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A qualitative study of returning study abroad students: The critical role of reentry support programs.

Reentry Shock had been studied through psychological symptoms and inter-relationship problems. Previous research also focused on quantitative data of post-experience questionnaires. This dissertation examines how reentry support programs help students during the reentry process and how participants integrate the study abroad experience into their academic careers. A case study methodology was employed and qualitative data was gathered from eight students who volunteered to participate in two 90 minute workshops and an individual interview. A grounded theory approach was used to analyze the data with NVivo. Thematic analysis revealed a reentry process where students became aware of: a) the different ways they changed and reacted to changes in their sense of self, b) changes in their language use, c) their use of coping strategies, and d) how they incorporated the experience in their present educational journeys and future careers. Overall, participants' responses revealed a need for an opportunity and a place where returning students can validate both their study abroad and reentry experiences.

Identiferoai:union.ndltd.org:MONTANA/oai:etd.lib.umt.edu:etd-07082013-132127
Date17 July 2013
CreatorsArouca, Raquel Alexandra
ContributorsUdo Fluck, Gyda Swaney, Cheryl VanDenburg, Aaron W. Anderson, Darrell Stolle
PublisherThe University of Montana
Source SetsUniversity of Montana Missoula
LanguageEnglish
Detected LanguageEnglish
Typetext
Formatapplication/pdf
Sourcehttp://etd.lib.umt.edu/theses/available/etd-07082013-132127/
Rightsunrestricted, I hereby certify that, if appropriate, I have obtained and attached hereto a written permission statement from the owner(s) of each third party copyrighted matter to be included in my thesis, dissertation, or project report, allowing distribution as specified below. I certify that the version I submitted is the same as that approved by my advisory committee. I hereby grant to University of Montana or its agents the non-exclusive license to archive and make accessible, under the conditions specified below, my thesis, dissertation, or project report in whole or in part in all forms of media, now or hereafter known. I retain all other ownership rights to the copyright of the thesis, dissertation or project report. I also retain the right to use in future works (such as articles or books) all or part of this thesis, dissertation, or project report.

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