A FULBRIGHT-HAYS LANGUAGE AND CULTURE IMMERSION PROGRAM
The purpose of this project is to contribute to the development and improvement of the study of modern foreign languages and area studies in the U.S. by providing opportunities for teachers, students and faculty to study in a foreign country to increase the Mandarin language capacity and Chinese culture knowledge of the participants. The project will implement a research-based integrated culture content and language immersion model. A research study will be integrated in the evaluation plan to determine the participants’ Mandarin language gains, increases in pre- and post-knowledge of Chinese culture and their perceptions of it, as well as professional transformative changes.
This project is a collaborative effort between the Graduate School of Education, the Department of Learning and Instruction, the Office of the Associate Dean for International Education and Language Programs, and in coordination with the Gengdan Institute of Beijing, University of Technology, China, which collaborates with Hanban (Chinese Institute of Culture).
The project will provide pre-departure and post-travel follow-up activities at the University at Buffalo. It will provide an overseas integrated curriculum, home-like stays and culture site visits in Beijing, China.
Fall 2019 and Spring 2020 at the University at Buffalo
Pre-departure guided activities at UB will be offered by the Department of Learning and Instruction, the International Office, and UB Confucius Institute and will include:
July-August 2020 in Beijing, China
The overseas experiences will focus on a six-week intensive integrated language and culture content immersion. It will include:
Fall 2020 in Local LEA's and the University at Buffalo
Post-travel guided follow-up activities will be implemented to collect data and assist students integrate Mandarin language and Chinese culture content knowledge, including:
The evaluation plan and the study will provide evidence of the effectiveness of the ICBL Immersion Model and the participants’ gains. Its framework will utilize a comprehensive evaluation model used for evaluating nontraditional education programs. Quantitative and qualitative measures will determine program success and transformative outcomes. NVivo, SPSS and ATLAS-ti will be used to collect, organize and analyze content from interviews, focus group discussions, and surveys, organize, analyze, and help interpret the research and evaluation data. The proposal will be submitted to the University at Buffalo Social and Behavioral Sciences Institutional Review Board for an expedited review to conduct the study. The United States Department of Education reports will be completed as per GPA guidelines.
Associate Professor; Director, Foreign, Second Language and Bilingual Education programs
Learning and Instruction
Professor; Associate Dean of International Education and Language Programs; Director, Center for Comparative and Global Studies in Education
Educational Leadership and Policy