Long-Term Effects of Short-Term Study Abroad Programs
Dissertation Proposal Title: Long-Term Effects of Short-Term Study Abroad Programs
Dissertation Committee: Dr. Peter Ecke (Chair), Dr. Beatrice Dupuy, Dr. Janice McGregor
Dissertation Abstract: While much research has documented the short-term benefits of study abroad (e.g. Müller, 2021), less is known about the long-term effects of studying abroad (Franklin, 2015). Conclusions drawn through longitudinal studies are relevant and useful for professionals involved in policy making, educational program design and administration, and academic advising, as well as students and parents (Norris & Dwyer, 2005). For these reasons, this dissertation will examine the long-term impacts of study abroad among those who participated in short-term programs between four and eight weeks in length, utilizing a mixed-methods approach. Three articles will delve into various impacts of study abroad with each article focused on one of three different areas: career and academic trajectories, the development of learners' intercultural citizenship, and the personal growth engendered by study abroad.
The study will be based upon the theoretical frameworks of the possible selves theory (Markus & Nurius, 1986) and that of intercultural citizenship (Byram, 2008). It will employ mixed methods, in order to draw tangible, quantifiable, generalizable conclusions mutually supported by detailed, complex, individual accounts. Separate surveys will be administered to study abroad alumni and to a control group of university alumni who did not study abroad, with the results compared and contrasted. In addition, semi-structured interviews will be conducted with the SA alumni. The study should provide evidence as to the value of short-term study abroad programs to students, parents, educators, and administrators as compared to other international travel and demonstrate the factors of SA programs that influence the lives of alumni, which can help guide future directions in program administration.
