International and Comparative Education Commons^™

Wmu International News Spring 2012, Haenicke Institute For Global Education

WMU International News

In this issue:

• Globally engaged aviation program helps developing countries spread wings
• Homeland development key outcome for Afghan degree-seeker
• German-born American new CELCIS activities coordinator
• Growing global programs is key mission for WMU international administrator
• Georgian tennis ace scores on and off the court
• International activity converges in Global Business Center

An Introduction To Life At A U.S. University: A Pre-Departure Orientation For Thai Students Going To The U.S. To Study, Alexandra B. Ashley

Capstone Collection

An Orientation to Life at a US University is a six-week pre-departure orientation designed for Thai students at The Human Development Foundation (HDF). The youth are preparing to study abroad in the United States at a four-year accredited institution. HDF is an international non-profit, founded in 1973, with its headquarters based in Bangkok, Thailand. The organization’s headquarters, settled in Bangkok’s largest slum area of Klong Toey, is known as The Mercy Centre, often affectionately shortened to Mercy. The organization grew from a one-baht-per-day preschool for children of all religions in the slums, to a Foundation with over 25 slum preschools, …

Visions Service Adventures: China; A Comprehensive Program Design, Whitney Morgan

Capstone Collection

The proposed international education program design offers an innovative way for American high school students to participate in a community life and community service in the Chinese province of Guizhou. The proposed design entitled, Visions Service Adventures: China will not only provide a new location and expansion for this third party provider company, but will also give participants the experience of staying with a local family for a portion of the program. The homestay experience will allow Visions participants the chance to interact and experience Chinese culture and language. Susan M. Knight (2008) found in her study the effects a …

Community Perspectives- How Study Abroad With Service Learning Impacts The Locals, Sarah J. Delcambre

Capstone Collection

This case study focuses on the community perspectives of homestay families, partner organizations, and local program staff that collaborated with Xplore USA Summer Language Adventure Camps in the Summer of 2011, in Asheville, North Carolina. The researcher focused on the service work aspect of the Xplore programming, and its impact on the local community via the local community’s perspective, to inform the reader of an underexplored subject. Interviews and survey results showed that the volunteer service projects performed by Xplore students and their local brothers and sisters were perceived as beneficial by an overwhelming majority of all local parties concerned: …

Challenges In The Land Of Hope: Phoenix Area Refugees And The Recession, Valerie E. Nightingale

Capstone Collection

Refugees in the United States today have greater access than ever to training programs and specialized service providers who assist with cultural adjustment to the U.S. as well as pre-employment training, job placement and retention services. Service providers develop job opportunities in the local community through partnerships with dedicated employers who see value in hiring new Americans and purpose in collaborating with voluntary agencies to overcome barriers for employees. During the recession there has been greater challenges for employment specialists to find employment for refugee clients and employers have noted some reluctance in hiring employees with low or non-existent English …

“Around The World Project” At The Maryland Institute College Of Art: Making International Education Week A Year-Long Program, Rebecca L. La Creta

Capstone Collection

The Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA) in Baltimore is an art college dedicated to the advancement and improvement of artists as well-rounded individuals. As an internationally recognized institute, the MICA mission statement advocates facilitating a “global perspective” for its community members. This program proposal is designed to uphold this mission statement and make MICA the national leader in internationalization at art schools.

This capstone proposes the Around the World Project at MICA, which is a year-round international activity structure that promotes campus-wide internationalization at MICA. This project is designed to streamline all internationally focused activities into one cohesive program, …

Critically Reflective Leadership, Christine L. Cunningham

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Critical Reflective Practice (CRP) has a proven reputation as a method for teacher-researchers in K-12 classrooms, but there have been few published examples of this method being used to document school leaders’ work-based practice. This article outlines adaptations made by the author from an original CRP method to a Critically Reflective Leadership (CRL) method that she developed to document her own lived experiences as a principal and then director of an American International School in South America. The method described in this paper may be useful for school leaders who wish to become practitioner-researchers in their own work places. The …

Teacher Evaluation Systems And Multi-Cultural Commonalities And Challenges: England, Mexico, Portugal, Finland, Ireland, And Turkey, Jacqueline P. Kelleher, Sandra Kase

Education Faculty Publications

Our hope is that policymakers, educators, and concerned citizens will focus on teacher evaluation (in the United States) as a way to ensure high quality teaching and to promote both professional development and reflective self assessment. We advocate for credible tools and appropriate preparation of evaluators conducting the assessment of teachers and school-based staff. Further, we argue for time - time allocation for school leaders to observe and evaluate in meaningful ways, followed by targeted, rich dialogue about practice and professional growth. District level policies will need to be developed and 17 implemented to ensure this exchange can occur right …

Introduction, Daniel Paracka, Darina Lepadatu

Journal of Global Initiatives: Policy, Pedagogy, Perspective

Introduction to the issue.

