Exploring the transformational impact of international study visits on early childhood studies students

This original piece of research will be of interest to those who wish to consider the impact of international field trips on students studying Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) degree programmes. The research is prompted by existing literature that has highlighted the impact on students of long-term study-abroad experiences on students, such as on their cultural awareness, self-efficacy and professional development (Willard-Holt, 2001; Cushner and Mahon, 2002). It seeks to investigate the experiences of four students from the UK who took part in 7-day field trip to Berlin, Germany, which explored a variety of pedagogic and cultural locations focussed on experiences of children throughout the 20th century and in the present day. It explores the extent to which students identify an impact on both their academic knowledge and also ways in which their thinking has been transformed more widely in relation to understanding the world.

Following ethical approval in compliance with the British Educational Research Association (2011) ethical guidelines and university ethical procedures, data was collected using photo elicitation in semi-structured interviews and also examination of students’ reflective journals. Using Wilson’s (1993) theoretical lens to analyse the data, the research explores the ways in which participants recognise ways in which the experience of an international study visit had an impact academically, professionally and personally on their learning, emotions, perspective and behaviours. It considers how the students identify the experience may also be beneficial for their career prospects, as well as barriers they envisage may prevent other students engaging in international visits. The significance is that it demonstrates that, although short in length, a week-long visit may afford students opportunities to develop cultural and pedagogic awareness, self-confidence and academic knowledge in a similar way to experiences of a longer duration.