UVM Theses and Dissertations
Format:
Print
Author:
Buck-Rolland, Carol
Title:
Dept./Program:
College of Education and Social Services
Year:
2010
Degree:
Ed. D.
Abstract:
Cultural understanding and respect are essential when attempting to enact improvements that are intended to enhance the welfare of society's citizens. It is critical that professionals acquire and incorporate a deep understanding of cultural differences to become more effective in their various roles. In what ways can professionals gain comfort, knowledge, and insight into other cultures' beliefs, customs, and fears?
Education, through standard routes of reading and discussion, can help to inform others s about cultural differences. Direct exposure can also greatly enhance one's worldview, creating a more open and honest dialogue between cultures. People with international experience report a growth in substantive knowledge, perceptual understanding, personal growth, and global perspective which they are able to share with others (Cross, 1998).
Cultural immersion may result in a transformative learning process by which people can "transform their taken for granted frames of reference to make them more inclusive, discriminating, open, emotionally capable of change, and reflective so that they may generate beliefs and opinions that will prove more true or justified to guide action" (Mezirow, 2000, p. 8).
In the spring of 2006, a group of adult learners representing undergraduate seniors, graduate students, and continuing education students ranging in age from 21 through 62 completed a graduate course at a rural university in the northeastern U.S. The course included weekly preparatory classes (including Spanish) for four months prior to the two .week immersion experience in central Mexico. The immersion component included a home stay in Mexico, as well as continued daily instruction in Spanish.
This mixed method study utilized pre-and post-travel questionnaires, and semistructured interviews to examine the ways in which participants of a graduate course that culminated with a short term (two week) cultural immersion experience perceived that the study abroad graduate course, EDCO 400: Helping Process in a Cultural Context: Mexico, has influenced their cultural awareness, comfort, sensitivity, and understanding. The study further explored the perceived influence of the experience on the participants' professional practice and personal life. Data collection occurred at three distinct points in time. In the initial phase of the study, pre-travel questionnaires were completed for a cultural immersion experience, and post-travel questionnaires were completed on day 30 following completion of the immersion experience. Semi-structured interviews were conducted on a sub-set of the original participants nearly four years following completion of the course. Themes that emerged include: Realizing Goals and Resolving Conflicts; Growing through Interactions; and Exploring Perceived Influences.
Through the lens of adult learning theory, specifically transformative learning, the study identified transformative changes in beliefs and practice as they relate to cultural awareness, comfort, sensitivity, and understanding. The study adds to the growing body of knowledge that short term immersion experiences may influence adult learners in transformative ways. These changes were found to be consistent between the distinct data collection points, separated by nearly four years. This study suggests that a short term cultural immersion experience that included a significant preparatory component offered a powerful and quality educational experience that may offer an alternative to longer term study abroad immersion experiences for adult learners.
Education, through standard routes of reading and discussion, can help to inform others s about cultural differences. Direct exposure can also greatly enhance one's worldview, creating a more open and honest dialogue between cultures. People with international experience report a growth in substantive knowledge, perceptual understanding, personal growth, and global perspective which they are able to share with others (Cross, 1998).
Cultural immersion may result in a transformative learning process by which people can "transform their taken for granted frames of reference to make them more inclusive, discriminating, open, emotionally capable of change, and reflective so that they may generate beliefs and opinions that will prove more true or justified to guide action" (Mezirow, 2000, p. 8).
In the spring of 2006, a group of adult learners representing undergraduate seniors, graduate students, and continuing education students ranging in age from 21 through 62 completed a graduate course at a rural university in the northeastern U.S. The course included weekly preparatory classes (including Spanish) for four months prior to the two .week immersion experience in central Mexico. The immersion component included a home stay in Mexico, as well as continued daily instruction in Spanish.
This mixed method study utilized pre-and post-travel questionnaires, and semistructured interviews to examine the ways in which participants of a graduate course that culminated with a short term (two week) cultural immersion experience perceived that the study abroad graduate course, EDCO 400: Helping Process in a Cultural Context: Mexico, has influenced their cultural awareness, comfort, sensitivity, and understanding. The study further explored the perceived influence of the experience on the participants' professional practice and personal life. Data collection occurred at three distinct points in time. In the initial phase of the study, pre-travel questionnaires were completed for a cultural immersion experience, and post-travel questionnaires were completed on day 30 following completion of the immersion experience. Semi-structured interviews were conducted on a sub-set of the original participants nearly four years following completion of the course. Themes that emerged include: Realizing Goals and Resolving Conflicts; Growing through Interactions; and Exploring Perceived Influences.
Through the lens of adult learning theory, specifically transformative learning, the study identified transformative changes in beliefs and practice as they relate to cultural awareness, comfort, sensitivity, and understanding. The study adds to the growing body of knowledge that short term immersion experiences may influence adult learners in transformative ways. These changes were found to be consistent between the distinct data collection points, separated by nearly four years. This study suggests that a short term cultural immersion experience that included a significant preparatory component offered a powerful and quality educational experience that may offer an alternative to longer term study abroad immersion experiences for adult learners.