Study Abroad - Assessment Projects

The study abroad programs administered through the Center for International Studies directly support Goal #10 of the University's General Education Initiative for undergraduate education:

Develop an international perspective in order to live and work effectively in an increasingly global society.

In order to gather data on the various impacts of study abroad programs, CFIS has developed several research projects since 2003 and continues to be involved in overseas assessment initiatives. These have led to numerous presentations and publications, which can be accessed below:

• Students' Perceived Impact of Short-Term Programs Abroad on International Awareness and Activities: This study included mostly quantitative data collected from approximately 1500 participants in UD's short-term study abroad programs in 2003 and 2004 and from a control group of approximately 800 students on campus.
  • Large-Scale Assessment of Student Attitudes after a Short-Term Study Abroad Program, Frontiers, Volume X, Fall 2004, p. 165-177
  • Short-Term Study Abroad: It Makes a Difference! IIE Networker, Spring 2004, p. 28-32.
  • What's a Month Worth? International Educator, Fall 2003, p. 26-31.
  
  
• International service learning in South Africa and Personal Change: An Exploratory Content Analysis. NAPSA Journal, 2009, Vol 46, no.1


• Impacts of Short-Term Study Abroad on Listening Comprehension and Motivation: This study, conducted jointly in 2005 with Dr. Jorge H. Cubillos of UD's Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures, compared 50 students' pre- and post-sojourn scores on a Spanish listening comprehension exam with those of 100 peers taking the same language course on campus. Students also provided pre- and post-course feedback on their motivations for, and attitudes towards, foreign language study. Click here for a summary of results.
  • The Impact of Short-Term Study Abroad on L2 Comprehension Skills, Foreign Language Annals, Vol. 41, No. 1, Spring 2008, p. 157-185.
  
  
• Motivations and Differences for First-Year Students Abroad: This project investigated the short-term study abroad experiences of first-year (freshman) students compared to those of older (sophomore and junior) students, both those studying abroad for the first time and those who also went abroad as freshmen. Over 100 respondents provided quantitative and qualitative data which illuminated reasons for studying abroad, perceived personal growth during time overseas, likelihood of additional sojourns, and more. (Click here for a summary of results.)