The Impact of a Global Mobility Program: The Lenses of ‘Future Self’ and ‘Realised Self’

Abstract

This article reports on the case of returnees from a student global mobility program, their recollections of motivation to apply to participate and their perceptions of the impact of that mobility experience 25 years later. The article outlines the original goals of the program, describing the scope and nature of the international experiences for the pre-service teachers from the state of Tasmania, Australia and the province of West Sumatra, Indonesia. Qualitative data from individual interviews with 14 of the 22 returnees 25 years after the exchange are presented. Our conclusions point to the students realising their achievement of intended benefits of the exchange, seen through ‘future self’ and ‘realised self’ lenses. We also present an extended definition of one particular benefit of student global mobility, termed ‘cultural appreciation’, allowing the conceptual understanding of this particular documented benefit of internationalisation of the university curriculum to be broadened.

Introduction

There is a continuing interest from universities and students themselves in student global mobility and international exchange programs and continuing interest in how such programs shape students’ futures found in such seminal studies as Norris and Gillespie (2009). Much research on student global mobility propounds the immediate benefits to students of a global experience during their studies. However immediate benefits are not reported by all students, with one school of thought being that longer-term impacts/benefits are not immediate, and in fact may be realised decades later. Very little research has focused on the longer-term impact. One lens by which we may more fully understand the benefits or otherwise of short-term global mobility experiences for undergraduate professionals would be through the lens on the ‘future self’ (Dunkel & Kerpelman, 2006). Similarly, the value of international exchange may never be realised afterwards, or may be realised immediately or even sometime in the future. The lens of the self we term ‘realised self’ (Nias, 1987) then contributes to such understanding.

Although the terms ‘mobility’ and ‘study abroad’ are, in principle, interchangeable, we refer mostly to ‘mobility’ as the commonly used term in Australia now, except when the term ‘study abroad’ is the term reported in the literature.

The AIRAES Program

Like many governments throughout the world, the Australian government through its Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) has been involved in funding opportunities to enable student mobility (see Oakman, 2004, for such programs in the 1950s and 1960s), especially outbound to the Asia-Pacific region (Gong et al., 2020; Lo et al., 2015). The undergraduates who applied to participate in the student global mobility program in 1998 discussed here were selected from a larger number of applicants to be included in the Australian-government-funded program. In a paper examining the perceived benefits or otherwise of the program viewed also through a ‘cultural mismatch’ lens, Harbon and Atmazaki (2002) described the Australia-Indonesia Rural Areas Education Scheme (AIRAES) as a two-phase program that enabled pre-service teachers from both Indonesia and Australia to travel to each other's country, experience the language and culture, a local homestay, an arts and culture program as well as the main focus, to undertake a rural school professional experience for five weeks. The eleven Indonesian pre-service teachers of English visited Australia in early 1998 and eleven Australian preservice teachers of Indonesian visited Indonesia in late 1998. Funding covered airfares and living/transfer costs for the 11 participants plus an accompanying university lecturer.

At the time of application, all applicants in West Sumatra and Tasmania were in their final two years of their undergraduate studies. The Indonesian applicants were required to demonstrate proficiency in English, and the Australian applicants were required to demonstrate proficiency in Indonesian. Neither group had travelled before to the destination country. None of the Australian applicants had Indonesian heritage. The selected 22 participants had never participated previously in an international experience program.

Literature Review

The research studies that have investigated the impact of global student mobility experiences are considerable (Doerr, 2018; Goertler & Schenker, 2021). Australia is one of the countries that sends outbound students and receives inbound students for short-programs, semester and full year programs, at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels. According to the International Education Association of Australia (IEAA), Learning Abroad in Australian Universities, White Paper (2022, p. 4):

“Learning abroad has become …one of the most important experiences an undergraduate student can undertake. Learning abroad not only fosters globally engaged citizens and leaders, but also connects young Australians to global democracy and foreign policy initiatives. Learning abroad also positively impacts students’ experience of, and engagement with, higher education and improves their employability and graduate outcomes.”

