Identifying College Students Likely to Participate in a Travel Abroad Volunteer Project

Foreign travel provides excellent opportunities for college students to broaden their global mindset. While empirical research focusing on variables that influence student participation in study abroad programs are available, there is a paucity of research that focuses on travel abroad programs relating to participating in volunteer projects. Using a sample of 193 undergraduate business students, this study attempts to develop profiles of students that are “not likely,” “maybe,” and “most likely” to participate in a travel abroad volunteer project. Those who were “mostly likely” to participate had traveled abroad before, demonstrated high levels of self-congruity and diversity seeking, and stated financial costs to be less of a constraint in participating in such a project. Discussion of findings and direction for future research is also provided.

[1]  Geoff Vincent,et al.  —Managing— New-Product Development , 1989, Springer US.

[2]  Mark M. Miller,et al.  Building and Positioning Successful Study-Abroad Programs , 2001 .

[3]  Ikujiro Nonaka,et al.  Managing the new product development process , 1985 .

[4]  Lakshmi Goel,et al.  Toward a Comprehensive Framework of Study Abroad Intentions and Behaviors , 2010 .

[5]  David J. Boggs,et al.  An Empirical Study of Student Willingness to Study Abroad , 2012 .

[6]  David C. Bojanic.  Consumer perceptions of price, value and satisfaction in the hotel industry: an exploratory study. , 1996 .

[7]  J. Mezirow.  Transformative Learning: Theory to Practice. , 1997 .

[8]  A. Herrmann,et al.  Direct and indirect effects of self-image congruence on brand loyalty , 2006 .

[9]  D. Jackson,et al.  PERSONALITY MEASURES AS PREDICTORS OF JOB PERFORMANCE: A META‐ANALYTIC REVIEW , 2006 .

[10]  James R. Keese.  The Geography of Volunteer Tourism: Place Matters , 2011 .

[11]  J. Petrick.  The Roles of Quality, Value, and Satisfaction in Predicting Cruise Passengers’ Behavioral Intentions , 2004 .

[12]  John C. Mowen,et al.  Volunteer Behavior: A Hierarchical Model Approach for Investigating Its Trait and Functional Motive Antecedents , 2005 .

[13]  Murray R. Barrick,et al.  Personality and Performance at the Beginning of the New Millennium: What Do We Know and Where Do We Go Next? , 2001 .

[14]  D. Kolb.  Experiential Learning: Experience as the Source of Learning and Development , 1983 .

[15]  Anne M. Brumbaugh,et al.  Crossover Dreams: Consumer Responses to Ethnic-Oriented Products , 2006 .

[16]  Local discourse and global research: The role of local knowledge , 2005, Language in Society.

[17]  J. Crompton,et al.  Quality, satisfaction and behavioral intentions , 2000 .

[18]  Richard Kiely.  A Chameleon with a Complex: Searching for Transformation in International Service-Learning , 2004 .

[19]  Sarath A. Nonis,et al.  Academic Performance of College Students: Influence of Time Spent Studying and Working , 2006 .

[20]  J. J. Cronin,et al.  Assessing the effects of quality, value, and customer satisfaction on consumer behavioral intentions in service environments , 2000 .

[21]  J. Tam,et al.  The Effects of Service Quality, Perceived Value and Customer Satisfaction on Behavioral Intentions , 1999 .

[22]  S. Wearing.  Volunteer Tourism: Experiences that Make a Difference , 2001 .

[23]  Faye K. Cocchiara,et al.  The Effect of Perceived Value in the Decision to Participate in Study Abroad Programs , 2008 .

[24]  Wayne L. Winston.  Practical Management Science , 1997 .

[25]  J. Mezirow.  Transformative Dimensions of Adult Learning , 1991 .

[26]  Ruth N. Bolton,et al.  A Multistage Model of Customers' Assessments of Service Quality and Value , 1991 .

[27]  David Schwartz.  Concept Testing: How to Test New Product Ideas Before You Go to Market , 1987 .

[28]  K. Hung,et al.  Testing the effects of congruity, travel constraints, and self-efficacy on travel intentions: An alternative decision-making model , 2012 .

[29]  Anne M. Brumbaugh.  The Impact of Diversity Seeking and Volunteer Orientation on Desire for Alternative Spring Break Programs , 2010 .

[30]  M. Uysal,et al.  Effects of Gender Differences on Perceptions of Destination Attributes, Motivations, and Travel Values: An Examination of a Nature-Based Resort Destination , 2008 .

[31]  J. W. Taylor,et al.  The Purchase Intention Question in New Product Development: A Field Test , 1975 .

[32]  Stefano Livi,et al.  Recycling: Planned and self-expressive behaviour , 2004 .