Akademiska utlandsstudier : En fallstudie om motiv till utlandsstudier bland svenska studenter på Södertörns högskola

Sammanfattning: The purpose of this study is to investigate the primary motivation for studying abroad among students at Södertörn University, and also examine how the time studying abroad will affect the students on a personal level. The essay is based on a qualitative approach of ten interviews with students who have already completed an exchange program. With the help of the theoretical concepts of push and pull factors, motivation categories, human capital and previous research, the results and analysis showed a coherent pattern. It turns out that the majorities of students are primarily motivated by the opportunity to enjoy a nice nature, new environment and get to know new people. The time studying abroad mostly contributed to the student’s personal development and also gave an understanding of other people and different cultures. Therefore it became clear that it was only a couple of students that based their choice of studying abroad on motivation grounded in wanting to learn something, in terms of knowledge, which also had an accordance with the few students who indicated that they had gained knowledge-related experiences. Hence there appeared an unexpected social perspective, of which the motives are placed in a vast opportunity to participate in a unique experience, in a new country with new people and where experiences in form of personal development took place.