“Analysis of shifting interest of High School students towards abroad study after

completion of their High School in Kathmandu Valley, in references to SERVQUAL

framework”

By

Joshlyn Singh

A dissertation submitted in part fulfillment of the requirement for the Degree in Master
of Business Administration (General Management)

Post Graduate Centre

CG Institute of Management

Limkokwing University of Creative Technology

Sept, 2023
Abstract

The potential international university education market value is expressed in billions of

dollars. Countries are trying to increase their competitiveness to attract international
students and get a decent market share. Countries that can accurately analyze the
factors affecting the country and school preferences of international students will be
more advantageous in developing appropriate competitive strategies. The primary
purpose of this study is to try to understand and explain the effects of the quality of
university education service and socio-cultural adaptation difficulties factors on the
satisfaction levels of international students.

We are following SERVQUAL Framework while conducting our research on Shifting

Interest of high school students towards abroad study after completion of their High
School in Kathmandu valley. SERVQUAL Framework is a multi-dimensional research
instrument designed to capture consumer expectations and perceptions of services.
This service is used to expose shortcomings in the service and address them. In that
sense, it is so-called ‘GAP Analysis’. Abroad study, is an opportunity to pursue an
educational program in a foreign country. In Kathmandu, valley High School students
are highly interested to study abroad, it might be due to developing foreign skills or to
improve their ability to work productively with other cultures, also it might be due to
they love to travel and experience new things.

The major factors which attract high school students towards abroad study are also
their Family income, economic conditions, sentiments, educational background,
international degrees, personalities etc.

It has also caused brain drain, which means emigration of highly trained and qualified
people from a particular country. Brain-drain occurs when there is lack of opportunity in
a certain area. For instance, professionals living in developing district like Kathmandu
may leave in search for better opportunities in parts of the developed world. The study
shows that in Nepalese scenario, personality development and quality education offered
by foreign university is the reason that most students tends to think about abroad
study.

Keywords: service quality, international students, student satisfaction, socio-cultural

adaptation
Acknowledement

I cannot express how grateful I am to my professor and my Principal for their

invaluable patience and feedback. I was also unable to undertake this journey without
my defense committee, who generously contributed their knowledge and expertise. In
addition to this, this endeavor would not have been possible without the generous
support of my supervisor Mr. Indra Prasad Joshi.

I cannot express my gratitude enough. In addition to the generosity of the supervisor's

generous support of this endeavor, I would have been unable to carry out this journey
without the knowledge and expertise of my Principal, who generously provided
knowledge and expertise.

For the patience and feedback my professor and committee chair have provided, words
cannot adequately describe how much I appreciate them.

Moreover, I would not have been able to undertake this endeavor without the generous
support of my Principal, who provided their knowledge and expertise, and the generous
assistance.

In addition to my professor's patience and feedback, I couldn't have undertaken this

journey without the support of my committee, which provided knowledge and expertise
generously. I could not have completed this journey without the support of my defense
committee, which provided valuable knowledge and expertise. Additionally, this
endeavor would not have been possible without the generous support of my supervisor.

Having the patience and feedback of my professor and chair of my committee, both of
whom have been invaluable to me, is beyond.
Table of Contents

Declaration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Acknowledgments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Abstract . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
List of Tables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
List of Figures. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Abbreviations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Chapter 1: Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
1.1 Introduction. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
1.2 Background of the Problem. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
1.3 Statement of the Problem
1.4 Purpose of the Study
1.5 Research Questions
1.6 Significance of the Study
1.7 Definition of Terms
1.8 Assumptions, Limitations, and Delimitations
1.9 Organization of Chapters
1.10 Summary
Chapter 2: Literature Review
2.1 Introduction
2.2 Search Description
2.3 Conceptual/Theoretical framework
2.4 Review of Research
2.5 Research Gap
2.6 Summary
Chapter 3: Methodology
3.1 Introduction
3.2 Research Design
3.3 Research Questions and Hypotheses
3.4 Population and Sample
3.5 Instrumentation
3.6 Data Collection
3.7 Data Analysis
3.8 Summary
Chapter 4: Research Findings
4.1 Introduction
4.2 Findings
4.3 Major Findings
4.4. Summary
Chapter 5: Conclusions, Discussion and Suggestions for Future Research
5.1 Introduction
5.2 Summary of Findings
5.3 Conclusions
5.4 Discussions
5.5 Suggestions for Future Research
5.6 Summary
References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Appendix I: Questionnaire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Appendix II: Sample Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
 CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION

1.1 Introduction

In the developing countries like Nepal the education quality lacks far behind with low
effect on national productivity outcome. When it comes to achieving equitable access to
quality education, Nepal is still in its weak position. Referring to the world poorest
countries issues, according to the global education monitoring report, some 61 million
children of primary school age do not have the chance to go to school. Among them 11
million are from south Asia.

Even though Nepal has been able to lift up in the education sector and maintained the
literacy rate by 64.7% as per 2018. Consciousness of people in regards to the
importance of the education is one of the factors that made them aware. Nepal is trying
to achieve the 95% literacy by 2021.

Upcoming generation needs, the cost of leaving, unavailability of well-trained personnel,

lack of sustainable income source etc. were some of the reasons for barriers in quality
education in Nepal. Among these most of the problem are now solved by remittance
and nation’s upcoming policy of unemployment security provision. Still the quality
provided in the education of Nepal is not at the level that the current and upcoming
generation wishes.

For getting through the gap of such poor-quality education and to enable the successful
career which would just be a reverie in home country is the reason why students are
giving importance for abroad study.
(Parey & Waldinger, 2010) ;(Gerhards & Hans, 2013);(Van Mol, 2014); European
Commission20

qwa14) shows that against the backdrop of a globalizing economy, studying abroad is
frequently regarded as one of the key instruments to provide undergraduate students
with foreign language skills and intercultural competences in order to strengthen their
employability.

(Van Hoof & Verbeeten, 2005);(Zimmermann, Neyer, & psychology, 2013) states that
moreover, positive effects on learning abilities and linguistic competence as well as on
intercultural openness and personality development are reported.

(Carrington & Detragiache, 1999)states that increased interest in the topic is due to the
rapid globalization and host of political, economic, sociological and technological factors.
Its scope is going steadily.

(Altbach & Bassett, 2004)says most of the brain drain at national level occurs when
immigrants move from developing to developed countries, most notably from Asia to
north America and Europe.

(Paulsen & John, 2002); (Perna & Titus, 2005); (St John, Asker, & Hu, 2001)says not
only do students engage in a sequence of postsecondary decisions i.e., whether to
attend college, which college to attend, what field to major in, whether to reenroll and
persist, etc. but these decisions are influenced by the nature and amount of human,
financial, social, and cultural capital available to the student[HJt throughout the
sequence.Over the years, an increasing number of high school students have shown
interest in studying abroad. Studying abroad offers several benefits such as exposure to
different cultures, academic challenges, opportunities for personal and professional
growth, and improved language skills. This has prompted researchers to explore the
factors that contribute to the growing interest in studying abroad among high school
students. Understanding these factors is essential in developing strategies aimed at
encouraging more students to embrace the idea of studying abroad. In this research,
we will examine some of the reasons why high school students are interested in
studying abroad.

There are many reasons why high school students choose to study abroad. Here are
some of the most common ones:

1. Exposure to international education system: Studying abroad gives high school

students the opportunity to experience different educational systems and approaches,
giving them a broader perspective on learning and a chance to learn new techniques
and methodologies.

2. Cultural Exposure: Studying abroad provides the opportunity for students to

experience new cultures and to learn about the customs, traditions, and beliefs of
others. This can help broaden their understanding of the world and build their empathy
and communication skills.

3. Exposure to a new language: Studying in a foreign country also provides a chance

for students to learn or improve their language skills through complete immersion.

4. Personal development: Living in a new country, far away from family and childhood
friends, can be a great way for high school students to develop their independence,
resilience, and self-confidence.
5. Language acquisition: Immersing oneself in a new language is one of the most
effective ways to learn it. By studying abroad, students can improve their language
skills and gain fluency in another language.

6. Career opportunities: Studying abroad can also offer significant career benefits.
Graduates with international experience are often viewed as valuable employees, as
they have gained skills such as adaptability, cross-cultural communication, and global
awareness.

7. Adventure and travel: For many people, studying abroad also presents an
opportunity for adventure and travel. Living in a new country and experiencing its
customs and attractions can be a life-changing experience. Overall, studying abroad
offers a range of benefits, from personal growth and cultural exposure to academic and
career opportunities. These factors make it an increasingly appealing option for those
seeking a unique and enriching educational experience

While studying abroad can offer numerous benefits, including language immersion,
cultural exposure, and expanded opportunities for education and career development,
there is still much to be learned about the motivations behind students' desire to pursue
higher education away from their home country. To address this gap in knowledge, this
research aims to explore the various factors that may influence high school students'
decisions to pursue educational opportunities abroad. Through examining the
perspectives of students, educators, and other relevant stakeholders, we hope to gain a
deeper understanding of the underlying motivations driving these decisions, as well as
any potential barriers or challenges that may need to be addressed to better support
international education initiatives. By shedding light on these issues, this research can
help inform policy decisions and guide educational institutions in their efforts to support
students seeking to study abroad.

Study abroad (SA) is a fascinating and emerging research topic at the intersection of
education and internationalization with many important implications for international
education, international management, and intercultural relations (Brown et al., 2016;
Gums et al., 2019; tet al., 2017). SA is defined as all programs of higher education
taking place outside the geographical boundaries of the student’s country of origin.
These programs are increasingly recognized as a key strategy in preparing students for
future international professional engagement and increasing their cultural intelligence
(Holt & Engelhard, 2016). According to Engle and Engle (2003), SA is an umbrella term
incorporating the full spectrum of vastly different overseas-study options, which include
traditional offerings such as exchange programs, semester and year abroad programs,
and summer/winter abroad study programs (Czerwionka et al., 2015). More recent
emerging formats include cross-cultural study tours (Wood & St. Peters, 2014);
immersion programs (Lokkesmoe et al., 2016); SA language focused-programs (Kimura
& Hayashi, 2019; Shiri, 2013); volunteering and community experience abroad
(Gullekson et al., 2011); global service learning programs (Dixon, 2015); and research-
integrated short-term study abroad (STSA; Ruth et al., 2019). Across the world, SA
programs vary considerably in terms of their length, structure, group size, location,
purpose, faculty supervision level, nature of accommodation, cost, predeparture
preparation, level of cultural immersion, type of hosting organization, level of postarrival
engagement, language competence required, language of coursework or fieldwork, and
academic standard. As a consequence, the field lacks a single globally accepted
classification of SA programs. In recent years there has been a significant shift to
shorter and more intensive study abroad programs that aim to develop cross-cultural
awareness and skills among other personal and professional competencies. STSA has
become the dominant form of program being offered by universities, however the
phenomenon is critically understudied (Ogden & Streitwieser, 2016). Given the resource
commitment and reliance on this form of pedagogy to develop intercultural knowledge
and skills, a review of what is known about the dimensions, effectiveness, and
outcomes of STSA programs is much needed. The significant scope and contribution of
our article is that it stipulates and summarizes the characteristics of STSA programs and
provides a systematic Iskhakova et al 3 review of the STSA literature. The article gives
a particular focus to crosscultural outcomes given their dominance in STSA research for
which we provide a thematic categorization. Our review also identifies the implications
of STSA programs for management education and an agenda for future STSA research.
Our research is based on 156 studies published between 2000 and 2019 in international
education, management, business, psychology, language and social journals that are
focused specifically on STSA research. We posit a STSA conceptual review model as a
guiding map for STSA scholars, which identifies the current state of STSA research. Our
article also provides a greater understanding of the theoretical bases, scale, scope, key
themes, and methodology of STSA research, and identifies gaps in our understanding of
this form of learning. As a separate contribution, the paper also specifies the key
characteristics of STSA programs that we identified in the literature. We also propose a
research agenda for both academic inquiry and better integration into management
education practice. This article is organized as follows. In the first section, we provide a
brief overview of the SA literature and specify the key differences of STSA and why it
deserves to be studied separately. This is followed by a discussion of our research
methods. The results section then analyses the conceptual landscape of STSA research
and separately deals with the characteristics of STSA programs. Finally, we conclude
with the theoretical and practical implications of our research, identifying its limitations,
its place in management education and providing future research directions for
management scholars

This study aims to present a discussion on the benefits that students can gain from
studying abroad, as well as to showcase some of the challenges they may encounter,
recommendations on how to maximize the benefits and effective strategies to overcome
these obstacles. Due to the increasing global society, studying abroad has taken a
significant role for colleges and universities in their objective to produce graduates who
are competent to function in the global economy. This study will present the need to
develop the different types of intercultural skills to compete internationally. Towards the
conclusion of this study, the result of studying abroad will be discussed in detail as well
as the factors that may influence the outcome including the participant characteristics,
program characteristics and the personal experiences of the students in the host
culture. There has been a lot of research done on the topic of studying abroad,
particularly for students who are learning cross-cultural disciplines like language,
politics, business, and so on and so forth. Traditional wisdom shows that there are a
variety of benefits to studying abroad. However, researchers have examined the
different elements of study abroad programs to best weigh them. Examining how
students behave in foreign environments is important to maximizing the positive
impacts of any study abroad program.

However, despite the positive view of studying abroad, there are still concerns that
have to be addressed such as the study abroad population carries homogeneous
outcomes that may be influenced by student participant, rather than the program
activities that are being implemented. There are two primary questions that have to be
discussed thoroughly for this study: First is who studies abroad and why decide to study
abroad?; and Second, what are the benefits and effects of studying abroad?

Studying abroad has received a positive attention to majority of students currently

enrolled in various colleges and universities all over the world. In the U.S., studying
abroad continues to remain an activity wherein a small percentage of American
undergraduate students have participated. One distinguishing factor is that majority of
female white students who took up humanities and social science majors. Although
there continues to be a slight showing of a portion of male students and students of
color who have participated in studying abroad who took up STEM (science, technology,
engineering and mathematics) majors. However, it is noteworthy to mention that there
has been a participation of graduates of business majors who have been encouraged to
study abroad. The factors that hinder studying aboard are: gender, race, ethnicity,
major and the perceived cost of the study.

Bernhard T. Streitwieser et al 10 we found it interesting that 210 of these studies were

written only within the last 11 years. Of the dissertations we studied, the following
five topics were most researched on study abroad: intercultural competence
and development; personal growth and identity development; language learning
and acquisition; administration and policy; recruitment, participation and re-entry. While
most of these dissertations came out of education departments, they
represented a wide range of disciplines, including psychology, health and
kinesiology, engineering, linguistics, and Spanish. Under the search term
‘international student exchange’ only six dissertations appeared under that keyword
search while ‘student mobility’ only had two that specifically focused on study abroad.
The majority of the dissertations and theses under ‘student mobility’ refer to
educational access and equality, not international education exchange. An
additional research using the term ‘international students’ by index term
(keyword) resulted in 400 dissertations, with 348 alone produced since 2000.
Using keyword classification, we found that the dominant search terms were ‘study
abroad’ and ‘international student exchange’. Notable is that 14 dissertations in the last
few years originated from one institution, the University of Minnesota, which has a
strong comparative and international development education graduate program and
a relatively new doctorate of education program for international educators, with
a particular focus on study abroad and international exchange administration
and development. Prior to 2003, only two dissertations focused on study abroad.
While we can see from the above discussion that our international education
themes of interest – study abroad, student mobility, and international student
exchange – were not largely covered in any of the five major comparative
education journals we searched, these themes are, however, being addressed
with increasing vigor by emerging scholars that are coming out of graduate
programs. This rather striking increase in dissertations on international education
and study abroad appears to indicate that this has become an especially
interesting research area for young scholars over the last decade. This should bode
well for the future research output in these areas. It may also signal that new
directions in international education research will likely be explored in the
future. For now, though, we feel that the greater productivity on international
education by young scholars, on the one hand, but the still relative lack of publication
of that work in the comparative education journals, on the other hand, indicate
several possibilities: 1) Many dissertations remain unpublished or may not yet be
seen as meeting the standards for publication in the top comparative education
journals; 2) The topics covered may not so far have been deemed appropriate
by the editors of these publications, if they were even submitted for review; 3)
The comparative education journals may be slow to take interest in this line of
research or may not regard it as rigorous enough or relevant scholarship. The
question remains, then, as to whether this trend will change over time, if the
quality of submissions on international education topics is not the primary
impediment to its wider publication. We put some of these questions to comparative
education journal editors themselves and discuss their answers in the next section.
Overall, our search in the five comparative education journals is not necessarily
meant to suggest that they are insufficiently addressing research on study
abroad, student mobility, and international student exchange. However, as the
next section elaborates, published scholars working in international education
have encouraged more cross-fertilization between research on international
education and comparative education scholarship, and voiced their hope that
this work becomes more frequently disseminated in the existing comparative education
journals in the future. Further, the editors of these journals also welcome more study of
these areas and are eager to offer concrete suggestions about future topics of
interest to them and the level of scholarship they expect in submissions. Finally
and as noted already, beyond these five publications there are other academic
journals – albeit not focused on comparative education per se – that publish work on
themes of international education and cover these areas more extensively.
These include the Journal of Studies in International Education; Frontiers: the
interdisciplinary journal of study abroad; the International Journal of Intercultural
Relations; the Journal of Research in International Education; the International
Journal of Educational Research; and Higher Education, among others. Unfortunately,
the scope of this paper did not permit us to also conduct a study of their
coverage on our specific themes of interest as well. The second step of the
analysis is detailed in section III below, where we discuss the major themes
that each of the five comparative education journals cover. We then offer comments by
the editors of these journals, who were contacted in preparation for this article.
Their comments are Research on Study Abroad, Mobility, and Student Exchange 11
anonymously summarized and we greatly appreciate their insights and reflections
on the state of the art and the guidelines they have generously provided to
scholars who wish to submit manuscripts in the future. III. Recent Research Themes
Published in International Education Comparative education journal editors
acknowledge the need for more work on themes in higher education to appear in
comparative education scholarship. A February 2011 editorial in the Comparative
Education Review advocated first among a long list of ‘understudied areas’ that there be
more ‘submissions analyzing the politics of international education and cultural
exchange’ in the form of more policy studies, particularly on US-based
international education activity in the future.[4] This ‘open invitation’ requested
in particular papers on the ‘diplomatic and cultural impact’ of programs such as
Fulbright (Editorial, 2011, p. 3). In a 2007 editorial in the International Education
Journal, the editor also expressed the hope for a wider breadth of research
covering international education topic areas: [The IEJ seeks to] engage a larger
audience of contributors and readers who consider themselves not only as researchers
in the field of comparative and international education, but who work in more specific
subject areas such as intercultural studies, international development,
internationalisation and globalisation, leadership and policy, multiculturalism, peace
studies, postcolonialism, and youth studies. (Denman, 2007, p. 1443) Before we
summarize the comments from the journal editors we contacted, we provide in Table II
an overview of the areas within study abroad, student mobility, and international
student exchange that have been covered in the five noted comparative educational
journals during the decades since their founding. The five journals Topics covered
related to our three areas of interest: ‘study abroad’, ‘student & staff mobility’,
‘international student exchange’ Comparative Education Review 1960s A bibliography of
study-abroad research; reintegration of Indian students into the employment market; a
study of Israeli history textbooks and Israelis abroad; a survey of American study
centers in Germany and their integration efforts and impact on policy. 1970s A case
study of Peruvian students trained in the United States. 1980s May 1984 special issue:
Introduction overview on foreign students; challenges to the American higher education
system for accommodating foreign graduate students; the economic and policy impact
of study abroad on developing countries; the impact on national development of African
graduate students trained abroad; the experience of Asian students seeking higher
education experiences abroad; international students and changes in the fee structure
in Britain; international students seeking higher education in Australia; a bibliography of
research on international students and study abroad programs 1990s Japanese and
Chinese students and perceptions of gender roles as students in the United States;
Chinese students and the influence of studying in the United States; Indonesian
students and predictors of success for graduate study in the United States. 2000s
International students in the United States and conceptions of citizenship identity; US
study-abroad students in Australia and reflections on national identity. 2010+ Bernhard
T. Streitwieser et al 12 Compare: a journal of comparative and international education
1970s 1980s 1990s Pilot study results of one Dutch university’s internationalization
efforts. 2000s The impact of a social science course on the learning experiences of
European Erasmus students at a university in Finland; a case study of Chinese graduate
students’ intercultural learning experiences at one British university; a report of the
findings of a study of Chinese student integration at UK universities using an existing
theory of internationalization; a historical study of the reintegration of Japanese
learners after a prolonged period of living and studying overseas; a study of Chinese
female immigrants to the UK and their cultural adjustment process in relation to the
author’s own experiences. 2010+ Developing a theory on the perspectives of Mainland
Chinese students studying at Singaporean universities; findings of a study of first year
international students at four UK universities; a study of the experiences of two groups
of women from Middle Eastern countries studying in neighboring countries; case studies
of the learning outcomes of international graduate students in Australian higher
education; a study of Central and Eastern European university students at one UK
university and their attitudes and motivations toward learning; a small qualitative study
of the reintegration experiences of Chinese students after graduate study overseas.
International Education Journal: comparative perspectives 1990s 2000s A survey study
of two groups of North American students and their motivations to engage in study
abroad, using an established theory and offering policy recommendations; influencing
factors in the recruitment of Chinese students to study at Australian universities, with
policy recommendations; a case study of a sample of Thai graduate students and their
experiences in a distance learning course at one Australian university, with policy
recommendations; using an established instrument to study British youth in China and
the UK and their international awareness, respect for other cultures and feelings of
national identity; a questionnaire study of a small sample of Indonesian postgraduate
students and their adjustment experiences at Australian universities, with policy
recommendations; a case study of Japanese students in an Australian high school and
perceptions of cultural identity, with policy recommendations; a case study of the
counseling services and expectations of Chinese, Australian and North American
university students, using an established instrument, with policy recommendations; a
qualitative study of the psychological adjustment experiences of Korean students at one
university in Japan; a discussion of the challenges of teaching critical thinking skills to
international students, primarily from Asia, at Australian universities, a suggested new
approach and policy considerations; a study of the internationalization of one university
and its impact on visiting international students and pedagogy, with policy
recommendations; a study of Thai student decision making to study overseas; a small
interview study of a group of Taiwanese students in the USA and integration and
identity issues; a comparative analysis of different approaches among regional
Australian cities to attracting the international student market; a report of the results of
a project to support English-language learners through a course at one Australian
university, with policy recommendations; a discussion and analysis of policies and
activities related to addressing the counseling needs of international students in New
Zealand; a case study of the academic and cultural adjustment challenges of a small
group of Asian students studying at one US university, using an established theory and
offering policy recommendations; a study of the social and cultural adjustment
difficulties of international students generally and with a particular focus on Iranian
students in Scotland, with policy recommendations; an interview study of the language
Research on Study Abroad, Mobility, and Student Exchange 13 difficulties faced by
students from five Asian countries studying in Australia, with suggestions for
remediation; a report on faculty perceptions of international graduate students’ feelings
of isolation from host nationals; a report of one Australian university’s policy to test
international students’ language proficiency using an established measurement device
and grade point average, with recommendations for stemming attrition; construction
and testing of a scale to measure family influence on Thai students’ decisions to study
abroad; a small survey study of a sample of Asian students at one Australian university
and perceptions of quality in education, with policy recommendations; a study of a
small sample of Australian teachers’ language awareness through a short-term
experience in South Korea.

