Recentering relationships in the international student experience
International students contribute billions of pounds to the UK economy and sustain thousands of jobs. However, the challenges that international students experience are significant and little research has been carried out into this diverse group of people.
The international student experience is situated during a period of life (the ages of 18-25) that is characterised by change, and many of life's most important experiences occur during this period, particularly changes in relationships. A way of understanding the international student experience is by looking at the types of relationships that individuals have during this period.
One of the most fundamental changes of this age group is the renegotiation of relationships from dependence (on family) to independence. Tanner calls this process recentering.
Recentering is a framework for understanding the process of relying on family to becoming independent. It is a three-stage framework where individuals first begin making new relationships with those around them. Secondly, individuals engage in activities typical of this age group (ie. frequent partners, changes in jobs, full-time study, frequently moving house). Finally, individuals start making the long-term connections that will stay with them for the rest of their lives (ie. getting married, getting a stable job and settling down).
Obviously, each individual's experience is unique. For students coming to study in the UK, they are negotiating their independence while also negotiating the transition to a foreign culture, often in a second language, and many may not make a comfortable transition. There is a need to look at how international students develop supportive relationships during their sojourn.