Suchergebnisse

The foreign students who comprise the educa tional and cultural exchange population are diverse in the coun tries from which they come, the interests which they pursue, and the levels of experience and competence they have at tained. Many United States citizens go abroad each year to learn and to teach, but the foreign students in the United States constitute the most thoroughly studied segment of the exchange population. A great proportion of the foreign stu dents in the United States come from the Far East. Slightly over half the foreign students are undergraduates. The field of study in which there is the highest concentration is engi neering. Among American students abroad, there is a tend ency to enroll at a few foreign universities, especially in the European and English-speaking countries and in Mexico. Nearly half are in the humanities, and a significant portion study medicine or related fields. The number of American undergraduates abroad is increasing. The exchange of pro fessors and scholars is heavily underwritten by the Department of State. Foundations also contribute to the exchange, par ticularly on the level of advanced studies. Short-term ex changes, as distinguished from the traditional academic year exchange period, are gaining emphasis. It can generally be said that the participants in the exchange programs are per sons able to adapt themselves to new situations to the mutual benefit of both sides involved.—Ed.

The foreign students who comprise the educ'al & cultural exchange pop are diverse in the countries from which they come, the interests which they pursue, & the levels of experience & competence they have attained. Many US citizens go abroad each yr to learn & to teach, but the foreign students in the US constitute the most thoroughly studied segment of the exchange pop. A great proportion of the foreign students in the US come from the Far East. Slightly over half the foreign students are undergraduates. The field of study in which there is the highest concentration is engineering. Among US students abroad, there is a tendency to enroll at a few foreign U's, esp in the European & English-speaking countries & in Mexico. Nearly half are in the humanities, & a signif portion study medicine or related fields. The number of US undergraduates abroad is increasing. The exchange of professors & scholars is heavily underwritten by the Dept of State. Foundations also contribute to the exchange, particularly on the level of advanced studies. Short-term exchanges, as distinguished from the traditional academic yr exchange period, are gaining emphasis. It can generally be said that the participants in the exchange programs are persons able to adapt themselves to new situations to the mutual benefit of both sides involved. AA.

In 1956 the Institute of International Education (IIE) with the financial assistance of the Ford Foundation established a Central Index of Educ'al Exchanges. The Index defines an educ'al exchangee as a US citizen who goes abroad or as a citizen of another country who comes to the US for at least 10 weeks to study, teach, or do res & who intends to return to his own country. The Index, covering the period 1919-1955, contains 212,696 names of which 19,365 are US citizens & 191,333 are foreign citizens. Canada, China & Germany sent the largest number of exchangees to the. US. US citizens went in largest numbers to GB, France, & Germany. The Inter-American exchange total was 1,663 US citizens & 42,848 citizens of Latin America. The Far East exchange total was 1,110 Americans & 40,909 Asians. The Index has 3 general uses: res, program planning, & personnel identification. Limitations of the Central Index include: difficulty of maintaining accurate addresses, errors in reporting & recording information, & uncertainty as to the inclusiveness of the file. Nevertheless, the Index remains a valuable resource to S's of internat educ. In 1954 the IIE published a study by Hilda Taba of the nature & effect of US S travel abroad. The study tentatively concluded that foreign experience does not necessarily result in either greater international-mindedness or world understanding. In the same yr the Committee on Educ'al Interchange policy concluded that some form of orientation for foreign scholars is needed to help illuminate the foreign culture, to combat misinformation about the countries involved, to increase the facility of the scholar in the language of the host country, to provide factual information, & to provide useful experiences & contacts for the scholar. In 1955 the Committee stated that the goal of the US agencies which sponsor foreign students in the US should primarily be to further their academic achievement & professional development. The goal of increasing internat understanding should be considered indirect & long-range. B. J. Keeley.