Transcending National Identity? U.S. and European University Students and Conceptions of Citizenship Identity through Study Abroad/Mobility Experiences

Author(s):

Bernhard Streitwieser(presenting / submitting)

Conference:

ECER 2011

Network:

22. Research in Higher Education

Format:

Paper

Session Information

22 SES 07 A, Inclusion and Diversity in Higher Education Settings

Paper Session

Time:

2011-09-14

16:45-18:15

Room:

L 201,1 FL., 40

Chair:

Aidan Seery

Contribution

This research details how two samples of students—one from the United States and one from the European Erasmus Programme—think about and develop their citizenship identity through study abroad and mobility experiences and, in turn, how those may translate into professional competency afterwards.

In an age in which the very idea of globalization is widely used in popular discourse and variously interpreted in the educational research literature (Spring 2008), more studies over the past decade have sought to explore the competencies students gain when they engage in international learning and what they do with those afterwards (Musil 2006; Deardorff, 2009). Among the special competencies associated with study abroad/mobility, while the notion of ‘Global Citizenship’ has been generally classified as one of several intercultural learning gains, little consensus exists about how to actually define or measure what it means, what it should look like in practice, and how it can be measured as a critical outcome (Deardorff 2006; Hovland 2006; Streitwieser, 2009; under review; Zemach-Bersin, 2009). While many studies have indeed looked at particular aspects of the student learning experience and identity formation during study abroad and longer term (Dolby 2004; Paige, Fry, Stallman, Jon, and Josic, in press) empirical studies of ways that study abroad/mobility students actually understand their identity, particularly as ‘Global Citizens,’ have not been undertaken.

The question of citizenship has always been a complicated one, no less in this age of globalization where the increasing worldwide mobility of university students poses new questions and challenges. In the United States, much of the promotion of study abroad within higher education is made with a simple promise: 'If you study abroad you will become a global citizen' (Streitwieser, 2009; under review). This claim, however, is rarely accompanied by a definition of what global citizenship actually means and how it will be achieved. Within the European Union, on the other hand, the opportunity to engage in educational mobility at the tertiary level has been championed as an important vehicle for creating a feeling of 'European Citizenship' among young Europeans, while 'global citizenship' as an enticement has not been used. In fact, some scholars feel that Europeans have already long felt themselves to be global citizens, while their views on European citizenship, on the other hand, are another matter (deWit, 2009).

This presentation will share findings from a comparative study supported by two university research centers and a Fulbright grant of U.S. and European students’ reactions to and conceptions of citizenship as it relates to their international educational experiences. Further, the data on European students will focus on how their citizenship identity and allegiance—that is, national, regional and global citizenship—has developed through study in the Erasmus program.

Method

Guided by the Variation Theory of Learning and the research method Phenomenography (Marton and Booth 1997), U.S. and European students in the study participated in in-depth qualitative interviews and a follow up survey to capture their view of citizenship identification through study abroad/mobility. Phenomenography is a qualitative research paradigm that investigates different ways students in higher education learn. It is primarily based on in-depth interviews that seek to identifying the totality of different ways learners experience or understand a shared phenomenon in a particular context, in this case study abroad/mobility. Marton (1994) describes the approach as ‘the empirical study of the limited number of qualitatively different ways in which we experience, conceptualize, understand, perceive, [or] apprehend various phenomena (p. 4424).’ Phenomenography is, thus, not so much concerned with describing individual students as it is with mapping out a complete typology of different ways they may understand a particular concept or learning experience, and how those understandings are empirically distinct. This research approach has proven particularly useful in providing in-depth insights into how particular inputs—programs, courses and teaching—lead to stronger outputs—meaningful experiences, learning and knowledge development.

Expected Outcomes

This research and its typology shows how a sample of U.S. and European students understands citizenship identity, engages in international education, and benefits from mobility to become more sentient members of the global community. Despite some obvious historical and present day explanations for the students’ conceptions, early findings are interesting. While European students are quick to claim a national allegiance first, their concept of a shared European identity belies a deeper internal struggle. Most react skeptically to the viability of global citizenship but acknowledge responsibility toward a global citizenry. Many accept the idea that a shared, if complex, European identity may eventually develop. Conversely, American students avoid a national-regional identity struggle and more readily accept the notion of global citizenship with its ethos of mutual responsibility. This may be because of their country’s world power status and the parochialism of many students inexperienced abroad (Stearns, 2009). However, this stance, if perhaps naïve, indicates they would be less cautious in embarking on an international career, which could have important future implications. The presentation will conclude with reflections on the theoretical and practical meaning of these findings for students, policy makers and education providers, and engage the audience in a lively discussion.

References

Deardorff, D. 2006). Identification and Assessment of Intercultural Competence as a Student Outcome of Internationalization; Journal of Studies in International Education, 10(3), 241-266. Deardorff, D. 2009. Understanding the Challenges of Assessing Global Citizenship. In R. Lewin (Ed.) The Handbook of Practice and Research in Study Abroad: Higher Education and the Quest for Global Citizenship. New York: Routledge. Pp. 346-364. de Wit, H. 2009. Global Citizenship and Study Abroad: A European Comparative Perspective. In R. Lewin (Ed.), The Handbook of Practice and Research in Study Abroad: Higher Education and the Quest for Global Citizenship. New York: Routledge. Pp. 212-229. Dolby, N. 2004. Encountering an American Self: Study Abroad and National Identity. Comparative Education Review, 48(2), 150-173. Hovland, K. 2006. Shared Futures: Global Learning and Liberal Education. Washington, DC: AAC&U. Marton, F. 1994. Phenomenography. In T. Husen and N. Postlethwaite (Eds.), The International Encyclopedia of Education. 2nd ed., Vol. 8, Oxford, UK: Pergamon, 4424-4429. Marton, F., and Booth, S. 1997. Learning and Awareness. New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. Musil, C. M. 2006. Assessing Global Learning: Matching Good Intentions with Good Practice. Washington, DC: AAC&U. Paige, R.M., Fry, G., Stallman, E., Jon, J., and Josic, J. (in press). Study abroad for global engagement: The long-term impact of mobility experiences. Intercultural Education. Spring, J. 2008. Research on globalization and education. Review of Educational Research, 78(2), 330-363. Stearns, P. 2009. Educating Global Citizens in Colleges and Universities: Challenges and Opportunities. New York: Routledge. Streitwieser, B. and Light, G. Study Abroad and the easy promise of global citizenship. (Under review) Zemach-Bersin, T. 2009. Selling the World: Study Abroad Marketing and the Privatization of Global Citizenship. In R. Lewin (Ed.) The Handbook of Practice and Research in Study Abroad: Higher Education and the Quest for Global Citizenship. New York: Routledge. Pp. 303-320.

Author Information

Bernhard Streitwieser (presenting / submitting)

Northwestern University, USA

Searle Center for Teaching Excellence

Berlin

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