Expectations

Expectations also shape meaning-making, in terms of the standpoint from which the learner approaches each experience and the value they assign to it (Usher 1993). The participants were asked to consider the overall purpose and value of study abroad and how international study may differ from

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personal travel. Key themes emerged from analysis of this data and the two data sets showed alignment (Table 6.3). These findings provide a picture of the participants’ expectations of international study and their understanding of the experience as a learning opportunity. Interestingly, the participants’ perspectives on the overall purpose and value of study abroad broadly aligned with their individual learning intent. The participants’ expectations, motivations and learning intent, therefore, provided an overarching rationale for the value they assigned to their mind-mapped experiences. Table 6.3 shows the key themes from each data set and the way these themes aligned.

Table 6.3: Themes on expectations and understandings of study abroad as a learning opportunity

How international study differs from personal travel

Perspectives on the purpose and value of study abroad

Theme 1 International study is more than

just a ‘dip in the pond’.

International study is different, new, and immersive.

International study allows students to interact and build meaningful relationships with people.

Theme 2 There are challenges in living

away for an extended period.

International study is an opportunity to be challenged, test capabilities and grow as a result.

Theme 3 Living and studying

internationally equates with living unbounded.

International study allows you to explore your identity.

Interestingly, these themes align with the analytic categories of significant experiences - interactions,

immersion in novelty, and independence (see Section 6.3). The themes on the purpose and value of

study abroad and its comparison with personal travel, therefore, strengthen the findings on what and how international study was significant to participants. They show how expectations of the experience (and expectations of its learning potential) informed why the challenges of living away and being independent, immersive interactions with people and cultures, and exploration of self-identity were meaningful to the participants. These expectations and understandings facilitated the types of personal impact discussed in Section 2. The aligned themes are discussed below.

More than just a ‘dip in the pond’

Immersion characterised the participants’ perspectives on the value of international study and its difference from personal travel. Ariel noted that her experience “wasn’t just a small dip in the pond”. She said: “I jumped in the pool and I was completely immersed in a different country…I was really

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there…experiencing their food and their lifestyle”. Hussam compared international study to personal travel and said: “to be a traveller is another thing, but to actually live in a place is the pinnacle of trying to understand a different culture or society”. Gretchen noted the value of international study as a “deeper experience [than personal travel] as you’re confronted with everyday situations which…is a good way to get to know another culture”.

The participants described the value of international study as a ‘different’ or ‘new’ experience, which May said meant living in a different environment and learning to “understand a different mindset, different culture, and different people”. The participants expected to be immersed in situations they had not experienced before and they saw the value of this as an opportunity to gain an insider perspective and make strong connections with diverse people. Calvin felt that since international study lasted longer than personal travel, he developed “more meaningful relationships”. Similarly, Harry noted the chance for “deeper, long-lasting connections” than holiday travel afforded.

Participants described learning through comparing themselves and their beliefs with others. Hussam noted the value of learning by comparison, where “you can see how much things are better or worse than in your home arena”. Annie described the significance of “juxtaposing yourself against other people or other cultures”. She felt this act makes “you look inwardly, naturally”. Similarly, Lydia said, “your understanding is entirely constructed from what you’re exposed to. I know that every time I’m exposed to something new, I feel like I know a little bit more”. Calvin saw immersion as learning through personal, practical experiences. He described how people who have not been immersed in a culture may understand that culture (from the outside):

It’s like having someone describe chocolate to you rather than actually eating chocolate. They

[the outsiders] are only hearing what other people think about it. They never actually get to live

that experience themselves. Their perspective is always going to be through someone else’s lens. You become a local rather than a tourist. It moves you from an outsider’s perspective to an insider perspective.

The participants’ ideas on the immersive opportunities that international study affords show how their expectations and understandings of the learning potential of international study framed their meaning- making efforts. These expectations shaped the impact of international study in terms of realisations about themselves and others and their enhanced appreciation of diversity (see Section 6.3). They also shaped the value the participants assigned to having made friends and gained a deeper understanding of different ways of doing things.

