| dc.description.abstract | Based on data from a survey administered during the spring 2010 semester at Oklahoma State University, this study looks at faculty, internationalization and study abroad. With a focus on faculty members at the university who participate in and support internationalization efforts, the study observes the relationship between those faculty members' internationalization activities and their participation in and support for the increasing study abroad efforts on campus. The study examines the factors that demonstrate faculty attitudes and behaviors related to study abroad and internationalization. The results of this study indicate that support for and participation in study abroad is connected to faculty involvement in internationalization at the university. Faculty involved in international activities are more likely to also support study abroad. The following factors related to faculty participation in internationalization supported by the results of this study include: gender, discipline, level of instruction, appointment status, and participation in international research. Two of the four hypothesis devised to measure the results in relation to the problem statement are supported by the data. Faculty involved in campus internationalization efforts are likely to be involved in study abroad programs as well, and faculty who are involved in campus internationalization efforts are also more likely to promote study abroad for their students. The study does not demonstrate significance for the remaining two hypotheses. Faculty at OSU with greater international experience, including foreign language aptitude, are not shown in the results to be more likely to support study abroad programs, nor are faculty who themselves studied and lived abroad more likely to promote study abroad for their students. Further research is needed to examine the factors at play in these results in an effort to better understand the role faculty serve in students' decisions to study abroad. As the demand and interest for programs increases, this study begins to provide an understanding of the participation factors, incentives, and challenges for faculty within study abroad. | |
