High Impact Practices in Domestic and Study Abroad Service Learning Kinesiology and Physical Education Courses

Research shows that study abroad programs can benefit students in myriad ways including: fostering intercultural understanding, improveing completion of degree programs, retention, community college transfer rates, as well as increasing GPA. The purpose of this study, was to assess and evaluate engagement in high impact practices in college students (N=70) through international service-learning, domestic service-learning, and study abroad programs offered by the kinesiology department of a large comprehensive university in California. Results indicated that short-term kinesiology study-abroad programs consisted of significantly higher levels of faculty-student and student-student engagement, as well as higher scores on diversity and experiential learning when compared to a domestic course. The authors echo Dunn’s (2009) call who called for the development and promotion of international experiences, such as study abroad opportunities, in order to enhance the understanding and viability of undergraduate and graduate students in the field of kinesiology. To date, this call has been left unanswered.