Spatial Theorizing in Comparative and International Education Research

The authors argue for a critical spatial perspective in comparative and international education. We briefly summarize how time and space have been conceptualized within our field. We then review mainstream social science literature that reflects a metanarrative, which we critique for contributing to false dichotomies between space and place and oversimplified views of the relationship between the global and the local. We present some of the key ideas associated with the “spatial turn,” including a relational understanding and productive capacity of space. In the final part of this article, we analyze the significance of new spatial theorizing for comparative and international education by reviewing examples of both comparative and educational researchers who are engaging with critical spatial theorizing. We argue that a possible way to confront binary thinking about space and place is by shifting attention to the relational conceptions of space, through analyses of networks, connections, and flows.Fil: Larsen, Marianne A.. No especifica;Fil: Beech, Jason. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentin

Critical Global Citizenship and International Service Learning

This article is based on a case study analyzing the impact of a long-term international service learning (ISL) internship on 8 university students. Specifically, the study set out to understand how ISL can contribute to developing university students as critically engaged global citizens. A conceptual framework of Critical Global Citizenship provides the basis for the study and analysis of the data.  There are 2 inter-related components of the conceptual framework used to understand critical global citizenship: Awareness/Analysis and Action/Engagement. Awareness/Analysis includes 4 dimensions: Awareness of Difference, the Self, Global Issues and Responsibility. Action/Engagement includes 3 dimensions: Self, Civic and Social Justice Action. The study aimed to understand what kinds of global citizens are constructed through ISL, and some of the variables (e.g. gender, background experience) that have an impact on these processes. There were three data sources: online intern blogs, a pre- and post-survey, and an interview following their internship. Data analysis demonstrates that while there is evidence that students shifted towards becoming global citizens, in most cases this shift did not incorporate critically, engaged forms of global citizenship, especially those related to social justice action. This international experience operated in ways to reinforce global citizenship dispositions, attitudes and actions that had already been previously formed in these students. This points to the importance of considering the intensification effect of long-term international experiences on the development of students as global citizens

International Service-Learning: Rethinking the Role of Emotions

Existing research on international service-learning (ISL) only implicitly alludes to emotions or considers emotions as a limited vehicle through which the more important work of learning occurs. This study set out to shift this focus on emotions to show how emotions are an integral part of the overall ISL experience. The aim was to understand how an ISL internship was an emotional experience for the student participants through the lens of noncognitive process theory of emotions. This was a qualitative case study of the experiences of 10 university students who engaged in an ISL internship in East Africa. Data collection instruments included preinternship surveys and emotional mind maps, postinternship surveys, and interviews. The study demonstrated that ISL can be a highly charged, emotional experience for student participants. The author argues that emotional responses are not simply a limited catalyst through which learning and transformation transpires, but constitutes forms of understanding in and of themselves. This points to the need for ISL researchers and practitioners to shift their preconceptions about the value of emotions in learning and transformation processes and attend to the emotional dimensions of ISL in their research and the implementation of these programs

Internationalization in Canadian Higher Education: A Case Study of the Gaps between Official Discourses and On-the-Ground Realities

Abstract This case study about one university’s internationalization initiative, known as North Goes South, provides a nuanced and finely grained understanding of what internationalization looks like in practice. The study was guided by a desire to probe the perceived impact of a Canadian–East African internationalization initiative on students, faculty, and Tanzanian community members. The article begins with a brief review of the literature on internationalization and higher education in Canada. The rationale for using a case-study methodology is presented, along with the background and context of the case. Following an outline of the research methods, the study results are reviewed to show the complex and contradictory ways in which this internationalization initiative played out in one higher education setting, pointing to the gap between official discourses of internationalization and on-the-ground realities. Résumé Connue sous l’appellation « North Goes South » (Le Nord va au Sud), cette étude de cas concernant l’initiative d’internationalisation d’une université en particulier fournit une compréhension nuancée et finement détaillée de ce à quoi ressemble l’internationalisation dans la pratique. L’étude a été guidée par un désir de sonder l’effet perçu d’une initiative d’internationalisation canadienne-est-africaine sur les étudiants, le corps professoral et les membres de la communauté tanzanienne. L’article débute par une brève recension des écrits sur l’internationalisation et l’enseignement supérieur au Canada. Nous y justifions l’utilisation d’une méthodologie d’étude de cas et y présentons le fond et le contexte du cas en question. Nous dessinons ensuite les méthodes de recherche et examinons les résultats de l’étude afin de révéler les manières complexes et contradictoires de concrétisation de cette initiative d’internationalisation dans un cadre d’enseignement supérieur, soulignant ainsi l’écart existant entre les discours officiels d’internationalisation et les réalités sur le terrain