Weibl (2015, p. 33) notes that there are “…three main types of student mobility… (1) diploma, degree or programme mobility with a whole programme of study abroad; (2) credit mobility, where part of a study programme is conducted outside of the home country and (3) voluntary or spontaneous mobility, also known as international free movers, who undertake study abroad for a variety of personal reasons and are organised by students themselves”. Australian programs range from semester-long opportunities, through “… credit-bearing and extra-curricular short-term experiences; faculty-led and centrally-designed global study tours; global health placements; global studios and research experiences; as well as global internships and work placements” (IEAA, 2022, p. 5). The program in focus here belongs to the credit mobility group of activities because one part of these students’ enrolled subjects for professional school experience was conducted in either Tasmania (for the Indonesians) or West Sumatra (for the Australians).

The student global mobility literature variously examines the perceived benefits to stakeholders of an international experience, and to a lesser extent, the perceived differences in benefits depending on amount of time spent overseas (short or long periods).

Themes in the Literature

Within the literature we have located five aspects relevant to notions of perceived benefits of global student mobility. Those aspects focus on internationalisation, career development, learning/knowledge production, language development and connectedness. In the sections below we expand the meanings of those five aspects with an overview of the literature in these spaces.

(i) gaining of global competencies, cosmopolitanism, and/or development of an intercultural competence and expertise

The literature espousing the benefits of study abroad for developing individuals’ global competencies, cosmopolitanism and intercultural competence is considerable. Roy et al. (2019, p. 1630) state that “…student mobility has been promoted by national governments and higher education institutions as a means of enhancing students’ cultural awareness and competence”. The literature discusses the embodiment of this as individuals with a more open attitude to cultural diversity, individuals identifying as global citizens or being cosmopolitan and even claiming deeper interest in international politics. Another related term is “worldmindedness”, cited in Roy et al., 2019, p. 1638; Shiveley & Misco, 2015). Scoffham (2020) notes that study abroad has lasting impact on individuals’ intercultural understanding and professional practice. An important aspect, according to Chapman (2011) program coordinators should be alert to the ‘study abroad bubble’ because in some program models students must interact in the culture to develop their intercultural communication skills (Williams, 2005).

• (ii) study abroad for leisure, travel, career development and/or civic engagement

Travel is the ‘obvious’ impact of student global mobility. Weibl (2015, p. 34) says that the reason for student study abroad can be for “…a mixture of the educational, leisure, travel and experiential goals of individuals… better employment prospects as a consequence of study abroad and/or as a consequence of achieving an academic degree from abroad…enhanced employability and the expectation of a higher salary.” Linking skills gained during study abroad to later employability Drum et al. (2021, p. 25) note that “pragmatic skills such as cultural competency…[and] interpersonal skills, and problem-solving skills” as a result of study abroad can be relevant to career development. Franklin (2010) noted that such specific skills resulting from study abroad provides individuals with skills and competencies that employers appreciate: the work of the USA's National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE, see https://www.naceweb.org/research/) being just one example of the data-informed nature of this research space.

• (iii) knowledge gain

A number of studies have examined individuals’ learning and knowledge gain as a result of a mobility period (IEAA, 2022). McKeown et al. (2020) examined academic knowledge development as one result of studying abroad. Realising and applying this learning abroad leads to deeper civic engagement (DeGraaf et al., 2013) and even volunteering. Research by Paige et al. (2009) noted the impact of study abroad on individuals included “civic engagement, knowledge production, philanthropy including volunteerism, social entrepreneurship and practising of voluntary simplicity” in one's lifestyle. Particularly examining the learning development of study abroad on teachers, Biraimah and Jotia (2012) noticed returnees developed content knowledge and professional perspectives.

• (iv) language development

Although not all global mobility programs include a focus on language learning and development, it is no surprise that “…improved language abilities…” (Weibl, 2015, p. 39) are reported as a resulting impact of study abroad on the individual. Oftentimes the language being developed is English (Bamberger, 2020), but this depends on the program model. Ryan and Irie (2014) examined how language learning involves individuals interacting with real speakers: global mobility programs offer actual (not imagined) opportunities to use target language.

• (v) friendships and networking and development of an expanded notion of the ‘self’

Van Hoof and Verbeeten (2005) found that international mobility enabled students to learn more about themselves. Green (2019) similarly revealed that students described an increase in confidence and self-reliance as a result of participating in short-term international mobility programs. DeGraaf et al. (2013) noted that participation in international mobility programs influenced maturity, confidence, and increased students’ sense of accomplishment. Similarly, Parsons (2010) found that resulted in higher levels of perceived self-awareness, whilst Luo and Jamieson-Drake (2015) noted an increase in academic performance, communication skills, and the ability to understand moral and ethical issues amongst short-term international mobility participants.

