The Power Of Active Experimentation: Assessing Study Abroad Programs

Over 4.6 million students studied abroad in 2015 (UNESCO Institute for Statistics, 2017) and as such this is contributing to the growth of educational tourism in general (Worldtourismwire, 2017). While early research tended to focus on motivations to study abroad (e.g. Sanchez, Fornerino, & Zhang, 2006), recently researchers have examined the outcomes and transformative power of these international education experiences (e.g. Strange & Gibson, 2017). Researchers have found that study abroad can improve students’ cross-cultural competencies and facilitate cognitive development (Stone & Petrick, 2013), but its academic credibility is still questioned (Woolf, 2007). Experiential learning theory (Kolb, 1984) has been used to understand the development exhibited by students engaging in international education. The theory portrays learning as a holistic circle with concrete experience, reflective observation, abstract conceptualization, and active experimentation (Kolb, 1984). Accordingly, the learner’s transformation occurs via internal reflection (reflective observation) and external manipulation of their environment (active experimentation). The importance of reflection in cognitive development is particularly important (e.g. Lou & Bosley, 2012). However, study abroad as an opportunity for students to interact and experience external worlds has largely been overlooked. This study examined the impact of “active experimentation” in a non-traditional short-term study abroad program. Participant observation was used to observe 17 undergraduates taking part in a four-week program to Australia. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 11 upon returning. We adopted a constructivist approach, and the interview and observation data were analyzed using constant comparative method (Glaser & Strauss, 1967). Three major themes and a number of subthemes were identified. First, the study abroad experiences enhanced educational outcome in three ways: a) it brought alive respective theories the students learned in the past and made the prior knowledge “more solid”; b) the direct experience of trip made the newly gained knowledge more memorable; c) the vivid memory about the program provided a foundation for the students to draw upon in the future. Second, what was considered new and meaningful differed depending on students’ backgrounds. Third, students’ attitudes toward “free time” during study abroad were to use it to “live in the moment”, and “absorb” what the place had to offer. This made study abroad different from studying on campus. This study is a first attempt to assess the benefits of study abroad programs by examining the last phase of experiential learning, “active experimentation”, to illustrate how the students transform by interacting with the external worlds. Once college students are at the stage of “emerging adulthood” characterized by specializing and exploration, study abroad allows them to add more experience to their knowledge base, which they can reflect on later (Arnett, 2000). Study abroad is an experiment for those who have some ideas about their future to examine how they feel about certain activities, and further adjust their perception of themselves and the world. Additionally, study abroad programs create a temporary frame where students can experiment with a learningplay balanced lifestyle