International and Comparative Education Commons^™

Reflect, React, Exchange: A Cultural Competency Co-Curriculum, Derrick Lewis

Capstone Collection

Cultural competency serves as key component to medical training and education and increasing interest in international health experiences denotes a recent need to respond to globalized health and populations. Reflect, React, Exchange (RRE) is a co-curriculum aims to provide a revised and integrated framework and foster awareness via experience, exchange, reflection, and dialogue at the Clinica de Familia La Romana in La Romana, Dominican Republic. RRE utilizes theories which are appropriate to the transformative learning aims and integral curricular activities of the CFLR Global Health Experience, an 8-week, global health internship experience for health science. It provides students with the …

West African Refugees In Baltimore City: Pros And Cons, Christianah T. Adeneye

Capstone Collection

Conflict in Africa remains one of the continent’s principal development challenges (David, 2009). However, peace remains the highest priority in the minds of people across all of the African continent. The unfortunate violence and conflict have left so many African citizens to constantly live in fear, and this fear has increased the urge for many to flee their countries for safety. This research study seeks to explore the experience of West African refugees in the United States with more focus on Baltimore City. This research work also examines their integration process and challenges they face, including the opportunities they receive …

Carrying On With Wayward Sons, Erika Simpson, Henrik Lagerlund

Political Science Publications

With their brains not maturing until their mid-20s, it's time to use a different approach to life and learning with our young men.

Semester At Sea Impact Service-Learning Scholarship Program, Lindsay B. Parise

Capstone Collection

Service-learning has become a highly popular approach to increasing experiential learning, expanding study abroad, and supporting the trend in the internationalization of higher education. There are many challenges arising around the use of service-learning in international study abroad contexts. There is no agreed upon definition of service-learning, which makes it difficult to distinguish it from other forms of international education, volunteerism, community service or charity.

International service-learning by its very nature takes place in fragile communities and with people who need assistance or service, due mostly to poverty. There is limited research and assessment of how international service-learning programs impact …

Connecting Communities And Building World Language Proficiency, Tyler Anthony

Honors Projects

There are a variety of ways for students to learn a second language such as, learning in the typical classroom setting, studying abroad, and participating in an immersion program. However, often times the benefits of technology are overlooked in the world language classroom. Technology can be used to establish a global community and provide students with new opportunities to practice their language outside of the classroom. Utilizing the language as much as possible is essential to evolving high levels of proficiency and developing communicative competence; however, world language students often do not get the chance to speak the second language …

Promoting Education Abroad, Kayla Mitchell, James Materson

Celebration of Student Scholarship Poster Sessions Archive

No abstract provided.

International Students’ College Achievement: A Critical Quantitative Perspective, Eyad Alfattal

Journal of Critical Issues in Educational Practice

Colleges exert much effort in recruiting international students who bring financial, cultural and educational benefits to the campuses in which they study. On the other hand, little attention is paid to how these students succeed in achieving their educational goals. The study proposed here describes a planned investigation that will help find out more about international students’ success in American colleges. The study will employ a college student achievement model as its theoretical framework, and it will aim at examining relationships between international students’ GPA and graduation rates while controlling for precollege academic performance. This examination will be done while …

Inadequacy Of Benin's And Senegal's Education Systems To Local And Global Job Markets: Pathways Forward; Inputs Of The Indian And Chinese Education Systems., Kpedetin Mignanwande

Sustainability and Social Justice

This paper explores the historical legacy that shapes the current higher education system in most sub-Sahara African countries. It further analyzes various specificities in terms of production of graduates in many sub-Sahara African higher educational schools, as well as the rate, process, and conditions of employment of newly graduated students. Inspired by the comparative advantage offered by the Indian education system in Information, Communication and Technology (ICT), and the Chinese education system in terms of Technical Skills and Work Readiness, the paper suggests an educational pathway that selects, orients and empowers students in these science related areas. It strongly emphasizes …

Bridgers In The Third Space: An In-Country Investigation Of The Leadership Practices Of Us-Educated Chinese Nationals, Maria L. Martinez

Educational Studies Dissertations

This in-country grounded theory study examined the lived experiences of 24 Chinese returnees who completed advanced degrees in the United States. The study found that the four types of organizations in mainland China determine the social context of the application of Western education of the Chinese returnees. Returnees working in multinational corporations apply their Western education more than the returnees working in the other types of organizations. Themes that revolved around the international educational experiences of the Chinese students, including the development of cultural intelligence and new understanding of the ‘other’, and their realization of the differences between their home …

