This paper offers grounded evidence in support of the elaboration of Kim's [(2001). Becoming intercultural: An integrative theory of communication and cross-cultural adaptation. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage] integrative theory of communication and cross-cultural adaptation (ITCCA) to include sojourner reentry. Findings from 24 intensive interviews validate the heuristic value of ITCCA in the reentry context, but also reveal unique features that set reentry adaptation apart from cross-cultural adaptation. Key theoretical contributions include (1) a nuanced description of the role of reentry communication competence, (2) greater complexity of the roles and networks of interpersonal and mediated communication upon return, (3) an expansion to the environment domain to include home environment, and (4) a long-range perspective on the development of functional fitness, psychological health, and intercultural personhood. Implications for sojourner reentry training are addressed.

<p>Agriculturalists, educators, students, and professionals alike, function in a global industry. In order to work effectively and efficiently to meet industry goals and address challenges, possession of a specific skillset is necessary. This skillset includes the skill of intercultural competence. The objective of Chapter 2 was to assess students’ intercultural competence development following participation in an embedded study abroad program. This program included students studying food security and environmental challenges who were also engaged in intercultural learning activities before, during, and after a 9-day trip through Vietnam. Results showed an average increase in students’ Developmental Orientation (DO) on the Intercultural Development Continuum (IDC) of 13.68 points through their participation in the course (p < .05). This positive growth indicates that on average, student participants increased their intercultural competence throughout the semester program. </p> <p> Chapter 3 describes results of a study conducted using the same group of participants of the embedded study abroad program to Vietnam. The objective of this study was to assess the beliefs, events, and values of student participants at the beginning of the semester and following completion of the semester course using the Beliefs, Events, and Values Inventory (BEVI). Additionally, it was an objective to explore any changes that occurred throughout the duration of the 16-week course. Results from this study revealed little progression on scales related to course outcomes, unintended meaningful changes in scales unrelated to course outcomes, and variations between subgroups (gender and ethnic). These data suggest that the curriculum as delivered requires revision in order to support individual student needs and further development of formative assessment emphasizing emotional and attitudinal dimensions, in addition to discipline content, of student experiences during a study abroad program. </p> <p> Chapter 4 describes the intercultural competence development of the Cooperative Extension Educators who served as mentors to the undergraduate participants in the embedded study abroad program to Vietnam discussed in Chapters 2 and 3. Results from this study indicated that there was an overall decrease in Extension Educators’ DO of 8.0 points. Though this decrease was evident, only 2 of the 5 Educators decreased meaningfully on the IDC according to IDI instrumentation. Further analysis of quantitative and qualitative data revealed professional development benefits, such as developing new perspectives and connecting with undergraduate students, of the student-mentor relationship for the Educators. </p> <p> Chapter 5 describes results from a study conducted in a combined learning community/short-term study abroad program restricted to incoming and current first-year students studying food production in Italy. The objective was to assess student intercultural competence development pre- and post-participation in the program that had incorporated intercultural learning activities both during and throughout the course following the study abroad. Results revealed that 42% of students advanced on the IDC and 26% progressed into a new stage on the IDC. Overall group growth was not statistically significant at a gain of 4.1 points on the IDC. This indicates that participating in the program did not significantly increase students’ intercultural competence. </p> <p> Data in this thesis support that intercultural competence has the potential to be developed in short-term study abroad programs with the implementation of intercultural intervention. However, literature indicates that destination, duration, stage of development, and incoming participant worldviews influence outcomes in the development of intercultural competence. Emphasis on participant stage development on the IDC and preparedness for meeting course learning outcomes should be taken into consideration by study abroad leaders when constructing program design. </p>

This thesis is exploratory in nature and examines the perspective of graduate and undergraduate matriculating international students at the University of Oregon as they consider, prepare for, reflect on, and participate- or not- in study abroad programs. The three-phase model design of this study assesses the opportunities, obstacles and resources international students experience as they consider or do not consider studying abroad by analyzing online survey responses from University of Oregon graduate and undergraduate international students; quantitative data sets; semi-structured interviews with University of Oregon graduate and undergraduate international students, as well as with staff members from the Office of International Affairs. International student areas of opportunities include receiving academic credit towards degree; practicing a language abroad; learning about new cultures; and developing new friendships. The challenges include difficulty in academic planning; limited financial resources; lack of family approval or support; and having to make difficult decisions between going abroad or visiting home. International student resources include major applicable coursework that is only open through specific study abroad programs; some available funding; and receiving practical support from staff members at the Office of International Affairs on campus. Recommendations include how international educators may be more inclusive and more sensitive to international students needs and challenges as they consider study abroad.

