To be able to ‘survive’ in a more and more globalising world, students of universities and universities of applied sciences must attain international competencies, in this study defined as respectively general personal, social competencies, intercultural competencies, a command of foreign languages and international academic and professional competencies. International competencies can be attained in different ways by students: internally (via foreign teachers and/or students) and/or externally (via internships and/or exchanges). The external attainment of competencies is far more successful when students are well prepared and when they receive proper supervision, both during and after their stay abroad. If this is not the case, students often tend to develop at a personal, social and (inter)cultural level, but significantly less at an academic and professional level (Stronkhorst, 2005). These students are also often unable to recognize and express which knowledge and skills they attained during their stay abroad (Orahood et al., 2004; CERI, 2008; Deardorff, 2009). With the preceding information as a starting point, the Social Work degree programme of Windesheim University of Applied Sciences in Zwolle started the minor ‘Social Work in Africa & Asia’ in the beginning of 2014. Students who participate firstly pass through a a six-week preparatory theoretical programma, followed by a three-month internship in Uganda or Vietnam. The minor concludes with a two-week postmortem programme. The practical component of the minor involves Eye4Africa, a Dutch internship supervision agency for internships in Uganda, Kenya and Vietnam. Eye4Africa arranges the internships, prepares the students for their stay abroad, both in the Netherlands and abroad, and then offers them support, coaching and intervision meetings. At the initiative of and in collaboration with Eye4Africa The Hague University of Applied Sciences carried out a qualitative study amongst eight female students of the Social Work degree programme of Windesheim University of Applied Sciences who followed the minor ‘Social Work in Africa & Asia’ during the academic year 2014-2015. The following was key to the research conducted: the question of the extent to which preparation for the Social Work in Africa & Asia minor at Windesheim University of Applied Sciences and the supervision that the Eye4Africa internship agency offers fourth-year Social Work students during their internships in Uganda in the autumn of 2014 had a positive impact on the attainment and further development of international competencies. The results have shown that the students found it very easy to recognise and express the knowledge and skills they gained during their internships. Secondly, the students mentioned clear professional, intercultural and personal, social growth. No growth or development in relation to academic competencies was observed in this study. However, this is not unusual, as the students were doing internships. Academic competencies are particularly attained when studying abroad, while professional competencies are particularly attained during internships (Hoven & Walenkamp, 2013; 2015). The main conclusion of this study is that the preparation and the supervision by Windesheim University of Applied Sciences and Eye4Africa within the framework of the minor ‘Social Work in Africa & Asia’ has aided students with regard to growth and the (further) development of international competencies. Some important short comments are that a relatively small, very one-sided sample has been interviewed and that there was no control group.
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It is a well-known fact that a good preparation in the pre-departure stage can maximize the chances of a succesful foreign experience. But what is meant by a good preparation? And what are the expected results of such a preparation? This course focuses in internship and study abroad (pre-departure) preparation. Its aim is to prepare you for the personal, professional and academic challenges of living and working abroad. The course will address awareness and purpose in the acquisition of attitude, knowledge and skills related to international competencies.
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This study will examine whether voluntary work or an internship in a developing country contributes to the development of global citizenship among young people. For the purpose of this study, global citizenship will be defined as a combination of social awareness and possessing international competencies. For a period of four years, a group of 1000 participants between 14 and 25 years old was followed using online self-administered surveys, surveys conducted within the social environment and a smaller number of in-depth interviews. Data collection took place prior to an internship or voluntary work in a developing country, following their return, and six months after their return. Almost all of the international competencies that according to prior research are required to be able to function effectively when communicating with people from a different cultural background were found to have increased during their their stay abroad. Only reading and writing skills in the local language of the area were shown not to have improved. The greatest amount of improvement occurred in the area of intercultural competencies, namely attitude, knowledge, behaviour and skills. Following their stay abroad, the personal and social competencies of participants were also shown to have increased. Relatively speaking, their international professional and academic skills improved the least. Despite this, following the return from voluntary work or an internship in a developing country, a larger number of participants were shown to be exhibiting a socially responsible attitude with an understanding of interdependence, equality of all people and a shared responsibility for solving global issues, and expressed this more frequently in their behaviour. In addition, an increase in flexibility, cultural empathy, social initiative and emotional stability among participants was observed. What essentially characterises the participants according to the in-depth interviews is the ability they have developed to look through someone else’s eyes at their own culture and living conditions in the Netherlands and to use their improved self-confidence to live a more socially aware life and/or engage in international activities after their return from abroad.
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It is a well-known fact that a good preparation in the pre-departure stage can maximize the chances of a succesful foreign experience. But what is meant by a good preparation? And what are the expected results of such a preparation? This course focuses in internship and study abroad (pre-departure) preparation. Its aim is to prepare you for the personal, professional and academic challenges of living and working abroad. The course will address awareness and purpose in the acquisition of attitude, knowledge and skills related to international competencies.
