International and Intercultural Communication Commons^™

The Global Classroom: A Phenomenological Study Of International Student Experiences In A Reimagined Intercultural Communication Course, Crystal Bock Thiessen

Dissertations and Doctoral Documents, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2023–

This dissertation examines the experiences of multilingual international student participants who took part in a semester-long intercultural communication course that was purposefully designed and implemented with half enrollment each of domestic and international students at a Midwestern American university. Despite university efforts towards internationalization, they often fall short of the meaningful engagement needed truly promote intercultural and mutual understanding. International and domestic students share classroom and other spaces on campus, yet they remain overwhelmingly disconnected from one another. Using phenomenology and Baker’s (2011) model of Intercultural Awareness, this study analyzed the international students’ experience in this course to learn more …

Practice Implications For Supporting International Students’ Racial Learning In The Us, Mianmian Fei

Critical Internationalization Studies Review

No abstract provided.

Digital Identity Negotiation: How International Students Balance Home And Host Country Ideals On Social Networking Sites, Oluchi Ikwuakam

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Minority groups, including people from lower socioeconomic backgrounds, various ethnicities or races, gender non-conforming individuals, and others who are not part of the societal majority, face daily challenges due to unequal access to digital technology. From elementary school through college, the gap between students with better access to digital tools and those without becomes evident in how these technologies are used in classrooms. International students, who may be a majority group in their home country, become part of a minority in their host country as they seek better educational opportunities. These technologies, such as social networking sites, often reflect the …

Exploring Cross-Cultural Communication Strategies And Solutions Of International Students In Academic Environments With Consideration To Communication Accommodation Theory, Wendy K. Yeboah

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

ABSTRACT

Yeboah, Wendy, M.A., Spring 2024 Communication Studies

Exploring Cross-Cultural Communication Strategies and Solutions of International Students in Academic Environments with Consideration to Communication Accommodation

Chairperson: Dr. Greg Larson

This study, exploring the communication challenges of international students within academic spaces may be particularly helpful due to the constant interaction that happens within the academic space. Communication Accommodation Theory (CAT) was used as a guiding framework to ask eleven international students what their communication challenges are and subsequently what are the communication strategies they use to help alleviate these challenges. Analyses were conducted thematically, and international students' responses on what …

Breaking The Silence: International Students’ Communication About Sexual Assault And Opportunities For Improved Prevention Messaging, Samaha Ghani

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The beginning of college campus life is one of the most exciting phases of student life. However, for some students, it might pose a threat in the form of sexual violence. In the United States, sexual violence is highly pervasive, placing college students at a greater risk of victimization. Currently, there is a lack of data on sexual crimes within the international student population on U.S. college campuses due to cultural and language barriers. As such, the purpose of this study is to explore international students’ communication needs around the topic of sexual consent and sexual violence. This vulnerable and …

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 …

Strangers Switching Their Identities: Cultural Identity Management And Performance On Social Media A Qualitative Analysis Of International Students’ Intercultural (Ex)Change Processes And Perceptions Regarding Their Stay In The United States And Countries Of Origin, Vivian Kretzschmar

All Theses

In this globalized world, cross-country travel for education has been a prevalent (5.6 million students identified as international students in 2020) and ever-increasing (with a predicted increase of 250% by 2030) trend through the past decades. The sojourn impacts the students’ experience of the new culture and the ensuing shocks and adaptations. The understanding of something as complicated as culture, trying to be integrated into a new culture, and its perception to individuals, of course, have their ways of distinct communication trends through social media.

The struggle of maintaining and changing one’s cultural identity and adaptation across cultures has been …

Online Learning In A “Fancy Prison”: The Impact Of Covid-19 On The International Student Academic Experience While Living In A Quarantine Hotel, Kristen Foltz Esq., Lacey C. Brown Phd

Journal of Communication Pedagogy

The rapid development of the COVID-19 pandemic during the spring 2020 academic semester resulted in many international undergraduate students evacuating the United States to return to their home countries. Some faced government-mandated quarantine in a designated quarantine hotel upon their entry into the country which overlapped with the end of the spring semester or start of summer term. Interviewers conducted qualitative interviews on Zoom with international students enrolled at American universities regarding their experiences with online learning while in isolation. This extreme environment had negative implications for their psychological well-being as well as their ability to self-motivate. Researchers formulated best …

International Students’ Perception Of Intercultural Communication From Official University Sources, Liseth Hubbard

