GENDER DIFFERENCES IN STUDENTS' EXPERIENCES OF STUDY ABROAD by ELIZABETH ...

91 Pages·2011·1.01 MB·English

GENDERDIFFERENCES IN STUDENTS' EXPERIENCES OF STUDY ABROAD
by
ELIZABETHNORA LOSTETTER
A THESIS
Presentedto the DepartmentofInternational Studies
and the Graduate School ofthe University ofOregon
inpartial fulfillment ofthe requirements
for the degree of
MasterofArts
June 2010

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AnAbstractofthe Thesis of
ElizabethNora Lostetter for the degree of Master ofArts
inthe DepartmentofInternational Studies to betaken June 2010
Title: GENDERDIFFERENCES IN STUDENTS' EXPERIENCES OF STUDY
ABROAD
Approved:
In the age ofglobalization, it is more importantthaneverthat students gain skills
thatenable them to communicate withpeople from othercultures. This research explored
the experiences ofstudy abroad participants and the special challengesthat men and
women faced during a study abroad program inItaly. While women's and men's
experiences are similar inmany ways, women's heightened concern for theirown
physical safety could leadto greater gains in intercultural competency. In addition,
women may have had increased interactions withpeople from other cultures. Men are
capable ofgaining intercultural competency ifthey prioritize intercultural interactionand
take stepsto seek itout.
IV
CURRICULUM VITAE
NAME OF AUTHOR: ElizabethNoraLostetter
PLACE OF BIRTH: Minneapolis, Minnesota
DATE OF BIRTH: May 7,1983
GRADUATE AND UNDERGRADUATE SCHOOLS ATTENDED:
University ofOregon
Macalester College, Minnesota
DEGREES AWARDED:
MasterofArts, International Studies, 2010, University ofOregon
Bachelor ofArts, Englishand Music, 2005, Macalester College
AREAS OF SPECIAL INTEREST:
Gender Studies
International Education
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE:
Study Abroad Advisor, Office ofInternational Affairs, University ofOregon,
2008-2010
EmollmentCoordinator, World Endeavors, 2006-2008
GRANTS, AWARDS AND HONORS:
ThurberAward for Overseas Study, University ofOregon, 2009
v
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I wishto express my sincere appreciationto Dr. Kathie Carpenterfor hercontinued
emotional supportandencouragementduring myentire graduate career. Inaddition, special
thanks aredueto myresearch subjects, whose willingness andenthusiasmforthis project
were inspiring. Iam very appreciative ofthetime andfeedback from myadditional
committee members, Dr. RobertDavis andKathy Poole, Director oflntemational Mfairs
atthethe University ofOregon. Finally, none ofthis wouldhave beenpossible withoutthe
love, guidance, and late-nightM&Ms providedto me by ChadGiusti. Thankyou.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Chapter Page
I. INTRODUCTION AND STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM............................... 1
Literature Review................................................................................................... 4
Intercultural Competency................................................................................. 4
Models ofIntercultural Competency............................................................... 9
Intercultural Competency inPractice............................................................... 13
Doing Gender................................................................................................... 17
Additional Theories ofGender......................................................................... 21
Study Abroad and Gender................................................................................. 23
Background Information........................................................................................ 26
II. METHODS.............................................................................................................. 29
The PerugiaProgram; SubjectDemographics....................................................... 30
Qualitative Methods............................................................................................... 31
Participant-0bservation................................................................................... 32
Interviews......................................................................................................... 33
Limitations............................................................................................................. 35
Vll
Chapter Page
III. GENDER SIMILARITIES IN STUDENTS' EXPERIENCES OF
STUDY ABROAD................................................................................................ 38
IV. GENDERDIFFERENCES IN STUDENTS' EXPERIENCES OF
STUDY ABROAD................................................................................................ 43
Personal Safety................................................................................................. 43
Females' Personal Safety Concerns............................................................ 43
Males' Lack ofPersonal Safety Concerns.................................................. 48
Intercultural Interactions.............................................. 52
The CautionPrinciple................................................................................. 56
"Skating"through the Culturevs. Gender Accountability......................... 60
Intersectionalities.......................................................................... 66
V. CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS................................................... 68
Programmatic Recommendations.................................................................... 70
