Making meaning of intercultural experiences: Exploring the effectiveness of the intercultural pendulum for education abroad students

Authors

  • Kris Acheson Purdue University
  • Phuong Minh Tran Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University
  • Sundae Schneider-Bean Sundae Bean
  • Alankrita Chhikara Purdue University
  • Paige C. Fulkerson Purdue University

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.36366/frontiers.v38i1.1032

Keywords:

Cultural adaptation, intercultural competence, Intercultural Development Continuum, Pendulum model, study abroad outcomes

Abstract

Acheson and Schneider-Bean (2019) depicted the five developmental stages of the Intercultural Development Continuum (IDC) (Hammer, 2012) on a pendulum that swings between a focus on similarity and a focus on difference, in order to capture the fluctuating, nonlinear, complex nature of intercultural competence development and maintenance across different contexts and points of time. To investigate the practical utility of the Intercultural Pendulum as a teaching tool with study abroad participants, this framework was tested as a coding schema with a qualitative dataset drawn from a reflective assignment completed by students who spent at least one semester in an education abroad program. The study qualitatively explored the intercultural competence of participants and the applicability of the Intercultural Pendulum to lived experiences in this context, concluding with discussion of implications for praxis when using the model in this context.

Abstract in Spanish

Acheson y Schneider-Bean (2019) describieron las cinco etapas de desarrollo del Continuo de Desarrollo Intercultural (IDC) (Hammer, 2012) en un péndulo que oscila entre un enfoque en la similitud y un enfoque en la diferencia, con el fin de capturar la naturaleza fluctuante, no lineal y compleja del desarrollo y del mantenimiento de la competencia intercultural en diferentes contextos y momentos. Para investigar la utilidad práctica del Péndulo Intercultural como herramienta de enseñanza con participantes de estudios en el extranjero, este marco se probó como un esquema de codificación con un conjunto de datos cualitativos extraídos de una tarea reflexiva completada por estudiantes que pasaron al menos un semestre en un programa de educación en el extranjero. El estudio exploró con métodos cualitativos la competencia intercultural de los participantes y la aplicabilidad del Péndulo Intercultural a las experiencias vividas en este contexto, concluyendo con una discusión de las implicaciones para la práctica al usar el modelo en este contexto.

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Author Biographies

Kris Acheson, Purdue University

Kris Acheson earned a PhD in Intercultural Communication from Arizona State University in 2008. After serving as faculty in Applied Linguistics at Georgia State University and U.S. Fulbright Scholar to Honduras, from 2016 to 2025 she directed Purdue’s Center for Intercultural Learning, Mentorship, Assessment and Research, home of the Intercultural Learning Hub (hubicl.org). She has published extensively on silence, but is perhaps most well-known for her thought-leadership in the development and assessment of intercultural competence.

Phuong Minh Tran, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University

Phuong Minh Tran is an Assistant Professor of Humanities and Composition at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (ERAU) in Daytona Beach, Florida. Her interdisciplinary research advances cross-cultural communication and collaboration through integrating intercultural competence, critical language awareness, and transnational composition into writing pedagogy. Her work has appeared in World Englishes, TESOL Journal, Journal of Second Language Writing, Written Communication and edited collections on composition studies. At ERAU, she teaches first-year, multilingual, technical, and intercultural writing courses.

Sundae Schneider-Bean, Sundae Bean

Sundae Schneider-Bean is an intercultural strategist, transformation facilitator, and practitioner working internationally. Her interdisciplinary practice integrates research on intercultural competence, transitions, and adult development with lived experience across global contexts. Committed to evidence-informed and human-centered processes, her work bridges theory and application through coaching, training, and thought leadership. Her insights have appeared in numerous scholarly and professional publications, including Forbes, as well as global intercultural forums.

Alankrita Chhikara, Purdue University

Alankrita Chhikara completed a research postdoc with Purdue’s CILMAR, where she taught the Semester Abroad in Intercultural Learning course and conducted research on intercultural competence development. Her doctoral work, completed in the Curriculum and Instruction program in Purdue University’s College of Education, focused on South-Asian international students’ narratives of global citizenship development analyzed from a non-Western theoretical perspective. Her research can be found in journals such as International Journal of Qualitative Studies in Education.

Paige C. Fulkerson, Purdue University

Paige C. Fulkerson graduated in 2024 from Purdue University with an undergraduate degree and teacher certification in Elementary Education. She was committed to intercultural learning as a student, participating in semester-long study abroad, working on curriculum design with Purdue’s CILMAR, and completing her Honors College independent research project on intercultural competence development. Following graduation, Paige entered the U.S. Fulbright English Teaching Assistant program for a two-year residency in Thailand.

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Published

2026-04-23

How to Cite

Acheson, K., Tran, P. M., Schneider-Bean, S., Chhikara, A., & Fulkerson, P. (2026). Making meaning of intercultural experiences: Exploring the effectiveness of the intercultural pendulum for education abroad students. Frontiers: The Interdisciplinary Journal of Study Abroad, 38(1), 35–66. https://doi.org/10.36366/frontiers.v38i1.1032

Issue

Vol. 38 No. 1 (2026): April 2026

Section

Research Articles

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Copyright (c) 2026 Kris Acheson, Phuong M. Tran, Sundae Schneider-Bean, Alankrita Chhikara, Paige C. Fulkerson

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