The Capstone Paper is written by students in the SIT Graduate Institute Master of Arts degree programs. Capstones reassess theoretical knowledge in light of professional experience in the form of a final research paper, incorporating both classroom knowledge and practicum based experience.
The full-text of papers written prior to July 2011 in the Capstone Collection are limited to SIT and other World Learning faculty, staff, students, and alumni. If you are not affiliated with SIT or World Learning and want access to these papers contact your local library and ask about requesting the hard copy on interlibrary loan. Full-text papers written after July 2011 are openly accessible to the public.
Due to copyright restrictions some papers are not available full-text electronically. World Learning affiliated students and staff can check these papers out of the library or, if you are off-campus, request them via interlibrary loan
Submissions from 2008
Study Abroad Blogs as Reflective Learning Tools, Jesse DeLaughter
Making and Creating Knowledge: Bringing International Education to U.S. Public High Schools through Global Learning Networks and Collaborative Media Projects, Marcella DeProto
A Complete Experience: Orientation and Reentry Curriculum for Putney Student Travel Excel China Program, Megan E. Featherstone
Study Abroad Returnees’ Seminar: Presbyterian College, Amanda Fletcher
The impact of financial accountability on program quality, Adrienne F. Fusek
BorderLinks Volunteer Program: Creating a Mutually Beneficial Design, Theresa Heath
The Reentry Experience of Semester at Sea Participants: From a Global Shipboard Education Perspective, Kristen Kammann
Community Partnerships for Protecting Children, Portland ME: Case Study and Recommendations, Nicholas D. Kjeldgaard
Assessment of Returner Programming at Pacific Lutheran University, Kristin Labs
Comparison of Refugee and International Student Experiences: Implications for Immersion, Lisa Maria Lindo
Evaluating Saint Michael’s College Short-Term Program To Ghana For Impact On Students’ Personal Development Based On The Principles Of Transformative Learning, Samantha Rae Stanley
Completing The Study Abroad Cycle: A Reentry Orientation For Loyola Marymount University, Sonja K. Thorsvik
An Integrated Model of Health Literacy: The Role of Non-formal Education Groups in HIV/AIDS Health-Seeking Behaviors in Rural KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, Leanne N. Wolff
Submissions from 2007
University Of California, Irvine: A model to formally develop international exchanges, Tasha S. Alexander
Up North, Down South: Natural Resource Management in Australia and New Zealand, Nicole Anderson
Mutuality: Opportunities and Challenges in International Service-Learning Programs in Oaxaca, Mexico, Melanie Arsenault
Intercultural Communicative Competence In TESOL Programs Across The Northeast, Kathereine Bryant
Combating the Sophomore Slump and Declining Retention Rates: An Experiential Academic Program for Second Year International Students, Christy Burke
There’s No Place Like Home: Heritage-Seeking In The Experiences Of U.S. Students Of African Descent On SIT Study Abroad Programs, Akilah Clarke
An Assessment Design for the Peking University – Yale University, Susan Coleman
Multicultural Education In North Carolina: How Is The State Preparing Its Teachers To Change Education? The Case of East Carolina University, Rebecca Denton
Multicultural Education in North Carolina: How is the State Preparing its Teachers to Change Education? The Case of East Carolina University, Rebecca Denton
Urgent Need for International Programs, Heidi Dietz
International University Students in Thailand: Their Experiences and Understandings of the Host Culture, Dacia L. Gauer
How Two Universities Respond to Third Culture Kids during the College Choice Process, Steven Gist
You Can’t Always Get What You Want: NGO Needs versus Preparation for Overseas Volunteer Abroad Work in India, Jennifer Hickman
Developing Interculturally Competent and Global Citizens: An Intercultural Communications Course for High School Students, Katherine Irwin
The Impact of the Undergraduate Study Abroad Experience on Ethnic Identity Development Among African American Women, Allegra Johnson
The Experienced Volunteer: Creating a Volunteer Abroad Program for Retired Adults, Katherine A. Kammann
Assessing the Impact of Study Abroad on Career Development for Economics Majors, Kelly Keniston
The Impact of a Long-Term Dropout Prevention Program on Four Hispanic Students Currently Enrolled in Post-Secondary Education, Arpita Kishen
Cross-Cultural Connections: Program Innovations For Host Integration On ‘Island’-Style Study Abroad, Jessica Sze Phing Loh
Thai Scholars Orientation: Best Practices In International Student Orientation, Rebecca A. Miller
Education Abroad Reciprocity Students at the University of California at Berkeley: An Innovative International Student Orientation Program Design, Shannon M. Plath
Effects Of Types Of Housing On Freshmen International Students’ Social Patterns And Involvement, Rosemarie Schuette
Would Someone Please Think Of The Children: Parents’ Perceptions Of The Impact Of International Students On Their Children, Julia Shuster
Land of a Thousand Hills: Socioeconomic Development in Post-Conflict Rwanda, Anne Stern
