Journal of International Social Studies, v. 11, n. 1, 2021, pp. 63-82 Corresponding author: Chris.mcgrew@indstate.edu ©2012/2023 National Council for Social Studies International Assembly http://www.iajiss.org ISSN: 2327-3585 Page 63 Aligning the Goals of the University with Opportunities in Education Abroad Chris McGrew Indiana State University Zachariah Mathew Indiana State University John Conant Indiana State University Abstract: This quantitative study was conducted at a large four-year, high undergraduate, public university (called Midwest University for the purposes of this article) to compare and assess the perceived benefit of traditional study abroad programs and short-term, faculty-led study abroad programs on participants’ employability skills, cultural competency, and global citizenship. Participants reported that their education abroad experience enhanced their understanding of course content as well as their views about global citizenship. The survey collected data about participants’ perceptions about social responsibility, global competency, and global civic engagement. In addition, the survey collected data about career competency skills such as teamwork, interpersonal communication, networking ability, leadership, problem solving, and foreign language skills. The study defined education abroad at Midwest University and determined how well the program delivered on the Midwest University promise of social and economic mobility. Given that the resources devoted to short-term, faculty-led experiences are significantly lower than in a traditional study abroad program, the authors argue that this type of experience is more accessible to the students and participants at Midwest University. Key words: education abroad, global citizenship, global competency, global civic engagement and social responsibility, career competency, student mobility mailto:Chris.mcgrew@indstate.edu http://www.iajiss.org/ Journal of International Social Studies, v. 11, n. 1, 2021, pp. 63-82 Corresponding author: Chris.mcgrew@indstate.edu ©2012/2023 National Council for Social Studies International Assembly http://www.iajiss.org ISSN: 2327-3585 Page 64 Aligning the Goals of the University with Opportunities in Education Abroad According to the National Council for the Social Studies (1994), the curricular goal of the social studies is to provide young people with the knowledge, skills, and dispositions for full participation as citizens of the United States and the world. In 2010, the National Council for the Social Studies refined that aim to promote civic competency, including the knowledge, skills, and dispositions to be participants in public life as members of the global community (National Council for the Social Studies, 2010). Hirsch (2003) argued that decision-making and other higher order thinking skills required a base of knowledge. Parker (2009) argued that civic participation required not only knowledge and skills but should instill a desire to participate. Dispositions are the positive attitudes for learning and the desire to investigate in order to find answers for societal problems. According to Parker (2009), these positive attitudes should be less focused on specific content knowledge and instead focused on emotions, beliefs, and attitudes. Milner (2002) called knowledge such as is derived from the social sciences; skills, such as decision-making and critical thinking; and the desire to act in a democracy, a person’s “ability capacity” (p.1). Kishina and Takahashi (2019) found that even though students participating in a study abroad program initially feel uncertainty during their study abroad experience, in the long-run those students felt more connected to the world, showing a higher concern for global social problems and improving their interpersonal skills across cultures. As is true for many universities, Midwest University claims that its graduates have gained an increased understanding of global societies; however, evidence to support this claim is scarce. The university mission statement includes this language: “We challenge them to grow and learn inside and outside the classroom. And to make an impact on the community, whether right here… or halfway around the world.” The purpose of this study was to determine if short-term, faculty-led study abroad is an effective and efficient means of attaining a number of university goals, including learning social studies content, developing generalized critical thinking and career skills, and developing global citizenship skills. The education abroad program at Midwest University was crafted to serve the demographics of the population of students who make up the student body, but only three percent of Midwest University students take advantage of an education abroad experience. Thirty percent of those mailto:Chris.mcgrew@indstate.edu http://www.iajiss.org/ Journal of International Social Studies, v. 11, n. 1, 2021, pp. 63-82 Corresponding author: Chris.mcgrew@indstate.edu ©2012/2023 National Council for Social Studies International Assembly http://www.iajiss.org ISSN: 2327-3585 Page 65 students who travel participate in traditional summer, semester, and yearlong study abroad