Scholarly Journal-REWRITE #1

Heather Holdorf Scholarly Journal-REWRITE #1

The journal, “Effects of Study Abroad Participation on Student Graduation Rates: A Study of Three Incoming Freshman Cohorts at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities,” reflects on the effects studying abroad has on college students. There are positive and negative effects of traveling abroad including higher graduation rates for students that are behind and the advantages of traveling abroad as well.
Students that are more at risk of graduation, including students that are on the 6 or 7 year plan, are encouraged to study abroad as it may help them become more focused as there are able to get credit abroad. Not only are the students being able to experience a different culture but they are able to stay focused on school as well. The study has found that the more students that go abroad are becoming more successful when they would otherwise not be.
This study about 2 groups of incoming freshman is really trying to target the affects of traveling abroad. The study found that students that were likely to graduate in 5 or 6 years weren’t affected by traveling abroad, in comparison to the group that staying in the states.
This study is beneficial for my article on the stuggles of San Jose State student’s looking to travel abroad, because an issue that holds students back is exactly this. Students are afraid of what can happen if they do ‘step out of the box’ and go abroad. This journal solidifies the fact that it is possible to have this amazing experience and still graduate on time.


Effects of Study Abroad Participation on Student Graduation Rates:
A Study of Three Incoming Freshman Cohorts at the University of
Minnesota,Twin Cities
Jodi Malmgren, University of Minnesota, Twin Cities
James Galvin, University of California, San Diego
Study abroad participation is increasing.
National and institutional resources are being
devoted to internationalization. Assessments stress
the importance of learning outcomes among study
abroad participants. The confluence of these influences
led the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities,
to gather data on graduation rates of study abroad
participants and compare them to those of nonparticipants.
We analyzed the data and the patterns
that emerge among subsets of the students by
college of enrollment and for students of color. The
data suggest that study abroad participation may
not harm graduation rates and that it is highly correlated
with high graduation rates among underprepared
and at-risk undergraduates as well as
students of color.We highlight the implications of
the study for academic advisors.
KEY WORDS: advising-as-teaching, at-risk students,
developmental advising, retention, students
of color
Relative Emphasis: practice, research, theory
Educational Outcomes of Study Abroad
Internationalization
In 2001, the American Council on Education
found that 75% of the public, with broad representation
across gender and education levels, believe
that college students should study abroad. High
school students intend to fulfill those expectations;
48% of surveyed college-bound seniors wanted to
study abroad and another 28% planned an internship
abroad (Hayward & Siaya, 2001, pp. 21–25).
While actual participation rates fall short of these
expectations, study abroad participation and diversity
of destination have increased nationally.
Between the 1994-95 and the 2004-05 academic
years, study abroad participation increased 144%
to over 205,000 U.S. students. Nontraditional destinations,
such as Argentina (up 53%) and China (up
35% on the heels of a 90% increase the previous
year), grew in popularity between 2003-04 and
2004-05. Of the top 20 destinations in 2004-05, only
5 are English speaking and 11 are outside Europe
(Institute of International Education, 2006).
Education abroad and its importance gained
U.S. government attention in 2007 with the Senator
Paul Simon Study Abroad Foundation Act. If signed
into law, the act will leverage institutional and governmental
resources to enable more than 1 million
students to go abroad annually by the year 2017. It
will also increase diversity among both participants
and destinations. The act would supplement
existing governmental scholarships and funding
for language study and help make international
study an affordable reality for many more students
than currently study overseas.
Assessing Educational Outcomes
National and institutional calls for greater
accountability parallel the rise in study abroad participation.
Study abroad is clearly a global educational
phenomenon, a “growth industry” in higher
education, and contributes to broader internationalization
efforts in colleges and universities.
In an era of ever-greater accountability and
cost-benefit analysis, hard evidence is being
demanded to demonstrate that investments in
various forms of education, including study
abroad, are worthy ones that are realizing their
learning objectives. (Paige, Cohen, & Shively,
2004, p. 253)
Outcomes assessments are being conducted by
researchers to determine the effects of study abroad
on students’ intercultural competence and global
awareness (Chieffo & Griffiths, 2004; Medina-
Lopez-Portillo, 2004), language proficiency (Engle
& Engle 2004; Segalowitz et al., 2004), disciplinespecific
expectations (Dibiasio & Mello, 2004),
as well as career goals and outcomes (Orahood,
Kruze, & Easley Pearson, 2004). Several of these
variables have been researched simultaneously in
individual studies (Ingraham & Peterson, 2004;
Vande Berg, Balkcum, Scheid, & Whalen, 2004).
Broad-based assessments of student engagement
point to positive outcomes of in-depth educational
activities (e.g., study abroad or learning
communities) on student learning and development.
George Kuh, a long-term researcher of student
development and engagement, stated, “Among