The Reflective Model of Intercultural Competency: A Multidimensional, Qualitative Approach to Study Abroad Assessment

Abstract

This paper presents a multidimensional, qualitative approach to data collection. This approach makes qualitative data easy to collect and encourages students to reflect and contextualize their experience so that the students themselves articulate their own growth towards intercultural competence. This article will demonstrate how I established a set of learning outcomes for study abroad, encouraged student awareness of these learning outcomes prior to departure and during the program, and collected qualitative data to measure how well students were reaching these outcomes. This innovative approach, the Reflective Model of Intercultural Competence, shows both the benefits of qualitative data and of a multidimensional collection process. This approach provides rich data about student gains and it encourages students to consider their experience in broad terms, providing them with meaningful ways to articulate their experience to others. Furthermore, integrating learning outcomes into assessment reinforces their importance. The Reflective Model of Intercultural Competence provides a new and effective multifaceted tool for assessing study abroad outcomes