Integration or isolation: experiences of Irish students during their study abroad in Spain or Latin America

ABSTRACT

Time abroad is an ever more common feature of study for many university students. Students of languages, in particular, are encouraged or required to spend a period of time abroad as an integral component of their degree. While research on study abroad is abundant, studies addressing the socialisation of Irish students during their time abroad are limited. In an effort to better understand this issue, the research reported in this paper examined factors that enhanced or hindered students of Spanish from an Irish university integrating into a host country/city during two academic semesters spent at partner universities in Spain or Latin America. Students completed an online survey on their return home in order to ascertain their experiences of integration in the local communities where they lived. Results show that students who made efforts to join sport/social activities and who engaged in activities with native speakers of Spanish had a positive experience of integration. This paper also makes recommendations that may be relevant for students and institutions in their preparation for study abroad.

KEYWORDS:

• Study abroad
• social integration
• foreign languages
• higher education

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.