With the development of globalization and internationalization, intercultural competence

(IC) has gained great importance in all fields. For college students, intercultural
competence is a requisite factor for successful cross-cultural communication and
qualified global citizens. There are many ways for students to experience cultural
differences and thus create greater potential to develop their IC (Rust et al., 2013).
Research demonstrated that participating in study abroad (SA) programs is one way to
get access to the cultural differences. SA programs are expected to “transform a
student’s worldview and provide the necessary knowledge and skills to successfully
interact with people from different cultural backgrounds” (Pongitory, 2020, pp. 2-3).
Some studies found intercultural competence (IC) can be improved or increased
through study abroad (SA). Other studies also discovered there was growth in
undergraduates’ intercultural competence even in short-term study abroad (SA)
programs. Much research focuses on SA programs and IC, and the methods are
comparatively onefold, either quantitative or qualitative. However, intercultural
competence is a complex issue. Some outstanding researchers in this field, such as
Deardorff (2006), stated that a mix of quantitative and qualitative methods is the best
way to study complicated issues of IC. In this study, a mixed method has been
employed to assess the IC of college students, explore whether there is a statistically
significant difference in IC levels between students having SA experience and those
who do not have SA experience, and examine the college students’ attitudes and ideas
about SA programs and IC interactions.

1.2Background of the Problem

The background information should indicate the root of the problem being studied,
appropriate context of the problem in relation to theory, research, and/or practice, its
scope, and the extent to which previous studies have successfully investigated the
problem, noting, in particular, where gaps exist that your study attempts to address.

1.3 Statement of the Problem

Disparity is seen in almost all fields when we compare the developing countries with the
already developed ones. One of them is the quality education and the scope of its
execution.This research mainly focuses on the burning issue of brain drain in developing
country like Nepal, its causes and possible solutions. Even though this topic is not
completely new concept but due to lack of exact variable measures and sufficient
qualitative research based on particular region, it makes us difficult to measure the
exact outcome and also makes it challenging to execute research without any past
reviews.The main problem that this research address is what are the reason which
makes Nepalese education less preferable for Kathmandu’s High School students when
comparing with abroad studies? Despite the increasing popularity of studying abroad,
there is a lack of understanding regarding the specific factors that motivate individuals
to pursue higher education in a foreign country. This knowledge gap hinders
educational institutions from effectively catering to the needs of international students
and providing them with the necessary support to succeed in a foreign academic
environment. Additionally, this lack of understanding may prevent prospective students
from exploring the potential benefits and opportunities that come with studying abroad.
Therefore, there is a need to further explore and understand the motivations behind
individuals' decisions to study abroad to better serve and support the growing
community of international students.

1.4 The purpose of the study

It is to contribute to the development of knowledge in one’s research field. It is

necessary and valuable because it improves knowledge, improves the quality of
learning, and helps the business succeed (Zarah, 2010). For some researchers, data
sharing is essential to their research process .To find the motive to study in abroad and
in order to fulfill the gaps. Abroad study gives a lot of opportunities and to get new
ideas, research well and utilizing in home country is very important aspect of living,
learning new culture, shifting of ideas will be there as well.

1.5 Research questions

In order to achieve our objective, the research question required are:

• What is the impact of perceived social support by students on their intention

towards abroad study?

• What is the impact of student’s expectation of quality offered by foreign

universities on their intention towards abroad study?
• What is the impact of perceived career opportunities and labor market situations
by students on their foreign study intention?

1.6 Significance of the study

This research is based on finding the reason for student’s interest in abroad studies. It
not only provides the reason of brain drain but also the potential solution of it.
Moreover, it might also aid some important left out points in the level of national
consideration for the problem of brain drain and overall education quality improvement.
The significance of research on why people prefer abroad study lies in its potential to
inform policies and practices related to international education. Understanding the
motivations behind studying abroad can help universities and governments develop
programs and initiatives to attract more international students and provide them with
the resources they need to succeed. Additionally, knowing why people choose to study
abroad can help students make informed decisions about their education and career
paths. The research can also provide insights into intercultural communication and
understanding, as students are able to interact with people from different cultures and
backgrounds. Finally, studying abroad can have long-lasting personal and professional
benefits for students, including improved language skills, cross-cultural adaptability, and
increased employability in a global marketplace. Overall, research on why people prefer
to study abroad can have significant implications for education, diplomacy, and
international relations.

1.7 Definition of terms

The main key terms used in this research are social support, quality education, career
opportunities and personality development.
Social support simply means the support from the society. It is the means of having
friends and other people, including family, to turn to in times of need or crisis to give
you a broader focus and positive self-image.

Quality education by universities means to provide the outcomes that encompass

knowledge, skills and attitudes, and are linked to national goals for education and
positive participation in society.

A career opportunity given by universities is regarded as the chance to held the job, to
earn the titles and accomplish the work over a time rather than just referring to one
position.

Personality development is the perception of students towards change. It is the

development of the organized pattern of behaviors and attitudes that makes a persona
distinctive.

As the research is based on the perception of Nepalese students, the above-mentioned

factors will be calculated as per student’s perception and for that reason the researcher
has used perceived word in front of these factors in this research.
1.8 Assumptions, Limitations, and Delimitations

Since the research will be undertaken by the first-time researcher it would basically
focus on the students within Kathmandu valley currently studying in their respective
education program and who are planning for abroad study. The students within the
reach are considered due to ease of data collection and significant reliable
generalization of output.

The variables utilized in this research include perceived social support, perceived quality
of education offered by foreign universities, perceived career opportunities and
expected personality development.

This research has fulfilled most of the requirement in the process of conducting the
research; however, there were some unavoidable limitations. The present researcher
has measured the possible factors that are responsible for student’s intention towards
abroad study in Nepalese context. Even though the research contains a good scope, it
cannot be generalized as its sample was small. The research is also being conducted on
the ground of taking only four variables i.e. perceived quality offered by foreign
universities, perceived social support, expected career opportunities and expected
personality development.

Scope: - This research can focus on any demographic group of individuals who are
interested in studying abroad, including high school students, college students, and
professionals - The research can take place in a variety of different countries and
educational contexts - A range of research methods can be used, including surveys,
interviews, and case studies

Limitations: - The research may be limited to a specific population or region, and

therefore the results may not be generalizable to other groups or contexts - The
research may be limited by the availability of participants and access to relevant data -
The research may be limited by the methods used, as different research methods may
produce different results and may not capture the full range of factors that influence an
individual's decision to study abroad

1.9 Organization of chapters

Broadly, a component of the Organization of the Study is to provide a map that may
guide readers through the reading and understanding of the dissertation. In this
activity, you will provide readers with a roadmap to your dissertation that illustrates
what they should expect: (a) in how the study was organized and conducted; and (b) in
how the chapters ahead have been sequenced/organized. Generally, a component of
the Organization of the Study is to spotlight the organizational "sign posts" to look for in
the chapters that follow. Specifically, a component of the Organization of the Study is to
briefly establish how each chapter is constructed to achieve your research objectives.

How will you organize your study to systematically address your research questions?

How will your chapters be sequenced and constructed to reflect the organization of
your study? Moreover, it means organization of chapter is necessary and presented
from Introduction, Literature review, Methodology, Research findings and Conclusions,
Discussion and Suggestions for Future Research. In every aspect from beginning to end
there is need of Organization of chapters and how it will fulfill every era of given
research.

1.10 Summary

This academic research has been developed in five distinct chapters. First chapter deals
with the introduction with brief background and subject matter of the study. Overall
information about the grounded theoretical principles has been taken into consideration
in the second chapter. The third chapter consists of the techniques and methods used
for collecting information and dates of the study. Fourth chapter deals with the result
drawn out from different facts and figures from using tools and techniques mentioned
from chapter three. Finally, on the basis of research and observation, chapter five
includes summary, conclusion and recommendation of the related field of the study.
 CHAPTER 2

LITERATURE Review

2.1 Introduction

Literature review is a systematic factor that places each work in the context of its
contribution that helps in understanding the research problem. Likewise, here it
contains the past literature data sources and systematically organized understanding of
the research problem and also adds new conceptual analysis to the same factors. For
this, the chapter as whole is organized and explained in four different sections. The first
section includes the review of past knowledge and theoretical base followed by the
inspection and understanding of past related papers. Following this the second section
includes the review of documents and papers related to present studies and data. The
third section consist the review of other similar and relevant studies undertaken in the
Nepalese and foreign context. Finally, by considering all the inspections and reviews of
those relevant articles and literatures, the outcome then is presented as the conceptual
framework of the present study in fourth chapter. On the basis of this framework the
ongoing research will be governed.

This section helps to build a general conceptual understanding about some factors
affecting student’s intention towards abroad study. The present researcher found the
work of (Pimpa, 2003), (Bodycott, 2009), (Cameron, 1978), (Luo & Jamieson-Drake,
2015), (Chang, 2012), (Li, Liu, & Rojas-Méndez, 2013), (Sawir, Marginson, Deumert,
Nyland, & Ramia, 2008), (McLeod & Wainwright, 2009), (Surridge, 2000) as the key
source of learning for this purpose. Comparative Education 1960s 1970s Student
mobility in Latin America and challenges related to recognition of coursework completed
elsewhere. 1980s 1990s An assessment of the European Erasmus program in light of
the relationship between the program’s present-day goals and the humanitarian ideals
of its historical namesake, Erasmus of Rotterdam. 2000s A systems-level analysis of
official documents related to student mobility in the European Union and efforts to
harmonize higher education systems. 2010+ Research in Comparative and International
Education 2000s The experiences of US study-abroad students and individual and
institutional factors that facilitate their experiences; a discussion of student affairs
professionals and their role in facilitating international students’ educational
experiences; Singaporean students’ decisions to study in Australian universities and
development of a model of decision making; a historical study using archival records of
the development of Anglo-German university educational exchange programs after the
Second World War. 2010+ Table II. Thematic areas covered in the five comparative
education journals reviewed. If the search criteria, the specific keywords used, and our
methods of finding and analyzing articles are accepted as valid, we can draw a number
of interesting conclusions from Table II. Among other things, these findings shed light
on

(a) the magnitude of research output over time,

(b) the focus on particular research questions,

(c) the concentration on particular countries or areas of the world,

(d) the concentration on types of students and where they come from, and

(e) types of studies, sample sizes, and research methods used.