experiences. It is widely accepted that education abroad is a high-impact experience, but first- generation, minority, and transfer students are rarely able to participate, even though study abroad provides integrated and reflective learning as well as personal/social development (NSSE, 2007; Salisbury, Paulsen, & Pascarella, 2011). In addition, a first international trip matters (McKeown, 2009). Many Midwest University students are neither willing nor able to invest the time and money into that first trip. Whatley (2017) found that students taking loans, as well as students with high family participation in paying for college, participate in study abroad experiences at a much lower rate than their peers who are able to self-fund college. However, grants provided to these financially fragile students allow higher levels of study abroad participation (Whatley, 2017). Research also suggests that study abroad be integrated into general education courses (O’Rear, Sutton, & Rubin, 2011) and that coordination between the study abroad office and the campus career center is key for students to know the career readiness value of a study abroad experience (IIE, 2019). Therefore, approximately 70 percent of the students who take advantage of an education abroad opportunity at Midwest University participate in a faculty-led, short-term intensive study abroad experience. Midwest University is committed to the idea that study abroad and other types of global engagement are an integral part of a Midwest University education. The most popular option for students who want to travel the world while earning college credit is through short-term, faculty- led study abroad programs. Much shorter (and less intimidating) than the solo semester-long study abroad, these programs generally last one to three weeks and provide a cost-effective option for international travel. While the subject matter of short-term, faculty-led study abroad programs can vary considerably, each program shares the important goal of expanding students’ worldviews along with enhancing disciplinary knowledge and career success skills. The authors have experienced that well-designed short-term study abroad experiences, regardless of their basic disciplinary objectives or their usefulness at enhancing general student career skills, are effective at illustrating some of the diverse real world social, economic, and political systems. As long as the experiences go beyond classroom work and “tourist” activities, working in the diverse social system of an international society and with members of those local communities enhances social studies and global citizenship knowledge and skills. The typical education abroad student at Midwest University is white, studying in the College of Arts & Sciences (CAS), and holds a GPA of 3.66/4.0. However, target student populations include Pell-eligible students, first-generation college students, and 21st Century Scholars. The 21st mailto:Chris.mcgrew@indstate.edu http://www.iajiss.org/ Journal of International Social Studies, v. 11, n. 1, 2021, pp. 63-82 Corresponding author: Chris.mcgrew@indstate.edu ©2012/2023 National Council for Social Studies International Assembly http://www.iajiss.org ISSN: 2327-3585 Page 66 Century Scholar program is a program operated by the state to encourage low-income students to complete the requirements necessary to qualify for college admission and stay on track to graduate in four years. The university claims to be the most diverse public university in the state. However, as illustrated in Table 1, the description of students participating in education abroad does not match the overall demographics of the university. Table 1 Comparison of education abroad and general student population at Midwest University Percent of Midwest University student population Percent of Midwest University student population who traveled in an education abroad experience Federal Pell Eligibility 38.23% 2.01% Twenty-First Century Scholars 14.08% 0.81% First Generation Students 24.91% 1.2% Ethnicity (non-white) 25.25% 15.59% The Survey and Response A survey study of the population of Midwest University students and alumni from 2010 to 2019 took place in the fall of 2019. The researchers were interested in skills and dispositions gained by study abroad experiences, specifically the skills related to career readiness and global citizenship. In addition, the survey study collected data about the respondents’ views of the value to their education and career based on their education abroad experience. The survey used a seven-point Likert scale to collect participants’ responses. The Likert scale values ranged between 1 (strongly disagree) and 7 (strongly agree); value 4 represented neither agreed nor disagreed. Data in the study were collected in an on-line Qualtrics questionnaire. Those data were analyzed using descriptive and analytical statistics to define the study abroad experience and examine the relationships between the skills gained during the experience and the respondents’ perceptions mailto:Chris.mcgrew@indstate.edu http://www.iajiss.org/ Journal of International Social Studies, v. 11, n. 1, 2021, pp. 63-82 Corresponding author: Chris.mcgrew@indstate.edu ©2012/2023 National Council for Social Studies International Assembly http://www.iajiss.org ISSN: 2327-3585 Page 67 about how their academic and career success may have been enhanced by obtaining skills through the experience. The non-parametric Mann-Whitney U test was used to compare the difference in outcomes between the faculty-led, short-term study abroad and traditional study abroad participants. The Mann-Whitney U test was used when the assumption of normality was violated. The results from the study were used to request external funding to support education abroad efforts at Midwest University. These funds were to augment what the university was using to support the current education abroad program, as well as to allow the program to expand to include additional populations of students. One hundred and eighty-seven individuals attempted the survey and 156 completed and returned the survey. Seventy-seven respondents reported having a traditional (summer, semester, or yearlong) study abroad experience, 47 reported having a short-term study abroad experience, and 19 participated in both traditional study abroad and short-term; 13 participated in an alternate experience abroad such as short-term service learning as part of a spring semester course. All groups of students responded to a few general questions; more specific questions pertained only to the two populations of education abroad participants. The Data: Description As identified by Shaftel, Shaftel, and Ahluwalia (2007), cost can be a major factor that effects access to education abroad, especially for students attending public university. According to Dessoff (2006), lack of financial resources and insufficient financial aid limits African American and other minority students’ abilities to study abroad. Due to the cost of education abroad, there was little diversity represented by the students who took advantage of any education abroad program at Midwest University. This is especially concerning in that there was evidence that these experiences are important for students’ understanding of course topics and content. Table 2 shows participant responses to questions given to both groups, representing the entire population of education abroad students. The mean of responses to the statement “I would recommend other students to invest in the kind of study abroad experience I had at Midwest U” was 6.67 (SD=.86), showing very strong agreement with the statement. The mean of responses to the statement “Overall, I believe that the experience was worth the time and money I invested” was 6.61 (SD=.1.01), again showing very strong agreement with the statement. mailto:Chris.mcgrew@indstate.edu http://www.iajiss.org/ Journal of International Social Studies, v. 11, n. 1, 2021, pp. 63-82 Corresponding author: Chris.mcgrew@indstate.edu ©2012/2023 National Council for Social Studies International Assembly http://www.iajiss.org ISSN: 2327-3585 Page 68 Table 2 Student opinions about education abroad N M Mdn SD Other students should invest in study abroad. 156 6.67 7 .868 I believe that the experience was worth the time and money I invested. 14 6.61 7 1.012 There was widespread agreement among those returning the survey that the experience was worth the time and money they had invested in education abroad and that the students would recommend the experience to others. Only three students disagreed with the statement to recommend to others (1 in each category of intensity of disagreement), two students reported neutrality, and four expressed “somewhat” agreement with the statement. Fully 94% of the respondents agreed that the experience was worth their investment, with 81% strongly agreeing. In addition, 92% of the respondents expressed the belief that the experience was worth their investment in time and money. Among the respondents who participated in the traditional study abroad experience, 98% (n=77) agreed that the program was useful. Within this group, 74% strongly agreed and two respondents neither agreed nor disagreed. In addition, as shown in Table 3, these participants reported that a short-term, faculty- led study-abroad program was as beneficial in terms of the experience abroad as well as in engaging with fellow students. Respondents indicated that this helped them to learn the concepts and topics for the class. Respondents also indicated that in the short-term, faculty-led experience, professors or instructors helped them understand the course concepts better. Respondents reported that the faculty-led, short-term experiences covered topics useful in their major or minor course of study and their future careers. Short-term, faculty-led study abroad participants also felt that the travel was very useful as part of the coursework. mailto:Chris.mcgrew@indstate.edu http://www.iajiss.org/ Journal of International Social Studies, v. 11, n. 1, 2021, pp. 63-82 Corresponding author: Chris.mcgrew@indstate.edu ©2012/2023 National Council for Social Studies International Assembly http://www.iajiss.org ISSN: 2327-3585 Page 69 Table 3 Impact of education abroad experience on course content Academic Impact N M SD Mdn Experience abroad helped learn class content 143 6.2657 1.04107 7 Fellow students helped learn class content 143 6.1189 1.20146 6 Instructor helped learn class content 143 6.3287 1.10553 7 Experience helped learn global skills 143 6.7203 .69612 7 Course content useful for major/minor 143 5.9510 1.38568 6 Course content useful for career 143 5.7972 1.43674 6 Overall, taking classes abroad was useful. 