The purpose of this dissertation was to analyze the impact of international experiential education on life choices, specifically those related to career and educational goals. This was accomplished through two main phases of research. In the first phase, a web-based survey was used to explore the question of whether international experiential education did, in fact, impact life choices. Responses from this initial phase were used to identify a purposive sample of eight respondents with whom telephone interviews were conducted in the second phase of the study. The goal of the interviews was to determine, for those who indicated that their life choices had been impacted by the abroad experience, when and why it had happened. The evaluation was done by applying Mezirow’s transformative learning theory to the analysis. The self-reported responses indicated that there was an impact on life choices related to educational and career goals in almost 80 percent of the 74 survey respondents. These data were used as the foundation for the second phase of the study, which examined the catalysts for, and the process of, transformation through the lens of transformative learning theory. Almost all respondents indicated that the international experience had transformed their perspectives on their identity and purpose in life. Seven out of eight respondents discussed how they had gained an understanding of the fact that where one is born defines his or her perspective. One’s sociocultural environment defines who one is and how he or she sees the world. The international experience allows a person to see themselves through the eyes of others. While the timing and specifics of the catalysts varied, each of these seven had gone through the phases of transformation--disorienting dilemma, critical reflection, changed frame of reference--with some relation to the abroad experience.

In 2008, Kaohsiung City launched an English co-teaching program, which annually recruits 12 young American college graduates to promote English language instruction and cultural exchange. These young Americans serve as English teaching assistants (ETAs), whose main duty is to co-teach with local English teachers (LETs). This study aims to understand the students¡¦ learning English attitude and motivation in elementary schools participating in the LET and ETA co-teaching program, investigate the interaction effects of grade, cram school experience and LET and ETA co-teaching on students¡¦ English learning attitude and motivation and to offer a few concrete suggestions for the improvement of co-teaching program in public elementary schools based upon the results. The research adopted questionnaire survey method. The questionnaire was designed and distributed to 811 English teachers from 12 elementary schools in Kaohsiung City as the subjects. As a result, 618 were valid responded corresponding with a 76% of return rate. Descriptive statistics, t-test, one-way ANOVA, two-way ANOVA and Scheffe method were conducted for data analysis and finally come to the following results: 1. The interaction effects of co-teaching and grade on elementary school students¡¦ attitude toward LET teaching, self-English learning and overall English learning attitude are significant. 2. The interaction effects of co-teaching and cram school experience on elementary school students¡¦ self-evaluation of learning outcomes and overall English learning attitude are significant. 3. The interaction effects of co-teaching and grade on elementary school students¡¦ instrumental motivation, negative motivation and overall English learning motivation are significant. 4. The interaction effects of co-teaching and cram school experience on elementary school students¡¦ instrumental motivation are significant. Based on the results of the study, some suggestions are proposed to the educational authorities, schools, as well as future studies.