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Study abroad for global engagement: The long-term impact of mobility

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Article in Intercultural Education · January 2009

DOI: 10.1080/14675980903370847

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 STUDY ABROAD FOR GLOBAL ENGAGEMENT: THE
LONG-TERM IMPACT OF MOBILITY EXPERIENCES

R. Michael Paige
University of Minnesota
r-paig@[Link]

Gerald W. Fry
University of Minnesota
gwf@[Link]

Elizabeth M. Stallman
University of Minnesota
stall044@[Link]

Jasmina Josić
University of Minnesota
bisa0013@[Link]

Jae-Eun Jon
University of Minnesota
jonxx01@[Link]

ABSTRACT:
This article reports on the preliminary results of a research project - Beyond Immediate
Impact: Study Abroad for Global Engagement (SAGE) - that examines the long-term
impact of study abroad on various forms of global engagement. The study employs a
retrospective tracer study and mixed methods research design. Survey results from 6,391
study abroad participants reveal that study abroad has had an impact on five dimensions
of global engagement (civic engagement, knowledge production, philanthropy, social
entrepreneurship, and voluntary simplicity) as well as on subsequent educational and
career choices. 63 interviews also were conducted to provide more detailed life stories
about the role of study abroad on global engagement, education, and career paths. Three
of these case studies are presented. Data were also gathered concerning study abroad
program characteristics and participant characteristics. In future analyses, the
relationships among these variables will be examined.
Introduction
The results presented in this article are derived from the research project entitled, Beyond
Immediate Impact: Study Abroad for Global Engagement, or SAGE. The purpose of this
research is to explore the ways in which participants in U.S. higher education study abroad
programs have become globally engaged during their lives since their overseas sojourns and
the degree to which they attribute these contributions to their having studied abroad. To
accomplish these research objectives, we conducted a retrospective tracer study of alumni of
U.S. college and university study abroad programs covering approximately 50 years, from
1960 to 2005. The SAGE project is funded by a three-year grant from the U.S. Department of
Education, Title VI: International Research and Studies Program.

Global engagement, as conceptualized by the SAGE project, is expressed by civic

commitments in domestic and international arenas; knowledge production of print, artistic,
online, and digital media; philanthropy in terms of volunteer time and monetary donations;
social entrepreneurship, meaning involvement in organizations whose purpose and/or profits
are to benefit the community, and the practice of voluntary simplicity in one’s lifestyle.

The project surveyed 6,391 former study abroad participants from 22 colleges, universities,
and education abroad providers throughout the United States. This article presents descriptive
data regarding the survey results as well as three case studies representing the highlights and
major themes that emerged from the qualitative interviews.

Background
As study abroad continues to gain popularity throughout much of the world, it is time for a
major study to assess the long term impact of this kind of program. Colleges and universities
in the United States and elsewhere invest heavily in study abroad as a major element in their
efforts to internationalize their campuses. Many institutions have established elaborate and
fairly costly infrastructures in support of study abroad. In academic year 2006-07, there was a
record number of U.S. students studying abroad, 241,791, up 8.2% from the previous year
and up 143% from the levels ten years earlier (Institute for International Education 2008).
Similarly, ERASMUS data show a dramatic increase in EU student mobility from 3,244 in
1987-88 to 86,000 a decade later and up to 159,324 in 2006-07 (European Commission -
Education and Training 2008). These statistics indicate that study abroad represents
significant investments by students, parents, and their institutions.

2
SAGE was inspired by the research design of the breakthrough study, The Shape of the River
(Bowen and Bok 1998), a compelling account of the long-term effects of affirmative action
policies on the recipients themselves, U.S. higher education, and the society at large. Putnam
(2000), in Bowling Alone, and earlier Bellah (1985) in Habits of the Heart, have expressed
deep concern about the decline of social capital and civic engagement. To what extent do
those who have studied abroad demonstrate commitment to civic and public engagement?
The SAGE project is designed to build on the existing body of knowledge regarding personal
and professional impact of study abroad and to expand upon it by assessing global
engagement contributions.