Globalisation and Internationalisation of Teacher Education: A Comparative Case Study of Canada and Greater China

This article begins with a brief overview of the relationship between globalisation and the internationalisation of higher education. This serves as a backdrop for the focus of the article, which is the internationalisation of teacher education. In order to see the diverse ways that teacher education programs have been internationalised over the past 15 years, a case study comparing internationalisation initiatives in Greater China and Canada is presented. This comparative case study demonstrates how different globalising processes influence various forms of internationalisation. Comparison also sheds light on the importance of attending not only to broader, global processes, but specific, local contextual factors. Rather than consider internationalisation as one set of practices that have been taken up globally, this article suggests that there are many different forms of internationalisation in teacher education that are influenced by both global and local contexts. In this respect, the study moves us towards a more nuanced and complex understanding of how teacher education institutions across diverse settings are being internationalised in the 21st century

A transformação pessoal e política: dois estudos de caso de um estágio universitário do aprendizagem-serviço internacional

This article presents the results of two related studies that were interested in exploring the impact of international service learning (ISL) experiences on university student interns in terms of personal and political transformation. We report on the findings related to the question: “How do university students envision social change, and experience personal and political transformation following a long-term international service learning internship?” We begin by providing a background context for the studies, followed by a review of the theoretical framework, transformational learning theory, within which the studies were situated. This is followed by an overview of the research methods used to carry out this study, the findings and our analysis of the data. These were mixed methods studies using three data sources: survey questionnaires, interviews, and student blogs. Our studies demonstrate that while there is clear evidence of envisioning, personal and political transformation amongst the students who participated in this ISL internships, their experiences and the degrees of transformation varied. Our research points to the need for structured activities related to critical reflection to be built into all stages of ISL program planning, from pre-departure throughout and after the internship.En este artículo se presentan los resultados de dos estudios relacionados que estuvieron orientados a explorar el impacto de las experiencias del Aprendizaje-Servicio Internacional (ASI), en términos de transformación personal y política, en estudiantes universitarios que hicieron la pasantía. Este reporte es acerca de los hallazgos encontrados en relación a la siguiente pregunta: “Cómo conciben los estudiantes universitarios el cambio social, y cómo experiencian su transformación personal y política durante una pasantía de largo plazo del aprendizaje-servicio internacional?” Comenzamos ofreciendo un contexto de fondo para los estudios de caso, seguido de una revisión del marco teórico, la teoría de aprendizaje transformacional, en los cuales estaban situado los estudios. Esto es seguido por una revisión general de los métodos de investigación usados para llevar a cabo este estudio, los hallazgos, y nuestro análisis de los datos. Estos fueron estudios de métodos mixtos con tres fuentes de datos: cuestionarios de encuestas, entrevistas y blogs de los estudiantes. Nuestros estudios demuestran que si bien existe una clara evidencia de la conceptualización, y de la transformación personal y política de los estudiantes que participaron en esta pasantía del ASI, sus experiencias y sus grados de transformación variaron. Nuestra investigación señala la necesidad de actividades estructuradas relacionadas con una reflexión crítica para ser construida en todas las etapas de la planificación del programa del ASI antes de salir, durante, y después de la pasantía.Neste artigo apresentam-se os resultados de dois estudos relacionados que estiveram orientados a explorar o impacto das experiências do Aprendizagem-Serviço Internacional (ASI) em termos de transformação pessoal e política em estudantes universitários que realizaram o estágio. Este escrito é acerca das descobertas encontradas em relação à seguinte pregunta: “Como concebem os estudantes universitários a transformação social, e como experenciam sua transformação pessoal e política durante um estágio de larga duração do aprendizagem-serviço internacional?” Começamos oferecendo um contexto de fundo para os estudos de caso, seguido de uma revisão do marco teórico, a teoria de aprendizagem transformacional, na qual estavam situados os estudos. Isto é seguido por uma revisão geral dos métodos de investigação usados para realizar este estudo, os achados e nossas análises dos dados. Estes estudos foram de métodos mistos com três fontes de dados: questionários de opinião, entrevistas, e blogs dos estudantes. Nossos estudos demonstram que ainda que exista una clara evidência da conceptualização e da transformação pessoal e política dos estudantes que participaram neste estágio do ASI, suas experiências e seus graus de transformação variaram. Nossa investigação assinala a necessidade de atividades estruturadas relacionadas com uma reflexão crítica para ser construída em todas as etapas de planificação do programa do ASI antes de sair, durante, e depois do estágio

