"It Was Amazing!": Study Abroad and Global Citizenship

Details
Title
"It Was Amazing!": Study Abroad and Global Citizenship
Usage & Reproduction Rights
http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/
Type
Video recording
URI / Handle
http://hdl.handle.net/1961/muislandora:2979
Created
2016-01-01T00:00:00Z
Abstract
This research investigated the extent to which study abroad (SA) participation was associated with a student’s self-identification as a member of the global community, and whether such a chosen identity was correlated with the various dimensions of global citizenship (global awareness, interpersonal affect, self-efficacy, self-identification, civic engagement, and social responsibility). Considering global citizenship identification has been linked to support of prosocial values, and identity development is a central role to adolescent development, institutions of higher education could be the key to encouraging this identity formation and thereby creating more engaged and responsible community leaders. Additionally, because study abroad provides a "lived experience of otherness" such experiences may be important opportunities to develop empathy and improve intercultural communication. Ninety-eight Marymount university students (SA = 51, Non-SA = 47) participated in this between-subjects design by completing a global citizenship survey. Results revealed that in addition to being significantly more likely to identify as members of the global community, SA students scored significantly higher in global awareness, civic engagement, and global lifestyle. Furthermore, the stronger participants self-identified as members of the global community, the stronger their associations to the other global citizenship dimensions were. Since the majority of SA participants were from short-term programs, these findings highlight the function of Marymount's Global Classroom Series as an experiential way to foster global awareness and understanding. In addition, this research has affirmed one of the many multi-faceted constructs of global citizenship outlined in the literature and highlighted how the length of SA programs is central to its function for and benefit to the student. This research relates to the field of psychology by incorporating themes regarding identity development and group biases.

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