A Model of Faculty Cultural Adaption on a Short-Term International Professional Development Experience

College of agriculture graduates must be prepared to work effectively within a global workforce and to have cross-cultural experiences. Unfortunately, every student is not able to participate in study abroad programing. However, students benefit from global perspectives integrated into the curriculu...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inNACTA journal Vol. 58; no. 2; pp. 115 - 121
Main Authors Conner, Nathan W., Roberts, T. Grady, Harder, Amy
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Twin Falls North American Colleges and Teachers of Agriculture (NACTA) 01.06.2014
North American Colleges and Teachers of Agriculture
Subjects
Agriculture
College faculty
Cross Cultural Studies
Cultural competence
Culture shock
Curricula
Frustration
Grounded theory method
Learning Processes
Methods
Participant observation
Professional development
Public spaces
Social interaction
Studies
Study abroad
Study and teaching
Teacher centers
Teachers
Tourism
Training
Travel
United States
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Summary:College of agriculture graduates must be prepared to work effectively within a global workforce and to have cross-cultural experiences. Unfortunately, every student is not able to participate in study abroad programing. However, students benefit from global perspectives integrated into the curriculum. Teaching faculty must possess an understanding of culture in order to effectively educate their students. The purpose of this study was to develop a grounded theory to explain the process of cultural adaptation that occurred when one group of U.S. faculty traveled abroad for a short-term professional development experience. The following eight stages emerged from the study: preparation and planning, excitement, frustration, building relationships, cultural comparisons, cultural understanding, cultural appreciation, advancing expertise and future plans. Faculty participants uniquely experienced a variety of stages of cultural adaptation, although not in the same sequence. Facilitators of similar experiences should take these stages into account as they plan study abroad programs.
ISSN:0149-4910