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'In bare feet with myjournal': promotingthe interculturaldevelopment ofyoung exchangestudents

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Volume 47 Number 1 15

AbstractIt is Increasingly common for schoolsto form partnerships with schools inthe countries of languages learned inthe classroom. While there has beensubstantial investigation of languageand culture learning in the contextof tertiary study abroad, there hasbeen limited research attention topedagogical interventions which maysupport learning in young exchangetravellers. This study applied theprinciples of intercultural languagelearning to the exchange context.The article reports the impact of athree-phase intervention which was Idesigned to extend student intercultuTSTlearning, before, during and after twoexchange trips to China and Europe.Students' responses to the interventionare assessed through the analysis ofstudents' journals and blog data, usingcriteria developed from a three-tieredmodel of descriptive, dialogic, andcritical writing. The study shows thatthe intervention facilitated studentobservation skills in both groups,but had more limited success in thedevelopment of self-reflection inrelation to the exchange environment.The study offers strategies for effectivedesign of such teaching interventions,as an important contribution tolanguages education.

Key Wordsexchange, study abroad, intercultural,language, culture, secondary education,ethnography

Background to the studyOver the past ten years, languagesteaching in Australian schools has utilisedan intercultural approach to pedagogy,to development of resources, and toprofessional learning programs (see, forexample, Byram, 1989; Kramsch, 1993;Liddicoat, Papademetre, Scarino & Khler,2003). Teachers have been encouragedto embed explicit strategies into theirclassroom pedagogy to elicit criticalreflection on the similarities and differencesbetween languages and cultures (Morgan,2007; Moloney, 2010).The application of intercultural principlesto learning experiences outside theclassroom, however, as for example toshort-term school exchange or study abroadprograms, has been limited. As AustraliaIs predominantly English-speaking andgeographically situated at long distancesfrom target language countries, it iscommon for schools to form partnershipswith counterpart schools learning Englishin the target language country, and toannually arrange reciprocal visits. Boththe hosting and the visiting roles areused by teachers to motivate and supportstudent learning experience in interactionwith their target language peers. There issubstantial literature on the tertiary studyabroad context (see for example. Brecht &Robinson, 1995; De Keyser 1991; Kinginger,2004, 2008; Olmedo & Harbon, 2010),and on teacher experience of overseasexperience (French & Harbon, 2010; Harbon,2007). There has been limited focus onschool students, however, and, in particular,little research to evaluate connectionsbetween pedagogical approach and learningoutcomes of school students participating inschool exchange trips.

Unlike the independent, unsupervisedlong-term duration of tertiary study abroad,school exchange trips are usually short(from 2-6 weeks), and student groups areaccompanied by one or more supervisingschool teachers, due to issues of risk andthe greater need for emotional support.Although there may be other focuses ofschool trips, this study limits its attention tothose taken for the purpose of language andculture learning.There is evidence that, in exchangeprograms for young learners, students maydevelop negative stereotypes of the targetculture if they lack prior knowledge and skillsfor interpreting intercultural interactions(Buttjes & Byram, 1991). Research ontertiary students' experiences abroad hassimilarly found that students may not,without assistance, acquire the skills tosuccessfully negotiate cultural issues andincidents (Bagnall, 2005). Teachers thusneed to explicitly assist learners to developskills in observing, analysing, and integratingexperiences.

This article reports on the impact of athree-phase pedagogical interventiondesigned to extend student learning which

took place before, during, and after a shortterm school exchange trip. The interventionis implemented over two different trips,with refinement of technique in the seconditeration.

The aim of this study was to examinewhat effect, if any, can be observed froman intervention that involved interculturalteaching, prior to, during, and after anexchange experience. This article argues thatan explicit process of scaffolding, journaling,and peer- constructed re-acculturationsupports various levels of interculturallearning in secondary school students.

Literature reviewThe theoretical framing of this studycombines two Interrelated areas of researchliterature, that of study abroad programsand a sociocultural theoretical approach toculture learning, which underlies interculturallanguage learning and development. Thisreview introduces both fields.

