Lived experience of international students within a volunteering program: A hermeneutic phenomenological study

Pradhan, S; Litvinov, A; Dyson, LE

Lived experience of international students within a volunteering program: A hermeneutic phenomenological study

Pradhan, S

Litvinov, A

Dyson, LE

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Publisher:: ROUTLEDGE JOURNALS, TAYLOR & FRANCIS LTD
Publication Type:: Journal Article
Citation:: Innovations in Education and Teaching International, 2025, ahead-of-print, (ahead-of-print)
Issue Date:: 2025-01-01

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Field	Value	Language
dc.contributor.author	Pradhan, S https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2188-5330
dc.contributor.author	Litvinov, A https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1704-1488
dc.contributor.author	Dyson, LE
dc.date.accessioned	2025-08-06T04:20:16Z
dc.date.available	2025-08-06T04:20:16Z
dc.date.issued	2025-01-01
dc.identifier.citation	Innovations in Education and Teaching International, 2025, ahead-of-print, (ahead-of-print)
dc.identifier.issn	1470-3297
dc.identifier.issn	1470-3300
dc.identifier.uri	http://hdl.handle.net/10453/189219
dc.description.abstract	International students face many challenges when embarking on a course of study overseas including language barriers, social isolation and an unfamiliar academic environment. Volunteering is one strategy that provides a holistic experience of the host country, allowing international students to acquire contextualised language and new skills, make friends and become part of the community. Considering the benefits of volunteering, various educational institutions offer different volunteering programs for students. This study is focused on investigating the lived experience of international students to make sense of the challenges and phases that are experienced during a specially designed volunteering program. The research contributes new insights into how students proceeded through the program, specifically by undergoing three phases: Uncertainty; Leaping into the Program; and Advancing, characterised by sub-themes defining their feelings and states, and also revealed the various internal and external elements that shaped their journey.
dc.language	English
dc.publisher	ROUTLEDGE JOURNALS, TAYLOR & FRANCIS LTD
dc.relation.ispartof	Innovations in Education and Teaching International
dc.relation.isbasedon	10.1080/14703297.2025.2489976
dc.rights	info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
dc.subject	13 Education
dc.subject.classification	Education
dc.subject.classification	39 Education
dc.title	Lived experience of international students within a volunteering program: A hermeneutic phenomenological study
dc.type	Journal Article
utslib.citation.volume	ahead-of-print
utslib.for	13 Education
pubs.organisational-group	University of Technology Sydney
pubs.organisational-group	University of Technology Sydney/Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology
pubs.organisational-group	University of Technology Sydney/Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology/School of Professional Practice and Leadership
pubs.organisational-group	University of Technology Sydney/Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology/School of Computer Science
pubs.organisational-group	University of Technology Sydney/UTS Groups
pubs.organisational-group	University of Technology Sydney/UTS Groups/The Trustworthy Digital Society
utslib.copyright.status	open_access	*
dc.rights.license	This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0). To view a copy of this license, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
dc.date.updated	2025-08-06T04:20:15Z
pubs.issue	ahead-of-print
pubs.publication-status	Published
pubs.volume	ahead-of-print
utslib.citation.issue	ahead-of-print

Abstract:

International students face many challenges when embarking on a course of study overseas including language barriers, social isolation and an unfamiliar academic environment. Volunteering is one strategy that provides a holistic experience of the host country, allowing international students to acquire contextualised language and new skills, make friends and become part of the community. Considering the benefits of volunteering, various educational institutions offer different volunteering programs for students. This study is focused on investigating the lived experience of international students to make sense of the challenges and phases that are experienced during a specially designed volunteering program. The research contributes new insights into how students proceeded through the program, specifically by undergoing three phases: Uncertainty; Leaping into the Program; and Advancing, characterised by sub-themes defining their feelings and states, and also revealed the various internal and external elements that shaped their journey.

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http://hdl.handle.net/10453/189219