Foundations for Teaching in Study Abroad Programs

Carolyn Zerbe EnnsICOPE, 2014, Flagstaff, AZ

Three goalsBackground: Summary of relevant

psychology documents (APA) and current study abroad trends

Faculty preparation and continuing education

Frameworks and tools for teaching and guiding study abroad programs

Study Abroad: A transnational phenomenon

The movement of students between countries is a mass movement. @ 5 million for 2014

Asian students: Account for 53% of students studying abroad

Europe: A major destination AND major source of internationally mobile students (1/4)Europe as destination: Increase of 114% from 2000-2014

The United States still attracts the most international students, but the “market share” of North America is falling 23% in 2000 and 17% in 2011More intra-regional movement (e.g., within Asia)

Source countries: Students studying abroad (2011)

China 727,000India 223,000Korea 139,000Germany 132.000Turkey 83,000France 80,000Russian Federation 71,000Italy 63,000U.S. 62,000

Psychology documents (APA) on internationalizing psychologyAmerican Psychological Association

Guidelines for the Undergraduate Psychology Major (APA, 2013)

Recommended Learning Outcomes for Internationalizing the Undergraduate Curriculum (APA, 2005)

Resolution on Culture and Gender Awareness in International Psychology (APA, 2004)

Themes from documents on internationalizing psychology

1. Practice reflexivity &“positionality.” How am I “positioned” in society and in the world,

and how do my values & experiences of privilege and disadvantage influence my perspectives and worldview?

2. Provide a critical analysis of Western psychological perspectives. How are power and privilege structures within

psychology reflected in theory, research, practice, & attitudes toward diverse cultures & peoples?

Themes from documents on internationalizing psychology

3. Frame human behavior within ecological, contextualized, interdisciplinary frameworks.Emphasize behavior in ecological framework, which

decreases the likelihood “context stripping.”

4. Promote a holistic, inclusive “culture of evidence.”Methodologies: a combination of traditional

psychological methods (e.g., quantitative experimental methods) & qualitative methods (e.g., case study, ethnography, participatory action frameworks).

Themes from documents on internationalizing psychology

5. Promote knowledge of global and social justice issues, and foster appreciation for diverse, culturally-sensitive ways of addressing these concerns.

6. Nurture intercultural skills by facilitating knowledge of cultural practices, values, and psychologies as understood by individuals who live them. Support “frame-shifting” and “behavioral code shifting” skills (the ability to see issues and practices from multiple perspectives).

Faculty members as life-long learners: Questions for thoughtWhat types of life & academic experiences,

“critical incidents,” and serendipitous events have contributed to your interest in internationalizing psychology?

What support & professional networks have been useful to you as you pursue transnational scholarship & teaching?

What faculty development opportunities have been most helpful to you?

How do you build institutional/departmental support for transnational scholarship?

My background: Learning by doingA 3rd culture kid (born and raised in Japan)A counseling psychologist with interests in feminisms of

Asia, cultural psychology, and indigenous psychotherapiesFaculty member at a college that encourages life-long

learning and creativityResident director of the Japan Study Program for 2006-

2007 and 2012-2103 & visiting professor at Waseda University (Tokyo)

Faculty leader of short-term study abroad coursesParticipant in a variety of faculty seminars that focus on

study abroad and internationalizing the curriculumParticipant in APA committees and task forces that focus on

international implications & applications of psychology

Continuing Education: Some Options

Campus-based interest groups & service rolesCampus programming for international

students & other diverse student groupsConsortium and professional organization

committees and advisory boardsShort-term study & travel grantsResearch and teaching exchange possibilities

(e.g., institutional exchanges)External awards (e.g., Fulbright awards)Language skill development

Professional Scholarship as Education & Preparation

Develop collaborative relationships with colleagues from other countries.Make sure that all parties benefit.

Participate in professional networks & organizations that foster international, global, transnational perspectives.

Define psychology broadly and inclusively.

“On the job” training experiences1. Integrate international/global perspectives

in existing courses and expand from that foundation.

2. Integrate a critical analysis of Western psychological perspectives in all courses.

3. Teach campus-based and/ or off-campus courses that centralize content about another region of the world.

4. Emphasize interdisciplinary scholarship, frameworks, and content.

5. Teach about social justice/global issues

Developing skills & course content over time: A personal exampleIntegration of transnational content within

campus-based courses & development of Multicultural Psychology course

Women’s Roles & Movements in Japan, & Culture and Psychological Experience in Japan (taught in Tokyo)

Psychology of Women & Gender in Cultural Context (Korea, short-term summer course)

Gender, Culture, and Public Policy in Japan (short-term Cornell course, cross-listed with Sociology)

Asian & Asian American Psychologies Psychology, Social Justice, and Public Policy

(emphasis on linking domestic and transnational issues)

Cultural Psychology of Japan & East Asia

TEACHING: Approaches and Strategies

1. Choose conceptual frameworks that facilitate organization

2. Consider the developmental needs of students. What types of experiences nudge students to “make the most” of their opportunities?