143 6.4126 .98101 7 Table 4 illustrates the comparison of the median between students who participated in the short- term, faculty-led study abroad program and the median of student responses from the traditional study abroad program. Respondents reported that the faculty-led experience was more impactful. This impact was reported in terms of the education abroad experience generally, specifically due to the engagement with fellow students and professors, and that it helped them learn the course content. Participants also indicated that it was useful for their future career. Table 4 Comparison of perceived impact of traditional and faculty-led study abroad experience on course content Academic Impact Mdn Median U Z p TSA* FLSA** Experience abroad helped learn class content 7 6 7 1149.00 -3.759 .000 mailto:Chris.mcgrew@indstate.edu http://www.iajiss.org/ Journal of International Social Studies, v. 11, n. 1, 2021, pp. 63-82 Corresponding author: Chris.mcgrew@indstate.edu ©2012/2023 National Council for Social Studies International Assembly http://www.iajiss.org ISSN: 2327-3585 Page 70 Fellow students helped learn class content 6 6 7 1117.500 -3.844 .000 Instructor helped learn class content 7 7 7 1392.00 -2.446 .014 Experience helped learn global skills 7 7 7 1661.500 -1.076 .282 Course content useful for major/minor 6 6 7 1313.500 -2.714 .007 Course content useful for career 6 6 6 1596.00 -1.151 .250 Overall, taking classes abroad was useful. 7 7 7 1373.500 -2.548 .011 Note. *Traditional Study Abroad; ** Faculty-Led Study Abroad In addition, two questions were included in the survey for students who only experienced a short- term, faculty-led trip and were designed to separate the travel experience from the classroom experience that preceded it. These two questions asked to what extent the travel experience helped students understand the concepts and topics that were taught in the classroom prior to traveling and to what extent the travel aspect of the course added to the value of the experience. Note that in Table 5, students reported a high degree of agreement that the travel increased their understanding of the topics in the on-campus course (mean = 6.56) and that the travel added value to the on-campus course (mean = 6.71). Table 5 Perceived impact of traditional study abroad experience on course content N M Mdn SD Intense travel experience helped learn the topics of class 66 6.56 7 1.01 mailto:Chris.mcgrew@indstate.edu http://www.iajiss.org/ Journal of International Social Studies, v. 11, n. 1, 2021, pp. 63-82 Corresponding author: Chris.mcgrew@indstate.edu ©2012/2023 National Council for Social Studies International Assembly http://www.iajiss.org ISSN: 2327-3585 Page 71 Travel portion added value to the experience in a significant way 66 6.71 7 .576 Citizenship Skill Development of Education Abroad According to Morais and Ogden (2011), “…global citizenship is understood as a multidimensional construct that hinges on the interrelated dimensions of social responsibility, global competence and global civic engagement” (p. 449). Social responsibility can be defined as the level of interdependence and social concern for individuals in one’s local, national, and global communities (Braskamp, Braskamp, & Engberg, 2014; Westheimer & Kahne, 2004). Global competency is defined as the capacity and disposition to interact, communicate, and work on issues outside of one’s own environment unitizing knowledge about other cultures, norms, and expectations (Deardorff, 2006; Mansilla & Jackson, 2013). Global civic engagement can be defined as one’s ability to recognize local, state, national, and global community issues and respond to them through actions and contribute to solutions (Michelle, 2013; Westheimer & Kahne, 2004). Participant Views about Global Citizenship The study included 12 questions to assess the global citizenship of participants. Questions and statistics about student responses are included in Tables 6, 7, and 8. Participants rated that the short-term, faculty-led study abroad program had a higher influence on their thinking about global citizenship in terms of how their actions influence global communities. Overall, the short-term, faculty-led study abroad programs had a slightly higher influence on students empathizing with people from other countries, and respondents generally believed richer countries should help poorer countries. A majority of respondents also thought their short-term, faculty-led study abroad experience influenced their thinking about current global political and economic affairs. Combining all the attributes, the short-term, faculty-led study abroad program had a higher impact on the overall global competency of the student. Social Responsibility Data from questions associated with the social responsibility domain appear in Table 6. The combined mean for