IBAVI Mission

The mission of the International Beliefs and Values Institute (IBAVI) is to examine, describe, and explain the linkages between the implicit or explicit beliefs and values of individuals, groups, organizations, governments, and societies around the world and those actions, policies, or practices that are demonstrably grounded in or legitimized by these specific beliefs and values. This mission and the concomitant activities of the IBAVI shall be deliberately pluralistic, critically-minded, and self-reflective, grounded in sound scholarship, and informed by reasoned dialogue.

IBAVI Feature

Beliefs, Values, and International Learning: The Forum BEVI Project

The International Beliefs and Values Institute is pleased to announce a partnership with the Forum on Education Abroad and the Office of International Programs at James Madison University to conduct a national and multi-institution study of the processes and outcomes of international learning.   

Project Partners:  The Forum on Education Abroad and Office of International Programs

Representing over 60 percent of the U.S. study abroad market, the Forum on Education Abroad includes over 200 institutions of higher education in the United States and internationally.  With a demonstrable commitment to research on education abroad, the improvement of study abroad curricula, and the development of quality assurance standards for practice and teaching, the Forum is widely recognized for its innovative leadership within the field and profession of education abroad (see http://www.forumea.org/).
As the central university office coordinating international education at James Madison University, the mission of the Office of International Programs is to “promote and encourage a critical awareness of world issues; a knowledge of and appreciation for other cultures, languages and belief systems; a sense of global community; and a commitment to engagement at the international level, that we may educate active and responsible global citizens” (see http://www.jmu.edu/international/).

Project Measure: The Beliefs, Events, and Values Inventory (BEVI)

When assessing international or multicultural learning, it is very important to appreciate that who someone is before completing a specific learning experience (e.g., study abroad, service learning, participating in a multicultural course, living in an international residence hall) may be as if not more important to the learning that actually occurs than the learning experience itself.  That is because international or multicultural learning experiences can evoke powerful psychological processes (e.g., cognitive, emotional) that interact with background and contextual factors to influence who learns what and why, and under what circumstances. 

To assess these complex and interacting variables, this project uses the Beliefs, Events, and Values Inventory (BEVI) (PDF).  The BEVI includes extensive background and demographic items along with validity and process scales (e.g., sociocultural closure, religious traditionalism, gender stereotypes) in order to assess variables that may influence or shape (i.e., mediate or moderate) both the processes and outcomes of international or multicultural learning. 

Such process variables include, but are not limited to:

  • Basic openness;
  • Receptivity to different cultures, religions, and social practices;
  • The tendency to (or not to) stereotype in particular ways;
  • Self- and emotional awareness; and
  • Preferred strategies for making sense of why 'other' people and cultures ‘do what they do.’

The web-based BEVI may also be used alone or in combination with other measures to assess specific outcome variables including, but not limited to, the following:

Knowledge

  • Understands his or her culture within a global and comparative context (e.g., recognizes that one's culture is one of many diverse cultures).
  • Demonstrates knowledge of global issues, processes, trends, and systems (e.g., economic and political interdependency among nations).
  • Demonstrates knowledge of other cultures (e.g., beliefs, values, perspectives, practices, and products).

Skills

  • Uses knowledge, diverse cultural frames of reference, and alternate perspectives to think critically and solve problems.
  • Communicates and connects with people in other language communities in a range of settings for a variety of purposes.
  • Uses foreign language skills and/or knowledge of other cultures to extend his or her access to information, experiences, and understanding.

Attitudes

  • Appreciates the language, art, religion, philosophy, and material culture of different cultures.
  • Accepts cultural differences and tolerates cultural ambiguity.
  • Demonstrates an ongoing willingness to seek out international or intercultural opportunities.

Assessment Goals

Institutions will be able to use BEVI results for a variety of assessment goals including, but not limited to, the following:

  • To comply with accreditation requirements, such as substantive assessment,
  • To evaluate specific international learning experiences, including study abroad; and
  • To better understand how, why, and under what circumstances students learn.

For more information about the Forum BEVI Project, please click on the following link http://www.forumea.org/research-bevi.htm