“A Thousand Hearings are not Worth One Seeing”: South Korean and Japanese Exchange Students' Journey in Turkey

Abstract

Majority of student mobility and study abroad research focus on Western contexts such as the United States and the United Kingdom. This paper makes a unique contribution to the ongoing research on international exchange student experiences in non-Western contexts. It shares the voices of 21 South Korean and four Japanese exchange students' through their written reflections while studying in Ankara, Turkey. The analysis of participant experiences was conducted through the lens of transformative learning. Through thematic analysis three overarching themes were identified 1) historic alliance means brotherhood, 2) Learning to think differently, and 3) desire to make a positive change/impact. The results indicated that the participants were engaged in a learning process where they broadened their view of people, cultures, and languages other than their own, and learned to appreciate differences as much as similarities.

Keywords

• Uluslararası Öğrenci Değişimi
• Öğrenci Hareketliliği
• Global Vatandaşlık
• Dönüşümsel Öğrenme