The High Impact of Education Abroad: College Students’ Engagement in International Experiences and the Development of Intercultural Competencies

Abstract

This study attempts to discover whether the different study abroad activities in which students participate yield different outcomes for the development of students’ global and intercultural competencies. The five travel and study abroad measures analyzed include experiences in a university study abroad program; study abroad program affiliated with another college or university; travel abroad for cross-cultural experiences or informal education; travel abroad for a service-learning, volunteer, or work experience; and travel abroad for recreation.  This study explores the research question at a single institution so as to isolate students’ experiences as they may occur within a single institutional context.