Increasing Participation in Study Abroad Programs from Lower-Level English Students

Most research into study abroad is conducted with students who are planning to or have already participated in a program. This paper, however, diverges by discussing students' attitudes before a decision about whether to study abroad has been made. A questionnaire was administered to 174 first-year students who were classified as having low English proficiency and were studying in mandatory English classes. The results indicate that over 40 percent were not interested in studying abroad. When asked when they would go if they were to participate, the majority believed they would most likely go during their second year of university. When queried about location, the overwhelming response was the United States, followed by Australia and the United Kingdom. The locations were not statistically different than those of a previous study with advanced-level students who had not made a decision whether to study abroad. The similarities in responses suggest that choice of location is not related to English ability. The lowerproficiency students, however, showed more interest in shorter programs than their advanced counterparts. The paper concludes with a discussion about the need for a new, shorter program that will attract a greater number of low-level English learners to study abroad.