The cultural mentor in the classroom

1. Kacy M. Peckenpaugh, PhD Asst. Prof. of German and French Weber State University WISE 2014 Presentation The cultural mentor in the classroom

2. Point of Departure • Wise 2010 • Post-study abroad student panel • Developing Intercultural Competence • Process (Deardorff, 2006) “And so it is also true of study abroad experiences; it is not the activity of leaving one’s homeland that creates learning, but the subsequent analysis of that activity where the real learning begins” Montrose, 2002, p. 6-7 • Cultural Mentor as a catalyst

3. The need for reflection “Study after study demonstrates the importance of providing learners with cultural content such as value orientations, communication styles, nonverbal communication, conflict styles, and ways of learning. This knowledge enables them to become more culturally self-aware and more observant of cultural patterns different from their own. . . . Cultural content anchors the intercultural experience by serving as a foundation for reflection and learning. . . . It is only through ongoing reflection that students make meaning of their intercultural encounters. They begin to challenge their own cultural assumptions, consider other cultural perspectives, and shift their frame of reference to the particular cultural context.” VandeBerg, Paige, & Hemming Lou, 2012, p. 54

4. Post-study abroad cultural mentor • Goal: help students unpack experiences • Foster/facilitate ongoing reflection through cultural content • Course • 3-credit general education course • Content • “Experiencing Intercultural Communication” • Martin & Nakayama (2011) • Cultural simulations, films, classroom and online discussion

5. Study 3: Moving Beyond “I Learned How to Pack Light and Effectively:” Helping Students Translate Study Abroad Experiences for the Real World • “Students have given very little thought to how their study abroad has shaped and prepared them for the world of work. In other words, graduating seniors have flunked one of their most important exams – the hiring interview because they were not prepared with appropriate examples of skills required from their international experiences.” Gardner, Gross, & Steglitz, 2008, p. 1 • Are post-study abroad students who enroll in a course designed to foster the development of intercultural competence better able to articulate what they learned than post-study abroad students who did not enroll in such a course?

6. Data • Final Exams of six post-study abroad students enrolled in intercultural communication course (avg. 1408 words/student) • Online survey responses from 34 post-study abroad students (avg. 160 words/student) Post-SA & course Post-SA no course

7. Frequency Analysis • Course students 89/8,449 • Non-course students • 67/5,432

8. Codes

9. Codes

10. Sociocultural Approach • Humans do not simply “act directly on the physical world” but, instead, use symbolic tools and signs to “mediate and regulate [their] relationships with others and with [themselves] and thus change the nature of these relationships” (Lantolf, 2000, p. 1). • “Tools serve to master nature; signs serve to influence others, then to master oneself” (Kramsch, 2000, p. 137). • Process (Kramsch, 2000) • scientific concepts as tools • use of tools to complete assignment • tools used as sign to convey a specific meaning • signs may be internalized and then alter how a student views the world

15. Conclusions & Limitations • Clear that all students had learned something – similar to Root & Ngampornchai (2012) • Non-course students superficial everyday concepts • “I learned how to effectively communicate with different types of people and cultures.” • Course students more specific “scientific” concepts • “I would have been scared to move to Paris . . . but now knowing that culture is learned is empowering in aspirations to live abroad; I have the resources to learn properly, and the motivation to challenge myself to live in a culture different from my own.” • Cultural mentor at post-SA stage can help students reflect on assumptions, ethics, and self to unpack intercultural experiences • Limitations/ Future studies • Final exam v. online responses • actual performance in job interview • backgrounds (major)