Prueba de Estrés

In addition to the survey data, this research also collected information from students by employing focus groups. A focus group is a ―nondirective technique that results in the controlled production of a discussion of a group of people" (Flores and Alanso 1995, 84). Focus groups have been found to be useful in social research for their ability to ―draw upon respondents‘ attitudes, feelings, beliefs, experiences and reactions in a way which would not be feasible using other methods, for example observation, one-to-one interviewing, or questionnaire surveys‖ (Gibbs 1997, 2). In this context, focus group data sheds light not only on the factors that influence choice of study abroad in the MENA region, but also the decision-making process.

Students from several programs in the MENA region were asked to participate in focus groups. Duration of focus groups ranged from 40 minutes to one hour and included questions regarding the decision to study abroad in the MENA region. An interview guide was used which contained questions about perceived influences on student‘s decision such as opinions of family and friends, language experience, recent political conflicts, and career goals. Students were briefed on the intended use of their responses and asked to sign a consent form indicating their willingness to participate in the research. Focus groups were recorded and later transcribed. Data were then organized according to simplified themes in order to expose common descriptions relating to the choice process. These responses, when combined with the quantitative data collected through a cross sectional survey, provide a more holistic view of the process of study abroad destination choice.

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II. Protection of Human Subjects

Efforts have been made to protect human subjects by designing survey and focus group questions which would pose minimal risk to participants, and questions have been approved by both the thesis advisor and the Institutional Review Board at AUC. Participants gave their informed consent to participate by reading and acknowledging a form which introduced the primary investigator, explained the nature of the research, assured confidentiality, and indicated that participation was voluntary (see Appendix B). Students were informed via the consent form that no information which could identify them would be recorded with their responses and that they were free to stop participation at any time. Students who completed a paper format

questionnaire were required to sign a form indicating their willingness to participate. For those students who completed an online version of the questionnaire, an identical consent statement was displayed as the first page of the survey. Consent was implied if the student continued with the survey by clicking ―Next‖ and continued with the survey. Students enrolled in programs in the MENA region were also asked to participate in focus groups addressing the RQs mentioned above (See Focus Group Script in Appendix C). Prior to participating in a focus group, students signed a consent form which indicates their willingness to participate as well as their

understanding that their responses will be kept confidential (See Appendix D). All data which were collected via the survey and focus groups was kept secure and confidential during the research process.

III. Modality

This research utilized two modes of data collection: both hard copy and online surveys. Both modes exhibit benefits and deficits in regards to financial and time costs, response rate, and

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coverage. For example, hard copy surveys may require greater costs in terms of photocopies, postage, and travel costs incurred for distribution. In addition to requiring greater financial costs, hard copy surveys may also demand a larger time investment on the part of the researcher than online surveys. In this study, the researcher has chosen to present hard copy surveys in person to students in the MENA region rather than mail surveys due to the difficulty in obtaining mailing addresses for students residing abroad. The delivery of hard copy surveys thus required an investment of travel time and travel related costs. Despite greater financial and time

requirements, hard copy surveys tend to have a higher response rate as participants are able to meet personally with the researcher. A wider coverage of participants is also possible with hard- copy surveys as students were provided with all needed materials, and did not need to have access to a computer and the internet. Hard copy surveys do present greater difficulty in terms of data entry, as responses need to be coded and re-entered in an electronic format in order to be suitable for statistical analysis.

Hard copy surveys are often the preferred mode for survey research, yet online surveys have also been found to be beneficial to researchers. Research related to SA has found that online surveys are often a valuable tool for researchers as this mode has the ability to reach a large audience with fewer financial and time costs (Van Hoof and Verbeeten 2005, 44). In addition to reaching large numbers of participants, web surveys are also more convenient than hard copy versions. Bradshaw Durrant and Rasmussen Dorius (2007) point out that ―the web survey provides the most flexibility and easiest back-end data processing of all survey types‖ (45). In addition to easier data entry, the researchers also point out that open-ended questions tend to receive more lengthy responses in online surveys in comparison to hard copy versions.

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One common concern for researchers when using online surveys is the issue of coverage. Cooper points out that many people do not have adequate access to the internet and thus web surveys face the issues of coverage error; that is there will be a ―mismatch between the target population and the frame population‖ (467). Yet researchers who have worked with SA students note that most current university students have access to the internet and have email addresses. Thus this particular group may be more likely to respond to electronic surveys than the general population (Van Hoof and Verbeeten 2005, 44). The response rate of online surveys is a concern closely related to coverage. Researchers who have employed online surveys note ―their low response rate, especially when sent out to the general population‖ (Van Hoof and Verbeeten 2005, 44). Similar to previous research, this study was able to mitigate the issue of low response by being able to contact students individually at personal email addresses via U.S. study abroad offices, as opposed to placing a link to the survey on a webpage.

Although hard copy surveys were the preferred mode for data collection from the study abroad population, given time and financial restraints, this mode was only employed with those students studying in the MENA region. Online surveys were deemed an acceptable way to reach students studying abroad in Western Europe and Australia as well as those studying at large institutions in the MENA region. Given the mixed modality of this research, efforts were made to ensure both hard copy surveys and online surveys were identical in formatting and questions. In addition, on the final page of the survey, contact information for the primary investigator was again provided and participants were encouraged to contact the researcher if they were interested in learning about the results of the study.

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IV. Conceptualization and Hypotheses

This study examines U.S. undergraduate students‘ choice of SA destination, which serves as the dependent variable. Nominal data of a student‘s SA country choice was gathered.

Countries were then divided between common destinations and less common destinations. As a means to explain the factors which influence the decision to study in the MENA region, this research explores the following concepts derived from the research questions: