Studying Abroad in Shanghai: Exploring How a Living-Learning Environment Impacts Students' Sociocultural Understandings of China

• In Event: AERA Poster Session 12
  In Poster Session: New Directions in Learning Environments Research (San Diego)

Abstract

This is a qualitative study that explored how a study abroad program based in Shanghai impacted five undergraduates’ socio-cultural understandings of China. The purpose of this study was to analyze how the different elements of a living-learning community (LLC) influenced students’ preconceptions about their host country. One university’s international program seamlessly blended coursework, discussion, and travel experiences in order to encourage students to make deep connections between them. Results found that the immersive nature of the LLC led to a transformative and high-impact experience, in which students were able to develop and document their cognitive and behavioral growth over time and change their previously held biases about their host country.

Author

• Stella Erbes, Pepperdine University