"It's my gem in my life": A Multiple Case Study of Japanese Students’ Study Abroad Experiences in Hungary
Abstract
This multiple case study explores the complexity of sojourn, more precisely, how two
Japanese students benefited from a study abroad (SA) experience in Hungary. It aims to
understand the processes, the gains and the underlying factors leading to development
by looking at two different cases. Research was embedded in a longitudinal design
using qualitative methods. Participants were two female Japanese exchange students
who studied for one year at the University of Pécs, Hungary.
Data was collected retrospectively using various instruments. In depth interviews were
conducted immediately after the sojourn and follow-up interviews took place four years
later to tap into the long-term impact. The interview questions elaborated on the
participants’ experiences at four time intervals: prior SA, upon arrival, during SA and
post-SA; the follow-up interviews applied stimulated recall to elicit the sojourners’
accounts. Participants filled in a questionnaire about their self-perceived Hungarian
communicative competence and intercultural communicative competence. To
complement their self-report data, they took a Hungarian oral test. English proficiency
test scores were compared in the pre/post design to track participants’ English language
gains. In addition to these data, Facebook posts about their SA experiences were also
used as authentic SA materials reflecting lived experiences.
The case by case analysis revealed that although the participants studied abroad at
different times (in the academic year of 2010/11 and 2012/13), they shared many
aspects of their study abroad outcomes. First of all, findings suggest that social
networking with locals and international students played a major role in their language
gains and intercultural development and it was necessary for constructing a critical self.
Interacting with locals and international students also expanded their knowledge and
shaped their understanding about their own context. Visits to Hungarian peers’ homes
emerged as highly relevant for both participants in terms of host language development
and successful adaptation. English as a lingua franca was an important aspect of
communication, boosting students’ self-confidence in approaching speakers of other
languages. SA supported both participants to think more globally and served as an
essential opportunity to grow and shift towards becoming intercultural individuals.