Since its inception over twenty years ago, two million students have participated in Erasmus, the European Union’s flagship exchange programme for students in higher education. However, in recent years, participation by English students has declined significantly. This presentation explores the identities of English nationals who participate in Erasmus via their English universities in order to better understand their motivations and experiences. The research explores the ways in which participation in Erasmus exchange may reflect or shape the identities of participants. These identities are approached from a phenomenological perspective to gain an understanding of how different individuals shape their identities. Where most of the research into students and the Erasmus programme has tended to use an EU or national lens, this research focuses closely upon the processes by which experiences shape identities. Photographs taken by Erasmus students are analyzed to look for clues to the way that the Erasmus students cognitively structure their experiences. Analysis of these photographic images is combined with interview and quantitative data to provide a multi-faceted view of the developing identities of English Erasmus students.