Magnitude of Research Output over Time First and most obvious, some of the five
journals we considered have disseminated more international education research
along our three main themes of interest than have some of the others.
Further, publications on issues in international education have been irregular
when considered in terms of the different decades in which they appeared. Bernhard T.
Streitwieser et al 14 For example, the International Education Journal: comparative
perspectives has published a great deal of international education work in the
2000s, the first full decade since it was established, while the Comparative Education
Review and Comparative Education, two more established and older comparative
education journals, have published relatively little over the same period. While there
was a sudden output of relevant articles in the Comparative Education Review in the
mid 1980s, this was confined to the special May 1984 issue on ‘Foreign Students
in Comparative Perspective’ edited by Barber, Altbach and Myers. The two decades
prior and the two latter have seen relatively little output: five relevant articles in the
1960s and 1970s combined, and five relevant articles in the 1990s and 2000s
combined. The online journal, Research in Comparative and International
Educationhas published relatively fewer articles on international education in the
2000s (only four) and yet this has been three times more than the older and more
established journal, Comparative Education, which published only one article of
relevance to our themes in the previous decade. The journal Compare did not
publish articles of relevance to our search in the 1970s and 1980s and only one in the
1990s, but then in the decade of 2000 greatly expanded its output to five
publications in the 2000s and another six in 2010-2011. Clearly, the research
output has increased dramatically in the decades of the 1990s and 2000s, and
particularly in the more newly established comparative education journals. (b)
Focus on Particular Research Questions A large number of the papers we identified
as relevant focused either on the student level (i.e. Chinese students in Australia)
or on the level of individual institutions (i.e. a program to integrate Chinese graduate
students at one UK university). At the student level, for example, many articles
addressed issues students face related to intercultural adjustment (psycho-
social, linguistic, academic) either into the host culture or back into their
home culture, their motivations to study elsewhere and related family and other
influences on personal decision making, and the support and services foreign
students need to succeed. Some of these papers were focused on as few as five
students, or on only one academic course, while others had samples closer to
fifty or a hundred. Fewer articles looked at international education from a wider
angle, whether from a systems-level perspective (i.e. mobility in the European
Union) or at the national policy level (i.e. American higher education and
accommodating foreign students). While there were certainly pieces that took a
wider, more macro-level perspective, and thus in some cases included much larger
samples, they have appeared less frequently in these journals to date. A number of
papers also shared results of particular policies or programs, much like an internal
institutional report might, but then often offered only relatively short discussions
in the conclusion that addressed wider potential implications or made policy
recommendations. (c) Concentration on Particular Countries or Areas of the World While
papers in the Comparative Education Review represented the widest range of
world regions and students coming from different academic systems (i.e. Asia, Europe,
Latin America, Africa, the United States, and Australia and New Zealand), the
other four journals – of course with notable exceptions – generally published
papers on issues and populations geographically closer to where the journal is
physically based. This was most evident with the International Education
Journal, where the overwhelming majority of articles were on students, institutions and
issues related to the Asian and Australasian education systems. (d) Concentration on
Types of Students and Where they Come from Much of the study of international
students in all of these journals was focused on or related to issues that
concern students from Asia. This is not necessarily surprising given the large number of
Asian students who in the past decade have sought higher education in other regions of
the world, most notably the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australasia. This
focus on Asian students has been strongest in the decade of the 1990s and
2000s. Notable for this is the official BAICE journal, Compare – the official journal
of the British Association for International and Comparative Research on Study Abroad,
Mobility, and Student Exchange 15 Education – a particularly large number of
articles of relevance to our search dealt with Asian students. While some
discussion of students from Latin America and Africa was published in some of these
journals in the 1960s and 1970s, there has been seemingly very little attention
to this demographic again in the 1990s and 2000s, where more attention has turned,
as noted already, to Asia and, not surprisingly after 9/11, to the Middle East. Attention
to European issues and students has not seen any significant growth, although the
impact of the end of the Cold War and the Bologna initiative might account for
slightly more articles in the 1990s and 2000s. Nearly all of the papers related to our
area of interest looked at students at the level of higher education, with only very few
looking either at the secondary-school level, or at adult learners or immigrants. This is
not surprising given that study abroad, student mobility, and international
student exchange are activities that generally involve participants in higher education.
(e) Types of Studies, Sample Sizes, and Research Methods Used The types of studies
reported most frequently in each of the journals were case studies with
relatively small numbers of students, and relatively often focused on only one
institution. These studies generally relied on samples of students who either
filled out open-ended surveys, were interviewed individually or in focus groups, or
some combination of both. Fewer research studies were based on statistically large
samples or national databases. Some papers also reported using an established scale or
theoretical model to test a specific context, or in other cases used their internal data to
generate new models or categories or to suggest a new scale or other
measurement instrument. Finally, it would seem obvious that changes in the
makeup of editorial teams as well as significant world political, economic and
social developments have a great deal to do with a journal’s increase or
decreased attention to particular geographic regions or research questions. While
our analysis did not account for this and thus we are unable to make a definitive
statement on the finding, it does not seem especially surprising. An example of
the latter is the increase in articles looking at students’ perceptions of identity
– a tendency that has been associated with greater mobility and some of the
trends related to ubiquitous and growing discussions of globalization. Suggestions
from Journal Editors for Future Submissions In addition to identifying the research
areas covered in each of the five comparative education journals we have
reviewed and illustrated in Table II, we asked the editors of these journals to
share what they regard as research directions in international education – again
with a particular focus on study abroad, mobility and exchange – and what they
welcome in future submissions.[5] The list below summarizes a general consensus
among the editors, however there was not unanimity on every observation or
suggestion. To begin with, all the editors emphasized that a submission should always
and at a minimum meet the general standards expected for inclusion in a peer-
reviewed journal. These are that submissions should be relevant to the focus of the
journal, rigorous in their approach and analysis, grounded in the appropriate
literature and context, and seek to make an original and significant contribution
to the existing literature. Beyond that, they offered the following
additional reflections: •The editors seek to publish more work on themes of
international education and are eager to receive more high-quality submissions.
There have been too few submissions on international education, study abroad,
mobility, and exchange in the past. However, journal rankings have added
pressure on journal editors to publish only papers of the highest quality, so standards
for acceptance in the best journals are extremely high. •The research must include
comparative elements that lend themselves to critical analysis and reflection.
•The research should have a strong and well articulated theoretical perspective that is
supported by a synthesized and relevant base of literature. Good articles stand
out by analytically synthesizing related literature so that a theoretical perspective
emerges. Bernhard T. Streitwieser et al 16 •Research that is overly descriptive often
fails to connect a specific case to the broader literature, whereas it should contribute
to the general understanding of issues relating to international education, study
abroad, and student mobility. Mere summaries of program evaluations, lessons learned
from projects, or reports of findings based on case studies or one-institution studies are
generally of little interest. •The research needs to be put into a proper context
that relates the particular argument to the general background of the country,
region or institution in question, as well as to the relevant literature. •The
editors would like to see more work on international education that also comes
with a broader policy and systems-level analysis and discussion of implications. •When
possible, the editors would like to and do make an effort to offer guidance for articles
that have been rejected, both in order to justify their actions and also not
discourage future submissions. •One helpful exercise for those interested in the
Comparative Education Review’s editorial process is to download and read through
the open file of editorial correspondence. This offers a clearer sense of the
criteria that may be used for evaluating a range of types of articles. Unfortunately, this
correspondence, however, only offers insight into articles that have been accepted.
•Another helpful exercise is to look at the video interview with the editors of the journal
Compareas a way to get an insight into their editorial decision-making process. This
video is available on the journal website. •Some of the journals would like to
encourage more special issues as a way of keeping the research robust and
current. Calls for special issues are generally advertised through the websites of the
World Council of Comparative Education Societies (WCCES), the Comparative and
International Education Society (CIES), and the Australian and New Zealand
Comparative and International Education Society (ANZCIES), among other
organizations, and are a good opportunity for theme-specific submissions. One
reason why we chose to take a closer look at the presence, type and frequency of
international education research within the comparative education literature, is
that criticism of this work – as pointed out by the journal editors cited above – is
not new and has in fact been repeatedly invoked in the past. In the leading US and
European comparative education journals over the past fifty years, study abroad
as a phenomenon of international education has been relatively under-analyzed in
academically rich, theory-driven and empirically rigorous ways. Leading voices in
the field of international education have previously criticized the research on
international education as sometimes too thematically narrow, overly oriented toward
practitioners, and unevenly accessible within the established higher education
journals. Assessment of this situation over time has become somewhat more
positive, however. In his 2011 review of the state of international education,
Hans de Wit voiced more optimism that dissemination as well as the sources of
research on international education had ‘developed rapidly’ (De Wit & Urias, 2011, p.
95) and that one could now witness ‘an ever increasing diversity’ of thematic
coverage and range of scholarly contributions (p. 102). Conclusion A Missed
Opportunity? The argument put forth in this article has highlighted that, while
traditionally comparativists have drawn a general distinction between comparative
education on the one hand and international education on the other, in reality
this may in fact signal a missed opportunity to more firmly integrate the two
fields. The active research that today is taking place on issues related to
international education, including research on study abroad, student mobility, and
international student exchange, offers a wide diversity of ways to broaden
the comparative education scholarship. Neglecting significant areas of
international education research in the comparative education literature not only
represents a lost opportunity for comparativists but is also surprising given the long
history of activity in international education and the fact that today so many
students and professionals engage in international learning. Just to take study abroad
as an example Research on Study Abroad, Mobility, and Student Exchange 17 of one of
the major activities under the wider umbrella of international education, the exponential
growth in student participation rates over the past decade, perhaps driven largely by
the ubiquitous public rhetoric around globalization, poses major pressures and
competing challenges that are fertile ground for research. For many students, an
experience of studying elsewhere represents not only a formative and often
transformative experience, but may ultimately be the most significant
comparative experience they will have in their lives. While the implications of this are
not lost on institutions of higher learning – where the drive to expand
study-abroad opportunities, internationalize their campuses, and expand their global
outreach has grown exponentially over the last decade – for scholars of
comparative education there is much to learn through examining international
study in all its complexity and to draw into the wider comparative education theory,
methodology and literature. Although the default mode in some study-abroad and
international offices may still be an over-reliance on quick, superficial program
evaluations, calls to engage in deeper research to more fully understand the totality of
the study-abroad experience have grown more vocal in recent years. Research informed
by an expanding body of work and supported by sound methodology and valid
theoretical frameworks is increasingly available for consumption. More panels and
workshops reflecting critical analysis of issues in international education are
organized each year at the international meetings of the Forum on
Education Abroad, NAFSA, the Association of International Educators, the
Council on International Educational Exchange, the American Educational
Research Association, the European Educational Research Conference, and
the conferences sponsored by the European Comparative Education Society, the US
Comparative and International Education Society, the Comparative Education Society of
Asia, the Australia and New Zealand Comparative and International Education
Society, and the World Council for Comparative Education Societies, to name
only the largest gatherings. Some of this discussion then appears in a growing
number of increasingly respected peer-reviewed journals, many focused
specifically on international education. Arguably, this growth in research and
dissemination is altering what is sometimes still popular perception of study abroad as
an activity students engage in and administrators facilitate, but not one that can is
also richly academic and worthy of scholarly attention and deep, critical reflection.
Through a review over the past decades of the inclusion of international
education scholarship in at least some of the leading comparative education journals,
we have sought through this article to advocate that research on the phenomenon of
international education should have a greater presence in the development of the
comparative scholarship in the future. Notes [1] Val D. Rust organized such a panel at
the 2009 annual conference of NAFSA in Los Angeles; Bernhard Streitwieser and Val
Rust regularly present their research at these annual meetings. The 2011 Forum on
Education Abroad conference in Boston, Massachusetts, saw its strongest attendance
yet with its theme addressing the link between education abroad and theories of
international education, a good sign given that theory and study abroad has not been
widely discussed in the study abroad literature to date. At the 2011 Comparative and
International Education Society (CIES) conference in Montreal, Canada, 17 of the
sessions directly addressed issues related to ‘study abroad’ or ‘mobility’, many of those
addressing specific initiatives currently being undertaken in Asia and the European
Union. [2] For example, see Compare, 31(3). [3] For a small selection of examples see:
Altbach, Reisberg and Rumbley (2009) Trends in Global Higher Education: tracking an
academic revolution; Childress (2009) The Twenty-First Century University: developing
faculty engagement in internationalization; de Wit (2011) Trends, Issues and
Challenges in Internationalisation of Higher Education; Forest and Altbach (20110)
International Handbook of Higher Education; Jones and Brown (2007) Internationalising
Higher Education; Kelo, Teichler and Waechter (2006) Student Mobility in European
Higher Education; Knight (2008) Higher Education in Turmoil: the changing world of
internationalization; Lewin (2009) Handbook of Practice and Research in Study Abroad:
higher education and the quest for global citizenship; andStearns (2009) Educating
Global Citizens in Colleges and Universities: challenges and opportunities. [4]
Surprisingly, as of when we contacted the journal, the CER had only received one
submission related to that particular topic in response to their editorial column.
Bernhard T. Streitwieser et al 18 [5] Our email was worded as follows: ‘I am currently
working on an article for a special issue I am guest editing for the online journal,
Research in International and Comparative Education. Magnitude of Research Output
over Time First and most obvious, some of the five journals we considered have
disseminated more international education research along our three main themes
of interest than have some of the others. Further, publications on issues in
international education have been irregular when considered in terms of the
different decades in which they appeared. Bernhard T. Streitwieser et al 14 For
example, the International Education Journal: comparative perspectives has
published a great deal of international education work in the 2000s, the first full
decade since it was established, while the Comparative Education Review and
Comparative Education, two more established and older comparative education
journals, have published relatively little over the same period. While there was a sudden
output of relevant articles in the Comparative Education Review in the mid 1980s, this
was confined to the special May 1984 issue on ‘Foreign Students in
Comparative Perspective’ edited by Barber, Altbach and Myers. The two decades prior
and the two latter have seen relatively little output: five relevant articles in the 1960s
and 1970s combined, and five relevant articles in the 1990s and 2000s combined.
The online journal, Research in Comparative and International Educationhas
published relatively fewer articles on international education in the 2000s (only
four) and yet this has been three times more than the older and more established
journal, Comparative Education, which published only one article of relevance to
our themes in the previous decade. The journal Compare did not publish articles
of relevance to our search in the 1970s and 1980s and only one in the 1990s, but
then in the decade of 2000 greatly expanded its output to five publications in
the 2000s and another six in 2010-2011. Clearly, the research output has
increased dramatically in the decades of the 1990s and 2000s, and particularly
in the more newly established comparative education journals. (b) Focus on
Particular Research Questions A large number of the papers we identified as
relevant focused either on the student level (i.e. Chinese students in Australia) or
on the level of individual institutions (i.e. a program to integrate Chinese graduate
students at one UK university). At the student level, for example, many articles
addressed issues students face related to intercultural adjustment (psycho-
social, linguistic, academic) either into the host culture or back into their
home culture, their motivations to study elsewhere and related family and other
influences on personal decision making, and the support and services foreign
students need to succeed. Some of these papers were focused on as few as five
students, or on only one academic course, while others had samples closer to
fifty or a hundred. Fewer articles looked at international education from a wider
angle, whether from a systems-level perspective (i.e. mobility in the European
Union) or at the national policy level (i.e. American higher education and
accommodating foreign students). While there were certainly pieces that took a
wider, more macro-level perspective, and thus in some cases included much larger
samples, they have appeared less frequently in these journals to date. A number of
papers also shared results of particular policies or programs, much like an internal
institutional report might, but then often offered only relatively short discussions
in the conclusion that addressed wider potential implications or made policy
recommendations. (c) Concentration on Particular Countries or Areas of the World While
papers in the Comparative Education Review represented the widest range of
world regions and students coming from different academic systems (i.e. Asia, Europe,
Latin America, Africa, the United States, and Australia and New Zealand), the
other four journals – of course with notable exceptions – generally published
papers on issues and populations geographically closer to where the journal is
physically based. This was most evident with the International Education
Journal, where the overwhelming majority of articles were on students, institutions and
issues related to the Asian and Australasian education systems. (d) Concentration on
Types of Students and Where they Come from Much of the study of international
students in all of these journals was focused on or related to issues that
concern students from Asia. This is not necessarily surprising given the large number of
Asian students who in the past decade have sought higher education in other regions of
the world, most notably the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australasia. This
focus on Asian students has been strongest in the decade of the 1990s and
2000s. Notable for this is the official BAICE journal, Compare – the official journal
of the British Association for International and Comparative Research on Study Abroad,
Mobility, and Student Exchange 15 Education – a particularly large number of
articles of relevance to our search dealt with Asian students. While some
discussion of students from Latin America and Africa was published in some of these
journals in the 1960s and 1970s, there has been seemingly very little attention
to this demographic again in the 1990s and 2000s, where more attention has turned,
as noted already, to Asia and, not surprisingly after 9/11, to the Middle East. Attention
to European issues and students has not seen any significant growth, although the
impact of the end of the Cold War and the Bologna initiative might account for
slightly more articles in the 1990s and 2000s. Nearly all of the papers related to our
area of interest looked at students at the level of higher education, with only very few
looking either at the secondary-school level, or at adult learners or immigrants. This is
not surprising given that study abroad, student mobility, and international
student exchange are activities that generally involve participants in higher education.
(e) Types of Studies, Sample Sizes, and Research Methods Used The types of studies
reported most frequently in each of the journals were case studies with
relatively small numbers of students, and relatively often focused on only one
institution. These studies generally relied on samples of students who either
filled out open-ended surveys, were interviewed individually or in focus groups, or
some combination of both. Fewer research studies were based on statistically large
samples or national databases. Some papers also reported using an established scale or
theoretical model to test a specific context, or in other cases used their internal data to
generate new models or categories or to suggest a new scale or other
measurement instrument. Finally, it would seem obvious that changes in the
makeup of editorial teams as well as significant world political, economic and
social developments have a great deal to do with a journal’s increase or
decreased attention to particular geographic regions or research questions. While
our analysis did not account for this and thus we are unable to make a definitive
statement on the finding, it does not seem especially surprising. An example of
the latter is the increase in articles looking at students’ perceptions of identity
– a tendency that has been associated with greater mobility and some of the
trends related to ubiquitous and growing discussions of globalization. Suggestions
from Journal Editors for Future Submissions In addition to identifying the research
areas covered in each of the five comparative education journals we have
reviewed and illustrated in Table II, we asked the editors of these journals to
share what they regard as research directions in international education – again
with a particular focus on study abroad, mobility and exchange – and what they
welcome in future submissions.[5] The list below summarizes a general consensus
among the editors, however there was not unanimity on every observation or
suggestion. To begin with, all the editors emphasized that a submission should always
and at a minimum meet the general standards expected for inclusion in a peer-
reviewed journal. These are that submissions should be relevant to the focus of the
journal, rigorous in their approach and analysis, grounded in the appropriate
literature and context, and seek to make an original and significant contribution
to the existing literature. Beyond that, they offered the following
additional reflections: •The editors seek to publish more work on themes of
international education and are eager to receive more high-quality submissions.
There have been too few submissions on international education, study abroad,
mobility, and exchange in the past. However, journal rankings have added
pressure on journal editors to publish only papers of the highest quality, so standards
for acceptance in the best journals are extremely high. •The research must include
comparative elements that lend themselves to critical analysis and reflection.
•The research should have a strong and well articulated theoretical perspective that is
supported by a synthesized and relevant base of literature. Good articles stand
out by analytically synthesizing related literature so that a theoretical perspective
emerges. Bernhard T. Streitwieser et al 16 •Research that is overly descriptive often
fails to connect a specific case to the broader literature, whereas it should contribute
to the general understanding of issues relating to international education, study
abroad, and student mobility. Mere summaries of program evaluations, lessons learned
from projects, or reports of findings based on case. The issue is devoted to discussing
research on ‘study abroad’, ‘student and staff mobility’, and ‘international student
exchange’ and its place in the broader comparative education scholarship. I hope to
include in the article some general information about what the editors and reviewers of
submissions to your journal generally look for when they receive work related to
research on international education (specifically study abroad, mobility and student
exchange). Besides information for contributors available on the journal’s website,
would you be able to share a few pointers about what you look for in particular when
considering research in these areas and what makes a submission stand out as worthy
for publication? Also, are there any particular editorials I should look at in your journal
where you, or your editorial team, have encouraged more submissions on international
education topics or talked about what thematic areas might be of special interest?
Finally, are there any articles on these themes that you feel could be particularly good
models I could point to for future contributors? I am contacting other journal editors
right now as well and will summarize everyone’s general advice and offer it as helpful
guideposts for future contributors. Any advice from you would be greatly appreciated.

2.2 Search Description

Foreign study intention

Studying in foreign universities is taken as necessities than the discretionary factor

these days due to increase in globalization, quick and relevant access to knowledge and
increasing demand of conversant labor force throughout the world. One of the reasons
that the foreign study is mandatory these days is due to globalization. Here foreign
study means the qualitative education with higher learning and advanced career
opportunities especially offered by top European universities.

The student’s intentions towards abroad study generally means the willingness of
students either to study in abroad or to study in the home country. This research is all
about finding and testing some of these factors affecting the intention of students. The
scholars urge the following matters about foreign studies trends that affects the study
intention:

The benefits for students resulting from study abroad programs such as short-term
programs are varied and widely documented and business schools continue to
internationalize foreign institutional arrangements across the dimensions of objectives,
organization, curriculum, and faculty (Kwok & Arpan, 2002). There are many definitions
and concepts of culture applied by researchers in different fields. Lustig & Koester
(2013) pointed out “John R. Baldwin and his colleagues have listed over three hundred
meanings for culture” (p. 25). In this study, culture is “a learned set of shared
interpretations about beliefs, values, norms, and social practices, which affect the
behaviors of a relatively large group of people” (Lustig & Koester, 2013, p. 25). This
definition is adopted because it is beneficial for people to understand the relationship
and link between culture and communication in order to improve IC (Lustig & Koester,
2013). “Understanding what elements influence values and traits of a culture
encourages people Journal of Education and Training Studies Vol. 9, No. 8; October
2021 2 to take a more objective rather than a staunchly value-laden view of the world”
(Wickline et al, 2020, p. 128). Therefore, people may better identify shared goals and
values by understanding other cultures (Wickline et al., 2020). 2.1.2 Intercultural
Competence (IC) “Today, the importance of intercultural competence in both global and
domestic contexts is well recognized” (Hammer et al., 2003, p. 421). Scholars and
researchers have been working on the concept of IC for many years, but there is no
consensus on terminology, which includes “… communicative competence, cross-
cultural adaptation, cross-cultural awareness, cross-cultural communication, cultural
competence, cultural or intercultural sensitivity, effective intergroup communication,
ethnorelativity, intercultural cooperation, global competitive intelligence, global
competence, international competence, international communication, intercultural
interaction, metaphoric competence, transcultural communication, and so forth.”
(Fantini, 2009, p. 457). While in this study, the term of intercultural competence (IC)
has been adopted. Deardorff (2009) categorized IC into five categories: knowledge,
attitudes, skills, internal outcomes and external outcomes and defined IC as “effective
and appropriate behavior and communication in intercultural situations” (p. 33). This
study has utilized Deardorff’s definition, because it served the purpose of this study
well. 2.2 Study Abroad and Intercultural Competence SA experiences have been widely
“hailed and assumed as one of the best ways students can increase in their IC during
their years at college” (Wickline et al., 2020, p. 130). Numerous research indicated
intercultural competence (IC) has been improved via study abroad (SA) (Williams,
2005; Braskamp et al, 2009; Anderson & Lawton, 2011; Stebleton et al., 2013; Stemler
et al., 2014; Anderson & Lawton, 2015; Heinzmann et al., 2015; Petrie-Wyman et al.,
2020; Wickline et al., 2020). Some research also demonstrated there was growth in
undergraduates’ IC even in short-term study abroad (SA) programs (Anderson et al.,
2005; Kurt et al., 2013; Mapp, 2012; Olson & Lalley, 2012). Multiple researchers used
quantitative methods to investigate IC and SA. Anderson et al. (2005) found the
positive effect of short-term SA on intercultural sensitivity through the quantitative
method, using the instrument of Intercultural Development Inventory (IDI). Strange
and Gilbson (2017) utilized quantitative method to explore “the transformative learning
potential of university level study abroad programs and to assess the influence of
experiential learning components (operationalized as program type) and program length
on transformative learning” (p. 90). A most recent study, done by Wickline et al. (2020)
also used a quantitative research method to investigate undergraduate students’ IC,
and stressed that SA is a viable way, but not the only way to increase IC. Some
researchers used qualitative methods. Marx and Moss (2011) used qualitative method
to explore students’ intercultural development during a semester-long teacher
education program. Findings from this study revealed that “participation in the [SA]
program positively influenced intercultural development” (Marx & Moss, 2011, p. 35).
Another case in point is Maharaja (2018) investigated the influence of SA on the
development of students’ IC and personal development via qualitative research method.
There is a trend that more researchers use mixed methods to explore IC and SA. King
et al. (2013) conducted a mixed method study on how college students experience
intercultural learning through different approaches and found that participating in SA
programs and doing personal reflection improve intercultural learning. Tarchi et al
(2019) assessed SA students’ orientations to cultural difference with mixed methods,
including a self-report questionnaire of intercultural sensitivity and “oral narratives
[video logs] of critical incidents in the foreign culture” (p. 873). They stressed the
effectiveness of using video logs to facilitate intercultural sensitivity as a means of
narratives. Most recently, Pongitory (2020) used “a sequential explanatory two-phase
mixed methods design” (p. iii) in her doctoral dissertation to examine the influence of
experiental learning embedded in SA sojourns on students’ development of global
competence.

Many students in higher education are constantly reminded that they must prepare
themselves for global competition in the marketplace by participating in study abroad
programs (Durbin, 2006).

A majority of American CEOs serve in senior positions abroad for two or more years (US
News and World Report, 2010). Equally telling is the fact that the most important
international skill sought by firms is an understanding of cross-cultural differences
(Kedia & Daniel, 2003).

Further, the Lincoln Commission (2005) has stressed the relevance of robust and
affordable study abroad experiences in higher education to make study abroad the
norm, rather than the exception.

Defining the independent variables

In this research the factor that the researcher has considered which shows some
relation with the student’s intention towards abroad study in Nepal are: social support
in both home and host countries, quality education offered by foreign universities and
the labor market and career opportunities ease in both home and host countries. So,
this section deals with clarifying these variables and tries to show how they are relevant
in finding the relation with the dependent variable i.e. Nepalese students’ intention
towards abroad studies.

• Social support
Social support is a complex construct with many definitions. In this scenario we are
guided by Cohen’s (2004:676) definition: “social support refers to a social network’s
provision of psychological and material resources intended to benefit an individual’s
capacity to cope with stress. Generally social support contains a wide range of activities.
This includes structural support i.e. the size and extent of the individual’s social
network, frequency of social interactions; emotional support i.e. behavior that fosters
feelings of comfort leading the person to believe that s/he is loved, respected and /or
cared for by others. This section also includes the political functioning and support
towards the educational environment.

In present literature, a broad range of factors influencing study abroad is identified,

such as the educational level of parents and differences in socio-economic backgrounds
(Murray Brux & Fry, 2010).

Further it also includes the informational or cognitive support that shows the provision
of relevant information intended to help individuals cope with current difficulties,
understand the crisis, and adjust to the changes that have occurred, which typically
takes the form of advance or guidance in dealing with one’s problems.

