Using Photo-Cued Reflection to Examine Incidental Learning in Short-Term Study Abroad

• In Event: 18.072 - Roundtable Session 6
  In Roundtable Session: 18.072-19 - A Global Perspective

Abstract

The popularity of short-term study abroad programming is on the rise. However, linked to minimal learning gains, short-term programming has garnered a poor reputation. Using a new ethnographically inspired assessment strategy—photo-cued reflection—this study demonstrates new ways of understanding what and how students are learning on short-term study abroad programs. Using their own photos as interview prompts, study abroad participants discuss the significance of and meaning making that occurred during their international experience, and highlight how these instances helped them learn, develop, and grow—in terms of both planned and unintended, incidental outcomes.

Author

• Kayla Johnson-Levitan, McGill University