Constructive Disequilibrium and Transformative Pedagogy Developing Global Citizens in Faraway Spaces

Article Sidebar

cover image
pdf
Published: Dec 29, 2021
DOI: https://doi.org/10.14434/josotl.v21i4.32705

Main Article Content

Andrew Nalani
New York University, Steinhardt School of Culture, Education and Human Development
Christina Gómez
School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC)
https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1885-3784
Andrew Garrod
Dartmouth College

Abstract

In this reflective essay we examined the experiences of a group of students from a small liberal arts college in the United States on a study abroad program to the Marshall Islands to intern as preservice teachers in Marshallese schools. Specifically, we examined 32 students’ critical reflections written once they returned from their programs. We interrogated their understanding of themselves regarding their privilege as American students and the inequality between the two nations. Through their teaching of Marshallese students, they deeply questioned the meaning of privilege, culture, identity, and community. We interpreted these experiences through the lens of transformative learning theory and the notion of constructive disequilibrium. When critical-transformative pedagogies inform these experiences, they nudge students out of their comfort zone and offer them opportunities to consider new possibilities that widen their life trajectories and develop global citizenship. We conclude with advocating for the importance of study abroad experiences.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

Article Details

How to Cite
Nalani, A. ., Gómez, C., & Garrod, A. (2021). Constructive Disequilibrium and Transformative Pedagogy: Developing Global Citizens in Faraway Spaces. Journal of the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, 21(4). https://doi.org/10.14434/josotl.v21i4.32705
Issue
Vol. 21 No. 4 (2021): Journal of the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning
Section
Pedagogy of the Polarized
Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

  1. Authors retain copyright and grant the Journal of the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (JoSoTL) right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License, (CC-BY) 4.0 International, allowing others to share the work with proper acknowledgement and citation of the work's authorship and initial publication in the Journal of the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning.
     
  2. Authors are able to enter separate, additional contractual agreements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in the Journal of the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning.

  3. In pursuit of manuscripts of the highest quality, multiple opportunities for mentoring, and greater reach and citation of JoSoTL publications, JoSoTL encourages authors to share their drafts to seek feedback from relevant communities unless the manuscript is already under review or in the publication queue after being accepted. In other words, to be eligible for publication in JoSoTL, manuscripts should not be shared publicly (e.g., online), while under review (after being initially submitted, or after being revised and resubmitted for reconsideration), or upon notice of acceptance and before publication. Once published, authors are strongly encouraged to share the published version widely, with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in the Journal of the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning.
Author Biographies

Andrew Nalani, New York University, Steinhardt School of Culture, Education and Human Development

Andrew Nalani is a doctoral student in the Department of Applied Psychology at the Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development at New York University. His research threads together theories and developmental and community psychology methods to design and evaluate transformative programs that promote positive youth development. He is part of the research and evaluation team for the Listening Project (supervised by Drs. Hirokazu Yoshikawa and Niobe Way) and a research assistant with SAFE Spaces (Systems Aligning for Equity, supervised by Drs. Erin Godfrey and Shabnam Javdani). A skilled group facilitator and former youth worker, Andrew also maintains a research-practice collaboration with an international non-profit, Partners for Youth Empowerment. Andrew holds a Master's in Education (Human Development and Psychology) from Harvard Graduate School of Education and a Bachelor of Arts degree from Dartmouth College.

Christina Gómez, School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC)

Christina Gómez is a Professor and Chair of the Liberal Arts Department at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC).  Her research focuses on racial identity construction in the United States, discrimination, immigration, and undocumented students.  She is the author of numerous articles, and two edited books: Mi Voz, Mi Vida: Latino College Students Tell Their Life Stories (2007), a book of essays written by students about growing up Latino in this country, and Mixed: Multiracial College Students Tell Their Life Stories (2014), a book about students who identify themselves as multiracial. Christina received her B.A. and MBA from the University of Chicago and a Ph.D. from Harvard University in Sociology.  She has received numerous prizes and fellowships, including the Henry Luce Scholars Fellowship, Social Science Research Council Grant, and a National Science Foundation Fellowship. Christina is a member of the PNAP Teaching Collective at Stateville Maximum Prison and sits on the board of NEIU - El Centro’s Advisory Board.

Andrew Garrod, Dartmouth College

Andrew Garrod is a professor of education emeritus, former chair of the Department of Education, and director of teacher education at Dartmouth College. Garrod’s research in the fields of education and human development focused on cross-cultural applicability of moral development theory and on the use of personal narrative to explore issues of development. As director of the Dartmouth teacher education program, Garrod also led teacher-training programs for many years globally. His work in autobiographical narrative at the College led him to publish more than a dozen collections of Dartmouth students’ writing with a focus on distinct cultural perspectives. Recent works include Mixed: Multiracial College Students Tell Their Life Stories (2013); Growing Up Muslim: Muslim College Students in America Tell Their Life Stories (2014); and in April this year, I Am Where I Come From: Native American College Students and Graduates Tell Their Life Stories (2017).

References

Boyd, R. D., and Myers, J. G. (1988). Transformative education. International Journal of Lifelong Education 7.4: 261-284. https://doi.org/10.1080/0260137880070403

Byrd, W. Carson. (2017) Poison in the Ivy: Race Relations and the Reproduction of Inequality on Elite College Campuses. New Brunswick: Rutgers University Press.

