The advantages of studying abroad far outweight the disadvantages

1 General Language 6 (U21128) Assessed Written Work 2: In -Class Essay Source texts for Question 4: The advantages of studying abroad far outweigh the disadvantages. Discuss. Essay Assessment Details: Written Work 2 (LO 2,3 ): (Week 16 - 20% weighting) You will write an academic discussion essay (700 words) in class during the 2 hour seminar class in WEEK 16. Articles relating to the topic of the essay will be available on the GL6 Moodle site. You will be able to download t hese 2 weeks before the assessed in -class written work (WEEK 14). You can NOT bring the articles to the assessment with you, but you may bring your own notes, to be written on the sheet provided (consisting of 150 w ords maximum). You MUST GIVE THESE IN WI TH YOUR WRITTEN WORK. You will be able to see the original articles while writing. Please note that your work should be appropriately referenced using APA . Please look at the referencing policy either in the student handbook , or on the library website . 2 Text 4 A: Source (edited and adapted ): Cisneros -Donahue, T., Krentler, K. A., Reinig, B., & Sabol, K. (2012). Assessing the Academic Benefit of Study Abroad. Journal Of Education And Learning , 1(2) 169 -178. Assessing the Academic Benefit of Study Abroad Teresa Cisneros -Donahue, Kath leen A. Krentler, Bruce Reinig & Karey Sabol 1. Introduction Participation in study abroad is growing at a rapid pace. The 2011 Open Doors Report shows that overseas study by U.S. students was up in 2010 (the most recent available year) by over 10,000 students compared to the previous year (270,604 versus 260,327) (IIE, 2011). U.S. students studying abroad have more than tripled over the past two decades. The Open Doors report also emphasized that study abroad is no w taking place in a wider range of locations and representing a wider range of academic disciplines than in the past. Our university has mirrored these trends. We have experienced substantial and sustained growth in our study abroad program. Study abroad participation has increased nearly 1000 percent over the past twelve years. Even more importantly, the perception of study abroad has changed. It is no longer seen as just an optional add -on experience. The university currently has 37 majors and academic pr ograms that include an international experience as a graduation requirement. These majors are diverse, from Nursing to Liberal Studies (pre -teacher education) to International Business, and reflect the academic value faculty and administrators place on glo bal learning experiences. Study abroad is widely and highly regarded beyond our university and has been identified as a "high impact educational practice" by those who study student success rates in the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE), a pract ice that can lead to increased rates of student retention and student engagement (Kuh, 2008). 2. Literature Review Historically, most of the research questions in the literature on study abroad have been related to the teaching and learning of foreign la nguages and the cultural learning that coincides with those activities (Brandt & Manley, 2002). It has been uncommon for assessment to focus on cognitive, academic outcomes of international education (Rubin & Sutton, 2004). Even less common have been studi es that assess students before and after their study abroad experience. Still rarer are studies that use control groups (Stronkhorst, 2005). 2.1 Before and After Studies Recently an increasing number of studies have emerged that assess students before and after their study abroad experiences. Emert and Pearson (2007) indicate reported improvement in intercultural competency growth in students who studied abroad and partici pated actively. In Nagy’s (2008) research, participants reported becoming independent and improving their English proficiency.

