Skip to main content

Lund University Publications

LUND UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES

International sojourn experience and personality development: Selection and socialization effects of studying abroad and the Big Five

Niehoff, Esther ; Petersdotter, Linn LU and Freund, Alexander (2017) In Personality and Individual Differences 112. p.55-61
Abstract
As part of a multi-study project, this test-retest study seeks to identify the relations between studying abroad anda sojourner's personality as measured by the Big Five personality traits. It thereby attempts to answer the ques-tions of who chooses to study abroad and how study abroad changes personality. A total of 221 students from aGermanuniversity weretracked over the courseofa semester, with theBig Fivebeing obtained via a Germanver-sion of the Big Five Inventory (Lang,Lüdtke, & Asendorpf, 2001)bothatthe beginning and atthe end. The share of93 students who studied abroad were found to rate higher in agreeableness and openness prior to the interna-tional experience than their fellow students who did not sojourn. In turn,... (More)
As part of a multi-study project, this test-retest study seeks to identify the relations between studying abroad anda sojourner's personality as measured by the Big Five personality traits. It thereby attempts to answer the ques-tions of who chooses to study abroad and how study abroad changes personality. A total of 221 students from aGermanuniversity weretracked over the courseofa semester, with theBig Fivebeing obtained via a Germanver-sion of the Big Five Inventory (Lang,Lüdtke, & Asendorpf, 2001)bothatthe beginning and atthe end. The share of93 students who studied abroad were found to rate higher in agreeableness and openness prior to the interna-tional experience than their fellow students who did not sojourn. In turn, sojourning evoked increases in bothextraversion and agreeableness and a decrease in neuroticism. Upon inclusion of interaction terms of initial BigFive levels and study abroad status, positive main effects of study abroad and negative interaction effects forboth agreeableness and conscientiousness could be observed. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
; and
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
Personality development, Big Five, Life events, Study abroad, International experience
in
Personality and Individual Differences
volume
112
pages
55 - 61
publisher
Elsevier
external identifiers
  • scopus:85014111622
ISSN
1873-3549
DOI
10.1016/j.paid.2017.02.043
language
English
LU publication?
no
id
0e346a43-818a-4ba6-b1ac-6fbe6c60e9b5
date added to LUP
2022-10-26 16:03:42
date last changed
2022-10-27 08:56:09
@article{0e346a43-818a-4ba6-b1ac-6fbe6c60e9b5,
  abstract     = {{As part of a multi-study project, this test-retest study seeks to identify the relations between studying abroad anda sojourner's personality as measured by the Big Five personality traits. It thereby attempts to answer the ques-tions of who chooses to study abroad and how study abroad changes personality. A total of 221 students from aGermanuniversity weretracked over the courseofa semester, with theBig Fivebeing obtained via a Germanver-sion of the Big Five Inventory (Lang,Lüdtke, & Asendorpf, 2001)bothatthe beginning and atthe end. The share of93 students who studied abroad were found to rate higher in agreeableness and openness prior to the interna-tional experience than their fellow students who did not sojourn. In turn, sojourning evoked increases in bothextraversion and agreeableness and a decrease in neuroticism. Upon inclusion of interaction terms of initial BigFive levels and study abroad status, positive main effects of study abroad and negative interaction effects forboth agreeableness and conscientiousness could be observed.}},
  author       = {{Niehoff, Esther and Petersdotter, Linn and Freund, Alexander}},
  issn         = {{1873-3549}},
  keywords     = {{Personality development; Big Five; Life events; Study abroad; International experience}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  month        = {{02}},
  pages        = {{55--61}},
  publisher    = {{Elsevier}},
  series       = {{Personality and Individual Differences}},
  title        = {{International sojourn experience and personality development: Selection and socialization effects of studying abroad and the Big Five}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2017.02.043}},
  doi          = {{10.1016/j.paid.2017.02.043}},
  volume       = {{112}},
  year         = {{2017}},
}