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The challenge of living away for an extended period

Participants felt that international study provides more opportunity to experience challenge than does personal travel, largely due to the extended time spent abroad. They felt that the opportunity to be challenged and grow as a result characterises international study as a learning opportunity. This challenge is about the inescapability of the experience. In part, they tied the challenge to their independence – they needed to budget, to plan their travel and to generally construct their lives and identity away from the lives and identities they had established at home.

Some participants used the term ‘out of comfort zone’ when describing their expectations of international study. Harry explained this meant: “When you’re thrown into the deep end, you’ve got to reconstruct your life from ground zero. That really makes you understand resourcefulness”. May felt that international study allows for testing “your limits”. Olivia commented on the financial pressure of budgeting for six months of overseas study. She perceived “learning how to fall back on yourself” as a key differentiator from personal travel and that the purpose of international study is to put “yourself completely out there”. Charlotte said that international study “puts you in situations that you’re uncomfortable with”. Hussam noted the value of being in uncomfortable situations as “you need independence. You need to sort yourself out”.

Participants valued the opportunity to manage on their own for an extended period. All participants, even those who had already moved out of home, perceived international study as the chance to test capabilities. Rebecca said: “being away from where you are normally and out of the familiar, you are able to grow more as a person”. She felt growth happens because “it’s hard…being away from regular things…with other people who don’t know you”. Calvin noted that international study is the chance to “prove you can actually live in another city” which he felt is important for potential employers.

The expectation of international study as an opportunity to be challenged and be independent and the understanding of the experience as the chance to grow as a result framed the participants’ meaning- making efforts. All participants described the impact of international study in terms of their ability to relocate and start again, extension of personal capabilities, including self-confidence and resilience, and enhanced self-efficacy.

Living unbounded

Participants felt that the purpose and value of international study lies in the opportunity to explore self-identity, largely by being away for an extended time from support networks and familiar

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situations. Harry used the term ‘living unbounded’ to express the meaning of this aspect of international study, which he described as being away from usual commitments and avoiding having to fit into “specific boxes”. Similarly, Hussam said: “you’ve lost all your social capital and you have to rebuild everything in this new arena”.

The idea of living unbounded aligns with the analytic category of independence, and the sense of freedom that allowed participants to grow more than they would have during a personal travel experience. As Charlotte observed, “people aren’t expecting you to come back the same”. She did, however, note that she chose what success meant to her. Charlie believed that international study “changes the way you think, and it also makes you question things which were previously unquestionable”. Charlotte explained her sense of freedom during international study, saying:

You can be whoever you want to be. It’s a chance to improve yourself in an environment that doesn’t have the judgement that you have back home...[International study] is a catalyst for that - it gives you a chance to go to develop yourself, to try something new with new people and things. It’s kind of like a cheat card or something. Personality and identity, in my opinion, is a very malleable thing. If you want to try something, then you should be able to.

Calvin felt that international study “gives you a feeling of being able to reset”. Olivia felt that taking part in study abroad meant she had to “develop this sense of…how am I going to succeed?” Rebecca felt that international study was a chance to “explore different things” as at home, she experienced a strong focus on studying and working and had no time for such exploration. Similarly, Harry said: “There are things that you simply can’t learn in Australia like confidence in yourself, independence, how to cope in different situations”.

The perspective on international study as an opportunity to explore self-identity with time for self- reflection framed the realisations the participants described from their mind-mapped experiences. Charlotte said: “personality and identity…is a very malleable thing. If you want to try something, then you should be able to”. She felt that international study allows for testing of identity because students are not subject to judgement from people who know them well. Ariel felt that feeling comfortable in her new environment allowed her to “reflect on what’s going on”. She described being able to “take a moment to be completely yourself”; she also described an extraordinary sense of clarity, saying “[you] know what you’re doing and thinking about anything”. This idea of experimenting with self-identity characterised their expectations of the experience and the meanings they made from immersion in new situations and interactions with different people and cultures.

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The findings presented in this section on expectations reveal insight into the participants’ expectations of study abroad and how those expectations shaped the value they assigned to their mind-mapped experiences and the impact they generated. The participants’ expectations are also reflective of the social situation of study abroad and the learning opportunities it presents, and the contextual factors of the participants themselves. These ideas are discussed in the next section.