International education has been a growing trend globally over the past thirty years. Since the late 1980s, the popularity of study abroad programme amongst Japanese students has also seen a significant increase following the international education trend. A more recent trend in international education has been the development of shorter term study abroad programmes and the value of these programmes has been widely recognised in Japan. In response to Japanese government initiatives, Japanese secondary schools have developed short-term programmes in order to develop students’ international awareness. As a result, a large number of Japanese high school students have participated in a short-term study abroad programme in the last 20 years. Japan and New Zealand have a long history of sister school relationships. By 2012, 191 Japanese high schools had established sister school relationships, and these school links have provided the impetus for exchange programmes; which means that many Japanese high school students visit New Zealand schools to study in short-term programmes (for less than 3 months) or longer. Several scholars have investigated the learners’ outcomes of the short-term study abroad of university students. From their studies, it has been established that the main learning objectives of study abroad programmes, are second language acquisition, intercultural competence and personal development. However, little is yet known about the outcomes of younger students who have participated in short-term programmes; only a few attempts have so far been made to analyse the case of Japanese secondary school students’ short-term programmes, and few still refer specifically to programmes in New Zealand. One of my main objectives was to determine a) what were the objectives of Japanese secondary students to participation in a short-term study abroad programme in New Zealand, b) whether they feel satisfied that their objectives have been. Also, as other researchers mentioned, could benefits such as second language acquisition, intercultural competence and personal development be claimed by secondary schools participating in these programmes – specifically the Darfield High School short-term programme that is my case study. In order to do this, I conducted two surveys with four different groups of Japanese secondary school students who visited Darfield High School from 2009 to 2012 as a case study. The findings suggest that many Japanese secondary school students expected to improve their English conversation skills, but they did not feel much improvement in this area after the programme, however, upon reflection, after the programme, students recognised that they had gained far more than they had expected in a general sense. For example, many participants expected to learn about some of the aspects of New Zealand culture as a result of the programme and indeed many students felt that they accomplished this objective, in addition to learning more about their own culture. It is anticipated that the results of my research will assist those who organise study abroad programmes, assist students to maximise their learning, and benefit organisations who host students from overseas.

While there has been an increase in the numbers of students studying abroad each year, the participation of students with disabilities remains low. As internationalization of higher education takes news steps, bringing along with it the myriad benefits of intercultural exchange, study abroad becomes an important and often required component of educational experience. This study explored the current practices and experiences of the inclusion of students with disabilities in study abroad programs. The interviews with 10 study abroad professionals, 5 students with disabilities, and 1 faculty reveal discrepancies in the perceptions of the current practices. In light of the findings of this research, I argue that the study abroad experience promotes higher levels of identity development for students with disabilities. I also propose recommendations to ensure the positive experience for both study abroad professionals and students with disabilities.

The focus of the study was the University of Dallas’ Rome Program, a mid-length study abroad program on the university’s campus in Rome, Italy. The program is designed to provide participants with the opportunity to encounter firsthand Western tradition by integrating the core curriculum through classroom teachings and class excursions, thus solidifying the foundation of the participants’ undergraduate education. Beyond this purpose, the Rome Program does not operate from established goals and objectives for student experience. I consulted relevant research literature to construct a schema of domains of development appropriate to this qualitative study. These domains were intellectual development, global perspective, career development, and spiritual development. I interviewed 20 University of Dallas seniors who participated in the mid-length study abroad program between fall 2009 and spring 2011, using an extended, semi-structured interview protocol. The participants included 11 females and 9 males; 19 White and 1 Hispanic. The findings were supported by subsequent review by 4 of the interviewed students. I found generally strong but inconsistent support for student development in each of the domains. A number of sub-themes are reported. Through the interviews, an additional theme of personal development emerged and is reported. Although the findings generally support the conclusion that the Rome Program is successful, good education practice leads to a recommendation of more explicit setting of goals by higher education program planners and administrators. Such goal setting provides rationale for program construction, provides students with their own goal framework, and establishes a tangible framework for ongoing program evaluation.

The present and increasingly globalized environment of commerce and information has created the need for a workforce adept at global citizenship (Reimers, 2009). As a demand for global citizens has increased, higher education has responded by developing 21st century workforce competencies among its students (NAFSA International Strategic Plans and Mission Statements, 2012). Study abroad is one of the means employed by higher education to increase students' global competency (Carlson, Bum, Useem and Yachimowicz, 1990). This study explored the relationship between demographic characteristic, and personal, social, and academic experiences of students with respect to predicting propensity to study abroad. Prior research has focused on each of these factors individually while this study explored the influence of these factors collectively on the likelihood to study abroad. Factors were defined by variables measured by the 2014 National Survey on Student Engagement (NSSE) (NSSE, 2014). The data analyses included a combination of independent sample t tests, one-way ANOVAs, and linear regression. The results revealed that gender, race, major, and SES are good predictors of participation in study abroad. Additionally, academic collegiate experiences germane to diversity and societal awareness increased propensity to participate in study abroad. / Ph. D.

