This paper examines whether short-term cross-cultural study tours enhance the four factors of cultural intelligence (CQ): metacognition, cognition, motivation and behavior. CQ has exhibited high correlations between higher levels of CQ and positive attitudinal and behavioral outcomes. As a capability, CQ appears malleable and, thus, open to change and improvement. Data were collected from working professionals in an MBA program both before and after participating in an experientially oriented 11-or 12-day short-term cross-cultural study tour. Results supported three of the four hypotheses, suggesting that short-term cross-cultural study tours exhibited a significant relationship with enhanced metacognitive CQ, cognitive CQ and motivational CQ. The results did not reveal a significant relationship between the study tours and behavioral CQ.

As society trends towards increased cultural diversity, the need for cultural competence in the field of occupational therapy (OT) becomes more acute. Immersion in another culture within the curriculum offers the student an opportunity to put their knowledge into practice and recognize the need to competently interact with members of another culture. This study explored the impact of a service learning trip to Haiti, providing seating and mobility services, on all four factors of cultural intelligence (CQ; i.e., metacognitive CQ, cognitive CQ, motivational CQ, behavioral CQ) for occupational therapy doctoral (OTD) students. Using the cultural intelligence scale (CQS), a one-group pretest-posttest design with a paired-samples t-test (α < 0.05) rejected the null hypotheses to support service learning as a pedagogy which enhanced the four factors of CQ for the sample. With increased emphasis on producing culturally sensitive OTD professionals, service learning projects in a cross-cultural setting as a pedagogy extend beyond skill development (e.g., wheelchair fittings) to building coping strategies for interacting with clients (metacognitive CQ), enhancing knowledge of culture (cognitive CQ), persisting to overcome any cultural barriers (motivational CQ), and building the behavioral repertoire (behavioral CQ) of occupational therapists. Contrasting the results from this study with research into the efficacy of short-term study tours, service learning positively impacts behavioral CQ, whereas shortterm study tours do not have the same impact. This article details the service learning project and provides recommendations for future research.

Occupational therapists must demonstrate a broad spectrum of knowledge, clinical reasoning skills, and professionalism to be effective practitioners. Development of ethical practice must begin with the educational process to shape character traits as building blocks of moral reasoning. This article puts forth a cross-cultural service learning curricular module as lived experience for development of character traits in occupational therapy students. This mixed methods study investigated lived experience in the form of cross-cultural service learning as a pedagogy for development of character traits, as measured by the CIVIC, necessary to navigate professional ethical standards. Findings suggest a cross-cultural lived experience for occupational therapy doctoral students providing seating and mobility services in Guatemala significantly impacted character traits associated with professional ethical standards. Similar lived experience embedded in an occupational therapy curriculum may contribute to character development to guide ethical practice for the next generation of occupational therapists. CommentsNathan Short reports no conflicts of interest to disclose.

As cultural diversity continues to rise globally, there is an evident need for culturally competent care, especially within the client-centered field of occupational therapy. Previous research has shown that occupational therapy doctoral (OTD) students who participated in international service-learning demonstrated an immediate positive impact on their cultural competence. The current study revisits these same doctoral students to examine the long-term impact of international service-learning experiences at six-month, one-year, two-year, and three-year intervals following the initial experience. The researchers conducted a mixed methods study with a pre-test post-test design, utilizing the Cultural Intelligence Scale (CQS), as well as qualitative responses in the form of written reflection. Results emphasized the significant short-term impact on the CQS, with the entire sample (N=40) demonstrating statistically significant results immediately after the experience on all four factors: metacognition, cognition, motivational, and behavioral. Metacognition demonstrated significant long-term impact at the three-year and one-year intervals. Other factors of the CQS remained above baseline levels, however, were not statistically significant. It appears international service-learning has an immediate impact but does "decay" over time, encouraging additional experience to solidify change. Implications and limitations are presented.

Date Presented 04/20/2023 Recipients (N = 86) of seating and mobility services in El Salvador, provided by OTs using a short-term medical mission (STMM) model, reported a statistically significant (p &lt; .001; d &gt; 1) performance improvement in in-home and out-of-home occupations with a large effect size. In comparison with prior research related to the provision of seating and mobility services in low- and middle-income countries, the findings emphasize the importance of education and training. Primary Author and Speaker: Isaac Short Additional Authors and Speakers: Heather Y. Z. St. Peters Contributing Authors: Jonah Eckert, Natalie Grady, Holly Weber, Erin Mohr