scholarly journals Inside the International Student World

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 124-144
Author(s):  
Jean Kaya

Substantial research emphasizes recruitment and retention of international students over their lived experiences. This qualitative study employed a sociocultural lens to explore five international graduate students’ lived experiences in the United States and their postgraduation plans. Findings suggest that international graduate students navigate a World that encompasses individual worlds that revolve around challenges, opportunities, and imagined communities. I draw on Gee’s (2014) notion of capitalizing a word normally written in lower case to make clear two differing connotations of the word “world.” I discuss implications for higher education host institutions and their offices of international education.

2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (Winter) ◽  
pp. 107-109
Author(s):  
RACHAL ETSHIM

Higher education institutions in the United States (U.S.) recruit international students as part of their internationalization strategies. The overall number of international students enrolled in American universities and colleges between 2017 and 2018 increased by 1.5% compared to the previous year, totaling over 1 million international students (Institute of International Education 2018). Of this total, 382,983 are international graduate students. International graduate students are good resources for the internationalization and economy of higher education institutions in the U.S. (Urban and Palmer, 2014) and, despite the reduction in the number of visas approved and job prospects, their numbers continue to grow (Almurideef 2016; Killick 2015). These students come from different countries, have different cultural backgrounds and needs, and face different challenges that student affairs professionals at host institutions must address to integrate them into campus (Harper and Hurtado, 2007; Lee and Rice 2007). Moreover, the needs and challenges of international students differ depending on their level of studies, undergraduate vs. graduate (Rai 2002). While student affairs professionals are often the first contacts for all international students, and they play a key role in the integration and development of international graduate students on campus (Brandenburg 2016), most higher education institutions and their student affairs units today are not yet prepared to serve international graduate students (Arokiasamy 2011; Burdzinski 2014; Castellanos et al., 2007; Di Maria 2012; Moswela and Mukhopadhyay 2011; Yakaboski and Perozzi 2018). The purpose of this study is to understand the perspectives of student affairs professional about their role in integrating international graduate students into campus and the policies, services, programs, and other elements they consider most helpful in integrating these students.


2018 ◽  
Vol 2 (93) ◽  
pp. 11
Author(s):  
Rajika Bhandari

In light of current developments in in-bound international student flows to the U.S., this articleuses multiple recent data sources to examine the appeal of the U.S. as a destination forinternational graduate students, as well as the current status of international graduate enrollmentin the U.S.


2021 ◽  
pp. 102831532110614
Author(s):  
Yesul Han ◽  
Yunjeong Chang ◽  
Erin Kearney

This study aims to understand the learning experiences and challenges of international students enrolled in Master's and PhD programs in various institutions who were forced to transition to online learning during the pandemic. In particular, the study explores the experiences and perceptions of seven non-native English-speaking international graduate students who came from six different countries and studied at different schools of education through phenomenological interviews. Analysis yields insight into these students’ online learning experiences and identifies factors which contributed to the mixed quality of these learning experiences. Overall, students tried to adapt to the “new normal,” while enduring learning and emotional challenges due to the harsh conditions of the pandemic in the United States and their home countries. Instructors’ readiness for online teaching as well as the extra support provided to help students cope with the sudden transition in the learning environment were particularly important factors affecting the students’ learning experiences. Our findings lead us to several recommendations for practice within graduate-level online learning environments and suggestions for further research, as well as broader considerations of what broader implications the case suggests for international education in light of digitalization.


2016 ◽  
Vol 6 (4) ◽  
pp. 887-904
Author(s):  
Eunjeong Park

Despite the contribution to economic and social impact on the institutions in the United States, international students’ academic adaptation has been always challenging. The study investigated international graduate students’ academic adaptation scales via a survey questionnaire and explored how international students are academically adapted in the U.S. college setting through qualitative research with class observations, field notes, and semistructured interviews. In addition, the use of lexical bundles was examined as one of the academic literacy adaptation indicators. The quantitative and qualitative results revealed international graduate students’ academic adaptation in different angles. The implications of the findings are discussed.


