How International Experience Affects Teaching

Abstract

This paper explicates the causal linkages between short-term study abroad experiences of college faculty and the global content of their classroom teaching. Information for the study comes from self-report and extensive interviews with faculty who traveled to locations in Central America, South America, Southern Africa and India. Earlier research by the authors shows that these study abroad experiences have a positive impact on `globalizing' "the participants' teaching. However, the process leading to this effect needs clarification. After describing the context for the present research and the methods used for the qualitative analysis, connections evident in the experiences of the travel seminar participants are used to construct a causal process theory. This theory explicates the linkage between travel and teaching by stating that experience abroad enhances social and self awareness of participants which in turn leads to changes in their teaching (i. e., increased global content). Key examples found in the statements of the participants are used to elucidate this theory. The paper concludes with a discussion of the results and their implications for people who design and participate in faculty study abroad programs.