THE ROLE OF COMMUNICATION IN CROSS-NATIONAL ADJUSTMENT AND IDENTITY ...

269 Pages·2005·1.71 MB·English

by  Thomas Minsker

The Pennsylvania State University

The Graduate School

The Department of Communication Arts and Sciences

THE ROLE OF COMMUNICATION IN CROSS-NATIONAL ADJUSTMENT AND
IDENTITY TRANSITIONS AMONG STUDENT SOJOURNERS
A Thesis in

Communication Arts and Sciences

by

Margaret Jane Pitts
© 2005 Margaret Jane Pitts
Submitted in Partial Fulfillment
of the Requirements
for the Degree of
Doctor of Philosophy

December 2005
The thesis of Margaret Jane Pitts was reviewed and approved* by the following:

Jon F. Nussbaum
Professor of Communication Arts and Sciences
Thesis Co-Advisor
Co-Chair of Committee

Michelle A. Miller-Day
Professor of Communication Arts and Sciences
Thesis Co-Advisor
Co-Chair of Committee

Michael L. Hecht
Professor of Communication Arts and Sciences

Ian Baptiste
Professor of Adult Education

James P. Dillard
Professor of Communication Arts and Sciences
Head of the Department of Communication Arts and Sciences

* Signatures are on file in the Graduate School.
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ABSTRACT
There has been a significant increase in study abroad participation among U.S. students
over the last seven years. Previous research has indicated that communication in general
has been shown to facilitate sojourner adjustment abroad. However, to date, researchers
have neither identified specific forms of communication that help students adjust, nor
have they explored the specific function communication plays as a tool for adjustment
abroad. One focus of this investigation, therefore, is on the patterns of communication
established by a group of student sojourners as they adjusted to life abroad. In addition,
previous studies have not tracked and explored subjective identity transitions across the
sojourn. Thus, a second goal for this investigation was to systematically explore students’
subjective identity transitions throughout the sojourn.
This dissertation is the result of an ethnographic investigation conducted over the
course of 13 months, 4 months in Paris, France and 9 months in the U.S. pre- and post-
sojourn. The primary methods of data collection were narrative interviews, participant-
observation, and participant journaling. This study offers a detailed description of the
interconnections between sojourner stress, communication, and identity as students
experienced them. Specifically, students used 9 types of talk across the sojourn to help
them manage adjustment stress: Advice, superficial/introductory talk, information
sharing, comparison, humor, story telling, gossip, complaint, and supportive talk. Using
aspects of Burgoon’s (1978) expectancy violations theory, I suggest that some student
stress is the result of unmet expectations in four major areas: Academic/language
expectations, social expectations, cultural/value expectations, and travel/cultural
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experience expectations. External sources of expectations came largely from their study
abroad program, other students, friends/family at home, their host family, and their home
university. Further, using Kim’s (2001) integrative theory on communication and cross-
cultural adaptation I suggest that the more adjustments students made through
communication the more functionally fit they became across time. The result was
positive identity transformations including a sense of being a “global citizen” and
increased feelings of confidence and independence. Based on the reported findings, this
study concludes with practical suggestions for future study abroad coordinators and
directions for future research.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
LIST OF FIGURES.................................................................................................x
LIST OF TABLES...................................................................................................xi
CHAPTER ONE: FRAMING STUDY ABROAD……………………………….1
Background and Importance of Study……………………………………..3
CHAPTER TWO: GUIDING LITERATURE……………………………………8
Defining Constructs……………………………………………………….8
Sojourner............................................................................................9
Adjustment.........................................................................................9
International Adjustment………………………………………………….10
Psychological and Social Factors........................................................10
Adjustment Theories..........................................................................11
Stress and Coping…………………………………………………..13
Social Support and Friendship……………………………………...16
Sojourner Characteristics.............................................................................22
Sojourner Identity…………..............................................................22
Sojourner Traits.................................................................................26
Returning from the International Sojourn....................................................28