Social support directly impacts on the student’s ability as well. (Holahan, Moos,
Holahan, & Brennan, 1995), (Rozanski, Blumenthal, & Kaplan, 1999).suggest that high
social support can increase self-confidence, decrease the likelihood of engaging in risky
behaviors, e.g., excess alcohol, and foster more effective coping strategies, such as
active problem solving. Relating this fact, the impact of social support is high on
educational and personal performance of students. So social support in both the home
and host countries can be taken as one of the determinant factors for student’s
intention towards abroad studies in Nepal.

• Quality education offered by foreign universities

Quality in education is regarded as the effective weapon for personal and professional
development. Education enhances the understanding level of the individual. It is the
acquisition of knowledge, skills, values, beliefs and habits that not only socializes a
fresh brain but also provides a platform for existence and some positive change. A
quality education provides individual with the needed boost for achieving the enhanced
and upgraded level of knowledge.

Universities with a good reputation are attributed providing more support and intense
supervision for foreign exchange students (i.e., support from staff or library quality).
They also rather guarantee the realistic opportunity to achieve an accepted graduation
(Llewellyn‐Smith &McCABE, 2008); (Simpson & Tan, 2009); (Jiani, 2017). Students can
consider a high reputation as indicator for those support structures that make their stay
more comfortable and give them better success prospects. Therefore, a high reputation
of the host university may increase the intention to study abroad.

(Peters, Tesar, & Locke, 1973) advances a number of conditions which must be
satisfied before one can be called an educated man. For instance, he insists that
education does not consist in the mere acquisition of disjointed fact, knowledge and
skills, but that such facts, knowledge and skills should be properly understood and
clearly explained whenever the need arises. He should demonstrate that what he has
acquired is not merely intellectual but can transform the way the individual perceives
and does things. Implicitly, the educated is expected to possess the know-how, know-
that and the ability to arrange experiences (Peters 1966:30). According to R.S. peters
“education is the transmission of what is worthwhile to those who are committed to it –
be they children or adults”.

The quality of education in developing countries is comparatively low as compared to

the developed countries. So, it is one of the reasons that the students from countries
like Nepal intends to go abroad (especially to foreign European countries) for academic
as well as work purpose.

• Perceived career opportunities.

“Career opportunity” is the key term that makes every Nepalese students on guard and
makes them think twice before studying further in Nepal. one of the reasons provided
in “the Kathmandu post” was “our higher education system has not yet been able to
create a convincing link between educational degrees and jobs. Conversely, the
education system of developed nations has strong focus on RI i.e. research and
innovation and there are high prospects for employment” (Rajesh Chapagain, Ratna
Bhattarai).

Graduates who spent a period abroad are more likely to earn higher and more growing
wages compared to those without study abroad experience (Messer & Wolter, 2007);
(Kratz & Netz, 2018). According to (Spence, 1978), study abroad may serve as signal of
unobserved productivity of graduates, what helps employers to separate suitable
candidates from others in recruitment process.

Referring to the education al expansion during the last decades (Schofer & Meyer,
2005),we assume that up to a few years ago, the completion of general studies even
without study abroad was a sufficient signal for individual productivity, while today, this
may no longer need to be the case. In this situation, the supposition is that students
are more motivated to study abroad due to its increased benefit through expected
signaling effect (Relyea, Cocchiara, & Studdard, 2008);(Tomlinson, 2008); (N. Netz &
Finger, 2016).

The integration of young people into the labor market differs considerably across
European countries. There are marked cross-national differences not only in terms of
youth unemployment, but also in terms of the quality of the jobs in which young people
are employed (Allmendinger, 1989);(Shavit & Muller, 1998);(Ryan, 2001);(Müller &
Gangl, 2003).A major structural factor underlying this variation is the overall state of
the economy in different countries (OECD, 2000). Other structural factors that may
matter in the transition process are youth cohort sizes, the educational level of the
labor force and the occupational structure of the labor market(Gangl, 2003).In addition
to these structural factors, institutional arrangements shape the opportunity structure
for newcomers in the labor market (Kerckhoff, 1995).

Recent sociological research indicates that with regard to the explanation of cross-
national differences in youth labor market integration in particular, employment
protection legislation and the vocational specificity of the education system matter(Van
der Velden & Wolbers, 2003);(Breen, 2005). They both conclude that the degree of
labor market regulation and the degree to which the education system sends clear
signals to employers about the (occupation-specific) skills of job seekers are factors that
are linked to the employment opportunities of labor market entrants.

• Expected personality development.

Present studies provide the insight that, in particular, personality can be developed by
studying abroad. A greater understanding of other cultures, the discovery of a foreign
culture and language, trying out if one can work abroad, and thus getting to know one’s
own person are often perceived as a reward (Van Hoof & Verbeeten, 2005);(Toncar et
al., 2006);(Doyle et al., 2010);(Luo & Jamieson-Drake, 2015).Studying abroad is
associated with increasing openness and agreeableness and decreasing neuroticism
(Zimmermann et al., 2013). Thus, students may also more tend to study abroad due to
expected personality development (Sánchez et al., 2006);(Stroud, 2010)

Model of the research

The researcher has used the above model as base for developing the model for the
current research. The above model is modified and certain variables were merged i.e.
adjustment process to the university was considered the component of social support
and satisfaction from the university is termed as quality education offered by foreign
universities. Since most of the independent variables used are a subject of foreign
occurrence and the current researcher has no any means to collect facts from abroad.
For this the respondents are selected from the home country itself and all those
variables are termed as perceived and expected. The above model was used to identify
factors influencing decision to study abroad. By certain adjustment in the same model,
the present researcher is trying to use it to identify factors affecting student’s intention
towards abroad study. So, expected personality development, perceived social support,
perceived career opportunities and perceived quality education offered by foreign
universities are considered in the present research. Other factors of the above model is
not been tested due to difficulty in this level of research.

2.3 Conceptual Theoretical framework

By considering the given literature reviews and related theoretical articles towards the
related area of study, the researcher has ended up with the following conceptual
framework that best supports this research.

Fig 2.3.1: conceptual framework of the study.

Independent Variables:
Dependent variable.
 Expected personality
Students intention
development.
towards abroad study.
 Perceived career
opportunities.
 Perceived quality
education offered by
foreign university.
 Perceived social
support. Demographic
Variables:
Gender
Age
Education
Family income
Presented in the figure above, is the theoretical framework that has been derived for
this research by the researcher by considering the related articles, journals and
literature reviews of various authors. The figure above shows the factors responsible for
impacting the student’s intention towards abroad studies. The dependent variable is the
intention of students towards foreign study. And the independent variables are:
perceived social support, perceived quality offered by foreign universities, perceived
career opportunities and expected personality development.

2.4 Review of Research

(Pimpa, 2003) Utters, compared to those who did not intend to pursue a degree outside
of China, a higher proportion of students who planned to study overseas were the only
child of their families, ranked medium high or high in their classes, inclined to pursue an
superior degree in the future, and had parents with more education. Parents had a
robust impact on students’ selection to study abroad.

(Bodycott, 2009) acknowledged the influence of Confucian values of filial piety and
confirmed that parents play an integral role in students’ decision-making processes.
Students whose parents obtained much less schooling may now not be conscious of the
opportunity of reading outside of China. In contrast, parents who had obtained greater
tiers may additionally have a better appreciation about the schooling possibilities in both
China and overseas.

(Cameron, 1978); (Kara & DeShields, 2004);(Bean, 1983). Explains Student satisfaction
has been utilized as a key indicator to organization effectiveness, quality of student life
on campus and student persistence. In the current study, it was no longer surprising
that college students who expressed a higher level of satisfaction with the present-day
Chinese college were much less possibly to pursue education overseas.
(Luo & Jamieson-Drake, 2015);(Salisbury et al., 2010) Shows, in one study, the
expectation to participate in student groups abroad increases the intention to study
abroad remarkably while in another study, peer interactions reveal not any effect

(Luo & Jamieson-Drake, 2015);(N. J. H. E. P. Netz, 2015). Explains, while referring to a

multi-stage process that involves the thresholds of intention formation towards studying
abroad and its realization, we investigated only the first stage. However, recent studies
revealed that determinants differ notably between intention to and realization of study
abroad.

(Chang, 2012);(Li, Liu, & Rojas-Méndez, 2013); (Bamber, 2014) states, though this is
an experimental not representative study, it would be desirable in the future to use a
broader respondent sample, possibly from different universities and countries. This
holds, in particular, true for countries and universities in Asia, where more and more
regional hubs of higher education emerge. Due to the broad variation of cultural,
institutional, and economic conditions, as well as in provided study abroad programs, it
seems promising to investigate both decision-making of Asian students on study
abroad.

(Sawir, Marginson, Deumert, Nyland, & Ramia, 2008) Elucidates, recent research on
loneliness experienced by international students highlights the importance of this issue
and suggests social support structures could mitigate social isolation for students
studying overseas.
(McLeod & Wainwright, 2009) suggests, it is vital that intercultural interactions in the
host country are not primarily negative experiences but have the potential of affirming
the original program goals to enhance international and intercultural competence.

(Surridge, 2000) used the phrase “multicultural indifference” (i.e., indifference to

learning about or living in different cultures) to describe an underlying factor that
deterred students from studying abroad. He argued that using institutional resources to
increase funding for those already motivated to learn from study overseas should not
be at the expense of other initiatives to internationalize the institution.

2.5 Research gap

a) Theory of rational choice

The basic premise of rational choice theory is that aggregate social behavior results
from the behavior of individual actors, each of whom is making their individual
decisions. The theory also focuses on the determinants of the individual choices.

In this literature, a broad range of factors influencing study abroad is identified, such as
social support i.e. parents’ educational level and differences in socio-economic
background ((Murray Brux & Fry, 2010);(Lörz et al., 2016), the host university i.e.
quality education offered (e.g.,(Llewellyn‐Smith & McCABE, 2008);(Jon et al., 2014),
financial cost ((Brus & Scholz, 2007);(Doyle et al., 2010);(Presley, Damron-Martinez, &
Zhang, 2010);(Bamber, 2014);(N. J. H. E. P. Netz, 2015);(Lörz et al., 2016), above
mentioned etc.

For increasing the comparability of the results, more empirical examinations are theory-
driven. In particular, varieties of the Theory of Rational Choice (RCT; e.g.,(Salisbury et
al., 2010);(N. J. H. E. P. Netz, 2015);(Lörz et al., 2016);(N. Netz & Finger, 2016)) are
considered to provide explanation on decision making on study abroad.

Seeing, study abroad refers to decision making on temporary migration and to decision
making on educational attainment. Both have been convincingly explained by
applications of RCT in earlier work.

Accordingly, (Opp, 1999)states that RCT is increasingly applied to explain study abroad
decisions. Following this approach, study abroad is likely if the related accumulated
discounted overall benefits exceed the arising discounted accumulated costs.

(Pietro & Page, 2008);(Salisbury et al., 2010);(Petzold & Peter, 2015)statuses recent
explanations of studying abroad include not only socio-economic and institutional
constraints but also various preferences, individual’s attitudes, and expectations of
relevant others.

(Luo & Jamieson-Drake, 2015);(N. J. H. E. P. Netz, 2015);(Jiani, 2017); (Lörz et al.,

2016)declares the study abroad decision is usually conceptualized as a multi-stage
process that involves two major thresholds. The intention to become internationally
mobile is developed at the first stage and serves as necessary precondition for the
realization of study abroad at the second stage.
b) Theory of planned behavior

Rational behavior refers to a decision-making process that is based on making choices

that result in the optimal level of benefit or utility for an individual. The assumption of
rational behavior implies that people would rather be better off than worse off.

(Ajzen & processes, 1991), first, considers numerous costs, varying attitudes, and
norms, while second, distinguishes between intentions and behaviors. The TPB claims
behavior follows an intention, which, in turn, is promoted by a specific attitude and a
subjective norm towards the behavior and by the perceived behavioral control. The
attitude towards the behavior refers to a favorable evaluation of the behavior under
consideration, the subjective norm refers to the perceived social expectations to
perform the behavior, and the perceived behavioral control refers to perceived
resources and restrictions for behavior performance.

(Presley et al., 2010);(Goel, De Jong, & Schnusenberg, 2010);(Wang, Gault, Christ, &
Diggin, 2016) states with TPB, various study abroad out comes can be theorized as
benefits that gain positive attitudes towards it, while perceived behavioral control is
determined by costs of study abroad and others’ expectations reflect a subjective norm
to study abroad. Moreover, the TPB considers the multi-stage process in decision-
making on studying abroad.

This study will be supported by various articles, peer-reviewed journals, books and
other references that will be able to discuss in detail the benefits of studying abroad
and factors that influence a student to study abroad.

In her paper Multicultural Students in Study Abroad: Their Interests, Their Issues, and
Their Constraints, Brux (2010) discusses the potential benefits to students who are
studying abroad in various capacities. First, she notes that the world is increasingly
globalized, and having global, multicultural skills is a boon in business and life in
general. Also, Brux notes that educators are trying to diversify programs; one of the
best ways to diversify educational programs is to engage foreign students in programs
like study abroad programs-- and to send their own students outside the program to
participate in study abroad opportunities.

Brux notes that students that participate in study abroad programs outside of their
majority cultural group experience unique issues that their peers that are not studying
abroad do not face. She states, “The results of the study indicate that institutional
factors (academic scheduling difficulties, absence of relevant programs, lack of
information, etc.), as well as other factors that can be moderated by institutional effort
(providing encouragement, addressing financial issues, discussing family concerns,
etc.), prevent students of color from participating in study abroad programs” (Brux,
2010). Finally, she suggests that different programs be implemented to encourage
students who have multicultural backgrounds to participate in study abroad programs.

Like Brux, Mapp (2007) participated in a similar study, titled: Effect of short-term study
abroad programs on students' cultural adaptability. The Mapp study was to study about
how studying abroad helped students. Mapp suggests that there are costs to studying
abroad, but the benefits that a student gets are much larger; today’s business world
requires students to have the ability to participate in cross-cultural and multicultural
discourse. Like Brux (2010), she found that the positive effects of study abroad
programs significantly changed the participant students (Rose

Because Mapp (2007) is focused on the effect of studying abroad on students,

particularly the effect of short-term study-abroad opportunities, Mapp (2007) created
an inventory known as the Cross-Cultural Adaptability Inventory as a way of quantifying
emotional resilience, flexibility, perceptual acuity, and autonomy before and after study
abroad trips of short length. The study discovered that students who studied abroad
had significant changes in every category, with particularly large changes in emotional
resilience, flexibility/openness, perceptual acuity and personal autonomy.
Rose and Bylander (2007), on the other hand, were more concerned with creating
programs that encourage diversity; their programs focused on students of color who
had an opportunity to study abroad in different locations including Cameroon. It was
only four-week diversity program, in which they experienced educational opportunities
in a variety of different locations (Rose and Bylander, 2007). The program was
designed to help the students participate in cross-cultural activities outside their comfort
zones. The program was limited in time, but had great success (Rose and Bylander,
2007).

Jackson (2005) examines the different constraints study-abroad students face. In

addition to potentially falling behind in their course of study if it is particularly rigorous,
students who are abroad for long periods of time may find themselves experiencing a
variety of different cultural phenomena. This was an excellent study because it looked
at the potential downfalls of studying abroad and the emotional impact that studying
abro This study will be supported by various articles, peer-reviewed journals, books and
other references that will be able to discuss in detail the benefits of studying abroad
and factors that influence a student to study abroad.

In her paper Multicultural Students in Study Abroad: Their Interests, Their Issues, and
Their Constraints, Brux (2010) discusses the potential benefits to students who are
studying abroad in various capacities. First, she notes that the world is increasingly
globalized, and having global, multicultural skills is a boon in business and life in
general. Also, Brux notes that educators are trying to diversify programs; one of the
best ways to diversify educational programs is to engage foreign students in programs
like study abroad programs-- and to send their own students outside the program to
participate in study abroad opportunities.

Essentially, the literature suggests that there is a large, quantifiable impact on the
individual from study abroad programs, and that these programs do indeed have a
diversifying effect. Studying abroad, for both the long and short term, has a diversifying
effect on students and a positive impact on their futures as a whole. Students who I
interviewed suggested that their study abroad experiences were mostly beneficial,
although they did experience some obstacles.

In the current study, I intend to present more benefits that students can gain from
studying abroad as well as showcase some obstacles that students may encounter,
providing with that some suggestions on how to maximize the benefits and how to
possibly overcome these challenges. Policymakers and educators have high hopes and
expectations for study abroad because of it positive benefits of improved retention,
enhanced academic performance and to develop a variety of multi-cultural
competencies.

Brux notes that students that participate in study abroad programs outside of their
majority cultural group experience unique issues that their peers that are not studying
abroad do not face. She states, “The results of the study indicate that institutional
factors (academic scheduling difficulties, absence of relevant programs, lack of
information, etc.), as well as other factors that can be moderated by institutional effort
(providing encouragement, addressing financial issues, discussing family concerns,
etc.), prevent students of color from participating in study abroad programs” (Brux,
2010).

2.6 Summary

Finally, she suggests that different programs be implemented to encourage students

who have multicultural backgrounds to participate in study abroad programs.

Like Brux, Mapp (2007) participated in a similar study, titled: Effect of short-term study
abroad programs on students' cultural adaptability. The Mapp study was to study about
how studying abroad helped students. Mapp suggests that there are costs to studying
abroad, but the benefits that a student gets are much larger; today’s business world
requires students to have the ability to participate in cross-cultural and multicultural
discourse. Like Brux (2010), she found that the positive effects of study abroad
programs significantly changed the participant students (Rose

Because Mapp (2007) is focused on the effect of studying abroad on students,

particularly the effect of short-term study-abroad opportunities, Mapp (2007) created
an inventory known as the Cross-Cultural Adaptability Inventory as a way of quantifying
emotional resilience, flexibility, perceptual acuity, and autonomy before and after study
abroad trips of short length. The study discovered that students who studied abroad
had significant changes in every category, with particularly large changes in emotional
resilience, flexibility/openness, perceptual acuity and personal autonomy.

Rose and Bylander (2007), on the other hand, were more concerned with creating
programs that encourage diversity; their programs focused on students of color who
had an opportunity to study abroad in different locations including Cameroon. It was
only four-week diversity program, in which they experienced educational opportunities
in a variety of different locations (Rose and Bylander, 2007). The program was
designed to help the students participate in cross-cultural activities outside their comfort
zones. The program was limited in time, but had great success (Rose and Bylander,
2007).

Jackson (2005) examines the different constraints study-abroad students face. In

addition to potentially falling behind in their course of study if it is particularly rigorous,
students who are abroad for long periods of time may find themselves experiencing a
variety of different cultural phenomena. This was an excellent study because it looked
at the potential downfalls of studying abroad and the emotional impact that studying
abroad can have on the individual.
Factors affecting independent variables.

In this research, the researcher is trying to test certain reasons that results students
selecting abroad studies. For this, the researcher has taken following factors as
independent variables: social support, quality education offered by foreign universities,
labor market and career opportunities. By considering various literatures and article
papers we have found certain factors that affect these independent variables. They are
elucidated as:

a) Cultural factor shaping societal support

Individuals and their levels of support operate in cultural contexts, which include the
ideas, beliefs, and values people hold about persons and their social relationships in
which they take part. These contexts can affect the provision and receipt of social
support at all levels by influencing an individual’s definition of support, appraisal of
events as stressful, evaluation of whether social support is in fact supportive, and
propensity to give, get, accept, or reject support (Shumaker & Brownell, 1984).

b) Social capital

It refers to the investment in, access to, and use of resources embedded in social
networks (Norris, Stevens, Pfefferbaum, Wyche, & Pfefferbaum, 2008).These resources
include received and perceived social support, social embeddedness, links to and
participation in organizations, sense of community, and attachment to one’s
neighborhood or city. This factor also has an impact on person i.e. student ability to get
social support in terms of foreign study decision.
c) Occupational structure and level.