Activities for Cross-Cultural GenderLearning in Study Abroad.................... 72
Gender and Public Space........................................................................... 72
Performing Gender ina Cross-Cultural Setting.. 73
Cross-Cultural GenderExpectations.......................................................... 75
Conclusion........................................................................................................ 77
APPENDIX: INTERVIEW QUESTIONS.................................................................. 78
REFERENCES............................................................................................................ 80
1
CHAPTERI
INTRODUCTIONAND STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
This study exploresthe gendered nature ofstudy abroad, and specificallyhow
male and female students' experiences ofa study abroad program differ from each
others'. Recent researchhas shownthat, onaverage, male and female students make
differentamounts ofprogress inintercultural competency overthe course ofthe same
study abroad programs (Vande Berg, 2009). Throughparticipant-observationof
American study abroad students inItaly and follow-up interviews sixmonths later, this
study seeks to explore the different ways that study abroad participants and Italianhost
nationals do gender ina cross-cultural setting. Ananalysis ofhow doing gender
influences students' opportunities for intercultural learning as well as recommendations
for programmatic changes in study abroadprograms follow.
Globalizationis making ourworld smallereveryday. The increased pace at
whichinformation is exchanged, the growing affordability and ease ofinternational
travel, andthe global interconnectedness ofoureconomymeans thatmore and more of
us are regularly coming into contactwithpeoplewho aredifferentthan ourselves.
Where earlier, we may have lived ina small Minnesotafarming town, perhaps similarto
the mythical Lake Woebegone, where everyone knew everyone else; now that town has
ubiquitous high-speed internet access and Hispanic kids are attending the local high
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school. Thegraduates ofthathigh schoolmay be living overseas in France, Egypt,
Thailand orIndia, and intheir lifetimes will bedealing with problemsthatare enormous
in scope: global warming, increasedmigration, a growing worldpopulation, terrorism
and manymore. Ouryoung people desperatelyneed skillsinorderto make themostof
the increaseddiversityofoursociety, and the direness ofour global problems. The
skillsmostdesperately needed are those which enableus to communicate effectively
withpeopleofdifferentcultural backgrounds.
The urgencyofour worldproblems means that we needto begin learning
effective intercultural communication as soonas possible. This is the kindof
communicationthatallows the farming kid from rural Minnesotato havea friendship
witha sophisticated Milanese. Intercultural communicationenables a businesswoman
from Chinato successfullynegotiate amerger indowntown Cairo. Itis intercultural
communication skills that give each ofus the opportunityto make meaningful
connectionswithpeoplewho are notexactly like us, who do notalways think like we do
orseethe worldthe exact same way. Intercultural communicationcanenrich ourlives
andhelp dissimilar peopleto worktogether more happilyandeffectively, as well ashelp
them avoid seriousmiscommunications, bad feelings, evenviolence. Intercultural
communicationhas the powerto change the world for the better, and inthe eraof
globalizationis crucialthat we all achieveat least some smallmeasure ofit.
Many universities and collegesprovide studyabroadprograms inhopes thattheir
students will be able to gain this essential ability. However, in the pastdecade or so
research has shownthat the actual results ofthese programs vary greatly. Itis difficult
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for universitiestojustifyencouraging studentsto undertake the large costs and
inconveniences ofspending a semesterormore abroad when many programs do not
bring abouta measurable increase inintercultural competency. In fact, for some
students, studying abroad seemsto actually decrease their interculturalproficiency.
Recently, MichaelVande Berg, etaI., publishedthe results ofa multi-year,
quantitative studythat was massive in scope. Forsixyears theymeasured the
intercultural development (as measured bythe Intercultural DevelopmentIndex (lDI)) of
study abroadparticipants enrolled in sixty-onedifferent programs. The IDI isa
quantitative measure ofintercultural development whichplaces students' attitudes about
othercultures along a continuum, from ethnocentricto ethnorelative (Bennett, 1993).
By measuring the students' position alongthe continuum at the beginning and the endof
theirstudy abroadprogram, the researchers were able to measure each students' gain (or
loss) inintercultural growth. The study abroadprograms whichthe students were
enrolledin varied induration, composition, academic focus, geographical locationand
host language- in short, a very diverse selectionofstudy abroadprograms. The students
surveyed numbered over 1100, a very robust sample size.
This study broughtto light a number ofsurprising findings, but one ofthe most
unexpected was the statistical difference the data showed in the intercultural
developmentofmale andfemale students during their study abroadprogram. "On
average, females inthis study made statisticallysignificant gains intheir intercultural
development while abroad. Male IDI scores, onaverage, infact mathematically
decreasedabroad" (Vande Berg, 2009, p. 20, italicsoriginal).