Engaging Students in Learning - Lessons from Short-Term Study Abroad Experiences in Italy

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Mimi

Study abroad is examined as a strategy for strengthening undergraduate students’ intercultural knowledge, competence, and lifelong learning. The paper reports how short-term study abroad experiences in Italy influence students’ knowledge, skills, and dispositions through responses to open-ended prompts and five structured questions. Findings indicate students gain valuable, hands-on insights when participating in structured study abroad formats, supporting the rationale for investing time and resources in these experiences.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages13

Reading Time33 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

Literature Review

Preparing Teachers for Globalization

Implications for Early Childhood Education

Engaging Students in Learning: Lessons from Short-Term Study Abroad Experiences in Italy By Susan H. Peet 􀀍 Deborah Wooldridge† Michael Sturm‡ Study abroad is being promoted as a strategy to enhance undergraduate students’ intercultural knowledge and competence and life-long learning. This study reports on students’ knowledge, skills and dispositions that occur as a result of participating in a short-term study abroad experience in Italy. Students provided responses to open-ended prompts and five structured questions. Findings of the study suggest students gain valuable insight while participating in hands-on, structured, study abroad experiences Introduction The late Professor of Education Dr. Cesare Scurati of the Catholic University in Milan sat in a warm, Italian classroom facing a handful of young students from the United States. After an engaging conversation about the differences in the Italian system of education and the educational system in the U.S., a question was posed by someone from the United States,“Why should students from the U.S. spend time and money to come to Italy to observe and learn from your schools and culture?” The question continued,“After all, weare not likely to live or teach in an Italian system. So, what is the point of us coming here to learn? Is it worth it?” The purpose of this paper is to address this central question. The paper provides substantial evidence to document Professor Scurati’s conclusion that it is worth the time and money to participate in short-term study abroad experiences (Personal Communication, May 17, 2009) . Literature Review Perry, Stone, and Tarrant (2013) document the growth in study abroad experiences over the past decade citing growth from 75,000 in 1990 to 270,000 in 2012. The fastest growing segment of the study abroad experiences has been 􀀍 Senior Lecturer, Bowling Green State University, USA. †Professor& Director, Bowling Green State University, USA. ‡Instructor, Bowling Green State University, USA. [https://doi.org/10.30958/aje.2-1-2](https://doi.org/10.30958/aje.2-1-2) doi=10.30958/aje.2-1-2 short-term study abroad programs. Additionally, the scholarship and theoretical understanding surrounding the benefits of study abroad experiences have advanced considerably (Tarrant, 2010) . Over the past decade study abroad experiences are increasingly viewed as an important vehicle to facilitate the global awareness and citizenry of students who are born and educated in the United States (Stearns, 2009) . Scholars have written about the benefits of studying the Italian Early Care and Education system (New, 2001) to enhance an understanding of the social and economic value of children in society. Political, social and cultural similarities and differences of the role of childhood in the Italian system and the role of childhood in the U.S. has been written about extensively. Although the Italian system is not without challenges, it is widely viewed as an exemplary system where the importance of children’s wellbeing and education is highly valued. Preparing the next generation of teachers must include a focus on issues of globalization. Globalization is an omnipresent force in our society today and it is here to stay. The evolution of western dance music offers an excellent example of the historical impact of globalization and it illustrates the pace of globalization from the 1800s to today. The following link shows how as time and technology progress has the spread of western dance music. [http://www](http://www). [thomson.co.uk/blog/wp-content/uploads/infographic/interactive-music-map/in](thomson.co.uk/blog/wp-content/uploads/infographic/interactive-music-map/in)[dex.html.](dex.html.) Globalization has transformed society and politics and is changing demographics around the world. These changes affect schools and communities, and those who provide leadership must understand diversity, inclusion, and globalization (Friedman, 2006) . Thus, a

FAQs

What is the central purpose of the paper?

The paper addresses why U.S. students should spend time and money to come to Italy to observe and learn from schools and culture.

How does the study collect data about students’ learning outcomes?

Students respond to open-ended prompts and five structured questions about what they gain from the short-term study abroad experience in Italy.

What do the findings suggest about short-term study abroad experiences in Italy?

The findings suggest students gain valuable insight through participating in hands-on, structured study abroad experiences.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Mimi