A Study on Social Support Needs and Self-concept Changes of Oversea Exchange Students─ Taking Four Taiwanese Undergraduate Students as Examples

[[abstract]]全球化的競爭潮流，使得高等教育國際化成為了各國教育發展的重要目標之一。許多國家在這樣的趨向下，皆加強了招收國際學生以及選送本國學生出國進修的政策。我國教育部於96年度起施行「學海系列計畫」，獎勵獲選學生出國研修或赴海外機構實習，迄今已有15,047名學生獲益。 在此時代脈絡之下，本研究透過深度訪談，試圖瞭解四位臺灣交換生的異國經驗；並探討他們在此期間所獲得的社會支持狀況，以及其自我概念的轉變狀況。在社會支持方面，本研究發現，交換生在不同階段所需社會支持類型不同：在出國交換前，交換生最需要的支持類型為與異國生活相關的工具性支持；初至交換學校時，交換生需要能協助其安頓生活的工具性支持，開學後則需要以建立關係或深入認識當地文化為主的工具性支持或情緒性支持；回國後，交換生面對文化再適應的挑戰時，則需要情緒性支持的協助。在自我概念轉變方面，本研究指出交換生在「學業自我概念」、「社會自我概念」，以及「自觀與自我呈現」三方面皆有所轉變，並歸納出3項因素：1.異文化接觸經驗；2.社會情境脈絡；3.空間距離因素。最後，根據研究結果提供相關單位在支持交換生上可採行的措施，期能促進交換生在異國學習與生活上有更好的適應與收穫。[[abstract]]With the tide of globalization, internationalization of higher education has become one of the important goals to national education development. Under this trend, many countries strengthen their policies to recruit international students and help domestic students studying abroad. Since 2007, the Ministry of Education Taiwan has implemented a series of plans to subsidize selected excellent students to study abroad or do overseas internships. So far, 15,047 students are benefited. Under this context of era, this study attempts to understand four Taiwanese exchange students’ foreign experiences through in-depth interviews; and to explore the social support they gained during this time, as well as the changes of their self-concepts. In terms of social support, this study found out that exchange students in different phases need different types of social support: they need instrumental supports which related to living abroad before leaving home; they need instrumental supports to assist them to settle down after first arrived; they need instrumental support or emotional support to build relationships or understand the local culture after a semester begins; they need emotional support when they are back and face the challenge of cultural re-adaptation. As for the changes of self-concept, this study pointed out that the “academic self-concept”, “social self-concept”, and “self-regard/presentation of self” of exchange students were changed, and summed up 3 factors: 1.the experience of different cultures; 2.the social context; 3.the spatial distance factors. Finally, according to the results, I provide relevant units some measures to support exchange students, promoting a better learning and life adaptation of the exchange students.[[note]]碩