Che, S. M., Spearman, M., & Manizade, A. (2009). Constructive disequilibrium: Cognitive and emotional development through dissonant experiences in less familiar destinations. In Lewin, R. (ed.). The handbook of practice and research in study abroad: Higher education and the quest for global citizenship. pp. 99-116. New York, NY: Routledge.

Coccia, C., & Darling, C. A. (2016). Having the Time of Their Life: College Student Stress, Dating and Satisfaction with Life. Stress and health: journal of the International Society for the Investigation of Stress, 32(1), 28–35. https://doi.org/10.1002/smi.2575

DiAngelo, R. (2018). White fragility: Why it’s so hard for white people to talk about racism. New York: Beacon Press.

Dirkx, J. M. (1997). Nurturing soul in adult learning. New Directions for Adult and Continuing Education. 74: 79-88. https://doi.org/10.1002/ace.7409

Dobson, A. (2003). Citizenship and the environment. Oxford, U.K.: Oxford University Press.

Ferrer, J. N., Romero, M. T., & Albareda, R. V. (2005). Integral Transformative Education: A Participatory Proposal. Journal of Transformative Education, 3(4), 306–330. https://doi.org/10.1177/1541344605279175

Institute of International Education (2020, Nov 16). Open Doors 2020: Report on International Education Exchange. Washington, D.C. https://opendoorsdata.org/annual-release/

Kiely, R. (2004). A chameleon with a complex: Searching for transformation in international service-learning. Michigan Journal of Community Service Learning, 10(2). http://hdl.handle.net/2027/spo.3239521.0010.201

Liu, C. H., Stevens, C., Wong, S. H., Yasui, M., & Chen, J. A. (2019). The prevalence and predictors of mental health diagnoses and suicide among U.S. college students: Implications for addressing disparities in service use. Depression and anxiety, 36(1), 8-17. https://doi.org/10.1002/da.22830

Mezirow, J. (1991). Transformative dimensions of adult learning. Jossey-Bass: San Francisco, CA.

NYU Abu Dhabi. (2021). Vision and mission. https://nyuad.nyu.edu/en/about/nyuad-at-a-glance/vision-and-mission.html

O’Sullivan, E., Morrell, A., & O’Connor, M.A. (2002). Expanding the boundaries of transformative learning: Essays on Theory and Praxis. New York, NY: Palgrave.

Ogden, A. (2007). The View from the Veranda: Understanding Today’s Colonial Student. Frontiers: The Interdisciplinary Journal of Study Abroad, 15(1), 35-56. https://doi.org/10.36366/frontiers.v15i1.215 :10.4236/ce.2012.35101

Patton, M. Q. (2002). Qualitative research and evaluation methods. Thousand Oaks. CA.: Sage Publications

Perry, L., Stoner, L. & Tarrant, M. (2012). More Than a Vacation: Short-Term Study Abroad as a Critically Reflective, Transformative Learning Experience. Creative Education, 3, 679-683. https://doi.org/10.4236/ce.2012.35101

Riessman, C. K. (2008). Narrative methods for the human sciences. Sage Publications, Inc.

Salisbury, M., Paulsen, M., & Pascarella, E. (2011). Why do All the Study Abroad Students Look Alike? Applying an Integrated Student Choice Model to Explore Differences in the Factors that Influence White and Minority Students’ Intent to Study Abroad. Research in Higher Education, 52(2), 123-150. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11162-010-9191-2

Savicki, V. (Ed.). (2020). Developing intercultural competence and transformation: Theory, research, and application in international education. Stylus Publishing, LLC.

Strauss, A. & Corbin, J. (1994). “Grounded Theory Methodology.” In NK Denzin & YS Lincoln (Eds.) Handbook of Qualitative Research (pp. 217-285). Thousand Oaks, Sage Publications

Tarrant, M. A. (2010). A conceptual framework for exploring the role of studies abroad in nurturing global citizenship. Journal of Studies in International Education, 14, 433-451. https://doi.org/10.1177/1028315309348737

Taylor, E. W. (1994). Intercultural competency: A transformative learning process. Adult Education Quarterly, 44(3), 154-174. https://doi.org/10.1177/074171369404400303

Taylor, E.W., & Cranton, P. (2013). A theory in progress? Issues in transformative learning theory. European Journal for Research on the Education and Learning of Adults 4.1: 35-47. https://doi.org/10.3384/rela.2000-7426.rela5000

United Nations (2017). United Nations Sustainable Development Goals:17 goals to transform our world. Retrieved from https://www.un.org/en/exhibits/page/sdgs-17-goals-transform-world

Valentine, G. (1999). Imagined Geographies: geographical knowledge of the self and other in everyday life. In Massey, D., & Sarre, P. Human geography today. Cambridge, UK: Polity Press.

Vernon, A., Moos, C., & Loncarich, H. (2017). Student expectancy and barriers to study abroad. Academy of Educational Leadership Journal, 21(1), 1-9. https://www.abacademies.org/articles/student-expectancy-and-barriers-to-study-abroad-6694.html

Woolf, M. (2006). Come and see the poor people: The pursuit of exotica. Frontiers: The Interdisciplinary Journal of Study Abroad, 13, 135-146. https://doi.org/10.36366/frontiers.v13i1.178