A Narrative Study into The Buddy Programme at AAU and The Social and Academic Integration of Free Movers
Authors
Krogsgaard, Morten Boye ; Bertovic, Svend
Term
4. term
Publication year
2023
Submitted on
2023-05-31
Pages
146
Abstract
This thesis examines why international students who enroll as free movers continue to face social and academic integration challenges at Aalborg University (AAU) despite participation in the university’s Buddy Programme. Drawing on first‑hand narratives from three free movers, we apply a narrative approach and positioning theory to analyze small stories of study and everyday life, including how identities are constructed through sameness and difference, and how the use of English as a lingua franca shapes experiences. The analysis highlights reports of negative well‑being and obstacles both within and beyond the Buddy Programme, and shows that informants often position themselves as victims while Danish students, buddies, and AAU are framed as causes of the problems. We also show how linguistic choices are used to create distance and affiliation. In conclusion, we identify a local institutional master narrative at AAU that internationalization is handled well, alongside a counter‑narrative voiced by the informants that challenges this view and aligns with accounts from other international students and prior studies. Together, the findings point to persistent organizational and communicative tensions that limit the Buddy Programme’s potential to support free movers’ social and academic integration.
Dette speciale undersøger, hvorfor internationale studerende, der kommer som såkaldte free movers, fortsat møder udfordringer med at falde til socialt og fagligt på Aalborg Universitet (AAU), selv om de deltager i universitetets Buddy Programme. Med udgangspunkt i tre free movers’ førstehåndsfortællinger anvender vi en narrativ tilgang og positioneringsteori til at analysere små historier om studie- og hverdagslivet, herunder hvordan de skaber lighed og forskel i deres fortællinger, og hvordan brugen af engelsk som fælles sprog præger deres oplevelser. Analysen peger på rapporter om negativ trivsel og barrierer både inden for og uden for Buddy Programme, samt på, at informanterne ofte positionerer sig som ofre, mens danske studerende, buddies og AAU fremstilles som årsagen til problemerne. Vi viser desuden, hvordan sproglige valg bruges til at markere afstand og tilhørsforhold. I konklusionen identificerer vi en lokal institutionel masterfortælling på AAU om, at internationalisering fungerer godt, samtidig med at informanternes beretninger udgør en modfortælling, der udfordrer dette billede og stemmer overens med internationale studier. Tilsammen peger resultaterne på vedvarende organisatoriske og kommunikative spændinger, som begrænser Buddy Programme’s potentiale for at styrke free movers’ sociale og akademiske integration.
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