The interests and approaches of studyabroad researchOver the past 40 years research interestin student learning In tertiary study abroadprograms has been diverse in both aimsand methodologies. Studies focussed onlanguage acquisition achieved during studyabroad have featured attention to elementsof syntax and vocabulary growth, employingquantitative methodologies focussed ontest scores (see for example Carroll, 1967;Rivers, 1998).Studies taking broader social perspectiveson second language acquisition havesuggested that what students gain is theability to 'sound good' by adopting particularoral conversational strategies, and byleaming appropriate pragmatic strategies(Taguchi, 2011). There has also beenattention to issues in re-acculturation to thehome culture (Adler, 1981; Storti, 2001).Study abroad research which has beendesigned to access deeper socioculturalunderstanding of students' learningabout culture has employed qualitativemethodolcgies, utilising introspectivenarrative techniques (diaries, interviews,blogs) as well as case studies andethnographies (Brecht & Robinson, 1995;Polyani, 1995). DeKeyser (1991, pp.117-118) has recommended that researchon language learning abroad 'should belongitudinal, that is, follow the learnersclosely throughout the overseas experience,and integrate test data with moreethnographic data'.Researchers have sought to Identify thecomponents of the intercultural knowledgeand competence achieved during studyabroad or exchange (for a useful summary,see Paige, Jorstad, Slaya, Klein & Colby,1993). Paige et al. (1993) claim that studentsexplore their own culture, discover therelationship between language and culture,and acquire techniques of analysis andcomparison of cultures. Zhu (2011) asserts

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that the key ability is identifying andchallenging one's cultural assumptions anddeveloping empathy. These various abilitiesmay be demonstrated in identified levels ofcritical cultural reflection apparent in journalwriting. The analysis of student writingmay be judged using the descriptors of athree-tiered model, developed by Harris,Smith, Merrit, Simons and Reid (2002), andamended in a related study abroad contextby Bagnall (2005). Bagnall has described theprogressive level of intercultural reflectiveability identifiable in the journal writing oftertiary students doing practicum teachingin different cultural contexts. The analysis oftextual data in this study will use as ratingcriteria, Bagnall's (2005) identification ofthree levels in student writing as: culturally descriptive reflection: writing

which simply describes cultural practices,gives information, may include simplisticcomparisons

culturally dialogic reflection: writingwhich shows that the writer is in athoughtful, interrogative conversationwith themselves and the practices oftheir home culture

culturally critical reflection: writing whichshows an independent synthesis andinterpretation of cultural information,and uses it to question the writer'srelationships, perspectives andbehaviour.

These notions shape the conceptualisationof intercultural learning that this studyemploys to inform its analysis of data.The acquisition of intercultural competencewill not just occur inevitably and simply as

the result of passive exposure to culturalinput (Crozet & Liddiooat, 1999). Some formof preparation intervention is desirable forlearners before in-country experiences, inorder to develop skills in the interpretationof culturally bound interactions with nativespeakers. If students are adequatelyprepared for the cultural input they receiveduring such visits, supported during thetrip, and given opportunity for post-tripreflective processing, they may maximisetheir learning (Paige, Cohen, Kappler, Chi&Lassegard, 2002).

Application of theoretical frameThe movement towards a socioculturalunderstanding of the exchange experienceparallels similar movement in languagepedagogy In her design of the intervention,the teacher is making an application ofher intercultural language pedagogy Thispedagogy is viewed as an 'orientation'(Scarino, Liddicoat, Carr, Crichton, Crozet,Dellit, Khler, Loechel, Mercurio, Morgan,Papademetre & Scrimgeour, 2009) inboth teacher and learners, towards newunderstandings of 'other and self as a resultof reflective examination of their learning.Byram (1989) and Kramsch (1993) describea process of the individual developinginterculturally through de-centring fromtheir own first culture. The design ofthis study's intervention focuses on theposing of enquiry questions to elicit criticalobservation skills. Studies have shown

that intercultural language learning isfacilitated by explicit critical questions byboth teachers and students (Morgan, 2007;Moloney 2010). In its use of pre- and post-trip meetings, the study also is informed bythe notion that the construction of learningtakes place in social interaction with peers(Vygotsky, 1986). The analysis of data isinformed also by two models of progressiveintercultural development (Bennett, 1993;Bagnall, 2005) as detailed below in theMethodology section.

iVIethodologyThis study provides an illuminative casestudy within one school context, of thedesign and implementation of a pedagogicalintervention, with two iterations, inschool groups travelling in 2010 to China(September) and Europe (December)respectively The intervention is describedbelow. The research, which followedthe teaching and learning activity, usesqualitative data from student journals andblogs, and post-trip written evaluation.

Data sources and analysisThe intervention, as described below,consisted of a site-based, three phasestrategy to provide pre-trip scaffolding ofintercultural enquiry, during-trip journalingactivity, and post-trip re-acculturationdiscussion and written evaluation.

This study analyses qualitative data, usingwritten narratives and stories extracted fromstudent journals and blogs completed whileon exchange, and data from both verbal andwritten responses in post-trip meetings.


IN THEIR TEXTS, THECHINA STUDENTS

RESPONDED TO THEOUESTIONS WITH

CONSISTENTLYDESCRIPTIVE WRITING

ABOUT SCHOOL,HOST HOME AND THE

ACTIVITIES OF THETWO WEEKS.

Content analysis, to determine evidence ofstudent interoultural learning was carriedout on the written narrative texts enteredby each student in a journal or blog. Theanalysis was concerned only with evidenceof interculturai learning, as it has beenshaped by theoretical notions in the relevantliterature above.

The analysis of data is informed by twomodels. The six stage DevelopmentalModel of Interculturai Sensitivity (Bennett,1993) provides a linear description ofpersonal intercultural change which movesthrough three ethnocentric phases. Denial,Defence, Minimisation; and three stages ofethnorelativity. Acceptance, Adaptation andIntegration. As detailed above, the analysisof student writing is informed by a threelevel model of progressive interculturalchange (Bagnall, 2005). The two researchersjointly read a sample of the texts anddeveloped rating criteria for reliably judgingthe three levels of writing. Pseudonymshave been used in extracts from the data.

Participants and the school siteThe China student exchange groupcomprised 13 students, seven boys andsix girls, from Years 8-10 (aged 13-16). Asnon-native speakers of Chinese, studentsbegin their study of Chinese in Year 7 thusyears of study varied from two to four years.Their curriculum includes aspects of culturalknowledge which occur in the context ofearly learning, for example, family, school,friends and festivals. It was the first trip toChina for all students. The students spenttwo weeks at a secondary public schooi inGuangzhou, accommodated individually infamily homes.

The Europe group comprised seventeenstudents, 13 girls and four boys, in Years10-11 (aged 16-17). Years of study of therelevant language (French, German orItalian) varied from four to 10 years, assome students had studied their languagecontinuously from preschool while othershad begun in Year 7. The 17 students spentsix weeks in individual family homestaysand attended the sister school relevant totheir language of study, seven in Montpellier(France), four in Bad Salzuflen (Germany)and six in Rovereto (Italy), respectively.The school is a oo-educational independentschool in Sydney, Australia, incorporatingpre-school, primary and secondary levels,with an ethos of diversity and bilingualism(Moloney, 2004). The school offers a choiceof four non-English languages through thepreschool and primary years, with additionallanguages in secondary school. The schoolhas been teaching Chinese from Year 7since 2007 The schooi has conducted itsannual six-week European student exchangeprogram since 1995 with sister schoolsin Italy, France and Germany. It now alsoincludes annual or bi-annual two-weekexchanges to Japan, New Caledonia, Spainand China.

Description of the teaching andlearning interventionThe teaching intervention was designedto address four goals: (a) to enabledevelopment of critical observation skills, (b)to support retention of learning for ongoingprocessing of learning over time, (c) tostimulate deeper intercultural self-reflection,beyond 'compare and contrast', and (d)to provide a forum, after the trip, to givestudents the opportunity to process andconstruct their learning together, to supportre-acculturation.

To achieve these goals, the intervention wasdesigned in three stages, common to bothgroups. The intervention was modelled onselected strategies in Paige et al. (2002),amended for the Australian school context.

