The Friendship Journey: Developing Global Understanding in the Middle Grades

Abstract

The goals of developing a global perspective are consistent with the faith-based values of Catholicism. The primary goal is to prepare students academically, morally, and socially to participate in a globalized world that constantly faces new problems. A key component of this is the understanding that other people, who may appear on the surface to be very different from themselves, have differences which have value and similarities which unite us. The purpose of this article is to present one Catholic school's attempts to prepare its students to meet the challenges of citizenry in an international community and to describe the impact of those efforts. The questions we explored are: (a) Does a student-focused, cultural exchange program enhance American students' global perspectives? Does a student-focused, cultural exchange opportunity enrich students' cultural understandings? Findings from this study revealed that students gained an appreciation for diverse cultures through social interaction. While the pre- and post-test survey data revealed some changes in students' beliefs and attitudes, interviews and observations provided substantial evidence of students' evolving awareness and respect for other cultures. The tangible connections formed produced young people who have a greater appreciation for our global community.