Study Abroad Strengths-Based Curriculum: Advancing Self-Reflection and Relationship-Building Leadership Skills

Immersion in a strengths-based, study abroad program provided extensive opportunity for leadership growth. Navigating the unknown added to the challenge students experienced during their student-organized activities. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore how a strengths-based curricula design advanced the leadership competency levels of self-reflection and relationship building during a graduate, short-term study abroad program. The findings show before and during the program, self-reflection led to thoughtful discussions, which led to valuing differences. Self-reflection contributed to deeper self-awareness of how an individual’s primary strengths and blind spots led to mutual respect. On-going mutual respect enhanced relationships through appreciation for diversity. The strengths-based knowledge aided in acknowledging and valuing differences in one another, which positively impacted relationships

Building Resilience Through Strengths-Based Learning During Graduate Study Abroad: An Exploratory Study

Resilience has been identified as an essential skill for leaders (Basso, Gruendel, Key, MacBlaine, & Reynolds, 2015) and as crucial for navigating both school and life challenges (Yeager & Dweck, 2012). Research indicates that there are a variety of ways to build resilience, including in educational settings (Yeager & Dweck, 2012). Higher education institutions utilize pedagogical practices to maximize student learning and growth opportunities (Rennick, 2015). One pedagogical frame often employed is experiential education. College and university faculty have embedded experiential learning pedagogy in the curriculum to facilitate learning outside the classroom (Liang, Caton, & Hill, 2015; Jordan, Gagnon, Anderson, & Pilcher, 2018; Towers & Loyness, 2018). Additionally, experiential education principles have been integrated with study abroad curriculum to support student learning (Harper, 2018; Pipitone and Raghaven, 2017; Pipitone, 2018). Educators are interested in learning more about the potential effect of strengths-based initiatives in higher education (Soria & Stubblefield, 2015a). While scholars have reported on the benefits of utilizing a strengths-based curriculum for personal development (Passerilli, Hall, & Anderson, 2010), much work is still needed to explore the potential outcomes of strengths-based education on resilience development. This research sought to address the gap in the literature using a short-term graduate study abroad program embedded with experiential education practices to examine how the pedagogy design contributed to students’ perceived growth in resilience. The strengths-based curricular design included approximately sixty hours of strengths-based instruction prior to the trip and fourteen days of applying the common strengths language to enhance learning experiences and mitigate challenges