Literature Review: • Sensemaking is a process used to understand unknown environments

and develop identity and action (Weick, 2005).• Equivocal messages are common when a direct answer may have

negative effects. Equivocation is characterized as lacking clarity and being ambiguous, or contradictory (Bisel, 2012; Jameson, 1991; Bavelas, 1990).

• During periods of life-transitions, especially when roles change or there are situational demands, identity and self-concept tend to change (Manzi, 2010).

Methods: Data was collected through qualitative interviews with 11 young adults, as well as observation of adults and young adults over a three-year period.

RQ 1: How do young adults in Moldova express their future plans to either stay or leave the country to pursue a career?

Results: A clear pattern of equivocality emerges when young adults express their future plans. Eight of 11 participants produced contradictory equivocal messages when asked about their future plans. The remaining three participants produced unclear and ambiguous equivocal responses.

Discussion: • Political and economic upheaval in Moldova is reflected in young adult

uncertainty about their future.• Young adults in Moldova work to make sense of the context and their role

in it by using equivocal messages. • Greater understanding is possible when micro-level processes are

integrated with macro-level variables.

Implications:• Education is key during a crisis. Helping Moldovan youth understand the

realities of their avoidance-avoidance situations may be vital to their sensemaking efforts (Kline, 2008).

• An active process of sensemaking may help young adults as they face uncertainty and work to establish their identity.

Abstract: Weick (1995) argued that people make sense of the world through a process that includes building narrative accounts through interaction with others; this process helps them understand their thoughts (Abolafia, 2010) and reduce the complexity that accompanies change (Kumar & Singhal, 2012). This study explored messages surrounding young adult decisions of whether to leave, or stay in, Moldova when seeking a career. The context reflects a complex interplay between young adult identities, as situated within the family, the country and the world, conflicting loyalties, and uncertainty regarding career prospects, in an economy struggling from a major shift in political control. Recorded data and field notes from eleven interviews with Moldovan youth were analyzed using a grounded theory approach (Glaser & Strauss, 1967). Results reveal a common theme of equivocal communication (Bavelas, 1990) as these young people simultaneously express the certainty that better career opportunities are somewhere other than “home” and the uncertainty of leaving a family and country they love.

Background:• Moldova, Europe claimed independence from the Soviet Union in 1992

(Salah, 2008). • Moldova currently faces political disorder, social disorder, and corruption

(Salah, 2008; Crowther, 2012). • Poverty is causing many young adults to leave Moldova (Salah, 2008;

MPC, 2013; IOM, 2008).• 11 UWEC students and two professors took three trips to collect data over

a total of three years.

We thank the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs for supporting this research, and Learning & Technology Services for printing this poster. We would also like to thank the Center for International Education and International Fellows Program.

*For works cited see separate document

“Should I stay or should I go?”: Conflicting loyalties among Moldovan youthDepartment of Communication and Journalism Rachel Debner Dr. Martha Fay, Faculty Mentor

“I don’t think that my future is here in

Moldova…and I think I’m going to leave this

country. I think it may be back and forth (leaving

and returning).”

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“It’s like we never know what’s going to happen

in this country...”

Youth in Giurgiulești, Moldova.