SV-2007-0011 NSLI 2006 (Arabic-Mandarin) Follow-up Survey

U.S. Department of State

National Strategic Language Institute 2006: [Study of Arabic in Egypt; Study of Arabic in Jordan; Study of Mandarin in China] 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.

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.

PLEASE NOTE: THIS SURVEY WILL BE ADMINISTERED TO 3 GROUPS STUDYING 2 LANGUAGES (ARABIC AND MANDARIN) IN 3 COUNTRIES. RESPONSES WILL VARY DEPENDING ON THE COUNTRY AND LANGUAGE. ALTERNATIVE RESPONSES ARE HIGHLIGHTED IN YELLOW.

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.

Accomplishments	
Improvement of my [Arabic; Mandarin] language skills
Shared my experience of attending NSLI and living in [Egypt; Jordan; China] with others
Increased my understanding of [Egypt; Jordan; China] and [Egyptian; Jordanian; Chinese] society, people and culture
[Learned more about Islam; Remove Question]
Learned more about the culture of [the Arabic world; China]
Made friends with [Egyptian; Jordanian; Chinese] students and their families
Shared my culture with others
Learned more about [Egyptian; Jordanian; Chinese] history
Increased awareness of the U.S. relations [with countries in the Middle East; with China]
Other?

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

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

3. Please rate your [Arabic; Mandarin] language skill level BEFORE you entered into the NSLI program:

	None	Beginner	Advanced Beginner	Intermediate	Advanced
Colloquial Arabic (conversational); Remove Response
Modern Standard Arabic: Reading comprehension; Mandarin: Reading comprehension (character recognition and pinyin Romanization)
[Modern Standard Arabic; Mandarin]: Grammar and vocabulary
Modern Standard Arabic: Composition; Mandarin: Writing (pinyin Romanization and character writing)
Remove Response; Mandarin: Speaking
Remove Response; Mandarin: Listening comprehension

3. Please rate your current [Arabic; Mandarin] language skill level NOW:

	None	Beginner	Advanced Beginner	Intermediate	Advanced
Colloquial Arabic (conversational); Remove Response
Modern Standard Arabic: Reading comprehension; Mandarin: Reading comprehension (character recognition and pinyin Romanization)
[Modern Standard Arabic; Mandarin]: Grammar and vocabulary
Modern Standard Arabic: Composition; Mandarin: Writing (pinyin Romanization and character writing)
Remove Response; Mandarin: Speaking
Remove Response; Mandarin: Listening comprehension

3. Which of the following statements are true? Please check one box in each row.

	True	False
I am currently enrolled in [an Arabic; a Mandarin] language course at my high school, university or other academic institution.
In the last year I completed at least one [Arabic; Mandarin] language course at my high school, university or another academic institution
In the last year I continued my [Arabic; Mandarin] language studies through private lessons or a tutor.
In the last year, I have used self-tutoring guides, videos, books, etc. to continue studying the [Arabic; Mandarin] language
In the last six months, I have used various media outlets (e.g., radio, television, movies, music, internet) to reinforce my [Arabic; Mandarin] language skills.
In the last six months, I have read newspapers, books and/or magazines in [Arabic; Mandarin].
In the last six months, I have been in contact with [Egyptians; Jordanians; Chinese] I met while participating in the 2006 NSLI program.
In the past six months, I had conversations in [Arabic; Mandarin] with friends, instructors and/or colleagues.
In the past year, I have returned to [Egypt or have traveled to another country where Arabic is used; Jordan or have traveled to another country where Arabic is used; China] to attend a language program, intern or work.

3. Are there any suggestions you could recommend for programming to further promote students’ studies in [Arabic; Mandarin] once they return from the program?

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

3. Looking back, how influential was your participation in NSLI to you pursuing further [Arabic; Mandarin] language study? Please check one box.

Very influential	Somewhat influential	A little influential	Not influential	I am not studying Arabic at this time

3. Did your plans to continue your [Arabic; Mandarin] language study change once you returned home? Please check one box

	
Yes
No

3. If you answered YES to the previous question, please elaborate on how your plans to study [Arabic; Mandarin] changed.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

3. Looking back, did the NSLI program help you improve your [Arabic; Mandarin] skill levels? Please check one box in each row.

	No, not at all	A little	Somewhat	A good deal
Colloquial Arabic (conversational); Remove Response
Modern Standard Arabic: Reading comprehension; Mandarin: Reading comprehension (character recognition and pinyin Romanization)
[Modern Standard Arabic; Mandarin]: Grammar and vocabulary
Modern Standard Arabic: Composition; Mandarin: Writing (pinyin Romanization and character writing)
Remove Response; Mandarin: Speaking
Remove Response; Mandarin: Listening comprehension

3. Are you enrolled in [an Arabic; a Mandarin] language study course this summer? Please check one box.

	
Yes
No

3. Do you think your participation in NSLI influenced decisions about your future career? Please check one box.

	
Yes
No

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

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

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 often have you had a discussion with your family and friends about your experience in [Egypt; Jordan; China] in the past year? Please check one box.

	
1-5 times
6-10 times
More than 10 times

3. How do you view the [Egyptian; Jordanian; Chinese] government and its relationship with the U.S.? Please check one box.

	Strongly Disagree	Disagree	Neither Agree or Disagree	Agree	Strongly Agree
The [Egyptian; Jordanian; Chinese] government is a trustworthy partner for my country.

3. How do you view the [Egyptian; Jordanian; Chinese] government and the [Egyptian; Jordanian; Chinese] people? Please check one box in each row.

	Strongly Unfavorable	Generally Unfavorable	Neither favorable or unfavorable	Generally Favorable	Strongly Favorable
[Egyptian; Jordanian; Chinese] government
[Egyptian; Jordanian; Chinese] people

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

	
Yes
No

3. In the last 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
A suburb of a major city
A small city or town
Small town or rural area

3. How old are you? [Drop Down List]

3. Sex:

	
Female
Male

3. What religious group do you consider yourself a member of or feel closest to? Please check one box.

			
Bahai’i		Muslim
Buddhist		Shinto
Christian		Sikh
Confucian		Taoist
Hindu		Zoroastrian
Jain		Not close to any group
Jewish		None
		Other: (please write in)

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.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

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

SV-2007-0011 8 OMB No. 1405-0158

FP 04-16-2007 Expiration Date: 02/29/2008

Estimated Burden: 20 Minutes