Digital Stories as Reflection Artifacts:Assessing the Impact of International Immersion on Teachers’ Level of Intercultural Competence
Abstract: This study uses a qualitative research paradigm to assess the impact of an international immersion experience on teachers’ level of intercultural competence. Participants recorded daily events in individual journals during a thirty-one day trip to China. Each teacher constructed a digital story based on a meaningful personal experience upon return. Journals provided an account of what happened. Reflection on events lead to re-evaluation of experience; seeking relationships, finding patterns and meaning, relating new ideas to prior knowledge (Boud, 2001, p. 14). Digital stories became reflection artifacts that provided a window into the level of individual change (Renda, 2010).
Presider: Natalie Johnson-Leslie, Arkansas State University, Department of Teacher Education