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Doel van dit onderzoek is inzicht te verwerven in de mogelijke meerwaarde van studie of stage in het buitenland voor de ontwikkeling van de internationale competenties van studenten en de voorwaarden en factoren die van invloed zijn op de ontwikkeling van deze competenties. De hypothese daarbij is dat een verblijf in het buitenland om redenen van studie of stage inderdaad een bijdrage kan leveren aan deze ontwikkeling
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Om het onderwijs, de curricula, zo goed mogelijk af te stemmen op de benodigde internationale competenties is door middel van halfgestructureerde interviews en een online enquête onderzocht wat alumni van De Haagse Hogeschool en werkgevers in de regio voor ervaringen, wensen en behoeften hebben met betrekking tot internationale competenties. De uitkomsten laten zien dat internationale competenties van belang zijn voor het verkrijgen en uitoefenen van een functie. Er is vanuit werkgevers en alumni vooral vraag naar meer aandacht voor het ontwikkelen van talencompetenties, interculturele competenties en het stimuleren en faciliteren van een buitenlandervaring. Door op deze punten een verbeterslag te maken zou De Haagse Hogeschool de succeskansen op de arbeidsmarkt (employability) van de student en de eigen relevantie kunnen vergroten. To gear education and curricula to the necessary international competencies as effectively as possible, semi-structured interviews and an online survey were used to determine the experiences, desires and needs of alumni of The Hague University of Applied Sciences and local employers with regard to obtaining and performing a job. Employers and alumni primarily desire more attention to the development of language competencies, intercultural competencies and the stimulation and facilitation of international experiences. Making improvements in these areas would enable The Hague University of Applied Sciences to enhance its own relevance and increase students’ chances of success in the job market (employability).
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Times change and we change with them. Our world is changing rapidly and radically. Education institutions need to prepare and support students in becoming knowledgeable, concerned and internationally competent world citizens. The Hague University of Applied Sciences (THUAS) has made World Citizenship and Internationalization their institutional focal points. The Research Group International Cooperation generates and disseminates knowledge that supports those policies. So this volume gives an overview of some of the work done in the Research Group International Cooperation. More is to be found on our website: www.thehagueuniversity.com/research/overview-research-groups/international-cooperation/ about-the-research-group.
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The Research Group International Cooperation investigates the acquisition of international competencies by internships or study abroad, the international competencies of lecturers, the needs and demands for international competencies of alumni and employers and which factors are important to attract international students to stay and work in the Netherlands. Sending students abroad is, by itself, not enough to develop international competencies, just as bringing students of different nationalities together in an international classroom is, by itself, not enough. The Research Group International Cooperation has therefore developed a training module to prepare students for the purposeful acquisition of international competencies (PREFLEX, Preparation for your Foreign Learning Experience). The Hague University of Applied Sciences wishes to be and to present itself as an international institute of higher education. That requires both a whole package of interventions to strengthen its international character and a clear message to Dutch and foreign partners and to prospective international and Dutch students. In order to bring policy, implementation, profiling and research together, The Hague University of Applied Sciences organized on 15 March 2013 an international conference for team leaders and directors, for internationalization and internship coordinators, for researchers and foreign partners and for international Dutch and foreign students. The aim was to sharpen the vision and the profile of The Hague University of Applied Sciences and to equip the participants with the ideas and the tools to engage all lecturers and students in international cooperation. After the introduction by Susana Menéndez and the keynote lecture by Lisa Childress, the workshops gave the participants an opportunity to go deeper into various aspects of internationalization and to engage actively in discussions with the workshop chairs, who introduced the topics. I hope that these proceedings will give all participants an insight in all workshops and also that non-participants can taste the fruits of this most inspiring and informative gathering.
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In 2020 hebben drie docentonderzoekers (Irene de Kleyn, Mariska Dinkelman en Marleen IJzerman) vanuit het lectoraat Meertaligheid en Onderwijs een inventarisatieonderzoek opgezet en uitgevoerd onder een representatieve afvaardiging van lerarenopleiders en studenten van de internationale varianten van de lerarenopleidingen Duits, Engels, Frans en Spaans van Instituut Archimedes (IA) die zijn gebundeld onder “Teacher Education” (TeacherEd). Het onderzoek had als doel inzicht te krijgen in de rol/plek van meertaligheid als leermiddel, leerdoel en context in de verschillende curricula van de TeacherEd.
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Welke verschillende rollen speelt de burger in de transitie naar een duurzamer en gezonder voedselsysteem? Dat is de centrale vraag van deze publicatie, voortkomend uit het onderzoek van de promovendi van het lectoraat Voedsel en Gezond Leven aan Aeres Hogeschool Almere, in samenwerking met masterstudenten en andere onderzoekers. Met deze publicatie geven de promovendi je graag een inkijkje in de laatste ontwikkelingen en de diverse kanten van Almere.
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