tiểu luận factors influencing students intention toparticipate in international study tour

It can be stated that most of the previous researchmainly focuses on the impact of short-term study tour programs on students or theirlearning outcomes after participating in internation

Course: Research Methodology (RMD3001_47K01.2)

Lecturer: PhD Nguyen Thi Thuy

Members: 1 Le Nguyen Minh Chau

2 Dang Quynh Chi

3 Nguyen Thi My Hanh

4 Nguyen Truc Linh

5 Duong Thi Ngoc Tram

Danang, December 13 , 20223 th

I Introduction 3

1 Research background 3

2 Research gap 4

3 Research objective 5

4 Research questions 5

5 Research subject and scope 6

6 Research methodology 7

II Literature review 7

1 International study tour 7

2 Research model and hypothesis 9

III Research design 14

1 Research process 14

2 Data collection and sample 15

3 Data analysis 16

IV THE STRUCTURE 19

1 Research background

Since the early 1920s, formalized undergraduate study abroad has played

a role in higher education institutions (Bowman, 1987) with the numbers steadilyincreasing annually (Institute of International Education, 2023) According to Fakunle(2020), the number of globally mobile students have increased significantly, from 2million in 2000 to over 5.6 million in 2018 and reached 6,3 million in 2020 The OECDalso forecasts a total of 8 million internationally mobile students by 2025 (OECD, 2017).That indicates how popular study abroad towards students all around the world However,studying abroad is a long-term process that takes the amount of capacity and resources.According to Allen (2010), although the number of students choosing to study abroadincreased significantly during the past decade, they are going abroad for shorterdurations With rapid advances in technology and communication contributing to a moreglobal society (Gullekson, Tucker, Coombs, & Wright, 2011), global citizenship hasnecessarily become a priority in student learning outcomes and university missionstatements More and more tertiary educational institutions are facing the challenge ofproviding future business leaders with international education to operate within a globalenvironment (Terry et al, 2014) As a result, the need for high-quality research on short-term study programs is growing in academia To address this issue, colleges anduniversities have adopted various approaches, including international study tour programs

in recent years The purpose of this program is to provide a multicultural businessexperience and gain sophisticated cross-cultural competence in global enterprisesaccording to Terry et, al (2014) Moreover, internationalization strategies from thiscurriculum can be developed by championing intercultural awareness from the tour,academic staff exchanges with overseas institutes, establishing joint degree programs,research, and consultancies with overseas institutions, and refocusing institutional cultureand strategies (Hadis, 2008)

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In the Vietnam context, institutions also promote the program, but the number ofstudents participating is not significant Moreover, there has been little discussion aboutthe impact of short-term study tours in the academic environment in Vietnam As a result,the literature's inconsistent findings present a research gap, which this research attempts

to fill in this work This research provides an empirical basis for the analysis of factorsaffecting students' intention to participate in international study tours Based on thisstudy, we hope to provide colleges with the insights of students and thus create anddesign an efficient international study tour program for undergraduates in Vietnam

2 Research gap

First of all, most of the previous research discusses how short-term studyprograms affect students after participating in study tours but only a few empiricalfindings about intention and behaviour It can be stated that most of the previous researchmainly focuses on the impact of short-term study tour programs on students or theirlearning outcomes after participating in international study tours such as Mark andDebbie (2013); Ryota et al (2011) ; and Weaver and Tucker (2010) There is littleresearch investigating the factors influencing students’ intention to participate ininternational study tours in Viet Nam except for “Status of International Study Tours inChina: The Students’ and Parents’ Perspectives” by Mi and Pan (2020) and StudentPerceptions Of And Preferences For A Short Overseas Study Tour by Joe et.al (2008)

We realized that the scopes of these two research were done in developed countries such

as China and the US The results of these two studies may not be entirely true fordeveloping countries like Vietnam because of the differences in many aspects includingeconomic factors, and living standards Another reason for conducting this research is theapproach of these two research Both Mi and Pan (2020) and Joe et al (2008) onlyfocused on the view of finance in general which leads to the intention of students whenparticipating in the programs However, in this research, financial support divided intoscholarships/grants and financial help from a family will be considered We also mention

“Perceived Cost” defined as the opportunity costs related to task, time, emotion and loss4

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of value alternatives cost that students have to trade when choosing short-term studytours in this research

Secondly, we found that most of the previous research investigated only studentsfrom the business and economics fields because they think these students are the mainleaders in the globalization environment, thus not revealing reliability and accuracy when

it comes to the term “all students”.The research gap mentioned above is addressed in thisstudy by expanding our target population to include students from all academicdisciplines

These two main major research gaps mentioned below will be discussed andresolved in this findings

By exploring these areas, the research objectives are to provide useful insightsand propose recommendations and best practices for educators and administrators inuniversities to design and implement effective international study tours that meet theneeds and expectations of students

4 Research questions

In this research, we attempt to answer three research questions:

 What are the motivations driving student's intention to participate in aninternational study tour?

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 What are the major obstacles that prevent students from participating ininternational study tours?

 What recommendations are available for educators and administrators todesign and implement effective international study tours?

5 Research subject and scope

5.1 Research scope

5.1.1 About space

The thesis focuses on students who are studying in universities and colleges in

Da Nang city and whose birth year ranged between 1995 and 2005 - without, currentlyundergoing, or having had study tour experiences We decided to choose this age limitbecause it includes students taking gap years, those not yet graduated Our selectioncriteria exclude high school students, as our study focuses on the prevalence ofinternational study tour programs primarily within university settings We alsodeliberately avoid targeting post-graduates, as they often lean towards long-term studyabroad opportunities to enhance their skills Besides, unlike many prior studiesconcentrating on students specializing in business and economics, our research broadensits scope to encompass students from all academic fields This approach stems from therecognition that international study tours extend beyond traditional academic lectures,often incorporating programs that enhance cultural skills Furthermore, our studyacknowledges a subset of participants who engage in the program purely for “fun”purposes The choice to focus on Danang City is attributed to its significance as a majormetropolitan area in Vietnam Renowned for its modern educational system, Danang ishome to prestigious universities that actively implement international programs,including study tours and short- or long-term exchange opportunities With a diverserange of international exposure available to students, Danang serves as a representativesample for the entire higher education students in Vietnam

5.1.2 About time

The research period for this topic is calculated from the date of determining theresearch objectives and is anticipated to complete within 24 weeks after achieving all the

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proposed research objectives This plan is developed until the report completed The

timeline is subject to potential deviations from the original schedule

Information gathering and hypothesis development 4 weeks

Figure 1: Time scale

6 Research methodology

On a theoretical basis, a complete set of scales were built on the synthesis, andanalysis of secondary data, to meet the requirements of mathematical statistics The modeland hypothesis are conducted by quantitative research using survey data collected bothonline and in person The surveys were designed for self-scoring, with respondentsproviding answers on a 5-point Likert scale We formulated the questions by adaptingand refining those used by previous scholars to fit the specific context of Danang.Using SPSS version 20 and AMOS version 22 to process collected data, testCronbach's Alpha, analyze EFA, CFA, SEM In the process of analyzing, evaluating andtesting the scale will continue to remove, and group the component variables according tocharacteristic groups and appropriately named

The test of the scale is to determine the factors affecting Da Nang students’choicefor international study tour Research process is conducted as follows: i) Phase I:preliminary qualitative research; ii) Phase II: formal quantitative research Before

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forming the official scale, the author conducts preliminary research to clarify theconcepts.

II Literature review

1 International study tour

in a gainful learning experience” (Gonsalvez,2013)

Initially centered around language acquisition, an international study tour rapidlybroadens its scope to encompass cultural immersion, personal growth, and the attainment

of valuable research outcomes Recently, most scholars have assumed an internationalstudy tour as a business study tour in which participants travel throughout a selectedregion (Gordon and Smith, 1992; Schuster, 1993), visiting a variety of business firms andattending presentations by representatives of those firms (Porth, 1997) Many collegesoffer business-related international study tours to address the demands of future leadersgaining an understanding of diverse cultures, political systems, economic viewpoints, andforeign languages (Loveland et al,1987)

1.2 Previous research about the intention to participate in international study tours

The majority of prior research on international study tours, has focused onassessing the learning outcomes of students following their brief immersion experiences

in foreign countries For example, Weaver and Tucker (2010) found that most studentsfrom study tours to Southeast Asia gain increased personal growth in their cultural8

awareness and in their confidence to live and work in a foreign culture They alsoconducted research involving students who participated in international study abroadprograms and followed up after a two-year period to assess the long-term outcomes of theexperience The findings revealed that all the students now held the belief that theirengagement in the tour had positively influenced their employment and career prospects.(Weaver and Tucker, 2013) Besides, several studies have found positive outcomesincluding increasing intercultural awareness (Chieffo and Griffiths, 2004), globalawareness (Kurt et al, 2013), and cultural intelligence (Wood et al,2014)

However, there is a scarcity of research dedicated to exploring the factors thatinfluence the intention to participate in international study tours The existing researchprimarily focuses on motivations for long-term study abroad experiences (e.g.,Lee,2014;Stroud,2015;Hernández-Díaz, 2016; Kim and Lawrence, 2021) There is a fewresearches related to students’ intention to participate in the international study tour

2 Research model and hypothesis

2.1 Research model

Figure 2: Research Model

2.2 Hypothesis

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2.2.1.1 Intercultural communication apprehension

a Definition

Intercultural communication apprehension (ICA) is first defined as the fear oranxiety associated with either real or anticipated interaction with people from differentgroups, especially different cultural or ethnic groups Individuals with high levels of ICAtend to avoid interaction with those from different groups (Neuliep and McCroskey (1997) Different levels of anxiety and fear affect individuals’ psychological motivation

to initiate or maintain communication, specifically intercultural communication (Hadini

et al., 2020), which could lead to stress, and contact avoidance with negativeconsequences on international students’ adjustment.Previous research has also reportedthat individuals with high ICA levels were less involved in conversations with theircommunity, which consequently affected their communication skills (Nelson & Webster,1991) People from different cultures may experience anxiety when communicating withthose from different cultures or ethnic groups (Neuliep, 2012) The higher ICA they get,the less desire they interact with people from different cultures (Austin, 2015)

b Relationship between intercultural communication apprehension and students’ intention to participate in international study tour