2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 527-538
Author(s):  
Mary Jo Shane ◽  
Loredana Carson ◽  
Diana Gloria Macri

The recruitment and retention of international students in academic institutions in the United States has become more complicated and more competitive than ever before given the current political climate and governmental policies. This article discusses some of the specific challenges international students face and what a small- to medium-sized private university has put in place to attract these students and to better prepare them for graduate level management courses starting their first term. This example introduces an 11-week foundations course along with additional resources designed to provide knowledge, instruction, and practice in skills and behaviors crucial for academic success within the United States.


2018 ◽  
pp. 11-12
Author(s):  
Rajika Bhandari

In light of current developments in in-bound international student flows to the U.S., this articleuses multiple recent data sources to examine the appeal of the U.S. as a destination forinternational graduate students, as well as the current status of international graduate enrollmentin the U.S.


2017 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
pp. 71-82 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emily J. Bonistall Postel

Despite the growing trend on college campuses to increase their international student body, this population is largely left out of research due to the complexity they bring to the research process compared to their domestic counterparts. This is particularly true for the existing research on campus sexual violence; thus, there is no research-based indication that international students, let alone international graduate students, would face victimization risks on campus in the same way the extant literature identifies for domestic undergraduates. The existing research on international students indicates that their experiences are different than their domestic counterparts, and the sparse literature on graduate students indicates their experiences are different from their undergraduate counterparts. A specific focus on the intersection of these two identities, international graduate students, is almost completely absent from the literature. This research review highlights key research that provides foundational knowledge for the experience of international students and international graduate students with regard to their vulnerability to sexual violence. The author organizes the extant literature into three major areas that inform the overarching research topic: (1) international student experiences, (2) victimization, and (3) campus culture. Basic findings indicate that there are limitations in extrapolating previous research findings on campus sexual violence to this population, calling for a need to focus specifically and intentionally on this population of students. The objective of this article is to review the current state of knowledge about the risk and vulnerability of international students to sexual violence and victimization and to address the directions for future research.


2015 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 51-65 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karen Danylchuk ◽  
Robert Baker ◽  
Brenda Pitts ◽  
James Zhang

This study examined the perspectives of sport management academicians regarding their experiences supervising international graduate students. Fifteen experts were interviewed and provided their perspectives on practices used in international student involvement—specifically, student identification, recruitment, acceptance, orientation, progress, and retention, and the inherent challenges and benefits. The primary challenges cited by the majority of participants were language and cultural differences in learning; however, all participants concurred that the benefits of supervising international students far outweighed the challenges. These benefits included, but were not limited to, bringing international and global perspectives into the learning environment, which was positive for both students and professors. Findings from this study may provide program administration with insights on key factors affecting the quality of delivery of sport management education to international students. Consequently, high-quality programs can be developed to meet the needs of students from diverse cultural and educational backgrounds.


2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (Fall) ◽  
pp. 10-17
Author(s):  
Mehrete Girmay

The international graduate student population is a unique one that has specific needs that differ from that of domestic students and other acculturating groups. International graduate students face social, financial, and other stressors rooted in language proficiency while dealing with academic performance demands that accompany being a graduate student (Sullivan & Kashubeck-West, 2015). Furthermore, many international students studying at American universities tend to experience severe adjustment challenges dealing with the unfamiliarity of American customs and traditions in addition to the lack of emotional and social support on behalf of the host university. The goals of this qualitative, narrative case study were to explore the needs of international graduate students in regards to their adjustment and whether the needs of this population are being met by the host institution, Southern Illinois University Carbondale (SIUC). The results of this study indicated that there is a concrete need for University staff to be trained on cultural competency, health literacy, and xenophobia as they seek to meet the potential needs of their visiting international students. Additionally, health and wellness resources offered through the University should be improved in order to be more comprehensively advertised and promoted on campus and within the surrounding community. The study yields results that crystallizes the impact that poor acculturation can have on the student’s mental and physical health, and how bridges between the international and non-international communities can be built and more importantly sustained, thus resulting in a more inclusive environment.


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