Thesis advisor: Karen Arnold / Thesis advisor: Philip Altbach / The attainment of attitudes, knowledge, and skills that develop students' intercultural competence so that they may navigate the globally interconnected environment of the 21st century is touted as an important learning objective for higher education (Deardorff & Jones, 2012). Colleges and universities strive to enhance this learning objective by offering a variety of international opportunities; prominent among these is a period of study abroad. However, past research indicates the results of intercultural development through study abroad are mixed. How can education abroad contribute to students' intercultural development? This study focuses on a cohort of students who traverse through three countries (China, Russia, India) in the course of one semester as they live and learn together, alongside faculty and staff from their home institution. To better understand the features of study abroad programs that contribute to students' intercultural development, this study examined the real and perceived development of a group of students (N=21) engaged in a multi-destination study abroad program utilizing a mixed-methods approach. The Intercultural Development Inventory (IDI) scores of the 21 participants increased by an average of 24.45 points (25%), an increase that exceeded the IDI gains in previous studies. Programmatic conditions that cultivated students' intercultural competence included facilitated contact with natives, academic structure, student self-initiated exploration, and multi-destination. Social and residential features of the program had the least impact on participants' intercultural development. The analysis of the participant narratives is indicative of a web of interconnected features that provided the scaffolding for students to develop empathy, recognize their own biases, challenge stereotypes and ethnocentric beliefs, and ultimately gain knowledge and skills that enabled them to communicate and behave appropriately and effectively in intercultural situations. The results of this study imply that a web of intentionally designed features (e.g., multi-destination, faculty engagement, consistent reflection opportunities, facilitated contact with natives, and IDI guided coaching and mentoring) provide a solid scaffolding that accelerates students' intercultural development. / Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2015. / Submitted to: Boston College. Lynch School of Education. / Discipline: Educational Leadership and Higher Education.

Thesis advisor: Johannes de Wit / While internationalization in higher education is widely documented, little research has been conducted on how internationalization efforts at the 28 Jesuit colleges and universities in the United States have been operated. Through three exploratory case studies at Boston College, Saint Louis University, and the University of San Francisco, administrators, faculty members, and students were interviewed to address questions of rationales, strategies, outcomes with respect to internationalization, in relation to the Jesuit mission. Information from institutional websites and Jesuit documents served to round out the analysis of global engagement at Jesuit higher education institutions in the United States. Informed by the literature, the study draws on data collected from the 24 semi-structured interviews including individual and focus groups of international and study-abroad students. The study employs the conceptual framework of three pillars of internationalization at home, abroad, and through partnerships, provided by De Wit, Howard, Egron-Polak, & Hunter (2015). The findings show the growth of Jesuit institutions in the United States in the number of their internationals students, more concentration on global curricula, more opportunities for study abroad, and promotion of international partnerships. However, the study illustrates that Jesuit colleges and universities in the United States are still more regional or national institutions and are involved in internationalization at a preliminary stage of the process with ad hoc and fragmented strategic plans. The thesis ends with recommendations for more global collaboration and frequent assessment among Jesuit entities in order to sustain their operation and continually pursue the international mission of their Jesuit tradition, for a more balanced approach between the business/reputation model and the mission model, for more faculty and international students support, and for more attention to international alumni. / Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2018. / Submitted to: Boston College. Lynch School of Education. / Discipline: Educational Leadership and Higher Education.

