Context, Curriculum, and Community Engagement in Social Justice-Focused Study Abroad Programs

Abstract

The authors present findings from their study of how preservice teachers (PSTs) experienced and conceptualized social justice during two study abroad (SA) programs to Honduras and Tanzania. This study examined instructor intentionality (II), the purposefulness on the part of instructors in designing the goals and objectives of study abroad through a selection of context, curriculum, and community engagement. Intentional programming that sought to unfossilize prejudices by providing non-Western-centric curricula was emphasized. In this case study, authors analyzed and interpreted data using a framework for social justice rooted in three components: redistribution, recognition, and representation. The themes discussed in this chapter address (1) the influence of partnerships with community members in the development of social justice curricula; (2) differences across SA programs indicative of multiple approaches to social justice; and (3) various contexts, experiences, and curricula in cultivating social justice-minded educators.

Study Abroad Participants’ Reflections on Relationship Development: The Role of Context, Curriculum, and Community Engagement

“…Mule et al (2018) called for more intentional programming toward global citizenship, and Tarrant et al (2014) focused on the location and academic programming of the study abroad program. Short-term study abroad program leaders' attention to the contextual, curricular, and community engagement components of the program enhances study abroad participants' experiences (Chhikara et al, 2021).…”

“…The instructors' choice of study abroad destination informs and contributes to the learning objectives and outcomes for the participants (Chhikara et al, 2021). Regions of the world that capture underrepresented minorities' ethnic and historical backgrounds (i.e., non-European) are less popular among study abroad destinations for U.S. students (Institute of International Education [IIE], 2019).…”

“…As Chhikara et al (2021) described, program leaders' intentionality about context, curriculum, and community engagement was important for ensuring that program participants have opportunities to explore relationships between these dimensions and the program goals. Here, we highlight these three dimensions.…”

“…Eighty-two percent of the respondents participated in the program as sophomores or juniors. The survey respondents were representative of the overall TSAP participant population in terms of gender, race, major, and year in university In an overview of our survey findings (i.e., Chhikara et al, 2021), we reported how TSAP fit into participants' life journeys by synthesizing responses related to what led them to select the program, their experiences during the program, and how the program subsequently impacted their lives. For this article, we explored the answers to five open-ended questions in which participants were asked to reflect on their TSAP experiences.…”

“…Studies have suggested that various aspects of these programs, including program duration (Coker et al, 2018), context (Chhikara et al, 2021), and activities (Wood et al, 2011) are important factors that impact the outcomes and that unintended consequences can also occur. For example, without intentional action and programming that celebrates and works to develop understandings of host communities, U.S. students may exhibit American exceptionalism (Breen, 2012).…”