Graduation Term

2024

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Department

Department of Educational Administration and Foundations: Educational Administration

Committee Chair

Dianne Renn

Abstract

Study abroad programming has seen substantial growth at U.S. institutions of higher education over the past few decades and has cemented itself as an integral educational option at nearly all U.S. colleges and universities, including for students in teacher preparation programs. While a growing body of research shows evidence that teacher candidates who study abroad grow both professionally and personally, no study has analyzed whether such an experience could impact their professional readiness as measured by their performance on standardized assessments. Drawing upon institutional data at a large, public university in Illinois, this study sought to determine if teacher candidates who study abroad perform better on the Illinois Licensure Testing System (ILTS) content exams and Pearson’s Educative Teacher Performance Assessment (edTPA) compared to their non-study abroad peers. The study found that teacher candidates who study abroad perform better on these two standardized assessments of teacher readiness compared to those teacher candidates who do not study abroad. While these results have statistical significance, the practical implications of the variable relationships were rather weak. As these exams are used as proxies to assess teacher readiness, these results suggest that participating in a study abroad experience as an undergraduate only marginally improves one’s readiness to teach upon graduation.

Access Type

Dissertation-Open Access

DOI

https://doi.org/10.30707/ETD2024.20240618063948632860.999977

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