Doing More than Learning: What do Students Contribute During a Study Abroad Experience? (original) (raw)
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2011
Study abroad at Roger Williams University allows students to travel to new locations and pursue personal and intercultural development opportunities. This thesis describes a research study that investigated: How does the study abroad experience influence students’ academic, intercultural, and personal development? 28 RWU participants answered survey questions about their semester abroad experiences. Results suggest that a study abroad semester has
The Added Value of Study Abroad: Fostering a Global Citizenry
Journal of Studies in International Education, 2014
Few studies have employed experimental designs adequate for documenting the value added of studying abroad; that is, learning outcomes above and beyond that which may be achieved in domestic or traditional campus-based courses. Using a pre-/ posttest, two-by-two factor design of course location (study abroad vs. home campus) by course subject matter (sustainability vs. nonsustainability), we found significant highest order interactions for three dependent measures of global citizenry. Results suggest that it is the combination of location (abroad) and academic focus that yields the greatest increases in specified learning outcomes for study abroad. Implications for political agendas, academic initiatives, and research directions are discussed.
Through a Different Lens: Student Perspectives on the Impact of Study Abroad
While many studies exist on the effects or benefits of studying abroad, few studies seek to examine study abroad from a student point-of-view. Based on previous studies of the outcomes of study abroad programs, this thesis examined the student perspective of the impact of participation in a study abroad program. The research drew on her participation in several different study abroad programs and experience as a study abroad advisor/coordinator in order to bring a unique and personal appreciation of the inner workings of various study abroad programs to the inquiry. This study used grounded theory to examine data collected from student questionnaires, focus group sessions, and personal interviews to gauge the experience of ten university students, 18 years and older, who participated in a study abroad/education abroad program of any length while enrolled as a student at a mid-sized midwestern university.
The Long-Term Personal and Professional Impacts of Participating in a Study Abroad Program
Frontiers the Interdisciplinary Journal of Study Abroad, 2013
Something hidden. Go and find it. Go and look beyond the ranges-something lost… and waiting for you. Rudyard Kipling's words portray perfectly the wonder of studying abroad for many college students. The excitement that leads up to a new adventure in an unknown place invites students into exploration and new experiences. But Kipling's quote also leads one to wonder what is waiting for students after a study abroad experience. What are the short-term and long-term impacts of studying abroad? The last two decades have witnessed an explosion of semester abroad programs sponsored by colleges and universities in the United States. Promotion of these programs usually includes the touting of a students' time abroad as a life-changing experience, one that will impact them forever. Yet despite these many claims, few empirical studies have moved beyond examining the immediate impacts of studying abroad to examine the long-term impact of the experience on students through a variety of lenses (Dwyer, 2004). Thus, the purpose of this study is twofold. First, the study will compare various measures of civic engagement between students who have and have not completed a semester abroad. Second, the study will examine the long-term personal impacts of studying abroad on students after spending at least one semester off-campus. Over the last 20 years, a number of empirical studies have attempted to measure the short-term personal changes in semester abroad participants. Most of these studies link studying abroad to
The Surprising Effects of Study Abroad
Washington Post Monkey Cage, 2015
Since Kant, liberal scholars of international relations have hypothesized that greater cross-border contact can be a powerful force for good. The idea is that such contact encourages a sense of shared international community, breaking down artificial barriers separating people into different nations and inhibiting their natural human affinities for one another. This intuitively appealing hypothesis has inspired several famous student exchange programs, which among other potential positive effects are expected to quell nationalist fervors and ward off international conflict.
Scrutinizing the Impacts of Study Abroad Programs
Journal of Language and Linguistics in Society
Educators and Study Abroad (SA) program designers have set high goals for these experiences. The main objective of sending students to sojourn in Morocco is to have inter-culturally competent graduates who can efficiently function in a global economy. A review of the literature on the impacts of SA programs on American students shows that these programs are frequently described as life-changing experiences since they improve participants’ second language skills, enhance their Intercultural Communicative Competence, and make them more in-demand employees. The present qualitative study examines the impacts of Study abroad programs on American students regarding the target language proficiency, Intercultural Communicative Competence, and employability. To this end, ten interviews were conducted to collect data. The findings indicate that the top three personal characteristics that are crucial to intercultural success are adaptability, open-mindedness, and patience. In addition, the top...
The Influences of Study Abroad Experiences
2018
Many colleges and universities now realize that it is a good educational practice for their students to learn about the relations between nations, global issues, and intercultural relationships (Tate, 2012). The focus of this research study is to investigate aspects of how international study abroad experiences affect the personal and professional identities of U.S. undergraduate students. A survey was used to capture the perceptions and experiences of study abroad students. Most participants report having a positive experience during their study abroad experiences and an increased cultural awareness and international mindedness. On the contrary, there was a small percentage of participants who reported having no desire to learn the language, a minimal interaction with the new culture, isolation, and interacting and only socializing with peers from their home country.