Measuring More Than Miles: Assessing the Impact of Short-Term Study Abroad on Students’ Global Citizenship Identity

Doi, Saori

Measuring More Than Miles: Assessing the Impact of Short-Term Study Abroad on Students’ Global Citizenship Identity

James Alexander Gordon on 7th November 2025

Author Information

Saori Doi, University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, United States

Abstract

Short-term study abroad (STSA) programs are often criticized as being too brief to produce meaningful or lasting transformation. This paper challenges that assumption by arguing that intentional learning design and rigorous assessment are more important than duration alone. The study examines a five-week place-based study abroad program in Hawaiʻi focused on climate change, sustainability, and resilience. Thirteen students from two Japanese universities participated in a scaffolded sequence of field-based learning, stakeholder engagement, research development, reciprocity-oriented project work, and final presentation. To assess change over time, the Beliefs, Events, and Values Inventory (BEVI) was administered before and after the program. Analysis focused on five dimensions aligned with global citizenship development: Basic Openness, Sociocultural Openness, Global Resonance, Ecological Resonance, and Self Awareness. The findings suggest notable gains in Sociocultural Openness, Global Resonance, Ecological Resonance, and Self Awareness, alongside a slight decrease in Basic Openness that is not necessarily negative, but may reflect emerging cognitive complexity. Subgroup patterns further suggest differentiated impact: broader gains in Global Resonance appeared among the wider cohort, while deeper gains in Ecological Resonance were concentrated among higher-scoring students. These findings suggest that even short-term programs can foster meaningful identity development when they are intentionally structured and thoughtfully assessed.