Translating Research to Practice for Latinx Students’ Study Abroad Experiences

Abstract

This research-to-practice brief examines the key outcomes of eight empirical studies that focus explicitly on Latin American and/or Hispanic students during study abroad programs (for background on the selection of these studies, see Brunsting, Dietrich et al., in this issue). These study abroad programs predominantly occurred in Central America. Given that all student participants identified in the research were of Latin American origin, we use Latinx for this population, acknowledging that there is no consensus on group nomenclature (see Salinas, 2020 for a critical examination of the term Latinx within the Latin American community). As further outlined below, critical to this brief are how heritage learners navigate Latinx cultures as Latinx or Hispanic students, qualifying one's own identity as both Latinx and as a U.S.citizen, and, in some cases, the re-examination of language ability in the context of being a heritage speaker. Seven of the eight included studies employed

Integrating Research and Practice to Enhance Experiences and Outcomes of Study Abroad of Underrepresented Students: An Introduction

“…In the brief on Latinx students (Bingham, Smith et al, 2023), Smith recommends following an asset-based approach through all phases of a study abroad program. In this approach, she recommends that students be engaged in reflective journaling and individual and group conversations that encourage them to explore and potentially mobilize their community cultural wealth assets (Yosso, 2005), from the application stage to re-entry.…”