“I have a better sense of how interconnected the world is”: Student perceptions of learning and global engagement during study abroad

Abstract

The study purpose was to examine U.S. college students’ perceptions of their engagement and learning after studying abroad for a semester in Denmark. All students participated in a course focusing on children and adolescents in Scandinavian contexts, a semester-long practicum experience in a Danish educational institution, and two course-embedded travel experiences within and outside of Denmark. Although there were no significant differences in students’ pre-and post-test scores on the Global Engagement Survey (Hartman et al., 2015), responses to open-ended prompts provided evidence that students developed knowledge and understanding of themselves and others in multiple cultural and educational contexts. They worked to make meaning of their observations throughout the semester, and established strong relationships with the host community. The practicum and study tour experiences provided ample opportunities for global learning; many students reported that they gained knowledge about diversity and considered issues from the perspectives of local and global communities.

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