Scottsdale Community College: A Short-Term Education Abroad Program Designed for the Non-Traditional Student, Jennifer Sydow
Segregation Or Integration: Why Are International Students In American Colleges Sitting Together In The Cafeteria?, Hisako Umemura
The Globalization Of An Independent Day School, Elizabeth N. Yavenditti
Submissions from 2006
The beyond generations : reflections from Italian-American students within a study abroad experience in Italy, Catherine Ciarrocchi
A study of the strengths and weakenesses of the Brazilian Bosa Escola educational program, Brian Dockery
Beloit College Study Abroad students' outcomes : a closer look at reenty programming and students' perceptions of their learning, Kimberly Evon
Experiential Blackness: Connecting Double Consciousness with Intercultural Competence, Reagan Elizabeth James Jackson
Group Dynamics and Study Abroad: A Case Study of Group Development in a Field-Based “Island” Study Abroad Program, Laura Jane Manley
Public versus private : a case study of primary school education quality Gamba, Gabon, Rachel A. Maris-Wolf
Organizational culture of educational non-government organizations in Post-Soviet Azerbaijan, Eddie McGee
Contributions Made and Challenges Faced by Foreign Born International Educators (FBIE) at Duke University: In Relating to Campus Internationalization, Mayumi Nakamura
First to college! First abroad? : factors influencing a first-generation college student's decision whether to study abroad, Susan W. Parsons
International Spouses In A University Setting: A Marginalized Population In Need Of Support, Marlene Marie Perrine
Immigrant women in Italy : Italian women and immigrant women in Umbria : a comparison of perceptions, Monica Pulci
The challenges of international admissions and recruiting since 9/11 : a comparative study of recruitment strategies at several midwestern universities and colleges, Michelle Quizon Harken
Sports, immersion and study abroad at the Syracuse University London program, Joseph Sweet
The Properu Stove Project: Expanding The Field Of International Education By Recruiting Tourists As Participants, Michael A. Waugh
Reentry adjustment : international student offices preparing international students to return to their home countries after graduation, Shannon E. Williams
Pre-Departure Orientation: How It Affects Students’ Expectations Abroad, Megan Wood
Submissions from 2005
To life in exile : the stories of six Tibetan women, Michelle Bos-Lun
To Pay or Not To Pay: Motivations of International Volunteers in Three Work camps in Three Countries, Brenden Butler
Coming full circle : is reentry support helping students move through the experiential learning cycle and/or why isn't anyone coming to our pizza party?, Lisa Diane Chappell
To 'inter'act or not 'inter'act : student experiences with the Beloit College Inter Program, Josielyn Inaldo
The Azerbaijan Connections and Exchange Program : did Spring 2005 participation affect students' worldviews?, Mark Lydon
Integrating Undergraduate Research and Study Abroad: Students’ Perceptions on the Effects of Undergraduate Research Abroad on Student Development, Friederike S. Muehls
The impact of study abroad participants' personal and professional development, Galina A. Ostanina
Perceptions of service in international service learning, Katherine N. Punteney
The impact of an online orientation program on the cross-cultural learning of study abroad students, Oscar Emile Romero
21st-Century Human Resource Development: The Cross-Cultural Compatibility of 360-Degree Feedback, Alia Santini
Finding meaning : outcomes of short-term experiential education abroad programs revealed, Kirsten Sheppard
Bringing the Big World to a Small Campus: A Study of the Internationalization Process at Edgewood College, Deborah Stengle
Action-based trust : a pathway to voter participation among community-based national service volunteers in Kerala, India, Cecil Thomas
Submissions from 2004
The Impact of Interracial Interactions on US Students Studying Abroad: an Exploratory Case Study, Kimberly Cressy
Stakeholder perceptions of the use of outcomes assessment in study abroad, Eowyn Louise Greeno
An Assessment of Internationalization as Perceived by Faculty Members at Virginia Wesleyan College, Hiroyoshi Hiratsuka
Transformative learning : a framework for outcomes assessment of university study abroad experiences, Anelise Zadona Hofmann
Educator's experience with the New Curriculum in South Africa, Jill Schurr
The program of mutual interests : a search for new concepts of international education in the context of globalization, Olga Trofymenko
Submissions from 2003
Saudi Student Needs in Rural Montana, Elizabeth A. Ballinger
Post September 11 : college international student offices, management plans, and student support in a time of crisis, Karen M. Bauer
Meeting the Needs of International Students on the Internet, Erika Therese Nelson
The Muskie/FREEDOM Support Act Exchange Program and Social Reforms: A Participant's Perspective, Olga Ptichenko
Connecting Students to Practitioners: Using Asynchronous Discussion Boards in Nonviolent Peace Education, Christian Sinclair
Exploring Returned Peace Corps Volunteers’ Experiences with Community-Based Training in Nepal, Patrick Wesner