HO CHI MINH UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY AND EDUCATION

UNIVERSITY OF SUNDERLAND & INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS

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STUDENTS’ OF COLLEGE ATTITUDES TOWARD

STUDYING ABROAD

Student: Dang Thi Bich Loan

Student’s ID: 22BM40248

Intstructor: Trinh Thi Giang Thanh

Course:

Ho Chi Minh City, April, 2024

Students’Attitudes Toward Studying Abroad

Dang Thi Bich Loan

Instructor: Mrs. Trinh Thi Giang Thanh

Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology and Education

Ho Chi Minh City, April, 2024

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Table of Contents

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Acknowledgement

I would like to pay special thankfulness, warmth and appreciation to the people below

who made my research successful and assisted me at every point to cherish my goal:

My Instructor, Mrs. Giang Thanh, for her instructions and guidance. You definitely

provided me with the knowledge that I needed to choose the right direction and successfully

complete my dissertation.

I am also deeply grateful for the care and support of my friends. That is a great source of

spiritual encouragement for me to pursue and complete this thesis.

Especially my Mom and Dad, for their wise counsel and sympathetic ear; my family

members, who not only assisted me but also extended their support morally.

Finally, I would like to express my sincere thanks to everyone who contributed and helped me

during the writing of this essay. Your support is a great source of motivation for me to complete this

work.

This essay was done over a period of nearly 10 weeks. My knowledge is still limited and

confusing, so shortcomings are inevitable. I look forward to receiving valuable comments from

Teachers to improve my knowledge in this field. At the same time, I have the opportunity to

supplement and raise our awareness.

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Abstract

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Introduction

In recent years, the development of the global economy and education has received more and

more attention. Many countries have many scholarship policies for students, so studying abroad is closer

to everyone. Studying abroad has many great benefits, but there are also many problems that people who

study abroad have to face. The experience of studying abroad, with its new setting, new culture, new

classmates and professors, new activities, and new travel experiences. This unique experience exposes

students to opportunities to improve interpersonal and communication skills, increased sensitivity

towards other cultures and understanding of one's own, and has shown to increase adaptability,

assertiveness, self-confidence and independence (Ingraham & Peterson, 2004).

According to Chancellor Woodson in a survey of former international students conducted by the

Institute for International Student Education (IES) with more than 3,400 respondents. According to a

survey by IES, studying abroad is a catalyst to help students become more mature, increase self-

confidence and believe that studying abroad helps students increase their employability. In today's

global economy, many employers are looking for experienced graduates to step out of their comfort

zone in a foreign country. The overseas experience prepares students for success in their careers. For

college students, this experience abroad can be an invaluable asset to their resumes, talking points for

interviews and setting them apart from students who have no overseas experience. But besides the

benefits of studying abroad, there are also many difficulties that students face when studying abroad.

According to a study by Amit Kumar and his team from Oxford, Stanford and Harvard (2020) discussed

the disadvantages and difficulties of studying abroad are too much expensive of studying abroad,

language barriers, different cultures, homesickness, and racism.

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Studying abroad has become increasingly popular among students worldwide, offering

opportunities for personal growth, cultural immersion, and academic enrichment. Among various

disciplines, business students constitute a significant demographic opting for international education

experiences. This essay delves into the attitudes of students towards studying abroad, examining their

motivations, perceptions, challenges, and the impact of such experiences on their academic and

professional development.

Research questions:

1. What are student’s attitudes toward studying abroad?

2. What are the main motivations and challenges of international students studying abroad?

Literature Review

1. Attitude

According to a book Attitudes and Attitude Change by Gerd Bohner, Michaela Wanke (2002) it

says attitudes is cognitive representations of our evaluation of ourselves, other people, things, actions,

events, ideas - and attitude change have been a central concern in social psychology since the discipline

began. People can – and do – have attitudes on an infinite range of things but what are attitudes, how do

we form them and how can they be modified?

An attitude is a summary evaluation of an object of thought. An attitude object can be anything a

person discriminates or holds in mind. Attitudes include beliefs (cognition), emotional responses (affect)

and behavioral tendencies (intentions, motivations). To appraise the students’ attitudes, researchers and

practitioners have presented several definitions of “attitude”. According to Thurstone’s (1970) research,

attitude is a measure of students’ positive and negative feelings toward the subject of statistics in terms

of relevance and value, difficulty and self-efficacy, and general impression toward the subject. Attitudes

are enduring systems of positive or negative envaluations, emo – tional feelings, and pro or con action

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tendencies with respect to social objects (Krech, Crutchfield & Ballachey, 1962). Wood and Wood

(1980) saw attitude as a relatively stable evaluation of a person, object, situation or issue. According to

them, attitude has three components: Cognitive, Affective or Emotional and Behavioural components.

