| African-American students represent 12% of the 14 million students enrolled in higher education institutions (National Center for Education Statistics, 2013). However, African-American students participate in study-abroad programs at a much lower percentage; African-American students represent 5% of the total number of students who study abroad each year (Institute of International Education, 2014). Therefore, colleges and universities face pressure to increase the number of underrepresented students studying abroad. The underrepresentation of African-American students in study-abroad programs has also increased the need to explore the experiences of African-American students who do study abroad.;A constructivist grounded theory approach was utilized to explore the experiences of 15 African-American students who participated in immersive study-abroad programs in 13 countries on 5 continents. Four semi-structured interviews were conducted with each participant (pre-, during, and post-study abroad). Findings were organized around chronological themes (increasing race salience while abroad, conversations with host nationals about U.S. history of racial conflict, freedom from pervading racial topics and tension in the United States) and conceptual themes (affirmation of physical features, need for cultural mentors, spiritual development, and increased intercultural sensitivity). The findings indicate a student's stage of ethnic identity development has an impact on their ability to develop intercultural sensitivity while abroad. Findings also highlighted the difference in experiences of male and female participants, importance of training cultural mentors to provide adequate support to students who study abroad, and propose that DuBois's concept of double consciousness is a phenomenon still experienced by African-American students who study abroad, a century after the concept was first introduced. |
