Academic Achievement and Demographics of International Undergraduates

Are international undergraduates whose native language is not English less prepared to succeed academically at an American four-year institution after transferring from an American community college than ones who are first-time freshmen (NFRS) or exchange visitors (EAPR)? This question's answer was no at an American West Coast public university where five cohorts of international transfer undergraduates (TRAN) earned mean first-year grade point averages (GPA) between B- and B. Less than 12% of these students earned GPAs below C, and less than 15% were in bad academic standing (probation, subject to disqualification, or dismissed). In comparison, five parallel cohorts of NFRS and EAPR earned mean first-year GPAs averaging between B and B+ to A-. Less than 10% earned GPAs below C or were in bad academic standing. Thus, a minority of this university's international undergraduates struggled academically regardless of whether they were TRAN, NFRS, or EAPR.

Understanding Language Experiences of International ESL Students in U.S. Classrooms

The authors examine how international ESL (English as second language) students construct their experiences of learning and using English in the classrooms. Studying language experiences of international students is crucial to understanding the factors that may affect their academic performance and engagement in social activities in American universities. The focus group discussions revealed various issues and difficulties faced by international students. These challenges included comprehending and writing academic texts in subject areas, engaging in classroom discourse, and communicating with native speakers outside the classrooms. In addition, the focus group discussions revealed discrepancies between language criteria used in ESL and subject area courses. Findings indicate that the language development of international ESL students and their academic experiences are complex. This study calls for a comprehensive inquiry approach to offer more support and better services for international students' successful adaptation into American academic and social lives.

Globalization of Racism

International higher education literature often extols a great deal of intellectual diversity, cross-cultural learning opportunities, and revenue that international students from China, Japan, and Korea bring to the U.S. every year. However, little attention is paid to the racial stereotypes international students bring to the U.S., how this affects campus climate, and what can be done to encourage cross-cultural understanding. Forty-seven interviews with Chinese, Japanese, and Korean graduate and undergraduate international students were conducted at the University of California, Los Angeles, regarding these students' racial stereotypes and how contact with diverse others challenged or reinforced these stereotypes over time. Results indicated that a majority of students had racial hierarchies, which affected with whom they roomed, befriended, and dated. This research shows that there is a need for policy and programmatic changes at the college level that promote international and domestic student interaction.

Guest Students

Higher education institutions welcome international students because of their status as resources for fostering intercultural competencies among college students and because of financial benefits the institutions receive. The author in this ethnographic case study investigated the level of academic expectations undergraduate international students from Japan received from faculty members in a U.S. teacher education program. Findings reveal that the program's faculty members had low expectations of these international students. Their expectations were reflected in the participants' receiving good grades, praise, and advice which told them not to worry, but failed to address their academic weaknesses. It appears that the faculty members' niceness ironically contributed to a trajectory of academic inequity and produced negative educational outcomes.

Using Data Wisely to Improve International Student Satisfaction

With increasing interests in international student satisfaction and experience, international educators in pursuit of substantial campus changes should not overlook small pieces of data that can help carve substantial pathways to creating campus change. The purpose of this chapter is to showcase what data revealed about international student experiences and how the data were used to drive campus change within an institution. The authors highlight International Student Barometer (ISB) data collected from international undergraduate students at University of Minnesota-Twin Cities in 2013 regarding student satisfaction and their overall experience. Then, the authors discuss how multiple available sources of data are sought to compliment ISB data, and how ISB data have been used collaboratively to inform institutional practice and drive campus internationalization for all students.

Making Meaning of Race and Racialization in the Lives of Five International Graduate Students

The author examines the ways in which race and privilege operate on a global scale through the experiences of international students studying in the United States. Specifically, the researcher explores how meanings attached to terms such as “Black” and “White” shift but do not collapse when making sense of students' experiences with race and racial classification in both the U.S. and in the contexts of their home countries. The researcher provides insight into international students' experiences with and understandings of race in both their home countries and in the United States within the broader context of student mobility. Furthermore, student narratives promote an understanding of the ways in which race is socially constructed, historically constituted, and geographically situated. Finally, the study will reveal the dominance of a reductionist “Black and White” portrayal of race in U.S. racial discourse and the ways in which that discourse is damaging to international students.

Academic Motivation and Experiences of International Students of Color in STEM

This qualitative study draws upon self-determination theory and neo-racism to examine the academic experiences of international students of color in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) as they engage in U.S. college classrooms. The authors discuss how these students a) describe their academic motivation to achieve and b) perceive their own academic preparedness in relation to U.S. academic expectations. Findings demonstrate students were academically motivated most by their family, home country, and self-confidence in academic abilities. However, students also faced challenges in adjusting to the U.S. classroom climate and culture, specifically perceiving pressure that they needed to prove their academic ability to U.S. classmates.

High-Impact Educational Practices to Promote International Students' Engagement and Development

The purpose of this chapter was to investigate whether international students' participation in high-impact educational practices was associated with students' development of academic skills and academic engagement. Data from a multi-institutional survey of international students enrolled at 13 large, public research universities in 2013 were analyzed utilizing hierarchical multiple regression. Results suggest that participation in first-year seminars, learning communities, service-learning and community engagement, and common book reading programs are positively associated with international students' academic engagement and academic skills development. Enrollment in diversity-related courses was also associated with students' academic skills development while engagement in creative forms of scholarship was positively associated with academic engagement.

When in Rome

Mentoring for graduate teaching assistants (TAs) provides socialization within the higher educational system so that the TA can learn the expected benchmarks in knowledge and teaching. Furthermore, explicit mentoring approaches are significant for international teaching assistants who may not be familiar with methods and norms in American higher education. The authors in this article describe a qualitative study that examined how international teaching assistants viewed departmental mentoring strategies. After exploring various strategies of departmental mentoring and the ITAs' responses, the authors will conclude with general recommendations for effective mentoring strategies for international teaching assistants.

Addressing the Needs of F-2 Wives in the United States

The author analyzes the impact of current university regulations and policies on the everyday lives of wives of international students. The research process involved interviews with twenty-six women, located at two educational institutions, who came to the US on an F-2 visa (student dependent visa). It also included analysis of documents related to immigration policies and university regulations that had a direct impact on the experiences of wives of international students. The findings show that F-2 wives' adjustment experiences are strongly influenced by the level of institutional support provided by the university. The chapter concludes with recommendations for federal and university policies that create a welcoming environment for international students and their families.