The centerpiece of this research is the retrospective tracer study methodology and the use of
global engagement indicators. Our research design has yielded a large sample of U.S. study
abroad participants from five decades, 1960 to 2005. Impact is assessed by the respondents’
attributions regarding the influence of study abroad on their lives, as well as external
measures regarding their occupational paths, academic choices, and global engagement
contributions. We provide narratives and data over a broad time horizon ranging from the
near-term impact of recent graduates to the long-term effects of persons who studied abroad
nearly 50 years ago.

The information provided by over 6,000 study abroad alumni—through the juxtaposition of
outcomes with different types of study abroad programs, students, and sponsoring colleges
and universities—constitutes valuable data regarding present and future needs for higher
education. As we explore the personal and professional life histories as well as the global
engagement contributions of the alumni, we are mapping critically important relationships
among these key variables.

The overarching question addressed in this study is, What is the near-term (1-5 years post
study abroad) and long-term (6+ years post study abroad) impact of study abroad on
alumni’s global engagement contributions, professional development, and personal
development, as perceived by the alumni themselves and as assessed by external measures?

Review of the literature

While research literature on outcomes of study abroad has emerged, the overwhelming focus
to date has been on immediate and short-term outcomes. This study addresses near-term

3
(which we define as one to five years post study abroad) and long-term (six or more years
post study abroad) impacts of the study abroad experience. For near-term assessment,
existing studies serve a very useful purpose for educational institutions seeking to determine
goals for student learning and institutional investment. These studies would seem to suggest,
however, that the benefits of study abroad are limited in scope or “expire” after a short time.
Even the literature pertaining to intermediate or long-term outcomes has focused primarily on
one: job history and trajectory (Abrams 1979; Burn 1982; American Institute for Foreign
Study 1988; Carlson, Burn, et al. 1990; Starr 1994; Whalen 2001; Alred and Byram 2002;
McMillan and Opem 2004; Browne 2005).

Some studies have undertaken a long-term analysis of study abroad participants from various
institutions. The Carlson, et al. (1990) study was long-term and included four institutions, but
had only 76 respondents. This study makes some intriguing suggestions that studying abroad
results in a decreased gender gap, increases educational attainment, and influences career
direction and practices; it also notes the lack of information on how study abroad affects
personal and civic life. Dukes and others (1994) contacted Semester at Sea alumni of ten
years earlier to determine any long-term effects of their experience. The researchers report
general attitudinal outcomes related to global perspective and personal growth. Overall, their
results imply that graduate level education is a result of study abroad and they call for future
studies to investigate participants more than 10 years after studying abroad. Lastly, a tracer
study conducted by the Institute for the International Education of Students (IES) (Akande
and Slawson 2000; Dwyer and Peters 2004; McMillan and Opem 2004) looked at over 50
years of alumni who had studied abroad on IES programs. This study researches professional
and personal outcomes of participants on semester or academic year programs. Although the
age range of the sample is 22-67 and the number of respondents large (n=707), the median
age of the respondents is 26, making this a study mainly of those recent alumni, 5-10 years
after graduation. Further, Akande and Slawson (2000, 8) note the limitations of their study
and call for “a larger scale, more comprehensive survey based on a more representative
sample of all study abroad students.”

Theoretical frame
Though the major focus of this study is practical and policy-related, it can also inform
important theoretical thinking and constructs. An example is the work of the late Harvard
social psychologist, Allport, who developed social contact theory and authored, The Nature

4
of Prejudice (1954). Interestingly, as an undergraduate at Harvard, Allport did what was not
common in his day and age: he spent time in Greece having Peace Corps-type experiences,
which likely had a major impact on his subsequent career, knowledge production, and life-
long research interests. Basically, Allport argues that if certain conditions are met, then
contact among different ethnic or racial groups will reduce prejudice and enhance mutual
understanding. Pettigrew and Tropp (2000) in a major meta-analysis finds solid support for
Allport’s theory, even when his strict scope conditions are not met. If Allport’s theory is
indeed valid, then study abroad should have significant long-term impact on the reduction of
prejudice and ethnocentrism and in turn enhance cultural understanding and global
citizenship.

