Bilingual, Multilingual, and Multicultural Education Commons^™

“That Felt Weird”: International Graduate Students’ Emerging Critical Awareness Of Their Experiences With Microaggression, Romaisha Rahman

Language, Literacy, and Sociocultural Studies ETDs

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to uncover and understand international graduate students’ experiences with microaggressions that stem from native speaker fallacy; microaggressions are the subtle discriminatory behaviors executed toward marginalized groups and native speaker fallacy is the false belief that only some “native” English speakers are effective teachers and users of the language. Put simply, this research aimed at unveiling the subtle language-based discriminations that international graduate students experience in their day-to-day lives in U.S. educational settings. To collect data for the study, the Critical Incident Technique (CIT) was utilized. CIT is a method that allows the …

Racism Without Race: The Racialization Of Middle Eastern And North African Students At U.S. Colleges, Hannah Mesouani

Dissertations

Although a growing body of literature covers the experiences of international students at U.S. colleges, the stories of those who do not fit into the U.S. racial schema remain untold. This study examined how Middle Eastern and North African (MENA) students understood their racial identities given the United States’ tense history with Islam and the MENA world. Using foundational texts on critical race theory, current scholarship on Arab Americans and foreign-born students, and facets of the Ethnic Identity Scale (EIS), this study examined the experiences of MENA students who study amid a national backdrop of xenophobia and racialized Islamophobia. This …

The Experiences Of International Graduate Students From Latin America In Their Transition Of Graduating And Finding A Job In The United States, Natalia Hernandez, Natalia Hernandez

Master's Theses

The purpose of this thesis project is to conduct a qualitative phenomenological study to understand the lived experiences of international graduate students from Latin America in the United States as they transition from their studies to finding a full-time job in the United States. The most common themes mentioned in the different sections of the interviews were: the different dynamics in their identity, the benefits, and limitations of their status in the American context, and how their professional development and economy are impacted while being international graduate students from Latin America. Student service departments such as the Career Service department, …

The Voices And Lived Academic Experiences Of International Doctoral Student Mothers, Mishka Murad

Doctoral Dissertations

Given that there is no research that focuses exclusively on the experiences of international doctoral student mothers, this study chose to explore the challenges and supports that ten of these women experienced at one U.S. university. Using in-depth qualitative interviews with open ended questions, it explored the triumphs and trials of these students in their academic journeys in regard to their performances in the classroom, and their relationships with faculty and peers. It also brainstormed the ways in which faculty, advisors and peers, might consider changing their practices and behaviors in classrooms and on campus, to allow these participants to …

Listening To The Voices Of International Undergraduates Regarding Their Perceptions Of Engagement And Their Strategies To Achieve Academic Success, Gulcan Tokluoglu

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

While international students greatly influence globalization with their diverse cultural backgrounds, they often encounter issues when adapting to a new academic, social, and cultural setting. The goal of this research question was twofold in nature in that it sought to not only explore the adjustment experiences of participants but also be able to see what resources and practices were found helpful and needed to be expanded upon in order to provide ways of redressing inequitable practices and contributing to pedagogical change to promote engagement and success of international undergraduate students. A thorough analysis of in-depth interviews considered both upstream and …

Overcoming Communicative And Cultural Barriers: A Study Of The Perceptions And Interactions Between American And International Students, Hope V. Twitchell

Selected Honors Theses

Globalization is a central aspect to the developing American society, both vocationally and culturally. Increased international representation on college campuses is one example of the prevalence of globalization in an everyday context. As the rate of international students present on American university campuses increases, more research has been focusing on the experiences of international students. The present study focused on adding to the literature surrounding American students’ perceptions and interactions with international students when communicative and cultural barriers arise. The thesis statement proposed that American students attending an American university who had previous international travel experience would be more adept …

An Examination Of Relational Health, Belonging, And Self-Compassion In Chinese International Students, Elizabeth A. Harris Shaffner

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Chinese international students (CISs), the largest segment of international students coming to the US to study at institutions of higher education (IIE, 2016), are reported to experience more acculturative stress than other international students because of the vast differences in social and cultural norms between the United States and China (Li & Glasser, 2005; Yeh & Inose, 2003). The present study used Relational-Cultural Theory (RCT) as the framework to explore the ways undergraduate CISs struggle and thrive in the face of acculturative stress and to understand how positive and negative outcomes are associated with their relational health, sense of campus …

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 …

Teaching Idioms To Chinese International Students Through Multimedia, Wenrui Wang

Master's Projects and Capstones

Native speakers tend to use idioms to express specific meaning and make language vivid. However, using idioms sometimes causes problems for ESL learners to understand, because the idioms always have figurative meaning. It is necessary for international students to strengthen their ability to understand and use idioms, because the idioms also contain many culture meanings. This project explores research in vocabulary teaching and using multimedia in ESL learning to create a handbook of learning idioms for the target group of college level Chinese international students. It contains idioms selected from visual and audio materials, such as movies, documentaries, pop songs, …

