Term of Award
Fall 2025
Degree Name
Doctor of Education in Curriculum Studies (Ed.D.)
Document Type and Release Option
Dissertation (restricted to Georgia Southern)
Copyright Statement / License for Reuse
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.
Department
Department of Curriculum, Foundations, and Reading
Committee Chair
John Weaver
Committee Member 1
Ming Fang He
Committee Member 2
Peggy Shannon-Baker
Committee Member 3
Peter Cardon
Abstract
This convergent parallel mixed methods study examines the impact of Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) on students’ development in higher education, particularly in fostering intercultural understanding, collaboration, and inclusivity, using Technology-Mediated Learning (TML) as its guiding theoretical framework. TML theorizes that technology shapes cognitive, social, and collaborative learning processes (Alavi & Leidner, 2001; Bower, 2017), making it an ideal lens through which to explore how virtual cross-cultural collaboration fosters reflection, empathy, and global preparedness. By analyzing pre- and post-participation data from a COIL project, this research assesses changes in students’ intercultural communication, ethnocentrism, and readiness for global citizenship, while evaluating COIL as a more inclusive and accessible alternative to traditional study abroad programs. Quantitative data were collected using the Intercultural Willingness to Communicate Scale (IWTC), Cultural Intelligence Scale (CQS), and Generalized Ethnocentrism Scale (GENE), while qualitative data were gathered through open-ended survey questions and semi-structured interviews. Data were collected concurrently and integrated through merging, guided by a joint display framework to identify convergence and divergence and enable triangulation for a nuanced understanding of COIL’s impact. While IWTC and GENE scores did not show statistically significant changes, qualitative analyses revealed meaningful growth in students’ empathy, openness, adaptability, and critical reflection on cultural assumptions. CQS results demonstrated a marginally significant increase from pre- to post-survey (p = 0.060), driven specifically by significant improvements in the Metacognitive (p = 0.009) and Behavioral (p = 0.026) dimensions, corroborating qualitative insights. Post-project outcomes revealed increased comfort interacting and working with people from different cultures (p < .001), and confidence in using remote technologies for collaboration (p < .001), suggesting that COIL fosters both cultural understanding and workplace readiness. Findings underscore COIL as a promising pedagogical approach for developing cross-cultural competencies, while providing an inclusive learning environment for students facing barriers to traditional international exchange. At the same time, the study identifies challenges related to engagement, technological infrastructure, and instructional design, reflecting the complex, interconnected factors that influence COIL effectiveness. These results suggest paths for future research and support integrating technology-mediated collaborative programs into higher education curricula to develop socially responsible, globally competent graduates.
Recommended Citation
Elhaddaoui, T. L. (2025). Transforming business education: Leveraging COIL to cultivate inclusivity, cross-cultural understanding, and global collaboration in the digital era [Doctoral Dissertation, Georgia Southern University].
Research Data and Supplementary Material
No
