Adolescent development of global competencies through a short-term international study-travel experience to China

Abstract

The capacity of adolescents to develop global competencies was examined by collecting and analyzing data from 62 student-travelers before, during, and after a short-term study-travel experience to China. The Global Perspectives Inventory was used to compare the student-travelers' perspectives before and after travel with a comparison group of 160 non-travelers. Experiences, guided reflections, and development were identified through journals, oral reflections, focus group interviews, and surveys provided by the adolescents, teacher-leaders, and parents or guardians. They provide insight into structuring a short-term study-travel experience for adolescents and might inform institutions about the learning experiences reported to be critical in the development of global competencies.