Young, Urban, Professional, And Kenyan?: Conversations Surrounding Tribal Identity And Nationhood, Charlotte Achieng-Evensen

Educational Studies Dissertations

By asking the question “How do young, urban, professional Kenyans make connections between tribal identity, colonialism, and the lived experience of nationhood?,” the researcher engages with eight participants in exploring their relationships with their tribal groups. From this juncture the researcher, through a co-constructed process with participants, interrogates the idea of nationhood by querying their interpretations of the concepts of power and resistance within their multi-ethnic societies. The utility of KuPiga Hadithi as a cultural responsive methodology for data collection along with poetic analysis as part of the qualitative tools of examination allowed the researcher to identify five emergent and …

Tripl - Living, Learning, Leading: A Program For Ongoing Cultural Training For House Leaders At Mossgate Preparatory School, Stephanie Munson

Capstone Collection

This paper is a program proposal for an ongoing intercultural training program for boarding house leaders at Mossgate Preparatory School (MPS). High turnover rates for house leaders at MPS have been linked to conflict and frustration related to living and working in a multicultural environment. A Multicultural Competency questionnaire was distributed to 2014-15 MPS house leaders, and the results showed that approximately half of all house leaders had never received any sort of intercultural training. In order to address this need, the TripL Program was conceived.

Through initial and ongoing trainings conducted for all house leaders at MPS, the TripL …

Mapping Researcher Mobility: Measuring Research Collaboration Among Apec Economies, Ali Radloff

Higher education research

Researcher mobility is an important form of cross-border education (CBE). It has the potential to generate significant benefits for economies as expert scholars and scientists come together to solve some of the most pressing challenges in the contemporary world. Among members of the Asia-Pacific Economic Community (APEC) researcher mobility can strengthen ties between economies and enable the minimisation of barriers to economic growth and sustainability. There are not currently any comparable or rigorous data available on researcher mobility among APEC economies. Proxy measures are needed to gain a sense of the extent to which researchers in APEC economies are collaborating …

U101: Global Perspectives A Semester Course For First-Year Students, Chrissie Faupel

Capstone Collection

This capstone paper introduces a special section of the already existing, and quite successful, University 101 programs at the University of South Carolina (USC). U101: Global Perspectives is a semester-long program proposal for first-year students (freshman and transfer students), offered by the Study Abroad Office (SAO) at USC. Functioning as part of the Global Carolina initiative, the USC SAO is committed to providing students with the knowledge and cultural awareness to be responsible and successful citizens in today’s globally integrated world. With the goal of increasing the number of students studying abroad, as well as creating unique opportunities for students …

Traditions And Proficiency Abroad - Spain (Tapas) Program: A High School Study Abroad Program For District 128, Michaela Kendzior

Capstone Collection

As colleges begin to internationalize campuses and global competencies continue to become a demand in the workforce, secondary schools should also aim to internationalize the curriculum and offer international education opportunities to their students. In an effort to do this, I have created the Traditions And Proficiency Abroad - Spain (TAPAS) Program for Community High School District 128 in Illinois. The TAPAS program is a 20-day summer intensive cultural and language immersion program created to maximize learning potential in D128 students. While the program’s focus is on Spanish language and culture education, the orientation and instructional activities have been designed …

Connecting Through Communication - Incorporating Intercultural Competency During International Student Orientations, Keith A. Quatraro

Capstone Collection

The College of Southern Idaho (CSI) is a community college and is one of the fastest growing educational institutions in the state. The college enrolls, on average between 40 to 60 international students per academic year. CSI and the neighboring Refugee Center contribute to the community’s cultural diversity. There are numerous benefits for both international and domestic students to attending CSI. Those advantages include higher acceptance rates, lower required English proficiency scores, reduced tuition costs, and smaller class sizes. In addition, students are able to transfer to a larger university if they feel compelled to obtain a higher degree.

Currently, …

The Impact Of Study Abroad On Post-Graduation Job Search, Satoko Fukai

Capstone Collection

Following the tradition of a case study, this capstone research investigates the experience of recent graduates of the City University of New York (CUNY) who participated in study abroad programs managed by the College of Staten Island (CSI) between Fall 2010 and Summer 2015 and examines their perceptions of the post-graduation job search process. The data was collected through an online survey of 72 CUNY graduates and interviews with four survey respondents.

