking employees at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, primarily postdoctoral research associates, to advance their English-speaking skills especially as it relates to oral presentation proficiency. The program design is informed by the needs assessment based on data collection via personal interviews, professional observations and experience of the author. AMP will provide regularly scheduled group sessions with a native-English speaking facilitator. …

Connecting Cultural Ties With Latinx Identity: An Explorative Semester In Mexico City, Margaret Musty

Capstone Collection

This International Education Design and Delivery Capstone describes the research and design of a proposed semester-long study abroad program entitled Connecting Cultural Ties with Latinx Identity: An Explorative Semester in Mexico City. The hybrid program is designed for undergraduate students of the University of California as a heritage seeking semester in Mexico City that fulfills Latin American Studies and International Migration Studies degree requirements. Through faculty-led seminars, direct enrollment at the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), and cultural excursions, students will examine Latin American culture, the bicultural identity of Hispanics living in the United States, and Mexican social justice …

Going Full Circle: Connecting Re-Entry And Preparation For The Harlaxton Study Abroad Program, Kaylynn Carver

Capstone Collection

This capstone paper is a program proposal for a Harlaxton Ambassador program, to be situated in the Harlaxton College office at the University of Evansville (UE). As the program is in a place of growth and development, this ambassador program is all about going full circle with the study abroad experience at Harlaxton College. In order to address problems of non-UE Harlaxton student retention and preparation and of Harlaxton alumni connections and re-entry, this program connects those students to allow them to support and help each other and create better experiences. Based in theories of student development and learning, informed …

The Role Of The International Educator In Understanding International Student Identity Development, Kelsey Walsh

Capstone Collection

The Role of the International Educator in Understanding International Student Identity Development will explore international educators’ perceptions of their role in assisting international students through identity development. The purpose of this study is to examine international educators’ personal understanding of their role, how they use programs to actualize their role, the ways they believe themselves to be equipped to help international students, and how they reflect upon their perceived role. This project also explores understanding of cultural identity development from the international student perspective and asks international students how they understand the role of international educators in that experience. Using …

Intercultural Competency Development: A Case Study With Sit Study Abroad In Morocco, From A Trainers Lens, Amy Leap Miller

Capstone Collection

This Course-Linked Capstone in Training focuses on intercultural competency development, both of the practitioner’s own life journey and through the lens of study abroad, highlighting a Case Study with SIT Study Abroad in Morocco. This Capstone weaves together theory and practice of intercultural competence, experiential learning, social justice training, and study abroad. The practitioner’s self-analysis includes reflection of her Practicum time, as well as a timeline of her intercultural competency development, including growth areas in five categories: knowledge, skills, attitudes, awareness and language. This Capstone also reflects the journey of the practitioner’s growth as a social justice trainer and experiential …

Addressing The Assumption; A Case Study On Student Motivations And Barriers To Study Second Language Abroad, Rebecca Schano

Capstone Collection

Historically, second language learning and study abroad programming have run in natural conjunction. However, in recent years there has been a slow but steady decline in the number of foreign language students in higher education who are choosing to study abroad to further their second language acquisition. This study explores this topic through a case study at Marquette University, and aims to answer the research question: What are the motivations and barriers of foreign language students to study their second language abroad? Using a student survey and in-person interviews with professionals in the field, data is collected on the most …

Building Community In Refugee Youth Mentoring Programs At Partnership For The Advancement And Immersion Of Refugees, Shaina Holm

Capstone Collection

ABSTRACT

Building community in youth programs is a necessary and effective way to support the human developmental needs of refugee and immigrant youth by way of facilitating cultural integration. The intentional processes of building community in the after school mentoring programs for refugee and immigrant high school students at Partnership for the Advancement and Immersion of Refugees (PAIR) in Houston, Texas are essential to the program’s overall success and mission fulfillment. Specific methodologies of building community include activities such as icebreakers, name games, teambuilders, and unstructured relationship building time. Crucial factors that a facilitator should be cognizant of when implementing …

Language And Personal Growth In Study Abroad, Cynthia Columbus

Capstone Collection

Language and Personal Growth in Study Abroad will explore student perceptions of the role language learning during study abroad played in four key areas of personal growth: self-confidence, ability to problem-solve, learning about their host culture, and learning about themselves. This study aims to highlight and increase understanding of the individual’s study abroad experience. Eight students participated in this research. Data was collected from participants through an online survey and through individual semi-structured interviews. Student blogs written both pre-departure and during study abroad were also analyzed. Findings reveal a belief amongst participants that language learning helped them to become more …

The Earth Sciences Field Camp: A Short-Term Study Abroad Program Design, Catherine Tartaglia

Capstone Collection

For earth science students, a field camp is the culmination of years of dedicated study: an opportunity to apply the theoretical knowledge they have gleaned in the classroom, to develop personally and professionally, and to travel with intention. Although short-term, these programs are nevertheless impactful and academically demanding. They require students to synthesize and employ the entirety of their scientific knowledge as well as collaborate with a team to achieve their learning goals.

