Assessing Impact of Study Abroad on Graduation Rates of Underrepresented Students

Abstract

Assessing Impact of Study Abroad on Graduation Rates of Underrepresented Students Tory L. Brundage (bio), Gayle Christensen (bio), Anne K. Althauser (bio), and Sudha Sharma (bio) EXPANDING INTERNATIONAL EDUCATION Fueled by globalization, technological advances, and more accessible travel, the role of international education on college and university campuses has had a period of immense growth. According to the Institute of International Education's 2019 Open Doors report, just over 340,000 US students participated in a study abroad program for credit during the 2017–2018 academic year. The number of students choosing to study abroad has steadily increased over the past 25 years. Immediately prior to the COVID-19 global pandemic, 10.9% of all undergraduates in the US studied abroad at some point while pursuing their degree. This rapid expansion has largely been welcomed on college campuses due to globalization and the sense that such opportunities can be transformational for students. Consequently, there is interest among administrators, scholars, instructors, and policymakers to better understand the effects of study abroad on student learning and outcomes. Though the COVID-19 global pandemic caused an unprecedented decrease in international education, the enduring forces of globalization will likely yield a strong return to study abroad programming when permitted and safe (Marginson, 2020). As such, it remains important to understand and assess outcomes related to study abroad participation at an institutional level. ASSESSING STUDY ABROAD The student success literature has evolved a substantial interest in understanding and implementing high-impact practices, aspects of the college student experience that positively influence college persistence and completion rates (Kuh, 2008). A promising supposition of Kuh's 2008 work was the notion that high-impact practices would not only increase student engagement and degree completion but that the effect would also be evident among historically underserved student populations. Additionally, the existing racial and ethnic disparities in higher education have led some to call for a more targeted focus on graduation rates across racial and ethnic student populations to identify the most impactful practices (Johnson & Stage, 2018; Stohs & Schutte, 2019). While multiple studies have examined the effect of studying abroad on graduation rates (Haupt et al. 2018), few have explored [End Page 239] how that effect may vary across student populations (Bell et al. 2021). Given that students of color have been consistently underrepresented in study abroad programs (International Institute of Education, 2019), there is a gap in the literature assessing study abroad for students of color as a high-impact practice. This inquiry aimed to (a) advance a common research model proposed in the literature for assessing study abroad and (b) use this model specifically to measure the impact of studying abroad on graduation rates for historically underserved student populations. METHODS This analysis used the Leveraging Education Abroad Participation for Graduation (GRAD LEAP) model (Haupt et al., 2018), which calls for a common approach to data analysis when exploring questions about the impact of education abroad on college student graduation rates. Study Setting and Participants This was a retrospective analysis of deidentified data accessed through an internal student database at a large, public research institution on the West Coast of the US. The campus has a formal Office of Study Abroad that supports students with selecting and participating in a wide range of international education programs offered by the institution. Additionally, the office has an adviser focused on equity and access, as well as a needs-based scholarship program for studying abroad. Furthermore, and relevant to this study, there are TRIO programs and Educational Opportunity Program offices that support students of color through a wide range of efforts, as well as race-conscious pipeline programs available in many academic pathways. The program offerings are similar to those offered at many large public institutions in the US. The study included enrollment and student academic records from first-time, first-year, and fully matriculated undergraduate enrollees during the 2012, 2013, and 2014 academic years. International students, defined as those studying on an F1 student visa, as well as students admitted through the transfer or post-baccalaureate application processes, were excluded. Using these criteria, a total of 15,620 unique records were included in the analysis. Within this overall population, 2...