Stage 1: Pre-tripPre-trip teaching was conducted in fourmeetings, with discussion of general travelstrategies. This included how to be a keencritical observer of the culture and lifestyle,not only noticing differences, but also howthe differences made students feei aboutthemselves. The teacher gave students ajournal, access to a personal blog, and a setof questions. The questions asked studentsto observe and comment on issues of food,clothes, host's home, social relationshipsand school. For example:

Clothes: Are Chinese students'clothes different from what you wear?Why do you thini< this might be? i-iowis teenage life in Australia similar toChina? How is it different?At school: What is the same as yourschool? What is different? What doyou notice about interaction betweenteachers and students in China? Howis it different in Australia?At home: Who is doing the cookingand cleaning in your Chinese hostfamily? is this different from yourfamily? Do families seem to spendmore time together in Australia or inChina?

Between the return of the China group(September 2010) and the departure ofthe Europe group (December 2010), thequestions were refined. Questions weremodeiled on examples from the InterculturaiLanguage and Teaching Learning Program(Morgan, 2007). Further questions wereadded for the European group, due both toperceived limitations of the responses madeby China participants, and to interests andconcerns of the older age group. Questionswere expanded to include more emphasison perceptions of feelings, making friends,reflection on own personality and identity,and reflection on home cuiture and family.For example, relating to Italy/France/Germany:

Do you think it is easier to makefriends in Italy (or other country) orAustralia? Why? Do you think youare more comfortabie, more suited

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to the way social relationships run,in Australia or in Italy? Do you findyourself behaving differently in afamily setting in Italy from when inAustralia? What are you noticing aboutthe people, the culture and ways ofcommunication while you are in Italy?After being in Italy, has it changedthe way you think about yourself?After being in Italy have you learntsomething about yourself and yourculture?

In addition, as a language task, the teacherlent every student a small digital audiorecorder, with a list of simple questionsin the target language. Students had tointerview a number of people in their newenvironment (e.g. host family, local peers),and bring home the recorded material. Thismaterial was not part of the research data.

Stage 2: During the tripOn the teacher-accompanied China trip,there was daily teacher supervision ofwriting. In the unaccompanied Europeexchange there was no teacher supervisionof journal or blog writing. Europe studentsreported that there was limited access tocomputers in schools and homes, resultingin limited blogging and greater use ofjournals.

Stage 3: Post-tripFor both groups, the teacher conductedtwo structured discussion meetings forparticipants, for students to make senseof their experience within peer socialinteraction. Forthe China group, meetingsserved also as preparation for an eveningforum event with parents. The teacher

endeavoured through questioning to guidestudents to a deeper analysis, beyond thedescriptive. The Europe group engagedin two discussion meetings, but did notconduct a parent forum. To facilitate in-depthreflection, the teacher asked students towrite responses to structured items. Forexample:

Did the process of teaching aboutintercultural learning, before you left,help with journal writing an in analysisof experience at deeper level? (Pleaseexplain)I know I have changed as a result ofmy experiences because...My friends do seem to understand...about me, but they don't understand

The one thing I know I have learnedabout myself s...I wish I could explain to my family andfriends that...

(Adapted from Paige, Cohen Kappler, Chi,Lassegard, 2002, pp. 148-154)

Findings: China group

OverviewStudent journals and blogs were examinedaccording to criteria of the three stageindicator of descriptive, dialogic, andcritical reflection (Bagnall, 2005). The studyacknowledges that the blog genre may differfrom a journal text in audience, purpose, andlanguage. We also acknowledge that thechoice of blog or journal may have impactedthe reflection that the student produced. Forthe purposes of this study, however, both

texts are considered as affording equivalentwriting opportunities, without particularreference to the text genre, and examinedonly for the evidence of interculturalreflection.

Descriptive writingIn their texts, the China students respondedto the questions with consistentlydescriptive writing about school, host homeand the activities of the two weeks. Forexample, students reported that the Chinesemostly live in small apartments which havevery simple furnishings; and that there arefestivals and traditions in China that allowfamilies to get together for celebrations.From these descriptions, students madegeneralised observations, which may havebeen influenced by appropriated beliefsfrom teachers or parents. These included,for example, that personal space in China isapparently not so rigid amongst strangers, asthe population is so dense; that life is morestressful in China, as parents work longhours and students study long hours; that allChinese wake up early and go to bed late.Some students were able to critique theirprior expectations of China. For example,some students had expected Chinese citiesto be very modern and influenced by theWest, but discovered that many areas of thecity were 'traditional' and old.