2. Studying Abroad

 Motivations driving international students to study abroad:

In recent years, studying abroad has become more and more popular may be one of the most

beneficial experiences for a college student. By studying abroad, students have the opportunity to study

in a foreign nation and take in the allure and culture of a new land. There are many research papers on

the benefits of studying abroad. Here are the results of research papers on the outstanding benefits of

studying abroad.

The Council on International Education Exchange (2006, p.3) noted, “There is a good deal of

folk wisdom about what motivates students to go abroad, there is very little hard data … student

decisionmaking is clearly a rich area for research”. Researchers have studied to examine the decisions

and motivations of students from many different countries. Researchers have also examined motivations

within specific populations. Nyaupane et al. (2011) explored student populations at US universities and

identified four key motivators that influenced study abroad intent: international travel, escape,

academic, and social. Other researchs reported the most common reason students chose to participate in

study abroad programs was to improve their career prospects through language learning and cultural

experiences (Crossman, & Clark, 2010; Franklin, 2010; Potts, 2015; Wiers-Jenssen, 2008). Salyers et al.

(2015) interviewed Canadian students who had returned from a study abroad experience and identified

four themes in their motivations: social, professional, educational, and cultural. And those are the

studies I found about what motivates students to study abroad.

 Challenges do international students face:

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Based on the above studies, it shows that studying abroad brings a lot of benefits to students as a

springboard to help students develop comprehensively from perseverance, patience and confidence and

soft skills. However, deep inside are the dark corners about students abroad may face certain challenges

and apprehensions when considering studying abroad. According to Imed Bouchrika, Phd Chief Data

Scientist & Head of content. There are 5 major challenges that study abroad faces: homesickness,

language and cultural barriers, financial difficulties, and dietary and health problems. One important

concern is the financial aspect, including tuition fees, living expenses, and travel costs. Financial

constraints can deter some students from pursuing international opportunities, highlighting the

importance of scholarship programs and financial aid initiatives to promote inclusivity and accessibility.

1.1.1. Homesickness: Overall, 99% of foreign students confirmed their decision to study abroad

turned out to be a positive experience. There were, however, some difficulties adjusting to

the new environment. 43% reported feeling homesick at least once a week. In addition,

49% believe that not having family and friends made an impact on their academic

performance and 40% say homesickness affected their sleep. The survey also found out that

the strongest feelings of homesickness is particularly prominent late at night from 10p.m. to

12a.m.

1.1.2. Language and cultural barriers: In a survey of international students in the U.K., 50 %

experienced difficulty in meeting the required standard of English to follow their courses.

Meanwhile, 43% said their overall education and grades were affected by language barriers

and 30% of students had to switch from their main courses to English language courses.

Cultural barriers also made a negative impact on students’ abilities to develop academics

and language. The same survey reported that 17% of students said cultural differences did
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not affect their education compared to 40% who said they are very much affected by the

difference.

1.1.3. Financial difficulties: The cost of studying abroad can be steep. Unless they belong to the

wealthy class, international students often face financial difficulties during the course of

their education. Understandably, tuition fees are much more expensive for them compared

to local courses. Even in the face of free universities that one may find abroad, costs can

still come in the form of accommodation, food and transportation. In addition to school

requirements, adapting to a host country such as managing daily activities and participating

in local cultural events may require additional expenses. Supplemental income may be

difficult as foreign students with strict study-only visas are usually not allowed to work

outside the campus. These may be the reasons why adequate financial resources were listed

as one of the top adjustment issues faced by study abroad students.

1.1.4. Dietary and health problems: Anthropologist Erika Stewin delved on the concept of food

insecurity among foreign students in two Canadian universities and found out that: “Many

students described experiencing food insecurity, which can be defined as a temporary or

ongoing inability to access healthy and preferable foods that allow one to live a functional

life… Students related feelings of depression, homesickness and identity loss, hunger,

difficulties with weight loss or weight gain, and stories of being forced to compromise

religious beliefs in order to eat”. Physical and mental health – wise, international students

were reported to smoke or use drugs more frequently and were more likely to be classified

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as problem gamblers than domestic students. Despite having the same levels of general

psychological distress, study stress, or financial stress as locals, international students were

less likely to report seeking help for a mental health problem, a relationship problem, or an

alcohol/substance use problem.

 Advantages can studying abroad bring to your profile:

Studying abroad offers students the opportunity to acquire and develop a diverse range of

employability skills and competences, can significantly enhance your CV, making you a more attractive

candidate to potential employers. In Australia, Potts (2015) found that graduates perceived their

employability skills, such as interpersonal and communication skills, teamwork, and problem-solving

and analytical skills, were greatly developed through studying abroad. Students also enhanced

theoretical, specialized knowledge of other countries, working attributes and styles (Bracht et al., 2006).

Such as, Crossman and Clarke (2010) indicated that international experience positively fostered

employability, and students developed soft skills and acquired foreign languages.

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