Scholarship on Global Engagement: Getting Started

In the “Dancing with Florence” research project, Lauren Kearns, professor of dance, designed and studied a site-specific dance course and performance in Florence, Italy. Data collection included course assignments, surveys, and focus groups. Through their study abroad experiences, students reported a significant shift in their identities, particularly their perceptions of themselves in relation to the global dance community.

Safia Swimelar, professor of political science and public policy, conducted a project entitled, “Creative and Academic Methods of Student Capstone Learning and Study Abroad Integration in International and Global Studies.” With the aim of exploring ways students can integrate their study away experiences into their academic journey and personal development upon their return to campus, Swimelar designed and studied a new capstone project. This research contributed to scholarship of teaching and learning in global contexts by sharing effective pedagogies that help students reflect upon, reinforce, and integrate their study abroad experiences into their reentry learning.

In a sustained collaboration on Mentoring Undergraduate Research in Global Contexts, a multi-institutional, multi-disciplinary team is studying the integration of the critical educational practices of global learning and undergraduate research, and the importance of high-quality mentoring practices for students’ engaged learning. Data collection included a national survey, interviews with mentors and providers, and a case study of high-quality programs. The results of this project are described here and in a forthcoming edited book.

Elon collaborators Bill Burress, education & wellness, Mary McManamy, chemistry, and Maureen Vandermaas-Peeler, CRGE and psychology, are partnering with Elisabetta Santanni and Giuseppe Minnelli, with Accademia Europea di Firenze (AEF), to study the impact of a culturally and linguistically focused home-stay weekend in Lucignano, Italy on the participating university students and the community members. Data collection methods include surveys and focus groups.

Heidi Hollingsworth, Jeffrey Carpenter, Mark Enfield, and Bill Burress, faculty and staff members in the Dr. Jo Watts Williams School of Education, are using multiple methods to understand the impact of international field placements on pre-service teachers. Phase one of the research was a scoping literature review, published in Teaching & Teacher Education in 2025. Phase two is a longitudinal qualitative study using semi-structured interviews to understand pre-service teachers’ meaning-making in relation to an international field placement during the experience, approximately two years later during their full-time internship in the final semester of their undergraduate program, and then two years into their teaching careers. Phase two has been presented at the American Educational Research Association 2026 annual meeting.