Does International Service-Learning Deliver? A Study with Control Groups of One University's Experience with Canada's Queen Elizabeth Scholars Internship Program
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.36366/frontiers.v36i3.856Keywords:
Assessment, community engagement, global citizenship, international service learning, professional developmentAbstract
This study assesses the extent to which a medium-term international service learning (ISL) project led by a Canadian university in partnership with sub-Saharan African universities achieves five objectives with respect to the interns: increasing local and global community engagement, activating leaders, developing global citizens, personal and professional growth, and enhancing Canadian and international networking. The study relies on 250 completed online surveys of alumni who graduated between 2012 and 2020. ISL alumni responses are controlled for BA-related maturation effects by comparison to alumni who did not participate in any International Educational Experiences (IEEs) and for selection bias by comparison to students who participated in other IEEs. The study finds that ISL promotes all five objectives, that it has net impacts vis-à-vis the BA alone for all objectives except leadership activation, and that it has net impacts vis-à-vis other forms of IEE with respect to community engagement activation, global knowledge, and development of problem-solving skills.
Abstract in FrenchCette étude évalue dans quelle mesure un projet d'apprentissage par le service international (ISL) à moyen terme mené par une université Canadienne en partenariat avec des universités d'Afrique subsaharienne atteint cinq objectifs vis-à-vis des stagiare: accroître l'engagement communautaire local et mondial, activer les dirigeants, développer des citoyens du monde, croissance personnelle et professionnelle, et améliorer du réseautage canadien et international. L'étude s'appuie sur 250 sondages en ligne complétés auprès d'anciens élèves de 2012 à 2020. Les réponses des anciens élèves de l'ISL sont contrôlées pour les effets de maturation liés au BA par rapport aux anciens élèves qui n'ont participé à aucune expérience éducative internationale (IEE) et pour le biais de sélection par rapport aux étudiants qui ont participé à d'autres IEE. L'étude révèle que l'ISL promeut les cinq objectifs, qu'elle a des effets nets par rapport au BA seul pour tous les objectifs, à l'exception de l'activation qualités des dirigeants, et qu'elle semble avoir des effets nets par rapport aux autres formes d'IEE en ce qui concerne activation de l’engagement communautaire, aspects de la citoyenneté mondiale et développement de compétences en résolution de problèmes.
Downloads
References
Ahmed, E. I., & Mohammed, A. (2022). Evaluating the impact of global citizenship education programmes: A synthesis of research. Education, Citizenship and Social Justice, 17(2), 122-140. https://doi.org/10.1177/17461979211000039 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/17461979211000039
Amin, J. (2015). African immersion: American college students in Cameroon. Lexington Books.
Bringle, R. G., Hatcher, J. A., & Williams, M. J. (2011). Quantitative approaches to research on international service learning: Design, measurement, and theory. In R. G. Bringle, J. A. Hatcher, & S. G. Jones (Eds.), International Service Learning: Conceptual Frameworks and Research (pp. 275-290). Stylus. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003445371-15
Brown, N. C. (2011). A 360-Degree View of International Service Learning. In R. G. Bringle, J. A. Hatcher, & S. G. Jones (Eds.), International service learning: Conceptual frameworks and research (pp. 57-68). Stylus. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003445371-4
Bryla, P. (2015). The impact of international student mobility on subsequent employment and professional career: A large-scale survey among polish former Erasmus students. Procedia – Social and Behavioral Sciences, 176, 633-641. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2015.01.521 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2015.01.521
Canadian Bureau for International Education. (2022). Canada's education abroad lexicon. https://cbie.ca/who-we-are/institutional-resources/canadas-education-abroad-lexicon/
Chan, S., Yau, J. H-Y, Tong, S. K. P., Lam, C., & Kwan, K. P. (2018). Impact of international service-learning on students’ learning and development. Office of Service Learning, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University. http://doi.org/10.13140/RG.2.2.30986.41924