The purpose of this study was to examine the associations between the 3-year completion rates of first-time, full-time, transfer degree-seeking community college students, participation in activities that may encourage persistence and retention, and the demographic variables of ethnicity, Pell grant recipiency, gender, and ACT or Compass subscores in English/writing, reading, and math/algebra. The researcher used a snapshot of students’ degree completion three academic years after initial enrollment to determine 3-year completion. The study focused on first-time, full-time students who were pursuing associate of arts or associate of science degrees at a nine-campus community college in eastern Tennessee. Students who were pursuing applied science degrees, workforce certificates, or other credentials were excluded from the population. Students first enrolled in Fall 2010, 2011, and 2012, and their 3-year completion windows ended in Spring 2013, 2014, and 2015, respectively. The population consisted of 398 degree completers and 964 non-completers. The dependent variable in this study was 3-year completion. The independent variables in this study were participation in service learning courses, participation in courses that involved study abroad, and participation in student athletics, as well as ethnicity, Pell grant recipiency, gender, and ACT or Compass subscores in English/writing, reading, and math/algebra. Two-way contingency tables and Chi square were used to examine the associations between each independent variable and the dependent variable. Multiple logistic regression models were used to examine the associations between all variables. The quantitative findings indicated students who participated in service learning, study abroad, and student athletics were more likely to complete their degrees within three years. Additionally, findings revealed Pell grant recipiency, gender, and ACT or Compass subscores in English/writing, reading, and math/algebra predicted students’ 3-year degree completion. Ethnicity was found to have no significant effect on the 3-year completion rate.

Although study abroad programs often focus on academic and cultural experiences, research training can be the nexus between knowledge of the professions and development of cross-cultural competence. Development of a research-based study abroad program will be presented as a mechanism for students to develop scientific and cultural skills in tandem.

This was a comparative study of international and American study abroad students’ experiences and expectations with the host countries. The rationale for this study was to acquire a deeper understanding of different experiences of students who study abroad and to understand whether their expectations of the host country have an impact on their experiences. An opportunity sample of American study abroad and international students was selected from the United States student population and their expectations and experiences of the host country compared. The study addressed 6 research questions, using a mixed-method approach. The principal instrument for the investigation was the Cross-Cultural Participant Questionnaire conducted online. Associated hypotheses with the research questions were analyzed using Independent sample t-tests and Paired samples t-tests at an alpha level of .05 and the results were described using descriptive statistics. The open-ended questions were analyzed according to established qualitative techniques. The survey was completed by 421 respondents comprised of 155 international students, 252 American study abroad students, and 14 unknown labeled as others. The results of this study identified language fluency, building relationships with the host nationals, learning about a new culture, and personal change as significant expectations of the students. Overall, the students reported being satisfied with the services provided. International students were slightly more satisfied with access to support services than the American study abroad students. American study abroad students had experiences that closer matched their expectations of study abroad than was the case for international students.

This qualitative study follows the experiences of four female students as they sought to gain access to native speakers and the L2, engage with the culture, and fulfill program speaking requirements (two hours of speaking the second language outside of class per weekday) in Amman, Jordan. The research explores the following questions: what challenges did female participants on BYU's intensive Arabic study abroad (SA) program face as they accessed native speakers and the L2 outside of the classroom, how were participants able to persevere through and overcome these challenges, and how were program interventions set up to help participants persevere and overcome these challenges? Data include a pre-study abroad questionnaire, daily/weekly reports, semi-structured interviews, and an exit survey. Through the lens of the Ecological Approach to Language Learning, findings reveal how students worked alongside the study abroad program to access native speakers and the L2 within the sociocultural environment.

This study measured the effectiveness of an international social work course in increasing MSW students’ understanding of global interconnectedness and cultural competence utilizing an exploratory quantitative research design. Data were collected from twelve participants from a social work school in the west coast who completed a survey prior to beginning the course and again after completing the course. The study found that participants had an increase in both cultural competency and global interconnectedness after the course. The results of this study correlate with the limited literature available on the topic of international social work and supports the expansion of study abroad experiences for social work students structured in the manner of the international social work course studied.