Laurie Smith
1
;
James Simon
2
;
Zoila Gordon
3
;
Rachel Allinson
1
1 - California State University, San Bernardino.
2 - California State University, Los Angeles.
3 - University of Massachusetts Global.
Resumen
The poster presentation examines student reflections on the impact of the study abroad experience in areas such as national diversities, cultural awareness and humility, professional and personal growth, and most impactful and transformative experiences.\ The social work profession has long recognized the importance of human rights and engaging in anti-racism, anti-oppression, diversity, equity, and inclusion (CSWE, EPAS 2022). Gaining a perspective on global human rights requires, at a minimum, information about the world. Although study abroad programs for social work students have existed for decades, a recent literature review characterized this research as “nascent (Gearing et al., 2020). A common thread in social work international field placements and study abroad is student transformation which represents a life-changing, personal, and professional experience (Colton \& Thompson, 2017; Lough, 2009). While the topic of diversity among students who participate in study abroad and differences in their experiences has been explored by Chang (2017) and Salisbury and colleagues (2011), there is limited research exploring the transformative nature of study abroad trips among diverse students. Much existing research is limited to one study abroad site and often only one trip. The poster will present a content analysis of over 40 MSW student reflections after a study abroad experience. The sample covers three years and two study-abroad sites. One study abroad site was in Panama, while the other was in Italy. The poster will discuss the results from the analysis using the following themes: (1) Community, (2) Adaptation, (3) Empowerment / Inspiration / Transformation, \& (4) Culture. The poster will discuss how the themes above emerged from analyses of student presentations regarding study abroad experiences that were the most impactful and transformational.
Palabras Clave (separar con comas)
Diversity, Research, Content Analysis, Study Abroad, Transformative, Global Human Rights, Student Reflections, Panama, Italy, Empowerment, Culture, Community, High Impact Learning, Emerging Themes