The Awe in Awesome in Education Abroad

Few have examined how students perceive or make sense of their formal educational travel experiences, resulting in a dearth of knowledge about perceived educational value of experiences. To rectify this situation, this study addressed how students make meaning during their education abroad (EA) experience. Employing a constructivist grounded theory approach, students were found to process their experiences through four meaning-making structures labeled, “Seeking Novelty,” “Actually Being,” “Securing/Blending,” and “Living in a State of Awe,” all of which contributed to experiencing awe during their EA experience. The authors propose the Education Abroad Meaning-Making Framework, which can be used to understand students’ experiences while on EA and to serve as a theoretical foundation upon which further research on EA can be conducted. They also discuss implications of the Framework for pre- and post-experience advising, program, and curriculum development. Abstract in French Peu d’etudes ont examinees comment les etudiants percoivent et donnent du sens aux  experiences formelles durant leurs voyages educatifs, resultant en un manque de connaissance quant a la valeur percue de ces experiences. Afin de rectifier cette situation, cette etude decrit comment les etudiants donnent du sens a leurs experiences durant leurs voyages educatifs (VE). Utilisant une approche theorique constructiviste, il est apparu que les etudiants traitent leurs experiences a travers quatre structures donneuses de sens appelees « Chercher la nouveaute », « Etre vraiment », « Confort/Immersion », et « Vivre emerveille », qui ont toutes contribuees a leur emerveillement durant leurs VE. Les auteurs proposent le Cadre de Voyage Educatif Donneur de Sens, qui peut etre utilise pour comprendre les experiences des etudiants pendant leur VE et servant de fondement theorique sur lequel baser de futures recherches sur les VE. Ils discutent aussi des implications de ce Cadre pour le developpement de l’encadrement, du programme et du curriculum avant et apres les VE.