Unpacking the monolith

2019 ◽  
Vol 39 (9/10) ◽  
pp. 661-679 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael A. Miner
Keyword(s):  
Gender Differences ◽  
International Students ◽  
Graduate Students ◽  
Multinomial Logistic Regression ◽  
Full Range ◽  
Stem Fields ◽  
Graduate Level ◽  
Citizenship Status ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Usa

Purpose The term STEM often remains an undifferentiated category, especially at the graduate level. Conceptualizing STEM as a monolithic category, rather than as a combination of distinct fields, prevents researchers from understanding and documenting the full range of persistent inequality within scientific disciplines at the graduate level and throughout the lifespan. The purpose of this paper is to address two oversights prior to degree completion within the context of the USA by asking two specific questions: To what extent is gender associated with choice of discipline within STEM graduate education? In the USA, do gender differences in STEM fields depend on citizenship status? Design/methodology/approach Using data from the 2015 International STEM Graduate Student in the US Survey, this study employs multinomial logistic regression analyses and presents predicted probabilities to assess differences of enrollment in STEM fields by gender and citizenship status. Findings Results show that domestic women were less likely to enroll in computer sciences and engineering when compared to domestic men. However, in contrast to domestic students, there were no gender differences among international students’ enrollment in engineering. Research limitations/implications This paper shows the importance and complexity of how gender intersects with citizenship status in enrollment patterns in STEM graduate fields. The survey included the top 10 universities in the USA based on the total enrollment of international students, and it is unclear if there exists differences in these selected students and schools when compared to students at colleges and universities that enroll less international graduate students. Originality/value The author makes the case to disaggregate STEM to better assess how specific fields can be modified to attract graduate students worldwide. This paper accentuates the significance of gender and citizenship status for understanding differences in choice of discipline among graduate students in STEM.

Internet use by international graduate students in the USA seeking health information

2014 ◽  
Vol 66 (2) ◽  
pp. 117-133 ◽  
Author(s):  
JungWon Yoon ◽  
Soojung Kim
Keyword(s):  
International Students ◽  
Graduate Students ◽  
Health Information ◽  
Information Seeking ◽  
Internet Use ◽  
Medical Information ◽  
Content Type ◽  
International Graduate ◽  
The Usa ◽  
Health Information Sources

Purpose – Considering that the internet is a useful source for health information, especially by foreign-born students, this exploratory study aimed to investigate international graduate students' internet use in the context of seeking health information. Design/methodology/approach – Data were collected from 54 Korean graduate students in the USA using a survey questionnaire. Quantitative analysis using SPSS was conducted to describe Korean graduate students' internet use for seeking health information and to identify factors that possibly influence their health-information seeking activities. Findings – The survey participants preferred Korean resources because of language problems and the internet was the primary source. They reported difficulties in identifying appropriate health information sources and understanding medical information. They often sought online health information to solve their or their family's current health problems and consequently, personal relevance was regarded as an important evaluation criterion, as was accuracy. Research limitations/implications – By looking at an understudied user group, this study leads to a better understanding of the patterns of internet use for seeking health information among a specific ethnic group. The findings of this study demonstrate the needs of health education materials and guidelines that introduce credible health information sources and medical information for Korean graduate students and their families. Originality/value – Despite the increasing number of international students in the USA, there is a lack of research on the health information-seeking behavior of international students. The findings of this study will help health education specialists and health information professionals provide international students with necessary health information.

The role of demographic factors of international students on teaching preferences

2016 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 53-71
Author(s):  
Pramila Rao
Keyword(s):  
International Students ◽  
Teaching Methods ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Demographic Factors ◽  
Demographic Variables ◽  
Eastern Region ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Usa ◽  
Teaching Preferences ◽  
One Way Anova

Purpose This empirical research was conducted in a medium-sized private university located in the north-eastern region of the USA. The purpose of this paper was to understand whether demographic attributes (age, gender, country of origin and years of stay in the USA) of international students will predict any preferences for specific teaching methods. This study was conducted with international students from October 2012 through May 2013 (fall and spring semesters). Design/methodology/approach This research paper provides hypotheses to explore whether there is any relationship between demographic factors and preferences for various teaching methods. This study analyzes the results using both Pearson’s correlations and one-way ANOVA to reject or accept the hypotheses. Findings The results demonstrated that there were no significant correlations between the demographic variables of international students and teaching methods. However, the one-way ANOVA analyses suggested that there are differences among age groups and their preferences for group projects, years of studying in the USA and their preferences for classroom discussions, and gender and their preferences for textbook assignments. Practical implications This study suggests that scholars provide orientation or training on the host country’s pedagogies so that international students can assimilate better into their academic communities. Originality/value This pioneering paper examines the role between demographic variables of international students and teaching pedagogies. This specific concept has not been examined in this literature before. This understanding could contribute to a richer understanding of this population of students.