3. Use creative, experiential teaching methods to enhance students’ contextual learning.

4. Use guided self-reflection assignments.5. Foster student responsibility for their learning.6. Be attentive to the whole person (affective,

cognitive, relational, and behavioral domains).

Conceptual FrameworksClear goals and objectives, such as those

prioritized in APA documents (see slide 8)Ecological Model

(e.g., Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Model of Development)

Experiential learning approaches that link concepts to engagement with the context(e.g., David Kolb, Experiential Learning

Approach)Intercultural Development

(e.g., Bennett’s Intercultural Development Continuum)

Ecological Model (Bronfenbrenner)

Some Important Aspects of Context: A Sample

1. societal values and belief systems2. family and work structures3. economic & socioeconomic realities 4. religion and spirituality5. educational practices 6. government and legal policies7. multiculturalism, ethnic diversity and/or conflict8. colonialism, war, or other human rights themes9. gender-related roles & privileges/oppressions10. intersections of social identities & statuses

Experiential Learning Model (David Kolb)

        Bennett, 1993

                                                                                         Intercultural Development Continuum, Hammel

Intercultural Competence Skills (Gudykunst, 2004)Mindfulness: A process focus, awareness of one’s

own communication & interactions with othersTolerance for ambiguity: “sitting with” lack of

clarity and/or uncertainty without becoming overly anxious

Cultural empathy: The ability to participate in another person’s experience (“thinking it intellectually and feeling it emotionally”)

Cognitive flexibility: The ability to create new categories rather than “stuffing” information into existing categories, frame-shifting

Behavioral flexibility: The ability to adapt behavior to circumstances

Assignments that enhance experiential learning

Mapping activities: Students draw mental, social, and visual maps of their environments

Social mapping: Spend time in a public or semi-public space in the community (e.g., a meeting place, a local shop, a train station, a restaurant) Create a physical, mental, and psychological map

of the space. “Read” the context by paying attention to visual, verbal, nonverbal, auditory, feeling, sensation, and thinking senses.

May be integrated with field notes or journaling

Assignments that enhance experiential learning

Ethnographic inquiry as learning tool: Opportunity to apprehend the world from the

viewpoint of othersParticipant observation: engage in activities

appropriate to a situation and observe activities, people, and physical aspects

Advantages of personal ethnography: Involvement versus maintaining distance and staying

in comfort zones Develop skills of reflexivity (learning about self) Development of empathy & understanding through

interaction

Assignments that enhance experiential learningSmall group work: Building on the diverse

identities of students in the classroomLeadership: Students co-lead and experience a

location or regionGuided reflection: Students apply specific

concepts to their personal experiencesCultural awareness: Students compare their

responses, consider how their cultural backgrounds influence their reactions to experiences and their approaches to group work

Assignments: Field Notes Importance of description as well as interpretation and

meaning-making

Can be conceptualized as 3 aspects:What?So what?What next?

D-I-E approachDescription Interpretation (what I think, other reflections) Evaluation (what I feel, both positive and negative)

Some useful resources Blair, S. (2011). Study abroad and the city: Mapping urban identity.

Frontiers: The Interdisciplinary Journal of Study Abroad, 20, 37-54. Gudykunst, W.B. (2004). Bridging differences: Effective intergroup

interaction (4th ed.). Sage Morais, D., Ogden, A., & Buzinde, C. (2009).  Embedded education

abroad faculty toolkit: Developing and implementing course-embedded faculty-led international programs. 

Ogden, A.C. (2006). Ethnographic inquiry: Reframing the learning core of education abroad. Frontiers, 13, 87-112.

Paige, R. M., Cohen, A. D., Kappler, B., Chi, J. C., & Lassegard, J. P. (2009). Maximizing study abroad (2nd ed.) Minneapolis, MN: University of Minnesota Press.

Smith, G. E., & Vandermaas-Peeler, M. (2009). Taking psychology abroad: Resources for designing your study abroad course. Office of Teaching Resources in Psychology, http://teachpsych.org/resources/Documents/otrp/resources/smith09.pdf