Study abroad and internship experiences are the best ways for students to globalize their education. The purpose of this study was to identify students' perceptions of international agriculture before and after they participated in an international agricultural study abroad and internship. The objectives were to identify the attitudes about both international agricultural study abroad programs and internships, compare and contrast perceptions of international agriculture based on study abroad experience or internship, and identify any motivations, barriers, and benefits of international agricultural experiences to student development. The results indicated the major motivations, barriers, and benefits, the role of agriculture in students' decisions to study or intern abroad, and the importance of the length of a trip abroad. Major motivations included travel/international experience, education, work experience/hands-on activities, culture, and agriculture/natural resources; barriers included cost, time off work/schedule, language, safety and health, and time away from home; finally, benefits included experience in international agriculture and natural resources, culture, international travel, global perspective, and education. This study found that international agriculture was a major motivator, even with the students who had no agricultural background. It also indicated that short-term study abroad trips and internship programs during break times from school are increasingly popular. Universities can use this case to understand better and improve international learning opportunities for students and increase interest and knowledge in agriculture.

Información para los alumnos respecto a sus oportunidad internacionales en la universidad.

Engineering graduates of the twenty-first century must be worldly and understand how to work with professionals from many cultures on projects that cross international boundaries. Increasingly, employers are finding that prospective employees who have studied abroad make better, more rounded candidates than those who have no life experience outside of their home region. The objective of this study was to determine whether engineering students who participate in a major-specific, study abroad experience are more desirable as candidates for employment than those who only study at their home institution. This descriptive study surveyed the membership of the combined Industrial Advisory Boards of the University of North Texas College of Engineering (n=90) which is a focused group of skilled managers and directors that represent various businesses, industries and organizations. The survey yielded a 58% response rate. The evaluation was validated by a survey that searched for a perceptual trend among representatives from business and industry who are in a hiring capacity for engineering graduates, evaluating a major-specific study abroad experience as part of a graduate’s employability and career growth. Statistical Analysis was made on Companies whose scope of business is domestic and international comparing the perceived value of study abroad as a characteristic for hiring new engineers, as well as comparing the perceived value of foreign study or work experience on the career development of engineers. These tests indicated that at the 0.05 level there was no statistical significance in the findings. Additional analysis was made on groups of employees that either had foreign experience (work or study) and those that did not. These tests indicated that there was no statistical significance in the findings. Analysis of the data indicates that although having a major specific study abroad experience may not be important at the entry level, it becomes more important as an engineer progresses into mid-career. It could also indicate change in the business climate and a growing need for global awareness. Additional observations show that other co-curricular activities, such as internships and grades weigh more in the hiring of a new engineering graduate.

Korea's intense quest for globalization, combined with rapid growth in economic development, has caused the number of young students (secondary school age and younger) leaving Korea for overseas study to rise steadily in recent years. This phenomenon of young Korean students studying overseas is termed jogi yuhak, which can be directly translated as Early Study Abroad (ESA). The phenomenon of ESA has stirred both interests and concerns to Korean society for more than a decade. At the same time, American schools are beginning to see more of these ESA students in their classrooms, as a result of the United States being the preferred destination country for more than one-third of the ESA students in Korea. Although the growing presence of ESA students in school classrooms has begun to attract increasing attention from educators and researchers in the United States, there are no clear statistics investigating the numbers of ESA students in the United States, and that most school officials are even unaware of the trend. The qualitative phenomenological study was used to explore the lived experiences of Korean ESA students in the United States in relation to their adaption to their new environment, as well as the factors that they perceive to help or challenge them in attaining successful adaption. Ten Korean Early Study Abroad (KESA) students attending schools in the Washington Metropolitan region were recruited for this study, and face-to-face, semi-structured interviews were conducted to gather information regarding experiences and perceptions of KESA students in the United States. Findings show that most KESA students feel that having friends, participating in extracurricular activities and maintaining contacts with their families and friends in Korea using social media and instant messaging helped them as they made the transition into American culture. Students also indicated that the language barrier, being away from family, not owning a car, difficulty keeping in touch with old friends, cultural differences and racism are the most serious challenges for them during their adaptation period. This research documents the unique challenges faced by KESA students and provide a helpful guideline for counselors and educators working with ESA students from Korea, as well as indicate the directions that should be pursued by further research. / Ph. D.

No description available.

This study examined selected components of faculty-led study abroad programs and determined students’ changes in global perspectives after participating in faculty-led study abroad programs. A census of the population of interest (N=19), included undergraduate and graduate students enrolled in the Texas A&M Namibia Technological Change and Agricultural Communications and the Texas A&M Guatemala Agricultural Leadership and Service Learning study abroad programs. Participants were asked to complete a study abroad course evaluation upon return to the university during class time. The researcher-developed course evaluation included items to measure students’ perspectives of orientation sessions, course delivery methods, program type, program staff, and individual development. The Global Perspective Inventory (GPI) was administered during pre-departure class meetings using the General Student Form. Post-experience administration class sessions were used to collect participants’ global perspectives using the Study Abroad Post Test form. The GPI tests measured changes in global perspectives along three learning dimensions; cognitive, intrapersonal, and interpersonal. Descriptive statistics (mean, frequencies, and standard deviation) were used to report the data. The results showed that (1) the academic programs were intellectually stimulating; (2) student’s individual development consisted of being more receptive to different ideas; and (3) student’s improved their global perspective with regards to cognitive and intrapersonal development.