BUILDING A GLOBAL PERSPECTIVE AT HOME: A STUDY OF THE ACQUISITION OF A GLOBAL PERSPECTIVE BY STUDENTS OF GLOBAL UNDERSTANDING

Abstract

Universities around the United States use international mobility, such as recruitment of international students and faculty and study abroad of domestic students, as methods of achieving internationalization goals. However, only 15.5% of U.S. students have a study abroad opportunity during their academic careers. As universities strive to reach internationalization goals, methods of internationalization that do not rely on physical mobility of students need to be researched to ascertain whether goals are being met while students remain on campus. Classes that utilize Web 2.0 technologies allow students to communicate internationally with students at partner institutions globally. This research is using the Global Perspective Inventory (GPI), a measurement of global perspective acquisition, on students who enroll in GU at ECU. There are n=211 usable data points in the secondary data collected by the GU program. These data were analyzed using paired t-tests, and two-way mixed ANOVAs. Results indicate that students' scores improved significantly on the overall GPI and the following subscales: knowledge, personal identity, personal affect, and social interaction. Exploratory analyses indicate that specific demographics, such as gender, race, and interest level in study abroad, significantly interact with students' scores on specific subscales of the GPI. Therefore, virtual exchange is a measurable addition for campuses to consider for comprehensive internationalization.