Roy et al. (2019, pp. 1635–1636) cite research that found students who had undertaken an international mobility program had higher levels of self-efficacy than those who had not. Weibl (2015, p. 38) says that these programs are “a life-changing experience leading to personal growth, especially if self-discovery and self-reflection are involved…”. Personal and social development can be “…reflected through tolerating ambiguity, reflection, enhanced interest in travel, promoted empathy, independence, and self-confidence growth” (Drum et al., 2021, pp. 25–26).

Other less tangible impacts of study abroad are captured in notions of ‘identity capital’. Bamberger (2020, p. 1370) considers identity capital to be “…associated with sets of psychosocial skills, largely cognitive in nature, that appear to be necessary for people to intelligently strategize and make decisions affecting their life courses”.

Knowledge gain, language learning, personal development, friendship and network development and global competences are well covered in the literature. As well as examining iterations of those five themes in the literature, we discovered a less well-covered theme: ‘cultural appreciation’. We add this sixth theme to differentiate aspects of the perceived and reported benefits.

(vi) cultural appreciation

A yet under-explored perceived benefit of participating in student global mobility programs is ‘cultural appreciation’ (Cattien & Stopford, 2023; Glassburn & Reza, 2022). We refer to Kehoe's (1982) idea of cultural appreciation which alludes to an individual's response to cultural difference or diversity. Some literature has touched on ‘cultural appropriation’, whereby returnees ‘adopt’ or ‘appropriate’ customs, conventions, ways of being into their repertoire. ‘Cultural appreciation’ we find to be different: with ‘appreciation’ alluding to ‘a full understanding’ – an understanding we gain from being immersed that allows a deeper understanding and that would possibly not be possible should the program be at home – we believe we have located a more refined, nuanced idea of the meaning of cultural appreciation as a perceived benefit of participation in student global mobility programs.

Future Self and Realised Self: a Conceptual Frame

The conceptual frame for this study is situated in literature embracing the notion of ‘future self’ and ‘self’ (Nias, 1987) or what we term ‘realised self’. Thinking about the future is what humans do (Atance & Meltzoff, 2005, p. 341). Leech et al. (2019, p. 10) speak about “prospection, the ability to engage in future-oriented thinking and decision making…[that] begins to develop during the preschool years…”.

Looking back on life's journey is also something that humans do. It is then when individuals can piece together the parts of those journeys to come to an understanding of themselves. Humans ‘realise’ what notions can be linked together for meaning-making. Nias (1987, p. 181) explores the teacher as the ‘self’ to underscore how individuals come to learn:

We experience ourselves in the same way that we experience the people and things with which we come in contact… by interacting with others we become aware of the attitudes they hold towards us and this in turn shapes the way we see ourselves…

We claim the idea of ‘realised self’ here (notably not the notion of self-realisation which instead refers to a more contemplative idea about how we come to consider ourselves), with a state of realising all aspects of self. It is both the ‘future self’ and the ‘realised self’ viewpoints that can comment on, in our study, the interacting with others that occurs during mobility programs.

The research reported here takes the notions of prospection, ‘future’ self and ‘realised’ self, and applies them to how the returnees from the short-term international experience program more than 25 years ago recall why they applied, and how they perceive they may have realised their ‘future selves’, judging how their personal and professional lives have been ‘realised’ (what they have realised about themselves) years later.

Research Questions and Methodology

This study adopted a qualitative research design to examine the impact/benefit to students of a global experience back at the time of their studies and the way they recall thinking about their ‘future self’ and now how they think about their ‘realised self’ (Dunkel, 2000; Nias, 1987). The study gathered stories from individuals who participated in a global mobility program in 1998 and who recounted and analysed the impact of that mobility experience on their lives and careers to date to address the research questions:

How do returnees from a global student mobility short-term international experience program conducted 25 years ago (AIRAES) perceive the impact of their participation in terms of their personal lives and professional careers? Did the individuals imagine their future selves? What do they realise about themselves now (realised self)?

Participants

Data gathering involved conducting semi-structured interviews with the potential 22 individuals who participated in the DFAT-funded 1998 Australia-Indonesia-Institute AIRAES program (a bounded case), a program which saw 11 pre-service teachers from Australia (Tasmania) and Indonesia (West Sumatra) spend 5 weeks teaching in the schools and experiencing life in a homestay for intercultural competence and language development. One of the researchers has remained in contact with individuals in both contexts. Eventually, fourteen individuals who participated in the 1998 AIRAES program participated in this study. Among them, ten returnees were pre-service teachers from Indonesia (West Sumatra), and the other four from the Australian group (Tasmania). These 14 individuals have been given pseudonyms.