Gender differences in academic entrepreneurship: experience, attitudes and outcomes among NSF I-CORPS participants

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Alanna Epstein ◽  
Nathalie Duval-Couetil ◽  
Aileen Huang-Saad
Keyword(s):  
Gender Differences ◽  
Graduate Students ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Prior Experience ◽  
Entrepreneurial Intention ◽  
The United States ◽  
Technology Commercialization ◽  
Chi Square ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Team Interactions

PurposeExpanding access to entrepreneurship training programs can be a method to increase female involvement in technology commercialization only if these programs adequately address the specific challenges facing female faculty and graduate students. In the context of the US National Science Foundation's Innovation Corps (NSF I-Corps) program, this study examines gender differences in prior experience and attitudes towards the training in order to propose improvements to the program design.Design/methodology/approachThis quantitative study uses Pearson's Chi-Square and ANOVA tests on survey data from the I-Corps national program (n = 2,195), which enrolls faculty members, graduate students, postdoctoral researchers and industry experts.FindingsIn comparison to male participants, female I-Corps participants reported less entrepreneurial experience prior to the program, poorer team relationships during the program and lower entrepreneurial intention and technology commercialization readiness at both the beginning and the end of the program. However, no gender differences were found in positive or negative perceptions of the instructional climate or perceptions of program usefulness.Originality/valueThis study is unique as it is based on a large-scale dataset drawn from sites across the United States. The results support potential changes to I-Corps and similar programs, including providing more explicit instructions for tasks with which female participants have less prior experience than males (e.g. in applying for patents), offering guidance for team interactions, and providing mentorship to assess whether low self-efficacy is leading women to underestimate the potential success of their projects.

Gender-based perception of civil engineering and construction students towards infrastructure and community resilience

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Saeed Rokooei ◽  
Farshid Vahedifard ◽  
Solomon Belay
Keyword(s):  
Gender Differences ◽  
Natural Hazards ◽  
Evaluation Model ◽  
Community Resilience ◽  
Female Students ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Status ◽  
The Usa ◽  
Gender Based ◽  
Civil Engineers

Purpose The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of gender differences in the perception of civil engineers and construction (CEC) students toward resilience to natural hazards and extreme events in a changing climate. This study also explores to what extent CEC students perceive the status of the US infrastructure systems similar to an external evaluation model (i.e. American Society of Civil Engineers Infrastructure Report Card). Design/methodology/approach An empirical study was conducted to examine the perception of resilience among 103 females and 279 male CEC students from 15 universities across the USA. The obtained data were quantified, and different statistical methods were used to explore the similarities and differences in the gender group responses. Findings The results indicated a significant mean difference (disagreement) between male and female groups in the importance of community resilience, management and handling of natural hazards. In addition, while there was no meaningful difference between female and male students in their content knowledge, female students showed a more accurate perception about impacting factors involved. Originality/value The findings of this study offer new insight into the impacts of gender differences in the perception of resilience, which can be used to enhance the educational experience of CEC female students in areas related to community and infrastructure resilience.

