Im Dezember 2002 begann an der Universität Regensburg, Abteilung
Sozial- und Organisationspsychologie unter der Leitung von Prof. Dr. Alexander
Thomas das Forschungsprojekt Langzeitwirkungen von internationalen Jugendaustauschprogrammen
auf die Persönlichkeitsentwicklung mit dem Ziel, Langzeiteffekte auf die
Persönlichkeitsentwicklung von Teilnehmenden dieser Programme zu untersuchen.
Die Ergebnisse dieser Untersuchung wurden 2005 veröffentlicht.
Die Projektgruppe der Universität Regensburg hat mit dem Abschluss der Studie
2005 eine Internetseite eingerichtet, auf der sie sich und ihr Projekt vorstellt.
Alle in der Hausarbeit zusammengefassten Informationen können hier nochmals
nachgelesen werden. Des Weiteren können die Ergebnisse der Studie in den Sprachen
Englisch, Französisch und Polnisch heruntergeladen werden.
www.jugendaustausch-langzeitwirkungen.de
An dieser Stelle wird nun eine im Rahmen des Seminars zur interkulturellen Kommunikation am Englischen Seminar der TU-Braunschweig erstellte Hausarbeit vorgestellt, die die Regensburger Studie und deren Ergebnisse zusammenfasst und diese mit den Ergebnissen eines von der Verfasserin durchgeführten Interviews vergleicht. In diesem Beitrag erhalten Sie eine Zusammenfassung auf Englisch über eine empirische Untersuchung über die Langzeiteffekte von Jugendbegegnungen, Projektleitung Prof. Dr. Alexander Thomas, Universität Regensburg. Anschließend an die Zusammenfassung finden Sie ein Interview mit einer Person, die an einem Austauschprogramm teilgenommen hat, um ein personalisierendes Element hinzuzufügen.
In December 2002, Prof. Dr. Alexander Thomas assembled a team of psychologists and started the study in cooperation with the German Federation of Associations for Cultural Youth Education, the International Youth Community Services, the German Federal Youth Council and the Bavarian Youth Council. In July 2005, the results were published.
The intent of the research was to find out if the participation in international
youth exchange programmes has effects on young people. In case of significant
effects the investigators wanted to analyse if these were still significant
in the present or have left noticeable marks in the later biography of the interviewees.
In order to find an answer to these questions several research approaches and
various methods were applied.
Research questions:
In order to cover a broad choice of exchange activities different programme formats for groups were analysed during the research.
This format is organised by the participating schools. While staying in the
foreign country the students live in host families. There, they get a deeper
insight into the family life and are able to improve their foreign language
skills. The exchange lasts from about one to four months. In the group there
are about 30 to 50 people and the adolescents who take part are aged between
14 and 18.
This exchange partly happens in the home town of one group and partly in the home town of the other group. They meet for about 5 to 15 days and work on certain topics. The next meeting will take place in the same or in the following year. During the time of the exchange the students also live in host families. In each group there are 15 to 35 teenagers who are 16 to 20 years old.
This type of cultural project may be limited to the time of the meeting or may be planned for a period of several years. The students from the different countries meet at a so-called “third place”. The meeting lasts about 5 to 15 days with 16 to 20 year-olds in a 20 to 80 people sized group.
Here, 10 to 20 people from different countries work together on a project. They do so without remuneration and the project is also a non-profit one. For 2 to 4 weeks they meet at a “third place”. The 18 to 21 years old participants live together in a self-organised group. They work together 5 hours a day, they live in simple accommodations, they have to organise their leisure time and they have to take care of their meals themselves.
The research in this study was divided into several steps.
First, the researchers analysed specialised literature concerning foreign exchange
programmes. With this, they gave their survey a theoretical framework.
Next, they collected information from several other documents. Some of these
were brochures about exchange programmes, newspaper articles, statistics and
reports. Analysing these, they wanted to get an overview of the different exchange
formats in consideration of aims, implementations and participants.
These steps were followed by pilot interviews with 17 people who had experiences
in planning, organising and leading international youth programmes. These interviews
gave information about the development and the characteristics of the different
programmes and their participants.
These first three phases formed the basis for interviews with former participants.
93 students from Germany and 40 from abroad were questioned. The interviews
were analysed by means of qualitative content analysis.
