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Institute of
International Education
809 United Nations Plaza
7th Floor
New York, NY 10017
USA
Tel: +1 (212) 984 5367
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THE BEST LAID PLANS: Goals Setting as a Tool for Student Learning in Study Abroad |
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By Vija G. Mendelson
Why focus on student goals?
In recent years the field of international education has adopted a serious focus on assessing and documenting student learning abroad, discussing a variety of complex variables that may characterize an education abroad experience. Researchers continually face the challenge of accounting for these variables from the “outside”; indeed, what is often left unaddressed is the flip side of the coin, the complementary “inside” perspective: what do students themselves feel they are getting out of study abroad? What do they hope and expect to get out of study abroad? Put simply, what are their goals? While looking at outcomes – the end product of a study abroad experience – can provide researchers with hard data which supports our beliefs about the benefits of this special learning environment, we believe that it is necessary to start with the individual to better understand what goals students have and how they adapt these goals once faced with the daily reality of life abroad. It is our hope that by encouraging students to set goals and by providing them with opportunities to better understand their own learning and development, they will become more skilled at managing their expectations, articulating and pursuing their goals, and applying their newfound knowledge, abilities, and perspectives in future endeavors. The process of goals setting then becomes a tool which students can use not only to make the most of their often limited time abroad, but which they can also employ throughout the rest of their lives.
API’s Goals Setting Project
API’s goals setting research project has been conducted for the past three academic semesters (Spring 05, Fall 05, and Spring 06). The methodology of the project involves three different interventions with our Spain students via emails and online evaluations. Participation rates thus far have been encouraging: 51% of all students completed Goals I, setting five goals prior to their sojourn; 25% of these students completed Goals II, revising their original goals in light of their experiences in their host country; and 55% of these students completed Goals III, rating their opinions about the goals setting process, sharing advice with future API students on how to best work towards their goals, and considering how their future goals have been affected by study abroad. Overall, student responses can be divided into seven main goals categories. Table 1 shows the percentage of students identifying goals within these main categories (the number of subcategories included in each main category is shown in parentheses).
Table 1
MAIN GOALS I CATEGORIES PERCENT of STUDENTS
LISTING RELATED GOALS
language learning (4) 98.0%
cultural learning/adjustment (5) 94.0%
friends (4) 70.5%
personal growth (6) 70.2%
travel (3) 51.0%
local involvement [place/people] (5) 50.4%
other (11) 60.4%
Top 10 Student Goals
Many interesting trends emerged from students’ Goals I responses, including a strong impulse to distinguish themselves from tourists and engage in the culture on a deeper level, as well as a recognition of the future impacts of study abroad on their language use, cultural sensitivity, academic and professional plans, and personal relationships. Given the large number of goals identified by students within the subcategories, it is fruitful to focus here on the most popular intentions of students and take a closer look at the top ten.
GOAL 1 – cultural learning about Spain [60.4%]
This concept encompassed an increase of knowledge/participation in the following areas: art and architecture, cuisine and wine, customs, traditions, lifestyle choices/patterns, festivals/cultural events/concerts, geography, history, popular culture, social dynamics, and social institutions. Students insisted on the power of the environment to “make the textbook come alive”, and considered the benefits of both living and learning the culture, as well as comparing Spanish and U.S. American culture:
“Through a newly influenced outlook, I want to not only change my perceptions about other countries and ways of life, but to also look upon my own traditions through a new filter.”
GOAL 2 – learn/improve Spanish; become “proficient” [49.8%]
This goal for language learning included an improvement in a variety of linguistic skills, among these: the traditional four skills (speaking, listening, reading, and writing), communication skills, grammar usage (sentence structure, verb conjugations, verb tenses, etc.), vocabulary, pronunciation/accent, understanding Spanish dialects, rate/pace of speech, colloquial speech, specific language uses particular to Spain, and even “Becom[ing] so comfortable speaking Spanish that I can finally tell jokes…”
GOAL 3 – reach “fluency”; become “fluent” [31.3%]
Although students define the concept of “fluency” in countless different ways, the use of this precise term is widespread when students discuss their goals for language learning.
GOALS 4 & 5 – make friends [combined 51.2%]
While this is a natural enough impulse for anyone entering a new and unknown environment, it is worth mentioning that more students referred to making friends in a general sense (27.3%) than those who specified making Spanish friends (23.9%). Although students’ time abroad is limited, they were hopeful that they would form quality relationships while overseas, and they described them using terms such as: important, strong, genuine, lasting, life-long, long-term, meaningful, significant, and so on.
