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ERIC Number: EJ1024764
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2014-May
Pages: 18
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1028-3153
EISSN: N/A
Stories of Personal Agency: Undergraduate Students' Perceptions of Developing Intercultural Competence during a Semester Abroad in Chile
Covert, Hannah H.
Journal of Studies in International Education, v18 n2 p162-179 May 2014
Knowledge of how students perceive their development of intercultural competence (IC), one of several study abroad learning outcomes, is important for better understanding how learning occurs in study abroad contexts. The purpose of this article is to explore undergraduate students' perceptions of developing IC during a semester abroad. Reflective journals and semistructured interviews were used to collect narratives on intercultural communication and behavior from seven U.S. undergraduate students studying abroad in Chile. Findings suggest that personal agency played an important role in participants' development of IC. IC occurred when participants made intentional and purposeful changes in their communication and behavior to fit Chilean cultural norms. Study abroad programs can support students to build their self-efficacy and agency in intercultural interactions.
SAGE Publications. 2455 Teller Road, Thousand Oaks, CA 91320. Tel: 800-818-7243; Tel: 805-499-9774; Fax: 800-583-2665; e-mail: journals@sagepub.com; Web site: http://sagepub.com
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Chile
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A