Leveraging the Camino de Santiago: promoting intentional reflection and group cohesion during study abroad

ABSTRACT

The present investigation describes how one semester-long study abroad (SA) program leveraged a group excursion at the beginning of the term to promote intentional reflection, a critical skill to process ‘disorienting dilemmas’ often encountered abroad. The excursion took place on the Camino de Santiago, or ‘the Way of Saint James’, a well-known pilgrimage in northern Spain. While multitudes of pilgrims have traveled the Camino for over a millennium, it has rarely been featured in educational research. Eighteen women undergraduates from a US institution participated in a two-day hike on the Camino two weeks into their program, and completed a variety of reflection activities in situ. Data collected immediately after the experience and three months later were analyzed quantitatively and qualitatively. Results suggest that students’ experiences on the Camino – coupled with intentional reflection exercises – helped them gain confidence in the early weeks of their SA semester, and served as a catalyst for camaraderie among participants. Pedagogical and programmatic recommendations of how to structure intentional reflection, especially at the beginning of a SA program, are offered. The article concludes with a call to action to further investigate the role of intensive intentional reflection, especially at the onset of SA.

KEYWORDS:

• Camino de Santiago
• group cohesion
• high-impact practice
• intentional reflection
• reflective practice
• study abroad
• transformative learning

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1. There are several routes of different lengths and from various directions that are a part of the Camino, all of which lead to the city of Santiago as their final destination; however, the Camino francés (or the ‘French Way’) is the most popular route and the one this group travelled.

2. Global competence is defined as ‘the ability to communicate with respect and cultural understanding in more than one language’ (ACTFL, 2014). Terms such as ‘intercultural competence’ or ‘global fluency’ can be used interchangeably as well.

3. While all participants identified as women, the program was open to all genders.

4. All names are changed to protect participants’ anonymity. The author translated all excerpts in Spanish to English.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Stephanie M. Knouse

Stephanie M. Knouse is an Associate Professor of Spanish and served as the Executive Reflection Fellow from 2018-2021 at Furman University. She has facilitated more than a dozen workshops on reflective practices and issues related to second language pedagogy. As a firm supporter of experiential learning and high-impact practices, Dr. Knouse has co-directed multiple SA programs, regularly integrates service and community-based learning into her courses, and collaborates with undergraduate students on her research endeavors.