Understanding College Students’ Study Abroad Motivations and Preferences

Current globalization trends and greater consumer mobility across nations has led to the world becoming cross-culturally integrated (Friedman, 2005; Hill, 2013). Businesses have increased global presence and employers are looking for candidates that in addition to core skills also possess cross-cultural skills (de Jong, Schnusenberg, and Goel, 2010). Thus higher education institutions are increasingly emphasizing global content including cultural perspectives and study abroad opportunities (American Council on Education, 2008; Relyea, Cocchiara, & Stoddard, 2008). Inspite of all these developments, the vast majority of college students do not partake in study abroad opportunities before they graduate (Institute of International Education, 2012). In light of these observations, a two-step research design was adopted to understand student motivations, expectations, preferences, and outcomes associated with studying abroad. The first step involved a series of phenomenological interviews, while the second involved an online survey.