The last step of the investigation was a survey by questionnaire which was handed
out to 532 former participants.
During all these phases the research team met in 5 workshops. Here, the survey
instruments were checked continuously and the suitability was controlled.
During the interviews with former participants in exchange programmes it often
struck the team with surprise that the questioned persons remembered their exchange
very well. They were able to describe many situations in detail and could even
give explicit information on their emotions, thoughts and actions of that time.
They also related them to effects that still last today.
The motives for enrolling in one of the different exchange formats differ enormously.
Most of students were encouraged to take part in an exchange by somebody from
their school or by a family member. Apart from this, depending on the format,
the motives relate to three different fields: the interest in a music or theatre
project, the interest in a non-profit activity or the wish to improve foreign
language skills. Apart from these three main motives, further reasons were to
get to know people from other cultures (56 %), to generally get to know new
people (36 %), to make international experiences (33 %), to get to know something
new (32 %), the interest in a certain country (31 %) and to get to know a culture/a
country not as a typical tourist.
The participants in student exchanges reported several situations which were
surprising or unexpected or highly emotional. The German students especially
remembered situations concerning the following topics: the specific contents
of the programmes (e.g. music, theatre, living with a host family, non-profit
project, faith), differences experienced during the exchange (e.g. economic
differences, standards of living, differences in resources, cultural differences,
gender-specific differences), situations with significant others (e.g. other
participants, exchange students, teachers/youth leaders/project leaders), positively
felt hospitality, group (e.g. specific experiences due to the group situation
like conflicts, the feeling of togetherness, activities in the group) and German
history (e.g. confrontation with the Third Reich, the bilateral relationships
to the host country, the national self- and stranger-perception).
It was also remarkable that some of the former participants could not state
specific situations but saw the time of the exchange as such a situation en
bloc.
Several categories of long-term effects (e.g. still last today or were somehow
connected to the exchange) were defined after the interviews:
Effects were found in the field of self-awareness, independence, self-confidence,
self-assurance, and self-efficiency. In relation to this, effects on the openness,
flexibility and composure in new situations became obvious as well as differences
in the self-reflection and one’s own self-perception. The participants learned
to better assess themselves during the exchange. Also, both the social competence
in group situations and the ability to cope with conflicts improved.
An important long-term effect is intercultural learning. The former participants
adopt the perspective of other people more easily, are better aware of the fact
that there are differences between cultures and have a deepened knowledge of
their own culture and the one they lived in during the exchange. Moreover, the
identity with one’s own culture as well as a positive emotional relationship
to the host country were promoted.
In addition, foreign language skills improved during the exchange. The interest
in the language and the readiness to speak and to learn it increased and the
knowledge of the language deepened. Furthermore, so called follow-up activities
were influenced by the exchange experience. For some, the participation even
had effect on their professional development.
Finally, many students are still in contact with people they got to know during
the exchange or those who also took part in the respective exchange programme.
The questionnaire was developed on the basis of the interviews with former
participants and was handed out to 532 persons concerned.
66% of the respondents were females, 60% had no previous experiences in exchanges
and about 51% were encouraged to take part in an exchange by someone else. For
more than 90% of all people questioned the exchange was more than 10 years ago
and the average age when having been abroad was 17.
During the evaluation of the questionnaire, the agreement or disagreement of
former participants to certain long-term effects became obvious.
In the field of self-related characteristics and competences the majority of
former participants (62.9%) agrees to the existence of long-term effects. Regarding
self-awareness and self-perception the majority thinks that no long-term effects
can be detected. As a consequence of their stay, about 62% notice a change in
their intercultural learning. In contrast to this 71.9 % do not see a change
in their cultural identity. A great majority of the former participants also
disagrees with long-term effects in the follow-up activities and the influence
on vocational development.
Furthermore, the question of contact with friends they got to know during the
exchange has been analysed. Only 28% of the former participants are still friends
with people they met abroad and 41% still have contact with people of that time.
15% had developed a partnership with a person from the exchange that lasted
longer than the exchange did.
Concerning the overall significance of the exchange, 71% of the former participants
regard the experience as important and 51% think that it is of even more relevance
than other times spent abroad. Moreover, 57% believe that their stay abroad
is more important than meeting foreigners in Germany. Regarding the valuation
of the exchange experience today, 85% judge it as very good or good. In addition,
about 32% rated the exchange experiences under the top five of the events that
they had come to know up to that point.
