Rural-to-urban migrations: acculturation experiences among university students in Botswana

Many students in Botswana migrate from small rural villages and towns to the larger urban centres to attend university, and are subsequently required to adapt or acculturate to their new environments. However, the existing literature and research on acculturation experiences of students who migrate from rural-to-urban centres in Botswana is almost non-existent. The current study was therefore a qualitative exploratory investigation of the experiences of the students who migrate from rural-to-urban centres. Purposive sampling was used to recruit participants who contributed to a Talking Circle focus group. Researchers transcribed the interviews and used content analysis to uncover response themes. Findings indicated that the majority of students experienced some culture shock and a number of environmental and specific systemic stressors in their first two years of university life. Theoretical implications for understanding rural-to-urban acculturation and practical implications for university counselling approaches are also discussed.