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Navigating A New Culture: Analyzing Variables That Influence Intensive English Program Students' Cultural Adjustment Process, Sherie Lyn Kwok

Theses and Dissertations

Research has documented cultural adjustment as an important issue influencing international students and other sojourners in their success abroad (Foster, 1962; Lysgaard, 1955; Oberg, 1960; Smalley, 1963). Few studies, however, have investigated particular variables influencing the cultural adjustment process of ESL learners enrolled in intensive English programs (IEPs). This mixed method study was designed to better understand the individual complexity of IEP learners' cultural adjustment by looking for patterns of variables that aid or hinder these students' experiences. Using the Culture Shock Questionnaire (CSQ), Index of Social Sojourners Support Survey (ISSS), and language-specific focus groups, this study investigated the individual …

A Study Of Factors Contributing To Acculturation Stress For International Graduate Students In A Small Non-Profit Graduate School, Nkenge Friday

Theses and Dissertations

The increase of international students studying in universities and colleges in the United States has led to the need for additional programming and resources on campuses that support the transitioning needs related to campus and community culture. Given the diverse cultural needs of international students and the metropolitan culture of Washington, DC, acculturation stress can be a common occurrence while attending the intensive graduate program.

In this study, international students attending a small graduate school in Washington, DC were interviewed while resources provided for transitioning and ongoing support for the students were examined. Factors related to areas of programming and …

The Effect Of Neighborhood Characteristics And Acculturation On Vegetable Intake Among U.S. Hispanics, Anna Victoria Mesa

Theses and Dissertations

The growing prevalence of chronic disease among the U.S. Hispanic population has drawn increasing attention to modifiable behaviors such as diet in an effort to curb the burden of disease among this population. While factors affecting dietary intake among U.S. Hispanics have been largely studied, this study broadens the scope of existing analyses from examining the role of individual-level factors, including acculturation, to also include environmental factors such as neighborhood ethnic composition. Multilevel mixed modeling was employed to test the interaction of individual acculturation with neighborhood ethnic composition to predict vegetable intake among a sample of U.S. Hispanics. Individuals who …

Coping, Meaning-Making And Well-Being Amongst Immigrants Of Non-European Descent, Jem Powell

Theses and Dissertations

This study examined experiences with immigration and being immigrants in the United States for 1 mother-daughter family unit. Given the challenges of navigating acculturation, this study aimed to broaden the scope of current research to understand linked individual and family experiences of immigration with an emphasis on resiliency and meaning-making. A qualitative research design was used to complete 1 family interview and 2 individual interviews of an immigrant family who had scored high on psychological wellbeing. The focus of this study was to illuminate ways that immigrants make meaning from and make sense of their immigration-related experience, as well as …