CAPITULO 1: FUNDAMENTACION TEORICA
1.11 Framework
1) Individual background
Key information: basic facts (age, gender, nationality etc); characteristics of upbringing; educational experiences; work experiences; travel/mobility experiences
Describe your upbringing (where you grew up, what kind of city/town it is, your family/household)
What kind of education have you had before coming to study in Singapore? (schools, tertiary study, languages learnt)
Did you travel or live abroad when you were growing up? Did your parents/siblings?
What about your friends?
2) Familial background
Key information: parents education, employment, ages, nationality/cultural background; siblings education, employment, ages, residence etc.
Tell me about your parents: their education and jobs, how old are they? Where did they grow up?
Do your parents have particular expectations of you and your siblings? What do they value most?
Tell me about your siblings: how many, what are their ages, what are they doing now?
3) (Overseas study) Decision making process
Key information: reasons for studying overseas; when the decision was made to study overseas; who made the decision; what alternatives were considered; possibility to remain in country of origin for study.
When did you first think about or consider the possibility of studying overseas?
Who made the decision to study overseas?
Why did you feel that studying abroad was important for you?
What are the major reasons for studying overseas? (quality of education, money, career prospect, culture, escape from something, independence, impulse)
What are the major reasons you decided to study in Singapore? (What was your impression of Singapore?)
How and why did you choose to study at NUS?
(To suggest the gender/class aspects) Was your family more/less worried about you studying abroad? What were their concerns?
What is the reputation of NUS? How does it compare to other international universities? Universities in your country of origin?
Do you know anyone else who has studied here or at another university overseas?
Is it common for people in your country of origin to study overseas? (region, city/town, school etc)
If you didn’t study NUS what would the next alternative be?
Did you ever consider remaining in your country of origin? Where would you have studied? What would the consequences be?
If you were making this decision five years earlier would it be the same? What has changed in this time?
4) Information finding process/awareness of initiatives to promote overseas study Key information: involvement of family, friends, colleagues, alumni, official sources in information provision; knowledge of university strategy; awareness of scholarships and other schemes; government strategies to encourage overseas stud (origin or destination)
Questions
When you were making the decision to study abroad where did you find information?
What were the key sources of information? Was there a particular person who helped you a lot?
Are you aware of any schemes run by your country’s government or the Singapore government to encourage overseas study?
Did you apply for any scholarships to study overseas?
Do you think that universities are actively trying to recruit international students? In what ways have you seen this?
5) Process of arranging and moving overseas to study
Key information: individuals, businesses and institutions involved in move; time between decision, planning and move; challenges involved in arranging move;
Questions
Who is supporting your study overseas? (self, parents, scholarship, other)
Please describe for me how you arranged your enrolment at NUS and travel to Singapore.
Have you ever used the services of an education agent?
What sort of role did NUS play in the process of enrolling and moving?
Did you receive any help from friends and family?
6) Initial experiences of study destination and campus (identify contact zones) Key information: narrative of first few days in country/city; narrative of first few days at university; initial impressions of both study and broader environment
Questions
Take me through when you first arrived in Singapore? (describe first few days)
How did you feel? What were your first impressions of the city? Was it what you expected?
Describe for me your first few days on campus?
Did you feel welcome? Was there enough support for new international students?
7) Experience of study environment: peers, curriculum, pedagogy, value of education
Key information: what is studied, differences from origin country in terms of curriculum, pedagogy; make-up of student body at university in general, in classes specifically; impressions about the quality/value of education they have received
Typical Questions
What are you studying? What sort of classes do you have to take?
If you were speaking to a friend or family member at home how would you describe NUS?
What is campus life like? Is it similar to universities that you know in your home town/city or country?
Has it been easy adjusting to the curriculum and style of teaching at NUS?
What do you think about the quality of education at NUS? Is the quality of education the same as what you expected?
Who are your classmates? Are there many other international students? Where are they from? Do you think your classmates experiences are similar to yours?
8) Interactions with university organisations:
Key information: use of international office; student associations; learning centre’s;
language assistance; career planning; administration; departmental office;
Questions
Tell me about the services available to international students at NUS. (give examples:
international office, student association, learning centre, language etc) Have you utilised these services? For what purpose?
Do you feel that there are adequate support services at NUS? What could be improved?
What have been the challenges of interacting with the university?
9) Everyday activities, living situation etc (contact zones)
Key information: housing situation (where, what, who with), narrative of daily itinerary/activities, regular interactions with people, regular places; any kind of work Questions
Please describe for me your housing situation. (Who do you live with? What kind of housing do you reside in? -University, private, apartment, what kind of area, who lives in that area).
