Transcript HOME SWEET HOMESTAY? - Central Michigan University

Increased Cultural Interaction
During
the International Experience:
Enhancing the Homestay
ACTFL - 2004
Barbara Schmidt-Rinehart
Ashland University
&
Susan Knight
Central Michigan University
The Homestay

The Research Project I & II


Three Perspectives
Research Project III

Enhancing the Homestay
RESEARCH PROJECT SITES

MEXICO



Cuernavaca
Guadalajara
SPAIN


Segovia
Sevilla
*I & II: Three Perspectives:

The Host Family

The Students

The Housing
Directors
*Las familias

Selection process

Demographics

Placement
*Selection of Families for Interviews
The Interview

In the home
90 minutes
Recorded

Interview Questions




“Question guide”
“semi-structured”
Data Analysis:
Interviews, Questionnaires, Evaluations


QUALITATIVE
QSR Nud*ist
QUANTITATIVE
Questionnaires
Results

ADJUSTMENT

PROBLEMS

THE HOMESTAY
ADVANTAGE
*ADJUSTMENT

What Type of Student
Adjusts Best?

Adjustment
Period/Length of Stay

# of Students in
Home

Facilitating Student
Adjustment
*TABLE I
ADJUSTMENT ( PERCENT/RESPONSE)
Not at all
No
ans
a lot
1
2
3
4
5
Mean
40
25
20
8.9
5.6
2.1
2. At first, adapting to the school
was difficult
50.0
27.8
16.7
2.2
3.3
1.8
3. At first adapting to the
city/society/culture was difficult
27.8
32.2
23.3
14.4
2.2
2.3
4. I was well matched with my family
8.9
6.7
20
15.6
48.9
3.9
3.3
8.9
30
27.8
27.8
3.6
2.3
5.8
7.0
26.7
58
4.3
QUESTION
1. At first, adapting to family was
difficult
9. How comfortable did you feel with
your family at the end of the first
week?
2.2
10. How comfortable did you feel with
your family at the end of
experience?
12. How open were you to new
experiences?
2.2
-
2.2
4.4
30
61.1
4.4
13. How homesick were you?
3.3
36.7
22.2
17.8
14.4
5.5
2.2
PROBLEMS:

Frequency

Most cited problems in literature
TABLE 2
PERCENT OF STUDENT ANSWERS FOR QUESTION #15:
DID YOU HAVE PROBLEMS WITH THE FOLLOW
Not at all
-------------
a lot
No
1
2
3
4
5
Mean score
answer
Appropriate clothing
3
61
12
13
4
5.6
1.7
Use of telephone
2
45
18.9
21.1
5.6
6.7
2.0
54.6
14
18.6
9.3
3.5
1.9
Interaction w/ opposite sex
Concept of time
3
56.7
20
10
8.9
1.1
1.7
Food
2
37.8
27.8
14.4
14.4
3.3
2.1
Meal time and hours
2
43.3
24.4
14.4
10
5.6
2.
The way people greet you
2
62.2
21.1
8.9
3.3
2.2
1.6
Entertaining at home
40
20
8.6
22.9
8.6
2.4
Cultural attitude toward
drinking
66.7
27.8
5.6
1.4
PROBLEMS


Lack of
communication
Lack of
independence
*THE HOMESTAY ADVANTAGE?

Benefits

Shortcomings
*TABLE 3: HOMESTAY ADVANTAGE?
PERCENT OF STUDENTS ANSWERING EACH QUESTION
Not at all
No
answer
A lot
1
2
3
4
5
Mean
4.4
15.6
33.3
28.9
17.8
3.4
3.3
10
25.6
32.2
25.6
3.6
7a. How much time daily did you
spend speaking Spanish at
school?
2.3
6.9
31
42.3
17.2
3.7
7b. How much time daily did you
spend speaking Spanish at home?
2.3
8.1
19.5
29.9
40.2
4.0
5. How much time did your
family spend with you?
6. How much did your family help you
learn Spanish?
3.3
8. Did you learn as much Spanish
as you thought you would?
3.3
6.7
15.6
24.4
27.8
22.2
3.3
11. How much did the family
integrate you into family
activities?
3.3
18.9
13.3
15.6
23.3
25.6
3.1
14. Did you make
Mexican/Spanish friends?
3.3
4.4
23.3
23.3
25.6
20
3.2
16. How happy are you that you did
this study abroad experience?
3.3
1.1
1.1
5.6
20
68.9
4.4
17. Do you plan to keep in contact
with your family?
5.6
7.8
11.1
11.1
24.4
40
3.6
---
1.1
9
15.7
74.1
4.6
20.Would you recommend a
homestay to someone?
Further study:





