Share Paper: The Positive Impact of American Expatriate Educators’ Smartphone Usage and the Maintenance of Native Culture Communal Ties

  1. Erik Kormos, Indiana University of Pennsylvania, United States

Abstract: Smartphone technologies have changed the way American expatriate educators (AEEs) employed at international schools maintain contact with their support network and community in the United States. This study analyzed three factors: AEE interest in the maintenance of native culture communal ties (NCCT), frequency of smartphone usage to fulfill this role, and its perceived effectiveness. Results show the majority of AEEs are interested in the preservation of these ties, use their smartphone more than five times per week to communicate with people at home, and overwhelmingly perceive their smartphone to be either moderately or extremely effective. A total of 369 responses ...