International Student Mobility
Theme Description:
Colleges and universities often relegate the work of developing intercultural competence to two interrelated campus units: study abroad and international student services. Although there are myriad ways in which postsecondary educators should be doing this work, international student mobility is an empirically-tested approach to helping students–both those originating from our institutions and those coming to us–become more interculturally competent. The sending and receiving of students to/from other countries and cultures, however, not only helps to foster intercultural competence, but it also requires it. The rise in international student mobility globally, and globalization more generally, necessitates greater attention to teaching and assessing for intercultural competence, as well as a more interculturally competent faculty, staff, and administration to best serve students.
Leader Bio:
Dr. Kayla Johnson is an assistant professor in Educational Policy Studies and Evaluation and Director of Graduate Global Learning Initiatives in the College of Education at the University of Kentucky. She is also co-founder of Centro Educativo Pallata Ayllu, a non-profit education center that facilitates culturally-grounded educational opportunities for Indigenous youth in the Peruvian Andes. In her research, she uses visual, student voice, action, and community-engaged methods to explore issues related to learning, development, and social justice in higher and international education. Her most recent projects have explored the design and impact of study abroad on first-generation students, as well as how access to postsecondary education impacts the identity development of rural first-generation migrant students in Peru.
Dr. Kayla Johnson
Tools for Educators
Tools For Educators
Resources for Educators:
- University of Kansas Community Toolbox – “Building Relationships with People from Different Cultures”
- NACADA: The Global Community for Academic Advising – “Advising International Students Using Intercultural Communication Competence”
- Faculty Focus – “Develop Intercultural Competence to Foster International Student Success”
- Manual for Developing Intercultural Competencies: Story Circles
- Hub ICL: Say My Name
- Hub ICL: Postcards from Abroad
Further Reading:
- Baiutti, M. (2018). Fostering assessment of student mobility in secondary schools: indicators of intercultural competence. Intercultural Education, 29(5-6), 549-570.
- Baker, W. (2016). English as an academic lingua franca and intercultural awareness: Student mobility in the transcultural university. Language and Intercultural Communication, 16(3), 437-451.
- de Hei, M., Tabacaru, C., Sjoer, E., Rippe, R., & Walenkamp, J. (2020). Developing intercultural competence through collaborative learning in international higher education. Journal of Studies in International Education, 24(2), 190-211.
- Rawal, R., & Deardorff, D. K. (2021). Intercultural competences for all. In Reshaping international teaching and learning in higher education (pp. 46-59). Routledge.
- Tarchi, C., & Surian, A. (2021). Promoting intercultural competence in study abroad students. European Journal of Psychology of Education, 1-18.
Zimmermann, J., Greischel, H., & Jonkmann, K. (2021). The development of multicultural effectiveness in international student mobility. Higher Education, 82, 1071-1092.