Students’ Voice: The Analysis of their Mobility Experiences through Interviews

Abstract

The European student mobility Erasmus+ Programme was first established in 1987 and, in 1999, the Bologna Declaration aimed to promote the mobility as one of its main goals, focusing on intergovernmental cooperation in the field of higher education. In recent years, the mobility process has become increasingly significant, and a greater number of individuals experienced a mobility period abroad improving knowledge, skills, and attitudes. In addition to this, several international studies show how the Erasmus+ mobility has positive effects on social and individual growth. For this reason, the aim of this contribution is to focus the attention on the personal development of students from Sapienza University of Rome who spent a mobility period abroad in a non-EU country during the academic year 2019/2020 (last available and complete data before the COVID-19 outbreak). The results of the analysis, carried out by using content analysis, show how personal development as well as the ability to adapt to different contexts can be facilitated by an experience abroad. Furthermore, this can enable one to find a valuable job according to the skills and competences improved in a diverse study environment and can create a number of opportunities for personal growth.