Education Commons^™

Unfamiliar Territory: A Preliminary Exploration Of The Experiences Of International Junior Transfer Students, Nicole Mcintyre

Master's Theses

Over one million international students attend American institutions of higher education each year. For many of these students, community colleges are an accessible and increasingly popular enrollment option because they offer small class sizes, intensive English language courses, and affordable tuition costs. Many international students enrolled in community college seek to transfer to a four-year university and complete a Bachelor’s degree. To date, the experiences of international students who successfully complete this transfer pathway have gone largely unstudied. As a result, very little is known about the international junior transfer population. This qualitative study utilizes a phenomenology methodology to explore …

Successful Models For Enhancing International Students’ Academic Success: Research And Recommendations, Joan Sweeney-Marsh, Kathleen Oakey

Publications and Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Understanding The Lived Experiences Of Saudi Students Enrolled In Canadian Graduate Nursing Programs, Aisha Namshan Aldawsari

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Despite the increased number of students in the field of nursing, there is a great shortage of Saudi nurses in Saudi Arabia (SA). Cultural issues in SA have influenced the development of the nursing profession. For instance, it is not culturally acceptable for female nurses or nursing students to work for long hours and night shifts in a mixed-gender practice environment in SA. Thus, a large proportion of nursing students tend to look for positions other than working in hospital settings upon completion of their undergraduate degree. Pursuing graduate nursing education overseas is also viewed as a viable option. To …

Examining The Impact Of Australia Awards Around The World, Daniel Edwards

International Developments

ACER is evaluating the long-term contributions of Australia Awards alumni through the Global Tracer Facility funded by the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT). Dan Edwards reports.

Blogging In A Study Abroad Class To Promote Active Learning And Student Engagement, Ann Marie Francis

Journal of Global Initiatives: Policy, Pedagogy, Perspective

Blogs have become a popular tool to improve learning and enhance student engagement. The process of creating information when writing a blog and reflecting on others’ ideas when commenting work together to help students engage in reflective learning. While there have been studies considering the value of blogging in traditional and online classes, this paper explores the benefits of incorporating blogs in a study abroad class. Outlining the experiences from teaching two study abroad literature classes, the paper summarizes the program design, details creating blog assignments, explores the benefits and challenges unique to study abroad students and blogging, and examines …

Digital Identities And Study Abroad: Teaching Intercultural Competence Through Social Media Literacy, Annie Mcneill Gibson, Emily Capdeville

Journal of Global Initiatives: Policy, Pedagogy, Perspective

Social media platforms are contemporary spaces where selves are revealed and exposed in reciprocity. By imagining digital communication, technology use, and online representation in the same vein as we discuss the experiences of the physical self, the ability to adapt across cultures becomes a skill to hone online as well as in person. As such, digital media is a prime learning tool that practitioners in the field can utilize to reach their target student population no matter their physical location and during each phase of the study abroad process. In this way, study abroad offices can fulfill a mission that …

International Graduate Outcomes Survey 2018 Final Report, Darren Matthews, Ali Radloff, Jo Doyle, Leyna Clarke

Higher education research

The 2018 International Graduates Outcomes Survey (IGOS) provides an insight into international graduates from Australian universities post-study employment, work readiness, and reflections on course experiences, study motivation and overall satisfaction. Over 10,000 international students who graduated from an Australian university in the last decade (international graduates) were asked a range of questions about their current employment status and their opinions on their Australian qualification. In brief the results indicate that: 90 per cent of graduates who are available for employment are currently employed - incorporating 93 per cent who returned home and 85 percent who were still in Australia; 77 …

The Importance Of Leadership Motivational Activities In Encouraging International Students To Return To Their Tier 1 Universities, Eric Hall

Dissertations

Abstract

The problem is international students are not returning to their undergraduate Tier 1 institutions during a period when quality student enrollment is essential, and there is scant research on academic advising strategies that can be used to combat international student attrition at these universities (O’Keefe, 2013). Studies have often lumped all international students together and made efforts to attract more international students, but the reasons why international students chose research universities, and returned, were not being investigated in this manner (Hegarty, 2014).

