Position Paper

An Intentional Research Strategy on Study Abroad

Sandi M. Smith, Ed.D.
Page 1

Position Paper
An Intentional Research Strategy on Study Abroad

Sandi M. Smith, Ed.D.

February 2004

1. A call for an intentional research strategy on Study Abroad

2. why do we need research on Study Abroad
3. what is meaningful research
4. how should we do this

Introduction

Many U.S. colleges and universities are calling for more attention and activity in Study
Abroad. Some institutions are making significant financial investments in Study Abroad
endeavors. The federal government has spent significant time and resources to develop a
plan for increasing Study Abroad. The media makes it seem that the future of the United
State’s successful participation in globalization is dependent upon increasing Study
Abroad.

I have to sincerely ask …

- Is Study Abroad something that deserves the investment of public funds?
- Is Study Abroad something that should shape and reorganize traditional
educational methods and values?

What do we really know about Study Abroad?

Study Abroad is an educational practice that has spanned the history of American higher
education. And yet, there is inadequate research exploring and explaining Study Abroad
as a credible educational activity. Much of the discussion of Study Abroad is anecdotal. I
continue to hear from fellow professionals in Study Abroad administration that the
research on Study Abroad is “growing rapidly” and “answering valuable questions”. I
continue to see research endeavors in Study Abroad relying on student self-report and
descriptive data. Not only is data collection weak, data analysis continues to be
questionable. And just as relevant, is the discouraging reality that research efforts in
Study Abroad are scattered like buckshot, isolated and not applicable to a wider sample,
rarely encourage replication and validation, and do not necessarily lead to a better
understanding of Study Abroad.

Every year there are headlines in campus newspapers as well as nationally renowned media
reporting the percentage of growth in U.S. college students studying abroad. Many
journalists, politicians, and academic administrators excitedly quote the percentage of
growth in Study Abroad each year. However, few people are looking at the source of
data that makes up the most revered accounting of Study Abroad in the U.S. The press
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An Intentional Research Strategy on Study Abroad
Sandi M. Smith, Ed.D.
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reports do not take into account the changes in data collection for this report over the
years and the continued unreliability of the data. The data collection for this report is
voluntary, self-report, inconsistent data sources among institutions and inconsistent in the
number of schools reporting from one year to the next. Thus, just because colleges and
universities across the U.S. reported “X” students studied abroad this year, it does not
necessarily mean that more students studied abroad this year than last year. It only means
that more students were reported this year.

Instead of looking at the increase in aggregate numbers of students reported in this

particular survey, let’s look at how many more schools are reporting this year as
compared to five years ago and ten years ago. Let’s look at the consistency and reliability
in how schools compile and verify the data. Let’s look at the gap in not only schools not
yet reporting, but also the schools who do not have the simple capability to accurately
report the number of students studying abroad.

Another popularly quoted “research” paper recently was based on surveys of past students
who studied abroad. These students self reported that they were more mature, more
globally aware, and job opportunities were open to them as a result of their Study Abroad
experience. Let me ask how often does the FDA approve a new drug for the U.S. public
based on a research paper that asks patients to self report how they felt after ingesting a
certain pill? Although I have taken a specific medication that has helped relieve my
symptoms of hayfever, I would not expect the U.S. government to provide funding for
everyone to take this medication based on my personal experience with it. There is no real
evidence that the pill I took was the cause of my hayfever relief. There is no reporting of
the underlying or long term side effects on me as a result of taking that medication.
Research 101 clarifies the flaws in self report surveys. The personal perceptions and halo
effect of a Study Abroad participant 10 years after a Study Abroad experience is a nice
documentary, but it is not research.

Those of us who are passionate about Study Abroad as a valuable ingredient of a higher
education experience must look critically at the perception, the reality, and the mystery
of Study Abroad. Is Study Abroad marginalized in academe because it is has marginal
value? I think not. I believe international education is marginalized because we rely on
rhetoric (rhetoric, being a statement of assumption rather than a statement of fact).
Without systemic assessment and valid research we have not provided meaningful
“facts” about Study Abroad.

