Friendship Networks of Thai Students and Their Influences During an ASEAN Study-Abroad Program

Abstract

This study explores how friendship networks of Thai students, shaped by an ASEAN study-abroad program, affect their lives―a topic that has garnered increasing attention from higher education institutions in Thailand. The study investigated how Thai students' friendship networks affected their lives during an ASEAN study-abroad program through a web-based survey of former participants, followed by semi-structured interviews. Our findings indicate that individuals who share the same cultural background were likely to be their close friends. Moreover, the perceived problems and challenges related to cultural differences and the people encountered in ASEAN host countries were low, and the level of satisfaction was high among those within predominant bicultural friendship networks. The results from this study are discussed with reference to the uncertainty reduction theory and elaborated in terms of the general goal of the study-abroad program in ASEAN, targeting educators and policy makers from both sending and receiving educational institutions.