Young people are most susceptible to unemployment, because their relative position in
the queue for jobs deteriorates more easily when the growth of employment slows
down. The reason for this lies in the high training costs of newcomers in the labor
market, compared to those of experienced workers (Thurow, 1975). As if the demand
of the labor market doesn’t meet the student’s education and required skills towards
the job, they will not get it. This will ultimately matter in student’s decision to go
abroad.

d) Ability to speak foreign language

(Souto-Otero & McCoshan, 2006) Suggests, in Europe, for example, a survey of

2004/2005 ERASMUS students found that 97% spoke at least two languages, with 75%
having some competence in three or more languages, and 31% speaking four or more.
(Brustein, 2007); (Döring et al., 2010) States, the ability to communicate in other
languages creates the potential for engagement, enhances knowledge and
understanding of others, and may be critical to facilitating expanded use of exchange
opportunities. This is one factor that supports Nepalese students to get engage in some
job opportunities and is also considered as one of the factors affecting career
opportunities in abroad.
 CHAPTER 3

METHODOLOGY

3.1 Introduction

This chapter is intended to advance the notion about what is going to be known, how it
will be known and how the output generated would be used in proposed research. It
focuses on the research strategies and procedures how the ideas will be accumulated to
direct the similar research activities. For this, the chapter has been in addition divided in
fourteen sections. First area explains about the technique of research being used to
habits the study and second explains about the designs to be used.

Likewise, third, fourth, and fifth sections focuses on the explanation of source of
information, sample population and location of the study respectively. Sampling
technique applied for sample selection is defined in sixth part and seventh and eight
part explains the institution of groundwork of result analyses, units of analyses and
improvement of facts and collection tools. Validity and reliability test are explained in
ninth section and tenth sections focuses on mechanism of research administration.

Similarly, eleventh and twelfth part offers with mechanism for statistics coding and
transcribing and mechanism for results analysis. Finally, statistical test and analysis
accompanied by way of format of action and the socio-ethical compliances to be made
with whilst treating with the contributors of the research are explained in section
thirteen, fourteen, fifteen sixteenth and seventeenth respectively. Two interviews were
conducted to research the topic “Studying Abroad”. The questionnaires for the
participants were sent through email, while Mahdi was interviewed using Skype. These
two international students answered all the 23 questions dutifully. They were asked the
two of most important questions which are: What is your motivation to study abroad;
and What do you think are the benefits of studying abroad. Interviewing will give more
detailed insights to be able to explain the perceptions of the students who want to
study abroad. The answers of Mahdi were more in depth compared to the interview
that was conducted on Nagati.

3.2 Research design

Looking at the concept in our course book, Cooper and Schindler (2006) dictates,
sampling can be described as the procedure in which some elements of study
population are chosen from which the conclusion of whole population is drawn. Further,
these authors recommend that sampling helps to lower the price and increase velocity
of information collection.

Talking about sampling types generally there are two kinds of sampling approach i.e.
probability sampling and nonprobability sampling. A probability sampling is a method in
which every component of the population has a fixed probabilistic chance of being
selected for the sample whereas non-probability sampling techniques relies on non-
public judgement of the researcher alternatively than chance to pick out sample
elements. Non probability sampling is further classified into convenience sampling and
judgmental sampling.

Malhotra (2008) states, convenience sampling tries to obtain a pattern of convenient

elements where the choice of sampling units is left specially to the interview. Referring
back to Cooper and Schindler (2004), they explain judgmental sample is the sample in
which the researcher selects sample members to conform to some criterion. These
criteria are different and works in different format.

In this present research, non-probability sampling has been used to conduct study.
Since, all the students inside the valley were not possible to include in this research, the
present researcher first used judgmental sampling by asking students if they are
interested in or planning to study abroad or not and then used convenience sampling to
choose the sample as per convenience.

It was not possible for the current researcher to survey all the students of Nepal due to
lack of time and information required and the requirement of the study level also
doesn’t support in conducting such a weighty research. So, data were collected from
students currently studying in colleges within Kathmandu valley. To make the present
study more relevant Nepalese student currently residing in foreign countries like India,
us, Australia etc. were also included to access their opinion on why they decided to go
abroad.

While obtaining the statistics, questions regarding personal information of respondents

and their perception on factors affecting Nepalese student’s intention towards abroad
study has been used by the present researcher. The questionnaire is of Likert scale
rating type and are closed ended with respect to chosen concern of inquiry

In regards to the concept of researcher’s influence in the research, (Foddy,1993 has

said that closed-ended questions limit the respondents to express with selection from
among the given alternatives without being influenced by the researcher. The
information gained by closed ended questions allows the present researcher to
categorize respondents into groups based on the options they have selected.

In section A, the survey comprised questions on gender, age, educational level, family
income level and other demographic information which is followed by questions on
factors affecting student’s intention towards abroad study. In this case, the researcher
could easily quantify the responses to determine the intention of the students as all the
questions were closed-ended. This knowledge would allow the present researcher to

move forward with an action plan on how to provide to break into other target
students.

In order to evaluate the factors which, influence respondent’s intention towards foreign
study proficiently Likert scale rating type of questionnaires was used. To operate in this
system the questionnaire should be systematized and must be analyzed as per the
stated stipulations.

Likert (1932) has furnished mechanism for inspecting Likert rating scales from 1
through 5 points of ranking scales. The scholar has recommended to categorize the
rating scales of 3-4 as operational degree of evidence, 2-3 as low level of evidence and
1-2 as the fundamental degree of evidence.

On the basis of mechanism proposed by Likert (1932) the present researcher has
established the following mechanism to know the level of factors influencing student’s
intention towards abroad study.

1. Exemplary level of factors affecting student’s intention (ELSI)with a rating score

of 4-5 in the perception testing scale having scores of 48-60 points.

2. Operational level of factors affecting student’s intention (OLSI) with a rating

score of 3 and above and less than 4 which require rating scores of 36-47 points.
3. Low level of factors affecting student’s intention (LLSI) with a rating score of 2
and above and less than 3 requiring rating scores of 24-35 points.

4. Critical level of factors affecting student’s intention (CLSI) with a rating score of
less than 2 in the attitude testing scale having scores of less than 24 points.

3.3 Research Questions and Hypothesis

The hypothesis on this research incudes:

H1: There is significant impact of perceived social support by the student in his/her
intention towards studying in abroad.

H2: There is significant relationship between perceived quality offered by foreign

universities and students’ intention towards abroad studies.

H3: There is significant relationship between perceived career opportunities and labor
market towards student’s intention towards abroad studies.

H4: There is significant relationship between expected personality development by

students and their intention towards abroad studies.

1. High school students are motivated to study abroad in order to improve their
language proficiency and communication skills in a foreign language.

2. High school students are attracted to the cultural immersion that studying abroad
provides, as it allows them to learn about and experience new cultures first-hand.

3. High school students may see studying abroad as an opportunity to gain a

competitive edge in their future academic or professional pursuits.

4. High school students may be drawn to the independence and personal growth
opportunities that come with studying abroad, as it allows them to step out of their
comfort zones and develop important life skills.
5. High school students may be influenced to study abroad due to peer pressure or the
desire to fit in with a certain social group.

3.4 Population and Sample

Population generally means the intended respondent who accurately fits for the model
and will be a relevant source of information. Pointing out the scholars saying in this
field, (Malhotra) dictates population of the study can be described as the collection of
all factor or objects that possess the information required by the researcher.

In this research, the population of the study was the students within and outside
Kathmandu valley who are willing to undertake abroad study or at least planning. Some
of the respondents were already studying in abroad and were willing to share their
perception about the foreign study intention as a Nepalese student. As all population
couldn’t be taken into account, the present researcher has arbitrarily chosen the sample
as per his convenience.

Looking at the concept in our course book, Cooper and Schindler (2006) dictates,
sampling can be described as the procedure in which some elements of study
population are chosen from which the conclusion of whole population is drawn. Further,
these authors recommend that sampling helps to lower the price and increase velocity
of information collection.

Talking about sampling types generally there are two kinds of sampling approach i.e.
probability sampling and nonprobability sampling. A probability sampling is a method in
which every component of the population has a fixed probabilistic chance of being
selected for the sample whereas non-probability sampling techniques relies on non-
public judgement of the researcher alternatively than chance to pick out sample
elements. Non probability sampling is further classified into convenience sampling and
judgmental sampling.
Malhotra (2008) states, convenience sampling tries to obtain a pattern of convenient
elements where the choice of sampling units is left specially to the interview. Referring
back to Cooper and Schindler (2004), they explain judgmental sample is the sample in
which the researcher selects sample members to conform to some criterion. These
criteria are different and works in different format.

In this present research, non-probability sampling has been used to conduct study.
Since, all the students inside the valley were not possible to include in this research, the
present researcher first used judgmental sampling by asking students if they are
interested in or planning to study abroad or not and then used convenience sampling to
choose the sample as per convenience.

Data validity and reliability tests

In regards to the concept and importance of validity and reliability in research, cooper
and schindler (2006) explains, validity is the extent that any test measures what was
truly supposed to measure. These scholars have defined reliability as an accurate
measurement procedure referring reliability as an essential contributor to validity on the
other hand no longer a sufficient circumstance for any facts to be valid.

Reliability contains three components that are equivalence, stability and internal
consistency. Data must be unbiasedand relevant to the characteristics being measured.
(Green et al,1988) states, the researcher will test the validity of the measurement
through testing any or all of the following:1. content validity 2. criterion validity and 3.
construct validity
The present researcher will use IBM SPSS statistics 20 for statistical work as data entry,
coding, transcribing, processing and analyzing the collected data from the respondents.
The data will be then renewed from numeric to alphabetic form to get precise meaning.

3.5 Instrumentation

In regards to the concept and importance of validity and reliability in research, cooper
and schindler (2006) explains, validity is the extent that any test measures what was
truly supposed to measure. These scholars have defined reliability as an accurate
measurement procedure referring reliability as an essential contributor to validity on the
other hand no longer a sufficient circumstance for any facts to be valid.

Reliability contains three components that are equivalence, stability and internal
consistency. Data must be unbiased and relevant to the characteristics being measured.
(Green et al,1988) states, the researcher will test the validity of the measurement
through testing any or all of the following:1. content validity 2. criterion validity and 3.
construct validity

The present researcher will use IBM SPSS statistics 20 for statistical work as data entry,
coding, transcribing, processing and analyzing the collected data from the respondents.
The data will be then renewed from numeric to alphabetic form to get precise meaning.

This research is self-administered as the researcher himself will conduct the study. The
existing researcher will pick out survey as the tool for information collection and
distributed questionnaire to the chosen student as sample. The respondents will be
requested to fill the questionnaire at the identical time of distribution in the presence of
the researcher to help the respondent clear out their confusions and grand authentic
and complete information.

At its primary stage the newly collected data will be in raw format. In order to obtain
the meaning from that data various activities must be conducted. Those raw data are
required to be edited, and transcribed for making its analyses. Coding is also an activity
which helps to segregate the data and also lets the data to be one step readable format
through the help of computer programs. Transcribing generally refers as the activity
which is being performed to arrange the collected data in a concise and logical order
that helps in quick retrieval and fetching of data in case.

We can further clarify the concept of coding in one of the scholar Luck and Rubin
( 1987) statement as, coding as a method where every response is classified the usage
of a specified image (i.e. Either letters or numbers) on a statistics series instrument
permitting the records to be transferred in to a laptop readable shape which is regarded
as transcribing. Malhotra (2008) states, convenience sampling tries to obtain a pattern
of convenient elements where the choice of sampling units is left specially to the
interview. Referring back to Cooper and Schindler (2004), they explain judgmental
sample is the sample in which the researcher selects sample members to conform to
some criterion. These criteria are different and works in different format.

In this present research, non-probability sampling has been used to conduct study.
Since, all the students inside the valley were not possible to include in this research, the
present researcher first used judgmental sampling by asking students if they are
interested in or planning to study abroad or not and then used convenience sampling to
choose the sample as per convenience.
It was not possible for the current researcher to survey all the students of Nepal due to
lack of time and information required and the requirement of the study level also
doesn’t support in conducting such a weighty research. So, data were collected from
students currently studying in colleges within Kathmandu valley. To make the present
study more relevant Nepalese student currently residing in foreign countries like India,
us, Australia etc. were also included to access their opinion on why they decided to go
abroad.

While obtaining the statistics, questions regarding personal information of respondents

and their perception on factors affecting Nepalese student’s intention towards abroad
study has been used by the present researcher. The questionnaire is of Likert scale
rating type and are closed ended with respect to chosen concern of inquiry

In regards to the concept of researcher’s influence in the research, (Foddy,1993 has

said that closed-ended questions limit the respondents to express with selection from
among the given alternatives without being influenced by the researcher. The
information gained by closed ended questions allows the present researcher to
categorize respondents into groups based on the options they have selected.

In section A, the survey comprised questions on gender, age, educational level, family
income level and other demographic information which is followed by questions on
factors affecting student’s intention towards abroad study. In this case, the researcher
could easily quantify the responses to determine the intention of the students as all the
questions were closed-ended. This knowledge would allow the present researcher to

move forward with an action plan on how to provide to break into other target
students.

In order to evaluate the factors which, influence respondent’s intention towards foreign
study proficiently Likert scale rating type of questionnaires was used. To operate in this
system the questionnaire should be systematized and must be analyzed as per the
stated stipulations.

Likert (1932) has furnished mechanism for inspecting Likert rating scales from 1
through 5 points of ranking scales. The scholar has recommended to categorize the
rating scales of 3-4 as operational degree of evidence, 2-3 as low level of evidence and
1-2 as the fundamental degree of evidence.

On the basis of mechanism proposed by Likert (1932) the present researcher has
established the following mechanism to know the level of factors influencing student’s
intention towards abroad study.

Respondent’s profile analysis.

In order to provide basis for data presentation and analysis, the following details
provide with respondent information.

Table 3.1: age group wise display of gender of the respondent

age Total

10-19 2029 30-39

Gender male 13 67 3 83

female 2 50 2 54

others 0 1 0 1
Total 15 118 5 138
The table shows the display of the respondents on the basis of the age group. The
table reveals that 15 respondents are of age between 10-19, among which 13 are
males and 2 are females. Similarly, there are 118 numbers of respondents between 20-
29 among which 67 are males, 50 are females and 1 fall on other category. And the
respondents of age 30-39 are 5 in number which constitute of 3 males and 2 females.
In contrast, 60.15% of the respondents in this research are male, 39.13% are female
and 0.72% of the total respondent fall in other category.

Table 3.2: gender wise display of education attainment.

age Total

10-19 20-29 30-39

Gende
r male 13 67 3 83

female 2 50 2 54

others 0 1 0 1
Total 15 118 5 138
Table shows gender wise display of educational attainment of the respondents. From
this table, the present researcher has found that the maximum respondents are
bachelor level students with 107 respondents among which 61 are male, 45 are female
and 1 fall on others category. Following the bachelor, another is masters level having
19 respondents among which 12 are male and 7 are female. And the intermediate level
has 12 respondents of which 10 are males and 2 are females.

Table 3.3 gender wise display of family income

 monthly family income Total
up to up to 25001- 50001- 75001-
25000 25000 50000 75000 100000
Gende
r male 6 56 15 6 83

female 5 34 11 4 54

others 0 1 0 0 1
1
Total 11 91 26 0 138

From this table, the present researcher has found that the maximum respondents have
the monthly family income between 25001-50000 with 91 respondents among which 56
are males, 34 are females and 1 fall on other category. Minimum respondents have the
monthly income level of 75001-100000. There was an option of having family income
above 100000 but no respondent falls under that category.

The statistical analysis method must be used very considerably as it should possess the
capability to explain all the glitches and situations very clearly so that the output of the
research can be understood easily. The technique should support the ease of
understandability as well as it must be appropriate to support the research model as
well

As stated by (Cooper&Schindler,2006), frequency distribution, histogram, steam and

leaf display, pareto charts, boxplots, go tabulation are some of the statistics analysis
methods. The present researcher will use frequency tables for arraying data and cross-
tabulation for comparing various categorical variables such as gender, profession,
educational level of the customers as the mechanism for result analysis.
In order to test the hypothesis and answer the research questions the present
researcher will use descriptive statistics to analyze the data obtained. The present
researcher will also use correlation analysis, regression, Anova to present the
quantitative descriptions in manageable form.

The activities above are placed in chronological order along with their respective time to
complete those activities.

As presented in the chart, the research took a total duration of twelve weeks to be
completed. The present researcher has explored the area of study and conducted
preliminary review of literature on the first week of the research. The preliminary review
of literature takes two weeks to be completed where as he exploration on the research
area is completed in week one. The designing of the research is started in the week two
and is completed in week three. Similarly, the activity of final review of literature takes
place in week three and is completed in week four after which the development of
survey questionnaire and administration of the research work takes place in week four
and five respectively and is completed within that week. The coding and entry of data
starts in week five and completed in week six. The refinement and verification of data
along with its presentation and analysis is completed in week seven and eight
respectively. The statistical based testing is conducted in week nine along with the
production of first draft of report which is completed in week nine and week ten
respectively. On week ten, editing and refining the draft report takes place and
completed in week eleven. On the same week, analysis of final feedback takes place
and completed within the week itself to incorporate the feedback and produce final
report for the submission in the university to be started and completed on the last
week.

figure 3.3: work schedule of the research

 Weeks

SN Activities
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13
Explore and finalize the area of
1 research

Perform preliminary review of

2 literature

3 Design the research

4 Final review of literature

5 Develop survey questionnaire

6 Administer the research

7 Perform data entry and coding

8 Verify and refine the data

Perform data presentation and

9 analysis

Conduct needs based statistical

10 testing

Produce the first draft of study

11 report

Perform editing and refinement of

12 the draft report.

13 Make a flash presentation to

 collect feedback

Incorporate feedback and produce

final report for university
14 submission

The present researcher will be concerned to make the overall research work as socio-
ethically sound as possible. For this, a few of the researcher picked strategies include as
follows:

1. present researcher will not pressurize any of the respondents for participation,
nor have excessive requests for responding the forms fully.

2. The purpose will be well communicated and consent for participation was sought
before proceeding with data collection.

3. No personal anonymity of any of the respondents will be disclosed.

4. The present research report will neither be disclosed to, nor submitted for any
other purpose to any institutions, except School of Management, Kathmandu University.

3.6 Data collection

In this research, the researcher has used online data collection facilities provided by
google as online google forms. The questionnaire is then presented in those google
forms and were distributed online through various social sites. This was the reason for
the ease in data collection in this research from the respondents currently studying in
overseas countries as well.
Focusing on the collection tool explanation, (Cooper&Schindler,2006) dictates that
researchers collect primary and secondary data with the help of the data collection tools
such as interviews, survey questionnaires, observations, focus groups and so on which
include both qualitative and quantitative techniques.

The present researcher has developed survey questionnaires as the main tool for
collecting primary data. The survey questionnaires will involve a letter to respondent
where introduction of the present researcher and the objective of the research project
will be defined. Further, it will involve personal information of the respondents and the
measures of student’s intention towards abroad study. The perception of students will
be measured using 5 points Likert rating scales where 5=strongly disagree, 4=disagree,
3=neutral, 2=agree and 1=strongly agree and the questionnaires will be presented in
the appendix A.
3.7 Data analysis

The statistical analysis method must be used very considerably as it should possess the
capability to explain all the glitches and situations very clearly so that the output of the
research can be understood easily. The technique should support the ease of
understandability as well as it must be appropriate to support the research model as
well As stated by (Cooper&Schindler,2006), frequency distribution, histogram, steam
and leaf display, pareto charts, boxplots, go tabulation are some of the statistics
analysis methods. The present researcher will use frequency tables for arraying data
and cross-tabulation for comparing various categorical variables such as gender,
profession, educational level of the customers as the mechanism

Data analysis usually involves two key steps, reducing the collected data to manageable
proportions and identifying patterns and themes in the data. The first step in the
analysis of data is a critical examination of the collected data. Hence, data analysis
followed general procedures for quantitative research including preparing and
organizing data, reducing data into themes through a process of coding, and
representing data into Figures, Tables and discussions. In this study, analysis was
based on data collected through questionnaires. This research study used Statistical
Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) software to analyze the data and to provide
descriptive (Mean, Standard deviation, Coefficient of Variation, Correlation Analysis) and
graphical analyses with the use of tables and calculation of statistics for central
tendency, variability, and distribution. Results were presented graphically, including
tables, and pie charts.

