Social formation for interaction in international mobility programmes: a case of Danish students in China

ABSTRACT

From a social cultural learning perspective, the study explored the social formations for interactions of Danish students during a short-term international mobility study programme in China, using multiple qualitative data sources. Although a variety of patterns of strategies, practices and discourses were identified, the findings suggest that the students socialised most with co-nationals and little with local Chinese. Although their internal socialisations created some opportunities to learn from each other and learn about Chinese culture, they were mainly found to be constraints to learning due to limited interaction with locals and stereotyping the local ‘others’, risking misunderstandings. The outcomes of the study identify a gap between the ideal of the mobility study programme’s formal objectives and the practice of its implementation, which challenges prevailing political initiatives to increase internationalisation through student mobility. Also questioned is the effectiveness of sociocultural learning design in the short-term mobility context.

KEYWORDS:

• International mobility
• study abroad
• social interaction
• Denmark
• China

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Niels E. R. Lyngdorf

Niels E. R. Lyngdorf is an assistant professor at Aalborg University UNSECO Center for Problem and Project Based Learning. His research centres around teaching and learning in higher education, particularly focusing on PBL, intercultural education and digitalisation.

Xiangyun Du

Xiangyun Du is a professor at Aalborg University UNESCO Center for Problem and Project Based Learning, Denmark. She has a substantial number of publications on pedagogical development, particularly, problem-based and project-based learning methods in fields ranging from engineering, medicine and health, foreign languages and teacher education, to diverse social, cultural and educational contexts.

Ke Zhao

Ke Zhao (Coco) is a professor at School of Foreign Studies (SFS), Shanghai University of Finance and Economics (SUFE). She serves as Associate Dean in SFS, Director of SUFE-University of Helsinki Joint Research Center for Intercultural Studies. Her research interests mainly include Intercultural Learning, Intercultural business communication, and Learning Innovation.