Perceived Value and Preferences of Short-term Study Abroad Programmes: A Hong Kong Study

Abstract

With an emphasis on internationalization of education and the global economy these days, study abroad programmes are increasingly important to enrich student learning experience. This paper focuses on short-term study abroad programmes which are becoming more popular in higher education curricula. As a component of degrees awarded in the home countries, short-term programmes usually refer to those running from a period of few weeks to one year in overseas universities. With mixed-methods approach, this study aimed to examine (1) the students’ perceived value of the short-term programmes; and (2) the influences of such value in deciding students’ participation. All participants were students who were studying in Hong Kong universities. The findings reveals that (1) the students perceived the most beneficial aspect of studying abroad is to facilitate their personal development; (2) academic and professional enhancement was less valued by the participants; and (3) UK and the USA were the most preferred host countries they selected. This paper concludes that policymakers and educators should be aware of the students’ expectations. Implications for enhancing short-term study abroad programmes, which affect the development of higher education curricula and international education, are also discussed.

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