In this study, two models form the conceptual or theoretical framework: Edward T.
Hall’s the Iceberg Analogy of Culture and M. J. Bennett’s Developmental Model of
Intercultural Sensitivity (DMIS). Hall once declared that culture is like an iceberg: the tip
or visible portion above the water is small, belonging to external culture, and the middle
and bottom or hidden portion under the water are large, comprising nearly 90 percent,
which is internal culture (Weaver, 1998). Weaver (1998) cited Hall’s idea that internal
culture is dominant over external culture. The following figure is taken from
Sakurauchi’s (2014) doctoral dissertation, and this cultural iceberg model shows two
levels of culture: internal culture and external culture. Internal culture has two
sublevels: one sublevel lies in the middle of the iceberg, including values, norms and
beliefs, and the other sublevel lies at the bottom and consists of basic assumptions.
External culture is above the water, which is made up of communication, patterns and
behaviors. (pp. 24-25) Journal of Education and Training Studies Vol. 9, No. 8; October
2021 3 Figure 1. Cultural Iceberg Model from Weaver’s Iceberg Analogy of Culture
(Sakurauchi, 2014, p. 25) The other model concerning intercultural competence is put
forward by M. J. Bennett’s (2004): Developmental Model of Intercultural Sensitivity
(DMIS). Bennett (2004) argued that “as people became more interculturally competent
it seemed that there was a major change in the quality of their experience”, which he
called “the move from ethnocentrism to ethnorelativism”. (p. 62): There also seemed
be six distinct kinds of experience spread across the continuum from ethnocentrism and
ethnorelativism. The most ethnocentric experience was named the Denial of cultural
difference, followed by the Defense against cultural difference. In the middle of the
continuum the Minimization of cultural difference seemed to be a transition from the
more virulent forms of ethnocentrism to a more benign form, leading to the
ethnorelative Acceptance of cultural difference. At the heart of ethnorelativism was
Adaptation to cultural difference, followed in some cases by the Integration of cultural
difference into identity (Bennett, 2004, p. 62). Figure two is Bennett’s Developmental
Model of Intercultural Sensitivity (DMIS). Figure 2. Bennett’s Developmental Model of
Intercultural Sensitivity (DMIS) (Sakurauchi, 2014, p. 39) This study is built upon the
aforementioned two models, and the conceptual framework of it is mainly within a
constructivist and action-oriented paradigm.

The resources required for the study is the preparation of the questionnaire as the data
will be collected and presented with the best method appropriate such as excel,
correlation, regression analysis. The quantitative method will be used along with
other statistical tools. The supervisor will stay in touch frequently, the report will be
prepared for submission and required information for the study will be collected from
the high school students. Accordingly, the report will be created. Population generally
means the intended respondent who accurately fits for the model and will be a relevant
source of information. Pointing out the scholars saying in this field, (Malhotra) dictates
population of the study can be described as the collection of all factor or objects that
possess the information required by the researcher.

In this research, the population of the study was the students within and outside
Kathmandu valley who are willing to undertake abroad study or at least planning. Some
of the respondents were already studying in abroad and were willing to share their
perception about the foreign study intention as a Nepalese student. As all population
couldn’t be taken into account, the present researcher has arbitrarily chosen the sample
as per his convenience.

In the present research, the researcher has analyzed the statistics based on various
measurable factors like age, family income, gender and educational attainment which
have a great chance in impacting to the individual intentions. Considering in more
specific term about this the scholar Long (2013) has to say that, unit of analyses as a
subject (the who or what) of study about which an analyst may generalize. Trochim
(2006) has defined that individuals, groups, artifacts, geographical units and social
interactions may include in the unit of analyses of elements of population.

In this research, each individual student has been studied on the basis of their age,
gender, educational level and monthly family income for the study. The survey research
will be conducted to analyze their perception towards abroad study.

3.8 Summary

According to the research results, assurance and empathy variables from service quality
dimensions and cultural difference and religious belief variables belonging to
sociocultural adjustment difficulties have a positive and significant effect on overall
student satisfaction. According to R2 value, the variance of the “general student
satisfaction” variable explained by the dimensions of service quality and cultural
adaptation difficulties is 51.9%. The reliability, tangibles, and responsiveness variables
of the service quality dimension and the language deficiency, academic work, and social
interaction variables of the social-cultural adaptation difficulties dimension did not
significantly affect overall student satisfaction. Among the service quality dimension
variables, the variable “assurance” has the most impact on general student satisfaction.
Students attach importance to the national and international prestige of their university.
Another variable that has a significant effect is empathy. According to this result,
students want a smooth and friendly environment where they can interact. In this
context, he expects the university to organize social activities to support students. In
addition, counselors have essential duties in solving problems of international students,
especially at the beginning of their education period. Among the socio-cultural
adjustment difficulties, the variable of religious belief emerged as the variable that had
the most effect on overall student satisfaction. According to this result, students want
to freely fulfill their religious beliefs in the countries where they are educated. It is seen
that the cultural difference variable is also effective on the level of student satisfaction.
Students may have difficulties while trying to adapt to the cultural values of the country
they are studying. They should be more flexible and respectful of cultural differences,
and the level of tolerance in society should be high to interact more effectively.
International students may be worried about discrimination practices against them in
their countries for education for many different reasons. Students will experience fewer
adjustment difficulties and positive educational and life experiences in an environment
where such anxieties and fears are not experienced. As a result, the level of satisfaction
increases when the student encounters a smooth and friendly environment in which
they can interact with each other in the country they study.
 CHAPTER 4

Research Findings

4.1 Introduction

In this chapter of the research, the researcher reports the presentation and analysis of
statistics collected through survey questionnaires. This chapter has been divided into
three main sections. The first section displays the respondent’s demographic
information. It is done on the basis of age, gender, family income and education
attainment of the respondents. In the second section of this research report, the factor
wise analysis is demonstrated. Finally, in the third section, the research report consists
of summary of key findings.

Normality analysis

Normality tests are commonly utilized to determine whether or not records set is well
molded with the aid of an ordinary distribution and to compute how likely it is for
random variable mainly the data set to be commonly dispensed.

The present researcher has done normality test of the data on two tiers. Tier 1 includes
the normality test of all independent variables measures and the tier 2 includes the
normality test of the measures of dependent variable. The tier 1 has the output of
significance .000 (at 2-tailed test) and tier 2 also has the significance .000 (at 2-tailed
test). The tier-1and tier-2 statistics of the normality test will be presented later.
Reliability analysis

Reliability analysis is conducted to check that whether a scale is consistently reflecting

what the construct is measuring. To test the reliability of the data, the researcher has
carried out the reliability analysis by considering the Cronbach’s alpha as the measure.
The data is considered reliable when it has the Cronbach’s alpha output of more than
0.700.

Table 4.1: reliability test of independent variable measures.

Reliability Statistics
Cronbach's N of
Alpha Items
0.942 20

The table shows the Cronbach’s alpha of independent variable measures which is 0.
942. this shows items have relatively high internal consistency as it is more than 0.700.
Cronbach' alpha is a measure of internal consistency, that is, how closely related a set
of items are as a group.

Another reliability test is done for the dependent variable measures as well which is
shown below:

Table 4.2: reliability test of dependent variables.

Reliability
Statistics
Cronbach's N of
Alpha Items
0.883 4
 The table shows the Cronbach’s alpha of 0.883 which shows good internal consistency
between items. Both the table shows that the data are reliable and the internal items
within the dependent and independent measures are consistent.

Correlation analysis

Generally, correlation is used in research as it identifies the relationship between two

variables where change in the value of one variable, are associated with changes in the
value of the other variable. It helps the researcher in determining the degree of
relationship which is very useful for future planning and course of action.

Table 4.3: correlation analysis of factors affecting student’s intention towards abroad
study.

quality
education
offered by perceived expected student's
foreign perceive career personality intention
universitie d social opportunitie developmen towards abroad
s support s t study
quality education offered by
foreign universities

1 .555** .686** .719** .729**

perceived social support

.555** 1 .667** .626** .648**

perceived career opportunities

.686** .667** 1 .785** .725**

expected personality development

.719** .626** .785** 1 .821**

student's intention towards
abroad study .729** .648** .725** .821** 1
Sig. (2-
tailed) 0 0 0 0

N 138 138 138 138 138

** Correlation is significant at the 0.01 level (2-tailed).

Table shows the correlation between the factors that affect student’s intention towards
abroad study i.e.: perceived quality education offered by foreign universities, perceived
social support, perceived career opportunities and expected personality development.
As seen in the table every factor has significant relation with each other. Expected
personality development has highly significant relation with student’s intention towards
studying abroad whereas perceived social support has comparatively less significant
relation. Expected personality development and perceived career opportunities also has
significant relation with each other. Students intention towards abroad study also has
significant relation with quality education offered by foreign universities and in the table
above it shows second most strong correlation. Meanwhile perceived career
opportunities and perceived career support has comparatively low significant with each
other.

4.2 Findings

Regression analysis.

In general regression analysis will establish an equation which describes statistical

relationship between one or more predictor variable and the response variable. Here
 the researcher does the analysis of the fact that whether the independent variables i.e.
expected personality development, perceived social support, perceived quality
education offered by foreign universities and perceived social support has supportive or
negative relation with Nepalese students’ intention towards abroad study and by what
degree.

Table 4.4: regression model summary.

Std.
Error of
Adjuste the
Mode R dR Estimat Durbin-
l R Square Square e Change Statistics Watson
R F
Square Chang Sig. F
Change e df1 df2 Change
.856
1 a 0.733 0.725 0.55 0.73 91.38 4 133 0 2.219

a Predictors: (Constant), expected personality development, perceived social support,

perceived quality education offered by foreign universities, perceived career
opportunities

b Dependent Variable: students’ intention towards abroad study.

The above table dictates adjusted R square to be 0.725 which indicates that the overall
independent variables (i.e. expected personality development, perceived social support,
perceived quality education offered by foreign universities and perceived social support)
supports dependent variable i.e. Nepalese students’ intention towards abroad study by
72.5%. R correlation shows that the overall relation is 85.6% and strongly supports the
construct.

Table 4.5: regression Anova

Sum of Mean
Model Squares Df Square F Sig.
1 Regression 108.606 4 27.152 91.382 .000b

Residual 39.517 133 0.297

Total 148.123 137

a Dependent Variable: students' intention towards abroad study

b Predictors: (Constant), expected personality development, perceived social support,

perceived quality education offered by foreign universities, perceived career
opportunities.

The above table shows that the overall significant level is .000 which indicates that the
constant variables has significant impact on the dependent one.
 Table 4.6: regression coefficient

Standardize
Unstandardize d
Model d Coefficients Coefficients t Sig.
Std.
B Error Beta
-
1 (constant) -0.221 0.151 1.462 0.146
quality education offered by
foreign universities 0.244 0.069 0.238 3.523 0.001
perceived social support 0.184 0.07 0.162 2.614 0.01
perceived career opportunities 0.071 0.093 0.061 0.76 0.448
expected personality
development 0.555 0.089 0.501 6.26 0

a) Dependent Variable: students' intention towards abroad study

In conducting regression analysis, the researcher does execution of many techniques

for modeling and analyzing several variables when the focus is on the relationship
between a dependent variable and one or more independent variables. Here the “p” i.e.
(sig.) value less than 0.05 indicates you can reject null hypothesis.

The interpreted equation from the table is:

Students intention towards abroad study = - 0.221c + 0.244pqe + 0.184pss +

0.071pco +0.555epd
Where,

c = constant

pqe = perceived quality education offered by foreign university

pss = perceived social support

pco = perceived career opportunities

epd = expected personality development.

Here by looking at the equation what we can understand is for every unit increase in
perceived quality education offered by foreign universities, a 0.244 unit increases in
student’s intention towards abroad study. Likewise, for every unit increase in perceived
social support, a 0.184 unit increases in student’s intention towards abroad study.

The highest impact can be seen on expected personality development. After that
perceived quality education offered by foreign universities, perceived social support and
perceived career opportunities has their impact respectively on student intention
towards foreign study.

4.3 Major Findings

One-way analysis of variance is beneficial to determine whether there are any

statistically considerable variations between the means of two or more impartial groups.
With regards to this base the researcher here has explained all the significant relation of
demographic factors with all those factors that affect student’s intention towards
abroad study. This includes:
 Table 4.1: one-way Anova (age)

Sum of Mean
Square Squar
s df e F Sig.
quality education offered by Between
foreign universities Groups 5.829 2 2.914 2.929 0.057
Within 134.31
Groups 3 135 0.995
Between
perceived social support Groups 3.139 2 1.569 1.898 0.154
Within 111.64
Groups 3 135 0.827
perceived career opportunities Between 5.974 2 2.987 3.946 0.022
 Groups
Within 102.20
Groups 2 135 0.757
expected personality Between
development Groups 5.915 2 2.958 3.489 0.033
Within 114.44
Groups 9 135 0.848
student’s intention towards Between
abroad study Groups 4.875 2 2.437 2.297 0.104
Within 143.24
Groups 8 135 1.061

Here the table shows that perceived career opportunities and expected personality
development has significance of 0.022 and 0.033 respectively which indicates that, age
shows significant relation to perceived career opportunities and expected personality
development of students. Age also matters in student’s intention towards abroad study
due to its high impact on perceived career opportunities and expected personality
development. Meanwhile, age doesn’t show any effect on perceived social support
making the significance value to be high i.e. 0.154 and making overall students’
intention less significant due to age.

Table 4.6.2: one-way Anova (education attainment)

Sum of Mean
Square Squar
s df e F Sig.
quality education offered by Between 1.25
foreign universities Groups 2.562 2 1.281 7 0.288
Within
Groups 137.58 135 1.019

perceived social support 2.372 2 1.186 0.244

Between 1.42
 Groups 5
Within 112.40
Groups 9 135 0.833

Between 0.97
perceived career opportunities Groups 1.538 2 0.769 3 0.38
Within 106.63
Groups 9 135 0.79

expected personality Between 1.32

development Groups 2.317 2 1.158 5 0.269
Within 118.04
Groups 8 135 0.874
student’s intention towards Between 1.85
abroad study Groups 3.96 2 1.98 4 0.161
Within 144.16
Groups 3 135 1.068

Here the table indicates the significance level of all components are more than 0.05
which indicates that there is not much significance relation between quality education
offered by foreign universities, perceived social support, perceived career opportunities,
expected personality development and the overall student’s intention towards abroad
study.

Table 4.1: one-way Anova (gender)

Sum of Mean
Square Squar
s df e F Sig.
quality education offered by Between
foreign universities Groups 1.079 2 0.54 0.524 0.593
 139.06
Within Groups 2 135 1.03
Between
perceived social support Groups 4.265 2 2.132 2.605 0.078
110.51
Within Groups 7 135 0.819
perceived career Between
opportunities Groups 0.681 2 0.341 0.428 0.653
107.49
Within Groups 5 135 0.796
expected personality Between
development Groups 1.588 2 0.794 0.902 0.408
118.77
Within Groups 7 135 0.88
student’s intention towards Between
abroad study Groups 2.402 2 1.201 1.113 0.332
145.72
Within Groups 1 135 1.079

The table indicates that the significance value of student’s intention towards abroad
study is 0.332 this clarifies there is no significance difference in student’s intention due
to gender of student. There is no any other significant value less than 0.05. so, there is
no significant difference in expected personality development, perceived career
opportunities, perceived social support and perceived quality education offered by
foreign university due to gender of student.

The researcher points that even though the overall components above are not affected
by the gender, the perceived social support is comparatively less non-significant. This
indicates that gender plays certain role in perceived social support by a student. Social
support for male and female differs in case of intention towards abroad study as seen in
above table. This might be due to the difference in perception of parents in developing
country where the awareness of education and gender equality is just improving.

Table 4.1: one-way Anova (monthly family income level)

Sum of Mean
Square Squar
s df e F Sig.
Perceived quality education Between 1.31
offered by foreign universities Groups 4.014 3 1.338 7 0.271
Within 136.12
Groups 7 134 1.016
Between 1.68
perceived social support Groups 4.179 3 1.393 8 0.173
Within 110.60
Groups 2 134 0.825
Between 2.46
perceived career opportunities Groups 5.666 3 1.889 9 0.065
Within
Groups 102.51 134 0.765
expected personality Between 2.43
development Groups 6.227 3 2.076 7 0.067
Within 114.13
Groups 7 134 0.852
student’s intention towards Between 2.93
abroad study Groups 9.144 3 3.048 9 0.036
Within
Groups 138.98 134 1.037
Here the table shows the factors and its significant relation with income level. Overall
students’ intention towards abroad study has significance less than 0.05 which indicates
that there is significant difference in student intention, due to monthly family income
level of the student.

In regards to independent factor, the income level has comparatively more significance
on expected personality development and perceived career opportunities as compared
to other i.e. 0.065 and 0.067 respectively.

4.4 Summary

The research is based on the objective to study the impact of certain factors that affect
Nepalese student’s intention towards abroad study. The researcher has selected four
factors that affect the intention by conducting a small survey and by referring to the
past scholars’ sayings and literature. The research data is been composed by a survey
collection of the eligible respondents (i.e. students who are planning to study abroad
and students who were already studying in abroad).

On the basis of the overall calculations and statistics, the present researcher has
analyzed the fact and come up with different findings that will support researcher in
making conclusion of the study. The researcher has concluded that different factors
affect the intention of the students towards abroad study.

Following key findings were detected by the present researcher:

• Students intention towards abroad study is highly affected by students expected

personality development factor.
• Perceived career opportunities also have a significant relationship with students’
intention towards abroad study.

• There is significant relationship between perceived career opportunities and

expected personality development.

• Expected personality development and perceived quality education offered by

foreign universities are also significantly related.

• Perceived social support and perceived quality education offered by foreign

university are comparatively less significantly related with each other.

• According to the regression analysis of the statistics collected, the most

influencing factor affecting student’s intention towards abroad study is expected
personality development followed by perceived quality education offered by foreign
universities.

Taking a semester or a year to study abroad has been viewed as an advantageous

course in a student’s life. The experience gained continues to affect the life of the
student. Most citizens take a semester to two in an abroad university of college to
complete some subjects or semesters required for graduation. Study abroad program
often comes with a variety of experiences of student life, work environment, culture,
language, and sociopolitical systems that shape the student’s knowledge, skills, and
attitudes that are essential in career development. Studying abroad has positive and
unfathomed impacts on acquisition of knowledge, attitude, as well as skills required in
the job market. , also concurs that the need for globally competent individuals is an
indicator that there exists a strong correlation between studying abroad and
employability. Many alumni of schools that allow study abroad have also elucidated that
by studying abroad influenced their selection and preference of employment options.
As explains, studying abroad improves the student’s understanding of global trends,
improves confidence, and influences his or her career path positively. Taking a semester
abroad enables a student to develop leadership skills, gain an understanding of
transnational cultures, socioeconomic and political systems. Apart from being a
rewarding experience, studying abroad also pause challenges to the individual enabling
him or her develop problem solving, decision making, and self-reliance capabilities.

, reports that 83% of interns who took an exchange program reported that studying in
a foreign country enabled them understand their cultures better, and acquire vital skills
that influenced their career development and thus, employability back at home. Others
reported that the experience helped them establish beneficial and long lasting
friendships as well as better professional relationships than those who did not. They
also asserted that Studying abroad increased their self-confidence and enhanced their
interest in academic as well as professional development. Further, studying abroad
reinforces interest to study foreign languages and gives one an opportunity to study
some subjects one would not have accessed at the local learning institution indicates
that undertaking an abroad study program enriches one’s curriculum vitae, thus
increasing their chances of employment.

,states that domestic internationals, that is, individuals who have had an experience
abroad during their studies are preferred by hiring managers because apart from having
primary knowledge and competencies required for a given task, they also have
multicultural experience and competency. They are, therefore, able to work better in a
multinational or multiethnic organization. It has been established that such individuals
demonstrate cross-cultural aptitudes in the job market and, therefore, stand a better
chance of being employed. This is because it is perceived that they can relate and work
well with people from diverse cultural backgrounds.

Moreover, individuals who study abroad are creative and can apply both familiar and
known concepts to solve problems as well as make informed decisions in difficult and
unfamiliar circumstances. Apart from having the potential to display an image of
cultural diversity for the hiring organization, such graduates are able to take risks and
work independently to accomplish their objectives. However, , assert that most learning
institutions in the United States have not embraced foreign exchange programs. As a
result most of the workers do not have a ‘world view’ attitude and hardly have,
intercultural competencies acquired from programs like studying abroad.

, assert that there is an increasing global demand for innovative and highly skilled
individuals who have international experience. This is evidenced by the endeavors of
developed countries like the United States (U.S) and United Kingdom (U.K) to modify
their labor policies to accommodate or consider tertiary students who have been
involved in ‘mobility’ or exchange programs., further say that students` exchange
program has immense positive influence on future mobility in the labor market. Such
individuals have the potential to be employed both in their home countries, and in
foreign countries.

