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Megan McGee
Saint Mary's College (Indiana)
Subject Listing - Foreign Languages
Advisor: Dr. Mana Derakhshani
Thursday, Oral Session 3, Presentation 2, New Hall 014
A MAGIC CARPET RIDE: DEVELOPING INTERCULTURAL SKILLS THROUGH TRAVEL ABROAD
To evaluate the degree of cultural sensitivity gained in the context of high school sponsored short-term travel abroad, I accompanied sixteen high school students from a private high school in Edwards, Colorado on their 14 day trip through rural and urban parts of England, Spain, and France. The purpose of this study was to discover how the students rationalize and perceive intercultural difference, how they respond emotionally to cultural encounters, and how their level of intercultural sensitivity is affected by these encounters. I gathered both quantitative and qualitative data during the course of the study, administering the Intercultural Development Inventory developed by Dr. Mitchell R. Hammer and Dr. Milton Bennett both pre-trip and one month after their return and interviewing the students at each major location. The quantitative data showed a high discrepancy between their perceived intercultural sensitivity and their actual developmental sensitivity both pre and post trip, which has been shown to occur at religious schools such as the one I studied. The students showed a tendency to associate multiculturalism and intercultural identity with increased discomfort and confusion post-test. The qualitative data showed a similar trend, with students making broad generalizations and perceiving events through their own cultural lens. While the sample size was too small to be statistically significant, some preliminary conclusions may be drawn based on an analysis of the data gathered. These results will be useful in proposing changes in the design of short-term travel abroad experiences if intercultural sensitivity is a desired outcome.
Department of Modern Languages, Saint Mary's College, Notre Dame, IN 46556
Advisor: Dr. Mana Derakhshani, Associate Professor of French, Modern Languages, Saint Mary's College, Notre Dame, IN