International Education or Colonial Tourism? Measuring Tools and Standards for Evaluating International Education
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.36366/frontiers.v34i4.496Keywords:
International education, educational standards, International Education, Educational Standards, Non-Governmental Organizations, Development, Aid, Colonialism, development, aid, colonialismAbstract
This article applies a recently published indicator to various types of international education projects to measure their compliance with educational professionalism and international development law and also compares this indicator with the standards checklist currently in use by The Forum on Education Abroad. The tests and comparisons suggest that no existing standards hold international education to any real scrutiny, allowing many programs: 1) to degenerate into the equivalent of for-profit travel programs with little real educational content or intellectual challenge to students and 2) to promote colonialism rather than equity and development meeting international legal standards. The author shows how indicators can be extended to improve education abroad programs assessment on dimensions of professionalism and appropriate impact on developing countries under international law and also points to some of the many niches or gaps in education abroad that remain to be filled.
Abstract in SpanishEste artículo aplica un indicador recientemente publicado a varios tipos de proyectos de educación internacional para medir su cumplimiento de la profesionalidad educativa y la ley de desarrollo internacional, y también compara este indicador con la lista de comprobación de normas que utiliza actualmente The Forum on Education Abroad (el Foro sobre la Educación en el Extranjero). Las pruebas y comparaciones sugieren que ninguna de las normas existentes somete a la educación internacional a un escrutinio real, lo que permite que muchos programas 1) degeneren en el equivalente a programas de viajes con fines de lucro con poco contenido educativo real o desafío intelectual para los estudiantes y 2) promuevan el colonialismo en lugar de la equidad y el desarrollo cumpliendo las normas legales internacionales. El autor muestra cómo pueden ampliarse los indicadores para mejorar la evaluación de los programas de educación en el extranjero en cuanto a las dimensiones de profesionalidad e impacto adecuado en los países en desarrollo según el derecho internacional y también señala algunos de los muchos nichos o lagunas de la educación en el extranjero que quedan por cubrir.
Abstract in German
In diesem Artikel wird ein kürzlich veröffentlichter Indikator auf verschiedene Arten von internationalen Bildungsprojekten angewandt, um deren Übereinstimmung mit der pädagogischen Professionalität und dem internationalen Entwicklungsrecht zu messen, und dieser Indikator wird mit der derzeit vom Forum on Education Abroad verwendeten Checkliste für Standards verglichen. Die Tests und Vergleiche deuten darauf hin, dass keine der bestehenden Standards die internationale Bildung einer wirklichen Prüfung unterziehen, so dass viele Programme: 1) zu einem Äquivalent für gewinnorientierte Reiseprogramme mit wenig echten Bildungsinhalten oder intellektuellen Herausforderungen für die Studierenden zu verkommen und 2) Kolonialismus fördern, aber nicht Gerechtigkeit und Entwicklung sowie die internationalen Rechtsstandards entsprechen. Der Autor zeigt, wie Indikatoren erweitert werden können, um die Bewertung von Bildungsprogrammen im Ausland in Bezug auf Professionalität und angemessene Auswirkungen auf Entwicklungsländer nach internationalem Recht zu verbessern, und weist auf einige der vielen Nischen oder Lücken im Bereich der Bildung im Ausland hin, die noch zu füllen sind.
Downloads
References
Abrahamson, E. (2009). Necessary conditions for the study of fads and fashions in science. Scandinavian Journal of Management, 25(2), 235-239. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scaman.2009.03.005 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scaman.2009.03.005
Abubakar, A., Hilman, H., & Kaliappen, N. (2018). New tools for measuring global academic performance. Sage Open, 8(3). https://doi.org/10.1177/2158244018790787 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/2158244018790787
American Association of University Professors (AAUP) (2014). On Trigger Warnings. Draft Approved by Committee on Academic Freedom and tenure. : https://www.aaup.org/report/trigger-warnings
Arum, R., & Roska, J. (2011). Academically adrift: Limited learning on college campuses. University of Chicago Press. DOI: https://doi.org/10.7208/chicago/9780226028576.001.0001
Atack, I. (1998). Four Criteria of Development NGO Legitimacy. World Development, 27(5), 855–864. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0305-750X(99)00033-9 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/S0305-750X(99)00033-9
Barrow, C. (1990). Universities and the Capitalist State. University of Wisconsin Press.
