Study abroad loans

December 25, 2007 | Filed Under Uncategorized |

The procedures for analyzing and presenting the data from both international understanding scales, as well as the results for the other multidimensional scales subjected to factor analysis, will be first to give the results of the principal factor analyses. Then the mean factor scores and standard deviations for the factor scores for both the comparison and study abroad loans groups will be given. Promax rotation was employed in each of the factor analyses, with the number of factors extracted based on their Eigenvalues, Scree plots, and examination of the percentage of variance each factor contributed to the total variance. The minimum factor loading for an item to be considered to mark a factor was .30. Factors that had Eigenvalues of less than unity were not considered. Since the scales subjected to factor analysis were given as pre- and postmeasures, that is, prior to the junior year and subsequent to the junior year, only those items were retained that contributed significantly to the dimensions isolated at both times of testing. Thus, if a particular item loaded significantly on a given factor on a premeasure but did not load significantly on a postmeasure, that item was eliminated from consideration. In this way, equivalency of items on the preand postmeasures was established. The sample employed for the factor analyses consisted of the University of California and University of Massachusetts study abroad loans and comparison group (N = 355).

Study abroad loans:  International Understanding Cognitive Scale. Principal factor analysis of the 17 items on the first International Understanding scale identified 15 items that were useful in defining the significant dimensions of the scale. As can be seen from inspection, the three extracted factors account for 100 percent of the total variance. The intercorrelations among the factors were moderately high, all around the .45 level.

Study abroad loans The first factor, contributing 69 percent of the variance, was composed of 7 items, involving attitudes toward global issues and international peace and cooperation. Factor 1 was labeled "Peace and Cooperation." The second factor, contributing 17 percent of the variance, was defined by 4 items that tend to tap social and cultural dimensions. Factor 2 was defined as "Cultural Interest." The third factor, explaining 14 percent of the variance, was defined by 4 items involving cultural relativism and respect for others. Factor 3 was termed "Cultural Respect." The means and standard deviations of the factor scores for the study abroad loans and comparison groups.