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Going Global: Understanding the Choice Process of the Intent to Study Abroad

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Abstract

This study applies an integrated model of college choice to better describe students who do and do not intend to study abroad. Although internationalization through study abroad is widely touted as a preferred means of developing globally competent college graduates, very little is known about the factors that influence students’ predisposition to study abroad. This research explores the impact of financial, human, social, and cultural capital on students’ intent to study abroad. Analysis of data from the Wabash National Study of Liberal Arts Education (WNSLAE) demonstrates a complex interplay between SES, accumulated pre-college capital, and capital acquired during the freshman year. Important implications for national policy makers, senior administrators, study abroad professionals and higher education researchers are discussed.

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Acknowledgements

This research was supported by a generous grant from the Center of Inquiry in the Liberal Arts at Wabash College to the Center for Research on Undergraduate Education at The University of Iowa.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Educational Policy and Leadership Studies, The University of Iowa, 491 Lindquist Center North, Iowa City, IA, 52242-1529, USA

    Mark H. Salisbury, Michael B. Paulsen & Ernest T. Pascarella

  2. Department of Adult & Higher Education, North Carolina State University, 300 Poe Hall, Raleigh, NC, 27695-9366, USA

    Paul D. Umbach

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  1. Mark H. Salisbury
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  2. Paul D. Umbach
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  4. Ernest T. Pascarella
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Correspondence to Mark H. Salisbury.

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Salisbury, M.H., Umbach, P.D., Paulsen, M.B. et al. Going Global: Understanding the Choice Process of the Intent to Study Abroad. Res High Educ 50, 119–143 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11162-008-9111-x

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