Living Their Best Life? The Social, Cultural, and Linguistic Positionings of Swiss High School Students Studying Abroad

Abstract

This work is centered on the study abroad (SA) experiences of high school students enrolled in the French-English bilingual Matura in the canton de Vaud, in Switzerland. It aims at exploring students’ experiences abroad regarding their social, cultural, and linguistic positionings, and their possible impact on the SA experience. Nine high school students participated in the study, which was designed for them as a support programme. Drawing from adolescents’ diaries and interviews, their experiences are initially recast into three narratives emphasizing social, cultural, and linguistic positionings. Then, for each participant, one diary or interview extract which tends to represent a recurrent positioning is analyzed, using positioning analysis. This comprehensive method offers a systematic way to move from the micro, the text itself, to the meso and the relationship with the researcher, to finally reach the macro and dominant discourses. Comparative analysis reveals diverse experiences, attributed to varying social, cultural, and linguistic positionings among participants.

This study provides valuable insights into adolescents’ experiences abroad, a subject which is understudied, and suggests practical recommendations for developing support programmes for high school students before and during study abroad. Notably, it introduces a novel framework designed to replace Coleman's three concentric circles model, modelling the formation of social networks for adolescents specifically. It also concludes with a table aligning the three different positionings with personal and external factors – a useful tool for analyzing and supporting high school students abroad. Scholars, educators and institutions stand to gain valuable insights from the book, gaining a nuanced understanding of adolescents' experiences abroad and the benefits and drawbacks of such programmes, including critical considerations related to social justice and equity.