Host Community Voices and Community Experiences: Tanzanian Perspectives on a Teacher Education International Service-Learning Project

Teacher education programs are increasingly integrating aspects of international service-learning (ISL) into student experience. While studies about teacher-candidate experiences are published, less is known about the effects of these ISL initiatives on the host communities. There is a need to hear from and integrate host community voices into all dimensions of the ISL experiences. We honor the voices of ISL host participants by turning our attention to those involved in an ongoing ISL project in Tanzania. Our analysis is grounded in our experiences as ISL practitioners and teacher educators. We utilize the concepts of Freire and Dewey to provide an understanding of ISL in teacher education that emphasizes how dialogue with host participants increases understanding of local contexts and promotes reciprocity as a form of learning from one another. This study concludes with the implications, both negative and positive, associated with integrating ISL into teacher education programs

Social Capital in Higher Education Partnerships: A Case Study of the Canada-Cuba University Partnership

This article reports on the findings of a case study about the Canada-Cuba University Partnership (CCUP), a teaching, research and service partnership between individuals associated with a Canadian and Cuban University. The research question guiding the study was: “How do the relationships among individuals in the CCUP shape the partnership?” Our review of existing literature on higher education partnerships reveals the lack of literature focusing on the relationships among individual partnership members. Our study is framed by social capital as our theoretical approach and social network analysis as our methodological approach. These approaches enable us to map out the connections between and among individuals and show the importance of their relationships. We analyze the partnership focusing on social capital, highlighting the mutually-beneficial activities and the role of central actors in the network who contributed to the formation of the partnership and the long-lasting relationships among academics in both countries. Relationships in the CCUP are characterized by mutuality, solidarity, strong and thick ties. The argument we advance is that understanding the collaborative relationships among members of higher education partnerships and the productive capacities of those relationships through the enactment of social capital provides insights into how sustainable and successful partnerships work

Higher Education Leadership and the Internationalization Imaginary: Where Personal Biography Meets the Socio-Historical

In this chapter, we explore how higher education institution (HEI) leaders perceive the relationship between their international background and their commitment to and vision for internationalization. Our 10 Canadian HEI participants thought there was a direct link between their international backgrounds and commitment to internationalization. While all spoke of the benefits of internationalization, some viewed internationalization through an ethical, socio-cultural lens whereas others privileged internationalization’s instrumental values. We point to tensions facing some leaders in reconciling their ideal visions of internationalization with neoliberal pressures facing HEIs in a global era. We demonstrate the importance of attending to the inter-relationships between broader socio-historical drivers of internationalization and the personal biographies of those charged with advancing internationalization agendas. Our findings lead us to develop a new theoretical concept, which we term the ‘internationalization imaginary’, to understand the interplay between the individual, local, national and global forces shaping internationalization in higher education