The impact of study abroad on improved cultural awareness: a quantitative review

ABSTRACT

Studying abroad (SA) represents a valuable experience for many students within higher education settings. Recently, the number of students choosing to SA within higher education has risen. Quantitative and qualitative research indicates that SA improves learning as related to ancillary types of learning outcomes, such as with cultural awareness (CA). CA is knowledge gained about similarities and differences among and between cultural groups. The goal of the present quantitative review was to compile and evaluate, in a comprehensive manner, published findings, addressing the impact of SA in higher education on CA. To accomplish this goal, articles reporting empirical results were collected, and effect sizes for statistical comparisons were calculated. Across 28 independent studies, SA was found to be associated with marked increases in CA (mean effect size, d = 0.569). A critical evaluation of empirical studies on SA and CA shows many important flaws and limitations. Many studies are based on self-report data derived from relatively small samples of US students studying abroad for 1 year or less. This quantitative review provides support for the hypothesis that SA may improve CA, but also demonstrates the need for further rigorous research to be conducted in this area.

KEYWORDS:

• Study abroad
• cultural awareness
• international education
• review
• intercultural

Disclosure statement

No financial interest or benefit has arisen from the direct applications of this research.

Notes

1. For the ISI, scores on the acceptance, adaptation, and integration scales (representing development towards cultural competence) were considered, while scores on the denial, defence, and minimisation scales were not considered (Bennett 1986; Olson and Kroeger 2001). Within the current theoretical framework, CA represents individual differences in ‘knowledge gained about similarities and differences among and between cultural groups’, while cultural competence represents a developmental stage. ISI scores were used to represent individual differences in CA, and not if an individual had ‘achieved’ a particular stage or not.

2. The term ‘cultural awareness’ (CA) is used for consistency throughout this article. However, Covert (2014) and Deardorff (2006) used the term ‘intercultural competence’.

Additional information

Funding

This research was funded by the University of Georgia Office of the Vice President of Research.

Notes on contributors

Brian W. Haas

Brian W. Haas, Ph.D., is an associate professor of Psychology at the University of Georgia in the United States. Dr. Haas’ area of research and teaching specialises in cultural psychology, international education, and social neuroscience. He teaches on several study abroad programmes and has served as a Fulbright Scholar to the Kingdom of Bhutan.