This talk discusses SA experiences of studying in China during and post-SA.
Many students’ experiences of SA are highly varied, and expectations may rarely be met (McLeod and Wainwright 2009; Kinginger 2011), often with demotivating results (Wright and Schartner 2013), or even a sense of “expectation violation” (Bell 2016). Questions of personal, cultural and academic transition pre and post SA becomes particularly challenging for students going to more culturally and linguistically distant countries, such as China (Yu 2010). We surveyed 45 students from a UK HEI within 1 month of their return to UK after a year’s SA in China, checking experiences and perceptions of challenges during SA and on re-entry across linguistic, personal, cultural and academic perspectives. Using mixed scalar and open data, findings showed that found reality often exceeded expectation, especially in linguistic and academic progress, and high levels of satisfaction for the year overall, but that hopes of making local Chinese friends, engaging with local culture, developing future employability, had not always been fulfilled. Some specific challenges were identified, such as mental health support, and support for students on Joint Honours programmes. On re-entry, maintaining the language was identified as an area of challenge, revealing some degree of expectation of institutional rather than personal responsibility. Overall we see that the notion of “expectation violation” (Bell 2016) is not necessarily maintained, that students can have very positive experiences of SA, but that students’ capacity to engage fully and develop greater autonomy, more open intercultural perspectives or awareness of the SA experience to build future employability remain variable at best. We discuss the implications of how far such issues can be addressed by institutional support, or whether this variability is inherent within SA.
