Taking Stock: Searching for Validity in Study Abroad Research

• In Event: Roundtable Session 11
  In Roundtable Session: Assessment Methods and Use of Results

Abstract

In 2011/2012, an estimated 225,000 American, 250,000 European and 30,000 Canadian college students studied abroad for credit. Many rationales are advanced for why students should participate in study abroad programs, but policy makers, senior administrators, and researchers all agree that developing intercultural skills is vital for professional success and civic duty in the 21st century While considerable resources are spent promoting researching these programs comparatively little effort has gone into investigating the quality of the existing research that argues for greater participation in study abroad. The purpose of this paper is to examine the quality of the validity arguments in 20 of the most frequently cited empirical studies on study abroad and intercultural development.

Author

• Jeffrey Burrow, University of Toronto - OISE