Deductive and comparative writingStudents made some limited deductionsas to Chinese values which lay behindobserved behaviours. Implicit in these werecomparisons between Australia and China.There was very limited inclination to thinkmore deeply about the historical or cultural


reasons for these values. They deduced forexample that study is a priority and highlyvalued by Chinese; that, in their Australianeyes, since Chinese students are generallymodestly dressed, they are a conservativepopulation and do not want to stand out, asstudents do in Australia; and that respeotfor the elderly and social interaction withextended family members are important.

Jenny, below, when referencing teenagers'life, (but not her own, using only once thefirst person pronoun 'me'), empathiseswith the Chinese students being under somuch pressure to perform academically anddedicate so much time to their studies.

Chinese teenagers and even Chinesechildren have to spend a lot moretime studying for exams and doinghomework. They are expected todo much more and receive veryhigh results! Fortunately for me thestressed life of a Chinese teenager(in terms of study) is quite different inAustralia. We focus on the all roundedchild, not just pushing for extremeacademic excellence. Teenagersin Australia can spend more timerelaxing, hanging out and sleeping,than the Chinese that can havelessons from 7:40am - 9:00pm andthen go home with a lot of homework(Jenny, journal entry).

Jenny's writing displays a degree ofethnocentricity (Bennett, 1993) indicatingher appropriated belief in the superiorityof the Australian model, promoted by herschool in its particular social context. Sheuses impersonal generalisation, and doesnot achieve significant exploration of herown culture (Paige et al, 2002); she is notable to engage in deeper reflection aboutthe historical or cultural reasons for her ownAustralian educational ethos, such as vastlylower population, affluence, and access tohigher education.

Inclusion of self in writingA small number of students demonstrate intheir texts the second level of interculturalreflective ability, dialogic reflection. Forexample, Juliette wrote that

Even at the end of the second daythe requests for photos with usand questions about our love-liveshaven't ceased. It is very odd beinga celebrity just for being ordinary in adifferent way, just for looking slightlydifferent (Juliette, journal entry).

Dialogic reflection is indicated in Juliette'sthoughtful conversation with herself, abouther unearned privilege of being a celebrity,and in her ability to shift perspective,and reflect about what the visit of theAustralians might mean to the Chinesestudents.

The diary entries of three female studentsadmitted pre-conceived ideas of Chinabefore departure and showed the abilityfor adaptation (Bennett, 1993) to theirnew reality. There was evidence of them

becoming self-aware of seeing the worldthrough their own lens and discovering thatthere is a different way of doing things andof seeing. Jacquie wrote that

China is very different to what Ithought it would be like. Before Icame I expected the city to be verymodern with a big influence fromthe western culture. However wearrived to very traditional food, dirtyovercrowded streets, cats living onthe streets, tiny places, an incrediblydifferent way of life and culture and...squat toilets! But although thesewere a shock at first I am gettingused to them and really enjoying livingin a different way of life (Jacquie,journal entry).

Students' own home values were evidentin their responses. With a degree of self-reflection, Peter, of Australian Chinesebackground, noted how delicious theChinese food was, compared to how limitedthe family resources appeared. He alsoobserved that Australian children seemspoiled when compared to the Chinese;they had !ess than Austraiian kids but itseemed plenty al! the same (Peter, journalentry).This reflection involves recognitionand critique of his upbringing and values.

Differences in age and gender in writingDifferences in age and gender wereobserved in student writing. As noted, theyounger China group contained only twoolder students aged 16. This age differencemay have enabled Paul (16) to reference hisAustralian life to his perceptions of the sizeof China, his recognition of his limited abilityto understand China, and his reluctanceto resort to stereotypes. His writing againreflects the notions of Bagnall's Stage 2dialogic (conversation with self and self'sperspective);

Cities like nothing in AustraHa, drivingthrough outback Austraiian towns wii!never be the same again, the scaie ofChina is nothing Uke even the CBD inSydney. Driving in outer Guang Zhou(equivaient being Mascot or further)was about the same density asGeorge Street on a busy day Just asI thought I was getting used to China,they would regurgitate some grossbones from the duck. It's different andnot different all at once, China is justunexplainabie (Paul, Year 10, journalentry).

