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Intercultural Competency Assessment through International Cultural Immersion Programs

<p> This study examines how implementing ethnographic tools and techniques into an international cultural immersion program (ICIP) curriculum specifically influences group members' intercultural competency. For this study, an ethnographic inquiry curriculum is introduced to participants of three different World Challenge Exp edition (WCE) courses. Ethnographic tools and techniques included photo elicitation interviews, structured journaling and taking field notes, and observational activities. WCEs is an international cultural immersion organization based out of the United Kingdom with branches in Australia, New Zealand, United Arab Emirates, the United States,and Hong Kong and runs programs eight to 28-days in length. To gauge the effects the tools and techniques have on each group member's intercultural competency pre and post expedition surveys, and end-of-expedition interviews were employed. Literature on experiential education, ethnography, ethnographic tools and tech niques, and intercultural competencies support the overall project. Additionally, the results, data analysis, discussion of the findings, and recommendations for future studies are presented to summarize and solidify the overall research study. The study results showed that approximately half of the total study population increased their capacity to listen and observe because of the implementation of ethnographic tools and techniques. Additionally, the implementation of ethnographic tools and techniques may have provided insight into how the host culture, and family life are more similar than different to theirs back home. The group member's qualitative answers to the interview questions provided interculturally competent answers and looks in part to be due to the use of ethnographic tools and techniques.</p>

Identiferoai:union.ndltd.org:PROQUEST/oai:pqdtoai.proquest.com:1539431
Date01 August 2013
CreatorsQuigg, Seth Watson
PublisherPrescott College
Source SetsProQuest.com
LanguageEnglish
Detected LanguageEnglish
Typethesis

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