Intercultural intervention in a U.S. corporate internship program for college graduates from Rwanda: An exploratory study

• Main Author: Morrison, Shelley
• Format: Others
• Published: Scholarly Commons 2015
• Subjects: African Studies; Multicultural Education; International Relations; Social sciences; Education; African students; Cross cultural programs; Intercultural training; International internship; Rwanda; Visa programs; International and Area Studies; Social and Behavioral Sciences
• Online Access: https://scholarlycommons.pacific.edu/uop_etds/244; https://scholarlycommons.pacific.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1243&context=uop_etds

This exploratory study examines the impact of intercultural training as part of an international corporate internship program in the United States for college graduates from Rwanda. This is a mixed-method study using quantitative and qualitative data collected before, at completion, and one year after the 3-month internship program. The report explores the design, methods, content, tools, assessments and experiential activities used during the intercultural training, which focused on educating both the Rwandan interns and their U.S. managers on some of the differences in culture and communication styles that impact effectiveness in the workplace. The purpose of this research is to discern which aspects of the intercultural training intervention the participants perceived as the most beneficial. In addition to providing a better understanding of challenges for African interns adapting to the U.S. corporate environment, this study hopes to provide insights and contribute to a framework of best practices for intercultural training for U.S. international corporate internships, which as part of the J-1 visa program created by the U.S. State Department to build international understanding and cultural exchange, as well as work opportunities.