ERIC Number: EJ1468470
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2025-Apr
Pages: 26
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1085-4568
EISSN: EISSN-2380-8144
Available Date: 0000-00-00
Cross-Cultural Mindfulness: Examining the Processes and Outcomes of a Multidisciplinary Study Abroad Experience
Tammy Gilligan; Michele Kielty
Frontiers: The Interdisciplinary Journal of Study Abroad, v37 n2 p34-59 2025
Mindfulness has become a popular topic of intellectual and experiential study in multiple disciplines, including healthcare, business, education, and various human service professions. We designed a study abroad experience where undergraduate and graduate students from various human service disciplines engaged in academic study, personal practices, and cross-cultural learning experiences related to mindfulness. A mixed-methods design was used in this study. Participants reported a significantly greater sense of mindful awareness after completing their study abroad. Experiences that allowed for internal processing of mindfulness (e.g., meditation, journaling, readings, and non-doing) and experiences that allowed for external engagement with mindfulness (e.g., learning about the brain and science, visiting schools that integrate mindfulness, participating in a Buddhist retreat) emerged as crucial to the embodiment of mindfulness in participants' personal lives. Based on these findings, we note the potential relevance of mindfulness to intercultural learning, and we conclude by offering suggestions to support human service professionals in developing learning activities that cultivate mindfulness through experiential and immersive experiences.
Descriptors: Cultural Awareness, Metacognition, Study Abroad, Interdisciplinary Approach, Intercultural Communication, Graduate Students, Undergraduate Students, Buddhism, Journal Writing, Experiential Learning, Student Attitudes, Outcomes of Education, Neurosciences, School Visitation, Human Services, Religious Education, Foreign Countries, Measures (Individuals)
Frontiers Journal. Dickinson College P.O. Box 1773, Carlisle, PA 17013. Tel: 717-254-8858; Fax: 717-245-1677; Web site: https://www.frontiersjournal.org/index.php/Frontiers
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: Germany; Netherlands (Amsterdam); France; France (Paris)
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A