Academic literature on the topic 'Study abroad experiences'

vii, 84 p. A print copy of this thesis is available through the UO Libraries. Search the library catalog for the location and call number.<br>In the age of globalization, it is more important than ever that students gain skills that enable them to communicate with people from other cultures. This research explored the experiences of study abroad participants and the special challenges that men and women faced during a study abroad program in Italy. While women's and men's experiences are similar in many ways, women's heightened concern for their own physical safety could lead to greater gains in intercultural competency. In addition, women may have had increased interactions with people from other cultures. Men are capable of gaining intercultural competency if they prioritize intercultural interaction and take steps to seek it out.<br>Committee in Charge: Dr. Kathie Carpenter, Chair; Dr. Robert Davis; Kathy Poole

The purpose of this study was to develop a comprehensive listing of the character traits and personal gains students who participate in study abroad have claimed to acquire from international trips abroad (from secondary data sources) and to determine whether these are congruent with the desires of corporate recruiters and hiring managers. This study was also used to determine if and how corporate criteria is used to evaluate study abroad/international travel experiences during the resume portion of interviews. Conclusions were made from the results of personal interviews regarding the themes which emerge about travel/study abroad and employability. This study contributed to a general understanding of company interviewing procedures and the role study abroad and international travel experiences associated with studying abroad during interviews. Recommendations were made based on interaction between human resource directors, hiring managers and campus recruiters during the interview process of this study.

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.<br>Ph. D.

Thesis advisor: Heather Rowan-Kenyon<br>Community college students comprise over 40 percent of undergraduates in the U.S. but account for less than two percent of undergraduates who study abroad (Community College Research Center, 2020; Open Doors, 2020). Additionally, students of color are overrepresented in the two-year sector (Ma &amp; Baum, 2016). While study abroad participation has been examined in terms of which students study abroad (Barclay Hamir &amp; Gozik, 2018; Salisbury et al., 2011) and students’ decision-making process (Luo &amp; Jamieson-Drake, 2014; Stroud, 2010), much of this literature centers on four-year colleges and universities. Several studies have investigated the factors that influence study abroad participation at the community college level from both the student and institutional perspective (Amani, 2011; Amani &amp; Kim, 2017; Raby, 2012, 2019, 2020; Whatley, 2018a). However, of the studies that examined study abroad participation factors from the student perspective, few interrogated how racial or ethnic identity shaped the students’ experiences throughout the study abroad decision-making process. With the exception of a handful of studies (e.g., Willis, 2012), little is known about the experiences of community college students of color who have studied abroad. This Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) (Smith et al., 2009) study sought to address this gap in the literature by examining how community college students of color navigate the study abroad decision-making process. Guided by Yosso’s (2005) Community Cultural Wealth framework, this study examined the experiences of eight community college students of color at a single community college in the Southwest. Two semi-structured, in-depth interviews were conducted with each participant, and data were analyzed using the IPA data analysis process (Smith et al., 2009). The findings indicate that the students in this study activated familial, linguistic, aspirational, and social capital when navigating both the study abroad decision-making process and their time abroad. The participants’ racial and ethnic identities, as well as systemic factors, influenced their decision to study abroad in particular destinations and shaped their study abroad experiences. This study offers a nuanced understanding of the experiences of community college students of color who have studied abroad and how they employ cultural wealth to overcome systemic barriers to studying abroad. Implications for higher education practice, research, and theory are offered<br>Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2021<br>Submitted to: Boston College. Lynch School of Education<br>Discipline: Educational Leadership and Higher Education

The aim of this study is to investigate the role pressures experienced by two Japanese Educational Programme Coordinators, JEPCA and JEPCB, who work in a Non-Profit Organisation in a small Host City in Japan. The Non-Profit Organisation sponsors a Study-Abroad Japanese Language Programme for non-Japanese students enrolled in universities in the United States. The broad research question was “How do Japanese Educational Programme Coordinators of a Study-Abroad Japanese Language Programme conceptualise their role pressures in a Non-Profit Organisation in Japan, in response to non-Japanese Students?” Role theory was applied to four education-related industries that were similar to the organisational functions of the Non-Profit Organisation. This was done to elucidate the potential sources of role pressures for JEPCA and JEPCB. Subsequently, non-Japanese students’ demands were analysed with Content Analyses of 60 Postal Applications and negative e-mails from a sample of 10 male and 10 female students. The One-on-One Interviews with JEPCA and JEPCB provided data on their perceived role pressures in relation to non-Japanese students. The results show that JEPCB conceptualised his role pressures in terms of his interpersonal relationships with the non-Japanese students. JEPCA, however, conceptualised her role pressures in terms of her administrative duties, and her ability to manage a successful Study-Abroad Japanese Language Programme. She expressed her anxiety about being able to provide non-Japanese students with adequate housing, one of their most basic needs while living in Japan. Her account led this researcher to conclude that the Study-Abroad Japanese Language Programme is a community project, and so it was necessary to manage the activities of various members of the Host City community in order to care for non-Japanese students. This dissertation concludes with an evaluation of the study, critical comments on the Homestay Component of the Study-Abroad Japanese Language Programme, and recommendations for future research.<br>Thesis (Professional Doctorate)<br>Doctor of Education (EdD)<br>School of Education and Professional Studies<br>Arts, Education and Law<br>Full Text