I believe that Study Abroad is a marginalized and contested educational activity because
we do not have credible research to understand and explain, let alone validate Study
Abroad as a meaningful pedagogy.
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Sandi M. Smith, Ed.D.
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It is time that we take advantage of the national momentum and develop a research
baseline on Study Abroad. I am calling for a strategic and collaborative research agenda
on Study Abroad.

Study Abroad

Contemporary Study Abroad is often conveyed as a tool in a student’s accumulating

toolbox which he/she will ultimately submit as an appealing portfolio to get noticed by
esteemed employers. Brochures for Study Abroad programs commonly read something
like this: “Study your academic major from an international perspective, enhance your
credentials for graduate school and employment, and develop characteristics of
independence, maturity, and adaptability.” I have written similar bravado in Study Abroad
flyers and brochures myself. And yet, we do not have rigorous social science research
evidence to justify such statements.

Does Study Abroad enhance a student’s understanding of their academic major?

Does Study Abroad produce a positive attitude about cultural differences?
Does Study Abroad develop maturity, independence, and adaptability?
Does Study Abroad enhance foreign language skills?
Does Study Abroad influence a student’s desire to work for international causes?
Does Study Abroad produce positive relationships between Americans and others?
Does contemporary Study Abroad reinforce negative stereotypes, facilitating a
parochial, tourist perspective, and widening the gap in international cooperation?

We assume that Study Abroad is appealing to employers and enhances a student’s life and
career prospects. Similar to the encouragement students get to participate in internships
during college, students are enticed to Study Abroad as a relevant experience to add to a
resume’. However, do we have valid and reliable research to justify these assumptions?
Does the participation in “any” Study Abroad program produce intended outcomes? It
may be the case that students are checking off the boxes of college experiences, but have
not necessarily integrated experiences into meaningful learning. It sometimes seems that
college has become a time and place for students to write a resume. Actual learning and
development is lost in the pursuit of accumulating resume bullets.

To meet the demands of a savvy customer, and to justify the investment of public funding,
we must ensure that the educational activities we provide are indeed meaningful and
relevant. However, in today’s rapidly changing economic and technological environment,
education cannot be improved by relying on folk wisdom about how students learn and
how schools should be organized. No one would think of designing a rocket to the moon
or wiping out a widespread disease by relying on untested hunches and anecdotal chit-
chat; likewise, one cannot expect to improve the value and credibility of international
education without research.
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Sandi M. Smith, Ed.D.
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Why do we need research on Study Abroad?

The value of establishing a credible body of research on Study Abroad goes beyond our
collective imaginations at this time. I believe that in establishing trustworthy knowledge
about Study Abroad we will completely restructure the position of Study Abroad within
academe and society. No more will personnel be able to establish institutional policies
based on personal biases about Study Abroad. A credible body of knowledge on Study
Abroad will quicken and transform the professionalization of the administration of Study
Abroad. Gone will be the days of staffing the Study Abroad Office with “golden
parachutes”, aging professors with travel experience, and under-qualified dual employment
faculty wife hires. Just as we have seen the professionalization of other aspects of higher
education institutions, such as: residence life, judicial affairs, campus security, and
integration of technology in the classroom, research will influence the position of Study
Abroad within academe.

Let me briefly describe how a body of credible research on Study Abroad may impact
people and institutions.
- replace rhetoric and bravado about Study Abroad with a credible body of
knowledge
- make recommendations of whether Study Abroad should be an elective activity
or an integral educational ingredient
- describe how Study Abroad can be a meaningful and relevant educational
pedagogy
- describe the impact of Study Abroad upon students of varying characteristics
(engineering majors, Hispanics, females, never traveled, political aspirations)
- validate best practices and standards
- establish direction for relevant “fit” between student characteristics,
experiences, and outcomes
- justify program variety and common denominators
- quantify relevant experiences
- design experiences that relate to intended outcomes
- make recommendations about the integration of Study Abroad into
institutional services and intended learning outcomes
- provide students, parents, educators and society with meaningful and
trustworthy descriptions of Study Abroad experiences and potential outcomes

Ultimately, a credible body of knowledge on Study Abroad will provide administrators and
politicians with justification for appropriate levels of investment in Study Abroad.
Whether we find that participation in Study Abroad is actually growing 10% a year, or if
we prove otherwise (plus or minus), a credible examination of actual participation
numbers can only lead to more effective Study Abroad administration. Beyond the
influence it will have on financial decisions, it will also guide personnel, strategic planning,
fundraising, curriculum integration, among other institutional decisions and directions.
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Sandi M. Smith, Ed.D.
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Educational Research

How do programs, pedagogies, and practices become priorities in academe? Research. It

is necessary to provide accurate answers to legitimate questions. Research. In the most
comprehensive meta-analysis of college learning, it was noted that research in Study
Abroad lacks rigor and quality research methodology (Pascarella and Terenzini, 1992).

In the early 1990's, initiated by President of Harvard University, Derek Bok, a seminar
was held to look at the state of research of higher education. Bok addressed seminar
participants:

“I am beginning to think about how one might move from an initial stage of
arousing interest in assessment and demonstrating its potential to a further stage
involving sustained effort to learn how well we are doing and how we can do
better in achieving certain major goals of education. My longer-term concerns
involve the possibility of devising a research strategy involving a series of studies
over time to increase our knowledge of how to achieve some truly fundamental
goals of education. Perhaps this is too ambitious an objective. Yet, I cannot help
thinking that an institution serious about improving the quality of its education
should develop some sort of sustained strategy of research along these lines.”

I echo this challenge to International Educators. To bring validity and reliability to Study
Abroad as a value-added component of education and critically important to this
generation, we must engage in a rigorous, sustained, systemic research agenda.

Scholars, administrators and practitioners working in international education have

discussed the need for research for decades. And many people will say, “haven’t we done
that already?” Or, “Why do we need research?” Some academic leaders in Study Abroad
have the impression that there are many good efforts being undertaken to produce
research on Study Abroad. Yet, there is no consensus among international education
leaders on the essential questions we must explore to earn the respect of scholars,
administrators, policy makers, funding agencies, and ultimately the students who
participate in a Study Abroad experience.

I contend that although Study Abroad has been a valuable educational activity for decades,
there is no baseline research endeavor to (1) justify expenses and risks involved in this
educational activity, or (2) inform and guide our practice and policy. Furthermore, the
prevailing view of scholars is that findings from Study Abroad research studies are of low
quality and are endlessly contested—the result of which is that no consensus emerges
about anything.

“Science progresses both by advancing new theories or hypotheses and by eliminating

theories, hypotheses, or previously accepted facts that have been refuted by newly
acquired evidence judged to be definitive. To make progress possible, then, theories,
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hypotheses, or conjectures must be stated in clear, unambiguous, and empirically testable

terms. Evidence must be linked to them through a clear chain of reasoning.” 2002,
Scientific Research in Education, Committee on Scientific Principles for Education
Research, Richard J. Shavelson and Lisa Towne, Editors, National Research Council.

The research of Study Abroad must employ the rigor of the best behavioral and social
science research. I propose that we need an intentional, systematic approach in growing a
tree of quality research on Study Abroad. And in order to imagine providing answers
about Study Abroad, we need to formulate the questions first.

Research Questions

“Since the time that Socrates first exemplified their use, questions have been thought
essential to the pursuit of inquiry. Aristotle was the first to distinguish the kinds of
questions that together form the domain of inquiry, proposing that knowledge consists in
answers to questions” (Dillon, 1984).

Aristotle, in Book II of Posterior Analytics, is said to have outlined four basic categories
of questions:
1) whether the connection of an attribute with a thing is a fact,
2) what is the reason for the connection,
3) whether a thing exists, and
4) what is the nature of the thing.

J.T. Dillon (1984) proposed this classification of research questions.

