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Making Meaning From International Educational Experiences: Transforming Inner Landscapes, Sami Lyn Story

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

This qualitative study sought to gain a more complete understanding of the transformative potential of international educational experiences for US college students. The stories of seven traditionally aged students were evaluated to discern possible commonalties across the diverse experiences. These themes were framed as a cyclical process of departures, passages, and arrivals with special attention given to how students constructed meaning from their intercultural encounters. Factors such as the need to understand, affiliate, and create experiences appeared to be influential along with expectations of host cultures, definitions of family, and time spent in dialectical thought. Students who spent more time …