Predicting Study Abroad Intentions Based on the Theory of Planned Behavior

Abstract

ABSTRACT The emphasis on study abroad programs is growing in the academic context as U.S. based universities seek to incorporate a global perspective in education. Using a model that has underpinnings in the theory of planned behavior (TPB), we predict students’ intention to participate in short‐term study abroad program. We use TPB to identify behavioral, normative, and control beliefs pertinent to the study abroad context. Our research model hypothesizes that intention is predicted by affordability, willingness to pay, and desire. Moreover, willingness to pay is explained by future job prospects, family expectations, and administrative support. We believe that the elements of TBP are reflective of categories of factors that have been demonstrated as important in the context of short‐term study abroad decisions, but that have not been included in previous studies applying TPB to a study abroad context. We test our research model through a survey of 254 undergraduate business students at a southern U.S. university, and find support for all our hypotheses. Results from our study aid in the understanding of students’ decision‐making process to participate in a short‐term study abroad program and have implications for education and learning in the study abroad context. We also contribute to the extant research in TPB by applying it to the context of studying abroad programs and by identifying, and finding support for, a mediated relationship between beliefs and intentions.

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