Assessment of the Impact of the AFS Study Abroad ExperienceExecutive Summary: Overall Findings
- Creator
- Hammer, Mitchell R.
- Publisher
- AFS Intercultural Programs
- Published in
- New York
- # of pages
- 8
- Status
- In collection
- license
Courtesy of the Archives of the American Field Service and AFS Intercultural Programs (AFS Archives.) Please contact a staff member in the AFS Archives at archives@afs.org for information regarding the rights and reproduction policies of this specific item.
The Assessment of the Impact of the AFS Study Abroad Experience was an independent research study conducted in 2005 by Dr. Mitchell R. Hammer in partnership with AFS. Thousands of students around the world were evaluated before, during and after an experience abroad. Compared to a control group of their peers, AFS Participants made significant improvements in language fluency, their knowledge of other cultures and their ability to forge intercultural friendships. The results of the research conclusively confirmed that exchange programs, especially at the high school level, play a critical role in building bridges across cultural differences.