Barry, B.W. (1984). Strategic planning workbook for nonprofit organizations. Amherst H. Wilder Foundation.
Belcher, B. M., Rasmussen, K. E., Kemshaw, M. R., & Zornes, D. A. (2016). Defining and assessing research quality in a transdisciplinary context. Research Evaluation, 25(1), 1-17. https://doi.org/10.1093/reseval/rvv025 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/reseval/rvv025
Bolen, M.C. (Ed.). (2006). A Guide to Outcomes Assessment in Education Abroad. The Forum on Education Abroad. DOI: https://doi.org/10.36366/B.AGTOA.01012007
Braskamp, L. A., D. C. Braskamp & K. C. Merrill (2007). Global Perspective Inventory. Global Perspective Institute.
Brown, L.D., & Moore, M.H. (2001). Accountability, Strategy, and International Nongovernmental Organizations. Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly, 30(3), 569-587. https://doi.org/10.1177/0899764001303012 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0899764001303012
Bryson, J.M. (1988). Strategic planning for public and nonprofit organizations: A guide to strengthening and sustaining organizational achievement. Jossey-Bass Publishers.
CAS. (n.d.). International Student Programs and Services SAG. https://www.cas.edu/store_product.asp?prodid=62
Clay, R. (2008). The Corporatization of Higher Education. Monitor on Psychology, 39(11). https://www.apa.org/monitor/2008/12/higher-ed DOI: https://doi.org/10.1037/e517662009-022
Coates, H. (2014). Higher education learning outcomes assessment: International perspectives. Peter Lang DOI: https://doi.org/10.3726/978-3-653-04632-8
DeWinter, U. J. (1997). Science and Engineering Education Abroad: An Overview. Frontiers: The Interdisciplinary Journal of Study Abroad, 3(1), 181–197. https://doi.org/10.36366/frontiers.v3i1.53 DOI: https://doi.org/10.36366/frontiers.v3i1.53
Duncan, B. (2013). Post-Cold War Anthropology as Ideological Blog: Purging Klukhohn and Mead for a Diary Read. Journal of Developing Societies, 29(1), 61-87. https://doi.org/10.1177/0169796X12470555 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0169796X12470555
Edwards, M., & Hulme, D. (2002). NGO Performance and Accountability: Introduction and Overview. In M. Edwards, & D. Hulme (Eds.), The Earthscan Reader on NGO Management (chapter 11). Earthscan Publications Ltd.
Emmanuel, C., Merchant, K., & Otley, D. (1990). Accounting for Management Control. Chapman & Hall. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4899-6952-1
Florida Tech. (2020). How Technology Affects Child Development. https://www.floridatechonline.com/blog/psychology/how-technology-affects-child-development/
(The) Forum on Education Abroad. (2015). Standards of Good Practice for Education Abroad, 5th Edition. https://forumea.org/standards-of-good-practice-5th-ed/
(The) Forum on Education Abroad. (2020a). Annual Report 2019-2020. https://issuu.com/forumoneducationabroad/docs/annual_report_19-20_-_final_pdf_with_links
(The) Forum on Education Abroad. (2020b). Standards of Good Practice for Education Abroad, 6th Edition. https://forumea.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/6th-Edition-Standards-of-Good-Practice-for-Education-Abroad-Digital-Version.pdf
Gardner, James (1980). Legal Imperialism: American Lawyers and Foreign Aid in Latin America. University of Wisconsin Press.
Garrison, R.H., Noreen, E., & Brewer, P.C. (2005). Managerial Accounting. McGraw Hill.
Geertz, C. (1973). Thick Description: Towards an Interpretive Theory of Culture, The Interpretation of Cultures. Basic Books.
Gunder Frank, A., Cochroft, J.D., & Johnson, D.L. (1972). Dependence and Underdevelopment: Latin America's Political Economy. Anchor Books.
