Global Viewpoints: The Effect of Geographic Background and Travel Experience on Choice of Study

In any particular class, students rarely have the opportunity to select the topics that they study. So when given a choice, such as on a semester long research project, do students choose something close to home, or a topic that will require a more global perspective? This question is addressed using data from a survey of students in a range of social science and business courses. The analysis finds that if given the choice, students as a whole tend to focus on domestic topics in their research. Business students are more likely to conduct research on international topics than other students. Students that have spent more than a week outside of the United States and visited either Canada or Mexico are more likely to conduct research on an international topic, while students that have visited Asia are less likely to conduct research on an international topic. Additionally, survey results show that Farmingdale students have limited travel experience: 50 percent of the students surveyed have traveled no more than 4 times outside of the Northeastern United States; 66 percent of the students have spent at least one week outside of the U.S., and the top two destinations of these students are either in North America (Canada or Mexico) or the Caribbean Islands.