Basic information about the exchange of the interviewee Petra:
Age: 16
Time of exchange: July 1971
to July 1972
Where: Brighton, Michigan
School: Brighton High School
Host family: Mr and Mrs X
How did you get the idea of going abroad?
I had the idea of going there in the fall of 1970. My English
teacher came into class with a brochure of an exchange organisation called YFU.
It means Youth For Understanding. I was quite thrilled by the idea of going
to America and had some visions of sunshine, swimming pools, big cars and big
homes. So I applied for the exchange and had to attend an interview a couple
of weeks later. I received my positive answer at the beginning of 1971. During
the Easter school holidays I had to go to a camp up north where all future exchange
students from the northern part of Germany met. It was meant to be a preparation
for our time in the States. We learned about German history especially anti-Semitism,
German politics and something about the American way of life. It was fun to
get to know all these other kids.
Why did you learn so much about Germany?
Well, the people or the organisation wanted to make sure that people representing
Germany would know something about their own country when they were asked.
What comes to your mind when you remember the beginning of your
exchange?
I was the only one from our school going abroad. At that time
it wasn’t as popular or usual as it is today. My parents didn’t have to pay
the whole amount of money because they didn’t earn that much money. Plus they
got some money from the city of Hanover for postage and packages.
The day I left, my parents took me to Hamburg airport. From there the plane
full of exchange students took us to Detroit, Michigan. The first night we all
spent in a college outside the city. The next morning I was picked up by my
host father.
My host family lived in Brighton, a smaller city close to Detroit. In my family
were four little children, 6 months, 2, 3 and 4 years and an Irish setter. They
had no big house. An old car. No pool. And the weather was the same as in Germany.
How did you feel about living in the family?
Well… The structure of the house was different from what I knew
from Germany. There were hardly any doors – only to the bedrooms. My new home
wasn’t very tided up or clean. Partially because of the kids but mostly because
the mother didn’t care much about it. What comes to my mind first when thinking
about the first morning is that I had salted butter and put marmalade on top
of it. It just tasted awful. I didn’t understand very much of what they were
saying which naturally made me unsure. But when they talked to me they tried
to talk slowly. So that made it easier. The kids were nice to be around with
because kids are always easy to be with in such situations and as I could cuddle
them, they took away some of my homesickness.
What did you do abroad?
I started school as a senior in September. Senior High was from 6.00 to 12.05
at that time. One difference in the school was that every student had a table
with a chair for himself and in some classes like in history, you could move
around with your table chair and form little groups. That way it was easier
to talk to each other while the teacher was lecturing about American history.
She only complaint when we talked too loud. She didn’t really bother if we listened.
When we had to take a test, we had to read about it in the book anyway. So in
history we always had a good time talking to each other. And the teacher actually
was a very nice lady. She also taught German and invited me to her German class
now and then. I remember that once she asked me to tell them some German sayings
and she gave me an English example: “Go fly a kite!” At that time I had been
in the States already for about half a year and I had a hard time remembering
any German expressions like that. I only remembered the nasty ones. So I was
a kind of embarrassed but I couldn’t remember much about my own language.
And I remember my government teacher. He was very strict. Everything had to
be the way he thought it should be. You couldn’t move around with the table
chairs in his class. Mr Sherman lectured every day from the beginning of his
class to the end. His tests however were quite okay because he only asked what
was in the book. I remember one of the tests which were quite at the beginning
of my school time. I had to get my dictionary from my locker because I had to
look up a word. When I came back he had already answered the question (multiple
choice) for me which was very nice of him. He only had a hard time using my
pen because he was not used to writing with an ink pen. He had scratched a little
hole into the paper. He said to me, “Bring a felt-tip next time.” There was
an unusual or extraordinary rule in his class. When you passed a test with an
A, you could sleep in his class. You could actually put your head on your table
and dream away his lesson. Until the next test.
What is your overall impression of your exchange today?
All in all I think it was a fantastic time. I got to know lots
of people, I saw some great places, I had a good time with my friends… The only
thing is my family wasn’t quite what I think what a family for an exchange student
should be like. Like they expected some kind of au pair who would take care
of the kids. But the kids were nice to be around with anyways.
Did your language skills improve? How?
