| dc.description.abstract | Cultural heritage describes our way of life. It comes from previous generational traditions and incorporates our current constructed and natural environments, and tangible artifacts. The purpose of this study was to explore effects of the photo narrative process on students’ intercultural learning in agriculture. The photo narrative process, derived from Photovoice, combines photography and narrative expression about artifacts important to one’s way of life. Photo narrative assignments were developed for students to capture facets of their own cultural heritage, and their host country nationals’ cultural heritage, while participating on three separate study abroad programs. Archival data was collected from students’ photo narratives (i.e., course assignments to illustrate one’s cultural heritage via photo and text) in three agricultural study abroad programs. Kress and van Leeuwen’s (2001) concept of visual social semiotics was used to analyze qualitative data, and Bennett’s (1986) Developmental Model of Intercultural Sensitivity was used to measure students’ levels of intercultural competence. The results showed participants experienced frame shifts (i.e., perspective change in worldviews) from ethnocentrism to ethnorelativism, as evidenced in the rhetoric of their photo narrative artifacts after participating in the photo narrative process. The photo narrative process is a valuable educational technique to change participants’ intercultural competence. Consistent with young people’s preferred communication methods (i.e., social media), the combination of image and text empowers learners through expressive communication and reflection. | en |
