Skip to content
1981
  1. Home
  2. A-Z Publications
  3. Australian Journalism Review
  4. Volume 41, Issue 1
  5. Article
Volume 41, Issue 1
  • ISSN: 0810-2686
  • E-ISSN: 2517-620X
file format pdf download PDF

Abstract

Over five decades of empirical research have demonstrated the power of study abroad programmes to broaden students’ perspectives by exposing them to other peoples and cultures. In a range of fields, universities offer study abroad to help prepare students for a rapidly globalizing world. In recent years, short-term study abroad programmes have become popular in helping students of journalism prepare for the rigours of international reporting. However, travel to another country can be difficult and expensive, putting strain on education budgets and limiting access to a relatively small pool of students. Travel to the most newsworthy sites is also frequently impossible due to lack of security. On the whole, study abroad can reinforce historical imbalances. Students from high-income nations tend to have multiple opportunities to travel and view the world from another perspective, while students from low-income countries have significantly fewer opportunities to do the same. In this research, we developed and studied a Virtual Student Exchange programme in journalism, a new pedagogical strategy that harnessed technology to connect a group of students from RMIT University in Melbourne, Australia, with a similarly composed group of students from the University of Peshawar in Peshawar, Pakistan. For modest cost, the programme provided all students with an opportunity to meet one another, learn about each other’s societies, and work collaboratively on newsworthy events in each other’s country. Informed by Contact Theory, the programme also provided students with opportunities to serve as fixers for one another, and thus to view the relationship between international correspondent and local fixer from both perspectives. Open-ended surveys and semi-structured interviews conducted after the experience show how students on both sides gained from the experience, suggesting productive avenues for further research.

© 2019 Intellect Ltd
Loading

Article metrics loading...

/content/journals/10.1386/ajr.41.1.53_1
2019-06-01
2024-09-09
Loading full text...

Full text loading...

/deliver/fulltext/ajr/41/1/ajr.41.1.53.html?itemId=/content/journals/10.1386/ajr.41.1.53_1&mimeType=html&fmt=ahah

