scholarly journals Worldview Climate and the International Student Experience: Internationalization Strategies Overlook Interfaith Necessities

10.28945/4434 ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 4 ◽  
pp. 149-176
Author(s):  
Beth Ashley Staples ◽  
Laura S. Dahl ◽  
Matthew J. Mayhew ◽  
Alyssa N. Rockenbach
Keyword(s):  
International Students ◽  
International Student ◽  
Design Research ◽  
Physical Space ◽  
The United States ◽  
Future Research ◽  
First Year ◽  
Diversity Experiences ◽  
Campus Leaders ◽  
Internationalization Strategies

Aim/Purpose: The purpose of this study was to compare domestic and international students’ experiences of the campus worldview climate. Background: Internationalization efforts have continued to increase and more institutions are codifying internationalization into their mission statements or strategic plans. However, most international students are coming to the United States from countries that do not share a Christian-based worldview and most campuses are already underprepared for their students to engage across worldviews. Methodology: To explore the experiences of international students with the campus worldview climate, we used data from the Interfaith Diversity Experiences and Attitudes Longitudinal Survey (IDEALS) to examine differences between domestic and international students with regard to campus worldview climate perceptions, engagement in formal and informal interfaith opportunities, and changes in pluralism orientation during the first year of college. Contribution: This study advances our understanding of how international students perceive their campus worldview climates and how they engage in cross-worldview interactions. We offer these findings in hopes of providing an empirical roadmap for improving international students’ experiences with the worldview climate on campus, especially as internationalization strategies continue to grow and diversify our student populations. Findings: We found that international students do find their campuses less welcoming than their domestic peers. Additionally, international students reported engaging more often in formal cross-worldview interactions than their domestic peers. Recommendations for Practitioners: In light of these findings, we suggest three interfaith initiatives campuses can sponsor to better support their international students: 1) find a physical space for a multi-faith center and provide dedicated staff to support interfaith initiatives, 2) help faculty innovate their practice and the spaces they hold in the classroom to foster environments more inclusive of diverse worldviews, and 3) engage student affairs staff in reflection about their own worldviews and train them to create space for cross-worldview engagement among their students. Recommendation for Researchers: Our findings suggest that international students’ experiences of worldview climate differ from their domestic peers. Researchers should continue to explore worldview as a relevant component of the cross-cultural experience and design research that considers these divergent experiences. Impact on Society: Helping our students engage with diverse worldviews is imperative as part of higher education’s contribution to creating democratic societies across the globe. The results of this study point to ways administrators and campus leaders can align internationalization strategies with effective interfaith and worldview diversity practice. Future Research: Additional research efforts should focus on identifying components of the campus worldview climate international students are more likely to experience than their domestic peers. Also, researchers should consider how international students are exhibiting growth on outcomes like pluralism orientation in comparison to their domestic peers and how cross-worldview interactions affect this development.

International Students’ Social Outcomes, Educational Status, and Country of High School Graduation

2019 ◽  
Vol 23 (5) ◽  
pp. 589-606
Author(s):  
Nelson C. Brunsting ◽  
Megan Mischinski ◽  
Wenjin Wu ◽  
Tenisha Tevis ◽  
Risa Takeuchi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
High School ◽  
International Students ◽  
Graduate Students ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
International Student ◽  
Educational Status ◽  
The United States ◽  
Social Outcomes ◽  
Future Research

Despite the increase in methodological sophistication and complexity of models being tested for international student adjustment to universities in the United States (U.S.), researchers often do not test or control for salient demographic differences between students, including their educational status (i.e., graduate or undergraduate) and country in which they graduated high school. The current study was designed to examine whether demographic variables are associated with a range of social outcomes. Participants ( N = 245) from 23 U.S. colleges and universities completed a survey in Fall 2017. Undergraduate students reported having a higher number of close friends at their institution than did graduate students; however, they also reported a lower sense of belonging than did graduate students. Students who graduated from high school in the United States reported less social support from international students at university. Implications for students and for future research are provided.

scholarly journals The Synthesis and Future Directions of Empirical Research on International Students in the United States: The Insights from One Decade

2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Masha Krsmanovic
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
International Students ◽  
Empirical Research ◽  
International Student ◽  
The United States ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Future Directions ◽  
Academic Level ◽  
Research Questions ◽  
And Control

The purpose of this systematic review was to identify the trends in empirical research on international students in the United States produced between 2010 and 2019. After reviewing and synthesizing the characteristics of 334 research articles published over the past decade, the author identified the areas that have been overly researched and the domains that have not yet been adequately explored. The overall findings of this review indicated that recent scholarly efforts were not always aligned with the international student representation on U.S. campuses. Consequently, the author generated nine critical recommendations for future research in the field. The recommendations were produced and presented in the context of overly- and under-researched institutional sites (i.e. institutional type and control), international student populations (i.e. academic level, field of study, and country of origin), research methods employed, and research questions examined.

scholarly journals Navigating the First Year: Transition and Adjustment Experiences of International Students of Color at a Predominantly White Institution

2019 ◽  
Vol 26 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Christina W. Yao ◽  
Jennifer N. Rutt ◽  
Kaleb Briscoe ◽  
Alexandra Kirshenbaum ◽  
Matthew W. Knight ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
International Students ◽  
Students Of Color ◽  
International Student ◽  
Student Mobility ◽  
The United States ◽  
First Year ◽  
Political Issues ◽  
Predominantly White Institution ◽  
White Institution

International student mobility has been a highly discussed topic in higher education in the United States (U.S.). Yet current geo-political issues necessitate a re-examination of how international students, especially those who would be considered students of Color, are transitioning to U.S. higher education institutions. Findings from three interviews that spanned participants’ first year on campus include the importance of social interactions, challenges with academic adjustments, and navigating the effects of politics. Suggestions for student affairs practice are addressed, including pre-sojourn connections and peer engagement.

scholarly journals Socialization Experiences of First Year non-Western International Master’s Students at a Mid-Western University

2021 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. p39
Author(s):  
Emmanuel E. Akanwa
Keyword(s):  
Academic Success ◽  
International Students ◽  
Support Services ◽  
International Student ◽  
The United States ◽  
Social Experiences ◽  
First Year ◽  
Master's Students ◽  
Making Friends ◽  
United States Higher Education

As the international student population continues to increase in the United States’ higher education institutions, the need to explore the significance of socialization as a necessary predictor to academic success has become inevitable. While most studies on students’ socialization had investigated socialization experiences of students in general, there has been a paucity of research that specifically explored the socialization experiences of first-year international master’s degree students from non-Western countries. This study’s findings revealed respondents’ varying perspectives on adjustment, group support, social experiences, making friends, among other constructs, and implicated the need for more support services as well as the need for international students to take ownership of their socialization, determination, and persistence.

scholarly journals Comparison of First-Year International Students' Adjustment to College at the Undergraduate and Graduate Level

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 112-131
Author(s):  
Odunola Oyeniyi ◽  
Robert L Smith ◽  
Joshua C Watson ◽  
Kristina Nelson
Keyword(s):  
International Students ◽  
Acculturative Stress ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
The United States ◽  
Future Research ◽  
First Year ◽  
College Counselors ◽  
Adjustment To College ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Graduate International Students

Predictors of first-year undergraduate and graduate international students’ adjustment to college were examined using an online survey in 2019. The research sample consisted of 95 international students attending two universities in the United States. Findings showed a statistically significant difference between first-year graduate and undergraduate international students, as related to college adjustment. Further analysis discovered significant relationships among the predictor variables - resilience, relational skills, acculturative stress - and the criterion variable, which is adjustment to college, explaining 55% of the variance. Implications of findings for educators, college counselors, and college administrators, are provided, as well as directions for future research.

scholarly journals Why Japanese? Why Not Japanese?

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 1023-1039
Author(s):  
Jun Xu
Keyword(s):  
International Students ◽  
International Student ◽  
Chinese Students ◽  
Private University ◽  
The United States ◽  
Chinese Student ◽  
Chinese International Students ◽  
Japanese Language ◽  
First Year ◽  
Language Classes

As Chinese students have become a larger share of the international student population at U.S. universities, their participation in Japanese language classes has increased. However, Chinese student enrollment significantly decreases after the completion of the first Japanese class, and consequently, fewer Chinese students take intermediate or advanced level classes. This study examined the experiences of Chinese international students enrolled in Japanese classes as well as those who stopped taking Japanese after the first quarter or first-year class in a private university in the United States. We used semistructured interviews to investigate the reasons and goals of Chinese international students for studying the Japanese language, the successes or challenges both inside and outside of the Japanese classroom, and the reasons students continue or discontinue learning Japanese.

