Multiple qualitative procedures to elicit reverse culture shock experience

Area of Science:

• Tourism Studies
• Social Psychology
• Cross-Cultural Psychology

Background:

• Reverse culture shock (RCS) is a significant, yet underexplored, phenomenon for returning travelers.
• Understanding the subjective experiences of young tourists is crucial for developing effective support mechanisms.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the reverse culture shock (RCS) experienced by young Thai tourists.
• To elaborate a qualitative research design and methodology suitable for studying traveler experiences.

Main Methods:

• Qualitative research design employing a constructivist paradigm.
• Utilized mixed methods: essay writing, graph plotting (for memory recall), and semi-structured interviews.
• Pre-interview activities (essay, graph) aimed to reduce memory distortion and enhance insights into past RCS experiences.

Main Results:

• The integrated methodology effectively elicited rich perceptual and emotional aspects of travelers' experiences.
• Identified coping mechanisms employed by young Thai tourists post-return.
• Demonstrated the practical feasibility and advantages of the combined research approach.

Conclusions:

• The study provides a practical and feasible qualitative methodology for investigating experiences involving memory recall in social science and psychology.
• The findings contribute to a deeper understanding of reverse culture shock (RCS) in tourism.
• The methodology enhances the ability to gain enriched experiential and emotional data from participants.