Rexeisen and Al -Khatib (2009) found that study abroad has a positive impact in students’ development of cross cultural sensitivit y. 2.2 Control Group Studies Among the minority of studies that have used control groups in assessing study abroad learning outcomes are the ones conducted by Clarke, III, et al ., (2009); Kehl and Morris (2007) and Sutton and Rubin (2004). Both Clarke et al. (2009), and Kehl and Morris (2007) administered the Global - Mindedness Scale (Hett, 1993) to a sample and a control group. Clarke et al ., also administered 3 Olson and Kroeger’s (2001) Intercultural Sensitivity Index (ISI) to both samples. The conclusion of both studies was that students who studied abroad became more globally minded than students who stayed at home. Clarke et al ., also found that students who study abroad had greater intercultural proficiency and increased openness to cultural diversity in comparison to those students who stayed at home. 2.3 Before and After with Control Group Some studies in the study abroad literature include both pre -post assessment and a control group. In this category is research conducted by Stronkhorst (2005), Wi lliams (2005), Elola and Oskoz (2008), and Vande Berg (2009). The focus of the Stronkhorst (2005) study was to assess language competencies (English) and multicultural personality (MP) characteristics, (i.e., cultural empathy, open -mindedness, social init iative and intercultural competencies) in two groups of students from two Dutch institutions. Eighty two students participated in the study. The effects of the international mobility among the students who participated in Stronkhorst’s research were mixed. Many internship students made considerable and/or reasonable progress in both language proficiency and MP characteristics while study abroad students' progress was limited. For quite a few of these students their international experience had a negative im pact on their MP characteristics. The majority of the students who completed an internship abroad stated that they had achieved limited or no progress in the area of professional competency. Students in the control group did not rate their progress higher. Williams administered the Cross -Cultural Adaptability Inventory (CCAI) an d the Intercultural Sensitivity Inventory (ISI) both pre and post -sojourn to 52 students, 27 of whom had studied abroad and a convenience sample of 25 students who stayed at their h ome campus. The study revealed t hat students who studied abroad displayed a greater change in intercultural communication skills after their se mester abroad than students who stayed on campus. The result of the research also indicated that the grea test pre dictor of intercultural communication skills was exposure to other cultures. The purpose of the Elola and Oskoz (2008) study was to examine how intercul tural competency develops among study abroad and non -study abroad students. Results found that blog interaction s had a positive effect on both group’s intercultural competence with no significant differences between the two groups. Vande Berg (2009) conducted a four -year study to find out if U.S. students who study abroad perform better when educators p roactively intervene in their learning or if they learn effectivel y if they are left to their own devices. The study found that students who studied abroad improved the ir language learning at a level significantly higher than students in the control group. Regarding cultura l development, the study abroad participants, on average, had significantly greater gains than the control group p articipants. Finally, the study found that intervening in students' learning with elements such as a pre -depart ure orientati on with a cultural component, provided “sufficient conditions” to increase learning over students who stayed at home. 3. Hypotheses and Measures The primary focus of this study is to identify what students learn as a result o f study abroad experiences, and how that compares with students who do not study abroad. Based on the literatu re reported, it is hypothesized that: Hypothesis 1: Students who study abroad will report a significantly higher level of knowledge upon return t han students who do not study abroad. 4 Hypothesis 2: Students who study abroad will report a significantly higher level of knowledge upon return than they report prior to departure. In particular, improvement is expected along the following five meaningfu l dimensions : 1) Functional knowledge : the skills and knowledge based needed to effectiv ely function and navigate daily routines in a new environment. 2) Knowledge of world geography : practical knowledge of physical and political geographic features. 3) Knowledge of global interdependence : knowledge of the impact that actions i n one part of the world have on another part. 4) Knowledge of interpersonal accommodation : understanding of the need for flexibility and patie nce in communicating with other cul tures. 5) Knowledge of cultural sensitivity : understanding of how language and cultural contexts impact the ability to relate to and communicate with individuals of other cultures. 