To Study Abroad or Not to Study Abroad? That Is the STEM Question

• In Event: Roundtable Session 5
  In Roundtable Session: Broadening the Reach of Study Abroad Opportunities

Abstract

Historically, students in STEM majors have not partaken in study abroad to the same degree as students in other fields. Recent evidence shows, however, that STEM students in some fields have slowly garnered a larger portion of the Study Abroad pie among majors over the past 15 years. The researchers explore how students who engage in the formal institutional process of investigating and choosing to Study Abroad make their decision within the institutional context. This study explores students’ Study Abroad decision-making through an organizational culture lens. Unlike many studies that focus solely on students who choose to study abroad, this study also includes those who went through the formal information-seeking stage yet decided not to attend.

Authors

• Matthew A. Witenstein, Claremont University - Harvey Mudd College

• Janel Henriksen Hastings, Foothill Country Day School