Project name:

Perceptions of Participant Roles on International Educational Field Trips:

A Case Study of the Conference of Latin Americanist Geographers (CLAG)

Field Trips

 

1.      Project Description

Many educational institutions, professional associations, and specialized tour groups offer multi-day, international field trips to promote experiential learning about the rich histories and cultures of countries and localities, as and/or well as their environmental, social and economic problemsconcerns. While CLAG members spend time with each other during conference meetings, the groups formed for field trips exist for a few days and move through physical and social environments that can be unpredictable and, occasionally, dangerous. Despite the number of such groups, knowledge about how to create the social conditions for satisfying and productive tours seems to be acquired by trial and error rather than through systematic training. A review of research on literature on international educational tour management yielded no studies that addressed this issue. Anecdotal reports from educational tour group leaders indicate that many learn their craft on the job, with little systematic training.

Research on groups suggests that members will be more satisfied with the experience if the group succeeds in achieving a relatively high degree of social cohesion. Group cohesion refers to the degree to which members are attracted to each other and to the group as a whole (Northen, 1988) Groups that achieve a high degree of social cohesion are more likely than non-cohesive groups  to achieve their collective goals (Cartwright, 1968; Toseland & Rivas, 1995).  Groups become cohesive when members like one another and their interactions satisfy individual needs for security, affiliation and recognition. In addition, group activities must be inherently rewarding and the group seen as a means of achieving ends that require group action (Secord & Backman, 1964).

Group leaders and members play complementary roles in making the group work well for all concerned. Typically, the group leader begins by being more active and directive, but gradually lets go of control as group members learn how to problem solve and make decisions about what should happen. Members begin by being somewhat dependent on the group leader to set the agenda and to help establish group norms, but later demand more autonomy in making decisions for the group.

Our knowledge about participant roles and group development in small- and medium-sized groups is primarily based on data collected from groups that gather in specific places for sessions of limited duration over an extended period of time. This study will examine cases where the group exists only for a few days, with group members who are with each other more or less continuously for the entire time, while the group as a whole moves from place to place. This study will explore: 1) how group leaders and group members perceive their own and each other’s roles in making this kind of short-term  contact,  group function; and 2) the ways in which the group’s movement through unfamiliar terrain influences theseparticipants’ role definitions.   

 

Context. The Conference of Latin American Geographers (CLAG) is a small, professional association composed of academic and professional geographers who are regional specialists in Latin America (Conference of Latin Americanist GeographersGeographers, 2000). For the past three decadesOver the past 15 years, CLAG has held periodic conferences for its members and others who share their interest in this field., often  in Latin America, for its members and others who share their interest in this field. Typically, multi-day field trips are offered before and after the each conference. Eight conferences have been held in Latin America or at sites in the southwest US that allowed for tours into northern Mexico. These tours are usually led by CLAG members are experts in the region where the conferences are held. The field trips are important attractions for those who attend this conference regularly. For many, these field trips have been memorable events during which collegial relationships were strengthened and new friendships formed.

While CLAG members spend time with each other during conference meetings, the groups formed for field trips exist for a few days and move through physical and social environments that can be unpredictable and, occasionally, dangerous.

 Research on groups suggests that members will be more satisfied with the experience if the group succeeds in achieving a relatively high degree of social cohesion. Group cohesion refers to the degree to which members are attracted to each other and to the group as a whole [Northen, 1988 #1855] Groups that achieve a high degree of social cohesion are more likely than non-cohesive groups  to achieve their collective goals [Cartwright, 1968 #1723; Toseland, 1995 #1511].  Groups become cohesive when members like one another and their interactions satisfy individual needs for and satisfy individual group member’s needs for security, affiliation and recognition. In addition, group activities must be inherently rewarding and the group seen as a means of achieving ends that require group action [Secord, 1964 #2499]. Group leaders and members play complementary roles in making the group work well for all concerned. Typically, the group leader begins by being more active and directive, but gradually lets go of control as group members learn how to problem solve and make decisions about what should happen. Members begin by being somewhat dependent on the group leader to set the agenda and to help establish group norms, but later  demand more autonomy in making decisions in for group.

