The Impact of Short-Term Study Abroad Programs on Intercultural Competence of Students on a Frontier/Rural Campus

This study evaluated the effectiveness of short-term study abroad programs on a frontier/rural campus, particularly in the light of promotion of internationalization efforts by educational institutions in the U.S. It measured students’ intercultural competence and cultural adaptability before and after participating in a short-term study abroad program. A short instrument was used to collect data regarding knowledge, attitude, and skills (subscales) in the context of interacting (living) in another culture. Sixty-three students from various disciplines participated in the study. Significant changes were seen in all three subscales as well as in the total score. The greatest change was seen within the subscale ‘knowledge’ indicating the largest gains for students’ increased awareness of cross-cultural competence and complexities. Additionally, qualitative data collected from students corroborated the above findings. This information may be used to further develop sustainable study abroad programs in promotion of internationalization efforts by higher education institutions.