Institute of International Education. (2014, November 17). Open Doors 2014: Report on International Educational Exchange. https://www.iie.org/Why-IIE/Announcements/2014/11/2014-11-17-Open-Doors-Data
Institute of International Education. (2020). Open Doors, 2019. https://p.widencdn.net/5i0s78/OD19_graphics_handout-2019
Institute of International Education. (2021a). U.S. Study Abroad for Academic Credit Trends 1989-90-2019-20, Open Doors Report on International Education Exchange. https://opendoorsdata.org/data/us-study-abroad/u-s-study-abroad-for-academic-credit-trends/
Institute of International Education. (2021b). Top 25 Destinations of U.S. Study Abroad Students 2000/2001-2019/20, Open Doors Report on International Education Exchange. https://opendoorsdata.org/data/us-study-abroad/leading-destinations/
Institute of International Education. (2021c). Host Regions of U.S. Study Abroad Students 2005/06-2019/20, Open Doors Report on International Education Exchange. https://opendoorsdata.org/data/us-study-abroad/host-regions/
Institute of International Education. (2021d). Profile of U.S. Study Abroad Students 2000/01-2019/20, Open Doors Report on International Education Exchange. https://opendoorsdata.org/data/us-study-abroad/student-profile/
Lempert, D. (2008, October). Towards Reconnecting with the Eastern European Jewish Legacy to Humanity and Going Beyond Memorializing the Holocaust and Rebuilding Religious Life: A New Project to Preserve a Unique Heritage. Proposal for the Diaspora Bridge Center of Poland.
Lempert, D. (2009). A Dependency in Development Indicator for NGOs and International Organizations. Global Jurist, 9(2), Article 6. https://doi.org/10.2202/1934-2640.1296 DOI: https://doi.org/10.2202/1934-2640.1296
Lempert, D. (2010). A Human Rights Education Project Indicator for NGOs and International Organizations. Interamerican Journal of Education for Democracy, 3(1), 45-72. http://scholarworks.iu.edu/journals/index.php/ried/article/view/617/713
Lempert, D. (2011). A Democracy Building Democratic Project Indicator for NGOs and International Organizations. Global Jurist, 11(2), Article 4. https://doi.org/10.2202/1934-2640.1385 DOI: https://doi.org/10.2202/1934-2640.1385
Lempert, D. (2012). “A Quick Indicator of Effectiveness of “Income Generation” and “Sustainable Business Initiatives” in International Development,” Economology Journal, Volume 2, Number 2. :
http://www.economologos.com/Lempert_EJ_II_Feb_2012.pdf
Lempert, D. (2013). Taking History Back to the People: An Approach to Making History Popular, Relevant and Intellectual. Democracy and Education, 21(2), Article 1. https://democracyeducationjournal.org/home/vol21/iss2/1
Lempert, D. (2014a). A Vision for Development and a Tool for International Comparisons. Journal for Economics and Social Policy, 16(2).
Lempert, D. (2014b). Universal Development Goals for This Millennium. Consilience, 12, 1-22. https://www.jstor.org/stable/26476149
Lempert, D. (2015). A Poverty Reduction Accountability Indicator for International Organizations and NGOs. Law, Social Justice and Global Development 19(1).
Lempert, D. (2016), An Accountability Indicator for Gender Equality Projects of NGOs and International Organizations. Journal of Human Rights in the Commonwealth, 2(2), 1-30. http://journals.sas.ac.uk/jhrc/article/view/2263/2190 DOI: https://doi.org/10.14296/jhrc.v2i2.2263
Lempert, D. (2017). A Screening Indicator for Holding International Non-Governmental Organizations to Standards of Professionalism and Accountability. Journal of Social Research and Policy, 7(1), 27-55. https://www.proquest.com/scholarly-journals/screening-indicator-holding-international-non/docview/1916639774/se-2
Lempert, D. (2018a). “We Now Have the Tools and Infrastructure to Hold Donors and NGOs in International Development to their Own Standards,” Journal of Multi-Disciplinary Evaluation, Volume 14, Issue 31, pages 61-83. On line at:
http://journals.sfu.ca/jmde/index.php/jmde_1/article/view/506/459
Lempert, D. (2018b). “Returning Discipline to the Discipline: A Model Procedure for Reviews in Anthropology, Other Social Sciences, and Related Disciplines,” Catalyst: A Social Justice Forum, Volume 8, Issue 1, Article 10, pages 301 - 326. : http://trace.tennessee.edu/catalyst/vol8/iss1/10
Lempert, D. (2020). A New Approach to Heritage Tourism in Southeast Asia. Transcience: Journal of Global Studies, 11(2), 28-106. https://www2.hu-berlin.de/transcience/Vol11_No2_28_105.pdf
Lempert, D. (under review). What’s Missing in Anthropology and Applied Anthropology?: A Practitioner’s Vision for Applied Anthropology Programs.
