In their own words: American students’ perspectives on study abroad experiences.

Abstract

The current study contributes to the existing research on study abroad learning outcomes by eliciting students' own descriptions of significant learning experiences over time. Eight students involved in a semester long study abroad program in Rome were interviewed prior to, during, and 1 month after their study abroad experience. Interviews were transcribed and analyzed using a dialogical phenomenological method. Student perspectives were summarized individually and then compared for the purpose of identifying commonalities, as well as changes across time. The results support the value of incorporating longitudinal qualitative methods, as well as individual and collective analyses, to the study of learning outcomes in study abroad programs.

Where in the World Is This Research Taking Us? Collaborating on Publishable Research With Undergraduates Abroad

“…For these and many other reasons, student-faculty collaborative research abroad has all of the advantages of study abroad—it enhances creativity (Godart et al, 2015), stimulates new ideas (Tadmor et al, 2012b), and improves communication skills (Marcotte et al, 2007). Moreover, study abroad has a lasting impact on student skills that directly impact their success in STEM-related fields—improved confidence and social competence (Walsh and Walsh, 2018), tolerance to ambiguity (Vande Berg et al, 2009), autonomy (Marcotte et al, 2007), critical thinking skills (Savicki et al, 2004), and cognitive flexibility (Tadmor et al, 2012a). In these ways and many more, experiences abroad are more likely to be transformative for students compared to traditional on-campus classes (Stone et al, 2017).…”

A Quantitative Assessment of Japanese Students’ Intercultural Competence Developed Through Study Abroad Programs

“…study abroad programs have on students. These components are exemplified by interculturality (Jackson, 2018), cultural resistance (Lemmons, 2015), independence and self-confidence (Walsh & Walsh, 2018), cultural competency (Hermond, Vairezm, & Tanner, 2018), awareness of cultural diversity (Wooldridge, Peet, & Meyer, 2018), intercultural competence (Deardorff, 2009;Yarosha, Lukic, & Santibáñez-Gruber, 2018), self-efficacy and cultural intelligence (Nguyen, Jefferies, & Rojas, 2018), contact with host-society (Matera, Imai, & Pinzic, 2018;Rodriguez & Chornet-Roses, 2014), cultural adjustment (Basow & Gaugler, 2017) and acculturation process (Lee & Negrelli, 2018). This study differs from these existing studies by using a different perspective to focus on the impact of study abroad programs on developing one's intercultural competence.…”

Impact of the CAMPUS Asia initiative for developing Japanese students’ attitude toward mutual understanding: A case study of the Japan–China–Korea trilateral exchange program

“…Different researchers see different components of intercultural competence developed through study abroad programs. Such components identified in recent works include a sense of self (Harper, 2018), cultural resistance (Lemmons, 2015), independence and self-confidence (Walsh and Walsh, 2018), awareness of cultural diversity (Wooldridge et al, 2018), intercultural competence (Deardorff, 2015a; Hanada, 2019), self-efficacy and cultural intelligence (Nguyen et al, 2018), contact with the host society (Matera et al, 2018), and the acculturation process (Lee and Negrelli, 2018). Although there is no authoritative academic definition of the competence for mutual understanding universally accepted in the relevant literature, it can be understood that it includes at least three essential elements: cognitive, affective, and behavioral (Bennett, 2011: 3).…”