The perceived importance of a global experience in higher education is hard to underestimate. University presidents are known to boast of their "percentage," or the proportion of undergraduates who study abroad. At least part of the rationale is a cosmopolitan one: an essential part of being acknowledged as educated derives in part from…

Students have different motivations for participating in education abroad experiences. Short-term study abroad programs offer students the opportunity to experience education abroad without spending an entire semester or year abroad. As a result of these opportunities, short-term study abroad programs have emerged to meet the demands for students…

The authors in this qualitative study examined international students' cultural and social experiences using data collected through case studies and semi-structured, in-depth, informant style interviews. Participants were all international students (n = 18), mostly postgraduate from Asian and Far Eastern countries studying at a British higher…

Several compelling rationales have driven dramatic increases in the number of students that U.S. American postsecondary institutions send abroad each year. The rationales are political, academic, cultural/social, and economic in nature and undeniably integral to developing graduates who are prepared to compete in the global arena. This study was…

This study explored the expectations, perceptions and experiences of students involved in Erasmus programs. The objective was to achieve a better understanding of students' cultural and intercultural needs in order to underpin the development of teaching materials in Intercultural Education Resources for Erasmus Students and their Teachers…

In multilingual Malaysia, the place of English has been debated at various times since independence in 1957. An initiative to address concerns about levels of English language proficiency in the country through teaching Science and Mathematics in English was launched in the early 21st century. For some teachers, a trans-national component was…

With the globalization and internationalization of education, many teachers from Asian countries pursue their professional development in English-speaking settings. However, there seems to be scarce research on these teachers' expectations, lived experiences and identities in these contexts, and how their personal experiences influence their views…

This study addresses study abroad and second language acquisition. The number of U.S. students studying abroad is increasing. However, students' cultural and linguistic immersion experiences abroad can be disconcerting, challenging their sociocultural identities, values, learning objectives, and expectations. This study employed critical race…

This 5-year study of graduating seniors at Elon University (n = 2,058) evaluates the impacts of experiential learning depth (amount of time commitment) and breadth (number of different types of experiences) on student outcomes. Data on study abroad, undergraduate research, internships, service, and leadership experiences were pulled from…

In order to provide better support for students in higher education throughout a mobility experience, it is important to understand their point of view regarding stay abroad. This paper analyzes the responses of pre-departure, while-abroad, and upon-return students of different academic backgrounds (N = 990) to an open question that asked them to…

International educators have long asserted that study abroad improves students' intercultural competence. However, the evidence is less clear than the rhetoric suggests. Examining longitudinal data from a national study of college students, this study explores the impact of study abroad on intercultural competence while accounting for a host…

While research data concerning study abroad experiences of tertiary level students are easily accessible, relatively little attention has been paid to the role of international programmes in pre-service foreign language (FL) teacher education. The present study involved student teachers of English from three countries and aimed to explore their…

Parental involvement in higher education has received much attention since the 1990s, though mostly through mainstream media sources. The term "helicopter parents" is now used to describe over-involved parents who "hover" over their children, intent on ensuring that their children's needs are addressed. The perception within…

Because of the lack of support for Saudi female students in the United States and the lack of literature addressing social and academic challenges facing them, this qualitative study sought to fill the gap and answer the question of how studying abroad in the U.S. influences Saudi female students academically and socially. Since Saudi Arabia is an…

Reentry has become a more focused aspect of study abroad in recent years as the field has moved away from a laissez-faire approach and toward an emphasis on intervention and support of study abroad students in their efforts to make sense of their experiences (Vande Berg, Paige & Lou, 2012). Although not a new concept (Brathurst & La Brack,…