Lempert, D., Mitchell, C., & McCarty, K. (1995). A Model Development Plan: New Ideas, New Strategies, New Perspectives. Praeger Greenwood Publishers.
Lempert, D., with Xavier Briggs and others (1995). Escape From the Ivory Tower: Student Adventures in Democratic Experiential Education. Jossey-Bass Inc.
Lempert, D., & Nguyen, H.N. (2008). A sustainable development indicator for NGOs and international organisations. International Journal of Sustainable Societies, 1(1), 44-54. https://dx.doi.org/10.1504/IJSSOC.2008.020376 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1504/IJSSOC.2008.020376
Lenoir, T. (1993). The discipline of nature and the nature of disciplines. In E. Messer-Davidow, D.R. Shumway, & D. Sylvan (Eds), Knowledges: Historical and Critical Studies in Disciplinarity (pp. 70-102). The University Press of Virginia.
Marksjarvis, G. (2017, December 6). Study Abroad Appeals to More College Students but Costs Can Mount. Reuters. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-column-marksjarvis-studyabroad-idUSKBN1E02AE
Malinowski, B. (1944). A Scientific Theory of Culture. University of New Carolina Press.
Melguizo, T., Zamarro, G., Velasco, T., & Sanchez, F.J. (2015, August 28). How Can We Accurately Measure whether Students are Gaining Relevant Outcomes in Higher Education? (EDRE Working Paper No. 2015-03). http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2652376 DOI: https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2652376
Nader, L., & Ugo, M. (2008). Plunder: When the Rule of Law is Illegal. Wiley Blackwell
NAFSA: Association of International Educators, (2020). Trends in U.S. Study Abroad. https://www.nafsa.org/policy-and-advocacy/policy-resources/trends-us-study-abroad
Nelson, D.L. and Quick, J.C. (2005): Understanding Organizational Behavior (2nd edition). Thomson South-Western.
Redden, Elizabeth (2007, August 14). Study Abroad Under Scrutiny. Inside Higher Ed. https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2007/08/14/study-abroad-under-scrutiny
Robbins, S.P. (2002): Organizational Behavior. Prentice Hall.
Spradley, J.P., & McCurdy, D.W. (1972). The Cultural Experience: Ethnography in Complex Society. Science Research Associates.
Starbuck, W.H. (2009). The constant causes of never-ending faddishness in the behavioral and social sciences. Scandinavian Journal of Management, 25(1). 108-16. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scaman.2008.11.005 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scaman.2008.11.005
Szporluk, M. (2009). A Framework for Understanding Accountability of International NGOs and Global Good Governance. Indiana Journal of Global Legal Studies, 16(1): 339–361. https://doi.org/10.2979/gls.2009.16.1.339 DOI: https://doi.org/10.2979/gls.2009.16.1.339
Unterman, I., & Davis, R.H. (1984). Strategic management of not-for-profit organizations. CBS Educational and Professional Publishing.
Wallerstein, I. (1979). An Historical Perspective: The Emergence of the New Economic Order. The Capitalist World Economy. Cambridge U. Press.
William T. Grant Foundation, Spencer Foundation, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. (2014). Measuring Instruction in Higher Education. https://wtgrantfoundation.org/library/uploads/2015/11/Measuring-Instruction-in-Higher-Education.pdf
Zinn, H., Macedo, M. (2008). Howard Zinn on Democratic Education. Paradigm Books.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2022 David Lempert
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
