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This paper investigates and compares Chinese master’s students in Denmark and Sweden, focusing on their motivation for choosing to study in Denmark and Sweden, their daily life and study acculturation experience, as well as their intentions of staying or returning after graduating.The paper provides information on the current student migration situation, and presents relevant motivational migration and acculturation theories. A semi-structured interview method is then used to gather qualitative data from six Chinese master’s students studying in Denmark and Sweden. In the analysis, the paper applies the theories on the interview data.This paper’s findings suggest that the main reasons for the Chinese master’s students to study abroad is to improve their competencies and experience foreign culture. When choosing the study destination, decisive factors include the quality of the program, the academic reputation of the universities, the use of English in teaching and cultural aspirations.The effects of cultural differences, study situation and finance are factors that affect their psychological well-being during the process of acculturation. Their psychological well-being generally follows a “U” curve with an initial high level followed by a lower level which eventually increases to a higher level once again. The students encounter challenges in their study related to the Danish and Swedish academia’s direct teacher-student and student-student communication, as well as the English language.Regarding the students’ intentions after graduating, some plan to return to China because of family, friends and personal relationship reasons, while others intend to stay mainly for career reasons, but with the intention of ultimately returning to China.

The present study examined five Korean elementary students' English learning experiences in the United States. By examining Korean students' experiences while they were living in the United States, the study aimed to explore what the students themselves thought about regarding what they had learned while living in an English-speaking community and the students' perceptions of how these experiences influenced their English learning. Specifically, the study investigated the linguistic, cultural, and attitudinal impact of living temporarily in the United States on Korean elementary students. Interviewing was the primary means of collecting data for the study. These data was supplemented by a short survey, classroom observation, and relevant documentation about the children's learning, such as samples of the children's schoolwork. The analysis of data for this study began with organizing a description of each case, then, analyses were constructed to construct themes that cut across the data, and these themes have been utilized to generalize about what significant experiences constituted the development of English as a second language. This document reports the findings concerning the nature of the processes of learning and development that five Korean children experienced in learning English in the United States; teacher and student interaction; student and student interaction; meaningful learning experience; and classroom activities. / Ph. D.

This qualitative study examined seven Korean students' language and culture learning experiences in a study abroad context. The purpose of this study is to gain insight about the processes of students' social interactions and development of communicative competence outside the classroom. My understanding and learning was guided by the framework of various communicative competence models, interactional practices, sociocultural theory, and cultural learning processes. The findings of the study show that participation in outside-the-classroom interactions enhances students' language and culture learning in study abroad situations. However, living or working with native speakers did not necessarily mean that there were meaningful interactions. Social interaction with native speakers was challenging for language learners because of the cultural distances, discontinuity, and conflicts between them. Despite the difficulties in social and cultural interactions in the target culture, active participation in social interactions was still an important factor in language and culture learning. Verbalizing cultural issues such as cultural differences, misunderstandings, and observations of the target culture was an indication of the learners' cultural awareness and development. Students believed that knowledge of grammar was an important factor for successful communication. At the same time, students were anxious about misunderstandings and miscommunication. I found that students easily engaged in interactions with their international peers, and these were less stressful than interactions with native speakers. This peer interaction eventually created opportunities for language learning. Students expected native speakers to correct their errors and to take roles as teachers of the target language even outside the classroom, but they also learned to initiate self-repairs and to ask for help. Engagement is the key to making a good conversation. The underlying condition for engagement is negotiation between two interlocutors to understand meanings. / Ph. D.