Methodology
The methodology employed in this study is that of a retrospective tracer study developed by
Fry and Paige (2001). This methodology is inspired by Pang’s tracer studies of alumni of
Singapore education institutions (Pang and Leong 1976; Pang and Seah 1976) and Bowen
and Bok’s assessment of the long-term effects of affirmative action on university graduates of
color in the United States (1998). The aim of this research project is to contact alumni of
study abroad programs after a period of time ranging from three to 45 years to inquire about
their levels of commitment to global engagement issues and activities.

Methods
The research design for this study is, as Creswell (2009) describes, a sequential mixed
methods design, comprised of a single, cross-sectional, online survey instrument administered
to a large sample followed by a series of individual interviews with randomly selected survey
respondents. This combination of methods aims to yield a baseline dataset of study abroad
alumni and their impact on society post graduation as well as informative insights from
selected participants.

Instrumentation
Informed by previous research on long-term impacts of study abroad alumni (Akande and
Slawson 2000; Carlson, Burn, et al. 1990; Dukes, Lockwood, et al. 1994; Dwyer and Peters
2004; McMillan and Opem 2004; Wallace 1999) and civic engagement (Cogan and Derricott
1998; Hoy and Miesel 2008), this study sought to employ mixed methods research to explore
long term manifestations of global engagement. A new instrument was developed, the Global

5
Engagement Survey (Paige et al. 2007), to examine individuals’ undergraduate education
abroad experiences and their subsequent participation in global engagement activities. In
developing this survey, the research team incorporated literature and previous instruments
that pertain to the independent and dependent variables. The conceptual model of global
engagement developed for this study included five principal dimensions: civic engagement,
knowledge production, philanthropy, social entrepreneurship, and voluntary simplicity. In
addition, the survey looked at two secondary outcomes: future education and occupation
experiences. To explore the relationship between the global engagement, education,
occupation outcomes and study abroad, we also looked at a set of five demographic variables
(gender, age, socioeconomic status, ethnicity, and prior intercultural/international experience)
and four study abroad program specific variables (program genre, location, duration and US
institutional classification).

Global Engagement Survey

The survey includes a total of 56 questions. Twenty-two questions focus on the five global
engagement dependent variables: six pertain to civic engagement; six to knowledge
production; three to philanthropy; and seven to social entrepreneurship. Seven questions
focus on education abroad and 13 relate to demographic information. The survey also
includes education and career sections constituting of five and four questions respectively.
Five questions are miscellaneous and include a question regarding the impact of activities
while in college and an overall impact of study abroad on the respondent’s life. Answers to
certain branching questions led respondents to differing subsequent questions.
All but two of the questions use a fixed response format, in which respondents choose among
a number of possible answers or insert a number. One question is entirely open-ended where
respondents can freely write their responses. Finally, one question is quasi-qualitative in
nature, where a system of points is employed in order for respondents to describe their ethnic
identity.

Global Engagement Interviews

In addition, the SAGE research team conducted 63 individual interviews with survey
participants who were randomly selected from 2,982 survey respondents who agreed to
participate in the interview portion of this study. The purpose of the interviews was to explore
the global engagement dimensions in greater depth, with a particular focus on the nature of
their later global commitments and what meaning it had for them. The interview also sought

6
to understand in greater detail the link between education abroad and global engagement. It
was fundamentally an opportunity for the interviewees to provide us with an illustrative
narrative of their life experiences.

Participants
Partner Institutions
From March to May 2007 announcements requesting applications from interested institutions
were submitted to two email listservs known to have wide membership across the education
abroad field: the Forum on Education Abroad listserv and the SECUSS-L listserv; we
received applications from 27 institutions. We ultimately partnered with 22 institutions in the
following categories 1 : Doctoral-granting (9), Masters-granting (4), Bachelors-granting (7),
and Education Abroad Provider (2). All partners were selected based on two criteria: the
number of alumni they could contact by email and the ability to survey alumni at least as far
back as 1985 and preferably to 1960. We anticipated the search for this information and the
ultimate launch of the survey would involve time and coordination with several units on each
campus. Therefore we offered a financial incentive to each partner institution. The partners
were the primary contact with the study abroad alumni. Table 1 shows the SAGE partner
institutions and their institutional categories.