The research findings did not show that the employment rate of CUNY study abroad alumni were any better or worse than others. However, many alumni believed that their …

The Effect Of Cross-Cultural Differences On Team Performance Within An Educational Setting: A Mixed Methods Study, Sevinj Iskandarova

Showcase of Graduate Student Scholarship and Creative Activities

Abstract:

Faculty members’ performance, experience, satisfaction while on a team, and their professional development were investigated to determine the benefits and challenges of cross cultural differences. The sample consisted of full- and part-time faculty members at James Madison University (JMU), located in Harrisonburg, Virginia. The purposes of this mixed methods study (online survey and one-to-one interview) were to determine and measure the effect of cross-cultural differences on team performance, highlight advantages and disadvantages of those cross-cultural differences within the team; and, apply the knowledge learned from this study to enhance team performance within an educational setting. The online survey assessed …

Whose Reality? A Meta-Analysis Of Qualitative Research In International And Comparative Education, Romina B. Da Costa, Stephanie M. Hall, Anne Spear

The Qualitative Report

This meta-analysis seeks to critically examine the qualitative research being published in influential journals in the field of international and comparative education in order to determine whether qualitative research has remained true to the constructivist paradigm and its theoretical and philosophical underpinnings. Decades after the heated paradigmatic debates within the field of education in the 1980’s, we seek to examine whether predictions that the constructivist paradigm would be pushed out by the call for post-positivist, quantifiable, data-driven research have come to fruition. Based on a review of all qualitative research published in the past three volumes of five influential journals …

Reviewing Measurement Invariance Of Questionnaire Constructs In Cross-National Research: Examples From Iccs 2016, Wolfram Schulz

Civics and Citizenship Assessment

nternational studies face the challenge of obtaining comparable measures across diverse national contexts, which are characterized by differences with regard to many factors such as language, culture, and educational contexts. In addition, in many countries there may also be differences across sub-national contexts (for example across regions or language groups). International studies in the field of education are increasingly incorporating ways of assessing the measurement invariance of the data obtained from tests or questionnaire used in these programs. In particular with regard to questionnaire items, there is a growing body of research indicating that questionnaire formats such as Likert-type rating …

Assessment Of Chinese International Graduate Students’ Experience Working With Agents, Haozhe Yu

Higher Education Student Work

In the past fifteen years, the numbers of Chinese international students have increased rapidly across the United States in all types of institutions of higher education (Farrugia & Bhandari, 2015). This study explores the experience of Chinese international graduate students working with study abroad agents in China. In this qualitative semistructured interview study, seven Chinese international students were interviewed. Students were asked x, y and z about their experience working with agents; several challenges of Chinese international students, including finding college information, Internet limitations, language barriers and limited time, and lack of knowledge of the application process. Based on the …

Development Of A Graduate Level Faculty Led Study Abroad Course, Chelsea Levine

Higher Education Student Work

As the world becomes more globalized, society must create ways to adapt to these changes. One result is more internationalization at the higher education level (Mckenzie, Lopez & Bowers, 2010). Internationalization includes recent efforts to increase study abroad participation for graduate students. This exploratory study sought to understand best practices for the creation of a faculty led study abroad course in a higher education Master’s degree program. Topics of research included preparatory travel logistics, coursework to maintain academic rigor, and outcomes as it relates to personal and professional growth. Faculty leaders from across the U.S. who lead their own courses …

Assessing The Role Of Academic Advisors In Retention Of International Students, Shreelekha Girish

Higher Education Student Work

The retention of international students should not be viewed as the responsibility of only international student advisors on the college campus. Instead, as suggested by Mamiseishvili (2012), it should become a joint responsibility of a broader campus community, including faculty, academic advisors, English language program staff, and student affairs professionals. Inspired by these ideas, this qualitative research study focused on international students' experiences during their advising sessions with their academic advisors at a four-year, post-secondary private institution in Massachusetts. The study was conducted by interviewing ten international students from different majors. This research explored the necessary information and resources international …

Class 6 School Factors In Afghanistan 2013 : The Relationship Between School Factors And Student Outcomes From A Learning Assessment Of Mathematical, Reading And Writing Literacy, Tim Friedman, Sally Robertson, Stephanie Templeton, Maurice Walker

Monitoring Trends in Educational Growth (MTEG)

In 2012, the Ministry of Education, Afghanistan, engaged the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) as a partner to support the development of a national learning assessment program in Afghanistan. To achieve this goal, the Learning Assessment unit of the Ministry of Education and ACER have collaborated to design and implement the Monitoring Trends in Educational Growth (MTEG) program in Afghanistan. MTEG is designed as a long-term monitoring program with one focus on trends in achievement outcomes in single class levels over time, and another focus on the growth of achievement in cohorts throughout the school cycle, from Class 3 …

