A Qualitative Case Study of College Men Imagineering a Short-Term Study Abroad Engineering Course in Spain
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CORE Metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk Provided by SHAREOK repository HANGING UP AND HANGING OUT: A QUALITATIVE CASE STUDY OF COLLEGE MEN IMAGINEERING A SHORT-TERM STUDY ABROAD ENGINEERING COURSE IN SPAIN By JEFF JARET SIMPSON Bachelor of Science in Design and Housing University of Arkansas Fayetteville, Arkansas 1992 Master of Science in International Studies Oklahoma State University Stillwater, Oklahoma 2010 Submitted to the Faculty of the Graduate College of the Oklahoma State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY December, 2017 HANGING UP AND HANGING OUT: A QUALITATIVE CASE STUDY OF COLLEGE MEN IMAGINEERING A SHORT-TERM STUDY ABROAD ENGINEERING COURSE IN SPAIN Dissertation Approved: Stephen Wanger, Ph.D. Dissertation Adviser Lucy Bailey, Ph.D. Kerri Kearney, Ed.D. Mark Weiser, Ph.D. ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Those undertaking a doctoral degree while working full-time understand the importance of the acknowledgements page in a dissertation. Just as the men in my study relied on key relationships in their lives to participate in study abroad, this dissertation represents the support of work colleagues who stepped up at critical moments, family members who understood my occasional absences at important events as well as friends and mentors who encouraged, supported, pushed and pulled me through this learning experience. The opportunities and accomplishments that bring joy to my life all spring from the love and sacrifice of four people. My parents, Dr. LeRoy and Marian Simpson, decided there was room for a “#1 Son” in their lives and changed my life through adoption. Their support and unrelenting, lifelong commitment to parenthood helped create the man I am today. My mentor and best friend June Gilliam Worthington, and her husband The Honorable Donald Worthington, taught me how to navigate this rough and tumble world with grace and endowed upon me the “spirit of es posible” – through creative efforts (and some sacrifice and hard work) all things are possible! I am grateful to the many faculty who gave of their time and wisdom during my academic career, especially those willing to serve on my dissertation committee. Dr. Stephen Wanger stuck with me through a master’s thesis and doctoral dissertation, patiently reminding me to watch out for those pesky split infinitives. Dr. Lucy Bailey guided me into the world of qualitative research and sacrificed many hours teaching me to navigate position and positionality. Dr. Kerri Kearney introduced the idea of participant drawings and other innovative approaches to research that brought life to this study. Dr. Mark Weiser shared with me his passion for study abroad and first introduced short-term study abroad as a program model on our memorable journey through China. I appreciate the support of my friends across the globe and colleagues at Oklahoma State University, especially Professor Carisa Ramming, Professor Steve O’Hara and Dr. David Henneberry for their support and the occasional shot of coffee during this study. Special thanks to Gerry Auel who taught me to “Immer einen kühlen Kopf behalten” and what it means to be a leader in the field of education abroad at this point in time, including the amusement and contentment to be found in working with college students. Kat Henry, Maggie Jackson, Josh Pontrelli, Aleithia Burgess, Marissa iii Acknowledgements reflect the views of the author and are not endorsed by committee members or Oklahoma State University. Hernandez, Sam Ball and all of our energetic student workers and graduate assistants deserve extra kudos for making sure our little corner of campus kept running smoothly when the tasks seemed overwhelming. Your friendships kept me going! Finally, this dissertation would be nothing but blank pages without the generous men who eagerly and energetically opened their lives and let me share in their short-term study abroad experience. They are remarkable men destined for great things in engineering but also more importantly in the lives they touch every day. I am proud to know them and wish them the best as they imagineer their futures. Onward and Upward! iv Acknowledgements reflect the views of the author and are not endorsed by committee members or Oklahoma State University. Name: JEFF JARET SIMPSON Date of Degree: DECEMBER 2017 Title of Study: HANGING UP AND HANGING OUT: A QUALITATIVE CASE STUDY OF COLLEGE MEN IMAGINEERING A SHORT-TERM STUDY ABROAD ENGINEERING COURSE IN SPAIN Major Field: HIGHER EDUCATION LEADERSHIP & POLICY Abstract: This naturalistic inquiry case study examined the experiences of five college men participating in a two-week, summer study abroad course administered by a Midwestern, public land-grant university. The short-term program model is popular with students and universities in the United States as an affordable and convenient way to increase the number of students participating in education abroad. However, there is limited research examining the phenomenon, especially qualitative research on men’s participation. My study is the only known naturalistic inquiry qualitative case study to include participant observation in situ focused specifically on U.S. college men’s short-term program experiences. I use the term imagineer to convey the process of imagining a future participation in study abroad then carrying those imaginings into the construction of the experience. My study design used participant observations, including travel with the men abroad, and interviews before, during and after the trip as well as photographs, drawings and participant interactions with those artifacts. My experience as director of a study abroad office and my travel background as a participant on multiple study abroad programs augmented my findings. The participants in my study were traditional-aged, emerging adults actively constructing identities and focused on self, happiness, instant gratification and consumption (Arnett, 2000; Nelson, 2003). They relied on multiple imaginaries (Härkönen & Dervin, 2015, 2016) to imagineer their study abroad experiences. Doing gender (West & Zimmerman, 1987) emerged as salient as the men constructed gender roles and sought social capital (Bourdieu & Passeron, 1977) through masculine performances abroad. As participants in a course compressed into two weeks, the men experienced time as limited and responded accordingly by intensifying the pace of their actions and engaging in riskier behaviors, like the consumption of alcohol, designed to meet lightly crafted expectations for having fun and making friends. Through ongoing analysis, I arrived at four primary themes with multiple subthemes related to my research questions. As a part of my analysis, I explored the men’s interpersonal relationships, their responses to perceptions of time, their anticipation of fun adventure and their gendered behaviors and vulnerability as they imagineered their experiences in the study abroad space. My findings enhance the depth of understanding of the short-term study abroad phenomenon, contribute new perspectives on men’s participation and inform implications for research and practice in the field of education abroad. v TABLE OF CONTENTS Chapter Page I. INTRODUCTION ......................................................................................................1 Locating Men in U.S. Study Abroad .......................................................................4 Historical Background of the Study Abroad Phenomenon ......................................6 Problem Statement .................................................................................................12 Purpose Statement ..................................................................................................15 Research Questions ................................................................................................16 Significance of the Study .......................................................................................16 Theoretical Foundations.........................................................................................17 Methodology Overview .........................................................................................20 Assumptions, Delimitations and Limitations .........................................................21 Definition of Terms................................................................................................25 Summary ................................................................................................................31 MOMENTO UNO: WHERE ARE THE MEN? ...................................................33 II. REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE .........................................................................37 Search Process .......................................................................................................39 Globalization, Internationalization and the Educated Citizen ...............................40 Internationalization within the Context of Higher Education ..........................42 Internationalizing the University ...............................................................43 Globalization and Diversity in the University ...........................................44 Study Abroad and the Educated Citizen ..........................................................45 Socially Constructing the Educated Person ...............................................47 Global Citizenship .....................................................................................49