1
Except Education Abroad Providers, all institutions are categorized based on their Carnegie classification.

7
Table 1. SAGE Partner Institutions and Type
Type Institution
Doctoral-granting (9) Carnegie Mellon University
Dartmouth College
Indiana University
Tulane University
University of California, Davis
University of California, San Diego
University of Colorado, Boulder
University of Minnesota, Twin Cities
Worcester Polytechnic Institute

Masters-granting (4) Arcadia University

James Madison University
Santa Clara University
University of Wisconsin, Eau Claire

Bachelors-granting (7) Austin College

Beloit College
Carleton College
Kalamazoo College
Middlebury College
Saint Norbert College
Saint Olaf College

Education Abroad Provider (2) Institute for Shipboard Education (Semester-at-Sea)

School for International Training/World Learning

Sample
The study population consisted of 24,019 alumni who had studied abroad as undergraduates
from the twenty-two partner institutions between 1960 and 2005. All contact was made by
email with the alumni from their alma mater; 2,450 emails were returned for a final
population total of 21,569. We received 6,391 responses for a 29.6 percent response rate.

The representation according to institutional type shows that 31.9 percent of survey
respondents studied abroad from a Doctoral-granting institution, 5.6 percent from a Masters-
granting institution, 41.1 percent from a Bachelors-granting institution, and 21.4 percent from
an Education Abroad Provider. Males represented 32.9 percent of respondents and females
67.1 percent. Since 1995, gender representation in U.S. education abroad has hovered around
65 percent female, as reported in Open Doors by the Institute of International Education
(2008).

8
Procedures
In this section we describe the procedures followed in developing and launching the online
survey. At the outset, we wish to acknowledge the fundamental importance of the
contributions to this survey made by the Forum on Education Abroad, which set up the two
focus groups with senior education abroad officers, and Dickinson College, which served as
the site for the pilot test of our survey with their education abroad alumni.

The research team took over one year to research, receive feedback, pilot, and ultimately
launch the Global Engagement Survey. We began by meeting with our external research
consultant, Bruce LaBrack of University of the Pacific. His recommendations had an
important influence on the project such as conducting a non-experimental design, placing the
emphasis on behavioral manifestations of global engagement, and partnering with The Forum
on Education Abroad. Member institutions of this organization are higher education
institutions with a primary interest in conducting and using research in education abroad.

After the SAGE team reviewed approximately ten versions of the survey, we conducted two
focus groups in February 2007. These were with Forum Board of Directors members,
selected for their experience in and knowledge about education abroad. The focus groups first
took the survey and made written comments on each page and at the end of the survey. We
then conducted the focus group discussions via conference call.
The months following the focus groups involved recruiting and communicating with our 22
partner institutions as well as refining and polishing the survey and determining the
procedure for launching it. We used a variation of the Tailored Design Method espoused by
Dillman (2000). Our sole method of contact was by email sent by the recipient’s alma mater
and included four total messages: a pre-notice message, a survey recruitment message, a
thank you and first reminder, and a final and second reminder. All members of the population
received all messages unless they specifically requested to be removed from the mailing list.
We piloted the survey instrument and our procedures with Dickinson College in October,
2007. We launched the full survey in November, 2007; the survey was closed in April, 2008.

Findings
This section reports the findings from our quantitative Global Engagement Survey
instrument, as well as the preliminary findings from the qualitative interviews. Descriptive
statistics are utilized to provide an understanding of the respondents’ study abroad choices

9
and experiences, as well as the perceived impact of study abroad on their subsequent life
experiences and global engagement.

