Expanding Perceptions of Self and Other Through Study Abroad
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EXPANDING PERCEPTIONS OF SELF AND OTHER THROUGH STUDY ABROAD DISSERTATION Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for The Degree Doctor of Philosophy in The Graduate School of The Ohio State University By Benjamin McKay Williams, M.A. * * * * * The Ohio State University 2006 Dissertation Committee: Approved by Associate Professor Ada Demb, Adviser Associate Professor Peter Demerath ______________________________ Assistant Professor Michele Welkener Adviser College of Education Copyright by Benjamin McKay Williams 2006 ii ABSTRACT This dissertation explored the ways in which White, African American and Biracial American undergraduate and graduate students made meaning of race and other aspects of identity. Using a constructivist grounded methodology this study revealed a new way to conceptualize the processes by which students’ perceptions of self and other were shaped through a course on the culture and society of Southern Africa and by studying abroad on a short-term program to that region: the dynamics of integrating lenses. In the U.S. classroom, students moved from ignorance about the continent of Africa and the region of Southern Africa to an initial understanding. Through the combined course and study abroad program, the White undergraduate students’ unexamined White privilege was surfaced and examined. At the same time, Black students’ pride in being Black and their connection to their histories was deepened. Their assumptions about race and identification with Africa were also broadened. The result of the group cohesiveness and support was that White and Black students who had never had friends of the “other” race expanded their relationships to incorporate new people who they may never have interacted with otherwise. Through personal stories students were exposed to new perspectives and experiences, first, in the U.S. classroom, later in Southern Africa, and also in the comfort ii and security of the group itself. Through personal relationships with the instructor, the tour guides and fellow students, participants became engaged. Through learning about Southern Africa: its history, the society, and its many cultures, students became invested in the stories and the people who told them. As a result, they felt compelled to confront the reality they were facing. Through reflecting on those experiences in the support of the group, students were able to grapple with the dissonance between their earlier assumptions, perceptions, and beliefs and the new experiences they were having. This led to a greater complexity of thinking around issues of race, community, and globalization, and an expansion of the lenses they used to perceive themselves and others. The findings of this study inform the literature on study abroad, racial identity, and experiential learning and education. The Model of the Dynamics of Integrating Lenses is useful to researchers and practitioners who design and evaluate study abroad and other experiential learning programs. iii This work is dedicated to Marla: My wife, partner and best friend Thank you for your unwavering support, my Love. We did it! iv ACKNOWLEDGMENTS A dissertation and more significantly, a doctoral degree, is not the accomplishment of only one person, but that of a community of people. That community has been my family and extended family, my closest friends, my peers and colleagues, and the extraordinary faculty who I have had the privilege of working with over the course of my eight-plus years of graduate school. I have learned countless things from each of those extraordinary people, and I cannot thank them enough for their support, love, and guidance. I want to especially recognize the other members of my doctoral cohort: Christina, Tammy, Kathy, Cricket, and Dwayne, whose friendship, support, and encouragement throughout this process has been invaluable. I look forward to having you forever as friends and colleagues. Ada Demb, who has been my advisor for the past six years and who has been a mentor, teacher and guide over the course of my graduate studies, has been a phenomenal advisor. I appreciate how she provided the structure and guidance when I needed it, and then gave me the space to be creative and work out things on my own. Whenever we met I walked away excited with new approaches to take and a clearer understanding of what needed to be done. Thank you, Ada. Thank you also to my other committee members, Peter Demerath, Susan Jones (who left Ohio State during my dissertation v phase) and Michele Welkener. I appreciate how each of you has stretched my thinking and my approaches to research, writing, and working with students. Another faculty member who has made an indelible impression on me is Dr. Professor Maqhawe, whose name is a pseudonym in order to protect the identity of the students in this study. Dr. Maqhawe first developed the Study Abroad Program to Southern Africa in the mid-1990’s, and he has taught the course and guided the students on the program ever since. His extraordinary stories, personal experiences, and gift to bring those to life for students broadened my perspective and that of my peers in 2002 when I was a graduate student in the program, and again expanded the perceptions of the students who I worked with in 2005. From the very beginning, Professor Maqhawe has been supportive of my research interest and of my own personal journey. This study would never have been possible without his trust and assistance. During the course of this dissertation I worked closely with a group of people I would not have otherwise met, the nine students who invited me into their lives and shared with me their thoughts, their feelings, their uncertainties and their hearts. I learned from them more than I could say, and I appreciate their trust in sharing their stories with me. Thank you to Sarah, Mufasa, Andrew, Joseph, Tatiana, Michelle, Sam, Suzie, and Leonard for sharing this extraordinary journey with me. Your stories and experiences have expanded my perspective as a practitioner and researcher. As is the case in any qualitative study, there were mountains of data, including many tapes to transcribe just before my daughter Elyse was born. I want to thank Betty Christian, who willingly and eagerly (and for a very reasonable fee, I might add) transcribed those tapes for me. Thank you, Betty, for your generosity and kindness. vi Life is an exciting journey and the completion of this dissertation and doctoral program marks an important milestone in mine. There have been a number of extraordinary individuals who have helped to guide me along that journey as my life has moved in the direction it has taken. Dan Golden, the director of the Filene Center for Work and Learning at Wheaton College in Norton, Massachusetts was a tremendous mentor throughout my undergraduate studies and beyond. It was Dan who exposed me to the Japan Exchange Teaching Program, which I pursued for three years after college, and it was he who recommended I check out the field of Student Affairs Administration when I decided that I wanted to take a different course from psychology for my graduate work. It was with Dan that I first became very excited about experiential learning. Mike Miller was my supervisor, mentor and friend in Graduate, International, and Professional Admissions at The Ohio State University, and it was through Mike that I learned about Columbus State Community College, where I have worked as an administrator for the past three and a half years. Thank you also to my colleagues and friends in the international office. It was through my work with them that I learned about and became turned on to the Study Abroad Program to Southern Africa, and its exciting approach. To my wonderful children, Colin and Ellie, who have brought such joy into my life. I love being your father! And most of all, to my extraordinary wife, Marla, who has made countless sacrifices so that I could complete this doctoral degree and this dissertation while working full-time and having a family. Without her steadfast love, support, and understanding this never would have been possible. This dissertation is dedicated to her. Thank you, my Love. We did it! vii VITA February 22, 1971 Born, Carmel, New York 1993 B.A. Psychology and Philosophy, Wheaton College, MA 1993-1996 Assistant English Teacher, Tsu Nishi High School Tsu City, Mie Ken, Japan 1996-1998 Youth Counselor and Assistant Group Leader The Idaho Youth Ranch, Rupert, Idaho 1998-1999 Graduate Administrative Assistant, Graduate, International and Professional Admissions, The Ohio State University 1999-2000 Graduate Administrative Assistant, Office of International Education, The Ohio State University 2000 M.A. Student Affairs and Higher Education, The Ohio State University 2000-2003 Coordinator for International Students Office of International Education, The Ohio State University 2003-2004 Assistant Director, Counseling & Advising Services Columbus State Community College 2004-present Director, Advising & Counseling Services Columbus State Community College FIELDS OF STUDY Major Field: Education Educational Policy & Leadership: Higher Education and Student Affairs Administration viii TABLE OF CONTENTS Page Abstract............................................................................................................................... ii Dedication.......................................................................................................................... iv Acknowledgments................................................................................................................v