Spenader, A. J., & Retka, P. (2015). The role of pedagogical variables in intercultural development: A study of faculty-led programs. Frontiers: The Interdisciplinary Journal of Study Abroad, 25, 20-36.
The study focused on the impact of studying abroad on students. The students went to five countries: Chile, Ireland, Guatemala, South Africa, and Spain. Students who went to study abroad at Chili and Guatemala participated in service-learning for 20-25 hours, and the study abroad trip was related to the course and had a homestay. Students who went to South Africa also participated in service learning for 90 hours, and the study abroad trip was related to the course and stayed with peers. Students who went to Spain and Ireland did not have a service-learning experience, but the trip was related to the topics taught in the course. Students did a homestay in Spain and stayed with peers in Ireland. Students did a pre-post IDI, and the results of the pre-post test revealed that all the student groups except Ireland 2011 demonstrated a gain in the DO scores.
Further paired t-test results demonstrated that student groups who went to Chile in 2010, Chile in 2011, and South Africa in 2012 demonstrated significant gains in DO in the post-test results. The study also demonstrated that variables such as language, housing, or kind of academic program did not have any relationship with the gains in the DO score. But the type of project that students did have some impact on intercultural learning. For example, students who went to Chile and South Africa worked on a service-learning project, whereas others worked on a non-service-learning project. The study also mentioned that role of the cultural mentor could be another possible reason for the gains in DO scores.
2015
Quantitative
International Education
2011-2015