Skeptics of studying abroad equate these programs with semester-long binge drinking fests and argue that students travel to foreign lands under the auspices of learning a new language or understanding new cultures, but really spend months boozing in bars overrun with Americans and jet-setting across Europe. It doesn't seem like there's much work going on.
But, as Inside Higher Ed reports, this study proves otherwise. Studying abroad improves students' academic performance:
"The skeptics of study abroad have always made the argument that study abroad is a distraction from the business of getting educated, so you can enter the economy and become a contributing member of society," said Don Rubin, professor emeritus of speech communication and language education at the University of Georgia and research director for GLOSSARI -- the Georgia Learning Outcomes of Students Studying Abroad Research Initiative. "I think if there's one take-home message from this research as a whole it is that study abroad does not undermine educational outcomes, it doesn't undermine graduation rate, it doesn't undermine final semester GPA. It's not a distraction.Read the full story at Inside Higher Ed. (Via GOOD)
This article available online at:
http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2011/03/does-studying-abroad-make-you-smarter-turns-out-it-might/73217/