International student perceptions of experience in the West

2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 147-166 ◽  
Author(s):  
F. Robert Buchanan
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
International Students ◽  
Student Perceptions ◽  
Foreign Students ◽  
International Student ◽  
Emerging Market ◽  
American Business ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Usa

Purpose The purpose of this exploratory study is an examination of some perceptions of US education, as experienced by foreign MBA students. Design/methodology/approach A longitudinal field study captured perceptions of a group of 51 international students over a one-year interval. The first anticipatory survey was done in India, and the follow-up was made in the USA at the end of a foreign sojourn semester. Inter-item correlations and t-tests were used to examine variance in student perceptions, highlighted by qualitative elements. Findings In general, the students went home, less impressed than they had expected to be in terms of the perceived general quality of the American business education, as well as their abilities to make friends with the local people. Additionally, the observed preparation of the American students for master’s studies was not nearly as high as the foreign students had anticipated. Research limitations/implications Results are not generalizable to broad populations, as the sample was small and localized. Social implications Emerging markets are successfully luring locals and sojourners based on cost and proximity as they achieve greater legitimacy in their institutional credentials. This could challenge the preeminence of Western higher education, especially in light of concerns arising from marketization and rigor. Meanwhile, developed market institutions need to be strategically mindful of their international guests as a resource rather than a commodity. Originality/value Extant internationalization studies tend to focus on administrative viewpoints, whereas this research examines the perspective of international students, which may be indicative of lessening gaps between perceptions of quality of developed and emerging market higher education.

International students’ academic satisfaction and turnover intentions

2019 ◽  
Vol 27 (4) ◽  
pp. 533-548 ◽  
Author(s):  
Neena Gopalan ◽  
Nicholas J. Beutell ◽  
Wendy Middlemiss
Keyword(s):  
Academic Success ◽  
International Students ◽  
Self Efficacy ◽  
Turnover Intentions ◽  
Cultural Adjustment ◽  
Ecological Systems ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Academic Satisfaction ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Usa

Purpose This study aims to investigate international students’ cultural adjustment, academic satisfaction and turnover intentions using ecological systems perspective and explores factors that affect academic success and turnover by exploring three stages: arrival, adjustment and adaptation. Design/methodology/approach The sample consists of 208 international students enrolled at a mid-Western university in the USA. Confirmatory factor analysis, structural equation modeling and mediational analyses were used to test hypotheses. Findings Findings indicate that self-efficacy, as a pre-sojourn characteristic, affects adjustment variables inclusive of cultural adjustment, affecting academic satisfaction and turnover intentions. Adjustment variables (coping, cultural adjustment and organizational support) mediated relationships between self-efficacy and turnover intentions. Research limitations/implications The proposed model moves the research forward by examining an ecological systems framework describing how individual, social, academic, cultural and institutional factors function in supporting international students’ transitions. Results may be generalizable to other large US universities with varying dynamics and resources available (or not) for international students. Originality/value Given the challenges international students face in the USA in adapting to both new culture and academic setting, it is imperative to identify what elements of their transition and academic environment predict academic success. This is one of the first studies testing the propositions derived from Schartner and Young’s (2016) model.

Chinese international students and American domestic students’ intercultural communication in response to group criticism: collective face and discomfort feelings

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yi Zhu ◽  
Mary Jiang Bresnahan
Keyword(s):  
International Students ◽  
Intercultural Communication ◽  
Chinese International Students ◽  
Analysis Of Covariance ◽  
Country Image ◽  
Domestic Students ◽  
Content Type ◽  
American Students ◽  
The Usa ◽  
Face Concern

Purpose Group criticism plays an important role in intergroup relations and conflicts, but few studies have related group criticism to intercultural communication contexts. This study aims to explore two cultural groups’ (Chinese international students in the USA and American domestic students) collective face concern as a unique experience in intercultural communication and other psychological responses while encountering group criticism targeting their country image. Design/methodology/approach A laboratory experiment was conducted assessing Chinese international students (n = 115) and American domestic students’ (n = 100) responses to a research-confederate critic (whose group membership was manipulated) criticizing participants’ country image such as blaming China and the USA for air pollution or using drugs in the Olympics. analysis of covariance, correlational analysis and regression analysis were adopted to analyze the data. Findings Chinese international students reported higher collective face concerns and lower liking toward the critic compared with American students. When criticism specifically targeted participants’ country image, Chinese international students reported more discomfort feelings than American students; and while responding to the critic who identified as participants’ ingroup member, Chinese international students’ discomfort feelings were more susceptible to their collective face than American students in the same condition. Originality/value This study illustrates cultural differences in collective face concerns and psychological reactions in responding to criticism targeting a country image in intercultural communication contexts.

