Education Abroad is often billed as a wonderful opportunity for international collaboration and enhanced intercultural understanding for students and community members alike. Unfortunately, the local individuals in contact with these programs often have little ability to share their perspectives and have their voices heard. Each year over 300,000 U.S. university students travel internationally to learn in different cultures; however, there is a dearth of empirical research examining the perspectives of local people who interact with visiting students. The purpose of this qualitative comparative case study is to understand the varying perspectives of community members within two communities in Costa Rica that interact with U.S. undergraduate students from two different programs (a service learning program and an applied research program). This study utilized a theoretical framework of critical theory and local knowledge to explore the layers of positionality and the perspectives of many people with varying degrees of power who have interactions with visiting students. Data were collected through semistructured interviews with 62 local community members, direct observations, and document analysis. Findings from this study include the community members' perceptions of opportunities and challenges of interactions with foreign university students, the value of relationships between community members and visiting students, and the challenge of a study abroad organization holding all power related to scheduling and community interactions. This research will illuminate areas of consideration for design, implementation, and evaluation of education abroad programs and other outsider-local interactions globally. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com.bibliotheek.ehb.be/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]