References

  1. Allport, G. W.. ( 1954), The Nature of Prejudice, Cambridge and Reading, MA:: Addison-Wesley;.
     [Google Scholar]
  2. Aronson, E., and Bridgeman, D.. ( 1979;), ‘ Jigsaw groups and the desegregated classroom: In pursuit of common goals. ’, Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 5:4, pp. 438–46.
     [Google Scholar]
  3. Atkinson, C.. ( 2010;), ‘ Does soft power matter? A comparative analysis of student exchange programs 1980–2006. ’, Foreign Policy Analysis, 6:1, pp. 1–22.
     [Google Scholar]
  4. Bali, M.. ( 2014;), ‘ Why doesn’t this feel empowering? The challenges of web-based intercultural dialogue. ’, Teaching in Higher Education, 19:2, pp. 208–15.
     [Google Scholar]
  5. Bossone, A.. ( 2014;), ‘ The thankless work of a “fixer”. ’, Columbia Journalism Review, 53:1, pp. 24–25, http://www.cjr.org/reports/the_thankless_work_of_a_fixer.php. Accessed 18 November 2018.
     [Google Scholar]
  6. Bu, L.. ( 1999;), ‘ Educational exchange and cultural diplomacy in the Cold War. ’, Journal of American Studies, 33:3, pp. 393–415.
     [Google Scholar]
  7. Carlson, J. S., and Widaman, K. F.. ( 1988;), ‘ The effects of study abroad during college on attitudes toward other cultures. ’, International Journal of Intercultural Relations, 12:1, pp. 1–17.
     [Google Scholar]
  8. Dovidio, J. F.,, Love, A.,, Schellhaas, F. M. H., and Hewstone, M.. ( 2017;), ‘ Reducing intergroup bias through intergroup contact: Twenty years of progress and future directions. ’, Group Processes & Intergroup Relations, 20:5, pp. 606–20.
     [Google Scholar]
  9. The Economist ( 2017;), ‘ Global liveability has improved for the first time in a decade: Melbourne is the world’s most liveable city for the seventh year running. ’, https://www.economist.com/graphic-detail/2017/08/16/global-liveability-has-improved-for-the-first-time-in-a-decade. Accessed 23 April 2019.
  10. Helbling, M.. (ed.) ( 2012), Islamophobia in the West: Measuring and Explaining Individual Attitudes, London and New York:: Routledge;.
     [Google Scholar]
  11. Johnson, D. W.,, Johnson, R. T., and Maruyama, G.. ( 1983;), ‘ Interdependence and interpersonal attraction among heterogeneous and homogeneous individuals: A theoretical formulation and a meta-analysis of the research. ’, Educational Research, 53:1, pp. 5–54.
     [Google Scholar]
  12. Khan, A.. ( 2011;), ‘ Pukhtoon journalism and the Afghan war. ’, in Z. Jalalzai, and D. Jefferess. (eds), Globalizing Afghanistan: Terrorism, War, and the Rhetoric of Nation Building, Durham, NC:: Duke University Press;, pp. 79–93.
     [Google Scholar]
  13. McKown, C.. ( 2005;), ‘ Applying ecological theory to advance the science and practice of school-based prejudice reduction interventions. ’, Educational Psychologist, 40:3, pp. 177–89.
     [Google Scholar]
  14. Murrell, C.. ( 2015), Foreign Correspondents and International Newsgathering: The Role of Fixers, New York and London:: Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group;.
     [Google Scholar]
  15. Paige, R. M.,, Fry, G. W.,, Stallman, E. M.,, Josić, J., and Jon, J.-E.. ( 2009;), ‘ Study abroad for global engagement: The long-term impact of mobility experiences. ’, Intercultural Education, 20:suppl. 1, pp. S29–44.
     [Google Scholar]
  16. Palmer, J., and Fontan, V.. ( 2007;), ‘ “Our ears and our eyes”: Journalists and fixers in Iraq. ’, Journalism, 8:1, pp. 5–24.
     [Google Scholar]
  17. Pettigrew, T. F.. ( 1998;), ‘ Intergroup contact theory. ’, Annual Review of Psychology, 49:1, pp. 65–85.
     [Google Scholar]
  18. Pettigrew, T. F., and Tropp, L. R.. ( 2000;), ‘ Does intergroup contact reduce prejudice? Recent meta-analytic findings. ’, in S. Oskamp. (ed.), Reducing Prejudice and Discrimination, London:: Psychology Press;, pp. 93–114.
     [Google Scholar]
  19. Pettigrew, T. F., and Tropp, L. R.. ( 2006;), ‘ A meta-analytic test of intergroup contact theory. ’, Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 90:5, pp. 751–83, http://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.90.5.751. Accessed 23 April 2019.
     [Google Scholar]
  20. Pew Global Attitudes Project ( 2006), The Great Divide: How Westerners and Muslims View Each Other, Washington, DC:: Author;.
     [Google Scholar]
  21. Rubin, E.. ( 2013), Pakistan’s Endangered Press and the Perilous Web of Militancy, Security, and Politics, Baltimore, MD:: United Book Press;, https://cpj.org/reports/CPJ.Pakistan.Roots.of.Impunity.pdf. Accessed 1 May 2019.
     [Google Scholar]
  22. Slavin, R. E.. ( 1985;), ‘ Cooperative learning: applying contact theory in desegregated schools. ’, Journal of Social Issues, 41:3, pp. 45–62.
     [Google Scholar]
  23. Telhami, S.. ( 2015), What Americans Really Think about Muslims and Islam, Washington, DC:: Brookings Institution;, https://www.brookings.edu/blog/markaz/2015/12/09/what-americans-really-think-about-muslims-and-islam/. Accessed 23 April 2019.
     [Google Scholar]
  24. Wake, A.. ( 2016;), ‘ Distant, disconnected and in danger: Are educators doing enough to prepare students for frontline freelance risks?. ’, Pacific Journalism Review, 22:1, p. 52.
     [Google Scholar]
  25. Williams, T. R.. ( 2005;), ‘ Exploring the impact of study abroad on students’ intercultural communication skills: Adaptability and sensitivity. ’, Journal of Studies in International Education, 9:4, pp. 356–71.
     [Google Scholar]
  26. Woolley, B.. ( 2017;), ‘ Teaching undergraduate journalism students foreign correspondence: Can it be done?. ’, Asia Pacific Media Educator, 27:1, pp. 85–102.
     [Google Scholar]
  27. World Bank ( 2018;), ‘ GDP per capita. ’, https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/NY.GDP.PCAP.CD. Accessed 23 April 2019.
  28. Bowen, K.,, Ullah Khan, A., and Wake, A.. ( 2019;), ‘ Virtual Student Exchange in journalism: Collaborative reporting through new media and technology. ’, Australian Journalism Review, 41:1, pp. 53–66, doi: 10.1386/ajr.41.1.53_1
     [Google Scholar]
/content/journals/10.1386/ajr.41.1.53_1
Loading
  • Article Type: Article
Keyword(s): contact theory; cross-cultural exchange; exchange; journalism; journalism education; online collaborations; Virtual Student Exchange

Most Cited Most Cited RSS feed

This is a required field
Please enter a valid email address
Approval was a success
Invalid data
An error occurred
Approval was partially successful, following selected items could not be processed due to error