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An Investigation of a College Freshmen Study Abroad Program: Academic and Intercultural Communication Outcomes

Participation in study abroad has tripled in the last two decades, with over 332,000 U.S. undergraduate students studying overseas for academic credit in the 2016/2017 school year (Institute of International Education, 2018). Programs aimed at freshman students are a popular new trend in education abroad. As freshman program offerings increase, so does the urgency to assess the merits and effectiveness of these programs. Existing literature illustrates benefits of the study abroad experience in general, but provides little insight on outcomes for freshman students participating in first-year programs. Through a mixed methods approach, this study seeks to investigate academic and intercultural communication program outcomes of a full, first-year study abroad experience for a single freshman cohort. This study will provide institutional stakeholders their first outcomes assessment of a new and increasingly popular type of educational program. Additionally, the study will inform the field of study abroad through a descriptive analysis of participant data and their perceptions. The results have the potential to serve as a foundation for future research and the development of best practices. / A Dissertation submitted to the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Education. / Spring Semester 2019. / April 11, 2019. / academic outcomes, first year experience, freshmen, learning outcomes, program evaluation, study abroad / Includes bibliographical references. / Linda Schrader, Professor Co-Directing Dissertation; Robert A. Schwartz, Professor Co-Directing Dissertation; Elizabeth M. Jakubowski, University Representative; Patrice Iatarola, Committee Member; Toby Park, Committee Member.

Identiferoai:union.ndltd.org:fsu.edu/oai:fsu.digital.flvc.org:fsu_709728
ContributorsCarroll, Christina P. (author), Schrader, Linda B. (Professor Co-Directing Dissertation), Schwartz, Robert A. (Professor Co-Directing Dissertation), Jakubowski, Elizabeth M. (University Representative), Iatarola, Patrice (Committee Member), Park, Toby J. (Committee Member), Florida State University (degree granting institution), College of Education (degree granting college), Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies (degree granting departmentdgg)
PublisherFlorida State University
Source SetsFlorida State University
LanguageEnglish, English
Detected LanguageEnglish
TypeText, text, doctoral thesis
Format1 online resource (139 pages), computer, application/pdf

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