The younger boys were reluctant writersand social observers, preferring to catalogueconcrete aspects of their activities. Tim (Year8, aged 13) made very few blog entries butdid record;

So yesterday me and my partner wentto a toy store and brought 3 BB gunsand one was a plastic one with a laserunderneath /f (Tim, blog entry).

However, their reluctance to write mayalso involve awareness that the processof reflection is difficult, and may involve

anticipation that understanding may happenwhen students get home, as Frank haswritten;

China has been a mixture of 'whatthe hell is happening' and 'wow thatwas pretty cool'. ! won't attemptto describe too many experiences,not because they have beenindescribable, but more because theyhave passed by me so quickly I don'tthink I'll be able to recall them untilI'm sitting down in my room with apack of chips from Broadway (Frank,blog entry in China).

In sum, the journals and blogs of the Chinagroup data provide evidence that thequestions had assisted in scaffolding skillsin observation, descriptions and simplecomparisons. The questions appear to havehad limited success, however, in elicitingdeeper reflection on students' Australianlives or enhancing their ability to critiquetheir own perceptions.

China post-trip meetingsAt China post-trip meetings studentsproduced further verbal reflection about theease of their Australian lives compared totheir Chinese peers. The teacher noted thatseveral boys were more expansive verballythan they had been in writing their journalor blog. Researchers reflected that studentshad the opportunity to meet daily at theChina school, thus the opportunity to talkabout their impressions may have reducedtheir emotional need to document themin writing. Further, the relatively shelteredexperience, demanding less self-reliance,and less immediate need to problemsolve in the new environment, functionallypositioned the China reflective writingdifferently from that of the Europe group,discussed below.

Findings: Europe groupOverviewThe journals and blogs of the students inthe Europe group, over a period of 6 weeks,provide evidence of Level 1 descriptiveand Level 2 self-dialogue writing and somelimited Level 3 critical reflection (Bagnall,2005). They illustrate student progressin Stages 4 and 5 of the DevelopmentalModel of Intercultural Sensitivity, in theiracceptance of, and adaptation to, their newenvironment (Bennett, 1993). There was nolive contact or travel between the differentschools, although students maintainedonline contact across schools and with theirhome environments in Sydney. Within thesame school, students had independenttimetables and saw each other on anoccasional basis.

Inclusion of self in writingEurope students wrote in-depth answers toquestions about forming friendships, socialinteractions and social norms within thecountry. The refined questions appear tohave given the students an effective scaffold

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for their intercultural learning. The journalwriting itself has played a role in helpingthem to critically reflect on their experienceand awareness of themselves in the newculture. In relative isolation in a Europeanfamily. Liz commented in a blog entry

Last night, about 6 at night, ... whenit was quiet and cold, I went out inbare feet with my journal and wrotemy entry... it just calms me down andkeeps me in the present and connectsme with where I am: France. (Liz, blogentry).

This entry displays an awareness of self, andher awareness of the value and function ofthe diary itself, a mediating private spacewhere her emerging identity in this newenvironment can be thought through, inEnglish. This student's text indicates anapproach to Level 3 critical reflection, whereshe s explicitly aware of independentlysyntheslsing new cultural information,needing to de-centre and situate herselfamongst new emerging relationships, whileremaining connected to her sense of self.

Students grapple to interpret theirrelationship with European socialbehaviours. Students felt welcomed by theirEuropean peers and commented that therewas real affection amongst teenagers inEurope, demonstrated by the kiss greeting,even when meeting new people.

Liz wroteFrench people are generallyaffectionate, the placement of kissesfor a greeting is a perfect ice-breakerand even people you've only met forthe first time generally intrude onyour space. So when you befriendsomeone, affection and personalspace is a free for all. Unlike Australia,where all of the people are generallyunaffectionate at first meeting.

Jill wrotePersonally I think it is easier to makefriends in France as the young peopleare so accepting and affectionate.

Whether their Australian interpretation ofthe European kiss greeting is correct or not(i.e. whether it represents genuine affection)the students are negotiating what it meansto live in European society. Through theframework of the intercultural questioningthe students consciously compare theEuropean practice to their own and process,analyse and evaluate this.