Quantitative findings
To frame the impact of study abroad in the broader context of college life, the participants
were first asked to indicate the impact on their lives of various activities they were involved
in during their undergraduate study. Table 2 reports all available activities by level of impact
(ranging from “no impact” to “strong impact”). Three activities stood out among all of the 12
as having a strong impact on the largest percentage of participants: study abroad (83.5%),
friendships/student-peer interactions (73.8%), and coursework (66.2%). We then explored the
nature of the study abroad experiences of our sample.

Table 2. Impact of College Experiences on SAGE Participants' Lives (%)

Categories Strong Some Little No Not
Impact Impact Impact Impact Applicable
Study abroad 83.5 14.9 1.4 0.1 0.1
Friendships/student-peer interactions 73.8 21.8 3.8 0.5 0.1
Coursework 66.2 30.1 3.1 0.2 0.4
Interaction with faculty 37.9 43.6 16.2 2.1 0.2
Work/employment during college 27.5 37.3 19.7 5.3 10.2
Community service/volunteer work 22.6 37.5 23.5 6.7 9.7
Internship (in the U.S.) 21.1 20.6 9.1 5.6 43.6
Athletics/intramural sports 16.9 22.1 22.3 16.4 22.3
Student clubs 13.3 28.7 29.5 12.3 16.2
Fraternity/Sorority 8.9 7.9 6 11.2 66.0
Religious organization 7.6 12.9 15 22.5 42.0
Student government 2.2 6.8 16.8 29.1 45.1
N=6391

Destination
The top ten destinations among the sample include (in the order of participation): the UK,
France, Spain, Italy, Germany, China, Australia, Japan, Mexico, and Greece. It can be seen
that the most common destinations include mainly European countries; however, China and
Japan have also emerged among the top ten destinations of the study’s sample.
Duration
Among the entire sample the most common length of their most significant study abroad

10
experience was four months (25.4%) followed by three months (22%). These findings show
that just under a half of the participants participated in the classic semester-long study abroad
programs. Additionally, 23.7 percent of the participants participated in five or six months
long programs, while around 10 percent of the sample participated in one or two months long
study abroad programs.

Program structure
In terms of the program structure, the largest portion of the participants (37.1%) attended
programs with the classes designed for the study abroad students. In addition, approximately
equal numbers of students attended regular classes alongside host country students, travel
seminars or shipboard programs, or the mixture of different types of the programs. The
fewest number of students attended field studies (6.7%) or the campus of the U.S. institution
in another country (2.9%). The participants were also able to describe the structure of their
program.

Program type
The most common program types were area studies, theme-based programs, and language
instruction programs.

Global Engagement Domains

In this section, we present the findings of the five global engagement variables as well as the
education and occupation outcome variables. The percentages being reported are based on the
total sample.

Civic engagement
With respect to this concept, respondents reported on their involvement in a set of civic
activities in the domestic (local, state, or national) or international sphere. On issues of
domestic importance, the most common civic activity was voting in elections (94.2%).
Additionally, 73.2 percent of the participants made a purchasing decision because of the
social or political values of a company, 55.4 percent of the participants have played a
leadership role in improving quality of life, and 44.8 percent have organized or signed
petitions. The participants indicated somewhat less civic activity on the issues of international
importance. Here, the most common civic activity was making a purchasing decision because
of the social or political values of a company (59.8% of the participants), with an additional

11
27.3 percent playing a leadership role in improving quality of life. Across issues of both
domestic and international importance approximately a third of the participants used the
internet to raise awareness about social and political issues.

Voluntary simplicity
This concept was defined as the effort to lead a more modest, simpler lifestyle. The findings
show that a large percentage of the respondents (86.1%) practice voluntary simplicity to a
large or some degree.

Knowledge production
The next concept the study examines is knowledge production in two domains: traditional
print outlets and new technology formats. The findings show that 39 percent of the
participants have had something formally published during the course of their life and career
after the study abroad experience (examples include fiction or non-fiction book; journal,
magazine, or newspaper article; governmental or non-governmental organization report; or
patent). Moreover, 38.6 percent of the participants have indicated engagement in newer types
of knowledge production, such as artistic work, online publishing, multimedia, or films. Both
of these inquiries represented initial questions on this concept, and the responses presented
above represent the level of engagement in the knowledge production by the entire sample.

