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ERIC Number: EJ1019921
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2013-Nov
Pages: 20
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1028-3153
EISSN: N/A
"I Came Back as a New Human Being": Student Descriptions of Intercultural Competence Acquired Through Education Abroad Experiences
Root, Elizabeth; Ngampornchai, Anchalee
Journal of Studies in International Education, v17 n5 p513-532 Nov 2013
While education abroad programs are part of an emphasis to prepare university students to be more interculturally competent, one criticism is that programs often send students overseas without adequate preparation. This study aims to explore what students have learned from education abroad programs and how their stories might reveal the need for predeparture and postdeparture training. Using the concept of intercultural competence from the field of intercultural communication, this study analyzes reflective papers of 18 students who have returned from education abroad programs. The results indicate that while experiences abroad have an obvious impact on students' cognitive, affective, and behavioral skills, they do not necessarily help to develop deeper levels of intercultural competence. This study concludes that immersion into the culture alone may not increase intercultural competence. Ways in which intercultural communication courses can leverage the students' experiences in education abroad programs are also discussed.
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
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A