Scrutinizing the Impacts of Study Abroad Programs

Abstract

Educators and Study Abroad (SA) program designers have set high goals for these experiences. The main objective of sending students to sojourn in Morocco is to have inter-culturally competent graduates who can efficiently function in a global economy. A review of the literature on the impacts of SA programs on American students shows that these programs are frequently described as life-changing experiences since they improve participants’ second language skills, enhance their Intercultural Communicative Competence, and make them more in-demand employees. The present qualitative study examines the impacts of Study abroad programs on American students regarding the target language proficiency, Intercultural Communicative Competence, and employability. To this end, ten interviews were conducted to collect data. The findings indicate that the top three personal characteristics that are crucial to intercultural success are adaptability, open-mindedness, and patience. In addition, the top three program components that affect participants’ overall learning during their sojourn in Morocco are homestay, group travel, and academic leader. Moreover, results show that gender has no impact on respondents’ ability to communicate using the host language; however, females are better than males in terms of developing their Intercultural Communicative Competence due to their participation in Study Abroad programs in Morocco. More than that, the findings indicate that the programs’ component significantly impacts students’ ability to communicate in the target language and understand the host culture. Concerning the impact of the duration of SA programs on participants’ intercultural skills, the findings suggest that the longer these programs are the more linguistic and cultural gains students get. The core finding of this study is that the duration of Study Abroad programs and students’ previous international experiences make the strongest contribution to students’ employability; however, gender does not contribute to helping participants find a job.