Study Abroad as Self-Development: An Analysis of International Students’ Experience in China and France

Abstract

This article explores the real life experience of international students’ and the importance of study abroad for their personal and professional development. The empirical data drawn upon for this article came from the author’s master’s research, with field research conducted in the 2010/2011 academic year. It begins with the study focus and research objectives and reviews the relevant theoretical literature and the methodology adopted in the research. In the third section, data from interviews with 16 international students in Capital University (pseudonym, China) and Romance University (pseudonym, France) are analyzed following in chronological order the experiences of their sojourn in their host country. The final section of the article sums up the results of the research and points out the complexity of the question of international student mobility and different perspectives that can be adopted in seeking to understand and interpret this phenomenon.

Keywords

international students / mobility / self-development / adaptation / experience