The student exchange experience and its impact on students' self-concept and cultural identity.

Abstract

This study investigates the transformative effects of a student exchange experience to an individual’s self-concept and cultural identity. Through interviews and surveys with Singaporean students who have went for student exchange, the data is used to study how individuals adjust and change during the course of their sojourn. Intergroup contact with other cultural groups and the freedom experienced during the sojourn are important catalysts in this transformation. The sojourn is also considered a “sacred” journey and the break from routine also gives the students an opportunity for self-discovery and to be more receptive towards new ideas, hence rendering the students more susceptible to a change in self-concept.