Philanthropy
The inquiry about philanthropic activities has focused on two types of activities – voluntary
work and monetary donations. The most common volunteer work activity is with educational
organizations, in which 54.7 percent of the participants have frequently or sometimes
engaged. Additionally, 48.8 percent of the participants have frequently or sometimes engaged
in the volunteer work with community organizations, and 35.4 percent of the participants
have worked with organizations addressing poverty issues (such as work in the food bank,
construction and repair, etc.). The participants have donated their money largely to the same
types of organizations mentioned above. The findings indicate that 49.9 percent of the
participants frequently or sometimes provide donations to educational organizations, 47
percent donate to organizations concerned with poverty, and 38.7 make their donations to
environmental organizations.

12
Social entrepreneurship
An important finding has also emerged within the concept of social entrepreneurship. One
definition of such activity could involve influencing a for-profit organization, from within, to
channel an increasing portion of its surpluses and/or profits for the good of the community.
Within our large sample, 25 percent of the participants report having a substantive influence
on their for-profit organization to be socially responsible.

Education and Occupation

Lastly, two more concepts were examined by the study – namely, the educational decisions
after completing undergraduate degree, and individuals’ career choices.

Education
The results show that 60.5 percent of the participants have enrolled in one or more advanced
degree programs since completing their bachelor’s degree. Moreover, out of those pursuing
graduate education, 35 percent of the participants indicated an internationally oriented
graduate degree.

Occupation/Career
The inquiry into the career decisions shows that 35.2 percent of the participants indicated that
study abroad has helped their career to a large degree, while 39.9 percent indicated that study
abroad has helped their career to some degree. Additionally, the careers of 37.7 percent of
the entire sample currently are, or have been, internationally oriented.

Impact of Study Abroad

In addition to examining the outcome variables themselves, we are interested in the degree of
influence study abroad has had on the participants in these seven areas. Table 3 presents a
summary of the data regarding the reported influence of study abroad on global engagement,
education, and careers. The findings from this large sample show that for the majority of the
global engagement activities, study abroad is perceived by over 50% of the participants to
have influenced their involvement to a large or some degree.

13
Table 3. “My level of involvement in the following categories was influenced by my study
abroad experience”
To a large or Very little or
some degree (%) not at all (%) N*
Civic Engagement - Domestic 55.1 44.9 6391
Civic Engagement - International 60.7 39.3 6391
Voluntary Simplicity 70.3 29.7 6217
Knowledge Production - Traditional 51.7 48.3 2491
Knowledge Production - Other 56.3 43.7 2454
Philanthropy - Volunteer Work 45.4 54.6 6391
Philanthropy - Monetary Donations 37.6 62.4 6391
Social Entrepreneurship 61.9 38.1 1592
Educational Decision (advanced degree) 59.7 40.3 3854
Occupation/Career Choice 56.2 43.8 6391

*Ns smaller than 6391 refer to the branching questions, where only the portion of the participants indicating participation in
certain activity was able to express the degree of influence.

Qualitative findings
Following completion of the quantitative portion of this study, qualitative interviews were
conducted, guided by a sequential mixed methods design (Creswell 2009). This kind of
design makes for an enriched understanding of the impact of study abroad and identifies
elements of the impact not captured in the previous quantitative results.

Three interviews presented in this section were deliberately chosen for being particularly
exemplary in representing the focus of study, the impact of study abroad on global
engagement. The interview questions focused on participants’ study abroad experiences and
impact on their life, particularly on their global engagement (civic engagement, voluntary
simplicity, knowledge production, philanthropy, and social entrepreneurship) and educational
and career choices.

Case studies
Case 1
Gayle Woodruff, a White female, is the Director of Curriculum Integration at the Learning
Abroad Center, University of Minnesota. She studied abroad multiple times as an
undergraduate, in Mexico, Germany, and Spain, which influenced her to change her major
from pre-medicine to international relations. Further, at graduate school studying
international education at the University of Minnesota, she conducted field work in Ecuador.

