Sustainability, and Effects on SMCM Student Participants Mark - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

The PEACE Program in The Gambia: An Evaluation of Institutionalization, Sustainability, and Effects on SMCM Student Participants Mark Jaskolski St. Mary’s College of Maryland

What is The PEACE Program? • First study tour: Summer 1996 ▫ 10 undergraduate students • Summer study programs in 1998, 2000, 2002 • Archaeology Field Component added in 2004 • Became Signature Program in 2006 (Now called St. Mary’s IN) • 331* SMCM participants as of May 2012 • International coalition consisting of: ▫ Students ▫ Educators ▫ Administrators ▫ Employees ▫ Institutions ▫ and Friends

Vision: Mission: To sustain educational and To expand the exchange of cultural exchange that SMCM and other non- promotes understanding and Gambian students, faculty friendship as the basis for and staff with the UTG and collaborative research, other educational institutions advocacy, and activism in The Gambia and Senegal as among individuals, a means to increase organizations, communities understanding and enhance and nations in the pursuit of academic excellence among peace and development of all partners. democracy. From Praxis Application 2011

Research Goals 1. Evaluate the PEACE Program’s progress towards institutionalization and sustainability as it moves into the future? 2. Evaluate the effects of the PEACE Program on individual participants from SMCM. Particular emphasis on students’ life -aspirations and a change in attitudes and perspectives on their place in the world, as well as how their own worldview has be shaped by this experience.

Theoretical Perspectives • Evaluation Anthropology: ▫ Use of anthropological techniques and social science theory ▫ Grounded Theory • Mike Agar’s “Rich Point” ▫ “Instances when an outsider to a culture or language feels uncomfortable interacting within the culture and feels what we know as 'culture shock' .” (Agar 2006, emphasis added)

Methodology • Interviews ▫ In-person ▫ Email  See response rate • Student reflection papers • Research papers by participants • MAXQDA ▫ Coding ▫ Code Relationships • Event Analysis ▫ Process of Institutionalization  Positive Feedback Loop ▫ Program Sustainability

Research Motivations • International Education office underwent external review ▫ Supplement literature available when making program changes • Collection of qualitative data for future research ▫ Organized PEACE Program information into one location Courtesy of www.smcm.edu/Gambia ▫ Propose future potentially significant research areas

Levels of Analysis Effects on the Individual: Tracking Institutionalization: • Unit of Analysis: • Unit of Analysis: ▫ Individual level ▫ Event level, meso-level • Identify patterns in qualitative • Event Analysis data set ▫ Critical events ▫ Coding data, hierarchal ▫ If critical events do not occur: coding system The Program never achieves • Connections between patterns sustainability. ▫ Ex. MOU w/ UTG; Signature ▫ Relations of codes (St. Mary’s IN) Program designation Both use qualitative data as base for analysis, although not exclusively

Attitudes 76 Coded Codes Segments Institutionalization 54 24 The Gambians 15 Coding System Changing perspectives Changing Perspectives 98 14 Culture shock 14 Couping with life Total Coded Segments 228 13 Gambian time 12 Intercultural Competence • 29 Codes 10 Life changing 10 • 228 Total coded segments Changing Worldview 10 Changing Life Aspirations • 3 Code Groups: 10 Partnerships 10 Partcipant Attitudes 1. Changing Perspectives; 8 Why Gambia? 2. Attitudes; 8 Institutions 8 Expansion 3. Institutionalization. 7 Happy camp 7 Participant Research UTG 6 • Code groups posses sub codes, some of which 6 Other institutions 5 Historic St. Mary’s City posses another level of sub codes… 5 The Americans 5 Campus Attitudes 5 American Attitudes • Color Coding System used throughout project: 5 Gambian Attitudes 4 Family Attitudes ▫ Red (Orange)- Changing Perspectives 3 Participants ▫ Green- Institutionalization 2 Participant motivations 1 Scholarships ▫ Blue- Attitudes 1 Attitudes 0 Institutionalization

Lexical Frequencies • “ gambia ” & “ people ” also Word Frequency % found frequently in ‘Changing 1.45 gambia 134 Perspectives’ & ‘Attitudes’ type 1.21 codes people 112 • “ program ”; “ family ” and 0.88 time 81 “ experience ” present in know 57 0.62 ‘Attitudes’ type codes 0.59 them 54 0.59 program 54 • “ them ” – ‘ Structuralist ’ central 0.57 experience 53 dichotomy? 0.54 family 50 ▫ However, no significant empirical indications 0.52 think 48

Changing Perspective and Attitudes Changing Perspective: Attitudes: • Participant self-reflection • Includes attitudes participant’s expressed about: • Life-changing experiences ▫ Themselves ▫ Scary; Fun; ’Annoying’; Interesting; Incidental ▫ Gambians (Younes & Asay 2003); ▫ Family Career choices ▫ Friends • Exemplifications of ▫ Motivations intercultural competency ▫ Research/Service Learning ▫ Comfortable in a unique situation ▫ Demonstrate a knowledge of culturally acceptable practices

AHHHH DATA!!! Attitudes 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Why Gambia? 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Participant motivations 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Participant Research 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 The Americans 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 1 0 0 American Attitudes 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 2 0 0 0 0 The Gambians 0 0 0 1 1 1 0 2 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 3 1 2 4 0 3 1 3 Gambian Attitudes 0 0 0 0 0 1 2 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 1 0 0 0 1 Partcipant Attitudes 0 0 0 0 0 1 4 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 2 0 0 0 0 Campus Attitudes 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Family Attitudes 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Institutionalization 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Expansion 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 2 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Scholarships 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Happy camp' 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 Participants 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Partnerships 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 1 0 4 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 Institutions 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 4 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 Other institutions 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 Historic St. Mary’s City 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 The University of The Gambia 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Changing perspectives 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 1 3 0 4 2 Intercultural Competence 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 1 Couping with life 0 0 0 0 1 1 2 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 2 0 1 0 1 Culture shock 0 0 0 0 0 2 4 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 2 0 0 2 0 1 Changing Worldview 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 0 0 0 1 2 0 Gambian time 0 0 0 1 1 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 2 1 0 0 0 Changing Life Aspirations 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 1 1 0 0 4 0 0 0 2 0 0 3 Life changing 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 1 0 0 2 1 1 1 0 0 3 0

Colors represent coded segments that are simultaneously coded as another code; Larger the square (red), more instances • Ex. “People in the Gambia are also extremely friendly; … This is a stark contrast to social life in America.” – Anonymous Reflection Paper Fall ‘12 • Coded as: ▫ Attitudes/The Gambians ▫ Attitudes/The Americans/American Attitudes  Includes participant reflectivity about American culture ▫ Changing Perspectives/Changing Worldview/Gambian Worldview  Participant speaks about Gambians taking their time to talk to everyone they see while walking “through the market.”