At Europe post-trip meetings studentsspoke about how they felt about changesIn themselves and changed perceptionsof their family and friends once they hadreturned to Australia. As noted, the Europegroup were also asked to complete awritten survey of their perceptions of theIntervention (pre-trip sessions, journalingand post-trip meetings).

Europe post-trip survey dataStudents were asked whether the pre-tripteaching helped their journal writing. Eight

AT EUROPE POST-TRIP MEETINGS STUDENTSSPOKE ABOUT HOW THEY FELT ABOUTCHANGES IN THEMSELVES AND CHANGEDPERCEPTIONS OF THEIR FAMILY AND FRIENDSONCE THEY HAD RETURNED TO AUSTRALIA.


THE PRE-TEACHING, THEOUESTIONS ANSWERED

IN JOURNALSANDBLOGS, AND THE

POST-TRIP MEETINGSGAVE STUDENTS

A FRAMEWORK INWHICH TO CONSIDER

AND REPORTTHEIR CULTURAL

ENCOUNTERS.

students felt that it was of limited value, as,in their perception, students are unable toimagine the immediate onslaught of livedexperience in Europe, for example:

Wo amount of teaching can prepareyou for the experience (Erin, post-tripdata).No, it's only when in France that youthink about what you see around you(Vic, post-trip data)

However three students balanced this byadding positive comments about the impactof pre-trip strategy Kristen wrote that thepre-trip teaching helped me focus on someaspects of French culture that I may not havegiven much thought to. I still found it difficultto put what / observed and felt into words.In Mel's perception, the pre-trip strategyacted as a catalyst for Level 2 dialogicreflection, a focus on herself as seen by theother:

It did make me think about the way Iam perceived in public. It takes a lotto see the way you are different in adifferent culture.

Six students however attached greaterimportance to preparation for re-entry totheir life in Australia, and the role of post-tripsupport:

It's more important to prepare studentsfor return to Australia (Nat, post-tripdata).You need to prepare more for whenyou get back to reality. Important toalso brief parents about how kidsmight feel sad about leaving Europe(Jan, post-trip data).

Changes in self perceptionsPost-trip discussion and survey askedstudent to comment on their perception ofchange in themselves due to the trip. Threedominant themes in response were newpersonal social skills, new perception oftheir language skills, and some disjunction inAustralia context relationships.Every Europe student commented on newsocial skills acquired through their exchangeexperience. Some students identify thattheir new social confidence skills are createdby and limited to the European context,while others are able to transfer this learningto relationships in Australia:

My relationship with my Australianfriends is better. / feel more matureand more confident with myself andfriends. I feel more comfortable aboutgetting to know other people (Tom,post-trip data).I felt comfortable in my Frenchsurroundings and I miss the ease ofmaking friends (Mel, post-trip data).

Some students expressed disjunction inlocal relationships, however, and that theirAustralian friends did not understand whatthey had experienced and were bored withhearing about the trip. Students wrote:

/ know I have changed as a result ofmy experience because I do not reallyfit into the same friendship groups asI did before I left (Liz, post-trip data).My friends understand that I havechanged in some ways but don'tunderstand what I have experienced(Nat, post-trip data).

The students were asked what they hadlearnt about themselves. Their answersreflect pride in what they achievedlinguistically, in personal confidence, and inself-awareness:

/ am not as bad at German as Ithought I was (Vic, post-trip data)./ am fortunate to have my comfortableway of life (Kristen, post-trip data)./ do not have to be so shy, and I havegained more confidence (Pat, post-tripdata).

At the meetings all students were keen toshare their experience in social interaction.They displayed a deeper level of reflectionand intercultural understanding through theirdiscussions, as they discovered others hadsimilar thoughts or experience.Student responses to the post-trip surveydisplay some elements of Level 3 writing,that is, the independent synthesis of cuituralinformation, and the use of this to constructnew relationships and behaviour. Studentdata suggest that significant interculturallearning takes place after the return, ifstudents are given the opportunity toprocess it with peers in social interaction.These findings confirm Paige et al's(2002) comment on the conflict of valuesand identity which can occur in studentsreturning, but also the reflective negotiationof change in values, and new sense of selfwhich can occur in the re-acculturationprocess (Paige et al, 2002, p. 156).