Data Collection

To gain a deep understanding of the returnees’ perceptions of the impact/benefit of the AIRAES program, an individual semi-structured interview strategy was employed. The first author reached out to the returnees. After ethics clearance from the authors’ home university, the second author established email contact with each of them and arranged interviews after receiving consent to participate.

All 14 returnees were interviewed in English (the second author conducted the interviews and was not fluent in Indonesian) between December 2022 and January 2023. The interviews were conducted online via Zoom and recorded for transcription purposes. The length of the interviews varied from 40 to 81 minutes excluding greetings and an introduction to the project. Informed by existing literature, interview questions sought information on returnees’ motivations to participate in a global mobility program, aspirations for their future teacher self, perceived immediate and future impact/benefit of the AIRAES program, metaphors capturing the exchange experience, and realisation of personal and professional identity development (realised self). The second part of the interview asked for immediate thoughts/responses to a list of single words and short phrases that have come from the published scholarship on mobility benefits. All transcripts were sent to each returnee for member-checking to establish accuracy of intended meaning.

Data Analysis

Transcribed interview data were coded into themes using content analysis (Scott, 2006). Guided by the research questions and the conceptual framework, the authors first examined the interview transcripts independently to establish initial codes and then discussed the codes to resolve any discrepancies before further analysis.

Six themes arose from the analysis. The first five included internationalisation, career development, learning, language development and connectedness. The sixth theme, cultural appreciation, has emerged strongly in the data as a perceived benefit of student global mobility, indicating a more nuanced understanding of an individual's growth and development as a result of such experiences.

Data and Findings

Returnees’ thoughts and ideas about their ‘future self’ expectations as they recalled their motivations to apply are presented first, placing this alongside thoughts and ideas they now express of their ‘realised’ selves. We have focused on five areas then outlined the area of our richest data – cultural appreciation – not so well elaborated, we feel, in the scholarly literature at this point in time.

(i) ‘future self’ and ‘realised self’ views of internationalising

A chance to ‘internationalise’ was what these individuals had imagined for their ‘future selves’ prior to joining the program. When asked about the reasons for their decision to apply, one interviewee from Australia put it in this way:

I had not been overseas before. It just seemed like a great opportunity to be part of travelling and experiencing life in a different country in quite authentic way with the home stay, and staying in and working in schools and stuff, it was just a great opportunity to experience something really different, so that would have been my motivation at that time. (Excerpt 1, Bonnie)

All interviewees were undergraduate students at the time who were studying the target language, either English or Indonesian in university coursework settings. The AIRAES program for most of our interviewees was their first time experiencing life in a different culture, hence explaining the motivation to apply for, and the expectation from, such a short-term international experience. Some vividly recall how they made the decision to apply to participate in the exchange program and what immediate and future rewards they imagined would result from that participation.

Now in their ‘realised self’ thinking, some expressed that a sense of global citizenship has developed as a direct result of the participation in the program. For example, when asked to capture the global mobility experience in a metaphor, one interviewee from Indonesia described the impact of the AIRAES program this way:

[I]t was like a frog under a coconut shell. In a coconut shell, the frog cannot go anywhere and just thinks that [the shell] is very big, but actually, it is not big. From a global perspective, the frog can come out of the coconut shell. Actually, the world is very big and AIRAES taught me how to not look like a frog under a coconut shell but to think globally. (Excerpt 2, Endang)

Interviewees from both Australian and Indonesian groups reported that wide exposure to the local contexts while abroad has expanded their global/world-mindedness. The metaphor of a frog that lives under a coconut shell captures the idea of the impact of a short-term international experience on individual's mindsets on a global level. Remembering how they imagined their future selves, and now looking back and judging their realised selves, indicates the notion of ‘internationalising’ plays strongly in their thinking.