Describe for me the neighbourhood that you live in. (Who lives there? Are they positive about your presence? Do you spend your free time there? Do you feel part of the neighbourhood?)
Take me through a typical day for you from start to finish. (where do you go, how do you get there, dressing, what do you eat, who do you meet, do you have regular activities, choice of language used)
Are you working while you are in Singapore? What kind of work?
10) Peer/social networks, social activities (identities)
Key information: close friendships and acquaintances (nationality and city/region of origin, pre-existing or new, gender characteristics); friendships inside and outside of
university; membership of associations/clubs; socialising – where, when and with whom; value of friendships while abroad
Questions
Can we talk a little about your immediate social networks – i.e., your friends and daily contacts? How do you know these people?
How many people do you know here? Acquaintances or close friends? Was it easy to meet friends? How? Did you have any friends here before you came?
Do you have a boyfriend/girlfriend, partner, husband/wife etc? Where did you meet them?
Would you like to have more friends here? Who would you like to meet?
Are your networks centred on NUS? How ‘nationality’ based is it?
Are they usually other international students? Do you know many Singaporean students?
How valuable are these social networks to you in adjusting to life away from home?
What kinds of things do you do socially? Which parts of Singapore do you spend most of your free time in? (Where, describe these areas, what do you like about them) What is the social mix there?
Are you a member of a sports club? Religious organization/group/church?
Association? Band? Other group? (‘safe houses’)
11) Maintenance of connections/communication with friends and family at home/elsewhere
Key information: use of different kinds of communication technologies; regularity of contact; regularity of trips back to home (and elsewhere); value/importance of these relationships while abroad
Questions
How do you keep in contact with your family? How often?
Do you keep in regular contact with your friends in your city/country of origin? Those who have moved elsewhere?
What would you say is the most important communication technology for you?
Have you travelled back home during your time in ‘Study Country’?
What was it like seeing your family and friends again? Did you feel different?
12) Transition to adulthood/independence, changing relations with family (young adults identity formation and negotiation processes)
Key information: challenges and benefits of living independently; personal changes;
changing relations with family; role of overseas study in influencing these changes (independence more important or different study environment)
Questions
What has it been like living overseas by yourself and away from your family? Do you find it exciting? Is it challenging? Do you miss being at home?
Do you think that you have become more independent while you have been overseas?
What are the main reasons for this?
What about your family, do they view you differently now that you are living by yourself? (and friends?)
13) Identity: national, cultural, regional, global etc; role of overseas study in changing this; changing views (intersecting identities, transnational space is implicated in the formation of these identities)
Key Information: means of identifying; changes over time; role of overseas study in changes; social/political views before study and after; role of overseas study in any changes; possibilities for multicultural/cosmopolitan orientations through overseas study
Questions
How do you identify yourself primarily? (local, gender, class, race, national, regional, cultural group, global etc)
Do you feel that your identity has changed at all while you have been studying overseas?
Do you think that you have contributed to Singapore as an international student?
How would you describe your political views? (e.g. How do you view Sino-Singapore relations, Does it affect your decision to study in Singapore/ experience studying here?)
Have you experienced any identity clashes? Describe some incidents when this occurred.
Do you think it’s a good idea for people to live outside the country that they grew up in?
Do you think that the place you grew up in would benefit from having a more diverse population?
Would you welcome more international students or other migrants to the places that you grew up?
Have your views about any of these things changed while you have been abroad?
14) Future plans: role of family, belonging, identity in these decisions;
opportunities as a result of overseas study
Key information: where, what and with who; how future decisions are made; whether overseas study has expanded or limited opportunities at home/abroad; whether belonging has any role in this; family and friends involvement; duty to family or nation/community; identity (as described above) as part of decisions;
Questions
What are your future plans? (what, where and with who)
How did you make these decisions? When did you make these decisions? (before departure for overseas study, during, at the end)
Could you imagine living in Singapore or another place outside your home permanently? Could you be at home here?
Does belonging, or the question of where you belong play any role in these decisions?
Does the way you identify influence your decision?
Do your parents or other family members have any influence/opinion on your future plans?
Do you feel a sense of duty or obligation to your family, community or country?
Do you feel that studying overseas has given you more or less opportunities?
Do you think that the reputation of NUS will help you to get the kind of career you desire?
Have you achieved what you wanted to achieve from your time studying and living abroad?
If you could make the choice again, would you still choose to study overseas? Would you still choose to study at NUS? Would you do something different?
Appendix 1.2 Interview schedule for Todai international students- Biographical