Their experiential nature makes field camps the perfect opportunity for earth sciences students - who may, due to the nature of their curricula, be excluded from an …

Student Teaching Cuenca: An Overseas Student Teaching Placement Program For Taylor University, Janae Knipp

Capstone Collection

The ethnic demographic of the United States is becoming more diverse, while the teacher population remains largely homogeneous. The interplay between the shifting student population and the stagnant teacher population can result in frustrated teachers who do not understand their students’ needs and students who are not well taught nor well served. One of the ways to equip our teachers is to create opportunities in higher education teacher preparation programs to study or teach abroad. Based on theory, studies, and assessment of the current state of pre-service teacher education through interviews and literature review, Student Teaching Cuenca is designed to …

Closing The Circle: Comprehensive Study Abroad Reentry Programming In A Small Liberal Arts College, Dora Musini

Capstone Collection

In an increasingly globalized world, study abroad is growing in popularity. As a rising number of students study, work, research or simply move abroad, research by experts and practitioners has been focused on finding ways to maximize learning. An effective and wildly popular strategy adopted by most institutions is pre-departure orientation. However its counterpart, study abroad reentry, while also potentially transformative, isn’t equally widespread.

This paper describes an effort to fill this gap through the creation of a reentry program for Marlboro College, a small, liberal arts college in Marlboro, Vermont. In order to tailor the program to Marlboro students’ …

Community Development Projects In Moldova, Berkend Pura

Capstone Collection

This Independent Practitioner Inquiry Capstone (IPIC) aims to provide relevant information, from a Peace Corps (PC) Volunteer (PCV) standpoint, on a renovation project that was implemented in the village of Vorniceni, Republic of Moldova. At its core, this was a community development project that involved the active participation of the community of Vorniceni, providing local resources and knowledge towards the goal of building a healthier sanitation facility on the second floor of the local kindergarten.

The results of this effort indicate that the involvement of the client (people) is crucial to sucess in implementing projects, and it also shows that …

You & Me, Them & We: International Students Making Meaning(S) Of Ethnic And Racial Identities At West Mountains College, Andrew Turgeon

Capstone Collection

Arguing that higher education institutions (HEIs) and academia rely on racist and Western-centric narratives to inhibit international students from constructing their own complex meanings of identity, this study explores how 11 international students at West Mountains College made sense and created meanings of racial and ethnic identity during their sojourn in the United States. This study focuses on students’ experiences at the college and at the Washington State Students of Color Conference, whose workshops and student-centered approach encouraged participants to explore and interrogate their ethnic and racial identities and those of their peers. Investigating these critical experiences through a focus …

Advantages & Challenges: An Assessment Of Suny Oneonta's Current Approach To International Student Services, Sarah Busche

Capstone Collection

The decision to become an international student is a choice that is as challenging as it is rewarding, and is one that I am familiar with from both a professional and personal standpoint. Per a recent Open Doors’ account, 1,043,839 students from around the world have made the decision to study in the United States in 2016. These individuals make up 9% of New York State’s student population, and 10.1% of the State University of New York system (SUNY, 2016). Currently SUNY Oneonta is host to 56 of these international students, whom I was excited to work with through my …

Expanding Learning While Away: Intercultural Communication Course, Cassandra Clements

Capstone Collection

Today’s society is becoming more interconnected and globalized, making intercultural communication competence (ICC) a necessary competence. Universities are responding to this demand through study away programs. Many students are encouraged to study away during their undergrad years. However, as Alfred and Bryarm (2002) found there is no guarantee a student will enhance their ICC through a study away experience. This capstone project outlines an ICC learning opportunity for students while on the Italy study away program, run through Lorenzo de Medici (LdM) International Institute in Florence, Italy. Lorenzo de Medici is a study abroad institute at which Keene State College …