14
It is noteworthy that her study abroad experiences have influenced her active involvement in
the community on both domestic and international issues during the last two decades. For
example, she created a national food buying club with her friends in the community. She also
created a non-profit organization, Global Learning Connections, which brings Ecuadorian
musicians to the Twin Cities in Minnesota and connects them to local educational
organizations. She explained the significance of her study abroad experiences on her life as
follows:

I can’t imagine my life without having had international experiences. They’ve

completely influenced my way of not just looking at my own life, but my own society
and the world. …It makes the world feel a lot smaller.”

Case 2
Julius Coles, an African American male, is currently the head of Africare, a not-for-profit
organization promoting African development. While an undergraduate at Morehouse College
in the 1960s, he did volunteer work in Senegal as a participant in Operations Crossroads and
later was selected as a Merrill scholar for study abroad. He intensively studied, travelled, and
worked throughout Europe and North Africa for 15 months, made possible by the Merrill
scholarship. He described his study abroad experiences as follows:

By this experience of traveling, living abroad and studying abroad, I came to realize
that I was a human being; that I was not an inferior being that I had been told all my
life [that I was Black and inferior].

In addition, he explained that his international experiences at college prepared him for a later
career in international affairs. He was a senior official with the United States Agency of
International Development, working in various countries for 28 years. He was a Mission
Director in Swaziland and Senegal and the countries where he served include Congo,
Vietnam, Morocco, Liberia, and Nepal. In his career, he also worked for Howard University
and Morehouse College for eight years, developing and directing their International Centers,
reflecting his academic entrepreneurship. During the past five years as Director of Africare,
he has raised $350 million on behalf of African development, reflective of his deep
commitment to global engagement. In 2007, he was granted the James Madison Award, the
highest award given by Princeton University to its alumni, for his contributions to public

15
service and the public good.
In his interview, he said, “Without study abroad, I never would have gotten there [in] my life
and career.”

Case 3
Robin Sakamoto is a White female and currently a professor at a university in Japan where
she has lived for almost 24 years. She studied abroad in Germany on a Kalamazoo College
program. She said in her interview that her international experiences helped her
“professionally as well as personally.” She said, “I said to myself, ‘what have I learned in my
life?’ and used that as the starting point.” For example, her experiences in Germany increased
her political awareness of things that are happening around the world, and influenced her to
design a course on global citizenship at the university. She also encourages strongly her
Japanese students to study abroad.

Her impressive role as the President of the Parent-Teacher Association in Japan is also related
to her study abroad experiences. She explained that her experiences in Germany, knowing
that she had other experiences that she had worked at, influenced her to take a leadership role
in a culture that is not her own.

Emerging themes
The life stories of these three individuals demonstrate a significant impact of their study
abroad experiences on their life. From these cases there are four emerging themes:

First, three case studies reveal that study abroad experiences influenced the interviewees’
global engagement in multiple ways, which correspond to key global engagement variables
identified in the previous quantitative results. For example, Gayle Woodruff’s involvement
with two organizations represents global engagement in terms of civic engagement, voluntary
simplicity, philanthropy and social entrepreneurship. The careers of Julius Coles and Robin
Sakamoto also represent their commitment to civic engagement.

Second, the careers of each of these individuals were internationally oriented with a large
influence from their study abroad experiences. Woodruff works in international education at
a university, Coles works in international development in developing countries, and
Sakamoto teaches at a university in Japan.

16
Similarly, study abroad experiences influenced their subsequent educational choices.
Woodruff and Sakamoto studied international education at graduate school, and Woodruff
had changed her undergraduate major after her study abroad. Coles’ undergraduate study
abroad experience was instrumental in his being able to do graduate work at the Woodrow
Wilson School of Public and International Affairs at Princeton. These three individuals also
participated in study abroad programs multiple times throughout their undergraduate and
graduate education.
Finally and most importantly, these three individuals all pointed out the significance of study
abroad experiences for having profoundly shaped their subsequent lives and careers.

