Study Abroad and Career Choice for Southeast-Asian University Students: A Case Study of Thailand

首先，我们对700名大学生进行了问卷调查，发现大多数受访者认为出国留学经历对未来的求职是必要的。同时，研究还发现，一些学生认为出国留学是不必要的，因为近年来泰国的国际项目数量一直在增加，因此他们认为自己可以在不依赖留学经验的情况下为全球化做准备。其次，学生们认为，将于2015年启动的东盟经济共同体(AEC)将使他们更难找到工作。特别是，他们认为他们需要提高英语水平，才能与新加坡等其他国家的学生竞争。最后，这项研究发现，学生对AEC 2015考试的焦虑与他们对海外学习的积极态度在统计上存在显著关联。

First, we conducted a questionnaire survey to 700 university students and have found that majority of the respondents recognize experiences of study abroad necessary for the future job hunting. Meanwhile, this study has also found that some students see study abroad unnecessary because the number of international programs in Thailand has been increasing in recent years; therefore, they think that they can prepare for the globalization without relying on study abroad experiences. Second, the students feel that the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) that will be launched in 2015 will make it harder for them to find jobs. In particular, they think that they need to improve their English in order to compete with students from other countries such as Singapore. Finally, this study has found that students' anxiety about the AEC 2015 is statistically significantly associated with their positive attitude toward study abroad.