Composition of the family
# of students in home
Orientation process
Other housing options
Family/student interaction*
*Research Project III:
a Task-based Study to
Increase Interaction

Project Design

Results

Recommendations
*Project Design:

Procedures

Subjects

Tasks
*Procedures

Pre-experience: on campus orientation

In-country: Family Interaction Journal

Post-experience: task-group
questionnaire & returned packets
*Subjects



Number
Country
Selection
*SUBJECTS
TASK
GROUP
NO-TASK
GROUP
totals
Mexico
7
7
14
Spain
7
7
14
14
14
N=28
*Tasks: Family Interaction Journal:

Time log

Task-based activities


Conversation
Project
Time log

Instructions to students:
Document your interaction with the
family each day. Jot down how
much time you spent with them
and the topics you discussed.
Task-based activities

Selection of tasks

Procedures in-country


Complete tasks
Record in journal


Description
Evaluation of interaction
Conversation Tasks

Personal History

Dating Practices

Leisure Time

Educational System

Foods

Television

Holidays


Driver’s License
Government/
Current Events
Project Tasks

Ask for Directions


Invite for Coffee


Go to a Movie


Play a Game
Attend a Sporting
Event

Visit a School

Go to Church
Go Grocery Shopping
Learn Children’s
Songs
Sample Conversation Task : Holidays
Talk to your family about how your
favorite holiday(s) is (are) celebrated in
the U.S. As in all of your interactions,
be sure to ask your host family similar
questions – what is his/her favorite
holiday? How is it celebrated? What are
the differences/similarities in how we
celebrate?
Sample Project Task : Play a game
Talk to a member of your family about
games they play—card games and
board games. Show them a game that
you play and learn one of their games.
Have them help you write down some
of the steps for the description section
below.
*Results:




Time log
Comments from Family Interaction
Journal
Questionnaires
Post-experience interviews
*Time log

Time varied greatly


Range: 2.1 to 8.7 hours/week
Mean: 4.7 hours/week



Spain mean = 3.3 hours/week
Mexico mean = 5.39 hours/week
Both groups spent more time on
Conversation tasks than on Project
tasks.
Journal comments:

Greater understanding of each other

Increased language learning

Increased interaction
Journal comments suggesting greater
understanding of each other




I felt this was a good way to get to know her
daughter, who I haven’t really talked to yet
Marimar was excited to tell me all about her school
and future plans
(learning children’s songs) I had fun with this
because it was funny to see my host family singing
and dancing in the kitchen.
This was an excellent task because the whole family
was interacting . . . I think it brought us closer.
Journal comments suggesting increased
language learning



Went much better than last week. Communication
beginning to flow better (personal history)
This task seemed to go a lot more smoothly because
they could actually show us what to do (game)
I can’t even believe how smoothly conversations are
going now. I rarely have to think in terms of
translation anymore and it’s so much fun (holidays)
Journal comments suggesting increased
interaction




Now we watch soap operas together
We ended up going back a total of 3 times (grocery
shopping)
I asked them if we could play some games later
(personal history)
I think it brought us closer- now we have something
in common….now we are invited to family Bible study
every Friday
*Questionnaire results


No significant difference between Task
and No-Task groups on questions
19f-19k
No significant difference between Task
and No-task Groups on questions 21
and 22
*Questionnaire # 23-27 (task group only)
?#
Mean (5= a lot)
23
24
3.88
3.22
3.44
25
3.66
26
2.55
27
3.77
conversation tasks
project tasks
*Post-experience interviews


Students who did tasks liked them
would recommend it again
Suggestions:


Different tasks for different proficiency
levels and for summer vs. semester
students
Additional project and conversation tasks
(e.g., tour around city, going to a family
event)
Problematic issues with project:


Self-removal from study
No …




Incentive
Accountability
Consequences
Technology availability
Conclusions & Recommendations

Involvement of sites and families

Tasks:



Some students did not complete the tasks.
Perhaps a time-log would be sufficient.
Having tasks may help certain personality types
more than others
Different tasks for summer and semester groups /
different levels of language proficiency
Further reading

Questionnaire and Power Point on-line:
www.chsbs.cmich.edu/Susan_Knight/actfl.htm
"The homestay component of study abroad: Three
perspectives". Foreign Language Annals, 2004.
Schmidt-Rinehart, B.C. & Knight, S.M.
“Enhancing the homestay: Study abroad from the host
family perspective”. Foreign Language Annals, 2002.
Knight, S.M. & Schmidt-Rinehart, B.C.
Increased Cultural Interaction
During
the International Experience