(ii) ‘future self’ and ‘realised self’ thoughts about career development

Returnees recalled their ‘future self’ motivations for joining the exchange program from a future prospection of career development, with practical considerations for their future teaching in mind. The perceived, immediate rewards in terms of employability advantage after completing the program/upon graduation was found prevalent in their narratives, which we believe is evidence of them thinking practically for their future selves. One returnee from Australia explained as follows:

[B]ack then languages other than English were funded in all Tasmanian schools. I was studying Indonesian because I thought that would get me a job as soon as I left university, and participating in the AIRAES program just gave that another lens, another band, a bit more experience, authentic experience to take into my teaching and it worked. (Excerpt 3, Hannah)

Almost all the interviewees from Australia were aware of the language policy on Asian languages and Indonesian in particular by the federal/state government at the time, as well as how their ‘future teacher self’ would benefit from participating in an exchange program in Indonesia: the potential to set them up well for employment. An Indonesian returnee, Sukma, made note that the program gave its participants “opportunities to be there, to be anywhere” career-wise.

In a ‘realised self’ reflection, one Indonesian returnee attributed the respect and trust gained as an English teacher to the exchange program as follows:

[B]ecause of the impact of AIRAES, I have developed myself very well, especially professionally as an English teacher… If I have never been in Australia or have never been joined the AIRAES [program], I could not imagine what would happen to my professional career now. (Excerpt 4, Hadi)

They recalled that in applying to participate, considering their ‘future self’, and in reflecting back on what they had achieved over a 20-plus year career as a teacher, as their ‘realised self’, the global mobility experience was likely to be, and was, instrumental for the returnees’ professional development and career trajectory.

(iii) ‘future self’ and ‘realised self’ ideas on learning and contributing

Most returnees reported development of professional knowledge as a direct result of the short-term global mobility program. One Indonesian returnee, Halima, reflected how important the program would be in equipping them with such knowledge, like a “starting point for me to become a good teacher in the future”. Another returnee from Indonesia further pointed to what their ‘future self’ was hoping for:

… we had an opportunity to see how education system ran in another country, especially in rural areas. I could see how their educational system works. I think it would provide a good standard for me as a teacher later on, because whenever I think about what a teacher should do in the classroom, I could use my [exchange] experience as reference. (Excerpt 5, Zaki)

Such ‘future self’ thoughts are understandable, given the limited teaching experience these individuals had as pre-service teachers at the time. There was also realisation now as returnees reflected in ‘realised self’ manner, that learning was a key result of the exchange. This Indonesian returnee speaks about what they learned of different classroom pedagogies:

For the long-term [impacts], of course … its impact on my perspective … from conventional teaching, the teacher-centred teaching, to the student-centred, more student-centred…” (Excerpt 6, Lestari)

Looking back on what they gained from the exchange, it is clear that professional learning now affords them this broader view.

The returnees also noted the long-lasting effect the global mobility program had on their expansion of knowledge as educators and spoke about contributing, giving back to community, by sharing when they have learned and experienced with the next generation of students. One returnee from Indonesia stated:

… I could share my experience in Australia with those students right now going to another country… Also, I could help them when they ask me as their teacher for recommendations when they want to apply to another country to be an exchange student … I support them because I have been on exchange when I was still a student. (Excerpt 7, Alina)

The returnees’ learning seems not to be limited to professional aspects of the exchange. Another returnee from Indonesia noted:

…technology is not only at the university or the school but also in the household of the host families. They had different kinds of ways of cooking, different types of machines, washing machines, and different types of microwaves, things like that. Those things were not really common in our country at the time… It was part of the experience. (Excerpt 8, Lestari)

The gaining of knowledge and opportunity to contribute occurred inside and outside of the classroom, as these pre-service teachers engaged with local cultures and living styles. Interviewees from both Indonesia and Australia recounted experiences with host institutions and communities, working in local schools and living with host families. They reported gaining professional and practical skills.

The returnees saw the development of professional and practical knowledge and experience as necessary and beneficial for their future teacher selves. They have emphasised the importance of contributing, giving back, although we believe that may be benefit of hindsight 25 years on, rather than something realised soon after returning home. Some reflected that interacting with another country's different educational systems and cultures has impacted on the teacher they were planning to become. It is evident that, in many ways, the global engagement experiences have expanded the interviewees’ perceptions of professional contribution to, and levels of involvement in, their teaching careers.