Monitoring Trends In Educational Growth In Afghanistan : Class 6 School Factors 2013, Australian Council For Educational Research (Acer)

Monitoring Trends in Educational Growth (MTEG)

In 2012, the Ministry of Education, Afghanistan, engaged the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) as a partner to support the development of a national learning assessment program in Afghanistan. To achieve this goal, the Learning Assessment unit of the Ministry of Education and ACER have collaborated to design and implement the Monitoring Trends in Educational Growth (MTEG) program in Afghanistan. MTEG is designed as a long-term monitoring program with one focus on trends in achievement outcomes in single class levels over time, and another focus on the growth of achievement in cohorts throughout the school cycle, from Class 3 …

Southeast Asia Primary Learning Metrics (Sea-Plm) : Global Citizenship Domain Assessment Framework, Rachel Parker, Julian Fraillon

Assessment and Reporting

This assessment framework forms part of the Southeast Asia Primary Learning Metrics (SEAPLM) assessment program and outlines an approach to assessing global citizenship. The purpose of this assessment framework is to articulate the basic structure of the global citizenship domain as part of SEA-PLM. It provides a description of the constructs to be measured. It also outlines the design and content of the measurement instruments and describes how measures generated by those instruments relate to the constructs. It combines theory and practice to describe “both the ‘what’ and the ‘how’” (Jago, 2009, p. 1) of the SEA-PLM assessment of global …

System-Level Assessment And Educational Policy, John Cresswell

Assessment GEMS

Education ministries throughout the world are integrating educational assessment into their education reform processes. Education reform is not a straight-line activity, and assessment can both inform the discussion on policy reform and give an indication of the effectiveness of policies that have been implemented. Three different types of assessment are used in the educational process: classroom assessment, examinations and system-level assessment. Each type has a different purpose. While the focus of both classroom assessments and examinations is to measure the learning outcomes of individuals, for system-level assessment the focus is to describe the characteristics of the population as a whole …

Cultural Communities Among African Students At Yale College, Laura Hoffsis

Capstone Collection

Inspired by the prevalent negative perceptions of cultural communities, this study seeks to better understand the phenomenon of informal cultural communities formed by international students at institutions of higher education. Specifically, this study looks at how cultural communities shape the experiences of undergraduate African students at Yale College. Using a phenomenological approach, 11 undergraduate African students were interviewed about their experiences in various cultural communities, and two focus groups were conducted: one prior to the interviews in order to decrease interviewer bias and shape the interview questions, and one subsequent to the interviews in order to decrease bias in data …

A Personalized Approach To International Student Orientation At Saginaw Valley State University, Kendra Morehead

Capstone Collection

The design for an International Student Orientation outlined in this Course-Linked Capstone (CLC) has been created for use by the Office of International and Advanced Studies at Saginaw Valley State University (SVSU) in Saginaw, Michigan. A need for a redesign of this program arose when the institution increased its international student intake by about 300 students in a year's time. The new five-day program exists to prepare newly-arrived international students for the academic and cultural aspects of attending a higher education institution in the United States. It will also provide them with a taste of campus and student life that …

Energy, Sustainability, And The Environment In Iceland: A Stem-Focused Program For The Experiment In International Living, Katie Fassbinder

Capstone Collection

Since 1932, The Experiment in International Living (The Experiment or EIL) has been one of the most respected front-runners for providing high school educational programs that strengthen cultural awareness and engage and empower participants to think critically about global issues. Since its inception, over 70,000 students have participated in an Experiment program (World Learning, 2016a). Experience gained working as a group leader for The Experiment in summer 2015 helped in the development of a needs assessment that uncovered a significant gap in thematic offerings. Examining the STEM trends in the international education field and interviewing staff on requirements and issues …

A Comparative Analysis Of Cultural Diversity Satisfaction Scores Of Undergraduate Students In Online Learning Environment, Orlando Lobaina

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this quantitative, causal-comparative study was to analyze the differences of perceived overall satisfaction scores (organizational structure, technology usage, and curriculum design) between Caucasian, Latino-American, and African-American undergraduate students enrolled in an online program, as measured by the Cultural Diversity Satisfaction Survey (CDSS) instrument. This study compared the differences between three distinct diverse groups for overall satisfaction in an undergraduate online general elective course. The study participants were undergraduate students enrolled in an online general elective course in Virginia, n = 433. The study utilized a one-way ANOVA to determine if there was a statistically significant difference in …