TY - CHAP
T1 - Study Abroad Programs at the Vanguard for Education for Sustainable Development
T2 - A Teacher Education Case Study
AU - Benavides, Aerin W.
AU - Freed, Allison
AU - Huffling, Lacey D.
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2022.
PY - 2022
Y1 - 2022
N2 - While short-term study abroad programs can provide long-term student gains in intercultural awareness and geography, the study abroad field lacks research studies on sustainability-focused programs and their long-term effects on the participants. We conducted a follow-up study of a 12-day program organized to the Peruvian Manu rainforest for pre-service teachers, honors undergraduate students, and faculty/staff (N = 29) from a medium-sized state university along the mid-Atlantic coast (the USA). Our case study of this innovative course-embedded study abroad program was based upon meaning-making by some of the participants (n = 8) in one-on-one interviews 5–7 years after their experience in Peru. We engaged Transformational Learning theory and Critical Pedagogy of Place (CPP) in our analysis of the participants’ reflective interviews. We looked for transformational learning from moments of disequilibrium, reflection, critical frames of reference, and action-taking. We found that many features of our program led to enduring cultural and environmental awareness and action towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Findings from this study could help advance future program design and research for a better understanding of the significant role that cultural and environmental immersion experiences play in promoting urgently needed pedagogy for transformational learning in Education for Sustainable Development (ESD), and in teacher education, to elicit action towards the SDGs in educational settings.
AB - While short-term study abroad programs can provide long-term student gains in intercultural awareness and geography, the study abroad field lacks research studies on sustainability-focused programs and their long-term effects on the participants. We conducted a follow-up study of a 12-day program organized to the Peruvian Manu rainforest for pre-service teachers, honors undergraduate students, and faculty/staff (N = 29) from a medium-sized state university along the mid-Atlantic coast (the USA). Our case study of this innovative course-embedded study abroad program was based upon meaning-making by some of the participants (n = 8) in one-on-one interviews 5–7 years after their experience in Peru. We engaged Transformational Learning theory and Critical Pedagogy of Place (CPP) in our analysis of the participants’ reflective interviews. We looked for transformational learning from moments of disequilibrium, reflection, critical frames of reference, and action-taking. We found that many features of our program led to enduring cultural and environmental awareness and action towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Findings from this study could help advance future program design and research for a better understanding of the significant role that cultural and environmental immersion experiences play in promoting urgently needed pedagogy for transformational learning in Education for Sustainable Development (ESD), and in teacher education, to elicit action towards the SDGs in educational settings.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85195131481&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1007/978-3-031-07191-1_9
DO - 10.1007/978-3-031-07191-1_9
M3 - Chapter
AN - SCOPUS:85195131481
T3 - Sustainable Development Goals Series
SP - 133
EP - 149
BT - Sustainable Development Goals Series
PB - Springer
ER -