The Fulbright Scholars Program is a prestigious international program emphasizing scholarly exchange and understanding between cultures. Each year, Fulbright places about 900 visiting researchers at universities across the U.S.
Only about one in five who apply for a Fulbright scholarship receives a placement. In many ways, the Fulbright Program mirrors Marymount University’s own core values of intellectual curiosity and embracing a global perspective.
This year, the Marymount community enthusiastically welcomes Judit B. Horváth, a Fulbright Visiting Scholar studying roadblocks and aids to motivation in education.
B. Horváth hails from Kecskemét, Hungary, a lovely small city in the heart of the country between Budapest and Szeged. Before traveling to Marymount, B. Horváth graduated from the University of Szeged as an English as a foreign language teacher, translator and interpreter, and went on to earn her Master of Arts in English Language and Literature at the University of Veszprem. She also completed a postgraduate specialization program for qualified teachers at the University of Pecs, and she is a certified educational counselor. B. Horváth teaches English as a foreign language at Szent-Györgyi Albert High School, part of the Kecskemét Vocational Training Center.
B. Horváth has always involved herself with international projects, learning programs and youth exchanges, and found them to be of unmatched value to students and educators. She said applying to the Fulbright Scholars Program was a natural progression for her. Specifically, she wanted to gain new insight into education from a broader perspective, upgrade her methodological toolkit and become more familiar with the latest pedagogical trends.
As part of the Fulbright Program, all scholars conduct their own research in partnership with their host university. B. Horváth will be studying motivation in both the learning efforts of students, as well as what strategies teachers and faculty use to motivate. Her goal is to look at what effect locus of control, or the degree to which people believe they have control over the outcome of events in their lives, has on actual outcomes.
She is currently in the process of gaining approval for her surveys that will be given to both students and educators. She is also arranging classroom observations to examine teachers’ activities and their correlation to students’ alertness, involvement and volunteering. A further aspect in her studies is how information and communication technology (ICT) is utilized in classroom settings.
B. Horváth brought her six-year-old daughter with her to the U.S., and has enrolled her at a local elementary school. As a mother, she is interested in observing these same issues first-hand.
“It is a fantastic experience to be at Marymount,” B. Horváth shared. “Besides the available resources, the hospitable and supportive environment is absolutely amazing. I am especially grateful to Dean Catherine Wehlburg for her valuable support with my research activities, and both International Student Services and the Center for Global Education have been extremely welcoming and helpful. I appreciate being a part of a friendly, diverse and multicultural community, mixing and mingling with students on campus and at the Rixey.”
“I have already made many friends here, and I would love for both the professional cooperation and friendships to continue beyond my stay. I am also grateful to American Hungarian Heritage House for their support and assistance. They make feel like I’m home away from home.”
One of the goals in Marymount’s Strategic Plan is to become a leader in the Fulbright Scholars Program, and increase the number of students and faculty who study or do research abroad. The University also hopes to find more international students and researchers like B. Horváth to come to Marymount and enrich its own academics and research.
To reveal her perspective on Hungarian education, B. Horváth will be part of a joint panel on Wednesday, Nov. 20 from 10-11 a.m. at the Gomatos Information Literacy Room in the Reinsch Library. The theme is “Engagement Beyond Borders: Education and Community Engagement in Panama and Hungary,” and it is being held as part of Marymount’s International Education Week. There will also be an informal presentation and fireside chat with B. Horváth on Marymount’s campus at the Main House on Dec. 4 from 4:30-6 p.m., focused on her work and the Fulbright Program. All are welcome to attend.
B. Horváth’s research largely depends on the active participation of students and faculty. She is excited to begin her study and discover potential insights that will assist her colleagues in maintaining motivation in their classrooms. Help foster the Fulbright spirit and support her research by participating in the appropriate surveys when they come out!
