Bridging borders: assessing the impact of semester-long study abroad programs on intercultural competence development in undergraduate engineering students

IF 5.6 1区 教育学 Q1 EDUCATION & EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH International Journal of Stem Education Pub Date : 2024-05-24 DOI:10.1186/s40594-024-00483-6
Aparajita Jaiswal, Muna Sapkota, Kris Acheson
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Abstract

Working and interacting with people from diverse backgrounds have become common in Engineering. Research has indicated that engineering graduates face challenges while working with a diverse workforce. Therefore, it is vital for higher education institutions to help engineering students develop intercultural competence skills by engaging them in intercultural learning activities. This study explores the impact of a semester-long study abroad program and its new curriculum on the intercultural learning gains of undergraduate engineering students. The study used a mixed methods design to assess the intercultural learning gains of the students enrolled in a study abroad program. The results of the study indicated that overall, as a group, students demonstrated significant gains in their Intercultural Development Inventory (IDI) scores from the pre- to post-test. Moreover, hierarchical clustering was conducted to group students into three clusters based on their IDI scores. The results of the clustering helped us to understand the differential growth of students from their pre- to post-test. Based on clustering students were grouped into high, moderate and low intercultural learning clusters. Further inductive thematic analysis was conducted to understand the depth of intercultural awareness of the students in general and discipline specific for each cluster. The results of the thematic analysis revealed that students in cluster 1 showed a deeper understanding of cultural differences, mindfulness, and openness while interacting with people from other cultures, whereas the students in clusters 2 and 3 showed moderate to superficial level of intercultural awareness. The implication of the study extends to both practice and theory. From the practice perspective, the study discusses the need for creating intentionally structured study abroad programs that encourage students to reflect on their intercultural experiences and internalize takeaways. From the theory perspective, the study contributes to the Intercultural Development Continuum model, as it emphasizes the importance of meaningful gains in intercultural competence. The study also suggests strategies to improve the intercultural learning experiences of students that could help them move towards more intercultural mindsets.
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跨越边界:评估为期一学期的海外学习项目对工科学生跨文化能力培养的影响
在工程学领域,与来自不同背景的人一起工作和交流已成为一种普遍现象。研究表明,工程学专业的毕业生在与多样化的劳动力一起工作时面临着挑战。因此,高等院校必须通过让工科学生参与跨文化学习活动来帮助他们发展跨文化能力。本研究探讨了为期一学期的海外学习项目及其新课程对工科学生跨文化学习收获的影响。研究采用混合方法设计,评估参加海外学习项目的学生的跨文化学习收获。研究结果表明,总体而言,作为一个群体,学生的跨文化发展量表(IDI)得分从测试前到测试后都有显著提高。此外,还根据学生的 IDI 分数进行了分层聚类,将学生分为三个组。聚类结果有助于我们了解学生从测试前到测试后的不同成长情况。根据聚类结果,学生被分为高、中、低三个跨文化学习群组。我们进一步进行了归纳式主题分析,以了解每个群组学生跨文化意识的总体深度和具体学科。专题分析的结果显示,群组 1 的学生在与来自其他文化背景的人互动时表现出对文化差异、心态和开放性的更深刻理解,而群组 2 和群组 3 的学生则表现出中等和肤浅的跨文化意识水平。本研究的意义延伸到实践和理论两个方面。从实践的角度来看,本研究讨论了创建有意识的结构化留学项目的必要性,以鼓励学生反思他们的跨文化经历并将收获内化。从理论角度来看,本研究强调了跨文化能力方面有意义的收获的重要性,从而为跨文化发展连续性模型做出了贡献。该研究还提出了改善学生跨文化学习经历的策略,这些策略可以帮助他们形成更多的跨文化心态。
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来源期刊
International Journal of Stem Education
International Journal of Stem Education Social Sciences-Education
CiteScore
12.40
自引率
11.90%
发文量
68
审稿时长
13 weeks
期刊介绍: The International Journal of STEM Education is a multidisciplinary journal in subject-content education that focuses on the study of teaching and learning in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). It is being established as a brand new, forward looking journal in the field of education. As a peer-reviewed journal, it is positioned to promote research and educational development in the rapidly evolving field of STEM education around the world.
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