Research Information System
This study investigates the role of social ties as facilitators of sociocultural adaptation (SCA) during an Erasmus stay. It also aims to explore the role of transnationalism, co-ethnic, and cross-cultural practices of Turkish sojourners. The data come from 16 in-depth interviews administered immediately after the participants returned home. The analysis revealed two major themes: transnationalism and co-ethnic networking as coping strategies for living abroad, with multiple subcategories conceptualising participants’ social ties and SCA during their stay. The results indicated that both transnational and cross-cultural interactions are used as part of the adaptation process at differentiated degrees. The findings also revealed that a lack of previous sojourn experience and limited opportunities for internationalisation at home led to greater adaptation challenges in the sojourn context. Thus, as a coping strategy, our participants reported engaging in more transnational experiences, though all demonstrated varying degrees of cross-cultural relationship building.
