Document Type
Doctor of Education Capstone
Original Publication Date
2025
Client
VCU Global Education Office
Location
Richmond, VA
Date of Submission
May 2025
Abstract
The study abroad experience, often credited with providing an inclusive learning opportunity, has the transformative potential to expand students' worldviews, enrich their academic experiences, and foster cross-cultural understanding. This study examines the Global Education Office (GEO) at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) and its efforts to increase institutional support, student awareness, and engagement with study abroad programs. The study explores barriers to participation and perceptions of value through secondary analysis of GEO’s post-program student surveys and primary data from a faculty, staff, and academic advisor survey. Guided by Wigfield’s Expectancy-Value Theory and Perry’s Theory of Intellectual and Ethical Development, the research investigates how motivation, institutional messaging, and developmental growth influence students’ decisions to pursue study abroad.
This collaborative effort ensures that the study abroad experience achieves its intended educational and cultural outcomes, supported by the VCU Strategic Plan, Quest 2028.
Rights
© The Authors