Through Students’ Eyes: Perceptions and Aspirations of College of Agriculture and Life Science Students Regarding International Educational Experiences

Examining the Motivations and Barriers Influencing the Decisions of Louisiana State University College of Agriculture Freshmen to Participate in International Experiences

“…Barriers include those factors students believe will hinder their ability to participate in an IE. Of the barriers identified in prior studies, time and financial costs were reported most frequently (Briers et al, 2010;Irani et al, 2006;Salisbury et al, 2009;Van Hoof & Verbeeten, 2005). While limited financial capital can negatively impact students' intent to participate in an IE, the actual decision to not participate in an IE cannot be predicted by students' financial means (Ludwig, 2007;Salisbury et al, 2009).…”

“…Students also believed that participating in an IE would enhance their overall life experience (Briers et al, 2010), and rated their participation in an IE as extremely or very relevant to their personal development, stating that they would participate in an IE again if given the opportunity (Van Hoof & Verbeeten, 2005). Lastly, Van Hoof and Verbeeten (2005) reported that students were more likely to participate in an IE if they favored the location of the IE.…”

“…However, prior research has indicated that agriculture undergraduate students held positive perceptions regarding participation in an IE (Bunch, Lamm, Israel, & Edwards, 2013), and they perceived them to be relevant and beneficial to their future careers (Stroud, 2010;Van Hoof & Verbeeten, 2005). When evaluating students' perceptions of IEs regarding their level of competiveness, Briers, Shinn, and Nguyen (2010) reported that over 70% of students who had participated in an IE believed that the experience would improve their competiveness in today's global job market. This is consistent with other research findings, in which more than 50% of the students believed their participation in an IE was relevant to their future job opportunities, as well as to their academic track at home (Van Hoof & Verbeeten, 2005).…”

“…To help students actualize their plans to participate in an IE, Briers et al (2010) recommended that university faculty and advisors communicate with students early and consistently, as well as organize experiences within traditional courses to promote global thinking among students. In FYE courses, administrators and faculty can work closely with first year students to inform them of IE opportunities early in their college career, as well as help them connect the benefits of participating in an IE to their academic and career goals.…”

Describing Parents’ Perceptions, Valuation and Support of Study Abroad Programs at Three Southern Land-Grant Universities.

“…Previous studies have focused on determining agricultural students' perceptions, motivations, and barriers to study abroad participation (Briers, Shinn, & Nguyen, 2010;Bunch, Blackburn, Danjean, Stair, & Blanchard, 2015;Bunch, Lamm, Israel, & Edwards, 2013;Irani, Place, & Friedel, 2006), agricultural faculty beliefs about international education experience (Harder, Lamm, Roberts, Navarro, & Ricketts, 2012), and experiential learning styles of agricultural students in an international experience (Lamm et al, 2011). Additionally, Zhai and Scheer (2002) documented the influence of study abroad programs on agriculture students' global perspectives and cultural diversity attitudes, among other outcomes.…”