study abroad’s contribution to critical thinking and world citizenship

 The Benefits of Study Abroad

Study abroad is typically described as life-changing. A defining moment, or so participants say, study abroad helps shape a participant’s life for years after the experience. In 2002, the Institute for the International Education of Students (IES) conducted the largest survey of study abroad alumni ever. the data, which the Institute gathered from 3,723 respondents who took part in IES study abroad programs between 1950 and 1999, show that study abroad positively influences the maturity, education, and career path of participants.

Beyond the Cultural and Linguistic Benefits

Consider the improvement of creative thinking and com- munication skills. Tracy Rundstrom Williams shows that stu- dents who study abroad generally demonstrate a greater increase in intercultural communication skills after their time abroad than students who stay on campus. 

Stronger results have been obtained. Irvine Clarke III et al(etal). show that students who participate in study abroad not only improve their intercultural communication skills to a greater degree than those who do not but also achieve a ‘significantly higher level of intercultural communication’ after the experience than their stay-at-home counterparts.

Finally, living abroad has been found to boost creativity. In a series of five studies, William W. Maddux and Adam D. Galinsky discover a robust correlation between living over- seas and enhanced creativity, identifying adaptation as the critical mechanism that underlies this linkage.

Adaptation may be the key psychological element that explains why living abroad is associated with creativity. While traveling overseas might not enhance creativity, living in a foreign land and adapting to a new culture would. Insofar as study abroad augments the chance of cultural adaptation, participants are poised to gain from enhanced creativity.