Developmental ecosystems of study abroad in a turbulent time: an Australian-Chinese’s experience in multilingual Hong Kong

ABSTRACT

The experiences of participants in disrupted study abroad (SA) programs have been largely overlooked in the literature, especially when it comes to experiences outside the norm. To fill this gap, this research explores the experience of an Australian university student taking part in an exchange program in Hong Kong (HK) during a turbulent period when HK was under sociopolitical tension, which was followed by the COVID-19 pandemic. We tracked the student’s experiences over six months through five monthly reflective journals and a postprogram interview. The qualitative data were analysed using a narrative approach, and Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems theory (EST) framework was adopted to interpret the results. The student’s narrative demonstrated a progressive story structure: although it was a special historical time when mobility to HK was undesirable, the participant counterintuitively perceived HK as an ideal location for his future career because of his SA experience. Framed by EST, the study discusses the individual’s development in relation to a multilevel SA ecology (micro-, meso-, exo-, macro- and chronosystems) and the student’s agentic responses at the individual level. The study offers policy and practical implications for multicultural education, particularly in the post-COVID era, when cross-border mobility has been facing unprecedented challenges.

KEYWORDS:

• Study abroad
• Australian-Chinese student
• overseas students in Hong Kong
• bronfenbrenner
• ecological systems theory
• narrative analysis

Disclosure statement

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

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank Professor Linda Tsung for her generous suggestions on an earlier draft of this article.

Notes

1 In 2018/19, 18,061 nonlocal students (or 18% of total the total student population) were enrolled in HK universities. This number rose to 19,488 (or 19% of total enrolment) in 2020/2021 (UGC, 2021). Data retrieved from University Grants Committee (UGC) website: https://cdcf.ugc.edu.hk/cdcf/statSiteIndex.action

2 ABC here refers to Australian-Born Chinese.