A Classification of Research Questions

Category of question Knowledge in question-answer

First order: Properties Individual attribute of P, of Q, of S

1. Existence/affirmation-negation Whether P is.
2. Instance/identification Whether this is a/the P.
3. Substance/definition What P is.
a. nature - what makes P be P.
b. label - whether “P” names P.
c. meaning - what P means.
4. Character/description What P has.
5. Function/application What P does.
a. modes - how P acts.
b. uses - what P can do
c. means - how P does it or is done.
6. Rationale/explication Why or how P has certain attribute.

Second order: Comparisons Comparative attributes of P and Q

7. Concomitance Whether P goes with Q.
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a. conjunction - whether P and Q are associates.

b. disjunction - whether P and Q are alternatives.
8. Equivalence Whether P is like Q, and wherein.
9. Difference Wherein P and Q differ.
a. Disproportion - whether P is more/less than Q.
b. Subordination - whether P is part/whole of Q.

Third order: Contingencies Contingent attributes of P and Q

10. Relation Whether P relates to Q.
11. Correlation Whether P and Q covary.
12. Conditionality Whether or how if P then Q, or if Q then P
a. Consequence - if P then Q, or what X if P.
b. Antecedence - if Q then P, or what X then P.
13. Biconditionality (causality) Whether or how if P then Q and if Q then P.

Because Study Abroad is a complex educational and personal experience, it requires a

systematic approach of exploration. By understanding the types of questions we should
systematically explore, then we can begin to fill the P and Q and X with variables. Beyond
looking at the questions, there should also be a systematic and intentional approach to the
variables.

As we begin to produce empirical knowledge based on these complex questions and

variables, we may or may not find that the rhetoric is indeed fact. If the rhetoric of the
value-added outcome of Study Abroad is accurate, we will then have the foundation on
which to base best practices, needs assessment, quality control, pedagogy and
methodology, advocacy for financial investment, outcomes assessment, and much more.

If the rhetoric is inaccurate, there will be a foundation for developing and shaping Study
Abroad with effective processes of nurturing the intended outcomes (i.e., academic
enhancement, cultural understanding, respect for foreign languages, adaptability,
communication skills, and cooperative behaviors) in college students.

Research in Higher Education

What is research?

Ary, Jacobs & Razavieh (1990) describe research as “The application of the scientific
approach to the study of a problem. It is a way to acquire dependable and useful
information. Although it may take place in different settings and may utilize different
methods, research is universally a systematic and objective search for reliable knowledge.
Educational research is the way in which we acquire dependable and useful information
about the educative process. Its goal is to discover general principles or interpretations of
behavior that can be used to explain, predict, and control components of educational
situations. Education has not always been influenced by the results of such careful and
systematic investigations. In fact, it might be said that the development of an educational
science is at an early stage compared to the natural sciences.”
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Sandi M. Smith, Ed.D.
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Research follows some basic parameters:

Selecting a problem -- defining a research question
Formulating a hypothesis -- limiting variables
Selecting strategy to collect data-- design, methodology, instrumentation
Analyzing and interpreting the data -- statistical analyses
Reporting results -- integrity

What does it mean to establish a strategic research agenda?

To what extent do American students interact and learn from International students
studying at American colleges and universities? Do international students return to their
home countries with a sense of appreciation for the U.S., feel a sense of community with
fellow students, and engage in future collaboration with American colleagues? What kind
of American students choose to participate in Study Abroad programs? Are these
students significantly different from students who do not Study Abroad? What changes
occur in students who Study Abroad? What kind of Study Abroad experiences are most
transformative? Does experiential international education lead to international leadership
positions in politics and business?

These questions are not new. However, faculty, administrators, students, parents,
legislators, and the media are asking these questions with new urgency. Paralleled with
questions about higher education in general, perhaps this is because of a renewed sense by
educators that as tuition raises dramatically, we should work harder than ever to deliver
the best education possible. Or possibly because consumers are demanding more value for
their money. Whatever the reason, more campuses are initiating research and using the
results to strengthen educational policy and quality (Parnell, 1990).

Although researchers, scholars, and policy makers continue to make the assertions that
there is very limited research on Study Abroad. It seems that leaders within the field of
international education have no strategy for producing quality research to answer some of
the basic, long-standing questions about Study Abroad.