Communication Theses

Research on intercultural communication has centered on the difficulties that international students experience during their adjusting journey in their new residence away from home. However, there are relatively few in-depth studies that report on international students’ perceptions of communicative practices from university officials. Following a social phenomenological approach, this study focuses on understanding the impressions and experiences of 12 international students. Data was collected through semi-structured interviews centered on three sensitizing concepts: intercultural sensitivity (IS), intercultural communication competence (ICC), and intercultural learning (IL). Data were analyzed using an iterative phonetic approach as described by Sarah Tracy (2019). The findings were …

Assessing The Appropriateness Of The Cultural Formulation Interview In Conceptualizing Reverse Culture Shock, Katja Nielsen

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

Utilizing the Cultural Formulation Interview (CFI) to identify social and cultural variables predicting the cross-cultural experience of reverse culture shock, this study aims at clarifying the process of re-acculturation of international students in the United States by comparing quantitative and qualitative measures. Thirty-two participants completed demographics and questionnaires and 18 decided to further partake in the CFI. Results from the Reentry Shock Scale as well as the CFI indicate that a majority of individuals experience problems and distress associated with returning home, yet to varying degrees and intensity. Through assessment of each participant’s experience with reverse culture shock, twelve out …

Risk Perception And Response Among International Students Of The University Of Southern Mississippi, Elida Lopes Souza Rocha

Master's Theses

Given the exposure of university campuses to hazards, disaster mitigation is a critical element of higher education policy. Although U.S. higher education institutions are leaders in the global education market, emergency warning systems give little consideration to how international students perceive risk, prepare for hazards, or access warning technologies available to them. This poses several questions regarding the suitability of hazards mitigation practices and the welfare of international students.

This thesis investigates the relationship between USM international students and natural hazards. Responses from online surveys and semi-structured interviews data were analyzed through qualitative and quantitative methods to document the extent …

A Study Of Family Communication & The College Experience: A Comparison Between U.S. & Global Students, Iulia V. Popescu

Honors Undergraduate Theses

This study investigates the role that family communication patterns may play in predicting student experiences by looking at the experiences of native United States and international college students. Experiences in college are shaped by various factors including self-efficacy, stress, loneliness and depression. Data were collected from a sample of 152 students – 90 being U.S. natives studying at UCF and 62 being international students studying at UCF. Results indicated that conversation orientation, or a more open-conversation household, was positively linked with higher academic self-efficacy and negatively linked with stress, mainly for U.S. students. Conformity orientation, or a less open-conversation household, …

Intercultural Communication Apprehension: A Multidimensional Perspective Of Communication Between International And Domestic Students, Christina Van Essen

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

This research looks at different factors influencing international students’ level of intercultural communication apprehension (ICA), the difference in the level of international students’ (participants) ICA experienced towards domestic and international students, and lastly the influence of this ICA on the social connectedness participants experience while living in the United States. Findings show that participants’ comfort in using English, and their cultural sensitivity had a significant influence on ICA when all variables were considered. Findings also show that participants are more apprehensive in communicating with American students as compared to international students. The combination of ICA towards American and international students …

International Students’ Accommodation And Politeness Strategies For Dealing With Communication Conflicts: A Case Study At A State University In Surabaya, Yanuarita Kusuma Permata Sari, Anindya Widita, Asih Zunaidah

JURNAL KOMUNIKASI INDONESIA

There must be quite a number of international students leaving their homelands and living in a foreign country to study. This case study is expected to provide useful insights into social adaptation strategies used by international students. The theory used in the framework is the Communication Adaptation Theory (CAT) and Politeness Strategies Theory. This research is a case study, in which a descriptive-qualitative approach was employed, it was conducted in UNAIR (University of Airlangga), Surabaya. The data were collected through interviews and observation. The informants were selected by using the purposive technique. The results revealed that most of the students …

What's In A Name? Exploring Anglicized Naming Practices Amongst Chinese International Students, Garrett R. Ruzicka

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

This study seeks to use Kim’s Cross-Cultural Adaptation Theory to gain a better understanding of the process students from China go through when they choose to Anglicize their names. This thesis begins with a review of the literature and then discusses the limitations found within the current research on this topic in order to formulate research questions. Qualitative research was conducted using semi-structured interviews and focus groups with international students from China that resulted in various findings. These findings—barriers and adapting to barriers, choosing an “English” name, preferences between names, and problems with using “English” names—provide insight into a topic …

