Reverse Culture Shock : An Insight Into Returning Student Sojourners at Malmö University and Their Experience Of reverse Culture Shock

Abstract: As opposed to culture shock, where one experience difficulties going to a new country andculture, reverse culture shock is the difficulties one experiences when returning home.Reverse culture shock describes the phenomenon of the disorientation and negative feelingsoften experienced when an individual becomes a returning sojourner. This thesis examinesreverse culture shock in the reentry process and its effect on the returning student sojournersat Malmö University. Researching reverse culture shock is important as it is an area that isoften neglected in the context of student mobility, even though the majority of returningstudent sojourners experience it. There is a gap in the research around reverse culture shockwhere phenomenological qualitative research has been deprioritized for a much more tangibleapproach of quantitative research. The returning student sojourner’s stories are important ifone seeks to gain a deeper understanding of reverse culture shock and the reentry process. Thepurpose of this research is to encourage a deeper discussion about reverse culture shock atMalmö University and its impact on student sojourners returning from studying abroad. Thisresearch seeks to answer the question: to what extent are returning student sojourners atMalmö University affected by reverse culture shock? And what can the university do to assistthe reentry process? By utilizing qualitative research methods, three themes were identifiedwhich highlight aspects of the returning student sojourners experiences as they came homefrom their student mobility programs: social difficulties, a dream, and what the university cando to assist the reentry process. In conclusion, the student sojourners returned with a feelingof loneliness and isolation, an experience that felt like a dream, and with a wish for moresupport from their home institution.