The experience and long-term impact of study abroad by Europeans in an African context

Research into academic mobility or study abroad has identified six categories of learning outcome: academic, cultural, intercultural, linguistic, personal and professional. A few studies have also shown that study abroad has lasting effects on the individual. The present questionnaire study involved 32 students who had undertaken a work placement in Francophone Africa as part of a UK degree in French since the mid-1980s. The closed and open questions explored gender, ethnicity, religion, accommodation, language use and gain, links with home, social networks, learning outcomes and subsequent employment. Some findings echo earlier studies, others are context-specific, but the enduring impact of study abroad on attitudes and employment is amply confirmed