| dc.description.abstract | Background: In the 21st century, it is paramount to build intercultural competence and global partnerships in an ever-increasing globalized and multicultural world. Global health exchange programs offer the opportunity to learn about new cultures and healthcare practices. The value and benefits of global health exchange programs for American students have been established in the realm of literature, but research on the values and benefits for locals interacting with students on exchange is lacking. The aim of this study is to explore the experiences of Dar es Salaam locals interacting with University of Arizona global health exchange students during a 5-week global health WaSH exchange program.
Design and Methods: This study employed a qualitative constructivist grounded theory approach to investigate the following research question: What are the experiences of Dar es Salaam locals interacting with University of Arizona global health exchange students during a 5-week global health WaSH exchange program? Seven one-on-one interviews were conducted using semi-structured interviewing techniques along with purposeful and theoretical sampling procedures in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania over the course of two weeks. Using an inductive and iterative constructivist grounded theory strategy adopted from Kathy Charmaz led to the formation of core categories and resulting theory grounded in the data.
Results: Two core categories were identified as aspiring to create positive change and facing different unmet expectations. The accompanying subcategories for the first core category were reaching goals, positively learning new ways, gaining enjoyable benefits, collaborating towards mutual learning, building bonds in the present moment, and eager to improve future ways. The following subcategories for the second core category were lacking mutual respect and recognition, offering advice, differentiating agendas, viewing students as potential resources to fill existing known gaps, contrasting statuses leading to fear of judgment, and expecting newcomers to be culturally aware.
Conclusion: This study synthesized clearer understanding of locals' experiences interacting with global health exchange students, specifically their aspirations and unmet expectations, leading to the formation of impactful suggestions centered on promoting reciprocity and decolonization for improving such interactions, while indirectly meeting the Sustainable Development Goals. Theory grounded in the data was obtained through thorough interpretation of the results to showcase their complexity by combining several existing social scientific theories and literature.
Keywords: Global health exchange programs; Dar es Salaam; Tanzania; University of Arizona; Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences; WaSH; Qualitative research; Constructivist Grounded Theory | |