ERIC Number: EJ1465656
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2025-Apr
Pages: 14
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1081-4159
EISSN: EISSN-1465-7325
Available Date: 2024-12-16
A Sign Language Journey to the Land of Smiles: Thailand Study Abroad
Journal of Deaf Studies and Deaf Education, v30 n2 p234-247 2025
This qualitative study focused on the synergistic experience of a group of Deaf and hearing participants during a 2-week international study-abroad program to investigate the impact of immersing hearing American Sign Language (ASL) undergraduate majors with culturally Deaf faculty and doctoral students. 20 participants included undergraduate students who were ASL majors, Deaf doctoral students, faculty members, and an interpreter. Data included narratives with the Deaf faculty leader and the hearing ASL interpreter, a content analysis with the hearing undergraduates, and a section focused on the Deaf perspective with a thematic analysis with the Deaf faculty, students, and alumni. 6 themes emerged in the discussion of students' experiences during the tour in Thailand, including "being immersed into the Deaf world," "the challenge of not comprehending what was happening," "the patience of the Thai people," "experiencing cultural differences," "receptive skills improving," "comprehension increasing," and "issues related to scheduling of events." The impact of both international and multicultural influences are discussed. Additionally, recommendations for travel agencies that work with Deaf study-abroad leaders are included.
Descriptors: Deafness, American Sign Language, Undergraduate Students, Majors (Students), College Faculty, Doctoral Students, Deaf Interpreting, Study Abroad, Cultural Awareness, Cultural Differences, Language Skills, Foreign Countries, Student Experience, Barriers
Oxford University Press. Great Clarendon Street, Oxford, OX2 6DP, UK. Tel: +44-1865-353907; Fax: +44-1865-353485; e-mail: jnls.cust.serv@oxfordjournals.org; Web site: http://jdsde.oxfordjournals.org/
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Thailand
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: 1Master of Science in Secondary Education, Rochester Institute of Technology/National Technical Institute for the Deaf, Rochester, NY, United States; 2Department of Deaf Studies and Deaf Education, Lamar University, Beaumont, TX, United States; 3American Sign Language Studies & ASL-English Interpretation, Nova Scotia Community College, Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, Canada; 4Dual Language and English Learner Education, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA, United States