these questions was 6.20 on a seven-point Likert scale. mailto:Chris.mcgrew@indstate.edu http://www.iajiss.org/ Journal of International Social Studies, v. 11, n. 1, 2021, pp. 63-82 Corresponding author: Chris.mcgrew@indstate.edu ©2012/2023 National Council for Social Studies International Assembly http://www.iajiss.org ISSN: 2327-3585 Page 72 While 65% of the respondents strongly agreed that their education abroad experience influenced their way of thinking about how they connect to people around the world and that their local actions may affect people in other countries, 17% just agreed and 12% somewhat agreed with the statement; 4% neither agreed nor disagreed with the statement. This attribute had a mean of 6.37 on a seven-point Likert scale. A total of 40% of the participants strongly agreed, 19% just agreed, and 14% somewhat agreed that their education abroad experience influenced the way they think about countries that are well off helping people in countries who are less fortunate; 21% neither agreed nor disagreed, and 6% disagreed with the statement. This attribute had a 5.65 mean on a seven-point Likert scale. While 45% of the respondents strongly agreed that their education abroad experience influenced their way of thinking about helping others in need irrespective of their nationality, 26% just agreed and 16% somewhat agreed to the statement; 10% neither agreed nor disagreed with the statement. This attribute had a mean of 5.97 on a seven-point Likert scale. Table 6 Perceived impact of education abroad on social responsibility Social Responsibility N M Mdn SD My study abroad experience influenced my way of thinking about how I connect to people around the world and that my local actions may affect people in other countries. 156 6.37 7.00 1.030 My study abroad experience influenced my way of thinking about countries that are well off helping people in countries who are less fortunate. 156 5.65 6.00 1.390 My study abroad experience influenced my way of thinking about helping others in need irrespective of their nationality. 156 5.97 6.00 1.204 mailto:Chris.mcgrew@indstate.edu http://www.iajiss.org/ Journal of International Social Studies, v. 11, n. 1, 2021, pp. 63-82 Corresponding author: Chris.mcgrew@indstate.edu ©2012/2023 National Council for Social Studies International Assembly http://www.iajiss.org ISSN: 2327-3585 Page 73 My study abroad experience influenced my way of thinking about my responsibility to understand and respect cultural differences globally. 155 6.55 7.00 .775 My study abroad experience influenced my way of thinking about empathizing with people from other countries. 156 6.50 7.00 .799 The data show that 66% of participants strongly agreed, 26% just agreed, and 5% somewhat agreed that their education abroad experience influenced the way they think about their responsibility to understand and respect cultural differences globally; 2% neither agreed nor disagreed, and less than 1% disagreed with the statement. This attribute had a 6.55 mean on a seven-point Likert scale. Among the 156 participants, 64% strongly agreed that their education abroad experience influenced the way they think about empathizing with people from other countries. While 25% agreed to the statement, 9% somewhat agreed and 1% of the participants neither agreed nor disagreed with the statement. This attribute had a mean of 6.5 on a seven-point Likert scale. Global Competency The global competency domain, which included six questions, had a combined mean of 6.1 on a seven-point Likert scale. The questions associated with this domain are in Table 7. While 63% of the respondents strongly agreed that their education abroad experience influenced their way of thinking about themselves as a global citizen, 25% just agreed and 7% somewhat agreed to the statement; 4% neither agreed nor disagreed with the statement. This attribute had a mean of 6.46 on a seven-point Likert scale. While 54% of the respondents strongly agreed that their education abroad experience influenced their way of thinking about being informed of current global affairs, 28% just agreed and 9% somewhat agreed to the statement; 6% neither agreed nor disagreed with the statement and less than 4% disagreed. This attribute had a mean of 6.21 on a seven-point Likert scale. Among the 156 participants, 78% participants strongly agreed that their education abroad experience broadened their worldview. While 20% agreed to the statement, 19% somewhat mailto:Chris.mcgrew@indstate.edu http://www.iajiss.org/ Journal of International Social Studies, v. 11, n. 1, 2021, pp. 63-82 Corresponding author: Chris.mcgrew@indstate.edu ©2012/2023 National Council for Social Studies International Assembly http://www.iajiss.org ISSN: 2327-3585 Page 74 agreed and less than 1% of the participants neither agreed nor disagreed with the statement. This attribute had a mean of 6.73 on a seven-point Likert scale. Table 7 Perceived impact of education abroad on global competency Global Competency N M Mdn SD My study abroad experience influenced my way of thinking about myself as a global citizen. 156 6.46 7 .868 My study abroad experience influenced my way of thinking about being informed of current global affairs. 