Light, Singer & Willett (1990) outline the basic characteristics of descriptive, relational
and experimental research.

Descriptive studies are used for describing the way things are. How many students Study
Abroad? Where do they Study Abroad? How long do they Study Abroad? What is their
GPA after studying abroad? Descriptive studies examine the condition, but do not tell
why things are the way they are. To date, most of the data collected in the field of Study
Abroad is descriptive data. The repository for much of the descriptive data collected
about Study Abroad is published in the IIE Open Doors Report.
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Sandi M. Smith, Ed.D.
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Relational studies are used to examine relationships between two or more factors. Which
housing arrangement correlates positively with language learning - apartment, campus
housing, homestay? Does intercultural development differ with length of international
experience? Is Study Abroad related to alumni giving? Are Study Abroad students
considered more attractive to employers? Relational studies help us move beyond simple
descriptions to understanding the attributes, relationships, and influence.

Experimental studies are used to establish a causal link. In an experiment, you implement
a specific treatment, or set of treatments, for the explicit purpose of learning about its
efficacy.

Research Design:
- the study’s design is the single most important factor that determines whether
your findings will be scientifically credible
- explore many design options before adopting any plan
- pay enormous attention to detail

Research Questions:
- articulate a set of specific research questions
- understand the link between research questions and methodology
- identify the target population
- identify outcome variables
- identify key predictors
- determine level of control necessary (descriptive, relational, experimental)
- raise challenges for data collection and measurement issues

Research Plan:
- research questions
- target population
- measurement/instrument/data collection
- statistical analysis
- reporting

Higher Ed. Research

- student variables
- environmental variables
- outcomes
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Sandi M. Smith, Ed.D.
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Outcomes Assessment

Most students graduating from college in this decade will find that success in the
international arena and intercultural competencies are indispensable. Today, knowing how
to manage in culturally different business and social environments is crucial.

But yet, how can educators, professionals or students claim success or competence in
these areas without valid assessment tools and research.

The “Intercultural Communication bv” consulting agency based in Amsterdam outlines for
their clients that the essential intercultural competencies for today’s workforce.

These five intercultural competencies should be a part of every employee’s skill set:
• Intercultural sensitivity
• Intercultural communication
• Building commitment
• Managing uncertainty
• International orientations

Source: Intercultural Communications b.v., Netherlands,

http://www.intercultural.nl/content/competencies.asp

There are emerging assessment tools for various definitions of “intercultural

competencies”. However, if we claim that we are developing intercultural competencies,
then it is necessary that we have a transparent definition and a relevant assessment
process.

Strategic Agenda

Order

It is clear that many people are stuck in the “which came first, the chicken or the egg?”
mode when speculating about Study Abroad. Some people will say that the students who
self select to Study Abroad are more prone to developing intercultural competencies,
while others believe that Study Abroad (done effectively) should develop intercultural
competencies in every student. Likewise, some professionals will argue that increased
language proficiency after Study Abroad is more likely related to the type of student who
self selects Study Abroad and not related to the learning environment.

However, before we can provide credible answers to the questions in the previous
paragraph, we would need to have consistent definitions of “intercultural competence” and
“language proficiency” and “program type” among other relevant factors. Thus, if we
approach a national research agenda on Study Abroad as a succession of higher order
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questions, we plant the seed, grow some roots, develop a hardy stem before branching
out, growing leaves, and producing ornamental blossoms.

It does little good to jump into “third order” questions if we have not produced a baseline
of “first order” questions. Using the Dillon classifications, I will outline some examples of
research questions related to increasing succession of Study Abroad questions.

First order questions allow us to substantiate individual attributes of P, of Q, etc. The

Forum on Education Abroad is working on a Glossary of Terminology. After being
validated by a jury of peers, this glossary may be an effective baseline of definitions used in
Study Abroad research. To grow a tree of credible research, it will be important to have
consistent and valid factors being examined.
3. Substance/definition What P is.
a. Nature - what makes P be P.
b. Label - whether “P” names P.
c. Meaning - what P means.
4. Character/description What P has.
5. Function/application What P does.
a. Modes - how P acts.
b. Uses - what P can do.
c. Means - how P does it or is done.
6. Rationale/explication Why or how P has certain attribute.

