Examining the Impact of Duration in Short- and Medium-Term Study Abroad: A Mixed-Methods Study

Universities are increasingly enhancing their study abroad programmes to boost students’ employability skill development. Study abroad is vital for fostering leadership, management, and life skills through strategically crafted international education experiences. Despite its popularity, there is limited understanding of how duration affects the development of employability skills, such as adaptability on study abroad. This study helps to addresses this gap by assessing the socio-cultural and psychological adaptability of students before and after participating in short- or medium-term study abroad at two different international destinations. A mixed-methods approach was utilised to explore both quantitative and qualitative student response data that was collected pre- and post-study abroad experience over a 4-year period. The findings reveal that study abroad destination, duration, and the type of in-country learning significantly shape the development of students’ adaptability skills. The results also highlight notable differences in learning outcomes between short- and medium-term study abroad, offering valuable insights in curricular refinement. These insights aid in making informed decisions regarding the incorporation of relevant and suitable learning activities that are tailored to the unique impacts of duration on study abroad. The findings from this study are particularly pertinent given the ongoing disruptions and impacts on internationalising curricular, further complicated by rising travel costs, accommodation expenses, perceived, potential, and actual risks. These challenges highlight the importance of understanding the affects of duration on study abroad for short- and medium-term programmes, namely adaptability.