Building Partnerships in the Host Country: Outcomes of Learning in Informal Settings in Study Abroad Programs

• In Event: Marriott Roundtable Session 1
  In Roundtable Session: Study Abroad: The International Experience

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to investigate how and what university students learn in informal settings of study abroad programs while unveiling a hidden curriculum in the host country. We theorize informal learning as an interactive web of meanings constructed by learners in the process of their interactions. We found that students’ agency played a key role in internalizing the hidden curriculum. The study illuminated ways in which students constructed their learning in partnership with the host country through interactions with environments and people. Using a unique approach of making tacit knowledge explicit by analyzing it in the framework of hidden curriculum, the paper highlights the importance of informal learning that happens in study abroad experiences.

Authors

• Elena Jurasaite-O'Keefe, St. John's University

• Anna Zak, St. John's University