Cress, C. M., Yamashita, M., Duarte, R., & Burns, H. (2010). A transnational comparison of service-learning as a tool for leadership development. International Journal of Organizational Analysis, 18(2), 228-244. https://doi-org.libproxy.wlu.ca/10.1108/19348831011046281 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/19348831011046281
DeGraaf, D., Slagter, C., Larsen, K., & Ditta, E. (2013). The long-term personal and professional impacts of participating in a study abroad program. Frontiers: The Interdisciplinary Journal of Study Abroad, XXIII, 42-59. https://doi.org/10.36366/frontiers.v23i1.328 DOI: https://doi.org/10.36366/frontiers.v23i1.328
European Commission Directorate-General for Education, Youth, Sport and Culture (European Commission), Brandenburg, U., Berghoff, S., & Taboadela, O. (2014). The Erasmus impact study: Effects of mobility on the skills and employability of students and the internationalisation of higher education institutions. Publications Office. https://doi.org/10.2766/75468
Eyler, J. (2011). What international service learning research can learn from research on service learning. In R. G. Bringle, J. A. Hatcher, & S. G. Jones (Eds.), International service learning: Conceptual frameworks and research (pp. 225-242). Stylus. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003445371-13
Felker, J., & Gianecchini, M. (2015). Influence of pre-graduation international experiences on early career internationalization: The mediation effect of career capital. European Management Journal, 33(1), 60-70. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.emj.2014.07.001 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.emj.2014.07.001
Franklin, K. (2010). Long-term Career Impact and Professional Applicability of the Study Abroad Experience. Frontiers: The Interdisciplinary Journal of Study Abroad, 19(1), 169–191. https://doi.org/10.36366/frontiers.v19i1.279 DOI: https://doi.org/10.36366/frontiers.v19i1.279
Geyer, A., Putz, J., & Misra, K. (2017). The effect of short-term study abroad experiences on American students' leadership skills and career aspirations. International Journal of Educational Management, 31(7), 1042-1053. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJEM-10-2016-0203 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/IJEM-10-2016-0203
Gillespie, J. L., Braskamp, L., & Dwyer, M. (2009). Holistic student learning and development abroad. In R. Lewin (Ed.), The handbook of practice and research in study abroad (pp. 445-465). Routledge.
Grantham, K. (2018). Assessing international student mobility in Canadian university strategic plans: Instrumentalist versus transformational approaches to higher education. Journal of Global Citizenship and Equity Education, 6(1), 1-21, https://journals.sfu.ca/jgcee/index.php/jgcee/article/view/176
Hartman, E., Lough, B. J., Toms, C., & Reynolds, N. (2015). Assessing intercultural capacities, civic engagement, and critical thinking: The global engagement survey. In J. Friedman, V. Haverkate, B. Oomen, E. Park, & M. Sklad (Eds), Going glocal in higher education: Theory, teaching and measurement of global citizenship (pp. 127-145). de Drvkkery.
Howard, W., Perrotte, G., Lee, M., & Frisone, J. (2017). A formative case evaluation of the design of an online delivery model providing access to study abroad activities. Online Learning, 21(3), 115-134. https://doi.org/10.24059/olj.v21i3.1234 DOI: https://doi.org/10.24059/olj.v21i3.1234
Huish, R. (2021). Global citizenship amid COVID-19: Why climate change and a pandemic spell the end of international experiential learning. Canadian Journal of Development Studies, 42(4): 441-458. http://doi.org/10.1080/02255189.2020.1862071 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/02255189.2020.1862071
Kishino, H., & Takahashi, T. (2019). Global citizenship development: Effects of study abroad and other factors. Journal of International Students, 9(2), 535-559. https://doi.org/10.32674/jis.v9i2.390 DOI: https://doi.org/10.32674/jis.v9i2.390
Langdon, J., & C. Agyeyomah. (2014). Critical hyper-reflexivity and challenging power: Pushing past the dichotomy of employability and good global citizenship in development studies experiential learning contexts. In R. Tiessen & R. Huish (Eds.), Globetrotting or global citizenshiship? Perils and potential of international experiential learning (pp. 43–70). University of Toronto Press. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3138/9781442616707-005
Larsen, M. A. (2016). International service learning: Engaging host communities. Routledge.
