After a few months in a different country, you may pick up a new phrase or favorite dish, but can studying abroad change how you participate in society? A recent study published in the Journal of Moral Education found that students who study abroad are more civically engaged than those who don’t.
Though formal classroom learning is an essential part of higher education, researchers at UChicago recognized that college is about more than what goes on in the lecture hall. “It's interesting to think about ways in which students' college experiences outside the classroom prepare them for the world out there,” said Anne Henly, director of Undergraduate Studies in Psychology and principal investigator of the study.
What impact do “co-curricular activities,” like joining a club or playing a sport, have on a student’s psychological development? As part of a grant awarded by the Self, Virtue and Public Life Initiative, the Center for Practical Wisdom’s Jeannie Ngoc Boulware, Yena Kim, Howard Nusbaum and Anne Henly conducted a study focused on one specific co-curricular activity—studying abroad.
Though programs differ in location and level of immersion, students traveling overseas usually find themselves navigating different socio-cultural norms. Being in a new place allows students to acquire language skills, meet new people from other cultures and encounter different ideas.
“Our hypothesis was that because study abroad removes you from what you're familiar with and introduces you to ways in which other people live, that might encourage you to see things from their perspective,” Henly said. “This might change basic perspective-taking abilities and empathic processes that affect social attitudes and engagement.”
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This story was first published by UChicago News.