7. Discussion The results offer varying degrees of support for the hypot heses. With regard to Hypothesis 1 support was observed for the perceived value of an international experience in learning to navigate daily routines in a new environment, i.e., functional knowledge. Although the two groups of respondents indicated no sign ificant difference in their perceived levels of ability on this dimension prior to the departure of the study abroad group, upon return the study abroad students differed significantly from those who had stayed home with respect to their self -evaluations o n this dimension. They believed they had moved forward on this dimension while the control group did not. Perceptions of knowledge regarding cultural sensitivity were also found to be significantly enhanced for students who studied abroad. This finding sug gests that the experience of studying and living in a foreign environment not only builds confidence in navigating basic living skills but also increases individuals’ beliefs in their abilities to be introspective with respect to their reactions and person al styles in culturally diverse settings. One might argue that this outcome will be potentially valuable as the global economy continues to build and the likelihood of today’s students competing in that economy increases as well. With regard to Hypothesis 2 statistically significant increases were observed across all five dimensions. Students who studied abroad demonstrated significant increases in the perceived enhancement of their skills on all of the five dimensions studied while those who did not study abroad perceived significant differences in their knowledge on only one of the five learning outcomes. Upon return, study abroad students perceived that their functional knowledge was stronger than they had believed it to be before they left – they return ed believing they were better able to accomplish basic tasks such as locating a restaurant, taking public transport, and purchasing small items in a foreign country as well as more advanced skills such as comparing languages and cultures. Study abroad stud ents also indicated significant differences in their knowledge regarding interper sonal accommodation suggesting that strength was believed to have been gained in areas such as patience and flexibility. Further, studying abroad was positively associated wit h increases in beliefs that cultural sensitivity was enhanced. Study abroad students felt they returned with a significantly increased understanding of their reactions in different settings and the significance of language and cultural differences. Percept ions of knowledge regarding the interdependence of countries around the globe also increased significantly. Perceptions of world geography were also increased albeit this was a rather weak but still nonetheless a statistically significant finding. In sum, Hypothesis 2 was fully supported by the data. 5 Text 4 B: (edited and adapted): Fisher, L. (2013, June 7) . Degree year abroad: the best year of my life? Hardly. The Telegraph . Retrieved from http://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/universityeducation/student -life/10087157/Degree -year - abroad -the -best -year -of-my -life -Hardly.html Degree year abroad: the best year of my life? Hardly The opportunity for a year abroad on degree courses is often descr ibed as "the best year of your life". Language student Lottie Fisher, back home from Buenos Aires and Naples, isn't so sure. The debate: is the university degree's year abroad a golden opportunity for personal development, or a needless expense of time and money? It is generally agreed that the highlight of any modern languages degree is the compulsory year abroad. University open days and prospectuses quote past students proclaiming their time abroad as the best year of their lives. They rave about the huge number of foreign friends that they have made, how much they integrated into the foreign culture, and how they now speak their language or languages as fluently as a native. But having entered into my year abroad with these overinflated expectati ons, I have come out of it realising that neither I, nor anyone else I know, has experienced exactly what we were promised before packing our bags and boarding a flight into the unknown. In fact, my experiences and those of several of my peers have led me to wonder whether the year abroad should be a compulsory part of the course, considering both the financial cost and the time that it requires. 6 The friends that I have made abroad have largely been other British students, as is often the case. Locals are not always easy to befriend, especially when a language barrier exists, and it is far easier and more comfortable to stick with people who are doing the same thing as you. In addition to this, the year abroad doesn’t always live up to its romantic image. Being a young foreigner abroad makes you a target for the wrong kind of people, and nearly all of my peers have witnessed or been a victim of mugging or theft at some point. Although our university warned us about these dangers, it is difficult not to liv e in fear after it happens to you. It never occurred to me prior to leaving that I would be tackling boredom on my year abroad. I certainly didn’t expect my work placement in Argentina to only need me for two days a week.

And in Italy the university where I studied was so disorganised that it took nearly a month to find out when and where lectures were, and I would often arrive at empty classrooms due to class cancellations. Some of my peers never attended any lectures, rarely leaving the house. Others sp ent their time in bars and clubs funded by their £1,000 -a-semester non -repayable Erasmus grant, provided by the European Union to students who spend their time in Europe. Others worked for a couple of months and then gave up to go travelling for the rest o f their time, using the opportunity as a glorified gap year. With the rise of tuition fees, I do question whether it is really worth another year of debt when more intensive language lessons might improve your language as much as travelling abroad.

In my opinion, universities can hugely overrate the year abroad and it is not, in many cases, the overwhelming success described at university open day .