ABSTRACT
This chapter presents an analysis of social network formation and transformation of participants and their connections in a short-term study abroad program in Japan. The social network was examined with the use of survey instruments that looked into the participants’ cognitive, affective, and behavioral relations with people within and beyond the program. The focal program examined in this chapter exhibited a case in which the program participants formed few connections among themselves and did not build a cohesive group. The connections were so fragmented that the network looked ‘collapsed.’ The chapter discusses how this network ended up being ‘collapsed’ perhaps due to the unique features of the host university, including the prominence of international students on campus and the academic focus on foreign language studies. These features seemingly led to more mingling of the program participants with local students. The program design may also have intensified individual differences (personality, motivation, etc.) within this program.