Discussion and Conclusion

Quantitative findings
The SAGE research program shows first that study abroad is one of the most important
experiences students can have during their undergraduate years. Second, SAGE goes on to
show in detail the ways in which returnees become globally engaged. Third, this study shows
just how influential study abroad is perceived to be by the participants in terms of their
subsequent global engagement activities. Moreover, this study conceptualizes global
engagement as a multifaceted phenomenon consisting of five core dimensions. These
dimensions are explored in considerable detail and provide us with a new and clearer
understanding of the ways in which global engagement is manifested. When we look at the
percentage of participants who become civically involved, produce new knowledge, practice
new and environmentally aware lifestyles, make philanthropic commitments, and create or
participate in social entrepreneurship, it is unlikely that these findings would pertain in the
larger population. Definitively, more of our respondents went on to graduate education than
the general U.S. college undergraduate population, and the international nature of the career
choices for so many of them is unlikely to be replicated in the population as a whole.

Qualitative findings
While the quantitative data of this study demonstrate the significant overall impact of study
abroad on long-term global engagement in its various key dimensions, the qualitative case
studies enrich those findings by indicating more concretely the nature of such global
engagement. The qualitative case studies also provide more in-depth data on the exact nature
of the study abroad experience.
In terms of the study abroad experience, a key defining characteristic is the intensity of the

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study abroad experience. Gayle Woodruff had many diverse study abroad experiences. Julius
Coles spent 15 months abroad, including studying in a local university in French, traveling
throughout Europe and North Africa, and having many experiential learning opportunities in
diverse countries.
In terms of global engagement, the qualitative cases show clearly the dramatic impact of
study abroad on career paths and development. Robin Sakamoto, for example, is committed
to spending her life teaching and working in Japan. Coles’ highly successful career in USAID
was clearly inspired by and made possible by his study abroad experiences.
Woodruff’s global engagement has been primarily in promoting cultural relations while
Coles has played a significant role in raising substantial funds for African development.

Final reflections
Previous to this major study of the impact of study abroad on global engagement there has
been much anecdotal information on this topic. Through the administration of the Global
Engagement Survey to a large national sample of over 6,000 individuals who had studied
abroad over a period of 50 years, we have now documented empirically and systematically
how study abroad has positively influenced global engagement in each of the five key
domains used in this study: civic engagement, knowledge production, philanthropy, social
entrepreneurship, voluntary simplicity. Given the current imperative for a more sustainable
global environment, the finding that study abroad has contributed significantly to the practice
of voluntary simplicity is particularly salient. Also the finding that study abroad was viewed
as the most impactful of their undergraduate experiences should be welcomed by
international educators. It is clear from these data, quantitative and qualitative, that study
abroad experiences can profoundly influence individuals’ pursuit of further graduate studies,
career paths, and global engagement.

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Bigraphy
R. Michael Paige is a professor of international and intercultural education in the
Department of Educational Policy and Administration at the University of Minnesota, Twin
Cities. He is an internationally recognized scholar and educator with more than 40 years of
experience in the field of intercultural education and training

Gerald W. Fry has over 40 years of experience as a scholar, teacher, administrator and
consultant. He is a professor of international and intercultural education in the Department of
Educational Policy and Administration at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities. He is a
leading area specialist on Southeast Asia in general and Thailand in particular. He has been
leading study groups to Southeast Asia annually since 1993.

Elizabeth M. Stallman is a PhD candidate in the University of Minnesota's comparative and

international development education program. Her research interests are racial and ethnic
identity, intercultural competence, college student development, and internationalization of
the campus.

Jasmina Josić is a PhD candidate in comparative and international development education at

the University of Minnesota. Her research interests are in the areas of citizenship education in
multicultural societies, gender equity in education, organizational aspects of
internationalization of higher education, and development of intercultural competence.

Jae-Eun Jon is a PhD candidate in the comparative and international development education
program at the University of Minnesota. Her research interests include the
internationalization of higher education, intercultural competence, intercultural friendship,
and international development education.

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