Substitute “P” and “Q”, etc. with the following:

- location of program
- type of program
- type of housing
- academic structure
- length of abroad experience

What is the nature of, characteristics, function, and rationale for housing type?

Second order questions utilize comparisons of the attributes of P and Q, etc.

7. Concomitance Whether P goes with Q.
a. Conjunction - whether P and Q are associates.
b. Disjunction - whether P and Q are alternatives.
8. Equivalence Whether P is like Q, and wherein.
9. Difference Wherein P and Q differ.
a. Disproportion - whether P is more/less than Q.
b. Subordination - whether P is part/whole of Q.

Do type of housing and program location both correlate with a specified outcome? Are
there housing types that defy expected location environments? Are housing type and
program location correlated with a specific outcome variable equally? Does housing type
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correlate with a specific outcome more often than program location? Is housing type a
subordinate category of program location?

Third order questions examine contingencies in attributes of P and Q, etc.

10. Relation Whether P relates to Q.
11. Correlation Whether P and Q covary.
12. Conditionality Whether or how if P then Q, or if Q then P
a. Consequence - if P then Q, or what X if P.
b. Antecedence - if Q then P, or what X then P.
13. Biconditionality (causality) Whether or how if P then Q and if Q then P.

Is there a relationship between level of intercultural competence and GPA? Does level of
intercultural competence correlate with GPA one year after return from Study Abroad?
Does the starting level, the increase in, or the outcome level of intercultural competence
more closely relate to GPA after Study Abroad? Does increased intercultural competence
predict increased GPA after Study Abroad?

Variables

A systematic approach will begin to form a complex web of questions including the list
below (and many more) variables. Astin suggests that for us to understand the impact of
education, we must look at three distinct categories of variables: inputs, experiences,
outputs.
1. We need to know who the student was before Study Abroad
2. We need to understand the experience the student had during Study Abroad
3. Outcome measures in themselves are meaningless without adequately
understanding the inputs and experiences of the student

How valid is it to test students returning from Study Abroad and report that Study Abroad
produced “Y”? How do you know that “Y” was not present in the student before they
participated in Study Abroad? Did student A and student B who now exhibit attribute
“Y” have the same Study Abroad experience? Do students Studying Abroad in Durban,
South Africa and Nottingham, England exhibit attribute “Y” the same or differently?
Does a student’s personality type before Study Abroad correlate with level of intercultural
competence after Study Abroad? Does increase in civic engagement after Study Abroad
correlate more strongly with political affiliation before Study Abroad or location of Study
Abroad?

IEO
Alexander Astin’s concept of student development is easily explained through “IEO”
mapping, looking at inputs, experiences and outputs. The “inputs” are the student
characteristics before participating in the educational experience. The “experiences” are
the details of the educational experience. And finally, the “outputs” are the measurable
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characteristics, skills, competencies, attitudes, career path, etc. after the educational
experience.

The function of Astin’s I-E-O model is to control for input variables when assessing
student outcomes. This will impact the level of bias often found in outcome surveys and
inaccurate estimates of how environmental variables influence student outcomes. When
using the I-E-O model we find more accurate assessment of the effects of the learning
environment.

Astin commonly looks at the “student engagement” in college and explores factors that
show significant relationships between inputs, experiences, and outputs. Although this
type of research does not typically establish “causal” relationships, it does provide
meaningful research on the relationships of factors established in the student before
college, during college, and after college.

A similar approach to exploring research questions in Study Abroad may establish a

framework for us build on a Study Abroad research agenda.
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Age,
gender,
major, etc.

Specific inputs; student

characteristics impacts
outcomes
Specific inputs; student Inputs
characteristics impacts
experiences the student
chooses

Experiences Outputs/
Outcomes

Length, GPA,
country, attitudes,
housing, skills, etc.
etc.

