Intercultural Learning Abroad During the COVID Pandemic
Session We1: Nov 10, 11:45 AM
Abrstract:
The qualitative data analyzed in this presentation come from various sources of written excerpts from students who studied abroad in 2019-2020 academic year through the University of Rhode Island International Engineering Program (IEP). They had to interrupt their internships due to the recall to their home campus caused by the pandemic. We used their essay, poster, journal prompt responses collected through assignments in the 6 credit language courses they were enrolled in during their study and internship abroad as well as their responses to a Covid survey we administered post-recall. We will compare ICC development pre- and post-pandemic return home. These textual data were quantified through a coding scheme that aligned relevant passages with the paper’s theoretical framework (Michael Byram's five "saviors" of intercultural competence) to understand how students developed intercultural competencies during the semester of study abroad in Fall 2019 and the beginning of their international internship in Spring 2020 (which was then interrupted by the pandemic).