The purpose of this proposed study was to gain an understanding of the decision-making and reasoning processes …

Reframing Internationalization: Faculty Beliefs And Teaching Practices, Marco Tulluck

Ed.D. Dissertations in Practice

This study applies Critical Race Theory as a critical lens to gain a clearer understanding of highly racialized policies and teaching practices around international student engagement in US higher education. The findings help to inform higher education leaders of how to support faculty to foster more inclusive and affirming learning environments for international students of color and other diverse student populations.

This mixed methods study employed a modified version of the Colorblind and Multicultural Ideology of STEM Faculty Measure as well as focus group interviews to gain a more complex understanding of how university faculty members’ beliefs align with colorblind …

Second Language Identities Of International Teaching Assistants In The U.S. Classroom, Adam Agostinelli

Faculty Publications

Sociolinguistic research has yet to comprehensively address changes in the second language mediated identity, or second language identity (L2I), of English as a second language (ESL) students that take place as a result of traveling abroad and experiencing English in authentic circumstances. First, this study provides an outline of L2I and proposes a framework for evaluating L2I in authentic contexts (i.e. in a country where the target language is the primary means of communication). Second, personal narratives, formal reports, and observed classroom comments of international graduate teaching assistants (ITAs), who were placed in a required English Speaking course as a …

Second Language Identities Of International Teaching Assistants In The U.S. Classroom, Adam Agostinelli

Faculty Publications

Sociolinguistic research has yet to comprehensively address changes in the second language mediated identity, or second language identity (L2I), of English as a second language (ESL) students that take place as a result of traveling abroad and experiencing English in authentic circumstances. First, this study provides an outline of L2I and proposes a framework for evaluating L2I in authentic contexts (i.e. in a country where the target language is the primary means of communication). Second, personal narratives, formal reports, and observed classroom comments of international graduate teaching assistants (ITAs), who were placed in a required English Speaking course as a …

Touchstones Of Popular Culture Among Contemporary College Students In The United States, Margaret Thoemke

Dissertations, Theses, and Projects

This report is based on survey research. The survey was sent out to collect popular culture items from Minnesota State University Moorhead (MSUM) students to see if there were popular culture items relevant enough to teach to English Learners (ELs) in order for them to be successful. The research showed that there are several genres of popular culture that should be taught to ELs for them to be successful academically and other to have successful interactions with their peers. This report leaves room for further research to be done in the subject as well.

Perceptions Of Mattering And Marginality: A Study Of International Students At Rowan University, Katelyn Sullivan

Theses and Dissertations

This study explores the theory of mattering first developed by Rosenberg and McCullough (1981) that was later adapted to a higher education setting by Schlossberg (1989) and applies it to an international student context. More specifically, this study aims to measure the degree to which international students feel as though they matter to Rowan University across six subscales: general college mattering, mattering versus marginality, mattering to counselors, mattering to instructors, mattering to students, and perception of value.

Using the College Mattering Inventory (CMI) instrument developed by Tovar, Simon, and Lee (2008), 132 international students at Rowan University were surveyed on …

Influences On International Saudi Students’ Sojourner Acculturation In The U.S., Abdulah Shaban Alasiri

Masters Theses

Research on international students’ experiences in tertiary institutions abroad suggest they face difficulties related to culture, language, and socialization (e.g., Andrade, 2006; Hellsten, 2002). To encourage more successful socialization and English language development, the Saudi Arabian Cultural Mission established a cap on the enrollment of Saudi students in any institutions abroad since 2014. The effectiveness of these quotas in promoting socialization is not known, but anecdotal evidence and an exploratory study conducted by the author suggest other (perhaps more influential) factors affecting Saudi students’ opportunities for socialization (in this study defined more specifically as sojourner acculturation) and subsequent language development. …

