While the benefits of short-term study abroad programs are well documented, especially with respect to enhancing cross-cultural competency in the participants, fewer than one percent of college students in the U.S. benefit from this experience. The principal barriers to studying abroad are actual and opportunity costs and its perceived worth. An…

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to investigate the effects of online intercultural exchange (OIE) to mediate a cross-cultural project with pre-service teachers in two countries. Design/methodology/approach: Using a population of convenience, students from one American and one German university were assigned to mixed multi-cultural project…

In recent years, countries around the world have promoted international experiences for student teachers' development of the knowledge and skills necessary in these interdependent and global times. Using a rigorous qualitative approach, this study explored 10 Turkish student teachers' international opportunities in several European countries…

A fundamental and contemporary issue in higher education is how to encourage global awareness, professional development, and accountability within constraints of curriculum and scarce resources. This is an evaluation of student experiences with a 1 1/2-year cross-cultural partnership that included a team project, public presentations,…

This article focuses on how to teach intercultural communicative competence to learners of English as a foreign language enrolled in a university exchange program in Europe, and help them become "intercultural speakers." The intercultural speaker can be defined as an intermediary between his or her own culture and the other's culture.…

Provides a list of international cooperative programs available to teachers and students. (FL)

Describes participation in a faculty exchange program between universities in the United States and South Africa. Provides the academic context of these experiences while discussing collectivism and courage. Argues that such exchange programs increase self-awareness and heighten psychologists' perspective taking, empathy, perceptual flexibility,…

This paper demonstrates how teacher education institutions can expand understanding of others and tolerance for differences by developing cross-cultural exchange programs in international settings and on the local level. The paper outlines the steps involved in establishing international student teaching programs at three different universities…

Cross-cultural orientation programs are generally intended to help sojourners in countries with cultures that are different from their own to make practical preparations for living abroad; communicate with people in the host country; avoid social errors; refrain from judging the host culture against their own cultural norms; and cope with culture…

More than 120 nations have Fulbright agreements with the United States. The program, now 36 years old, is intended to increase understanding between nations and foster peaceful communication and discussion among people of the world. (MD)

Ideas and approaches are suggested for the orientation of high school students involved in the international/intercultural programs sponsored by the American Field Service (AFS). The nine documents presented may be copied or adapted for use by AFS national offices as they develop their own materials for orientation of students, host families, and…

Canada World Youth enables young Canadians to live in another part of Canada with youths from a developing country for several months while volunteering in community projects. Then they move as a group to the partner country for several months where the program structure is the same. Participants acquire the skills and values necessary to…

The International Communication Agency (ICA) was created in April 1978 to help facilitate relations between the United States and other nations. Its main function is to enrich the supplies of information among peoples in order to enhance understanding. An examination of the international context in which the ICA will operate reveals the urgent…

This paper presents two proposals for improving programs that prepare groups for an intercultural experience. The paper should be helpful to instructors who train foreign service personnel, technical advisors, Peace Corps volunteers, and missionaries. First, instructors should make participants in a training program aware of the severe limitations…

An in-progress research project evaluating the first phase of two-year bilingual exchange programs is described. The exchange programs being evaluated are a summer exchange between groups of school children from schools in Quebec and Ontario and a school-year exchange between groups of children from schools in the same provinces. The objectives of…