Why Nebraska? An Analysis Of Unl's International Student Recruitment Touchpoints And Messages As Compared To Student Outcomes, Carolyn Willis

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

With decreasing budgets and increasing political tensions, universities in the United States are embracing broader and more creative efforts to reach prospective international students. For such universities, international students are a lucrative recruitment population because they bolster enrollment numbers and tuition revenue while diversifying student bodies. Previous studies have shown that much university marketing to international students is deficient and of little use in helping prospective students make informed decisions (Baldwin & James, 2000), yet information search is a key element of buyer decision models (Beatty & Smith, 1987) as students evaluate educational options. This study sought to see, then, …

Coming To The United States: An Exploration Of Third Culture Building Processes Emerging From University Sponsored International/Host-National Student Interactions, Margaret E. Baker

Masters Theses

International students studying in the United States encounter a number of challenges that affect their ability to achieve their academic and social goals. These changes and acculturative pressures often influence their psychosocial wellbeing and factor into their satisfaction in their experiences abroad. Forming relationships with host-national students aids international students in their adjustment to life in the U. S. and influences their satisfaction and success both in and out of the classroom. This qualitative study analyzes third culture relationships as well as the challenges to their formation and the negotiations necessary for the relationship’s continued survival. This project explores the …

Challenges And Potential Solutions To Communication Problems Faced By International Students At Arkansas State University, Ashutosh Pal

Student Theses and Dissertations

International students face difficulties after landing in different soil, climatic condition, environment, and socio-economic settings. There exist a mismatch between the conventional teaching methods and strategies back home and state of the art techniques employed in the United States. Through understanding, class discussion, participation and in-depth analysis of subject matter is possible only with two way communication medium, which happens to be English language for inside and outside of the classroom environment. English is a second language for many countries, however, lacks effectiveness due to less understanding of phonetics, accents, vocabulary, phrases and idioms, and localized slangs. An international student …

Acculturation Of International Student-Athletes, Alexandra L. Frawley

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

This research project was conducted in order to investigate the current recruitment and assimilation processes experienced by international-student athletes at an NCAA Division I university, and to identify ways to improve those processes. The investigation was conducted through in-depth interviews with seven international student-athletes. The ages of these participants ranged from between 18 and 22 years old, 1 and 3 years of attendance at the University, and consisted of 5 females and 2 males. The participants play a variety of different sports, and each had a unique country of origin. The analysis revealed language, dietary changes, and social support are …

"Nevermericans?": How Communication Issues Shape The Perceptions Of Self And The Perceptions Of American Identity Among The International Students, Lyudmyla Pustelnyk

Masters Theses

This study of Intercultural communication and identity uses Cultural Contracts theory and Narrative theory to explore how international students communicate about their understanding of self (identity) and how this understanding is influenced and changes during their studies in the United States. Research participants who have, or are currently studying in the U.S., from Eastern and Central European countries were interviewed about their communication experiences while in the U.S., resulting in different expressions of identity - in-between identity, feeling Americanized, global citizen, and crystallization of native identity - which developed as the result of their U.S. university studies. Their narratives also …

Experiencing "Both/And-Ness": Dialectics Of Interactions Of International Students, Yoko Kubo

Masters Theses

This research focuses on international students in the United States by examining their experiences and interactions as sojourners. Specifically, I explore international students' dialectics within their experiences and interactions in the host culture. Referring to existing concepts from relational dialectics theory (e.g., Baxter & Braithwaite, 2008; Baxter &Montgomery, 1996) and the six cultural dialectics (Martin & Nakayama, 1999, 2011), dialectics are the opposing, competing, but co existing notions or tensions. Eleven international students from 10 different countries participated in face-to-face interviews and follow up e-mail responses. By conducting a thorough thematic analysis (Aronson, 1994), six cultural dialectics, one relational dialectic, …

International Graduate Student Powerpoint Presentation Designs: A Reality Check, Alla Zareva

English Faculty Publications

The present study set out to examine what novice international graduate student presenters consider to be effective PowerPoint slide design practices and the extent to which these practices are in agreement with experts’ advice. The analysis focused on three main features of students’ PowerPoint presentations – organisation, style and typography. The general conclusion is that we can mostly rely on students’ intuitions concerning ‘relevance’ and ‘simplicity’ of PowerPoint presentation designs, but we should draw their attention to ‘consistency’, i.e., the systematic application of the organisation, style and typological features to their PowerPoint presentations.