Lough, B. J., McBride, A. M., & Sherraden, M. S. (2009). Measuring volunteer outcomes: Development of the international volunteer impacts survey. Centre for Social Development Working Papers No. 09-31. https://openscholarship.wustl.edu/csd_research/510/
Lough, B.J., & Tiessen, R. (2018). How do international volunteering characteristics influence outcomes? Perspectives from partner organizations. Voluntas, 29, 104-118. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11266-017-9902-9. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11266-017-9902-9
Massaro, V. R. (2022). Global citizenship development in higher education institutions: A systematic review of the literature. Journal of Global Education and Research, 6(1), 98-114. https://doi.org/10.5038/2577-509X.6.1.1124 DOI: https://doi.org/10.5038/2577-509X.6.1.1124
McBride, A. M., Lough, B. J., & Sherraden, M. S. (2012). International service and the perceived impacts on volunteers. Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly 41(6), 969-990. https://doi.org/10.1177/0899764011421530 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0899764011421530
Milius, J. L. (2019) A phenomenological study of leadership outcomes in short-term study abroad [Doctoral dissertation, University of Nebraska]. DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska – Lincoln. https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/aglecdiss/111
Morais, D. B., & Ogden, A. C. (2011). Initial development and validation of the global citizenship scale. Journal of Studies in International Education, 15(5), 445-466. https://doi.org/10.1177/1028315310375308 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/1028315310375308
Norris, E. M. & Gillespie, J. (2009). How study abroad shapes global careers: Evidence from the United States. Journal of Studies in International Education 13(3), 382-97. https://doi.org/10.1177/1028315308319740 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/1028315308319740
Paige, M. R., Fry, G. W., Stallman, E. M., Josic, J. & Jon, J-E. (2009). Study abroad for global engagement: The long-term impact of mobility experiences. Intercultural Education, 20(sup1), S29-S44. https://doi.org/10.1080/14675980903370847 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/14675980903370847
Rubin, D. L., & Matthews, P. H. (2013). Learning outcomes assessment: Extrapolating from study abroad to international service learning. Journal of Higher Education Outreach and Engagement, 17(2), 67-86.
Santulli, D. P. (2018). The role of international service-learning in cultivating global citizenship and leadership. New Directions in Student Leadership, 160, 97-108. https://doi.org/10.1002/yd.20314. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/yd.20314
Sherraden, M., Lough, B. J., & Bopp, A. (2013). Students serving abroad: A framework for inquiry. Journal of Higher Education Outreach and Engagement, 17(2), 7-41.
Soria, K. M., & Troisi, J. (2014). Internationalization at home alternatives to study abroad: Students' development of global, international, and intercultural competencies. Journal of Studies in International Education 18(3), 261-280. https://doi.org/10.1177/1028315313496572 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/1028315313496572
Tiessen, R. (2013). Career aspirations and experiential learning abroad: Perspectives from Canadian youth on short-term placements. In R. Tiessen and R. Huish (Eds.), Globetrotting or global citizenship?: Perils and potentials of international experiential learning, (pp. 43-89). University of Toronto Press. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3138/9781442616707
Tiessen, R. (2018). Learning and volunteering abroad for development: Unpacking Host organization and volunteer rationales. Routledge. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4324/9781351709415
Tiessen, R., Grantham, K., & Cameron, J. (2018), The relationships between experiential learning and career outcomes for alumni of international development studies programs in Canada. Canadian Journal of Higher Education, 48(2), 23-42. https://doi.org/10.47678/cjhe.v48i3.188187 DOI: https://doi.org/10.47678/cjhe.v48i3.188187
Tonkin, H. (2011). A research agenda for international service learning. In R. G. Bringle, J. A. Hatcher, & S. G. Jones (Eds.), International service learning: Conceptual frameworks and research (pp. 191-224). Stylus. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003445371-12
Tonkin, H., & Quiroga, D. (2004). A qualitative approach to the assessment of international service-learning. Frontiers: The Interdisciplinary Journal of Study Abroad 4, 131-149. DOI: https://doi.org/10.36366/frontiers.v10i1.138
Universities Canada. (2018). Handbook for Canadian universities: Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Scholarships, QES-2017. On file with the author.
Vanden Berg, T. M., & Schwander, L. (2019). The long-term impact of a short-term study abroad program: Perspectives on global citizenship. Journal of Education and Learning, 8(4), 18-31. https://doi.org/10.5539/jel.v8n4p18 DOI: https://doi.org/10.5539/jel.v8n4p18
Waibel, S., Ruger, H., Sette, A., & Sauer, L. (2017). Career consequences of transnational educational mobility: A systematic literature review. Educational Research Review 20: 81-98. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.edurev.2016.12.001 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.edurev.2016.12.001
Wurr, A. J., & Hamilton, C. H. (2012). Leadership development in service-learning: An exploratory investigation. Journal of Higher Education Outreach and Engagement, 16(2), 213-237.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2024 Andrew Robinson, Robert Ame
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
