Study abroad that is at the graduate-level (Master’s and Doctoral) and can include group and individual experiences.
Published in Chapter:
Graduate Study Abroad: Student Learning, Pedagogy, and Outcomes
John M. Dirkx (Michigan State University, USA), Kristin A. Janka (Michigan State University, USA), Julie Sinclair (Michigan State University, USA), and Gina R. Vizvary (George Mason University, USA)
Copyright: © 2016
|Pages: 26
DOI: 10.4018/978-1-5225-0169-5.ch021
Abstract
Graduate-level study abroad represents an important and expanding dimension of efforts to internationalize Higher Education (HE) in the United States (US). Graduate study abroad represents a kind of learning experience that is informed by its location within graduate education. Using transformative learning theory, the authors conducted a qualitative study of 52 doctoral students who participated in study abroad programs in four countries. The findings suggest that students use multiple frames to make sense of these experiences and can be characterized as academic, relational, or deep. These frames reflect varying levels of engagement of the student's self, indicating a complex integration of the personal and professional in the study abroad experience. Analysis of narratives suggests that the dominant impact of the experiences was an expansion of the students' sociolinguistic awareness. Few students provided narratives indicating reflection on and questioning of their psychological frames of reference, suggesting possible constraints of the overall program design, pedagogy, or both.