Effects of studying abroad on college students

This thesis focused on the ways short-term study abroad capstones may change students’ political stances, as well as the way it may impact their worldview. To do this, data was collected via an online survey before and after each student’s capstone with permission from the University of Northern Iowa’s Study Abroad Center. The specific variables which were measured are political standpoint (how liberal or conservative a student is), and their worldview (how the students see the world around them on a global scale). Although there has been some research done on the ways studying abroad helps students develop cross-cultural skills, there is very little research regarding how it may change a student’s political viewpoints or their worldview. No statistically significant results were found in this study.