Year: 1996
Type: article
Abstract: Short Study Abroad Programsby Teresa Bruner Cox orientation n. 1. the act or process of orienting.... 4. the ascertainment of one's true position, as in a novel situation, with respect to attitudes, judgments, etc. 5. an introduction, as to guide one in adjusting to new surroundings, employment, activity, or the like.-The Random House Dictionary of the English Language Literature and research in the fields of intercultural communication and international educational exchange are in unanimous agreement on the importance of orientation, including pre-departure training, for participants in study abroad programs.It will be argued that appropriate and meaningful pre-departure training is essential for participants in short programs such as a university summer abroad program, just as it is for participants in longer programs such as a year abroad, in order to maximize intercultural learning.This paper will discuss why pre-departure training is useful and necessary, what a pre-departure orientation for a short summer abroad program should try to accomplish, and possible methods, techniques, and activities for carrying out such a pre-departure orientation course with Japanese university students bound for a summer program in the USA.67 Pre-Departure Training for Short Study Abroad Programs Why Pre-departure Training Is Necessary A study abroad program provides an invaluable opportunity for learning, not only learning about a new culture or foreign language, but also about the home country's culture, about oneself as an individual, and about the dynamic nature of culture and of human communication.However, in order to gain the maximum benefits from overseas travel and study, participants need to be prepared with appropriate skills, attitudes, and awareness, in addition to knowledge about the host country.Interculturalist John Condon argues that, for participants in overseas travel and study programs, "Something else is needed besides the will to know people of other cultures, and that is a PreParation for learning from one's exPeriences... Unless one is prepared to interpret what is happening, unless one is open to learn about one's own culturally infiuenced behavior as well as that of others, much that might have been gained will have been lost."(Condon, p. 52) Donald Batchelder of the Experiment in International Living, which pioneered the art of intercultural training for study abroad programs, asserts that "Cross-cultural preparation has to be concerned with developing approaches to the overseas experience ... which help the student to open up to communication, friendship, and learning in ways accePtable to the hosts...We want each participant to have as profound an experience abroad as his or her capacities allow."(Batchelder, 1993b: 60) Without a good pre-departure orientation, participants may be ill-prepared for their experience and may fail to respond appropriately in the new culture.Some participants may be overwhelmed by the experience, or may fail to benefit from many of the opportunities available to them in the host
Author: Teresa Bruner Cox
Language: English
Subfield: Communication
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
SDG: Quality education
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W379147208