Maintaining the connection: Story sharing as a function of home institution support for study abroad students

Abstract

Study abroad programmes are often reported by students to be the pinnacle of their university life experiences (Curtis & Ledgerwood, 2018). Once abroad though, the challenges of decision-making (and how a home institution can support a student’s decision-making) rarely abate. This article reports on three undergraduate students’ storied experiences of studying abroad. Shared stories uploaded onto a dedicated communal blog site reflected a growing desire for adventure at the expense of formal educational commitment. The challenges of decision-making for students and the use of story sharing as a means for academic staff to stay ‘connected’ to students are explored along with discussion of home institution support for students throughout the study abroad experience.