SV-2007-0008 NSLI 2006 Follow-up Survey

U.S. Department of State National Strategic Language (NSLI)

Intensive Summer Language Institutes 2006

Follow-up Survey

Hello! It has been some time since your exchange experience. We would like to ask you some questions about your participation in the National Strategic Language Institute last summer, and its impact on your life since your return home.

Your responses will be strictly confidential. The information you provide will help us design programs that better meet the needs of participants in educational programs similar to NSLI.

Please feel free to give us your honest opinions. This survey is not a test; there are no right or wrong answers. Thank you for your participation in this survey.

This survey will be administered to all NSLI Program participants. Target language is defined as the language you studied during the NSLI Program and host country is the country where the National Strategic Language Institute was located.

Privacy Act and Paperwork Reduction Act Statements:

The information solicited on this survey is requested pursuant to the Government Performance and Results Act of 1993 (P.L. 103-62) and the Mutual Educational and Cultural Exchange Act of 1961, as amended, also known as the Fulbright-Hays Act (22 U.S.C. 2451, et seq.). In order to ensure that the U.S. Department of State’s international exchange programs meet statutory program requirements (22 U.S.C. 2460(c)), the Department’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) regularly monitors the programs, gathers data about program accomplishments, and evaluates selected ones. ECA uses the information collected to inform program design, management, and funding. All personal information that is collected through surveys is considered confidential. All responses are coded to ensure the confidentiality of individual responses. Data collected under this study will not be shared, sold, or used for fundraising purposes. Survey data and findings will be used only in an aggregate form for the express purposes of fulfilling the data needs of the outcome assessment. Responses to this survey are voluntary.

Public reporting burden for this collection of information is estimated to average twenty (20) minutes to respond to this survey, including time for reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing the collection of information. An Agency may not conduct or sponsor, and respondents are not required to respond to, a collection of information unless it displays a valid OMB control number. Please send comments regarding this burden estimate or any other aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions for reducing the burden, to: A/ISS/DIR, U.S. Department of State, Washington, D.C. 20520.

1. Exchange programs provide participants with many important opportunities for learning and engaging people from other countries. In the table below, please select the 3 accomplishments that have had the most impact on your life, since your return home from the NSLI program.

Accomplishments	
Improvement of my target language skills
Shared my experience of attending NSLI and living abroad with others
Learned more about the culture of the region where I studied
Shared my culture with others
Made friends with host country students and their families
Increased my understanding of my host country and it’s society, people and culture
Learned more about host country history – ancient to modern
Increased awareness of the U.S. relations with my host country
Other?

2. Please elaborate on the impact of any of these or other accomplishments, not listed above.

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3. Please rate your current NSLI language skill level NOW. Please check one box in each row.

	None	Beginner	Advanced Beginner	Intermediate	Advanced
Speaking target language
Oral comprehension of target language
Reading target language
Writing target language
Overall language competency

3. Which of the following statements accurately reflects what methods you used to further your target language studies in the past year? Please check “yes” if the statement accurately reflects your immediate plans and “no” if it does not.

	True	False
I am currently enrolled in a course at my university or other academic institution in the NSLI language I studied.
In the past year, I completed at least one language course at my university or another academic institution in the NSLI language I studied.
In the past year I continued to learn the NSLI language I studied through private lessons or a tutor.
In the past year, I have used self-tutoring guides, videos, books, etc. to continue studying the NSLI language I studied.
In the past six months, I have used various media outlets (e.g., radio, television, movies, music, internet) to reinforce the language I studied at NSLI.
In the past six months, I have read newspapers, books and/or magazines in the NSLI language I studied.
In the past six months, I have been in contact with host country nationals I met while participating in the 2006 NSLI program.
In the past six months, I had conversations in the NSLI language I studied with friends, instructors and/or colleagues.
In the past year, I returned to my NSLI host country or traveled to another country where the language I studied at NSLI used to attend a language program, intern or work.

3. Are there any suggestions you could recommend for programming to further promote students’ studies in their target languages once they return home from the program?

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3. Looking back, how influential was your participation in NSLI to you pursuing your study of the target language? Please check one box.

Very influential	Somewhat influential	A little influential	Not influential	I am not studying the NSLI language at this time

3. Did your plans to continue to learning the NSLI language you studied change once you returned home?

	
Yes
No

3. If you answered YES to the previous question, please elaborate on how your plans changed.

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3. Looking back, did the program help you improve your NSLI language skills? Please check one box in each row.

	No, not at all	A little	Somewhat	A good deal
Speaking target language
Oral comprehension of target language
Reading target language
Writing target language
Overall language competency

3. Are you enrolled in a course this summer to study the same language you studied in the NSLI program?

	
Yes
No

3. Do you think participating in the NSLI program influenced decisions about your future career?

	
Yes
No

3. If you answered YES to the previous questions, please elaborate on changes to your future career plans.

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3. Have you shared your program experience or the knowledge you gained during your exchange in any of the following ways? Please check box in each row.

	Yes	No
Participated in media interviews (newspaper, television, radio, internet)
Gave presentations to community, neighborhood, school or university groups
Wrote newspapers articles, including editorials and opinion pieces.
Wrote academic books
Wrote non-academic books
Wrote academic articles—for journals or academic publications
Other (please write in):

3. How do you view your NSLI host-country government and its relationship with the U.S.? Please check one box.

	Strongly Disagree	Disagree	Neither Agree or Disagree	Agree	Strongly Agree
The NSLI host-country government is a trustworthy partner for my country.

3. How do you view your NSLI host-country government and host country people? Please check one box in each row.

	Strongly Unfavorable	Generally Unfavorable	Neither favorable or unfavorable	Generally Favorable	Strongly Favorable
NSLI host-country government
NSLI host-country people

3. Have you remained in remain in contact with people you met during your exchange program?

	
Yes
No

3. In the past year, have you encouraged friends to travel or study abroad? [

	
Yes
No

3. Where do you live? Please check one box.

I live in a…	
major city
suburb of a major city
small city or town
small town or rural area

3. How old are you? ______________

3. Sex:

	
Female
Male

3. What is your ethnicity/race?

	
American Indian or Alaskan Native
Asian
Black (non-Hispanic)
Hispanic
Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander
White (non-Hispanic)

3. Do you know about and have you registered for the State Department Alumni website, https://alumni.state.gov?

	
Yes, I know about it and I have registered
Yes, I know about it but I have not yet registered
Yes, I know about it but I do not plan to register
No, I do not know about it

We encourage you to visit the website!

26. Thank you for completing this survey! If you have additional comments you would like to make, please do so here.

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26. How long did it take you to complete this survey? ______minutes

SV-2007-0008 7 OMB No. 1405-0158

FP 04-17-2007 Expiration Date: 02/29/2008

Estimated Burden: 20 Minutes