 On CLAG field trips, the group is physically transported through unfamiliar territory;  members are with each other almost continuously for several days before the group disperses.  GroupCLAG field trip leaders assume responsibility keeping group members safe and reasonably content, and for arranging an itinerariesy and activities that support the educational goals of their trips. CLAG members are adults and ; mmost are experienced teachers andhave considerable  field research experience ers in Latin America. .  Consequently, the group leader must also accommodate members’ needs to independently explore new terrain and locales. and The leader must also be prepared allow them members to change the program to if new opportunities arise, or when their  members’ interests change and energy levels. Most CLAG field trip participants are knowledgeable about the kinds of conditions travelers in Third World countries are likely to encounter and they used to adapting to them. However, despite participants savvy, group leaders must anticipate that or health status change.health and other problems may arise and be prepared modify the group’s plans accordingly.

In turn, gGroup members must, in turn, be willing to comply with instructions intended to keep them safe and the trip more or less on schedule. They need must be willing to socialize with each other so that  they benefit from each other’s expertise in the region and other life experiences. Finally, they need to be ready to help the leader and other members solve problems should they occur.

 

Project Overview

if the tour or individual members runs into problems.

Our knowledge about group development and social cohesion is primarily based on groups that gather regularly in a place for series of meetings of limited duration over an extended period of time.  Conditions on these field trips differ from those in the laboratory. This project  is will explore: 1) explores the extent to which CLAG leaders and members share in their  expectations are well matched in their perceptions about what their mutual rights and obligations are makes in making atheir satisfying fieldfield trips satisfying experiences; and 2) identify the types of problems that rise while the groups are on their journeys and what group leaders and members have done to resolve those problems.  and they have appropriate expectations about each other’s rights and obligations to the tour group.

 

 

 

 

Project Overview

This study will explore how group members and group leaders in CLAG field trip groups understand their roles and the extent to which they agree or disagree in their responsibilities in making the field trips rewarding experiences

 

Sampling

 

    Group leaders who have led two one or more trips will be identified from CLAG conference archives.  A convenience sample  of 10 group leaders will recruited by e-mail and telephone.  CLAG members who have gone on conference-sponsored field trips will  be recruited using  bilingual announcement about the project be surveyed via e-email questionnaires sente-mailed to the association's listserv [see Attachment 1] using a roughly parallel set of questions.

.

 

Data collection

Tour leaders.

  Using telephone interviews (approximately 60 minutes), CLAG members who have served as fField trip leaders more than once will be interviewed in English via telephone. In addition to some initial sociodemographic questions, tour leaders will be and  asked to reflect answer  questions on the following topics on their experiences 1) in Latin America, 2) as  CLAG conference attendees; and 3) as CLAG field trip leaders (see Attachment 2).on the following questions:

Tour participants.

Tour Leader

1.When did you first join CLAG?

How many CLAG field trips have you led? Which ones?

What were your reasons for volunteering to lead these tours?

1.How did you learn the role of international field trip guide.

·For example: Have you lead any international field trips for other groups?  If so, how often and what kinds?

·If you have lead other kinds of field trips, are there any significant differences between CLAG groups and those other groups?  If so, what are the key differences, and how do they affect your role as group leader?

1.What conditions contribute to a satisfying CLAG field trip?

1.What kinds of problems have you encountered when leading CLAG  field trips?

1.What responsibilities do you think CLAG tour members have for making the trip a success?

To recruit survey respondents, an e-mail message containing a bilingual announcement about the study and an invitation to participate will be posted on the CLAG listserv after all the Tour Leaders have been contacted.  Respondents will be asked to provide basic demographic information and answer questions about their experiences: 1) in Latin America; 2) with other international educational tours; 3) as CLAG conference attendees; and 4) as  CLAG field trip participants  (see Attachment 3).

Tour Participants

When did you first join CLAG?

How many and which CLAG field trips have you gone on?

1.      What are your reasons for choosing to go on CLAG field trips?

Have you participated in any international field trips with other groups?  If so, how often and what kinds?

If you have participated in other field trips, are there any significant differences between CLAG groups and those other groups?

Have you led in any international field trips with other groups?  If so, how often and what kinds?

What conditions contribute to a satisfying CLAG field trip?

