“If it makes you happy … it can’t be that bad” An explanatory study of participant wellbeing during international exchange

Authors

  • Timo Homburg
  • Vincent Homburg Erasmus University Rotterdam Erasmus School of Social and Behavioral Sciences Department of Public Administration and Sociology PO Box 1738 NL3000 DR Rotterdam The Netherlands

Keywords:

international exchange, cultural distance, student exchange, wellbeing

Abstract

This study reports on adolescents’ experiences as exchange students in an international exchange program. Based on a literature review and multivariate analysis of original on-line survey data collected from 408 students from 40 countries that had spent a year in one out of 37 destinations, it is concluded that the student’s language proficiency and perceived social support during the exchange impacted students’ wellbeing during the exchange, while cultural distance between the student’s home country and destination nor the student’s adventurousness as a personality trait had an impact. It is concluded that the students’ social support and ability to interact during the exchange play an important role in enabling exchange students to reap the benefits of international and intercultural exchange in their formative years. 

Author Biographies

Timo Homburg

Student at Rijksuniversiteit Groningen

Vincent Homburg, Erasmus University Rotterdam Erasmus School of Social and Behavioral Sciences Department of Public Administration and Sociology PO Box 1738 NL3000 DR Rotterdam The Netherlands

Associate Professor, Department of Public Administration and Sociology

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Published

2021-09-13

Issue

Vol. 20 No. 1 (2021)

Section

General Refereed Papers

License

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