More than 8,000 secondary school students participated in the AFS International exchange programs in 1983, and this document examines some of the research that investigates the impact of travel abroad and intercultural experiences on personality development. Cigdem Kagitcibasi, in a study of the effects of a 10-month program on student…

The benefits of encouraging returned American exchange students and foreign exchange students to be bridges between cultures are discussed. Obstacles in the way of exchange students being utilized as resources are also examined. A scenario describes how a social studies teacher could encourage exchange students to increase cross-cultural…

The "Friends Sharing with Friends" program provides Hawaiian intermediate students an opportunity to live in Japan with Japanese student partners for two weeks. In exchange, the Hawaiian students host the Japanese students in their home. Students learn each others' languages and cultures, often enhancing their knowledge of their own…

This article reports on a study done among students who participated in student exchange programs, both in the United States and other parts of the world, between January 2001 and May 2003. Issues such as why students decide to study abroad, why they select a certain institution, how their home institution compares to a partner institution abroad,…

Based on a successful high school student exchange program, a curriculum was designed to bring together Hispanic students learning English and Anglo students learning Spanish for intercultural experiences. The flexible curriculum includes over 40 activities that students can participate in while meeting together once a week for either a brief…

This document is an annotated catalog of 67 projects that were awarded grants to facilitate communication and interaction between foreign students and people of the United States, to prepare U.S. students for study abroad, and to assist U.S. high school students returning from overseas in sharing their experiences by serving as resources people.…

The AFS Impact Study, initiated in 1977, is an attempt to document changes in learning and personal development associated with an intercultural "homestay" program. Completed in 1985, the study identifies several areas in which students show greater learning and educational growth than that shown by a group of students who had expressed interest…

This paper describes selected experiences of Korean-American students and students with a Korean heritage from other countries who live and study at the undergraduate level in Korea. Korean-American students' search for their roots and the process of cultural values clarification are examined, with particular emphasis on identifying cultural…

Urges the youth camping movement in the United States to internationalize by vigorously seeking and including children of the world in their summer communities. Provides practical and specific guidelines regarding recruitment of international campers, financial aid, communication with parents, legalities, travel considerations, and adjustment to…

Ways international students, including both foreign students and American students who have lived overseas, can contribute to the enrichment of K-12 social studies courses are described. The success of these activities depends on advance planning, careful selection of international students, and adequate preparation of the class and the…

Ideas and approaches are suggested for the orientation of secondary students involved in the international/intercultural programs sponsored by the American Field Service (AFS). There are seven chapters, including chapter I, the introduction. The second chapter contains a framework for AFS orientations. Chapter III contains pre-departure…

Prepared as a predeparture orientation program for high school students participating in an exchange experience within the United States, this publication may also be useful to any adolescent or adult about to relocate within the United States. Materials are divided into a student handbook and a leader's guide. The student handbook focuses on four…

Guidelines for out-of-school credit in foreign travel through the Foreign Study Program for high school students are presented. This program is offered to high school students in a format that encompasses areas contiguous to all major curriculum courses of the secondary school. The following topics are addressed: (1) program goals and objectives,…

The paper describes an international student exchange program for 11-year-old children, and discusses the operation and goals of the program in Mexico. The main objective of the program is to create a base for world friendship and global understanding during the pre-adolescent years, which are believed to be formative for acquiring basic social…

This report is based on three separate evaluative surveys. The first compares students' attitudes and opinions before and after the junior year abroad in several areas: (1) attitude toward Germany; (2) integration patterns; (3) religion; (4) politics; (5) the use of tobacco and alcohol, and sexual morality; (6) culture; (7) comparison of…