The importance of music in the identity of sojourners and the link between music, adaptation, and acculturation of sojourners

Sojourners are individuals who have moved abroad for a certain time, to pursue a degree or seek employment temporarily. During their stay abroad, their identities can change immensely, and most literature on sojourners has focused on their adaptation and acculturation in their host country. While their identities are being reshaped during their stay abroad, external factors such as media, can have an impact on their adaptation. However, there is a gap in academic literature on the effect of music on a sojourner's identity as well as their psychological and sociocultural adaptation and acculturation abilities. Therefore, this thesis aims to answer the following research question: "To what extent is there a relationship between listening to music, sojourners' identity and their psychological and sociocultural adaptation?". To answer this research question, a survey was shared on various social media, to gather participants from different countries. The quantitative analysis showed that sojourners who identify more with their home country, are more likely to be psychologically adapted in their host country. Moreover, it was also shown that listening to home country music is positively related with psychological adaptation, which displays that home country identity and home country music can both help sojourners adapt better. On the contrary, the results displayed that sojourners who identify more with their host country, are less likely to be psychologically adapted. However, when sojourners identify more with their host country, they are more likely to have a higher sociocultural adaptation. This research has provided an initial theoretical framework which can be used in future research to explore different variables and test whether music affects in any way the sojourners socially or psychologically. Furthermore, since two contradicting results were found on psychological adaptation, more research needs to be conducted to examine the underlying reasons for that. Along with recommendations for further research, such as a longer study with more diverse participants and the need for a study using both qualitative and quantitative methods, the effect of music on sojourners needs to be explored more.