The “Trump Effect?” Challenges To The United States Hegemony In Higher Education Cross-Cultural Exchange: A Case Study Of International Students At Old Dominion University, Raven Alexandra Showalter

Graduate Program in International Studies Theses & Dissertations

Scholars and politicians today fear that international student enrollment at U.S. institutions of higher education may be declining. While some attribute potential enrollment decline to domestic politics, others believe that globalization may be allowing student flows to diversify across many nations, thus limiting the U.S.’s share of students and soft-power influence. To assess the extent to which U.S. hegemony in cross-cultural higher education is being challenged, I trace the origins of educational exchange at Western colleges and universities from their earliest incarnations in the Medieval Era to the present. I also draw a parallel between the Bush administration after 9/11, …

International Muslim Students Within A Globalized Educational Context, Noha Ghali

Language, Literacy, and Sociocultural Studies ETDs

While previous research has revealed and documented the difficulties that international students and international Muslim students face when studying abroad, it fails to critically study and discuss the students’ perception of reasons behind these difficulties. The main aim of this study is to focus on international Muslim students and explore their social and academic experiences and challenges in a globalized educational context. Another aim is to investigate international Muslim students’ perceived reasons behind the challenges they meet, and how they negotiate such challenges. The study reviews the literature on international Muslim students in western higher education to highlight the gap …

International Students’ Responses To Explicit Instruction On Vocabulary Learning Strategies: Implications For Eap Courses, Wing Shuen Lau

TESOL Theses

Given that the importance of understanding the academic language is strongly associated with the academic vocabulary size, vocabulary knowledge is regarded as one of the most crucial areas of language competence to bolster academic achievement. The present study investigates the effectiveness of two different strategies of vocabulary acquisition in English including 1) learning from sample sentences and 2) learning from word parts. Results are significant for immediate testing and reveal the beneficial role of explicit instruction on vocabulary learning strategies that increases international students’ English vocabulary learning ability. The study also discusses survey responses from the participants in relation to …

English Learners’ Perspectives Of Teaching Methodologies In Community College Eap Classes, Lisa Walker

Graduate Education Student Scholarship

Community colleges provide a popular pathway for many English Language Learners (ELLs). Unfortunately, many of them struggle to pass through the multiple levels of non-credit bearing developmental course sequences in order to improve their academic use of English and thrive in post-secondary work. A qualitative look at perspectives of these English Learners on methodology may provide insight to ways that teachers could modify instruction to meet the diverse needs of students within community college English for Academic Purposes (EAP) courses. Findings suggest that more explicit teaching about language acquisition and the research-based methodologies that support it along with more consistent …

International Students' Use Of English Language-Learning Strategies At A Private High School, Bobetta Young

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

International students in the United States enroll in private and public high schools with a goal to graduate and attend an American university. This goal is often difficult to achieve because these students are not acquiring the academic English necessary to be successful in a post-secondary setting. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to investigate what language-learning strategies (LLS) a group of East Asian international students at a private American high school had self-regulated and what strategies their content area teachers had taught them to use to become proficient in academic English. The conceptual framework was Oxford's findings …

Acculturation And Belongingness: The Keys To International Student Satisfaction, Semehar Ghebrekidan

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this thesis is to explore if acculturation in conjunction with belongingness, affected international student satisfaction. With the changes in immigration, the political climate as a whole and college campus demographics, it was important to evaluate what stress factors international students faced while being undergraduate students at a Midwestern University. In addition to using secondary research, primary research was conducted in the form of 4 interviews and 59 electronic surveys. The independent variables that were measured were reorganized into 2 categories: the students’ religious beliefs and the country where the student is from. Themes that came across throughout …

A Case Study: What Are The Social Experiences Of An International Minority Male At A Pwi Really Like?, Victoria Evans

Honors Program Contracts

International students of color often have trouble integrating socially into a Predominantly White Institution (PWI). The purpose of this study is to explore the social experiences of an international student of color at a Predominantly White Institution. My research methodology was a case study. The methodology and methods consisted of a study of a single international student of color at Merrimack College this fall semester. The data collection techniques included an in-depth interview, participant observation, and a journal written by the participant. After gathering my data, I used the coding method to analyze my data and find common themes throughout …

Adjusting To Community College As An International Student In Appalachia, Deirdre T. Guyton

Educational Foundations & Leadership Theses & Dissertations

The study examines the primary aspects of academic, cultural, and social challenges affecting international students attending community colleges in rural Appalachia. Through qualitative interviews with international students, this study explores academic, cultural, and social challenges. Implications for programs to assist international students in their adaptation to rural U.S. community colleges is discussed.