According to , taking a course or subject abroad not only makes you committed to your
course, but also helps you engage in social activities like humanitarian doings, cultural
activities, as well as politics. This enhances one’s interest in international affairs and
labor market. Thus, increasing chances of being employed as an international specialist
in one’s area of study . Additionally, asserts that 98% of Alumni of University of
Wisconsin who studied abroad in an exchange or internship program who found
themselves global engagements as well as international careers. This is an indication
that taking a course abroad during one’s studies is beneficial in career development and
job opportunities. Such students are in a better position to negotiate for both local as
well as international projects that require cross-cultural understanding .

, assert that there is increasing demand for multi-culturally experienced individuals in

developed nations like U.S and U.K. It has also been established that students
graduating from business colleges and universities in the U.S lack international
competencies and cross-cultural proficiencies. Despite the value and benefit of learning
in a multi-cultural environment, most students in the United Kingdom and U.S schools
are not fascinated with other people’s culture and socio-economic systems.
, argue that graduates with international education experience mostly end up in
multinational organizations. These companies have global engagements and require
traveling internationally on a frequent basis. Such employees form part of the public
relations or communications personnel that interacts with international delegations from
partnering countries. Thus, graduates with a multicultural experience would be in a
better position to promote cooperation and maintain good relations with such partners .

, adds that study abroad programs expose individuals to various challenges that
silhouette his or her way of thinking that shapes his or her career path. Apart from
looking for intellectual capability, enthusiasm and interpersonal skills, , reports that
employers also look for multicultural individuals with a global mindset. Thus, graduates
with history of going for an abroad program become better candidates in such
employing institutions. For this reason, students who have attended a foreign student
exchange program like the ERASMUS program in the European Union internationalize
their careers and this increases their chances of employment .

, advises that with the globalization trend and its impacts, it is essential for a college or
university student to consider undertaking study abroad approach as this can be a
lifetime experience that shapes one’s career path. From its survey,, established that
98% of students who study abroad get a chance to learn the culture of their host
country. In addition, it was ascertained that 56% of graduates who studied abroad
secured employment soon after graduation. This is because they had intercultural
competencies and global understanding of issues, an aptitude that was being looked for
by employers. From these findings, it is clear that studying abroad has a profound
impact on graduate .
 CHAPTER 5

Conclusions, Discussions, and Suggestions for Future Research

5.1 Introduction

This section is the ultimate portion of the study which is comprised of overall summary
in the first section and continued by discussions in the second. The lesson learnt from
this study, comprehensive conclusion of the study and suggestions for managerial
implications are undertaken in the third, fourth and fifth section respectively.
Concluding the research is the final chapter which comprises about suggestions for
further research studies. In general, the findings from this study are consistent with
what has been reported in the literature concerning the relationship between study
abroad and personal development. Participants increased in self confidence,in
appreciation for cultural differences, and in tolerance for ambiguity. While their interest
in helping others was relatively high before going abroad, this developed further while
abroad. Psychometrically valid ted tools such as the OPI can be used in concert with
interviews to help stunts systematically reflect on their experiences abroad. In addition
to providing different, perhaps richer perspectives on students' development, these
opportunities may also encourage continued development. While changes reflected by
OPI scale scores persisted at least one year, the real value of the study abroad
experience may be more adequately assessed after the participants have had a chance
to reflect the college experience as a whole and after initial experiences with the world
of work. Certainly a postcollege discussion with participants would add valuable insight
into the impact of study abroad. In a world often characterized by misunderstanding
and mistrust, learning to understand and appreciate other peoples and cultures has
never been more important as a goal of general education. The results of this study
suggest that immersion into another culture, not just superficial contact, can challenge
students to acquire a more sophisticate", complex view of themselves and the world.
5.2 Summary and Findings

A research summary is the part of your research paper that describes its findings to the
audience in a brief yet concise manner. A well-curated research summary represents
you and your knowledge about the information written in the research paper. While
writing a quality research summary, you need to discover and identifying it.

5.3 Conclusions

The research has been undertaken to find out the factors that has been motivating
Nepalese students in considering foreign study more than the local education in Nepal.
considering various scholars’ articles, sayings and the student’s perception themselves,
the researcher has come up with four of many independent factors that affect the
student’s intention for abroad study.

The researcher has extracted information from the sample of 138 respondents for the
present study. The respondents were mainly college going students who were planning
to study abroad for further level, and also those accompanying with various
consultancies. Students who were currently studying in abroad also were some of the
respondents.

The statistical data has been coded by all the possible means and by using various
techniques and tools one of which being the SPSS software. The outcome is been
analyzed by the help of normality, reliability, correlation, regression and Anova analysis.
Looking at the result the present researcher has found that all the experimental
variables i.e. perceived career opportunities, expected personality development,
perceived education quality offered by foreign university and perceived social support
will show significance relation with students’ intention towards abroad study.
Among the independent variables the most effective significant relation has shown by
the expected personality development. This might be due to the reason that must of
the respondents were similar as per monthly income level and were of bachelor level.
Generally, what is seen is the students who have completed bachelor level have
somewhat thought about their further career in the time gap of their course completion.

Those students who are planning to build up their personality and trait will definitely
have to consider more qualitative education and facilities with ample of openness and
creative facilities. For this they will be enthusiastic for studying in abroad. As per
(Zimmermann et al., 2013) statement, studying abroad is associated with increasing
openness and agreeableness and decreasing neuroticism, which supports the fact that
those students who are much interested in developing their personality traits will
somehow consider foreign study.

Second highly impactable experimental variable has been perceived quality education
offered by foreign universities. Comparing to international level traits, one of the
drawbacks in Nepalese education system is the lack of consistent quality. The materials,
books, syllabus requirements, infrastructural facilities, in-depth learning opportunity by
highly expertise teachers etc. will impact a lot in a student’s qualitative learning which is
not consistent in Nepal. This is one of the reasons that most of the Nepalese students
who are willing and economically capable will choose to go to abroad for further study.
And expected quality education does matter in Nepalese student’s intention to study
abroad.

The age and gender factor had not much influence in the overall student’s intention
towards abroad study but education level of attainment had impact on perceived career
opportunities and expected personality development and somehow a little in perceived
quality education offered by foreign university, which has definitely made an impact in
overall students’ intention towards abroad study.
The overall analysis supports the fact that the construct used in the research is valid
and reliable and the data collected are also effective. The present researcher confirms
that the variables are significant and reliable enough for providing such realistic output.

5.4 Discussions

In this part, the researcher intends to provide comparative display of findings on the
basis of similarities and variances with that of prior executed research. Here, the
researcher has compared the ongoing study with some of the related prior conducted
researches. For this purpose, the present researcher has considered number of studies
that had discussed in review of literature. Based on the findings of the study, a student
who has the opportunity to study abroad will have an extensive option of courses and
institutions o\f higher education to choose from. Some countries with local universities
have limited courses and programs to offer, so many students do not have the vast
opportunity to pursue tertiary education in their homeland. Given the ability to pay for
college education abroad, the overseas student should be prepared to leave the comfort
zone and explore other options offered abroad. An international student will have a
broader outlook in like compared to local students from their homeland. An
international or overseas student will be able to improve his or her social skills through
interaction with students from all over the world. Experiencing life in a foreign land,
learning new language cultures is one of the competitive edge over international
students in terms of employment opportunities. The reason behind this is the fact that
multinational corporations prefer graduates who have been exposed to diverse cultures.

Finally, being able to successfully graduate from the chosen course in a foreign
university can be influenced by factors such as the programs offered by the chosen
university and the willingness of the international student to strive and reach for his or
dreams despite the difficulties and challenges encountered along the way.

(Pimpa, 2003) Utters, compared to those who did not intend to pursue a degree outside
of China, a higher proportion of students who planned to study overseas were the only
child of their families, ranked medium high or high in their classes, inclined to pursue an
superior degree in the future, and had parents with more education. Parents had a
robust impact on students’ selection to study abroad.

This can be seen in the present research as well. The data shows that must of the
respondents have strong support from their families who had income equal to fifty
thousand rupees per month. The importance of family support in regards to abroad
study was also adequately seen in these data.

(Sawir, Marginson, Deumert, Nyland, & Ramia, 2008) elucidates, recent research on
loneliness experienced by international students highlights the importance of this issue
and suggests social support structures could mitigate social isolation for students
studying overseas. This research also finds that students tends to study abroad by
having adequate social support and frequency of social interaction in foreign land.

(Bodycott, 2009) acknowledged the influence of Confucian values of filial piety and
confirmed that parents play an integral role in students’ decision-making processes.
Students whose parents obtained much less schooling may now not be conscious of the
opportunity of reading outside of China. In contrast, parents who had obtained greater
tiers may additionally have a better appreciation about the schooling possibilities in both
China and overseas. The present research also supports the fact that the parents who
are educated and are aware of the possible opportunities across the globe are likely to
provide positive support and guidance by preferring abroad studies.

Undertaking the research has evidenced to be very useful to the current researcher.
The present researcher has learned a range of coaching in the approach of conducting
the current research study which should help the present researcher to beautify non-
public and professional aspects as well.

The ultimate lessons originated via the study are as mentioned:

i. The present researcher learnt to manage time and resources by completing the
research under time and resource constraints.
ii. The present researcher learnt to implement the statistical tools and techniques to
deal with the actual problems.

iii. The present researcher developed communication skills while communicating

with the respondents.

iv. The present researcher learnt that a clear, understandable questionnaire helps in
collecting reliable and accurate information from respondents.

v. The present researcher learnt that an enough number of respondents are

required for reliable information and more accurate results

5.5 Suggestions for future Research

The present researcher has found various output related to the study and concluded
that all those experimental variables were significantly showing response. Literally, this
means these factors must be considered and will definitely be helpful in refining
Nepalese education system. Following are the suggestions that has been
accommodated for managerial implication:

1. The present research highly elucidates the fact that Nepalese education quality is
low compared to overseas universities though improving, and must focus in its quality
enhancement like adequate infrastructural support, skilled faculty manpower,
standardized and updated curriculum etc.

2. Education environment should be supportive and shouldn’t contain any political

obstacles in learning process.
3. The reason Nepalese students are choosing overseas studies is due to
personality development and in minute due to possible career opportunities as well. So,
colleges in Nepal should focus on providing knowledge that well supports the career
building and personality development traits.

4. Government policies and support should be directed towards education sector.

Focusing on the rate of brain drain, the policies of employment focused education
should be implemented.

5. Education awareness among parents is seen as per there class and family
income level. All the Nepalese parents must be made aware and must understand the
opportunities and challenges of their offspring’s choice in studying abroad as much as
possible.

6. In today’s generation, the education quality should be focused on universal

standard and the global competitive ability must be maintained in individual students as
much as possible.

This section includes various suggestions for the readers who intend to gain insights
about the topic and the research. Some of the suggestions are:

i. The present research has been conducted on a small area within the major cities
of Kathmandu Valley only. In order to get more accurate and reliable results, more
areas should be focused.

ii. More sample size should be taken for reliable results.

iii. The present researcher has taken only four factors that affect student’s
intention, but there are other factors that should also be taken into consideration for in-
depth and reliable results.
iv. The present researcher has taken convenience and snowball sampling method to
collect respondents which might not be very reliable. Other methods might be more
effective for more accurate results.

5.6 Summary

The research was undertaken as the academic requirement. The general purpose of this
conduct is to make sure that the students having master degree must understand the
basic terminologies of research and should be familiar and able to extract the exact
output from any basic research.

For conducting the present research study, the present researcher nominated the mixed
method of inquiry by considering both the qualitative and quantitative analysis.
Qualitative research was executed just to find the relevance of the topic and
quantitative analysis are done to find the research output after the construct is been
finalized. The present researcher has also used exploratory and descriptive study to
analyze the factors affecting Nepalese students’ intention towards abroad studies. Many
potential employers look for graduates with both technical and soft skills. In addition,
others look for graduates with a global image and international experience. It is now
clear that graduates who have international competencies are better placed in the job
market than those without. However, as much as employers express interest in
potential employees who have studied abroad, most of them have not advocated for
modification of curriculum and training to incorporate exchange programs. It is for this
reason that recommends modification of teaching and learning curriculum as well as
policies to allow learners undertakes a ‘study abroad’ program. Considering the benefit
of studying abroad, global learning should be made available to everyone. Thus, for one
to succeed in the modern world, the job market has continued to express demand for
multi-cultural understanding, flexibility, easy adaptability, and better socio-political
consciousness . Therefore, taking a study abroad period while one is still a student is
the approach one can take to develop such job market requirements.
The present researcher, also used both primary as well as secondary research for
collecting data. For literature review of the research done by various researchers across
the globe, the present researcher used the secondary data. Various researchers and
scholars were reviewed and being considered by the researcher for the purpose of
conducting the literature review.

Many potential employers look for graduates with both technical and soft skills. In
addition, others look for graduates with a global image and international experience. It
is now clear that graduates who have international competencies are better placed in
the job market than those without. However, as much as employers express interest in
potential employees who have studied abroad, most of them have not advocated for
modification of curriculum and training to incorporate exchange programs. It is for this
reason that recommends modification of teaching and learning curriculum as well as
policies to allow learners undertakes a ‘study abroad’ program. Considering the benefit
of studying abroad, global learning should be made available to everyone. Thus, for one
to succeed in the modern world, the job market has continued to express demand for
multi-cultural understanding, flexibility, easy adaptability, and better socio-political
consciousness . Therefore, taking a study abroad period while one is still a student is
the approach one can take to develop such job market requirements.For the purpose of
fulfilling the motive of the research, the present researcher used survey questionnaire
for collecting responses from the students that served as the principal source of
information. The present research was based totally on descriptive and exploratory
research design. In the exploratory research design, the present research has explored
the secondary data where as for the descriptive analysis the present researcher has
used frequencies, average, and inferential statistics as correlation and Anova.

Further the conceptual framework of the study was developed which governed the
whole research in a more systematic manner toward the subject matter of the research.
It highlighted various factors to be taken into consideration in order to understand the
level of student’s intention towards overseas study. One-way analysis of variance is
beneficial to determine whether there are any statistically considerable variations
between the means of two or more impartial groups. With regards to this base the
researcher here has explained all the significant relation of demographic factors with all
those factors that affect student’s intention towards abroad study. The researcher
reports the presentation and analysis of statistics collected through survey
questionnaires. This chapter has been divided into three main sections. The first section
displays the respondent’s demographic information. It is done on the basis of age,
gender, family income and education attainment of the respondents. In the second
section of this research report, the factor wise analysis is demonstrated. Finally, in the
last section, the research report consists of summary of key findings and conclusion.
Reference

Ajzen, I. J. O. b., & processes, h. d. (1991). The theory of planned behavior. 50(2),
179-211.

Allmendinger, J. J. E. s. r. (1989). Educational systems and labor market outcomes.

5(3), 231-250.

Altbach, P. G., & Bassett, R. M. (2004). The Brain Trade. Foreign policy(144), 30-31.

Bamber, M. J. H. E. (2014). What motivates Chinese women to study in the UK and

how do they perceive their experience? , 68(1), 47-68.

Bean, J. P. J. T. r. o. h. e. (1983). The application of a model of turnover in work

organizations to the student attrition process. 6(2), 129-148.

Bodycott, P. J. J. o. r. i. I. e. (2009). Choosing a higher education study abroad

destination: What mainland Chinese parents and students rate as important. 8(3), 349-
373.

Breen, R. J. E. s. r. (2005). Explaining cross-national variation in youth unemployment:

Market and institutional factors. 21(2), 125-134.

Brus, S., & Scholz, C. J. B. E.-T. N. U. o. S. i. E. (2007). Promoting mobility: A study on

the obstacles to student mobility.

Brustein, W. I. J. J. o. s. i. i. e. (2007). The global campus: Challenges and

opportunities for higher education in North America. 11(3-4), 382-391.

Cameron, K. S. (1978). Measuring organizational effectiveness in institutions of higher

education.

Carrington, W. J., & Detragiache, E. (1999). How extensive is the brain drain? Finance
and Development, 36, 46-49.
Chang, D.-F. J. A. P. E. R. (2012). College students’ perceptions of studying abroad and
their readiness. 13(4), 583-591.

Döring, N., Lahmar, K., Bouabdallah, M., Bouafia, M., Bouzid, D., Gobsch, G., & Runge,
E. J. J. o. S. i. I. E. (2010). German-Algerian university exchange from the perspective
of students and teachers: Results of an intercultural survey. 14(3), 240-258.

Doyle, S., Gendall, P., Meyer, L. H., Hoek, J., Tait, C., McKenzie, L., & Loorparg, A. J. J.
o. S. i. I. E. (2010). An investigation of factors associated with student participation in
study abroad. 14(5), 471-490.

Durbin, R. J. J. I. E. (2006). The Lincoln Commission and the future of study abroad.
15(1), 4-6.

Gangl, M. J. E. S. R. (2003). The only way is up? Employment protection and job
mobility among recent entrants to European labour markets. 19(5), 429-449.

Gerhards, J., & Hans, S. J. Z. f. S. (2013). Transnational human capital, education, and
social inequality. Analyses of international student exchange. 42(2), 99-117.

Goel, L., De Jong, P., & Schnusenberg, O. J. J. o. T. i. I. B. (2010). Toward a

comprehensive framework of study abroad intentions and behaviors. 21(4), 248-265.

Holahan, C. J., Moos, R. H., Holahan, C. K., & Brennan, P. L. J. H. P. (1995). Social
support, coping, and depressive symptoms in a late-middle-aged sample of patients
reporting cardiac illness. 14(2), 152.

Jiani, M. J. H. E. (2017). Why and how international students choose Mainland China as
a higher education study abroad destination. 74(4), 563-579.

Jon, J.-E., Lee, J. J., & Byun, K. J. H. E. (2014). The emergence of a regional hub:
Comparing international student choices and experiences in South Korea. 67(5), 691-
710.

Kara, A., & DeShields, O. J. M. E. Q. (2004). Business student satisfaction, intentions

and retention in higher education: An empirical investigation. 3(1), 1-25.
Kedia, B. L., & Daniel, S. (2003). US business needs for employees with international
expertise. Paper presented at the Conference on Global Challenges and US Higher
Education at Duke University, Durham, NC.

Kerckhoff, A. C. J. A. r. o. s. (1995). Institutional arrangements and stratification

processes in industrial societies. 21(1), 323-347.

Kratz, F., & Netz, N. J. S. i. H. E. (2018). Which mechanisms explain monetary returns
to international student mobility? , 43(2), 375-400.

Kwok, C. C., & Arpan, J. S. J. J. o. I. B. S. (2002). Internationalizing the business

school: A global survey in 2000. 33(3), 571-581.

Li, J., Liu, F., & Rojas-Méndez, J. I. J. A. P. E. R. (2013). How international students
select offshore programs: the influence of image, attitude, subject norm, and perceived
behavioral control. 14(3), 381-390.

Llewellyn‐Smith, C., & McCABE, V. S. J. I. J. o. T. R. (2008). What is the attraction for

exchange students: the host destination or host university? Empirical evidence from a
study of an Australian university. 10(6), 593-607.

Lörz, M., Netz, N., & Quast, H. J. H. E. (2016). Why do students from underprivileged
families less often intend to study abroad? , 72(2), 153-174.

Luo, J., & Jamieson-Drake, D. J. R. i. H. E. (2015). Predictors of study abroad intent,

participation, and college outcomes. 56(1), 29-56.

McLeod, M., & Wainwright, P. J. J. o. S. i. I. E. (2009). Researching the study abroad

experience. 13(1), 66-71.

Messer, D., & Wolter, S. C. J. H. E. (2007). Are student exchange programs worth it? ,
54(5), 647-663.

Müller, W., & Gangl, M. (2003). Transitions from education to work in Europe: the
integration of youth into EU labour markets: Oxford University Press on Demand.
Murray Brux, J., & Fry, B. J. J. o. s. i. I. E. (2010). Multicultural students in study
abroad: Their interests, their issues, and their constraints. 14(5), 508-527.

Netz, N., & Finger, C. J. S. o. E. (2016). New horizontal inequalities in German higher
education? Social selectivity of studying abroad between 1991 and 2012. 89(2), 79-98.

Netz, N. J. H. E. P. (2015). What deters students from studying abroad? Evidence from
four European countries and its implications for higher education policy. 28(2), 151-174.

Norris, F. H., Stevens, S. P., Pfefferbaum, B., Wyche, K. F., & Pfefferbaum, R. L. J. A. j.
o. c. p. (2008). Community resilience as a metaphor, theory, set of capacities, and
strategy for disaster readiness. 41(1-2), 127-150.