The Australian doctorate curriculum: responding to the needs of Asian candidates

2015 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 165-182 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarojni Choy ◽  
Minglin Li ◽  
Parlo Singh
Keyword(s):  
International Students ◽  
Graduate Students ◽  
International Research ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Developmental Experiences ◽  
Growing Body ◽  
Research Curriculum ◽  
Current Curriculum ◽  
Australian Universities

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to present a case for appraisal of the current curriculum provisions for international students. In this paper, the authors summarise the key challenges of Asian international research graduate students pursuing doctorate studies in Australian universities to become researchers for the global communities. The intention is to advocate further research on current higher degree research curriculum with a view to enriching the developmental experiences of international research graduate students in preparation for global practice. Design/methodology/approach – This is an analytical paper that adopts a conceptual and rhetorical approach. Findings – The authors review a growing body of research on higher degree research studies and establish a need for appraisal of current curriculum provisions. Originality/value – This is the first paper to concentrate on an emerging need to appraise current higher degree research curriculum provisions to enhance the development international research graduate students for global practices.

scholarly journals Beyond survey measures: exploring international male graduate students’ sense of belonging in electrical engineering

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Anthony Lising Antonio ◽  
Chanwoong Baek
Keyword(s):  
International Students ◽  
Graduate Students ◽  
Doctoral Students ◽  
Sense Of Belonging ◽  
Research University ◽  
Academic Motivation ◽  
Electrical Engineering ◽  
International Graduate Students ◽  
Content Type ◽  
International Graduate

Purpose Although a student’s sense of belonging is a key factor of persistence in higher education, research on international students’ belonging tends to rely on domain-agnostic survey measures and promote interpretations that focus mainly on social integration and adjustment. This paper aims to examine how male international graduate students in engineering understand and describe their sense of belonging and how they perceive its development at their institution. Design/methodology/approach The authors conducted in-depth interviews with 12 male electrical engineering doctoral students at a selective research university in the USA. This interpretive approach allowed students to articulate their subjective understanding of belonging within a specific disciplinary context. Findings Contrary to the broad notion that the social domain is the primary locus of students’ sense of belonging, participants emphasized the academic domain when referring to their struggles with, and attempts to develop, a sense of belonging. Results suggest that the meritocratic culture of engineering education may influence students to prioritize the academic domain when conceptualizing and developing their belonging. Moreover, the strong academic motivation endemic to international students pursuing graduate education at a top American research university intensified this mechanism. Originality/value This study argues that universities seeking to enhance international graduate students’ sense of belonging can be more intentional in providing opportunities for students to establish positive academic identities. Furthermore, addressing students’ non-academic identity and marginalization as relevant and essential topics in engineering will expand their understanding of what means to belong.

Graduate students’ agency and resistance after oppressive experiences

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 57-71 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rosemary J. Perez ◽  
L. Wesley Harris, Jr ◽  
Claire K. Robbins ◽  
Cheryl Montgomery
Keyword(s):  
Graduate Students ◽  
Graduate Education ◽  
Graduate School ◽  
Visual Methods ◽  
Self Advocacy ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Socially Constructed ◽  
Socialization Processes ◽  
The Usa ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose The purpose of this study was to explore how graduate students demonstrated agency after having oppressive or invalidating experiences based on their socially constructed identities during graduate school and the effects of leveraging agency. Design/methodology/approach This study used critical constructivist qualitative methods (i.e. interviews and visual methods) to explore how 44 graduate students across an array of disciplines and fields at two public research institutions in the USA demonstrated agency after having oppressive or invalidating experiences targeting one or more of their socially constructed identities. Findings In response to oppressive or invalidating experiences related to their socially constructed identity, participants engaged in self-advocacy, sought/created support via community, conserved their psychological and emotional energy and constructed space for identity-conscious scholarship and practice. Although participants leveraged their agency, the strategies they used were often geared toward surviving environments that were not designed to affirm their identities or support their success. Research limitations/implications This study highlights the need for additional research to complicate educators’ understandings of how graduate students respond to oppressive or invalidating experiences and the nature of bi-directional socialization processes. Practical implications The findings of this study reinforce the need to foster equitable and inclusive graduate education experiences where students may use their agency to thrive rather than to survive. Originality/value Few studies examine graduate students’ agency during their socialization to their disciplines and fields. This study adds complexity to researchers’ understandings of bi-directional socialization processes in the context of graduate education.

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