Very much. It’s just from talking to other people. Yeah, that
was probably it. The vocabulary and the speaking skills both improved. That
goes together.
How did the exchange integrate into you biography?
I was sure I wanted to do something with English after school.
And actually I always wanted to be a teacher. So I knew that English would be
one of my subjects. It helped with my studies at university. The side effect
also is that I still have a good friend there. And maybe my kids would not have
gone abroad if I would not have known her.
So you still have contact to people from your exchange? What kind?
Yeah, a girlfriend. Visiting each other, talking on the phone…
now and then.
I had a little more when I came back. But just like two other more that I wrote
to. One was an exchange student from Brazil and one boy from school and then
the girlfriend I had there.
How did you stay in contact with your parents or with your friends
during the exchange?
Writing letters. To my parents once a week. And to my friends,
but not that often. Whenever they wrote, I sent a letter back. Talking on the
phone was a big thing. For once it was very expensive and then it wasn’t that
easy talking to someone and knowing you wouldn’t see each other quite a long
time. Especially for my parents. So I called them maybe three times during that
year.
Do new electronic devices like email and phones make it easier
for teenagers to spend such a long time separated from their friends and family?
Yeah, I think so. At least at the beginning. Until you get to
know the other people and make friends.
Why do you think this is so?
Because, well… Isn’t that quite clear?! In the beginning you usually feel lonely
and have a hard time understanding the other people. So when you get closer
to your new family and friends the people at home move a little into the background.
And I saw it with my daughter. When she went abroad she had a hard time especially
at the beginning. So we talked a lot on the phone and sent an e-mail every day.
I think it made her feel more comfortable and less left alone. She even urged
me to write quickly when I was a little late.
The following table is one of the instruments used in the study by Alexander
Thomas
Please fill out the following table, asking you if you discovered any changes
in the different fields after your exchange experience. You can give an answer
from 1 (I do not agree) to 5 (I fully agree).
The answers are given by Petra, the person interviewed in the above
section.
The following table is one of the instruments used in the study by Alexander
Thomas
Please fill out the following table, asking you if you discovered any changes
in the different fields after your exchange experience. You can give an answer
from 1 (I do not agree) to 5 (I fully agree).
The answers are given by Petra, the person interviewed
in the above section.
Comparing the exchanges of those who were looked at in the study of Alexander
Thomas to the one Petra had experienced, several differences can be noticed.
First of all, Petra went abroad for a whole year whereas the students in the
study never stayed longer than for four months. Furthermore, she did not go
in a group but went all by herself. Another basic aspect is the fact that she
attended a complete high school year and thus could experience school life in
a foreign country with all its challenges and influences.
In spite of these differences the results of the study of Alexander Thomas and
the answers of Petra correlate in some fields. Like most of the respondents
Petra thinks of her exchange experience as a good thing and a wonderful time.
As in the interviews of the study, she can also remember many situations in
detail.
The long-term effects that the research group found out do not seem to conform
to Petra’s believes. For example, 62.9% of the people in Alexander Thomas’ study
agree to the fact that the exchange brought about some changes to the self-related
characteristics and competences. In contrast to this, Petra only rates this
point with a ‘2’ which shows that she does not really believe in her having
changed in this aspect. According to her judgement, however, her foreign language
skills have improved a great deal. This should be due to her long time stay
and her being forced to communicate in the foreign language at school. As she
did not go in a group there was no other person around with whom she could speak
in her mother tongue. With the students of the Thomas study it was the other
way around. They stayed no longer than for four months and could easily go back
to their own language when being together. Consequently, their improvement of
the foreign language could not have been that effective and thus was seen as
a long-term effect only by 52% of the people questioned.
Source:
http://www.jugendaustausch-langzeitwirkungen.de/
(the internet publication of the study, accessed 2007). Interviewee: P.L.
Die Zusammenstellung ist verfaßt von Meike Lüders, im Sommersemester 2007 Studentin
an der TU Braunschweig.
Im folgenden finden Sie die beiden klassischen wissenschaftlichen empiriebasierten
Aufsätze über die Entwicklung interkultureller Wahrnehmung zum PDF-Download
(durch Anklicken wird das Dokument angezeigt). Ein Artikel ist von Piaget/Weil,
der andere von Jahoda. Auf diese Arbeiten wird bis heute verwiesen.