1.      What do you expect a trip leader to do to make the trip satisfying?

1.      What are the group members responsibilities for making the trip satisfying?

1.      What kinds of problems have you encountered on CLAG field trips/

1.       What did the trip leader do to help resolve the problems?

1.       What are group members do to help resolve the problems?

 

2.      Study Participants

Tour group leaders.: A convenience sample of six 10 CLAG members who have have led at least two one field trips will be recruited for the group leader component of this this study.  All interviewees will be adults. Historically, CLAG membership has been predominantly male. Given the small size of this sample and the degree of experience required, it is likely that all the respondents are likely to be male as well.  and, to date, all the field trip leaders have also been male.

 

Tour group members.: The respondents to the e-mail survey will include CLAG members who are also subscribers to the CLAG listserv. As of XXXOctober 2000, CLAG had 200 members. CLAGnet’s , and the listserv had XXX subscribers.  178 subscribers represent , or89% of the association’s membership.

To recruit survey respondents, an e-mail message containing information about the study and an invitation to participate will be posted on the CLAG listserv.

Incentives:

None of the informants in this study will receive any inducements incentives to participate.

 

3.      3. Participant risks: none

 

4.      4. Steps to minimize participants’ risks: N/A.

 

5.      5. Illegal activities involved in this study: None

 

6.      6. Deceptive activities involved in this study: None

 

7.      7. N/ABenefits

The study will have at least two benefits. Preliminary findings from this study will be presented at the 2001 CLAG conference in Spain and published in the CLAG yearbook. It should provide useful information for conference organizers, field trip leaders and participants about what they can do to maximize the value of their field trip experiences.  In addition, since there has been little systematic research done on this topic, the publications based on this project will also contribute to the knowledge about design and facilitation of educational international tour groups.

 

 

8.      Obtaining Informed Consent

8  Because the study poses no risk to participants, and because interview and survey methods will be used, pPrior consent will be obtained in two ways. All participants will have received a copy of the informed consent statement via e-mail. The PI will invite all members of the liststerv who receive the message to email their questions to the PI about the study in the two weeks before the survey is sent out.

 the following ways:

 

Group Leader leader tTelephone  Iinterviews. In After scheduling each interview, the PI will e-mailsend  a confirmation of the interview date and time.  and remind each informant toP download and review the attached fileThe ICS will be included as an attached file on each of these messages [see Attachment 4].. The message will also ask for an e-mail reply confirming the infterview date and that they have read the ICS text.  AAtt the start of each interview, the PI will ask if the respondent has read the ICS text and will answer any of the informant's questions about the study's purposes and procedures before proceeding with the interview..

 

Group Member member Ee-mail Surveyssurveys. The ICS for tour participants will be sent as an attachment to project announcement e-mail message [see Attachment 5].  It is assumed that when CLAG members respond to this e-mail survey, they have implicitly agreed to participate in the study. However, to insure that they have given their informed consent, the message containing the survey questions will be sent out with the informed consent statement attached a second time. and tThe first question in the survey will ask each respondent to confirm that he or she has read the ICS. The data from respondents who answer this item with  “no” or do not answer it at all will be eliminated from the the data survey analysies.

 

 

9. Security procedures

      All interviewees and e-mail survey respondents will be assigned respondent ID numbers.  The printed list containing ID and other informant contact information will be stored in a locked file separate from tour leader phone interview transcripts and completed e-mail survey printouts. Computer files for the project will be stored only on the PI’s computer and will be accessible only by password. s

      Group Leader Data. The telephone interviews will be taped and transcribed by the PI or designated project staff. Each participant will be assigned an ID number.

Group Member Data. All messages containing e-mail survey responses and all compiled text files containing survey responses will be stored in a secured computer file in the PI's office. The e-mail texts will be compiled into a single text file for analysis. ID code numbers will be assigned to each respondent and all identifying information from e-mail message headers will be deleted. Files linking identifying information with ID code numbers will be stored in a locked file cabinet separate from the data.

Data Storage Procedures. For both data sets, information containing interviewee or survey respondent contact information and ID numbers will be kept in a locked file cabinet separate from the transcriptions.

Protection of Rrespondents’ pPrivacy.  Findings from the content and Tthematic analyses will be conducted on the text these data and all findings will be reported in aggregate. The PI will obtain prior permission from respondentsinterviewees if direct quotes from their interviews/survey responses are used in any conference presentations or future publications.

 

References

Cartwright, D. (1968). The nature of group cohesiveness. In D. Cartwright & A. Zander (Eds.), Group dynamics: Research and theory (3rd ed., pp. 91-109). New York: Harper & Row.

