The Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL) at GMercyU has partnered with Western Galilee College in Israel to foster innovation and collaboration in teaching and research. This partnership, launched in Fall 2022, connects faculty through joint research, shared teaching platforms, and exchange programs, advancing global engagement and cultural understanding.
The partnership officially launched in Fall 2022, bringing together 18 GMercyU faculty members and 19 faculty members from Western Galilee College. These educators were matched based on shared research interests and have since begun working collaboratively on innovative projects that bridge the two institutions.
Researching Student motivation
Dr. SoYoung Kang took part in a segment around the topic of “Students’ Motivation and Attitudes towards L2 (second language). This research compared groups of individuals from around the world and explored how the students’ learning relates to their motivation and attitude.
They conducted surveys and found the motivation behind the learning is crucial to a students success of learning a second language. Research supports the hypothesis that students with integrative motivation- the drive to learn a language to connect with a culture — are more successful than students with instrumental learning- needing a practical reason to achieve a goal or a reward.
The goal with this research is to identify the differences between learners and understand the students’ motivations in order to help them try and understand these new languages. According to Dr. Kang, “International research collaborations provide opportunities for faculty to exchange ideas, engage in educational discussion, and foster cultural understanding and respect for different perspectives.”
Overall, Gwynedd Mercy University partnership with Western Galilee College in Israel has opened many doors for both institutions. Not only are they able to collaborate on ideas together and gain different perspectives, but they’re able to create an inclusive environment that positively impacts students and forms a community that distance cannot break.
Dr. SoYoung Kang is the Director of the Center for Teaching and Learning at Gwynedd Mercy University (GMercyU). With a strong background in education, she previously served as a tenured Associate Professor of Education at Westminster College and an Assistant Professor at Ohio University. She holds an MEd in Community Counseling in Education and a PhD in Cultural Studies in Education from the University of Tennessee. Dr. Kang’s expertise spans multicultural education, culturally responsive teaching, social justice in education, care theory, and English Language Learners (ELL). She is an accomplished scholar, having presented at numerous professional conferences and published widely in national and international journals, newspapers, and books.
