The effects of study abroad on health educators' attitudes toward international health efforts.
The major hypothesis of this study was that graduate level course work about internationl health matters carried out in an international setting would reduce hostility and increase cooperativeness in attitudes toward international relations. An eight week program of this type was executed and a comparison of pre- and post-program measurements of these attitudes confirmed the hypotheses. However, it was noted even though statistically significant shifts occured, there were many students who reported negative changes or no change at all. It was also found there were moderately strong correlations between hostility and cooperation. The implications of these findings are that programs of this nature can have a positive impact on attitudes such as these, but that there may be mediating variables tied closely to participant receptiveness to the message of the program; variables which might be important to consider in selection and screening. However, if this were true, it might also be true that those individuals capable of greatest gains may be in least need of such a program and vice versa.
D001290:Attitude; D003299:Cooperative Behavior; D006266:Health Education; D006791:Hostility; D006801:Humans; D007391:International Cooperation; D011634:Public Health / Q000193:education*; D013548:Sweden; D014481:United States