Specific experiences; location, type of

program, type of housing impacts
outcomes

Study Abroad Research Variables

Input Experience Output/Outcome

age length of experience GPA

gender country of experience academic understanding
socio-economic status urban/rural location cultural understanding
class type of experience attitudes
major level of immersion characteristics
GPA use of foreign language beliefs
previous travel academic structure skills
parent travel positive/negative experiences foreign language
peer support relationships developed academic goals
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mentor support level of challenge career goals

intercultural relationships level of support academic focus
foreign language structured reflection academic motivation
attitudes co-curricular activities civic engagement
knowledge leisure activities intercultural relationships
personality type of housing personality
skills level of independence personal development
beliefs skills taught / skills acquired transferable competencies
experiences use of transportation interdisciplinary perspective
international interest community involvement
cultural engagement

The significance of starting with a focus on the input category is that we can understand
the differences and similarities of students who self select Study Abroad and those who do
not Study Abroad. Before we proclaim the magnificence of the sparkle and shine of the
car when it exits the car wash, maybe we should be able to describe and articulate the level
of sparkle and shine of the vehicle before it entered the car wash. Are the demographics
and student characteristics of those who participate in Study Abroad representative of the
larger student population? If not, how and why do they differ?

Likewise, before we can verify that Study Abroad is correlated with any particular
outcome, we must be able to understand and explain the differences and similarities and
varieties of Study Abroad experiences. What is the common denominator that makes
Study Abroad, Study Abroad? What is the difference between field studies in Ecuador
and bilateral exchange in France? How do we quantify levels of student services support
on Study Abroad programs? What are the attributes of cultural immersion? What are the
quantifiable differences between “host country faculty” and “U.S. faculty”? Is the current
Study Abroad experience perceived differently if a student has Studied Abroad previously?
What is the difference in the student’s use of local transportation when they are taught
how to use transportation and when they are left to their own devices to figure out local
transportation? What is the difference is studying in a capital city in a specified country
and a small or medium sized city? Are the perceived attributes of a program type
consistent with validated attributes? What are the common threads in Study Abroad in
Vietnam, Spain and Poland? Are the attributes of a bi-lateral exchange in England
preferable to a program provider direct enrollment program in England?

Obviously, some of the input and experience variables can be concurrently quantified in a
study of Study Abroad outcomes. However, researchers are more often motivated by the
“flash” of the outcomes, and do not invest due diligence in investigating and explaining
student characteristics and experiences when reporting Study Abroad outcomes. This is
why I recommend we invest strategic effort in building a baseline focused on coherent
student characteristics and experiences.

Parallel to the higher order research questions (Dillon), are the categories of variables.
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Third Order
First Order

Inputs Experiences Outputs/Outcomes

This body of research we need on Study Abroad is not something any one researcher,
institution, or organization can accomplish in isolation. A research agenda will suggest a
plan and direction for accumulating a body of credible research. However, it remains in
the hands of individual and cooperating professionals and academics to produce valid and
reliable research which will contribute to the body as a whole.

My position is that we establish a platform for establishing and then managing an

intentional and collaborative strategic research agenda on Study Abroad.

I look forward to participating in dialog on this topic and instigating a forum leading to
the establishment of valid and reliable research on Study Abroad.

If you would like to participate in the dialog about a national strategic research agenda on
Study Abroad, please contact me at: drsandismith@gmail.com
 Position Paper
An Intentional Research Strategy on Study Abroad
Sandi M. Smith, Ed.D.
Page 17

References

Ary, Jacobs & Razavieh, (1990), Introduction to Research in Education, 4th edition,
HBJC, Fort Worth, TX.

Astin, A. W. (1993). Assessment for excellence: The philosophy and practice of

assessment and evaluation in higher education. Phoenix: The Oryx Press.

Dillon, J.T., (1984), The Classification of Research Questions, Review of Educational

Research, Fall, Vol. 54, No. 3, p.327-361.

Intercultural Communications bv, Amsterdam, Netherlands

URL source: http://www.intercultural.nl/content/home.asp

Light, Singer & Willett, (1990). By Design: Planning Research on Higher Education,
President and Fellows of Harvard College, MA.