The purpose of this study was to explore and make meaning of the lived experiences of traditional first-generation college students who studied abroad for academic credit through a college or university-sponsored study abroad program for at least one undergraduate academic term. Semi-structured narrative interviews were conducted with five…

Purpose and Method of Study: Using a phenomenological approach, this study explored in-depth the lived experience of United States Military Academy (USMA) cadets participating in a semester abroad program (SAP) to increase knowledge of how such experiences impacted their intercultural effectiveness development. This study added to the knowledge…

The purpose of this qualitative exploratory study was to explore, with former study abroad participants, their perceptions of how their experience abroad has influenced them. The results of the study provide recommendations to prospective study abroad participants and to those that develop and advise for programs. Ultimately, the recommendations…

The issue that this study addresses is the lack of understanding of student and faculty relationships before and after short-term study abroad trips. To address this problem, the purpose of this study was to explore how students participating in a faculty-led short-term study abroad program experience the role of a professor while on a short-term…

Students leaving institutions of higher education prior to graduation leads to millions of dollars in lost revenue (Sutter & Paulsen, 2016; Undergraduate Retention and Graduation Rates, 2018). Retention theorists Tinto (1975) and Kuh (2008) recommend practices such as academic interaction, social interaction, faculty engagement with students,…

This qualitative exploratory case study investigated the healthcare profession students' of color experience and the perceived impact of completing international service-learning (ISL). Before this study, most of the research about healthcare profession students in ISL reported had mainly White participants or reported data and findings in the…

This study builds on education abroad, global citizenship, and short-term travel programs literature by examining students' experiences traveling on short-term programs overseas in the Global Majority. The term Global Majority, in this study, is defined as regions worldwide that have historically seen low student participation rates for academic…

The purpose of this quantitative comparative study is to analyze the demographic and program choice data of students who completed a study abroad program in the United States over a 10+-year period and to determine the impacts of those factors. The literature is well saturated with the benefits of students engaging in any type of study abroad…

Chinese students make up the largest and second largest group of internationals in U.S. and Canadian universities, yet they receive scant attention in terms of how they decide to study transnationally in North America. Most of the research on Chinese families' study abroad decision-making has been conducted with those from first tier eastern…

This qualitative study utilized a constructivist grounded theory approach to understand how rural students engaged with people in their home community as it related to before, during, and after their study abroad experience and what impact that engagement had on their experiences. Participants included 15 students who self-identified as being from…

International service learning programs have continued to rise in popularity across U.S. institutions of higher education as a way of offering students comprehensive formats to engage with communities in other countries, learn how social issues of inequality impact people around the world, and strengthen student learning on global issues. However,…

Many colleges and universities within U.S. higher education make claims about their graduates understanding global leadership. In addition, American higher education has a unique opportunity to promote global leadership to help address our world's most pressing issues, including education and healthcare disparities, violence towards those with…

As the cultural climate in American higher education continues to evolve, there is an inherent need to adjust curriculum and educational perceptions to better assist American students in operating in a global context. Furthermore, the current cultural and political landscape in the United States has magnified the need for students attending…

Study abroad is an increasingly popular component of higher education, thought to promote global citizenship ideals, including the cultural and linguistic competence needed to succeed in a globalized world. While much research has focused on student learning outcomes, scholars have discovered that simply living and studying abroad is not a…

In today's increasingly interconnected world, intercultural skills and global competence are essential for success in the workforce and society. Internationalization initiatives, such as student mobility, have emerged as effective ways to develop these skills. This study explored the experiences of Black students who participated in community…