International study tours: an avenue for personal growth.

Abstract: This article consists of four integral parts of a complex process leading to successful implementation of international study tours. Our role as faculty members, in the development of these study tours, began with the proactive, reflective practice of examining our cultural experiences, perceptions, and understandings of our cultural knowledge, dispositions, and skills. Through these tours, educators from other countries and cultures come to The University of Montana and experience a collaboration of ideas and acquire a better understan, ing of education in the United States. To be successful these study tours need to go beyond content and include a variety of less tangible aspects ranging from the initial Request for Proposals to the culminating activities. These study tours have led to the empowerment of educational leaders becoming instruments of positive change in their homeland. In turn, the relationships developed have transformed the faculty presenters and the institution in ways that are both measurable and immeasurable. Human relationships based on mutual respect and dignity underlie the success of educational tours.Key Words: International Study Tours, Personal GrowthSuccessful international study tours require more than a solid plan for delivering content. Most International Study Tours entail a group from a foreign country coming to an institution of higher learning in the United States seeking knowledge and skills that will enhance the educational system in their home country. Study tours can take many shapes and sizes. The tale of international study tours involves, not only the mechanics of acquiring support and funding for the entities associated with the host institution, but the philosophical framework in which the participants and the trainers become colleagues in the growth process. This paper explores: (a) the human relationship segment of the international study tour experience; (b) the requisite structure needed to host successful tours; (c) the international study tour proposal process; and (d) the issues of culture that will build and complete the philosophical model that underpins the whole experience of international study tours. In the Phyllis J. Washington College of Education and Human Sciences at The University of Montana we have provided training for many international groups, including educators from China, Saudi Arabia, Taiwan, Canada, Azerbaijan, Kyrgyzstan, Egypt, the Czech Republic, and Thailand. While our charge from the granting agency views the transfer of knowledge and skills from us to them as a goal of these study tours, we have found a symbiotic or mutually beneficial relationship that enriches the academic and cultural community.HUMAN RELATIONSHIPSHuman relationships, based on mutual respect and dignity, underlie the success of educational tours. When there has been a meeting of the minds and the hearts, all who participate in these groups feel more fulfilled. Not only are these educational tours intended for an exchange of ideas but also for changing the human beings who are involved. The international visitor must be open and willing to actively participate, learn, and teach, and those responsible for the implementation of the programs must also be willing to actively participate, teach, and learn. Regard for the individuals' role in community plays an integral part in defining relationships.Communities offer a sense of belonging, security, and allow for engagement of the participants (Strange & Banning, 2001). Study tours however, are usually snort term and participants do not have the opportunity to engage over time in the traditions and culture of a particular campus or setting. Historically, qualities of communities have included a common place, purpose and direction, and a form of social interdependence (Gardner, 1990). McMillan and Chavis (1986) posited that a'psychological sense of community' must include a feeling of belongingness, a perception of one's ability to have influence in the community, a shared belief that a member's needs will be met by their commitment to be together, and through a shared emotional connection . …