The Impact of Study Abroad on Student Academic Achievement, Global Perspectives and Labor Market Outcomes

The increasing number of U.S. college students studying abroad raises policy concerns about student success at school and their future career development. Therefore, this dissertation revisited the education production function, built up a comprehensive conceptual framework, summarized empirical evidence reported in prior studies, conducted research that described the characteristics of U.S. students studying abroad and used quasi-experimental research methods (e.g., propensity score matching and instrumental variables) to study the impact of studying in a foreign country on students’ at-college learning outcomes and post-college labor market returns after graduation. This dissertation is composed of three chapters on the impact of the experience of study abroad on students’ academic achievements, global perspectives at college, and post-college labor market outcomes, respectively. In Chapter I, I examined the study abroad student population and the impact of this international experience on students’ academic achievements. Based on a random sample of college students from the National Survey of Student Engagement, I used a propensity score matching (PSM) approach and found some si