156 6.21 7 1.107 My study abroad experience influenced my way of thinking about broadening my worldview. 156 6.73 7 .626 My study abroad experience influenced my way of thinking about global politics and economics. 156 6.01 6 1.288 My study abroad experience enhanced my interpersonal communication skills. 156 6.29 7 1.047 A total of 49% of participants strongly agreed, 24% just agreed, and 14% somewhat agreed that their education abroad experience influenced the way they think about global politics and economics. While 8% neither agreed nor disagreed, 4% disagreed with the statement. This attribute had a 6.01 mean on a seven-point Likert scale. While 41% students strongly agreed that their education abroad experience had an impact on their foreign language skills, 12% agreed and 15% somewhat agreed; 20% neither agreed nor disagreed with the statement. Additionally, 12% disagreed at different levels. This attribute had a 5.37 mean on a seven-point Likert scale. mailto:Chris.mcgrew@indstate.edu http://www.iajiss.org/ Journal of International Social Studies, v. 11, n. 1, 2021, pp. 63-82 Corresponding author: Chris.mcgrew@indstate.edu ©2012/2023 National Council for Social Studies International Assembly http://www.iajiss.org ISSN: 2327-3585 Page 75 Among the 156 participants, 54% strongly agreed that their education abroad experience influenced their interpersonal communication skills. While 32% agreed to the statement, 8% somewhat agreed and less than 3% of the participants neither agreed nor disagreed with the statement. This attribute had a mean of 6.29 on a seven-point Likert scale. Global Civic Engagement The only question in this domain was if the education abroad experience influenced the way they think about reaching out to individuals who are from a different background than theirs. The data for this question are shown in Table 8. While 58% strongly agreed that there was an influence, 25% agreed and 12% somewhat agreed to it; 5% neither agreed nor disagreed with the statement, and less than 1% disagreed with the statement. This attribute had a mean of 6.34 on a seven-point Likert scale. Table 8 Perceived impact of education abroad on global civic engagement Global Civic Engagement N M Mdn SD My study abroad experience influenced my way of thinking about reaching out to individuals who are from a different background than mine. 156 6.34 7 .933 Career Competency Skills The career competency skills identified in the survey included: communication skills, confidence, course- or major-related knowledge, curiosity, adaptability, intercultural skills, interpersonal skills, language skills, leadership, problem solving skills, self-awareness, teamwork, technical skills, tolerance for ambiguity, and work ethics. Pellegrino and Hilton (2012) clustered these skills into three domains. Cognitive competencies, the first of the three domains, includes skills such as problem solving, curiosity, confidence, foreign language, and technical and course-related skills. The second domain, intrapersonal competencies, includes tolerance for ambiguity, adaptability, and work ethics. The third domain, interpersonal competencies, includes leadership, networking ability, interpersonal communication, and teamwork. Data from the survey involving questions concerning these domains appear in Tables 9, 10, and 11. mailto:Chris.mcgrew@indstate.edu http://www.iajiss.org/ Journal of International Social Studies, v. 11, n. 1, 2021, pp. 63-82 Corresponding author: Chris.mcgrew@indstate.edu ©2012/2023 National Council for Social Studies International Assembly http://www.iajiss.org ISSN: 2327-3585 Page 76 Table 9 shows the breakdown of cognitive skills, which had a combined mean of 6.12 on the seven-point Likert scale. While 51% strongly agreed that the education abroad experience enhanced their cognitive skills, 21% just agreed and 11% somewhat agreed to the statement; 12% neither agreed nor disagreed with the same, and 5% of the total respondents either strongly agreed, disagreed, or somewhat disagreed that the experience had no impact on their cognitive skills. Table 9 Perceived impact of education abroad on career-related cognitive skills Cognitive Skills N M SD Problem-solving skills 156 6.21 1.101 Curiosity 156 6.66 .807 Confidence 156 6.39 1.145 Foreign language skills 156 5.37 1.767 Technical skills 156 5.19 1.544 Course knowledge 156 5.91 1.231 Table 10 illustrates the breakdown of intrapersonal skills, which had a combined mean of 6.21. Among the 156 respondents, 54% strongly agreed that their experience significantly enhanced their intellectual skills, while 26% agreed and 10% somewhat agreed to the statement; 9% neither agreed nor disagreed, and 2% either strongly disagreed, disagreed, or somewhat disagreed that the experience had enhanced their intrapersonal skills. Table 10 Perceived impact of education abroad on career-related intrapersonal skills Intrapersonal Skills N M SD Tolerance for ambiguity 156 6.07 1.208 mailto:Chris.mcgrew@indstate.edu http://www.iajiss.org/ Journal of International Social Studies, v. 11, n. 1, 2021, pp. 63-82 Corresponding author: Chris.mcgrew@indstate.edu ©2012/2023 National Council for Social Studies