Abstract:

International study, though projects opportunities and excitement, is an emotional, psychological and financial process of transition for international students. This paper presents the experiences of eight international students who had undertaken an Honours programme in a department of Education at a South African university. The research was underpinned by the interpretive paradigm and phenomenology (the hermeneutic philosophy) was the employed theoretical framework. Data was qualitatively collected (by means of visual illustration, critical open-ended discussions, and open-ended narratives) and thereafter thematically analysed. Participants were interviewed during scheduled open- ended discussions, after which they were asked to express their experiences of taking the English language module at the institution by means of drawing, while also narrating their images, as well as the reasons for using them. They were priorly informed that the perfectness of drawing was not being assessed, as the research was more focused on the uniqueness of their international study experiences. One major finding in this study highlighted the issues of foreignness and its impact on students’ experiences of study abroad. Participants attributed some of their woes to lack of adequate knowledge about their host environment, and partial acceptance in the department, among others. Overall results offer guidelines on the significance of providing students necessary information about internationalisation and the learning process in a new environment to prospective international students as a way of ensuring student success. Findings also provide a platform that may enhance researchers’ and practitioners’ understanding of the challenges that international students encounter as well as their implications on practice and the internationalisation of the curriculum.

Keywords:

International study, foreignness, Honours, South African institution, interpretive paradigm, phenomenology, hermeneutic philosophy, visual illustration.