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

Author(s):  
Christina W. Yao ◽  
Jennifer N. Rutt ◽  
Kaleb Briscoe ◽  
Alexandra Kirshenbaum ◽  
Matthew W. Knight ◽  
...  

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.

2020 ◽  
Vol 0 (0) ◽  
Author(s):  
Clarisse Halpern ◽  
Hasan Aydin

AbstractYearly, thousands of international students seek the United States to further their education, bringing cultural and financial capital into the country. Though previous studies have examined international students’ experiences adapting to the receiving country, research is needed to investigate their lived experiences in a predominantly White institution (PWI). Thus, a narrative inquiry was applied to explore international students’ life stories at a PWI in Southwest Florida. Data collection comprised in-depth individual interviews with 12 participants that resulted in four themes: multiracial identities, otherness, self-representation in the dominant society, and perceptions of the dominant culture. The narratives revealed challenges related to isolation, segregation, and feelings of inferiority, contributing to understanding the value of diversity and global education in higher education. Recommendations are included to better serve international students in higher education institutions.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kaleb L. Briscoe ◽  
Christina Yao ◽  
Evangela Oates ◽  
Jennifer N. Rutt ◽  
Kathleen Buell

Establishing social networks can be extremely challenging when international students, particularly those of Color, move to a new academic and social environment. We examined first-year international students of Color perceptions of their social networks and how these networks affect their experiences at a predominantly White institution (PWI). This study illuminated participants' relationships with U.S. domestic students and the power of language, culture, and shared experiences through a longitudinal narrative inquiry. Implications for practice and recommendations for future research are described in-depth for practitioners.


Author(s):  
Rashim Wadhwa

International student mobility is the core element of the internationalization of higher education. In recent years, a significant change has been observed in the outlook of individuals which is giving a boost to this phenomenon. Within this context, the present chapter analyzed the phenomenon of international student mobility through different approaches by providing critical outlook. An attempt has been made to list the important determinants which influence the decision-making process of international students.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Muhammad Sharif Uddin

Andrade and James Hartshorn (2019) surrounds the transition that international students encounter when they attend universities in developed countries in pursuit of higher education. Andrade and James Hartshorn (2019) describe how some countries like Australia and the United Kingdom host more international students than the United States (U.S.) and provides some guidelines for the U.S. higher education institutions to follow to host more international students. This book contains seven chapters.


2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (Winter) ◽  
pp. 18-24
Author(s):  
Anduena Ballo ◽  
Charles Mathies ◽  
Leasa Weimer

Student development theories (SDT) focus on the growth and change occurring in students while attending higher education. In this article, we propose that the application of student development theories supports holistic development in international students and helps us understand international students’ academic success and integration. We outline a combination of student development models, derived from SDT, and interact them with concepts from international student mobility and migration (ISM). These models, when applied to student services, may assist higher education institutions (HEIs) in designing student services for international students enhancing academic success and integration.


2019 ◽  
pp. 102831531986136
Author(s):  
Tiago Bittencourt ◽  
Christopher Johnstone ◽  
Millicent Adjei ◽  
Laura Seithers

Student mobility has become a key feature in the drive toward internationalization of higher education in the United States. International students contribute to the academic culture of universities, yet, often face isolation, discrimination, and experience difficulties transitioning to new environments. As a result, conational networks have formed to provide support to international students in foreign institutions. This article examines the different ways membership in a conational support group mediated international students’ experiences in a university campus. Contrary to theories that suggest insularity such as fortressing and cultural enclaves, our findings suggest that conational groups are sites of creative potential where group members are consistently forging complex assemblages between norms that are familiar and experiences that are new. Although significant personal transformations ensue as a result of these assemblages, they are occurring in a setting and a pace that is determined by group members and perceived to be safe. We argue that conational groups should not be conceived as static spaces that reproduce cultural norms, but rather as sites of contestation and cultural negotiation. Based on these findings, we question whether “integration” should be a guiding institutional logic for international student engagement, suggesting instead an approach based on the concept of “inclusion.”


2015 ◽  
pp. 13-15 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christine Farrugia ◽  
Ashley Villarreal

The number of globally mobile students has nearly doubled over the past ten years, from 2.1 million students in 2001 to 4.1 million students in 2011. According to Open Doors 2012: Report on International Educational Exchange, the U.S. hosted 764,795 international students in 2011/12, an increase of 3.7 percent from the previous year. International students in the U.S. now make up 19 percent of the world's globally mobile students, and as university campus enrollments grow, so does the proportion of students enrolling in them from abroad. The number of U.S. students studying abroad reached 273,996 in 2010/11, an increase of 1.3 percent over the prior year and an increase of 78 percent over the past ten years.