In the context of the study tour, Camila and Maria, 2021) Pritchard and Skinner (2002) reported significant difficulties faced in an international study contextthat higher ICA will result in difficulty in cultural adaption, thereby inhibiting theirincrease in perceiving international study travel (Tracy, 2005) Another research showedthat those open to new experiences result in lower ICA, and was likely to join in a short-term study tour as they perceived attitudes of valuing the international skills obtained(Kim and Gary, 2014) Therefore, we hypothesize:

H1: Intercultural communication apprehension is negatively related to students’ intention to participate in international study tour

2.2.1.2 Personal Growth

a Definition

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Personal growth refers to increased confidence and self-reliance (Pyle, 1981).These attributes contribute to the development of student's leadership skills, problem-solving abilities, and capacity to navigate unfamiliar and ambiguous situations and fosteropen-mindedness (Ingraham and Peterson, 2004; Lindsey, 2005; Black and Duhon,2006) Participation in a study abroad program imparts the lesson of self-responsibility tostudents, compelling them to make their own decisions in the absence of immediatefamily contact and without depending on other adults for guidance (Hadis, 2005)

b Relationship between professional development and students’ intention to participate in international study tour

Exposure to foreign environments is likely to make study abroad participantsmore attractive for employment by multinational corporations (Hannigan, 2001) Hence,career development is a significant reason for students to participate in study abroadprograms (Carlson et al., 1990) Another study showed that one of students’ keymotivations is the desire to set themselves apart from other graduates in the future(Tracey and Robert, 2016) Also, Krista (2017) also shared the same view when findingstudents' perception of job prospects being important predictors of students’ in choosinginternational study tours or programs Thereby, we hypothesize:

H3: Students’ expectation about professional growth is positively related to students’ intention to participate in international study tour

psychological or emotional facet of participation in an international study tour Loss ofvalued alternatives cost refers to what students have to give up or sacrifice because of theinternational study tour Lastly, task effort cost assessed students’ perceptions about theamount of mental or physical effort they expected to exert as a result of participation

b Relationship between perceived cost and students’ intention to participate in international study tour

Raczkoski et.al (2019) found that all four factors of perceived cost have negative impact

on students’ intention to participate in short-term study abroad program Another studyinvestigated by Tony et al (2014) also share the same results indicating that students’perceived cost decreases intention to partake in international environment Thereby, wehypothesize:

H4: Perceived cost is negatively related to students’ intention to participate in international study tour

2.2.2.2 Financial Support

a Definition

Financial support for international study tours encompasses various forms,including financial grants, scholarships (Winsome, 2016), as well as financial help fromfamily and friends (Fakunle, 2020; Whatley, 2017) A scholarship is a financial awardspecifically designated to support students' education by covering various expenses.Qualification is typically based on merit, talent, or academic performance In contrast,financial grants are usually based on a student's financial needs rather than their merit orperformance Both scholarships and financial grants do not require repayment bystudents Financial help from families or friends in this context is defined as the amount

of money that families or friends can contribute to help students defray the costs ofstudying abroad

b Relationship between financial support and students’ intention to participate in international study tours

A study conducted by Phung and Bui (2022) highlighted that all forms offinancial support significantly predict study-abroad intentions The research indicated that12

an increase in the availability of scholarships or financial grants positively correlates with

a higher likelihood of students choosing to study abroad Interestingly, even student loanswere found to contribute to the intention to pursue education overseas However, there is

a notable gap in research focusing on the role of financing international study tours.Hence, we decided to investigate the impact of financial support on students' intention toparticipate in international study tour We hypothesize:

H5: Scholarships/financial grants are positively related to students’ intention to participate in international study tour

H6: Financial help from families or friends are positively related to students’ intention to participate in international study tour

2.2.2.3 Administrative Support

a Definition

Typically, administrative support is frequently identified as a crucial predictor ofteachers' intentions to either remain within or leave a school It is often defined as “theschool’s effectiveness in assisting teachers with issues such as student discipline,instructional methods, curriculum, and adjusting to the school environment” (Borman andDowling, 2008) However, in the context of investigating students' intention towardsinternational study tours, our research considered administrative support including thehelpfulness of international study tour staff, the support of international businessprograms at the originating university, and the experience of the professor leading theinternational study tour

b Relationship between administrative support and Students’ intention to participate in international study tours

The students’ perception of the reputation, experience, and services the facultyprovides has a significant impact on their intention to participate in international studytours Srikatanyoo and Gnoth (2005) found that academic staff performance has asignificant impact on students choosing tertiary education On the other hand the higherthe students’ belief in professors and the university’s ability to take on the course, the

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