Creating Community: Mitigating Risk during Short-Term Faculty-Led Programs Abroad

Abstract

Short-term, faculty-led education abroad programs are steadily becoming the leading experience for students to actively participate in an educational, overseas experience. As the number of these programs increase, so do the concerns for addressing safety within groups in a foreign country. This research identified student development theories related to study abroad, including examples of small group-learning strategies and successful community strategies as the foundations for creating community and a community contract as a strategy to mitigate risk during short-term faculty-led programs. Case study methodology was employed, and six emergent themes were identified through the triangulation of five interview participants; forty-five individual blogs from 11 participants; and 30 direct participant observations. Evidence ultimately showed that responsibility and safety were linked to the process of creating community and a community contract, which helped to mitigate risk while students participated in a short-term faculty-led education abroad experience. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone [phone]. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]