2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 546-548
Author(s):  
Jing Yu

The Geographies of International Student Mobility: Spaces, Places and Decision-Making is a timely volume offering distinctive and critical insights into the geographical dimensions of international student mobilities. After the 2016 United Kingdom referendum to leave the European Union, and in the same year, the election of Donald Trump as the President of the United States, both countries faced the rise of conservative populism and sociopolitical upheavals. Brexit and Trumpism have been reshaping the politics of Western democracies in a more nationalistic and nativist way. This anti-immigration macro-level trend actually has ramifications for the internationalization processes of UK higher education. 


2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. iii-v
Author(s):  
Rahul Choudaha

Affordability to study overseas has always been one of the biggest challenges for most aspiring international students. However, in a postrecession environment, this challenge has become more intense for a range of reasons, including budget cuts, demographic changes, economic shifts, and immigration policies. Many universities, especially in high-income countries, are at risk of pricing themselves out of reach to a large segment of international students. THE DEEPENING AFFORDABILITY CRISIS Consider the case of the United States, where an increase in direct cost due to a combination of two factors—tuition fees escalation and currency devaluation—is a big blow to affordability. In 2018–2019, the average out-of-state tuition and fees and room and board at a public 4-year institution was $37,430 as compared to $32,762 in 2014–2015—an increase of 14% (College Board, 2018). At the same time, currencies in some of the key emerging countries have devalued against the U.S. dollar. For example, between August 2014 and August 2018, the Indian currency has depreciated by over 20%. The net effect is that for an Indian undergraduate student, the cost of attendance in 2018–2019 increased by at least 30% as compared to 2014–2015. In addition to increasing direct cost, lower availability of funding opportunities from universities and governments, as well as tighter immigration and visa policies for finding work opportunities, is making it harder to recover the cost of education. The trend of higher tuition fees for international students is not just in the United States and other leading English-speaking destinations. Even countries in continental Europe have started introducing tuition fees for international students. For example, Denmark (in 2006) and Sweden (in 2011) introduced tuition fees for international students from outside the European economic area (Marconi & Serra, 2017).   THE INCREASING DEMAND FOR “VALUE FOR MONEY” The future competitiveness of higher education institutions and nations in attracting international students hinges on their ability to demonstrate “value for money,” could be defined as the “reasonableness of cost of something in view of its perceived quality”. In other words, the increase in the cost side of the equation demands that institutions and policymakers must do more to balance by offering more benefits in terms of better experiences on- and off-campus, especially in terms of career outcomes. Institutions must do more to reinvest part of the additional tuition fees back into enhancing outreach, offering scholarships, supporting student success, and widening access to students who may be unable to afford to study abroad. For many students who get priced out of reach to study in high-income countries, emerging destinations such as China offer new hope to gain global experience at an affordable price. A prime example of this scenario is the rise of students from low-income countries. For instance, in 2018, one out of six international students in China was from Africa (Ministry of Education, 2018). This potential of China as a destination for international students is not only because of affordability factors in leading destinations, but also because of proactive national policies in China such as the Belt and Road Initiative, and Double-First Class, which are mutually reinforcing each other. SHAPING THE RESEARCH AGENDA We are heading toward a future scenario where global learning experiences will be out of the reach of many aspiring international students. This is a wake-up call to action for researchers, policymakers, practitioners, and leaders to focus on finding solutions to this affordability crisis, which threatens the future of international student mobility. The Journal of International Students plays an indispensable role in not only shaping the research agenda to raise awareness about the affordability crisis but also in providing evidence for potential solutions. On this important milestone of the 10th anniversary for the Journal, I encourage scholars to consider the role of affordability challenges and its various implications and dimensions. In conclusion, we have an opportunity and a responsibility to reflect and plan a future research agenda that ensures the sustainability of international student mobility and enhances the diversity and inclusion of international students.


2012 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 128
Author(s):  
Darla Fletcher

In the context of internationalization and globalization of higher education, Kemal Gürüz’s book, Higher Education and International Student Mobility in the Global Knowledge Economy, explores contributions made by international students and scholars in higher education from a historical perspective. A native of Turkey, Gürüz studied and worked for a while at Harvard University and the State University of New York in the United States. He presents the international mobility of students and scholars with in-depth historical, cultural and socio-economical perspectives. Gürüz highlights global knowledge economy, institutional patterns of higher education, enrollments, governance, and recent changes in higher education of several countries in this book.


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