ABSTRACT
This chapter argues that a valid evaluation of study abroad must bring into consideration which paradigms of Third World development is or are emphasized in the education and training received. It reports on the major findings of a research investigation into the formation of Third World agricultural scientists/economists/extension personnel in selected Australian universities. The choice of agricultural science/economics was purposive, given the centrality of rural development to the lives of a majority of Third World populations. Juxtaposed with the predominant knowledge and attitudinal preference for the modernization paradigm, it is reasonable to expect that most respondents will likely return to their countries as technocrats well trained to reinforce and promote the theory and practice of modernization. The chapter concludes by drawing some critical implications for the problem of study abroad in general, and the ethical responsibilities of Australian educators, institutions and policy-makers in providing Third World students with knowledge, skills and value-orientations which are relevant to just and equitable development.