Reentry...............................................................................................28
Implications of the Sojourner Experience..........................................30
Rationale for Study......................................................................................32
Statement of the Problem...................................................................32
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Statement of Purpose..........................................................................33
CHAPTER THREE: PROCEDURES FOR RESEARCH………………………..35
Field Site…………………………………………………………………...36
Participants………………………………………………………………... 37
Participation and Rapport…………………………………………..40
Data Collection…………………………………………………………….44
Participant Observation ………………………………………….....45
Interviews…………………………………………………………...47
Journaling……………………………………………………………48
Data Analysis and Interpretation………………………………………….49
Observational Data……………………………………………….....50
Interviews...........................................................................................51
Journals……………………………………………………………..52
Coding……………………………………………………………… 52
CHAPTER FOUR: DESCRIBING THE STUDY ABROAD EXPERIENCE…...58
Pre-Departure Jitters and Desires.................................................................59
Pre-Departure Orientation Session: Disappointed with Preparation..59
Extracting Previous Experience and Expectations.............................63
Goals and Assumptions: Why Study Abroad?……………………… 67
The Longest Roller Coaster: The Ups and Downs of Study Abroad……… 71
Arrival: What's Going On?…………………………………………. 72
The Pressure Mounts: You Must Succeed……………………….… 75
I Just Want to Belong……………………………………………….. 78
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Groups Solidify: All for One and One for All……………………… 83
What Happens When “Your” Paris Doesn’t Match the Real One….. 86
Identity Challenges and Changes Inherent in Study Abroad…………91
The Shocking Experience of Re-Entry: No One Understands Me Here…………...104
Going Home: Honeymoon or Heartbreak?………………………….. 105
Is There Anyone Out There Who Understands Me?………………… 108
CHAPTER FIVE: RITUALISTIC PATTERNS OF COMMUNICATION………111
The Importance of Talk…………………………………………………… 112
Types of Talk……………………………………………………………… 115
Advice……………………………………………………………… 116
Superficial Introductory Talk……………………………………….118
Information Sharing………………………………………………... 120
Comparison………………………………………………………… 123
Humor……………………………………………………………… 126
Story Telling……………………………………………………….. 129
Gossip……………………………………………………………… 132
Complaint………………………………………………….……..... 135
Supportive Talk……………………………………………………. 137
Reasons for Talk…………………………………………………………... 139
CHAPTER SIX: DISCUSSING, LINKING, AND INTERPRETING FINDINGS..142
Unmet Expectations…………………………………………………….…. 144
Academic/Language Expectations…………………………………. 147
Social Expectations………………………………………………… 148
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Cultural/Value Expectations……………………………………….. 150
Travel/Cultural Experience Expectations………………………….. 152
Sources of Expectations…………………………………………………….153
IES…………………………………………………………………. 154
Co-Students………………………………………………………… 155
Friends/Family at Home…………………………………………… 156
Host Family………………………………………………………... 158
Home University …………………………………………………... 158
Managing Stress of Unmet Expectations Through Talk……………………160
Advice……………………………………………………………… 163
Superficial Introductory Talk……………………………………… 165
Information Sharing………………………………………………... 166
Comparison………………………………………………………… 167
Humor……………………………………………………………… 169
Story Telling……………………………………………………….. 170
Gossip……………………………………………………………… 171
Complaint………………………………………………………….. 172
Supportive Talk……………………………………………………. 173
Summarizing Expectations and Types of Talk……………………………. 174
Integrative Theory of Communication and Cross Cultural Adaptation…… 175
Managing Stress and Becoming Functionally Fit………………….. 177
Identity Shifting……………………………………………………. 179
Going Beyond the Data -- Linking up with Theory……………………….. 185
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Advancing Knowledge of Sojourner Adjustment…………………………. 191
Putting it into Perspective…………………………………………………. 196
Practical Consequences……………………………………………………. 199
CHAPTER SEVEN: CONCLUDING REMARKS……………………………… 203
A Summary of Findings…………………………………………………… 204
Challenges, Limitations, and Ways to Overcome Them…………………...210
Directions for Future Research……………………………………………. 214
Le Bilan…………………………………………………………………… 216
REFERENCES…………………………………………………………………… 220
APPENDIX A Interview Guide…………………………………………………... 231
APPENDIX B Research Logs and Memos……………………………………….. 233
APPENDIX C Moveable Feast…………………………………………………… 247
APPENDIX D Academic Calendar and Syllabi…………………………………... 251
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LIST OF FIGURES
Figure 1: U.S. Study Abroad Trends………………………………………. 4
Figure 2: Kim’s (2001) Stress-Adaptation-Growth Model………………… 15
Figure 3: Model of Expectation Violation and Stress ………………………188
Figure 4: Model of Stress and Identity Shifts…..……………….…………. 190
Figure 5: Layering Expectations, Stress, and Identity Shifts………………. 192