Balancing Crises And Opportunities In Higher Education In Africa:A Historical Perspective, Edith Omwami

Journal of Comparative & International Higher Education

N/A

The Push To Have A World‐Class University, Val D. Rust, James W. Jacob

Journal of Comparative & International Higher Education

N/A

Major Issues In Egyptian Higher Education: Reflections Of An Egyptianstudent, Rehab Y. Ghazal

Journal of Comparative & International Higher Education

N/A

Working Toward Successful Retention Strategies With An Influx Ofinternational Students: What, Why, And How, Yi Cao

Journal of Comparative & International Higher Education

N/A

Impact Of Neoliberal Policies: The Cases Of Chile And Mexico, Gustavo Gregorutti

Journal of Comparative & International Higher Education

N/A

Indonesia And United States Exchanges And Partnerships: A Briefupdate, Seth Matthew Fishman

Journal of Comparative & International Higher Education

N/A

Pursuing Things That Work In European Higher Educationgovernance, Marta Shaw

Journal of Comparative & International Higher Education

N/A

A Comparative Study Of The Teaching Methods Of Christian And Secular Preschools, Lloyd Mcdaniel

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This dissertation is a comparative study of the teaching methods of Christian preschools and secular preschool. I used two Christian and two secular preschools for the study. The study included interviews of the teachers and preschool directors and observations of actions in the classroom. Many children enter kindergarten not fully prepared for a classroom environment. Some of these children have never been outside the home without a parent and to be placed in a strange setting with strange people and answering to adults that are not parents, can be quite stressful. They are expected to become adjusted and start learning …

Collective Bargaining In United Kingdom Higher Education, Helen Fairfoul, Laurence Hopkins, Geoff White

Journal of Collective Bargaining in the Academy

This article provides an overview of the collective bargaining system in United Kingdom (UK) higher education and considers some of the current challenges. The arrangements for determining the pay of staff in UK higher education reflect both the historical context of the UK funding system and the unique nature of UK industrial relations law. From World War II, the funding of UK higher education has predominantly come from central government spending with a strong central framework of policy and governance. Since the 1960s, the higher education sector has grown dramatically, both in terms of student numbers and the number of …

An Analysis Of The Best Practices Of Cooperative Education In The Us With The Purpose Of Addressing Various Armenian Engineering Education Problems, Sona White

Theses and Dissertations

This research shows that the expansion of cooperative education programs and university-industry partnerships can help to address some of the problems that engineering education in Armenia is facing today. These problems include lack of connections between universities and industry, outdated curricula, shortages of funding for university staff and facilities, and limited success in helping students qualify for job-related demands of the global economy. In order to identify requirements for developing effective cooperative education programs in Armenia, this study analyzes the characteristics and features of highly successful cooperative education programs in the United States that might be applicable to the requirements …

Freedom In Creation: Global Village Education Program, Daniel C. Maxwell

Capstone Collection

This capstone paper introduces the Freedom in Creation: Global Village Education Program, an international education program with a focus in service-learning for undergraduate students designed for the organization, Freedom in Creation (FIC). Global Village Education (GVE) will pilot the five-week intensive program in various locations throughout Uganda. As a short-term, service-learning program focusing on experiential education, social identity development, critical thinking, and reciprocity; the goal is to instill conceptual clarity and intellectual growth by introducing participants to new knowledge, concepts and experiences through cross-cultural interaction. The main purpose of the program seeks to build intercultural communication skills as well as …

Consulting Cultural Informants: A Look At The Extent To Which Students Use Informants And Other Strategies To Learn From Their International Experiences, William Scott Leroy

Capstone Collection

This study explores the extent to which students from the United States consult with cultural informants while abroad when experiencing what Taylor (1994a, 1994b) refers to as “cultural disequilibrium”. The study also explores how this strategy compares to other learning strategies and which informants students most frequently consult.

Two research methods were used: a survey of 85 students who recently returned from an international program and interviews with nine students from the same sample. The survey sought to explore strategies students employ when facing cultural disequilibrium while the interviews aimed at uncovering why students preferred some learning strategies over others. …

Project Gaya: A Study Abroad Program Design For Fundación Operación Gaya Internacional, Lauren E. Johanson

Capstone Collection

Since 2008 Fundación Operación GAYA Internacional, a Costa Rican NGO has provided youth training and development programs to local youth in Costa Rica, empowering young people to be “architects” in the development of their own communities and to take the lead in creating a world that is more peaceful and just. Through the implementation of Project GAYA, the foundation will expand its programming to international youth for the first time.

