This presentation focuses on selected findings from a comprehensive, mixed-methods study examining the careers of language study abroad alumni. The study includes a nationwide survey, with complete data from 4,868 respondents, and life history interviews with approximately 60 participants selected on the basis of a typology developed through the survey.
Despite growing participation in international education, little is known about the long- term career pathways and choices of language study abroad alumni. This presentation will focus on selected findings from a comprehensive, mixed-methods study examining the careers of language study abroad alumni, funded by the U.S. Department of Education. The goal is to understand the extent to which foreign language ability is valued, recognized and cultivated across the life span and the extent to which this ability contributes to career readiness and offers personal and professional opportunities. In the first phase of the project, researchers from the Pennsylvania State University collaborated with the Forum on Education Abroad and the American Councils for International Education to conduct a nationwide survey of U.S.-based college or university alumni who claim foreign language competence. The survey addressed the perceived impact of language study abroad on professions, language learning and use, the nature of study abroad programs and the current status of participants, including employment field, level, and sector. The survey’s cross-sectional design provides a synchronic snapshot in 2019 of study abroad alumni from the 1970’s through the 2010’s, with complete demographic data from 4,868 respondents. To analyze items related to study abroad outcomes, we employ standard survey analyses (i.e., per item frequencies, percentages, and between-groups comparisons by cohorts) and multivariate exploratory analyses to develop a typology of experiences, careers, and life paths. In its second phase, the project is currently conducting approximately 60 video-recorded life history interviews, with the selection of participants guided by the typology of life paths developed through the survey, thus representing as broad a range as possible of employment sectors and career pursuits. Our mixed-methods approach looks to integrate large-scale quantitative inquiry with richly representative autobiographical accounts to produce a composite picture of the post-sojourn experience.
