Collaborative Research Projects

Student Conceptions of International Experience (SCIE)

This is a joint research project of Northwestern's Buffett Center for International and Comparative Studies and the Searle Center for Teaching Excellence. The purpose of this research is to investigate and map out the variation in students' understanding and conceptions of international experience. The eventual goal of this project is to develop an assessment instrument (Micari et al., 2007) and collect data that will assist faculty and administrators in making more informed programming decisions with respect to the facilitation of study abroad learning outcomes.

Streitwieser, B., & Light, G. Study abroad and the easy promise of global citizenship: Student conceptions of a contested notion. (Under review)

Streitwieser, B., Wang, S. (2010). Using variation theory to understand student conceptions of international experience. Presentation for the Forum on Education Abroad Annual Conference. Charlotte, NC.
 
Streitwieser, B., Wang, S., & Light, G. (2010). The SCIE study: Student approaches to international education. Paper for the Comparative and International Education Society (CIES) Annual Conference. Chicago, IL.

Wang, S., Streitwieser, B., & Light, G. (2009). From the broad to the specific: Students reflecting on education abroad. Presentation for the International Society for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (ISSOTL) Annual Conference, Bloomington, IN.
 
Streitwieser, B., Wang, S., & Light, G. (2009). Buffett and Searle centers evaluate student conceptions of international experience. Buffett Center Newsletter. Available at: http://www.cics.northwestern.edu/publications/newsletters/

Streitwieser, B., Wang, S., & Light, G. (2009). Understanding student conceptions of international experience. Comparative and International Education Society Newsletter, 149.

Streitwieser, B. (2009). Student conceptions of global citizenship. Presentation at the Comparative and International Education Society(CIES) Annual Conference, Charleston, SC.

Streitwieser, B., Light, G., & Wang, S. (2009). The student conceptions of international experience study. Presentation at the American Educational Research Association (AERA) Annual Conference, San Diego, CA.

Micari, M.,Light, G., & Streitwieser, B (2007). Assessment beyond performance: Phenomenography in educational evaluation. American Journal of Evaluation,28, 4, 458-476.

Student Conceptions of International Experience (SCIE)

This project investigates two questions:

  • How do undergraduates who participate in different kinds of study abroad programs vary in their experience and understanding of international experience?
  • How do various program types shape students' conceptions of international experience?

The goals of the study are to develop an assessment instrument (Micari et al.,2007) and engage in data collection that will assist faculty and administrators in making more informed programming decisions that facilitate the study-abroad outcomes we foster as an institution. This project has four phases.

  1. Collecting qualitative (phenomenographic) data from an initial sample of 30 undergraduates with varied international exposure.
  2. Mapping conceptions of international experience among the sample.
  3. Developing and validating a pre- and post-program survey to be administered to all study-abroad students .
  4. Disseminating findings.

The project is jointly funded by Northwestern's Buffett Center for International and Comparative Studies and Searle Center for Teaching Excellence.