Master of Arts (MA), Bowling Green State University, 2012, 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.

Committee: Patricia Kubow PhD (Committee Chair); Mark Earley PhD (Committee Member); Paul Hofmann PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: African Studies; Multicultural Education; Multilingual Education; Psychology; Sub Saharan Africa Studies

Master of Arts (MA), Bowling Green State University, 2008, College Student Personnel

This purpose of this study was to examine if there were significant differences in reverse culture shock levels experienced by study abroad returnees who remained together with their romantic partners through the reentry experience and those who separated from partners, by male and female returnees, and by returnees with short-term, mid-term, or long-term study abroad experiences. To measure reverse culture shock levels, the study used a modified version of the Homecomer Culture Shock Scales (HCSS) questionnaire by J. S. Fray (1988), which has four subscales: Cultural Distance (CD), Interpersonal Distance (ID), Grief (G), and Moral Distance (MD). It included an open-ended question about readjustment experiences of participants. The survey was distributed to past study abroad students at Bowling Green State University, yielding 85 participants. Quantitative data were analyzed using two-way analyses of variance and post-hoc tests. The significance level for all tests was set at .05. Qualitative data from the open-ended question were analyzed categorically and thematically. There were no main effects of gender or interaction effects of study abroad duration and relationship change for any of the scales. Participants who broke up with their romantic partners demonstrated significantly higher levels of reverse culture shock overall and Cultural Distance and Moral Distance compared to participants who did not break up. Women who experienced break up reported significantly higher levels of Interpersonal Distance only. Returnees from long-term study abroad scored higher on the HCSS and the Grief subscale compared to returnees from short-term experiences only. Responses to the open-ended question about readjustment were classified as predominantly positive (14), predominantly negative (32), mixed positive and negative (31), and neither positive nor negative (7). Themes found were structural readjustment, readjustment to way of life in the US, comparisons of American and stud (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Michael Coomes PhD (Committee Chair); Patricia Kubow PhD (Committee Member); Michael Dannells PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: Higher Education