International Assembly http://www.iajiss.org ISSN: 2327-3585 Page 77 Adaptability 154 6.61 .640 Work ethics 156 5.95 1.185 The interpersonal skills had a combined mean of 5.75 on a seven-point Likert scale and are shown in Table 11. Among the 156 respondents, 46% strongly agreed that their experience significantly enhanced their dispositions, with 27% agreeing and 14% somewhat agreeing to it; 5% answered that they either strongly disagreed, disagreed, or somewhat disagreed, and 8% of participants neither agreed nor disagreed that the experience enhanced their interpersonal skills. Table 11 Perceived impact of education abroad on career-related intrapersonal skills Interpersonal Skills N M SD Leadership 156 5.88 1.275 Networking ability 156 5.90 1.392 Interpersonal communication 156 6.29 1.047 Teamwork 156 5.95 1.279 Conclusions and Recommendations Gibson and McKay (2005) described a view of social studies that took into account global perspectives. The authors described the global orientation of social studies as helping students understand the world and its growing interdependence through trade, the increased mobility of people, and the expanding global systems of cultural exchange. Gaining global perspectives flows from education abroad. Harder et al. (2015) found that the cultural competency skills gained in an education abroad experience could be demonstrated by students in a competitive workplace. This would make them more valuable in that workplace. These competency skills are the skills of economic reasoning identified in the EconomicsAmerica (1997) Voluntary National Content Standards in Economics. These standards describe the skills of economic reasoning students will need to be global citizens. Not only do these skills help students to become global citizens, but mailto:Chris.mcgrew@indstate.edu http://www.iajiss.org/ Journal of International Social Studies, v. 11, n. 1, 2021, pp. 63-82 Corresponding author: Chris.mcgrew@indstate.edu ©2012/2023 National Council for Social Studies International Assembly http://www.iajiss.org ISSN: 2327-3585 Page 78 Schmidt and Pardo (2017) argued that they help develop the human capital students need to earn higher incomes. For these reasons, more students should have access to education abroad opportunities. It was clear that the education abroad experience undertaken by the students at Midwest University improved participant understanding of course content, as well as their views concerning their own perceptions about global social responsibility, global competency, and global civic engagement involvement and their own role as a global citizen. In addition, the survey confirmed existing research that an education abroad experience for students like those at Midwest University also improved their own career competency skills such as teamwork, interpersonal communication, networking ability, leadership and problem solving, and foreign language skills. It is important to note that the students were very positive about their Midwest University education abroad experience. This was true whether they participated in a traditional semester abroad at another institution or in a short-term study abroad course with a subset of their classmates (typically the travel experience in these classes at Midwest University are an optional add-on to the course) and their instructor. However, the participant responses indicated that the group traveling and studying with classmates and an instructor from a shorter faculty-led course were more satisfied with their experience than their traditional study abroad peers. Evidence provided by the study indicated that for the Midwest University student population characterized by a greater proportion of first-generation and lower-income students, short-term, faculty-led study abroad experiences provided a less risky alternative to the significant investment these students need to make in a traditional study abroad experience lasting a summer, semester, or year. Respondents were less likely to find the experience disappointing or less useful/valuable (although this percentage is extremely low in both populations) and were more likely to be very happy with the usefulness/value of the experience (although this percentage is high in both populations). In this study, and given the shortcomings of self-reported studies, the inability to follow up with respondents limited the generalizability of the authors’ findings. Kruger and Dunning (1999) found that respondents to self-reported surveys often exaggerate their own abilities. This could certainly have been the case in this study. However, these data provide a starting point for further investigation. The broader questions of the specific experiences students have while engaged in a short-term study abroad trip that are the most beneficial, both in terms of specific disciplinary mailto:Chris.mcgrew@indstate.edu http://www.iajiss.org/ Journal of International Social Studies, v. 11, n. 1, 2021, pp. 63-82 Corresponding author: Chris.mcgrew@indstate.edu ©2012/2023 National Council for Social Studies International Assembly http://www.iajiss.org ISSN: 2327-3585 Page 79 knowledge and also more generalized social studies and global