Expectations and Experiences of U.S. Semester Study Abroad Students in British Universities: A Longitudinal Phenomenology

More U.S. college students study abroad in the U.K. than any other destination in the world (Institute for International Education, 2015). Unfortunately, there is a significant gap in empirical knowledge about their experiences. This is likely due to a common assumption that students within culturally similar contexts should enjoy easier transitions abroad (Church, 1982; Paige, 1993). However, recent scholarly opinion papers and exploratory studies have questioned this assumption for U.S. students in the British Isles and have called for the study abroad community to take notice (Edwards, 2000; Gristwood & Woolf, 2011; Ireland, 2010, 2012; Sobre-Denton & Hart, 2008). Therefore, the purpose of this qualitative study was to describe the expectations and experiences of adjustment for U.S. semester study abroad students in British universities. Through a longitudinal design, interviews were conducted pre-departure, while abroad, and post-return with 12 U.S. students in semester direct enrollment programs within nine institutions throughout England, Scotland, and Wales. Supplemental interviews were also conducted with six advisors and faculty in the U.S. and Britain. Designed and analyzed through the lens of phenomenology, this study explored the socially constructed experiences of students within an important life transition (Merriam, 2002). Two theoretical frameworks, which address expectations and experiences in U.S. study abroad, informed this research: Pitts's (2009) descriptive model of expectations, talk, and identity in short-term sojourner adjustment and Martin et al.'s (1995) modified expectancy violations theory. Findings suggest that U.S. students in direct enrollment programs within Britain encounter multiple unexpected challenges within academic, cultural, and social aspects of the semester study abroad experience. This study has significant implications for international education practice, intercultural theory development, and future research. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]