Download - Educational travel: developing international competencies (English version)

1. Introduction

2. Objectives

3. Research method

4. Findings

5. Theoretical and practical implications

Content

E. van 't Klooster www.getupandgo.nl

Towards an international perspective

Opportunities

1) International business

2) Discover new ways of living


Ontological insecurity

1) International value chains, global reorganizations, interdependent markets.

2) Global power is shifting from West to East. Cultural differences increase the chance of conflicts in international business and politics.


Higher Education and Internationalization

Educational travel: • Study abroad • International internship • Study tour • International research project.

It is unclear what competencies should be learned.


Research objectives

1) Which competencies are developed?

2) How does cultural distance influence the learning of competencies?

3) What are the practical implications for learning programs?


Relevance

1) Education: Increase effectiveness and efficiëncy of the learning experience.

2) Students: Articulate learning experience towards recruiters.

3) Business: More students with international work experience.

4) Government: Prepare students for an uncertain and international society.


Research method

Literature study 1) Educational travel 2) Expatriates 3) Management skills 4) Learning Empirical research 1) 967 questionnaires among international interns

2) 116 evaluation reports of participants in the ‘International

Research Project’


Findings competence framework

1) Cross-cultural competencies

2) Management competencies

3) Personal development


Cross-cultural competencies

Relationship Foreign language proficiency Factual cultural knowledge

Relationship efficacy

Perceptual Conceptual cultural knowledge Contextual cultural knowledge


Management competencies

Technical knowledge Quantitative skills

Functional knowledge International business

knowledge

Intrapersonal Problem solving skills

Interpersonal Collaboration

Communication


Personal development

Independence

Flexibility

Self awareness Expanded view of the self

Self-assurance

Expanded worldview Perceptual questioning skills Awareness of the state of the

world


Cultural distance

Huntington, S. P. (1993). The clash of civilizations. Foreign Affairs 72(3): 22-49.


Theoretical implications

My research confirms that: 1. Students learn a significant amount of competencies during

educational travel experiences.

2. The learning process is hampered by: • Spending too little time abroad. • Staying in an ‘expat bubble’. • Poor quality of employment.

3. A support structure would help students to gain more from their international experience.


Implications for learning programs

The importance of reflective learning: 1) Assess the progress made in competence learning.

2) To understand initially vague concepts such as underlying cultural values.

3) Realistically assess the learning process.


For more information: Erik van ‘t Klooster Puntegaalstraat 45 3024 EB Rotterdam The Netherlands Telephone: +316-54386822 Email: [email protected] Website: www.getupandgo.nl