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Reconstructing Identity: Sociocultural and Psychological Factors Affecting U.S. College Students' Reentry Adjustment after Studying Abroad in Africa

Sipes, Amanda
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=bgsu1340016745

Abstract Details

2012, Master of Arts (MA), Bowling Green State University, Cross-Cultural, International Education.
This phenomenological study of six U.S. undergraduate students sought to capture the psychological and sociocultural experiences of reentry adjustment upon return from studying abroad in Africa and its relationship with identity. Emphasis was also placed upon understanding the value of the African study abroad experience. This study analyzed the reentry experiences of the participants from one public, Midwestern university who had returned from studying abroad for two to six weeks in either Burkina-Faso or South Africa. Findings illustrated the unexpected difficulties participants faced as they adjusted back to U.S. culture upon return. Participants reported feeling isolated and misunderstood by their family and friends and guilty for their own material items. A critical view of the U.S. media and values of materialism and consumerism were also reported. Cultural, ethnic, and American identities were all modified as a result of the study abroad experience. Appreciation for the host cultures’ higher values for human relationships was also addressed. Thus, this study found that the participants experienced various degrees of personal growth and identity transformation while in Africa and it was the reentry process that made the participants aware of these newfound internal changes. As such, the reentry adjustment process illustrates the participants’ psychological and sociocultural reactions to their awareness of these changes and often sparks a sense of identity conflict as the individuals attempt to navigate their way between their identities adopted in the host culture and readjustment back into the home culture.
Patricia Kubow, PhD (Committee Chair)
Mark Earley, PhD (Committee Member)
Paul Hofmann, PhD (Committee Member)
161 p.
African Studies; Multicultural Education; Multilingual Education; Psychology; Sub Saharan Africa Studies
study abroad; reentry adjustment; Africa; college students; cultural identity; American identity; ethnic identity

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Sipes, A. (2012). Reconstructing Identity: Sociocultural and Psychological Factors Affecting U.S. College Students' Reentry Adjustment after Studying Abroad in Africa [Master's thesis, Bowling Green State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=bgsu1340016745

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Sipes, Amanda. Reconstructing Identity: Sociocultural and Psychological Factors Affecting U.S. College Students' Reentry Adjustment after Studying Abroad in Africa. 2012. Bowling Green State University, Master's thesis. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=bgsu1340016745.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Sipes, Amanda. "Reconstructing Identity: Sociocultural and Psychological Factors Affecting U.S. College Students' Reentry Adjustment after Studying Abroad in Africa." Master's thesis, Bowling Green State University, 2012. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=bgsu1340016745

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

bgsu1340016745
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© 2012, all rights reserved.
This open access ETD is published by Bowling Green State University and OhioLINK.