Opp, K.-D. J. J. o. t. p. (1999). Contending conceptions of the theory of rational action.

11(2), 171-202.

Parey, M., & Waldinger, F. J. T. E. J. (2010). Studying abroad and the effect on
international labour market mobility: Evidence from the introduction of ERASMUS.
121(551), 194-222.

Paulsen, M. B., & John, E. P. S. (2002). Social class and college costs: Examining the
financial nexus between college choice and persistence. The Journal of Higher
Education, 73(2), 189-236.

Perna, L. W., & Titus, M. A. (2005). The relationship between parental involvement as
social capital and college enrollment: An examination of racial/ethnic group differences.
The Journal of Higher Education, 76(5), 485-518.

Peters, R. S., Tesar, M., & Locke, K. (1973). The philosophy of education: Oxford
University Press Oxford.

Petzold, K., & Peter, T. J. H. e. (2015). The social norm to study abroad: Determinants
and effects. 69(6), 885-900.

Pietro, G. d., & Page, L. J. E. J. o. E. (2008). Who studies abroad? Evidence from
France and Italy. 43(3), 389-398.
Pimpa, N. J. I. J. o. E. M. (2003). The influence of family on Thai students’ choices of
international education. 17(5), 211-219.

Presley, A., Damron-Martinez, D., & Zhang, L. J. J. o. T. i. I. B. (2010). A study of

business student choice to study abroad: A test of the theory of planned behavior.
21(4), 227-247.

Relyea, C., Cocchiara, F. K., & Studdard, N. L. J. J. o. T. i. I. B. (2008). The effect of

perceived value in the decision to participate in study abroad programs. 19(4), 346-361.

Rozanski, A., Blumenthal, J. A., & Kaplan, J. J. C. (1999). Impact of psychological

factors on the pathogenesis of cardiovascular disease and implications for therapy.
99(16), 2192-2217.

Ryan, P. J. J. o. e. l. (2001). The school-to-work transition: a cross-national perspective.

39(1), 34-92.

Salisbury, M. H., Paulsen, M. B., & Pascarella, E. T. J. R. i. H. E. (2010). To see the

world or stay at home: Applying an integrated student choice model to explore the
gender gap in the intent to study abroad. 51(7), 615-640.

Sánchez, C. M., Fornerino, M., & Zhang, M. J. J. o. T. i. I. B. (2006). Motivations and

the intent to study abroad among US, French, and Chinese students. 18(1), 27-52.

Sawir, E., Marginson, S., Deumert, A., Nyland, C., & Ramia, G. J. J. o. s. i. i. e. (2008).
Loneliness and international students: An Australian study. 12(2), 148-180.

Schofer, E., & Meyer, J. W. J. A. s. r. (2005). The worldwide expansion of higher

education in the twentieth century. 70(6), 898-920.

Shavit, Y., & Muller, W. (1998). From School to Work. A Comparative Study of
Educational Qualifications and Occupational Destinations: ERIC.

Shumaker, S. A., & Brownell, A. J. J. o. s. i. (1984). Toward a theory of social support:

Closing conceptual gaps. 40(4), 11-36.
Simpson, K., & Tan, W. J. J. o. S. i. I. E. (2009). A home away from home? Chinese
student evaluations of an overseas study experience. 13(1), 5-21.

Souto-Otero, M., & McCoshan, A. (2006). Survey of the Socio-Economic Background of

ERASMUS Students. Final report to the European Commission.

Spence, M. (1978). Job market signaling. In Uncertainty in Economics (pp. 281-306):

Elsevier.

St John, E. P., Asker, E. H., & Hu, S. (2001). The role of finances in student choice: A
review of theory and research. The finance of higher education: Theory, research,
policy, and practice, 419-438.

Stroud, A. H. J. J. o. S. i. I. E. (2010). Who plans (not) to study abroad? An

examination of US student intent. 14(5), 491-507.

Surridge, R. W. (2000). Factors deterring adult undergraduate students at Penn State

Capital College from participation in study abroad. Pennsylvania State University,

Thurow, L. C. (1975). Generating inequality: Basic books.

Tomlinson, M. J. B. j. o. s. o. e. (2008). ‘The degree is not enough’: students’

perceptions of the role of higher education credentials for graduate work and
employability. 29(1), 49-61.

Toncar, M. F., Reid, J. S., & Anderson, C. E. J. J. o. T. i. I. B. (2006). Perceptions and

preferences of study abroad: Do business students have different needs? , 17(1-2), 61-
80.

Van der Velden, R. K., & Wolbers, M. H. J. T. f. e. t. w. i. E. T. i. o. y. i. E. l. m. (2003).

The integration of young people into the labour market: the role of training systems
and labour market regulation. 186-211.

Van Hoof, H. B., & Verbeeten, M. J. J. J. o. S. i. I. E. (2005). Wine is for drinking, water
is for washing: Student opinions about international exchange programs. 9(1), 42-61.
Van Mol, C. (2014). Intra-European student mobility in international higher education
circuits: Europe on the move: Springer.

Wang, L. C., Gault, J., Christ, P., & Diggin, P. A. J. J. o. M. f. H. E. (2016). Individual
attitudes and social influences on college students’ intent to participate in study abroad
programs. 26(1), 103-128.

Zimmermann, J., Neyer, F. J. J. J. o. p., & psychology, s. (2013). Do we become a

different person when hitting the road? Personality development of sojourners. 105(3),
515.

Ajzen, I. J. O. b., & processes, h. d. (1991). The theory of planned behavior. 50(2),
179-211.

Allmendinger, J. J. E. s. r. (1989). Educational systems and labor market outcomes.

5(3), 231-250.

Altbach, P. G., & Bassett, R. M. (2004). The Brain Trade. Foreign policy(144), 30-31.

Bamber, M. J. H. E. (2014). What motivates Chinese women to study in the UK and

how do they perceive their experience? , 68(1), 47-68.

Bean, J. P. J. T. r. o. h. e. (1983). The application of a model of turnover in work

organizations to the student attrition process. 6(2), 129-148.

Bodycott, P. J. J. o. r. i. I. e. (2009). Choosing a higher education study abroad

destination: What mainland Chinese parents and students rate as important. 8(3), 349-
373.
Breen, R. J. E. s. r. (2005). Explaining cross-national variation in youth unemployment:
Market and institutional factors. 21(2), 125-134.

Brus, S., & Scholz, C. J. B. E.-T. N. U. o. S. i. E. (2007). Promoting mobility: A study on

the obstacles to student mobility.

Brustein, W. I. J. J. o. s. i. i. e. (2007). The global campus: Challenges and

opportunities for higher education in North America. 11(3-4), 382-391.

Cameron, K. S. (1978). Measuring organizational effectiveness in institutions of higher

education.

Carrington, W. J., & Detragiache, E. (1999). How extensive is the brain drain? Finance
and Development, 36, 46-49.

Chang, D.-F. J. A. P. E. R. (2012). College students’ perceptions of studying abroad and

their readiness. 13(4), 583-591.

Döring, N., Lahmar, K., Bouabdallah, M., Bouafia, M., Bouzid, D., Gobsch, G., & Runge,
E. J. J. o. S. i. I. E. (2010). German-Algerian university exchange from the perspective
of students and teachers: Results of an intercultural survey. 14(3), 240-258.

Doyle, S., Gendall, P., Meyer, L. H., Hoek, J., Tait, C., McKenzie, L., & Loorparg, A. J. J.
o. S. i. I. E. (2010). An investigation of factors associated with student participation in
study abroad. 14(5), 471-490.

Durbin, R. J. J. I. E. (2006). The Lincoln Commission and the future of study abroad.
15(1), 4-6.

Gangl, M. J. E. S. R. (2003). The only way is up? Employment protection and job
mobility among recent entrants to European labour markets. 19(5), 429-449.

Gerhards, J., & Hans, S. J. Z. f. S. (2013). Transnational human capital, education, and
social inequality. Analyses of international student exchange. 42(2), 99-117.

Goel, L., De Jong, P., & Schnusenberg, O. J. J. o. T. i. I. B. (2010). Toward a

comprehensive framework of study abroad intentions and behaviors. 21(4), 248-265.
Holahan, C. J., Moos, R. H., Holahan, C. K., & Brennan, P. L. J. H. P. (1995). Social
support, coping, and depressive symptoms in a late-middle-aged sample of patients
reporting cardiac illness. 14(2), 152.

Jiani, M. J. H. E. (2017). Why and how international students choose Mainland China as
a higher education study abroad destination. 74(4), 563-579.

Jon, J.-E., Lee, J. J., & Byun, K. J. H. E. (2014). The emergence of a regional hub:
Comparing international student choices and experiences in South Korea. 67(5), 691-
710.

Kara, A., & DeShields, O. J. M. E. Q. (2004). Business student satisfaction, intentions

and retention in higher education: An empirical investigation. 3(1), 1-25.

Kedia, B. L., & Daniel, S. (2003). US business needs for employees with international
expertise. Paper presented at the Conference on Global Challenges and US Higher
Education at Duke University, Durham, NC.

Kerckhoff, A. C. J. A. r. o. s. (1995). Institutional arrangements and stratification

processes in industrial societies. 21(1), 323-347.

Kratz, F., & Netz, N. J. S. i. H. E. (2018). Which mechanisms explain monetary returns
to international student mobility? , 43(2), 375-400.

Kwok, C. C., & Arpan, J. S. J. J. o. I. B. S. (2002). Internationalizing the business

school: A global survey in 2000. 33(3), 571-581.

Li, J., Liu, F., & Rojas-Méndez, J. I. J. A. P. E. R. (2013). How international students
select offshore programs: the influence of image, attitude, subject norm, and perceived
behavioral control. 14(3), 381-390.

Llewellyn‐Smith, C., & McCABE, V. S. J. I. J. o. T. R. (2008). What is the attraction for

exchange students: the host destination or host university? Empirical evidence from a
study of an Australian university. 10(6), 593-607.
Lörz, M., Netz, N., & Quast, H. J. H. E. (2016). Why do students from underprivileged
families less often intend to study abroad? , 72(2), 153-174.

Luo, J., & Jamieson-Drake, D. J. R. i. H. E. (2015). Predictors of study abroad intent,

participation, and college outcomes. 56(1), 29-56.

McLeod, M., & Wainwright, P. J. J. o. S. i. I. E. (2009). Researching the study abroad

experience. 13(1), 66-71.

Messer, D., & Wolter, S. C. J. H. E. (2007). Are student exchange programs worth it? ,
54(5), 647-663.

Müller, W., & Gangl, M. (2003). Transitions from education to work in Europe: the
integration of youth into EU labour markets: Oxford University Press on Demand.

Murray Brux, J., & Fry, B. J. J. o. s. i. I. E. (2010). Multicultural students in study

abroad: Their interests, their issues, and their constraints. 14(5), 508-527.

Netz, N., & Finger, C. J. S. o. E. (2016). New horizontal inequalities in German higher
education? Social selectivity of studying abroad between 1991 and 2012. 89(2), 79-98.

Netz, N. J. H. E. P. (2015). What deters students from studying abroad? Evidence from
four European countries and its implications for higher education policy. 28(2), 151-174.

Norris, F. H., Stevens, S. P., Pfefferbaum, B., Wyche, K. F., & Pfefferbaum, R. L. J. A. j.
o. c. p. (2008). Community resilience as a metaphor, theory, set of capacities, and
strategy for disaster readiness. 41(1-2), 127-150.

Opp, K.-D. J. J. o. t. p. (1999). Contending conceptions of the theory of rational action.

11(2), 171-202.

Parey, M., & Waldinger, F. J. T. E. J. (2010). Studying abroad and the effect on
international labour market mobility: Evidence from the introduction of ERASMUS.
121(551), 194-222.
Paulsen, M. B., & John, E. P. S. (2002). Social class and college costs: Examining the
financial nexus between college choice and persistence. The Journal of Higher
Education, 73(2), 189-236.

Perna, L. W., & Titus, M. A. (2005). The relationship between parental involvement as
social capital and college enrollment: An examination of racial/ethnic group differences.
The Journal of Higher Education, 76(5), 485-518.

Peters, R. S., Tesar, M., & Locke, K. (1973). The philosophy of education: Oxford
University Press Oxford.

Petzold, K., & Peter, T. J. H. e. (2015). The social norm to study abroad: Determinants
and effects. 69(6), 885-900.

Pietro, G. d., & Page, L. J. E. J. o. E. (2008). Who studies abroad? Evidence from
France and Italy. 43(3), 389-398.

Pimpa, N. J. I. J. o. E. M. (2003). The influence of family on Thai students’ choices of

international education. 17(5), 211-219.

Presley, A., Damron-Martinez, D., & Zhang, L. J. J. o. T. i. I. B. (2010). A study of

business student choice to study abroad: A test of the theory of planned behavior.
21(4), 227-247.

Relyea, C., Cocchiara, F. K., & Studdard, N. L. J. J. o. T. i. I. B. (2008). The effect of

perceived value in the decision to participate in study abroad programs. 19(4), 346-361.

Rozanski, A., Blumenthal, J. A., & Kaplan, J. J. C. (1999). Impact of psychological

factors on the pathogenesis of cardiovascular disease and implications for therapy.
99(16), 2192-2217.

Ryan, P. J. J. o. e. l. (2001). The school-to-work transition: a cross-national perspective.

39(1), 34-92.
Salisbury, M. H., Paulsen, M. B., & Pascarella, E. T. J. R. i. H. E. (2010). To see the
world or stay at home: Applying an integrated student choice model to explore the
gender gap in the intent to study abroad. 51(7), 615-640.

Sánchez, C. M., Fornerino, M., & Zhang, M. J. J. o. T. i. I. B. (2006). Motivations and

the intent to study abroad among US, French, and Chinese students. 18(1), 27-52.

Sawir, E., Marginson, S., Deumert, A., Nyland, C., & Ramia, G. J. J. o. s. i. i. e. (2008).
Loneliness and international students: An Australian study. 12(2), 148-180.

Schofer, E., & Meyer, J. W. J. A. s. r. (2005). The worldwide expansion of higher

education in the twentieth century. 70(6), 898-920.

Shavit, Y., & Muller, W. (1998). From School to Work. A Comparative Study of
Educational Qualifications and Occupational Destinations: ERIC.

Shumaker, S. A., & Brownell, A. J. J. o. s. i. (1984). Toward a theory of social support:

Closing conceptual gaps. 40(4), 11-36.

Simpson, K., & Tan, W. J. J. o. S. i. I. E. (2009). A home away from home? Chinese
student evaluations of an overseas study experience. 13(1), 5-21.

Souto-Otero, M., & McCoshan, A. (2006). Survey of the Socio-Economic Background of

ERASMUS Students. Final report to the European Commission.

Spence, M. (1978). Job market signaling. In Uncertainty in Economics (pp. 281-306):

Elsevier.

St John, E. P., Asker, E. H., & Hu, S. (2001). The role of finances in student choice: A
review of theory and research. The finance of higher education: Theory, research,
policy, and practice, 419-438.

Stroud, A. H. J. J. o. S. i. I. E. (2010). Who plans (not) to study abroad? An

examination of US student intent. 14(5), 491-507.

Surridge, R. W. (2000). Factors deterring adult undergraduate students at Penn State

Capital College from participation in study abroad. Pennsylvania State University,
Thurow, L. C. (1975). Generating inequality: Basic books.

Tomlinson, M. J. B. j. o. s. o. e. (2008). ‘The degree is not enough’: students’

perceptions of the role of higher education credentials for graduate work and
employability. 29(1), 49-61.

Toncar, M. F., Reid, J. S., & Anderson, C. E. J. J. o. T. i. I. B. (2006). Perceptions and

preferences of study abroad: Do business students have different needs? , 17(1-2), 61-
80.

Van der Velden, R. K., & Wolbers, M. H. J. T. f. e. t. w. i. E. T. i. o. y. i. E. l. m. (2003).

The integration of young people into the labour market: the role of training systems
and labour market regulation. 186-211.

Van Hoof, H. B., & Verbeeten, M. J. J. J. o. S. i. I. E. (2005). Wine is for drinking, water
is for washing: Student opinions about international exchange programs. 9(1), 42-61.

Van Mol, C. (2014). Intra-European student mobility in international higher education

circuits: Europe on the move: Springer.

Wang, L. C., Gault, J., Christ, P., & Diggin, P. A. J. J. o. M. f. H. E. (2016). Individual
attitudes and social influences on college students’ intent to participate in study abroad
programs. 26(1), 103-128.

Zimmermann, J., Neyer, F. J. J. J. o. p., & psychology, s. (2013). Do we become a

different person when hitting the road? Personality development of sojourners. 105(3),
515.

(https//kathmandupost.ekantipur.com/news/2017-02-17/studyingabroad.html)
APPENDIX- A
SURVEY QUESTIONNAIRES
Dear respondent,
I’d like to thank you for your time and efforts. In this respect it gives me immense
pleasure to request you to accept my proposal to consider yourself one of the valuable
respondents in the survey. For this, I would like to request you for the contribution of
about 7 minutes of your valuable time.
I want to assure that every information provided by you will be treated as highly
confidential.

Sincerely,
Miss Joshlyn Singh

Please select appropriate number and please tick to answer the following questions as
far as applicable.
Q1. Gender-
Male………………………………………………………….
Female……………………………………………………….
Other ………………………………………………………. Q2. Age
10-19
20-29
30 and above

Q3. Education Level-

Up to SLC ……………………………………………...……

Intermediate …………………………………………………

Bachelors ……………………………………………………
 Masters ………………………………………………………

Above master’s level (Diploma, M Phil, PhD, etc.) …….

Q4. Family income (monthly)-

upto 25000 …………………………….………………………

Q5. To what
Rs 25001-Rs 50000 …….……………...………….…………
extent do you agree
Rs 50001- Rs 75000 ……………………………………………
with the following
Rs 75001- Rs 100000 ………………………………………….
statement? Please tick
Above Rs 100000 ……………………………………………….
the (√) the box next to
the number that best matches your opinion. (Scale for each option: 1. Strongly Agree,
2. Agree, 3. Neutral, 4. Disagree, 5. Strongly Disagree).

S.N Components & items of factor Score

1 2 3 4 5
1 Perceived quality education offered
by foreign universities.
1.1 Foreign universities are expected to
provide education that considers both
personal and professional development.
1.2 Foreign universities are likely to provide
the needed encouragement for achieving
the enhanced and upgraded level of
knowledge.
1.3 Foreign university is likely to provide
more infrastructural support and intense
supervision which helps in quality
learning.
1.4 Foreign university is likely to make
students stay more comfortable which
create advantage in learning.
1.5 Foreign university is likely to guarantee
the realistic opportunity to achieve an
accepted graduation.

2 Perceived social support. 1 2 3 4 5

2.1 My family really supports me for my study

choice.
2.2 I perceive to get the emotional help and
support from my friends in studying abroad.
2.3 The intended frequency of social interaction
with friends and classmates in foreign
university is likely to be adequate.
2.4 My parents are educated enough to
understand the importance of foreign study
and do prefer me for going abroad.
2.5 My social circle in abroad is expected to
increase my self-confidence and decrease
the likelihood of engaging in risky behaviors
like (excess alcohol etc.).

3 Perceived career opportunities. 1 2 3 4 5

3.1 The expected earnings after studying in

foreign university is expected to be
comparatively high.
3.2 The foreign university degree is expected to
provide me a comparative advantage while
job recruitment.
3.3 Foreign university is likely to provide
students facilities for applying for internal
vacancies.
3.4 Foreign university is expected to provide
me information about possible career
opportunities.
3.5 Foreign university is expected to provide
me a relevant platform for job opportunities
and opportunity of settling there.
4. Expected personality development. 1 2 3 4 5

4.1 Foreign universities are expected to provide

greater understanding of other culture.
4.2 Foreign study is expected to make students
more knowledgeable, which will make the
students more skilled.
4.3 The intelligence level of students is expected
to increase by studying abroad, which will
result in student’s ability to adapt different
behavioral environment.
4.4 The maturity level of students is expected to
increase while studying abroad.

4.5 The foreign study is likely to make students

more experienced which will result in
improvement of his or her character.

5. Student’s intention towards abroad 1 2 3 4 5

study.

5.1 Education quality offered by foreign university

is one of the reasons for students increasing
intention towards abroad study.
5.2 For studying in abroad, adequate social
support is necessary.

5.3 Future career and various opportunities are

driving students’ interest towards abroad
study.
5.4 Possibilities of personality development, is
also an important factor that motivates
students to approach for abroad studies.