(iv) ‘future self’ and ‘realised self’ thoughts on language development

Language development is a theme throughout the conversations with the returnees. It is evident in our data that the individuals we have interviewed imagined language development for their ‘future self’ teacher identity. Improved language ability through interacting with native speakers in the host communities was one of the frequently mentioned factors that motivated the then pre-service teachers to apply for the AIRAES program. One returnee from Indonesia recalled:

I wanted to improve my English … at the time… I wanted to improve my English with real foreigners… improve my personality, improve my communication with English [speaking] foreigners, especially in Australia, so that was my motivation. (Excerpt 9, Halima)

The interviewees from both groups expressed the potential that the global mobility program held to enhance their language abilities, despite the length of the program. One interviewee from Indonesia, Rini, described the realisation of language improvement like this, “I did not hesitate to talk with foreigners in public places and it was me who started the conversation, instead of them. I felt comfortable talking with foreigners.” It appeared that with the improved skills, increased self-confidence in using the target language, and willingness to practise the target language, have also been achieved.

The story does not change when returnees reflected on their ‘realised self’. One returnee from Australia vividly recalled an incident happened early in the program focusing on language development:

I was actually very confused. I had studied two, three years at that stage, and I could not understand a single word … I do remember bathing for about three or four days but with no towel to dry myself because I had no idea what the word for “towel”. So I went to the market the first chance and purchased a dictionary, looked up the word, and finally I got to have a towel to shower with. Every day was a development in language. (Excerpt 10, David)

The exchange experience offered an immersive target-language intensive context for both Australian and Indonesian participants and increased communicative opportunities to practice the language they had been learning. Almost all the returnees mentioned challenges encountered in communicating in the local contexts at the start of the exchange program. Such language challenges had rarely occurred in prior formal classroom learning and initially caused mixed feelings, such as confusion. However, over the course of the exchange experience, the returnees noted improvements in their language abilities (e.g., speaking, vocabulary expansion).

(v) ‘future self’ and ‘realised self’ thoughts on connectedness

Our data show that the pre-service teachers originally applied for the AIRAES program believing that there would be rewards for their ‘future self’ in terms of personal development. As discussed previously, interviewees had limited exchange experience prior to the AIRAES program and had high hopes of making connections and networks through the host communities. One returnee from Indonesia reflected on what they hoped for their ‘future self’ at a personal level:

Before that, I did not have many international friends. From that program, I built my connections and network. I learned also from them on how to build a relationship and cultures because we have different cultures. It was the first time for me to build network with international friends, colleges, teachers. (Excerpt 11, Endang)

According to the interviewees, the impact of the exchange program on self-development was not just short-term or limited to professional relationship built during their stay. Rather, many reported their continuous connection with the host country's people and culture to date. One returnee from Australia said there has been a real impact on their ‘realised self’:

It had a long-term impact on me. At that particular time, it changed how I looked at the Indonesian people. I did not look at them that they were another country. They were just—they were me. They just lived in another country, but they were the same. I had a real connection to them. I think that changed how I felt about, not just about Indonesia, but about every other country. (Excerpt 12, Gordon)

Connectedness was clearly something that returnees had hoped for, and realised they have benefited from. The exchange experience offered returnees an opportunity to reflect on their relationship with others and the world and to develop a close connection within the new cultural environment.

(vi) ‘future self’ and ‘realised self’ ideas on cultural appreciation

Returnees reflected on their ‘future self’ and ‘realised self’ in regard to the hoped-for and realised impact of the exchange experience. We use the term ‘cultural appreciation’ as the benefit they may not have intended as a result of the exchange, but one which they certainly note in their interviews. Now in their ‘realised self’ manner, they have responded to diversity, recalled experiencing shifts in perspectives on aspects of the other culture, leading to increased empathy, tolerance, and open-mindedness as the perceived personal benefits of participation in the exchange program. One Indonesian returnee's reflection on what we have termed cultural appreciation follows:

I dealt with challenges as I was out of my comfort zone. I dealt with culture shock, problems with the Australian accent, problems with different kinds of food… Then also culture appreciation. I lived, worked with people from different cultures and I learned a lot about culture and I appreciated more about culture. (Excerpt 13, Rini)

This cultural appreciation is realised through being immersed in a culture much different from one's own and gaining a full understanding of matters, as they are fully engaged in the diversity of the context: an understanding which may not have been possible without the international exchange. Returnees in this study recognised that global mobility opened an intercultural space in which they could view themselves from the lens of the other culture. Three further reflections from Indonesian and Australian returnees demonstrate what we mean by cultural appreciation:

The value, the moral and the cultural diversity I learned during my stay… I became more tolerant, empathetic and open-minded… I can see things, I see the world, I see life differently from various perspectives. It really enhances and also develops my mindset. (Excerpt 14, Muhammad)

I was raised in a small country town. I was of a particular religion. I felt narrow in my outlook and experiences in life. The short-term was incredible to go to an Asian country, to go to Indonesia, to go to a Muslim place, to open my mind and see different things… it opened my mind to a different way of life, a different community and point of view, I became very understanding… (Excerpt 15, David)

…appreciate others, that is it! … I learned this from the AIRAES program. (Excerpt 16, Titi)

The exchange program was not expected to have provided such full understandings and cultural appreciation. However the returnees note that cultural appreciation has been a strong influence in how they now perceive the world.

Discussion

This study investigated the perceived short and longer-term impact of 14 pre-service teachers’ participation in a global mobility program upon their personal and professional lives, viewed from both ‘future self’ and ‘realised self’ lenses. Focusing on a future self perspective, the findings show that the returnees had initially intended to benefit from the global mobility program and what it promised them, personally and professionally, and perceived that looking back more than 20 years over their life and career, several impacts have, indeed, been realised.

Certainly when reflecting upon what may have been their ideas for their ‘future self’, the returnees shared their thoughts about becoming more internationalised (Roy et al., 2019), about having built steps towards enhancing their employability (Weibl, 2015), about learning and knowledge development (Paige et al., 2009), about developing the language they had been learning (and in these cases, intending to teach) (Bamberger, 2020), and about developing a connectedness (Drum et al., 2021). Some of the achievements were clearly stated as intended, immediate gains from the exchange program. Many others were realised and confirmed by the returnees after more than two decades, contributing, they believe, to the people they are today.

What appeared in the data more strongly than we expected was returnees’ statements about ‘cultural appreciation’, looking back, reflecting on the experience from the viewpoint of the ‘realised self’. To be immersed in a different culture for a period, to be interacting making sense of their new worlds, placed them in a position where, now they can see clearly, that they did delve underneath the host culture and develop a more nuanced and fuller understanding, that we term ‘appreciation’. Cultural appreciation, we maintain, is broader than pure adoption of a culture's way of doing things. Seen through our data, cultural appreciation appears to allow the individual to gain a deeper cultural understanding about living per sé.

The returnees’ comments place larger notions together – about shock, language, food, religion – to conclude that their learning has been broad and pervasive and deep: grouped notions we view as ‘cultural appreciation’. Cultural appreciation is evident in tags the returnees used such as ‘mindsets’, ‘perspectives’ and ‘understandings’. These references to cultural appreciation are not surface level – they do not include cultural appropriation strategies. Instead they move to the concepts or intangible notions which can often be expressed as feeling or knowing the worth or value of something.

The exchange experience offered its participants an opportunity to reflect on the notion of themselves and on the notion of the host culture and the opportunity to reconcile these ideas with the new cultural environment (Hopkins, 1999; Maharaja, 2018). The findings of this study shed light on the returnee’ realisation of the impact/benefit of the student global mobility program on all aspects of their personal and professional lives 25 years later, suggesting one way to move closer to better understanding of the longer-term impacts/benefits of internationalisation of the university curriculum.

While the study requires caution when generalising to other contexts – due to the fact that it is exploratory in nature with a relatively small sample size in one particular exchange program – the lenses of ‘future self’ and ‘realised self’ are proven helpful in extracting returnees’ thinking on their personal and professional growth. Future research is recommended to utilise the same conceptual framework to organise inquiry about broader groups of students in their diverse settings. Future research could focus more on the aspect of ‘cultural appreciation’ in student global mobility to investigate the role it plays in teachers’ professional development at various career stages, and in fact could be successfully applied to students in other disciplines.

Conclusion

By examining the experiences of a group of individuals who participated in a short-term international student global mobility program in 1998, this study offers a way of looking into the impact/benefit of global mobility upon students’ personal lives and professional careers over an extended period of time. Although data were not gathered at milestone points during these 25 years, drawing on ‘future self’ and ‘realised self’ lenses at the 25 years point, this study uncovered more than is already known about ‘cultural appreciation’ as a result of global mobility experiences, broadening the conceptual understanding of the many documented benefits of internalisation of the university curriculum. Further research could examine such groups in different ways, perhaps compare the differences between groups, and whether any differences provide deeper understandings of student global mobility on participants’ perceptions of themselves.