The boomerang effect in study abroad: Students challenging and contesting new cultural knowledge as a form of resistance or “protest”.

• In Event: Higher Education, Mobility and Study Abroad

Proposal

The “Integrating Caribbean Culture, Language, and Ecology into the Curriculum” initiative (ICCLEC) is a project created by Illinois College (IC) and funded by a U.S. Department of Education Undergraduate International Studies and Foreign Language (UISFL) grant, awarded October 2020. The grant’s purpose is to provide resources to expand IC’s programs and curriculum in Caribbean Studies, which include expanded language learning opportunities and study abroad experiences for students. ICCLEC also focuses on enhancing the intercultural and linguistic competencies of faculty engaged in work in the Caribbean region. ICCLEC has five objectives that guide its mission; three are listed here:
1. Develop and implement a Caribbean Studies concentration in the Global Studies Department that is focused on the cultural and social contexts of ecological issues in the Caribbean.
2. Improve the teaching of Global Studies at the undergraduate level through a faculty training framework designed to support the research and development of Caribbean Studies teaching materials and to increase the overall intercultural competency of IC faculty.
3. Expand and enhance course offerings in the Global Studies Department and in courses across the curriculum to increase undergraduate students’ intercultural competence and language proficiency.

Based on these goals, an evaluation team (team) from the University of Illinois reviewed literature that focused on the connections between cultural competency and study abroad, language competency and study abroad, and the intersection of culture and language on study abroad. The studies reviewed suggested “that short-term programs can have a positive impact on the overall development of cross-cultural sensitivity” and intercultural communication skills (Anderson, 2006, p. 457, Mapp, 2012). With the literature affirming positive effects of short-term study abroad programs on students’ cultural adaptability, the team developed a logic model to determine the project inputs, outputs expected, and the anticipated outcomes and impact of ICCLEC.

In January 2021, the team conducted baseline interviews with faculty to assess current programmatic realities and project expectations prior to the implementation of ICCLEC, and to establish a starting point from which to observe progress made during the three-year lifespan of the grant. Next, the team assessed the pedagogical preparation process undertaken by the faculty and evaluated a two-week faculty workshop intended to increase cultural, social, and ecological understanding of the Caribbean, and enhance faculty’s ability to develop curricular projects and be active participants in the ongoing development of the Caribbean Studies concentration in the Global Studies major. In spring 2021, the team also surveyed the students of IC’s new Caribbean Studies course, to assess student experiences. The baseline information helped establish if there is a pattern of change in student expectations and outcomes with courses developed during the project.

In winter 2022, four faculty and ten students participated in a multi-week, multi-site “breakaway” course taught in both Guadeloupe and Puerto Rico. Using the Global Perspective Inventory (GPI) tool developed by Iowa State University, which “is a web-based assessment of individual experiences and three-dimensioned global learning (i.e., cognitive, intrapersonal, and interpersonal)”, the team conducted both a pretest and a posttest with the student participants to better understand how the students’ individual experiences impacted their learning. A review of the data suggested that although most of the students experienced an increase in cultural sensitivity because of their breakaway experience, some students provided responses that indicated that they were still at the “reversal” stage of Bennett’s Intercultural Sensitivity Scale (1993), indicating that “one’s own culture is central to reality” (Bennett, as quoted in Rexeisen, 2013). Rexeisen (2013) hypothesized that this backsliding could be due in part to the “boomerang” effect, where study abroad returnees interpret their current at-home realities through a lens influenced by their study abroad experiences, without fully accounting for the study abroad context. Expanding on Rexeisen’s work, this final phase will review these students’ responses to determine the presence of the boomerang effect, as well as explore the literature for factors that could explain a decrease in cultural sensitivity (Martinsen, 2011). The team also conducted final interviews with faculty to assess progress made during the project, and to gauge the impact the breakaway had on both faculty and students. Their insight will further serve to inform the study.

Impact on Outcomes
Initial faculty interviews indicated that with the level of academic preparation and investment the faculty are undertaking, they can have a positive impact on creating the language, cultural and global studies resources, and courses necessary to contribute to a successful breakaway program, and ultimately build their new Caribbean Studies Concentration. The faculty interviews overall indicated that while they were working towards expanding and enhancing course offerings, great efforts were being directed to not only improving teaching methodology but also reaching their student audience, as a strategy to both increase enrollment and improve both language and cultural proficiency.

Also, the students noted improvements in their knowledge, and demonstrated positive outcomes and influence from the course. Most of the students gave positive reviews and comments, and half of the students expressed an increased interest in taking more language courses. As for the course itself, survey results demonstrated the course was successful in its objectives, and provided the students the knowledge, skills, and perspectives necessary to develop a more robust and nuanced understanding of Caribbean culture and history.

The ongoing review of the winter 2022 breakaway course, which is the focus of this proposal, provides additional assessment of the impact of ICCLEC on students, and whether cultural sensitivity gains are being mitigated by the boomerang effect (Rexeisen, 2013). The GPI data provided insight into the trend of students pushing back and “protesting” against cultural adaptation. What factors lead students to challenge and contest this new cultural knowledge?

The literature provides support for the ideas and approach of ICCLEC to enhance intercultural understanding and language fluency for students, and faculty, although more study is needed. Although the evaluation is not complete, initial findings indicate that IC is making positive gains toward enhancing the intercultural understanding and fluency goals of their project. The application of knowledge gained from these findings will inform further practice and program development.

Author

• Donna C Tonini, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign