scholarly journals Integrating International Graduate Students on Campus: The Perspectives of Student Affairs Professionals

2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (Winter) ◽  
pp. 107-109
Author(s):  
RACHAL ETSHIM
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
International Students ◽  
Graduate Students ◽  
Student Affairs ◽  
International Education ◽  
Higher Education Institutions ◽  
Student Affairs Professionals ◽  
The United States ◽  
International Graduate Students ◽  
International Graduate

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.

scholarly journals Inside the International Student World

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 124-144
Author(s):  
Jean Kaya
Keyword(s):  
International Students ◽  
Graduate Students ◽  
International Education ◽  
Lived Experiences ◽  
International Student ◽  
The United States ◽  
Imagined Communities ◽  
International Graduate Students ◽  
International Graduate ◽  
Lower Case

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.

“It's Doable”: International Graduate Students’ Perceptions of Online Learning in the U.S. During the Pandemic

2021 ◽  
pp. 102831532110614
Author(s):  
Yesul Han ◽  
Yunjeong Chang ◽  
Erin Kearney
Keyword(s):  
Online Learning ◽  
Graduate Students ◽  
International Education ◽  
Online Teaching ◽  
Learning Experiences ◽  
The United States ◽  
International Graduate Students ◽  
Factors Affecting ◽  
International Graduate ◽  
Sudden Transition

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.

scholarly journals Issues of International Students’ Academic Adaptation in the ESL Writing Class: A Mixed-Methods Study

2016 ◽  
Vol 6 (4) ◽  
pp. 887-904
Author(s):  
Eunjeong Park
Keyword(s):  
International Students ◽  
Graduate Students ◽  
Social Impact ◽  
The United States ◽  
International Graduate Students ◽  
Esl Writing ◽  
Lexical Bundles ◽  
International Graduate ◽  
Academic Adaptation ◽  
Field Notes

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.

scholarly journals Challenges Facing Asian International Graduate Students in the US: Pedagogical Considerations in Higher Education

2014 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 16-33 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shu-Yuan Lin ◽  
Susan Day Scherz
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
United States ◽  
Graduate Students ◽  
Phenomenological Study ◽  
The United States ◽  
International Graduate Students ◽  
International Graduate ◽  
Conceptual Structures ◽  
English Speaking ◽  
Linguistic Challenges

Non-Native English Speaking (NNES) international students attending colleges and universities in the United States often encounter difficulties in adjusting to their new cultural environment. In addition, they often struggle with academic language while learning the content and conceptual structures of various graduate level disciplines. This phenomenological study identified cultural and linguistic challenges experienced by NNES Asian international graduate students at a mediumsized rural university in the northwestern United States. A pedagogical framework and recommendations for professional practice address the linguistic, cultural, and academic needs of this particular student population in higher education.

scholarly journals Duality of Persistence

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Vasundhara Kaul ◽  
Linda Renzulli
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
International Students ◽  
Graduate Students ◽  
Positive Influence ◽  
International Graduate Students ◽  
International Graduate ◽  
Social Belonging ◽  
Low Levels ◽  
University Level ◽  
The U.S

International students have been a growing presence in U.S. higher education institutions for over a decade. However, how feelings of belonging shape their adjustment to these institutions has only recently become a subject of inquiry. In particular, there has been limited examination of how university-level factors interact with feelings of belonging to shape the persistence of international students within the U.S. This research takes a step towards addressing this scholarship gap by examining how social and academic belonging interact with the presence of on-campus co-nationals in engendering aspirations to persist in the U.S. after graduation for international graduate students. We demonstrate the presence of, what we call, an academic enclave effect wherein large communities of co-nationals have a positive influence on the aspirations of international students with initial low levels of social belonging.

scholarly journals First Term Support for International Graduate Students Attending Small Colleges and Universities

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 527-538
Author(s):  
Mary Jo Shane ◽  
Loredana Carson ◽  
Diana Gloria Macri
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Academic Success ◽  
International Students ◽  
Graduate Students ◽  
Private University ◽  
The United States ◽  
Small Colleges ◽  
International Graduate Students ◽  
Political Climate ◽  
International Graduate

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.

Foreign-Born Student Affairs Professionals’ Impacts and Experiences: The Missing Piece of Internationalization

2021 ◽  
pp. 102831532110527
Author(s):  
Sanfeng Miao ◽  
Haishan (Sam) Yang
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Student Affairs ◽  
International Student ◽  
Higher Education Institutions ◽  
Student Affairs Professionals ◽  
The United States ◽  
Foreign Born ◽  
Domestic Students ◽  
Canadian Higher Education ◽  
International Engagement

This study examined lived experiences of foreign-born student affairs professionals (SAPs) in the United States and Canadian higher education. We sought to understand foreign-born SAPs’ impacts on higher education internationalization and what their professional experiences inferred about the level of international engagement in the field of student affairs. The findings from 35 completed interviews unveiled foreign-born SAPs’ enthusiasm and capacities in contributing to internationalization work, particularly in international student services and international and intercultural education for domestic students and peers. However, their rocky journeys to attain visas to enter and stay in the field of student affairs indicated their misplaced functionalities and signaled a missed opportunity for higher education institutions. It is recommended that higher education institutions recognize the importance of internationalizing the SAP and creating a welcoming and supportive environment to further their internationalization efforts.

scholarly journals Understanding the Mental and Physical Health Needs and Acculturation Processes of International Graduate Students in the United States

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (Fall) ◽  
pp. 10-17
Author(s):  
Mehrete Girmay
Keyword(s):  
International Students ◽  
Graduate Students ◽  
Physical Health ◽  
Graduate Student ◽  
The United States ◽  
Host Institution ◽  
International Graduate Students ◽  
International Graduate ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Mental And Physical Health

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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