Improving the Student Experience: Learning From a Comparative Study of International Student Satisfaction

2018 ◽  
Vol 22 (4) ◽  
pp. 283-301 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ravichandran Ammigan ◽  
Elspeth Jones
Keyword(s):  
International Students ◽  
Student Satisfaction ◽  
International Student ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
The United States ◽  
Support Service ◽  
Future Research ◽  
University Administrators ◽  
Four Dimensions ◽  
University Experience

This article evaluates the degree to which international students are satisfied with different dimensions of their university experience, namely, their arrival, living, learning, and support service experiences. Using quantitative survey research methods based on data from the International Student Barometer (ISB), the study evaluates the experience of over 45,000 degree-seeking, undergraduate international students at 96 different institutions in Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Multiple regression analyses indicated that all four dimensions of satisfaction were positively associated with students’ overall university experience, and the article reveals which of the four is the most influential. To the authors’ knowledge, this study represents the first time that a comparative meta-analysis of ISB data across institutions in the three chosen countries has been undertaken. Key implications are discussed for how university administrators, practitioners, and researchers might best allocate resources to support and enhance the experience of international students, leading to more effective institutional recruitment and retention strategies. The study also offers a baseline for future research on international student satisfaction.

scholarly journals The Role of Integration in Understanding Differences in Satisfaction Among Chinese, Indian, and South Korean International Students

2019 ◽  
Vol 23 (5) ◽  
pp. 535-553
Author(s):  
Rachael H. Merola ◽  
Robert J. Coelen ◽  
W. H. A. Hofman
Keyword(s):  
International Students ◽  
Social Integration ◽  
International Student ◽  
The United States ◽  
Future Research ◽  
South Korean ◽  
Academic And Social Integration ◽  
The United Kingdom ◽  
Korean International Students

This study uses a quantitative approach drawing on data from the International Student Barometer ( N = 5,242) to investigate the relationship between integration, nationality, and self-reported satisfaction among Chinese, Indian, and South Korean undergraduate international students studying in the United Kingdom, the United States, and Australia. Results indicate that nationalities vary significantly in satisfaction levels, with Indian students more satisfied than Chinese or South Korean students. Furthermore, integration is predictive of satisfaction, and academic integration has a greater impact on satisfaction than does social integration. Compellingly, academic and social integration help explain the association between nationality and satisfaction. This study demonstrates that academic and social integration partly accounts for differences in satisfaction among nationalities, opening avenues for future research with practical implications for universities.

scholarly journals Understanding Indian International Student Experience in the United States

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 29-50
Author(s):  
Prashanti Chennamsetti ◽  
Krishna Bista
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
International Students ◽  
Ethnic Minority ◽  
International Student ◽  
Minority Student ◽  
The United States ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Individual Factors ◽  
Phenomenological Methodology ◽  
The U.S

Currently, over 196,271 Indian international students are attending American colleges and universities. These students, similar to other ethnic minority student populations, encounter various challenges while studying overseas. This article focuses on two central questions, (1) How do individual factors (e.g., personality traits) of Indian international students aid in their adjustment in the U.S? (2) Can these individual factors be acquired? Seven Indian international students currently studying in a U.S. university were interviewed. Data were analyzed using phenomenological methodology. The findings identified ten individual themes that aided in adjustment and reported how these factors can be acquired by adapting certain cognitive and behavioral aspects. This study reflects the limitations, implications, and future research.

scholarly journals Comparing International and American Students’ Challenges: A Literature Review

2016 ◽  
Vol 6 (3) ◽  
pp. 712-721
Author(s):  
Cody J. Perry
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
International Students ◽  
Literature Review ◽  
Cultural Awareness ◽  
International Student ◽  
The United States ◽  
Careful Examination ◽  
Future Research ◽  
American Students ◽  
American Economy

International student numbers have increased drastically in the past few years. International students provide benefits to universities and American students such as greater revenue, and more open-mindedness. There have been myriad studies that have examined the international student experience, but most have focused solely on international students. However, a careful examination of the current literature demonstrates that the presence of international students in the United States offers a variety of benefits to American students by improving cultural awareness, students’ self-evaluated skills, and even the American economy. This literature review highlights future research that should be performed as well as strategies that can be implemented by faculty and administration to help international students who are currently studying in the United States.

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