‘You went to Europe and returned different’: Transformative learning experiences of international students in Portugal

Abstract

Despite the increase of research on international students, the complexity of their learning experiences is yet to be fully understood. This study seeks to provide an expanded vision of their learning by considering students’ experiences beyond formal educational spaces, focusing especially on their out-of-classroom experiences. To achieve this, the narratives of 12 international students in Portugal were analysed in light of the theory of transformative learning. The results indicate that all students experienced particular forms of learning as an outcome of their international experience and were engaged in transformative learning processes. Moreover, the theory of transformative learning proved to be an appropriate analytical tool for understanding the learning narratives of international higher education students. Through the analysis of the transformative effects of engaging with a foreign cultural context, this paper makes a contribution to the ongoing debate on transformative learning and the experience of international students in the European context.

From real to virtual mobility: Erasmus students’ transition to online learning amid the COVID-19 crisis

“…The European literature on international mobility in HE reports a combination of benefits and challenges. International mobility has transformed the HE ecosystem, accelerated the internationalization of HE (Dias et al, 2021), improved the comparability of academic programmes and course syllabi, enriched diversity on campus (Knight, 2012; Nada et al, 2018) and promoted the diversification of HE institutions (Dakowska, 2017). It also brings further benefits for the students: it opens new opportunities for academic development; it improves students’ transferable skills including communicative competence, language skills and digital communication skills (Aguaded Gómez and Pozo Vincente, 2011); and it boost students’ employability (European Commission, 2019).…”

“…The richness of the programme lies in the combination of the academic experience and the social-cultural experience of living in a foreign country. In fact, the importance of out-of-classroom experiences cannot be overlooked, as it has proved to contribute substantially to international students’ transformative learning (Nada et al, 2018).…”

International student migration and the postcolonial heritage of European higher education: perspectives from Portugal and the UK

“…Whilst the significance of existing migrant networks was stressed by some students, others emphasised how their relocation helped them to critically reflect on, and break with, social norms and values in their home countries which were seen as constraining personal development. This formation of alternative identities has been discussed in the literature as a form of transformational (un-)learning which occurs both formally and informally (Nada et al 2018) and constitutes an important element in the student migrant experience. It becomes evident in the following statements which show that educational migration has a significant impact on how students construct alternative identities.…”

International Exchange of Ideas in Student-Interactive Videoconferences – Sustainable Communication for Developing Intercultural Understanding with Student Teachers

“…This was the case in a study on twelve international studentsí learning experiences at four universities in Portugal. Narratives from their two-year stay which were collected showed the significance of their out-of-classroom experiences in this partnership cooperation with Portuguese universities (Nada, Montgomery, & Araújo, 2018). International partnerships between universities are essential to prepare students for efficient learning in these new circumstances and contexts both when it is a matter of actual personal mobility or cooperation with the help of ICT (Mutabazi & Sundh, 2017).…”