Education Commons^™

Australian-American Fulbright Alumni: An Analysis Of The Impact Of The Australian-American Fulbright Program On American Awardees, Maya Kozarsky

Capstone Collection

The Australian-American Fulbright Commission was established in 1949 in Canberra, Australia. Remarkably, the Commission had never before conducted an alumni impact report in its 72-year history. Thus, it was vital to carry out this study as soon as possible so as to hear from as many alumni as are willing and able to participate at this time. This study sought to answer the following research question: How have Australian Fulbright scholarships impacted the lives and careers of the American alumni? The research drew on the analysis of secondary survey data and through semi-structured interviews. The major findings of the study …

Supporting Lgbtq International Students Through Resource Visibility: Examining Washington State Community Colleges, Abigail Fredrickson

Capstone Collection

College is a time when many students begin exploring their sexual orientation and gender identity. Washington State, and Seattle in particular rank high in support for the LGBTQ community, according to the Municipality Equality Index put out by the Human Rights Commission. The schools that are represented in this study serve approximately 2,000 international students annually.

LGBTQ international students are a demographic that inhabits two minority groups – international students and LGBTQ students, and there is a lack of ongoing support and access to resources to aid these students in their personal growth during their time in community college. This …

Beyond Field Trips: Partnerships Between Schools And Tribal Museums, Lauren Cooke

Capstone Collection

This study emerged from a desire to understand how schools and tribal museums collaborate with one another to increase access to tribal museums for K-12 students. For this project, I had the opportunity to work with the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center, Sky City Cultural Center & Haak’u Museum, and the A:shiwi A:wan Museum and Heritage Center to further understand each institution’s educational programming and partnerships. The question examined was, how do schools and tribal museums collaborate with one another to increase access to tribal museums for K-12 students? Interviews were conducted with staff members to discuss the work of these …

Perspectives On Sustainability In Short-Term Faculty-Led Programs, Amanda Staton

Capstone Collection

Sustainability is a relatively new topic to the field of International Education. Despite this, its importance is tantamount for the continuation of the industry for future generations. The industry’s significant negative environmental impacts from international student mobility poses a real barrier to the continuation of the industry due to climate change. This research emerged due to the lack of existing research on sustainability in Study Abroad, especially short-term faculty-led programs, which are currently the most popular modality of Study Abroad. Short-term faculty-led programs currently hold a reputation in existing literature for being the most unsustainable form of Study Aboard with …

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 …

U.S. Immigration Policies Affecting Mexican And Central American Youth And Their Access To Higher Education, Margaret Elizabeth Tejada

Capstone Collection

Undocumented Mexican and Central American youth, many of whom hold approved or pending Special Immigrant Juvenile Status (SIJS), Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), and Central American Minor Refugee and Parole Program (CAM) applications, are a growing population in the United States who are eager to pursue higher education like their U.S. Citizen and U.S. Lawful Permanent Resident peers. Yet, they are significantly limited by federal, state, and institutional policies that are geared towards the success of students with legal status. Through relevant literature and interviews with policy experts and educators who work directly with these youth and/or the regulations …

Foodways In Chile: A Bridge Back To Nature, Kayla Weiss

Capstone Collection

As the area of food studies continues to develop and evolve it has been recognized that, not only is food a necessity to life, but it is uniquely tied to understanding culture, history, and other aspects of a society. This study arose from recognizing this influence and importance and I took the opportunity to better understand how Birchwood College might be an optimal site for a short-term study abroad program based in food studies. I conducted a needs assessment through landscape research, surveying students, and interviewing food studies faculty and international educators at Birchwood College. The research findings offered insights …

Navigating The Necessary Evils: Contemplating The Topic Of Sustainability In Study Abroad, Megan Zacher

Capstone Collection

Travel is a defining feature of education abroad, instrumental in exposing students to experiences and countries beyond their campus community. The cultural exchange implied in travel aspires to benefit both host communities and students’ home institutions. However, education abroad has negative environmental impacts incongruent with many sustainability efforts. The education abroad sector aims to address this reality by advancing the use of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals in program design and execution. In this study we conducted semi-structured interviews with representatives of higher education institutions, third-party study abroad providers, and professional associations to assess how stakeholders perceive this incongruency …

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 …

Using Social-Emotional Learning To Support Academic Achievement In The Wake Of Covid-19: A Case Study Within Boone County Schools, Jessica Vowell

Capstone Collection

The state of West Virginia has one of the highest national rates of childhood poverty, with 25% of WV children living in poverty as of 2018, and 20% of WV households experiencing food insecurity prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. Boone County Schools (BCS) is located in southern WV and serves many students who must overcome the academic barriers of poverty, food insecurity, adverse experiences, the lasting effects of a regional opioid epidemic, and now the social, emotional, and academic challenges stemming from COVID-19. Research suggests that helping students in these demographics develop emotional intelligence promotes their academic and even lifelong …