GOAL 6 – independence/self-sufficiency/maturity [23.5%]
The majority of students often linked this independence to the idea of living “without relying on my parents”.
It appears our “Millenial generation” students are well aware of their reputation as sheltered individuals, and they value an education abroad experience for its potential to foster their personal growth and “a kind of independence that only spending time in another country alone can do.”
GOAL 7 – adjust well to differences [20.5%]
Students did not just want to learn about their host culture, but aspired to understand and accept cultural differences and adjust to their new way of life abroad. They recognized this would involve flexibility on their part, and in order to accomplish this goal vowed “to stay in the mindset of actively trying to adjust and live according to a Spanish lifestyle rather than trying to change my surroundings to be more like my life at home.”
GOALS 8 & 10 – travel [combined 36.6%]
As seen previously with students’ comments on making friends, the Spanish option was not ranked highest; more students referred to traveling in other countries in Europe (20.5%) than those who specified traveling in Spain (16.1%). They clearly wanted to take advantage of their proximity to well-known landmarks and cities to travel internationally as well as locally, often suggesting that this was a unique opportunity they would not have again later on in life.
GOAL 9 – get to know my host family [19.1%]
Since 40% of the students who responded to the goals survey lived in residencias or apartments and 60% lived with host families, we can calculate that more like 32% (nearly one-third) of the students who actually lived in families identified goals linked to this part of their study abroad experience. These students talked about the quality of the relationship they hoped to forge with their potential host families, and also detailed ways they thought they could make the most of the experience. That students would prioritize a good relationship with their host family is not surprising, given that many choose this environment based on the belief that it will provide richer opportunities for language learning, cultural learning, and more.
Reality Check – Goals II
The students who took the time to revise their goals midway through their program abroad were very conscious of the process of working towards their goals during their sojourn. In fact, 39% of students did not make significant changes to their original goals, choosing only to make minor amendments in wording and remain true to their initial intentions. As one student stated, “I wish I had new things to add to my list of aspirations, objectives, and desires. But I don’t. All five of them are things that I have been working at, seeking out, and sometimes readjusting my lifestyle in order to attain. Furthermore, I find that the time I have spent here has been tiny, and – while I’ve learned mountains – I will need to someday give myself a greater stretch of time in order to better realize these goals. I have only really begun to understand what these goals mean within the context of this world that is new to me.”
While some students offered self-critical comments about their linguistic progress halfway through their session (“I am feeling disappointed that I am speaking so much English and that I have not worked harder to practice Spanish with my host mother”), there were several willing to commit themselves anew to their language learning in different ways, resolving to: spend less time with Americans, start writing journal entries and emails in Spanish, read books and newspapers in Spanish, try to consciously use structures learned in class in everyday exchanges, and work on effective communication skills. Roughly 50% of students amended one or two goals mid-program once they had a better sense of how things worked in their host country, and their new game plan often involved strategies for increasing their opportunities for interaction in Spanish in order to work on their skills.
Student Feedback – Goals III
At the close of the project, students shared positive feedback about the process of setting goals and offered valuable advice for their peers, suggesting ways to best approach a new environment, language learning, and goals setting itself. The importance of “keeping an open mind”, “taking time to adjust to a new way of living”, and “taking on an active role” was emphasized, and students warned against unrealistic expectations: “Do not expect to come back fluent!! Realize that everyone learns at a different rate. Really think about what you want out of the experience and realize that it might be completely different from other students’ expectations. Make friends with people who have the same goals that you do and encourage one another to follow these goals.” As concerns the process of goals setting, students had learned by trial and error how to effectively use their goals as a tool for learning: “Don’t set goals too high at first – even just a few basic goals as building blocks can keep you motivated without making you frustrated. Review your goals often and make a timeline for when you want to complete them. Once you get to your study abroad destination, don't be afraid to modify your goals and allow them to develop as you do throughout your experience. Do not think that you can transcend your own limitations by setting ridiculously high goals for yourself.”
Students also took the time to evaluate how their study abroad experience impacted their goals for the future, looking at academic, professional, and personal choices they intended to pursue as a result of the newfound knowledge and perspectives they gained and developed during their sojourn. Their thoughtful assessment of the learning opportunities and challenges they faced overseas distills a powerful life lesson that is an integral part of maturing in today’s society: “Studying abroad will open up your eyes to so many important concepts but it will not always be easy...just remember that some of the most difficult moments will be some of the most powerful!”
Vija G. Mendelson is Director of Academic Affairs and Assessment at Academic Programs International (API) and currently serves on the Advisory Council of the FORUM on Education Abroad.
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