Writing Research Papers: A Guide For International Students, Veronica Andrew

Master's Projects and Capstones

The recent dramatic influx of international students to universities in the United States has presented many difficulties, both to those students and to those who work in American higher education. One of the most significant of those challenges is helping international students learn, understand, and practice the conventions of research that are a part of academic writing curricula. Grounded in the pedagogical theories of critical literacy, community of practice, and process-based learning, this project presents international students with concepts and skills used in source-based writing. The project, in the form of a workbook, introduces students to the research-related ideas of …

Multiculturalism In United States Higher Education Institutions: The Lived Experiences Of Enrolled International Students, Loretta Arian Ragsdell

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Since 2006, international student enrollment in U.S. higher education institutions has increased significantly, which has precipitated an increase in the institutions' multiculturalism. A mechanism to facilitate the integration of students of different cultures within a multicultural institution would be valuable to fostering positive educational experiences for all students. The purpose of this phenomenological study was the inclusion of multiculturalism within U.S. higher education institutions. Banks' multiculturalism theory provided the study's conceptual framework. Six international students were interviewed, and their responses were analyzed to answer 2 research questions concerning the lived experiences of international students enrolled in U.S. higher education institutions …

Mediations Of Multiple Identities In A Private University: International Students’ Experiences In The United States, Beata Z. Dolina

Doctoral Dissertations

ABSTRACT MEDIATIONS OF MULTIPLE IDENTITIES IN A PRIVATE UNIVERSITY: INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS’ EXPERIENCES IN THE UNITED STATES SEPTEMBER 2015 BEATA DOLINA, B.A., UNIVERSITY OF WARSAW M.A., HOFSTRA UNIVERSITY, NEW YORK UNIVERSITY Ed. D., UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS AMHERST Directed by: Professor Theresa Austin Admitting ever-increasing numbers of international undergraduates, universities are beginning to grapple with the difficulties students experience in adapting to this new, for them, educational context. According to Glass (2012), “Given the growth of international student enrollment, there are compelling reasons to more closely examine the extent to which specific educational experiences may be associated with their learning, development, and …

Modeling The Progress And Retention Of International Students Using Markov Chains, Lucas Gagne

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

International students are a small and diverse student population present in any sizable American university. One of the greatest obstacles in their path is the acquisition of the English language. English for Academic Purposes (EAP) programs, such as the English Language Institute (ELI) at the University of Akron, attempt to address this problem. By studying how this student population progresses in their academic studies, EAP programs and their associated universities can make well-informed decisions on how best to serve their English Language Learners. One way to study International students is through the use of a Markov model based on university …

An Examination Of Mature Interpersonal Relationships Among International And American College Students, Bona Aidoo

Dissertations

Educating students to relate harmoniously with people from different backgrounds has become an important agenda for student affairs professional because of the increasingly diverse nature of the American society. The purpose of this study was to assess how American and international college students develop mature interpersonal relationship skills. All the participants were from a mid-sized comprehensive institution in the Southern United States. The two main constructs measured were tolerance and quality of relationships. Attempts were also made to identify other predictors that may influence mature interpersonal relationships: gender, age, educational level, and academic achievement as measured by GPA. Both quantitative …

Factors Influencing International Students' Academic And Sociocultural Transition In An Increasingly Globalized Society, Chung-Hsien Hsu

Dissertations

This study is a mixed-method study. It consists of a quantitative study and a qualitative study. The quantitative study focused on international adult learners’ experiences of adaptation to American academic and social cultures. The qualitative study then investigated their experiences of cultural transition.

Based on the definition of globalized influences (Finger, 2005) and existing studies discussing the effects on globalized educational environments (Merriam & Young), factors related to globalized influences were selected and used to examine the extent to which these factors have affected international students’ adaptation to learning and life in the American university. Additionally, the other two variables, …

What Is The Level Of Investment By International Students In The Us In English Language Learning Outside The Classroom? What Are The Factors That Affect Their Investment?, Youssouf Magassouba

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

Upon their arrival in the United States, International students' interactions with the target language group outside classroom situation constitute one of their biggest social experiences. Their adjustment to their new environment creates some problems. Their experience of adjustment is manifested differently as some may suffer from differences in cultures in relation to the American cultural values, while some may just feel homesick and become lonely. Other may suffer from the loss of their status back home and may not regarded by their American peers as they should be. The paper seeks to understand the complex nature of international students' exposure …

English Language Proficiency And Academic Achievement Of International Students: A Meta-Analysis, Rachawan Wongtrirat

Educational Foundations & Leadership Theses & Dissertations

Studies have been conducted to determine the impact of English language on the academic achievement of international students in higher education institutions in the United States. The results of these investigations have been varied and at times contradictory. The purpose of this meta-analysis was to investigate studies from 1987–2009 that examined the correlation between the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) on grade point average (GPA) and course completion. The results indicated that the TOEFL has a small predictive ability on GPA and course completion of international students at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. The findings are …

A Comparative Study Of International And American Study Abroad Students' Expectations And Experiences With Host Countries., Evelyn Domville-Roach

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This was a comparative study of international and American study abroad students' experiences and expectations with the host countries. The rationale for this study was to acquire a deeper understanding of different experiences of students who study abroad and to understand whether their expectations of the host country have an impact on their experiences. An opportunity sample of American study abroad and international students was selected from the United States student population and their expectations and experiences of the host country compared. The study addressed 6 research questions, using a mixed-method approach. The principal instrument for the investigation was the …