The proposed program offers a comprehensive program design for a short-term study abroad experience for U.S. high school students to Costa Rica. Students will engage in experiential learning and critical …

A Diversity Initiative In Global Education For First-Generation Students, Jessica Greenbaum

Capstone Collection

The Diversity Initiative in Global Education for First-Generation Students is an institution-wide program designed to increase awareness and ultimately participation by first-generation college students in education abroad at the University of Colorado Denver. Current research has shown that the benefits of studying abroad include student retention, heightened confidence, an increase in GPA, and a sense of worldliness. Addtionally, such international experiences are necessary in order to become a fully engaged player in our globalized economy. Those who have travelled or studied internationally will become more marketable and exceedingly competitive for future employment. As colleges and universities are expected to prepare …

U.S. Student Achievement From A Global Perspective, Thomas Loveless

Brookings Scholar Lecture Series

Tom Loveless, a former sixth-grade teacher and Harvard public policy professor, is an expert on student achievement, education policy, and reform in K-12 schools. He also is a member of the National Math Advisory Panel. What do we know about U.S. students' academic achievement compared to students in other countries? The talk will present the latest evidence on U.S. performance on international tests and examine long term trends. In addition, the performance of Nevada and Las Vegas students will be reviewed in the context of national and international assessments.

International Update (No. 2) November 2011

International Update archive (2010-2012)

Table of contents for this issue: (a) Beginning teacher standards in Saudi Arabia; (b) National assessment reports on health of UAE school system; (c) AHELO moves ahead; (d) ACER and CBSE conduct international assessment conference; (e) ACER India expands operations; (f) Measuring adult skills in New Zealand; (g) ACER and UNESCO Beirut collaborate in Arab States; (h) Reading literacy reform in Portugal; (i) Assessing generic skills; (j) Testing basic mathematics in Norway.

National Schooling In Crisis: Neoliberal Policies And The 2011 Justice Campaign For The Pgcps Filipino Overseas Contract Teachers, Peter Chua

Faculty Publications, Sociology

No abstract provided.

Predictors Of Chinese College Students’ Attitudes Toward Older Adults, Deana Andrade

Undergraduate Review

Historically, filial piety has been a fundamental tenet in Chinese culture. Respecting older adults was expected in society and is an important principle of China’s filial piety responsibility within its culture. However, demographic transformation and economic and social changes in rapidly modernizing societies challenge traditional values. Very little empirical research has examined the factors which influence the attitudes toward older adults among Chinese college students. The purpose of this study is to identify the factors that predict attitudes of Chinese college students toward the aging population.

On The Road To Internationalization: Designing An International Student Handbook For Northern New Mexico College, Sara M. Mccormick

Capstone Collection

The United States continues to host more international students than any other country in the world. According to the recent Open Doors 2010/11 report published annually by the Institute of International Education (IIE), the number of international students at colleges and universities in the United States increased by five percent to 723, 277 during the 2010/11 academic year (Open Doors, 2011). Currently, there are approximately 2, 724 international students studying in colleges and universities across New Mexico (Open Doors, 2011). As the number of international students increases at Northern New Mexico College (NNMC), located in Espanola, New Mexico, it becomes …

Moroccan Encounter: A Cross-Cultural, Peacebuilding, And Interfaith Program For U.S. And Moroccan Youth, Kristin A. Eberman

Capstone Collection

Moroccan Encounter: A Cross-Cultural, Peacebuilding, and Interfaith Program for U.S. and Moroccan Youth has been created in response to experiences living in a Muslim society and finding a need to more compassionately connect Western and Islamic cultures. Moroccan Encounter is a four-week summer study experience designed for high school aged learners. In this program design, a group of U.S. youth travel to Morocco to engage in language learning, cross-cultural understanding, peacebuilding initiatives, and interfaith dialogue with their Moroccan peers through homestays, daily classes, activities, and excursions. The program is led by a bilingual U.S. and Moroccan staff and operated by …

Addressing Academic Integrity: Perspectives From Virginia Commonwealth University In Qatar, Nancy E. Fawley

Library Faculty Research

Understanding the cultural aspects that affect a student’s ability to appropriately use resources is important in developing outreach and instruction in multicultural settings. Differences in educational philosophies, students’ previous scholastic training and cultural differences in individual motivation are all factors that may affect a freshman’s ability to understand an American university’s idea of academic integrity and can inadvertently cause problems where independent work and critical thinking are required. At Virginia Commonwealth University in Qatar (VCU Qatar), a branch campus of the American university in the Middle East, a special class on academic integrity and ethical behavior was integrated into the …