Home> Archive> 2016> Volume 6 Number 9 (Sep. 2016)
IJSSH 2016 Vol.6(9): 714-718 ISSN: 2010-3646
doi: 10.18178/ijssh.2016.6.9.738

Encountering Others in Overseas Study Tours: An Examination of Educational Potentials

Tomomi Naka

Abstract—This article examines the learning outcomes of overseas study tours. With the rapid intensification of globalization, many universities and colleges have shown an interest in supporting students to extend their cross-cultural understanding and communication skills for working with people from diverse cultural backgrounds. Study tours can provide such support. However, previous studies suggest several concerns regarding such tours, including possibilities of reinforcing stereotypes and simplistically glorifying globalization, and also causing unequal and harmful relationships between the visitors and the local population. A case study of the 2014 North American Study Tour sponsored by Tottori University suggests that such concerns do not necessarily hold true. Rather, students perceived that they improved their skills and levels of confidence, cross-cultural understanding, and communication skills by working with others in diverse cultural settings.

Index Terms—Cross-cultural understanding, globalization, international education, study tours.

T. Naka is with the Department of Regional Culture, Tottori University, Tottori, Japan (e-mail: nakatomo@rs.tottori-u.ac.jp).

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Cite: Tomomi Naka, "Encountering Others in Overseas Study Tours: An Examination of Educational Potentials," International Journal of Social Science and Humanity vol. 6, no. 9, pp. 714-718, 2016.

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