Studying Abroad During the Outbreak of the COVID-19 Pandemic: Two Case Studies

Authors

  • Sybille Heinzmann St.Gallen University of Teacher Education
  • Kristina Ehrsam St.Gallen University of Teacher Education
  • Hilbe Robert St.Gallen University of Teacher Education
  • Bleichenbacher Lukas St.Gallen University of Teacher Education

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.36366/frontiers.v34i4.639

Keywords:

Study abroad, COVID-19, case studies, rite of passage

Abstract

This contribution discusses two case studies that illustrate the experiences of mobility students who were studying abroad during the first outbreak of COVID-19. The case studies have emerged from a larger longitudinal, mixed-method study, which included an interview study with six international students planned for spring 2020. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, all participants had to terminate their stay early. Hence, the original interview study was adapted to focus on the impact of COVID-19 on students’ social contacts, linguistic practices, and emotional well-being in these exceptional circumstances. In the present contribution, we understand study abroad as a rite of passage, an important time in the life of young adults, and we draw on insights from previous research on educational travels with transformative potential to make sense of the students’ differing reactions to their early return.

Abstract in German

In diesem Beitrag werden zwei Fallstudien erörtert, die die Erfahrungen von Mobilitätsstudenten illustrieren, die während des Ausbruchs von COVID-19 im Ausland studierten. Die Fallstudien sind aus einer größeren mixed-method Längsschnittstudie hervorgegangen, welche eine für das Frühjahr 2020 geplante Interviewstudie mit sechs internationalen Studierenden umfasste. Aufgrund der COVID-19-Pandemie mussten alle Teilnehmer*innen ihren Aufenthalt vorzeitig beenden. Daher wurde die ursprüngliche Interviewstudie angepasst, um die Auswirkungen von COVID-19 auf die sozialen Kontakte, die sprachlichen Praktiken und das emotionale Wohlbefinden der Studierenden unter diesen außergewöhnlichen Umständen zu untersuchen. Im vorliegenden Beitrag verstehen wir das Auslandsstudium als einen Übergangsritus, eine wichtige Zeit im Leben junger Erwachsener, und wir stützen uns auf Erkenntnisse aus der bisherigen Forschung über Bildungsreisen mit transformativem Potenzial, um die unterschiedlichen Reaktionen der Studierenden auf ihre vorzeitige Rückkehr zu verstehen.

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Author Biographies

Sybille Heinzmann, St.Gallen University of Teacher Education

Sybille Heinzmann holds a doctorate in English Applied Linguistics from the University of Fribourg (Switzerland). She is currently research associate at the Institute for Language Teacher Education and lecturer of English Studies and Foreign Language Methodology at the St. Gallen University of Teacher Education, Switzerland. Her research focuses on multilingualism and diversity in the school setting. Her main research topics are mobility, language learning motivation, language attitudes, and intercultural skills.

Kristina Ehrsam, St.Gallen University of Teacher Education

Kristina Ehrsam is a PhD student in English Linguistics at the University of Basel, Switzerland. Currently, she is a research associate at the Institute for Language Teacher Education and assistant lecturer of English Studies at the St.Gallen University of Teacher Education. Her research interests include multilingualism and foreign language learning.

Hilbe Robert, St.Gallen University of Teacher Education

Robert Hilbe completed his doctoral thesis in educational psychology at the University of Bern, Switzerland. He is currently a research associate at the Institute for Language Teacher Education at the St.Gallen University of Teacher Education. His primary research interests are: self-regulated learning, learning motivation and e-learning, and blended learning. He has extensive expertise in research methodology, notably in qualitative research methods and mixed methods.

Bleichenbacher Lukas, St.Gallen University of Teacher Education

Lukas Bleichenbacher is a lecturer of English Studies and Foreign Language Methodology at the St.Gallen University of Teacher Education. His research interests include discourse-analytic and socio-linguistic approaches to plurilingualism, intercultural education, language policies, and language ideologies, especially in the domain of foreign language learning. He is co-head of the Institute for Language Teacher Education at the St.Gallen University of Teacher Education and head of the Centre for Leachers’ Language Competences.

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Published

2022-11-18

How to Cite

Heinzmann, S., Ehrsam, K., Robert, H., & Lukas, B. (2022). Studying Abroad During the Outbreak of the COVID-19 Pandemic: Two Case Studies. Frontiers: The Interdisciplinary Journal of Study Abroad, 34(4), 305–316. https://doi.org/10.36366/frontiers.v34i4.639

Issue

Vol. 34 No. 4 (2022): November 2022

Section

Learning from COVID-19

License

Copyright (c) 2022 Sybille Heinzmann, Kristina Ehrsam, Hilbe Robert, Bleichenbacher Lukas

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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.