IIlllliinnooiiss SSttaattee UUnniivveerrssiittyy IISSUU RReeDD:: RReesseeaarrcchh aanndd eeDDaattaa Theses and Dissertations 3-1-2016 TTrriioo--EElliiggiibbllee SSttuuddeennttss AAnndd SSttuuddyy AAbbrrooaadd:: IInnflfluueennttiiaall FFaaccttoorrss,, BBaarrrriieerrss,, AAnndd BBeenneefifittss Michael R. Minton Illinois State University, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://ir.library.illinoisstate.edu/etd Part of the Higher Education Administration Commons RReeccoommmmeennddeedd CCiittaattiioonn Minton, Michael R., "Trio-Eligible Students And Study Abroad: Influential Factors, Barriers, And Benefits" (2016). Theses and Dissertations. 531. https://ir.library.illinoisstate.edu/etd/531 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by ISU ReD: Research and eData. It has been accepted for inclusion in Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of ISU ReD: Research and eData. For more information, please contact [email protected]. TRIO-ELIGIBLE STUDENTS AND STUDY ABROAD: INFLUENTIAL FACTORS, BARRIERS, AND BENEFITS Michael R. Minton 159 Pages Despite the fact that only 1.8% of U.S. undergraduate students choose to participate in a study abroad program, the popularity of study abroad has grown significantly in recent years (Open Doors, 2013). Participation in study abroad programs has grown by over 97% since 2000, and has increased every year since 2008-09 (Open Doors, 2013). Many institutions recognize the importance of this educational activity in preparing their students to be productive citizens in an ever-growing global economy and society. While the number of U.S. undergraduate students participating in study abroad has continued to increase overall, it is important to note that these data trends do not remain the same when disaggregated. For instance, the number of underrepresented students, especially first-generation and low income, participating in study abroad programs has remained low. While attention has been drawn to this population, especially by offering U.S. Department of State Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship Program scholarships and travel stipends to Pell Grant recipients who desire to study abroad, more research is required. Since the annual Open Doors Survey, the main instrument used to gather data on study abroad programs, does not allow for differentiation of socioeconomic or first- generation status of individuals participating in study abroad, a better sense of the trends in study abroad program involvement among underrepresented students needs to be obtained. In addition, no data are gathered on the benefits or barriers that influence study abroad decision making among underrepresented groups. For these reasons, a transformative, mixed-methods approach was used to identify the influential factors, barriers, and benefits that influenced first-generation and low- income students to participate in study abroad programs. This study focused on TRiO- eligible students who chose to study abroad and were enrolled at a Midwestern institution in the United States. To be eligible for a federal TRiO program, a student can qualify as first-generation, low-income, or disabled (as defined by the American Disabilities Act); however, for the purposes of this study, only first-generation and low-income students were included. The disability status of an individual was intentionally excluded to minimize potential violations of the strict regulations of confidentiality that accompany the recording of disability status of an individual. This study built upon three previous studies that examined the decision of individuals to decide to participate in study abroad programs: Booker’s (2001) Decision- Making Process for Applying or Not Applying to Study Abroad Model, Peterson’s (2003) Decision to Study Abroad Model, and Kasravi’s (2009) Adapted Model of Decision to Study Abroad for students of color in study abroad programs. The framework and survey instrument utilized for this study were based upon these models to determine the personal, social, and institutional factors influencing TRiO-eligible students who decided to study abroad, the barriers students faced in making their decision to study abroad, and how they benefited from their participation in a study abroad program. The findings gleaned from analyzing 208 complete surveys, one focus group interview, and four individual interviews, suggest that all three factors (personal, social, institutional) played a role. Institutional factors were most influential when it came to the decision of TRiO-eligible students to participate in study abroad. These findings demonstrate that institutional investment into factors such as funding, awareness, and support for first-generation students and Pell Grant recipients are effective in influencing these students to study abroad, answering the Institute for International Education’s call to diversify the study abroad population through the Generation Study Abroad initiative. The study provides practical implications for improving data collection of demographic variables, such as socioeconomic status and generational status in college, in order to gauge the participation level of TRiO-eligible students in study abroad at the institutional level, as well as recommendations for future research. KEY WORDS: First-Generation, Low-Income, Pell Grant, Study Abroad, TRiO-Eligible Students, TRiO Programs TRIO-ELIGIBLE STUDENTS AND STUDY ABROAD: INFLUENTIAL FACTORS, BARRIERS, AND BENEFITS MICHAEL R. MINTON A Dissertation Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY Department of Educational Administration and Foundations ILLINOIS STATE UNIVERSITY 2016 Copyright 2016 Michael R. Minton TRIO-ELIGIBLE STUDENTS AND STUDY ABROAD: INFLUENTIAL FACTORS, BARRIERS, AND BENEFITS MICHAEL R. MINTON COMMITTEE MEMBERS: Mohamed Nur-Awaleh, Chair Lydia Kyei-Blankson Phyllis McCluskey-Titus Dianne Renn ACKNOWLEDGMENTS First and foremost, I want to thank my wife Brittney, who encouraged me to enroll in the doctoral program, believed in me, and supported me along the way. To our children Caty, Aubrey, and Reid who all wanted daddy to finish. I will never forget the times that each of you wanted to help me type during those early morning sessions. I would like to thank my parents for all their encouragement and support to complete this program. I would like to thank my committee chair Dr. Mohamed Nur-Awaleh for his belief in me, my topic, and his encouragement to keep building on it during my time in the program. I would like to acknowledge Dr. Lydia Kyei-Blankson as the best methodologist a doctoral student could ask for. Thank you for your suggestions, timely feedback, and encouragement through this entire process. I would like to thank my committee members Dr. Phyllis McCluskey-Titus and Dr. Dianne Renn for their support and validation that this was a meaningful study. I would also like to acknowledge Dr. Wendy Troxel for her coaching and guidance early in my program. I would like to thank Dr. Amelia Noel-Elkins and Dr. Dan Elkins for their mentoring, guidance, and support through this entire process. I would like to thank my doctoral classmates and colleagues. Our cohort was an experiment, and I know I truly benefited from the format and from the support of my classmates. A very special thank you is deserved to Rosa and Brian. Thank you both for helping me make this study a reality. I cannot thank you two enough for your support of i this study. To the many work colleagues from the University of Southern Indiana and Illinois State University who encouraged me along the way, I am grateful. Thank you to the many TRiO students and alums who have been such a privilege to work with and who were the inspiration for this study. M. R. M. ii CONTENTS Page ACKNOWLEDGMENTS i CONTENTS iii TABLES vii CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTION TO THE STUDY 1 Overview and Statement of the Problem 1 Purpose and Scope of the Study 6 Research Questions 8 Theoretical Framework 11 Significance of the Study 12 Definitions 13 Organization of the Study 15 Summary 16 II. LITERATURE REVIEW 17 Introduction and Organization 17 Historical Overview of Study Abroad 18 Ancient Beginnings 19 Early European Influences 20 Colonial and Early America 21 19th Century America 22 Early 20th Century America and the First U.S. Study Abroad Program 24 Impact of WWII on Study Abroad 26 Role of the Federal Government, 1948-Present 27 The 1960’s federal involvement in study abroad 31 Federal role in study abroad since the 1990s 32 iii