Cultivating the Self-Awareness of Global Students: The Role of Communities of Practice

Authors

Stephanie Calley, Biola University

Abstract

Research on the impact of leadership education programs on undergraduate students has demonstrated that cultivating self-awareness is foundational to developing other leadership capabilities. Yet, scant research has been undertaken to understand the impact of leadership education on global students. For the sake of this research, global students include any undergraduate student who had spent a significant portion of their development years outside the country of higher education. As such, global students include international students as well as other globally mobile students such as children of international military personnel, businesspeople, and religious workers. This qualitative research sought to understand how global students cultivated self-awareness. Findings indicated that global students negotiated their sense of self through processing interpersonal messaging provided by others in multiple spheres of influence. The experiences of these global students demonstrate the importance of providing an intercultural community of practice in cultivating the self-awareness of global students.

Recommended Citation

Calley, Stephanie (2023) "Cultivating the Self-Awareness of Global Students: The Role of Communities of Practice," Growth: The Journal of the Association for Christians in Student Development: Vol. 22: No. 22, Article 6.
Available at: https://pillars.taylor.edu/acsd_growth/vol22/iss22/6