The Factors Influencing the Achievement of a U.S. Governmentally-Sponsored International Education Exchange Program’s Objectives: Reflections of Alumni from the Kyrgyz Republic

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to determine which factors influence the achievement of program objectives for Kyrgyz Republic alumni of the U.S. governmentally sponsored UGRAD program. The UGRAD program was designed to provide university students from the former Soviet Union an opportunity to study at an institute of higher education in the United States for one academic year in the hope they will develop skills and attitudes that they can take back home to help their countries transition from the Soviet past to a democratic future. To explore this topic, an explanatory sequential mixed methods approach was used, in which 72 UGRAD alumni from the Kyrgyz Republic were given an online survey to ascertain information about their UGRAD experience and their progress towards achieving the UGRAD objectives. Then, 11 of the survey participants were selected by using maximum variation sampling and then given in- depth, qualitative interviews. The three main findings of the research were: 1) community college placements for UGRAD participants were found to be ineffective; 2) UGRAD participants with highly developed academic and/or professional goals tended to achieve program goals than those with lesser developed plans; and 3) the more quickly a UGRAD participant can turn their experience into employment or academic opportunities upon returning home, the more likely they were to achieve program objectives. These findings can be useful for international education program administrators to help ensure that future programs maximize the benefits of similar international education exchange programs.