Unpacking experiences and narratives: life changing, changing life, or merely taking a trip

2014-06-23This research study focused on the narrative representations of the experiences of occupational therapy students who participated in a short‐term immersion trip overseas as part of their final year in a professional master’s program. The literature on international educational opportunities for health and rehabilitation students and professionals has primarily examined the learning outcomes associated with such travels, including critical thinking, cultural sensitivity or communication and clinical skill development. To date there has been a reliance on single or pre‐post interviews, questionnaire or survey designs to capture such outcomes. This study utilizes a different methodology to document and witness the experiences abroad by gathering data across nine months, in the planning, participation and reflection stages. Using a participant observation approach the researcher traveled alongside the participants to understand the role of time and space in the process of narrating stories of experiences. Narrative phenomenology and person‐centered ethnographic approaches guided the research process, providing frames by which to closely explore individual experiences and how they become constituted by and with the socio‐cultural realm. ❧ One of the aims of this study was to unpack the interpretation and meaning of experiences that contribute to or challenge the reported claim that international sojourns are “life changing.” An overarching issue in this study was the complexity of situating subjective experiences into societal discourse. Understanding “culture,” constructing personal stories to fit into larger collective narratives, translating awareness into behavioral change and enacting a desire to “do good” were all themes that emerged from extensive narrative interviews, written artifacts, and participant observation. Implications for how the various findings may be translated into future occupational science scholarship are discussed throughout