The Multicultural Experience of International Students in Portugal: A Narrative Approach

Autor/inn/en	Nada, Cosmin Ionut; Araújo, Helena Costa
Titel	The Multicultural Experience of International Students in Portugal: A Narrative Approach
Quelle	In: Journal for Multicultural Education, 11 (2017) 3, S.176-188 (13 Seiten)Infoseite zur Zeitschrift PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	2053-535X
DOI	10.1108/JME-09-2016-0049
Schlagwörter	Foreign Countries; Foreign Students; Multicultural Education; Student Experience; Social Experience; Qualitative Research; Holistic Approach; Cultural Background; Interviews; Student Surveys; Student Attitudes; Interaction; Interpersonal Relationship; Institutional Characteristics; School Support; College Students; Portugal + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Ausland; Multikulturelle Erziehung; Studienerfahrung; Soziale Erfahrung; Qualitative Forschung; Holistischer Ansatz; Interviewing; Interviewtechnik; Schülerbefragung; Schülerverhalten; Interaktion; Interpersonal relation; Interpersonal relations; Interpersonelle Beziehung; Zwischenmenschliche Beziehung; Schulförderverein; Collegestudent
Abstract	Purpose: The aim of this paper is to explore qualitatively and holistically the experience of international students in the context of Portuguese higher education. This paper interrogates the potential that an experience abroad provides for multicultural learning and for enhancing interaction between students with different cultural backgrounds. Design/methodology/approach: To provide depth to the understanding of their experiences abroad, the narratives of 12 international students in Portugal were constructed and analysed interpretatively. The findings presented in this paper result from a solid set of data based on 41 interviews with an average duration of two hours each. Findings: Regarding students' levels of multicultural contact, the findings presented in this paper are not consistent with previous research literature which indicates a tendency for segregation among international and local students. Aside from one exception, all the interviewed students were rather comfortable to interact with their local peers and even established meaningful friendships with them. Concerning students' learning throughout the sojourn, the findings indicate that the experience of living in a different country provides numerous opportunities for multicultural learning. Research limitations/implications: Even though the findings suggest that multicultural learning is part of international students' lives, it is beyond the scope of this paper to identify institutional strategies to further support students' learning. Originality/value: The study adds to knowledge production in the field of multicultural education by bringing data from Portugal, a country seldom approached in the research literature. (As Provided).
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Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2020/1/01