Evaluating and measuring international-mindedness

Dr. Richard Harwood / CEM / Durham

University

CEM• Assessment• Ability, attainment, attitudes• Reporting

– Baseline– Predictions– Progress

• Evidence for education, social and health outcomes

International-mindedness• definition of ‘international-mindedness’ [‘global consciousness’]

• How can it be communicated?

• How does it manifest itself and develop as students mature?

• How can it be nurtured and assessed?

Three Driving Ideas to Remember – CIS, 8th edn.

InternationalismMission-driven Vision-led

Student Learning and Well- being

Capturing and assessing international-mindedness

Capturing and assessing international-mindedness

Moving Beyond the ‘Five Fs’

Fashion

Flags

Festivals

Food

Fieldtrips

Capturing and assessing international-mindedness

Capturing and assessing

international-mindedness

FoodFashion

Language

Festivals

Visual Arts Performing

Arts

Flags

Beliefs ValuesPerceptions

Assumptions Rules

ExpectationsNorms

Thought Processes

Learning Styles

Time-Orientation Status

Gender Roles

Space-OrientationNon-Verbal

Communication

Notions of:

• Beauty• Self• Modesty• Courtesy• Aging• Friendship• Cleanliness

The Cultural I ceberg

Factors viewed from

multipleperspectives

that help embed global

citizenship

iS Journal Vol. XXX, No. 1Nov. 2010

Looking beneath the tip of the iceberg: cultural intelligence in international education

Chapter on the ‘Art

of Failure’

‘Choking’ and

‘Panicking’

intrinsic and

extrinsic learning

Capturing and assessing international-mindedness

• Explore the notion of what it means to be a ‘good national and international citizen’ – origins – danger of ‘cultural colonialism’

• Need to consider a broader and deeper definition of culture than traditional/conventional views of culture defined by nationality, geography and history.

• Distinction between ‘awareness’ and ‘attitude’ – awareness can function entirely at a cognitive level, whereas attitude conveys a sense of action that stems from the affective domain and includes commitment.

A possible definition:

International-mindedness (global consciousness) is a person’s capacity to transcend the limits of a worldview informed by a single experience of nationality, creed, culture or philosophy and recognise in the richness of diversity a multiplicity of ways of engaging with the world

Profiling ‘international-mindedness’

The framework, given the working title of ‘Me and My World’, covers the five areas (or strands) represented as shown:

World ViewsThis strand explores the way students think of (and interactwith) their peers, the local community, their host country and the wider world. It encourages awareness of cultural and ethnicdiversity, tolerance and acceptance.• Awareness of different religions worldviews and their impact on

society• Consideration of different political ideals and systems• Multiculturalism, cosmopolitanism, citizenship and nationality• Migration and political asylum – impact on home communities• ‘First nationals’ and ethnicity

Capturing and assessing international-mindedness

matrix of the types of evidence

evidence that could contribute to the evaluation and help draw up the ‘surveys’

Levels of relevance

Content from different areas – e.g. Islam

Syllabuses used

School –philosophy,delivery,accreditation

Personal –student development, tutoring

Curriculum –exemplars used in courses

Reporting International Mindedness

• Measures for your own students• How does everyone else in the sample respond?• How do my students’ measures compare?• Are my students’ results significant?

Your school’s percentage

The total sample’s percentage

The colour of the bar indicates significance

Measure the impact of an International Mindedness Intervention

• Measure your students’ attitudes (baseline chart)• Carry out the intervention• After a suitable period of time, re-measure your students’ attitudes

(progress chart)• Look for changes in responses and note significance

Can help you to:• Know what works• Apply for funding• Fulfil aims of mission statement• Meet accreditation criteria

Pre-Intervention Baseline Post Intervention

Intervention

Charts can be split by (for example):

• Gender• Culture• Home Country• British Council Schools• Native Language

Capturing and assessing international-mindedness

rickharwood@btinternet.com

Kate.Bailey@cem.dur.ac.uk