ERIC Number: EJ1043294
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2014
Pages: 26
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1534-6102
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
"A Pesar De Las Fronteras"/"In Spite of the Boundaries": Exploring Solidarity in the Context of International Service Immersion
Gates, Alice B.; Fletcher, C. Vail; Ruíz-Tolento, María Guadalupe; Goble, Laura; Velloso, Tadeu
Journal of Higher Education Outreach and Engagement, v18 n3 p57-82 2014
The move to "internationalize" United States universities has contributed to increased interest in global service-learning. This article presents qualitative data collected by a team of faculty and students during a service immersion in Nicaragua. The solidarity model of service-learning attempts to address shortcomings of earlier approaches and deserves further examination. This study illuminated the dynamics of solidarity from a largely unexplored perspective: host families and community leaders. The analysis revealed that difference and inequality are salient themes and shape the relationships and possibilities for joint action between U.S. students and their hosts. A typology is suggested that includes symbolic, instrumental, and pragmatic performances of solidarity. By highlighting the perspective of Nicaraguan hosts, this study fills an important gap in the literature on service-learning. It also contributes to the conceptual elaboration of an often heard but rarely defined concept: solidarity.
Descriptors: Service Learning, Qualitative Research, Teacher Attitudes, Student Attitudes, Models, Community Leaders, Cultural Awareness, Family Environment, Cultural Differences, Social Differences, Classification, Foreign Countries, International Education, Participant Observation, Grounded Theory, Study Abroad, Power Structure, Parent Attitudes, Cooperation, Undergraduate Students, Semi Structured Interviews, Immersion Programs
Office of the Vice President for Public Service and Outreach, University of Georgia and the Institute of Higher Education. Treanor House, 1234 South Lumpkin Street, Athens, GA 30602. Tel: 706-542-6167; Fax: 706-542-6124; e-mail: jheoe@uga.edu; Web site: http://www.jheoe.uga.edu
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Nicaragua; Oregon
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A