The Analysis of a Short Study Abroad Program at ICU

With the popularity of studying abroad on the rise, a closer look at the effects of ICU’s SEA Program were taken into consideration for this study. Due to a variety of changes having occurred since Watanabe’s (2000) study of the SEA Program, an updated look at the program was deemed necessary. The TOEFL ITP pre-test and IELTS post test scores of 333 students in the ELA Program were statistically analyzed. Special attention was paid to any differences in English gains between the students who had participated in the SEA Program and those who had not. In addition, a comparison of the test scores between the students who had experienced homestay was made with the scores of those who had stayed in a dormitory. While a small effect was found in the first comparison, there did not appear to be a statistically significant difference in the second comparison. The effect of further variables on the gains in English in connection with the SEA Program should be considered in the future.