As engineering work becomes more globalized, it is important to prepare students to succeed in a global engineering workforce. Prior research has explored different factors important to the design of global programs generally, but less is known about the experiences and learning outcomes of engineering students while abroad. Because this population has historically been underrepresented in global programs, few research-based practices have been identified to support the intentional design of global experiences for engineering students. This dissertation seeks to provide such insights through three studies that address the following components of global engineering program design: 1) the assessment of Global Engineering Competency (GEC) through use of a series of scenarios based in the Chinese context; 2) the relationship between program destination and students’ experiences and reported learning outcomes; and 3) the experiences that engineering students identify as most significant during their time abroad. I used a combination of quantitative, qualitative, and mixed research methods to explore students’ learning and experiences in global engineering programs. The results of these studies revealed that engineering students have a wide variety of learning outcomes and experiences as a result of global programs, that great care should be exercised in choosing and interpreting assessment methods for global programs, and that the design of global engineering programs should be informed by characteristics of both the student participants and the program destination. Overall, the results of this dissertation highlight the importance of intentionality when designing global engineering programs to better prepare students for success in a global work environment. / Doctor of Philosophy / As engineering work becomes more globalized, it is important to prepare students to succeed in a global engineering workforce. Prior research has explored different factors important to the design of global programs generally, but less is known about the experiences and learning outcomes of engineering students while abroad. Because this population has historically been underrepresented in global programs, few research-based practices have been identified to support the intentional design of global experiences for engineering students. This dissertation seeks to provide such insights through three studies that address the following components of global engineering program design: 1) the assessment of Global Engineering Competency (GEC) through use of a series of scenarios based in the Chinese context; 2) the relationship between program destination and students’ experiences and reported learning outcomes; and 3) the experiences that engineering students identify as most significant during their time abroad. I used a combination of quantitative, qualitative, and mixed research methods to explore students’ learning and experiences in global engineering programs. The results of these studies revealed that engineering students have a wide variety of learning outcomes and experiences as a result of global programs, that great care should be exercised in choosing and interpreting assessment methods for global programs, and that the design of global engineering programs should be informed by characteristics of both the student participants and the program destination. Overall, the results of this dissertation highlight the importance of intentionality when designing global engineering programs to better prepare students for success in a global work environment.

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Solicitud de envío manuscrito de artículo científico. / La educación superior ha sido impactada de gran manera por un mundo crecientemente interconectado y las demandas de empleadores por graduados con educación internacional, catalizando una tendencia de programas study-abroad de corta duración. A pesar de su crecimiento prominente y la expansión de su alcance, surgen desafíos clave porque la investigación sobre los aprendizajes de los estudiantes y la efectividad de estos programas aún se encuentra en etapas iniciales. Es fundamental entender los study-abroad como una variable cambiante, en donde el diseño del programa se relaciona con los aprendizajes del estudiante y las experiencias específicas de ajuste intercultural estén enmarcadas en su contexto. El Iacocca Global Village en Lehigh University (EE. UU.) fue elegido como estudio de caso. Los hallazgos muestran que se necesita una pedagogía intencional enfocada en resultados interculturales respaldada por tutorías continuas. Es importante tener una participación obligatoria en integración cultural y grupos de apoyo, la presión por el trabajo real y la responsabilidad es un requisito previo para dejar la zona de confort y fomentar los encuentros interculturales y que las redes de egresados ​​puedan contribuir a mantener el sentido de pertenencia desarrollado en el programa. / The increasingly interconnected world and the demands for internationally educated graduates have had a major impact on higher education and have catalyzed the trend of short-term studies abroad. Key challenges arise because, despite their prominent growth and the expansion of their reach, the research on student outcomes and program effectiveness is still in initial stages. It is essential to approach education abroad as a non-steady variable, where the program design is related to student learning gains and specific intercultural adjustment experiences, framed within their context. The Iacocca Global Village in Lehigh University (USA) was chosen as a case study. Findings show there is a need for intentional pedagogy focused on intercultural outcomes supported by ongoing mentoring it´s important to have mandatory involvement in cultural integration and support groups, pressure for real work and accountability is a prerequisite to leave the comfort zone and foster intercultural encounters and that alumni networks can contribute to maintain the sense of belonging developed in the program. / Tesis