 

Conference of Latin Americanist Geographers. (2000). Conference of Latin Americanist Geographers (CLAG). Available: http://www.maxwell.syr.edu/geo/clag/clag.htm [2000, October 15].

 

Northen, H. (1988). Social work with groups (2nd ed.). New York: Columbia University Press.

 

Secord, P. F., & Backman, C. W. (1964). Social psychology. New York: McGraw Hill.

 

Toseland, R. W., & Rivas, R. F. (1995). An introduction to group work practice ( 2nd ed.). Boston: Allyn and Bacon.

 


Attachment 4

 

Group Leader Informed Consent Text (E-mail message attachment)[1]

 

Please print this document and keep it for your records.

 

Perceptions of Group Leader & Participant Roles

on International Educational Field Trips:

A Case Study of Conference of Latin Americanist Geographers (CLAG) Conference Field Trips

 Introduction to the Study:

As you know, CLAG periodically holds conferences for its members and others who share an interest in Latin American geography. Field trips offered as part of the conference program have become popular attractions for those who attend this conference regularly. You have been identified through the CLAG archives as a member who has served as a leader of one or more, multi-day CLAG conference field trips. The purpose of this study is to explore the factors that contribute to participant satisfaction or dissatisfaction in CLAG field trips. Dr. Andrea Meier of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (and a CLAG member) is Principal Investigator of this study. We hope to apply what we learn from the study to help CLAG tour group leaders and members understand what they can do to make the trips rewarding.  In addition, since little research has been done on international tour group facilitation, the findings from this study will also contribute to knowledge in the research literatures on group behavior and tourism.

 What Will Happen During the Study:

Dr. Meier will contact you by e-mail to determine whether you are willing to participate in a telephone interview that will last for approximately 60 minutes. If you agree, an appointment for the telephone interview will be scheduled, and Dr. Meier will call you at the scheduled time. The interview will consist of questions about your experience(s) as a CLAG field trip leader. Each telephone interview will be taped and transcribed. If you decide you do not want to participate in the interview, (and you have participated as a member on CLAG field trips) you will be asked to complete the survey for field trip members that will be posted to the CLAGnet listserv.

Participation in this is entirely voluntary. No incentives will be offered for completing the interview. If you have any questions about the purpose of the study or concerns about what would be expected of you, e-mail your questions to Dr. Meier at ameier@email.unc.edu or call her 919-962-4366.

 

 Your Privacy is Important:

We will make every effort to protect your privacy. Your name will not be attached to any of the information we collect from this study or in any of the subsequent research reports. Any information we get from you during the study will be recorded with an ID code number that will let Dr. Meier know who you are. When the study is finished the key linking code numbers to participant names will be destroyed. Your permission will be obtained before any of your statements are quoted directly in any future publications.

 Risks and Discomforts:

We do not know of any personal risk or discomfort you will have from being part of this study.

 Your Rights:

You decide on your own whether or not you want to be in this study. If you decide to be in the study, you will have the right to stop withdraw from the study at any time. If you decide not to be in the study or to withdraw from the study after you have begun or completed the interview, your membership in CLAG will not be affected, nor your ability to participate in future CLAG conferences or field trips.

Institutional Review Board Approval:

The Academic Affairs Institutional Review Board (AA-IRB) of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill has approved this study. If you have any concerns about your rights in this study you may contact the Chair of the AA-IRB, David A. Eckerman, at CB# 4100, 201 Bynum Hall, UNC-CH, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-4100, (919) 962-7761 email: aa-irb@unc.edu .

 Summary:

·         I understand this is a research study to explore member and group leader perceptions of their roles in CLAG field trip groups.

·         If I agree to be in the study, I will be asked to participate in a 60 minute telephone interview to be scheduled at my convenience. I will not be charged for the phone call.

·         I understand that my participation is strictly voluntary and that I will not receive any payment or other incentives for completing the interview.

·         I have read the information in this consent form, and I agree to be in the study. I have received a copy of this form by e-mail attachment and have confirmed prior to the interview that I have read this information.

·         I have had the chance to ask any questions I have about this study, and they have been answered for me.

 



[1] This ICS will be in English and Spanish. The Spanish translation of the text will be presented immediately after each heading and below each paragraph.