citizenship and career skills, must be left to a further study. That study would benefit from using focus groups and one-on-one interviews with participants. These focus groups and interviews would also provide the kinds of “stories” that institutions value in the pursuit of resources to subsidize the cost of study abroad experiences and to help convince students that the experience is well worth the investment necessary to participate. The authors’ experiences with organizing, recruiting, and leading short-term, faculty-led study abroad experiences at Midwest University combined with the data derived from the survey of study abroad participants lead to an important conclusion. The authors conclude that the short- term, faculty-led study abroad experiences have several advantages over traditional study abroad for a student population with demographics similar to Midwest University (lower socio- economic status and more likely first-generation students). These advantages stem from being “easier” to recruit participants and the lower expenditure of both time and money on the experience. The data revealed that these advantages are important because the experience of short-term travel with a class of students that they have been engaged with for a semester prior to travel is at least if not more effective at increasing the desired course content and critical global skills gained than in a traditional study abroad experience. mailto:Chris.mcgrew@indstate.edu http://www.iajiss.org/ Journal of International Social Studies, v. 11, n. 1, 2021, pp. 63-82 Corresponding author: Chris.mcgrew@indstate.edu ©2012/2023 National Council for Social Studies International Assembly http://www.iajiss.org ISSN: 2327-3585 Page 80 References Braskamp, A. L., Braskamp, C. D., & Engberg, E. M. (2014). Global perspective inventory (GP): Its purpose, construction, potential uses and psychometric characteristics. Chicago: Global Perspective Institute. Deardorff, D. K. (2006). The identification and assessment of intercultural competence. 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Doi: 10.1080/00221546. 2016.1243951. mailto:Chris.mcgrew@indstate.edu http://www.iajiss.org/ http://www.glossari.uga.edu/ https://doi.org/10.1080/00221546.2016.1243951 https://doi.org/10.1080/00221546.2016.1243951 Journal of International Social Studies, v. 11, n. 1, 2021, pp. 63-82 Corresponding author: Chris.mcgrew@indstate.edu ©2012/2023 National Council for Social Studies International Assembly http://www.iajiss.org ISSN: 2327-3585 Page 82 Shaftel, J., Shaftel, T., & Ahluwalia, R. (2007). International educational experience and intercultural competence. International Educational Experience and Intercultural Competence, 6(1) 25-34. Whatley, M. (2017). Financing study abroad: An exploration of the influence of financial factors on student study abroad patterns. Journal of Studies in International Education, 21(5), 431-449. https://doi.org/10.1177/1028315317697798 Westheimer, J., & Kahne, J. (2004). What kind of citizen? The politics of educating for democracy. American Educational Research Journal, 41(2), 237-269. About the Authors: Chris McGrew is the Director of the Center for Global Engagement and teaches secondary social studies methods and microeconomics at Indiana State University. His research focus is on experiential learning for in-service teachers in social studies. He is a former Social Studies Supervisor for the Indiana Department of Education, served on the National Council for the Social Studies Standards revision task force, and is a past president of the Council for State Social Studies Specialists. Chris served as president for the Indiana Council for the Social Studies and is cofounder of Global Indiana: A Consortium for International Exchange. Zachariah Mathew currently serves as the Associate Director for the Center for Global Engagement at Indiana State University. Since January 2011, Zachariah has been overseeing international student success initiatives, international student recruitment and retention, as well as study abroad and faculty led programs. His passion for culture and the lived experience was the calling to pursue a career in international student affairs and comprehensive internationalization. He earned his Ph.D. in Higher Education Administration and Leadership from Indiana State University. His research interest includes, comprehensive internationalization, student mobility and international student leadership. John Conant is a Professor of Economics and the Director of the Center for Economic Education at Indiana State University. He has led short-term, faculty-led study abroad courses on sustainable local economic development to China, Thailand, and Morocco. He has also designed and led study trips to China for K-12 teachers and education leaders. His work includes the design and teaching of both domestic and international travel courses in natural resource and public choice for social science students and teachers. He has published works on the benefits of field study of complex systems for students in the natural and social sciences. mailto:Chris.mcgrew@indstate.edu http://www.iajiss.org/ https://doi.org/10.1177/1028315317697798