7. Discussion of both cohortsThe use of a three stage interventionhas successfully encouraged students tocritically observe their surroundings, andreflect on their experience. The pre-teaching,the questions answered in journals andblogs, and the post-trip meetings gavestudents a framework in which to considerand report their cultural encounters. Theprocess offered students the opportunityto observe, reflect, adapt and, to a limitedextent, to become self-aware. The remarksbelow discuss the design of questions, thefunction of age, gender and cognitive abilityin students, and the need for developmentof teacher intercultural skills.

Design of questionsThe study highlights that the design ofquestions is important. Concrete questions(noticing, comparing) remain important tohelp students critically observe life in thecountry. Relevance of questions to students'immediate interests is essential. The teacherintends to include in future a greater numberof more personal questions, such as How

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do you think you appeared...; Do you findyourseif thinking or behaving differentiy?These questions place greater demandon students to see themselves within thenew culture, and may provide them withevidence of change in themselves after thetrip, in the process of reflection.

Age and cognitive ability of studentsLeaving aside unknown variables ofbackground experience, the study hassecondly demonstrated that age andcognitive ability may be factors in the levelof analysis possible. As seen in the Chinatrip students, comparison abilities weregood, but these did not necessarily lead todeeper critical thinking or self-reflection.Indeed it has been argued that interculturalteaching that limits itself to promotingcross-cultural comparisons, is leading onlyto greater recourse to stereotypes (Dervin,2010). Student reluctance to engage inself-reflection may also be due, however, tonot possessing the conceptual vocabularyto go beyond cross-cultural observations.Self-reflection needs more explicitscaffolding in the questions. The teacher ismindful of balance between teaching thesenotions, expectations, and of students'developmental readiness. This raises thequestion of the most appropriate age formaximum benefit from exchange trips, and,similarly, of the need for age-appropriateintercultural goals for exchange trips.

Gender differenceThe study observed some gender differencein student engagement with the writingtasks, girls producing considerably morewritten data than boys. Current literaturecautions against a simplistic response tothe issue of boys' relationship with writingtasks (Gill & Starr, 2000), where factorsof indigeneity, ethnicity, socioeconomicstatus and residence affect literacy levelmuch more significantly than gender(Alloway & Dalley-Trim, 2006). Nevertheless,the researchers, in future iterations, willestablish alternative media for collectingand saving text, audio and visual materials.With students' growing visual literacy andtechnology skills, a multimedia site, towhich students could upload photos andcomments on the day's activities, may offera more engaging alternative to all students,if computer access is available.

Teacher ability and trainingThe study confirms the central role of theteacher's ability to guide intercultural learning,particularly in post-trip re-acculturationand support for emerging new identities.Teachers need skills to support studentsin moving beyond narration of events andobservations, to a level of reflection wherethey consider their own perspectives onthemselves, Australian society and the targetlanguage country experience. A further stageof analysis of such a study could focus onthe intercultural development of the teacherinvolved in exchange programs. Further

research is needed into new skills andidentities for intercultural language teachers.

ConclusionThis study has demonstrated the applicationof principles of intercultural languagelearning to an explicit teaching intervention,in a school exchange context. While thereare clearly many uncontrolled variablesin these two exchange contexts, whichmay have impacted student response (forexample, students' host families, students'prior travel experience), the study suggeststhat a teaching intervention facilitatesintercultural learning outcomes in students,affords a space for a shared experience,and creates a community of learners withcommon focus.

The study points to the need for interculturalawareness and skills in the teacher, incontinuity with his/her existing interculturalpedagogy in language classrooms. Withits focus on school aged learners, thestudy points to new ways to maximisecontextualised learning in the studentexchanges which have become an importantpart of language education.

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Robyn Moloney is a Senior Lecturer inthe School of Education at MacquarieUniversity. She teaches LanguagesMethodology to pre-service teachers,and supervises a number of doctoralprojects. Her research interests includeintercultural language learning andteacher development. Previously shewas a secondary languages teacher.

Rosalba Genua-Petrovic is Director ofLanguages at International GrammarSchool, Sydney. This role encompassessupervision of language programs fromPreschool to Year 12, and organisationof the school's extensive exchangeprograms. Rosalba teaches Italian atboth primary and secondary levels.


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