Study Abroad in Psychology

Abstract

Despite the prominence of study abroad programs, few are offered in the field of psychology. The current study sought to investigate the impact of study abroad programs in psychology through a comparison of study abroad and domestic student cultural competencies. Participants included 104 undergraduate students enrolled in either a psychology study abroad program or domestic psychology courses who completed pre–post Cross-Cultural Adaptability Inventory measures. Results indicated greater emotional resilience, perceptual acuity, and cultural adjustment in study abroad students when compared to domestic students. Results suggest that by incorporating the experiential learning of study abroad with psychology’s focus on human behavior, faculty can create high-impact learning environments that foster student cultural competencies.