Liminality and the short term study abroad experience
To date the relationship between study abroad and tourism has been largely understudied. This is particularly interesting given that many frameworks and concepts seeking to explain tourist experiences could also be used to investigate and understand study abroad participants’ experiences. Using a framework of phenomenology, this study explores the experiences of short term study abroad participants in a winter break program to Thailand. This study seeks to explore the concept of liminality as explained through short term study abroad experiences. Specifically, in-depth interviews combined with memento and photo elicitation of seven participants allowed for an investigation of the explanatory power of the concept of liminality to better understand tourists’ studies. Findings indicated that study participants identified with the main tenets of the concept of liminality through many aspects of their study abroad experience. However, not all liminal tenets proved to align with the participants’ described experiences. These findings are then put into conversation with the extant literature on liminality so as to extend our understanding and discussions on the concept of liminality.
Study Abroad, Short Term Study Abroad experiences, Liminality, Tourism
University of Illinois - Urbana-Champaign
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University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign