Description
As education abroad participation among postsecondary students increases, participant and program diversity continue to grow. Institutions often measure the success of education abroad through students’ gains in global, cultural or intercultural competence, but to be “competent” can convey the notion of an endpoint once competence is obtained. Conceptualizing education abroad through the lens of cultural humility provides an opportunity to build upon what students learn about the world through education abroad, and empower them to engage in lifelong self-reflection and self-critique, identify and work to change power imbalances, and advocate for communities. This qualitative phenomenological inquiry explored the development of cultural humility among education abroad participants at an urban diverse Hispanic Serving Institution in the southwest United States. Three salient themes emerged from 16 interviews: (a) identity awareness, (b) new attitudes toward learning, and (c) reflecting on the experience. Themes and subthemes aligned with elements of the cultural humility framework: (a) critical self-reflection for lifelong learning, (b) recognition and mitigation of power imbalances, (c) work for community rather than individual benefit, and (d) institutional responsibility. Participants’ narratives revealed areas in which institutions can better support students’ development of cultural humility through facilitating critical self reflection, providing holistic preparation, ensuring mutually beneficial community relationships, and modeling cultural humility at the institutional level. Recommendation include educating about power and privilege, embedding education abroad in the curriculum, and prioritizing access, equity, diversity, and inclusion in education abroad. Keywords: Cultural humility, education abroad, global learning
