ERIC Number: EJ1359676
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2022-Nov
Pages: 38
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1085-4568
EISSN: EISSN-2380-8144
Study Abroad Participants' Reflections on Relationship Development: The Role of Context, Curriculum, and Community Engagement
Frontiers: The Interdisciplinary Journal of Study Abroad, v34 n4 p53-90 Nov 2022
University students often share that studying abroad was a life-changing experience. We explored how one short-term, faculty-led study abroad, Tanzania Study Abroad Program (TSAP), contributed to the participants' lives after their experience. Through a web-based survey, we collected responses from 82 former TSAP participants. We used corpus and thematic analysis to determine prominent themes of participants' memories and perceptions of how TSAP impacted their lives. Respondents reflected on the people they interacted with throughout their study abroad experiences, both with those abroad and their peers. Furthermore, the program leaders' intentional actions in the planning of the context, curriculum, and community engagement informed participants' opportunities to develop relationships that were non-transactional in nature. Participants also reported that their cross-cultural relationships with Tanzanians positively influenced their subsequent interactions with people from diverse communities. Prioritizing relationships with host community members and peers on study abroad shows promise for supporting participants' intercultural development.
Descriptors: Study Abroad, College Students, Interpersonal Relationship, Community Involvement, School Community Relationship, Foreign Countries, Curriculum Development, Intercultural Communication, Cultural Awareness, Developing Nations, Service Learning, Student Attitudes
Frontiers Journal. Dickinson College P.O. Box 1773, Carlisle, PA 17013. Tel: 717-254-8858; Fax: 717-245-1677; Web site: https://www.frontiersjournal.org/index.php/Frontiers
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research; Tests/Questionnaires
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Tanzania; United States
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A