International Student Adjustment Framework: Improvement Through Educational Leadership, Hilda Cecilia Contreras Aguirre

Journal of Educational Leadership in Action

The ever-growing student population diversity in American universities demands better comprehension to meet international graduate students' academic, sociocultural, and personal needs. Based on prior international student adaptation models, this researcher proposed a conceptual framework of international students’ adjustment in graduate studies. Such adaptation process was analyzed through four stages: vulnerability, self-awareness, alliances, and synergy. Additionally, the importance of student affairs professionals and faculty leadership in supporting this student population was addressed as well. Lastly, this paper included implications and recommendations to smooth the adjustment process of international students to the education settings in the United States; hence, helping in their …

Experiences Of International Students In Practicum And Internship Courses: A Consensus Qualitative Research, Sangmin Park, Jee Hyang Lee, Susannah M. Wood

Journal of Counselor Preparation and Supervision

This qualitative study explores the practicum and/or internship experiences of international students in counseling. Based on the foundation of phenomenological research, this study uses a consensual qualitative research method. Semi-structured interview questionnaires asked ten participants regarding their experiences of practica and/or internships (including their fears, challenges, and support from training programs). Results revealed that the fears and challenges that international students face during the practicum and/or internship training primarily stemmed from their language barrier and/or a lack of understanding of the American counseling system. Our findings indicated that providing practical information, such as sites, the American counseling system, insurance, and …

Advising Experiences Among First-Year International Doctoral Students, Nina Marijanović, Jungmin Lee

Educational Policy Studies and Evaluation Faculty Publications

The purpose of this qualitative study was to understand how international graduate students in their first-year of doctoral study selected their faculty advisor and how this selection process influenced their advising relationship. Our results found that a majority of students in our sample were assigned to an interim advisor and most reported a positive advising experience. However, disquieting patterns emerged from the data: low frequency of advisor-advisee interaction, occurrences of mismatching between advisor-advisee, and an unknowingness of how to engage with one’s faculty advisor. Our study adds to the literature focusing on international students by shedding a light on nuanced …

Mind The Gap: Integration Of International Students, Andrew Knox, Basil Lim, Amr Mahfouz, Maeve O'Connell, Matthew Sheehan

Practitioner Research Projects

The international mobilisation of tertiary students is increasing from 0.8 million in 1975 to 3.5 million worldwide by 2016 (OECD, 2018). This increasingly fluid student migration, supported with various European initiatives, the Erasmus exchange program (since 1987) and the Bologna Declaration (since 1999), have influenced the profile of students within the Irish higher education system. By 2016, international students comprised 5.1% of total tertiary students in Ireland (OECD, 2018). According to Irish and UK research, lecturers have an important role in facilitating integration (British Council, 2014; Irish Council for International Students, 2017). However, for most faculty, the term internationalisation of …

Lived Experiences Of African Students With Microaggressions In U.S.-Based Higher Education Institutions, Amevi Molley

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The prevalence of microaggressions in higher education institutions in the United States is a major issue for individuals of color and international background. Microaggressions can interfere with international students' smooth transition into their new academic system and social environment. The purpose of this qualitative study with a transcendental phenomenological approach was to explore the lived experiences of Sub-Saharan international graduate students who have experienced microaggressions in a higher education institution in the United States. The racial microaggression theory and the theory of neo-racism served as a guiding conceptual framework for this study. The research question was to examine the lived …

International Students' Identities And Thier Educational And Learning Trajectories, Suha Hamdan

Wayne State University Dissertations

This study explores international students’ identities and identity formation within social, educational, and imagined futures, and their study abroad journeys. I look into past, present and future contexts of international students. Qualitative analytic autoethnography and semi-structured interviews are the methodologies utilized. I explore my own experiences around identity and education as an international graduate student, as well as other participants’ experiences. Date were collected from six participants from six countries: China, India, Iran, Indonesia, Lebanon, and Saudi Arabia. Thematic analysis was utilized. The findings revealed that these international students go through an identity journey, where they reflect on their past …