The Acculturative Stress Experience Of International Students

This is a longitudinal work aiming to ascertain the influence of ethnic identity, daily hassles, social network, coping strategies, English language proficiency, self rating of health and demographic variables on levels of acculturative stress and overall distress experienced by international students. Students from China and Indonesia completed measures on the above constructs at the entry level and four and eight months after entering Australia and University. A similar group of Local Australian students was recruited to participate for comparison purposes. This study supported the stress and coping model, confirming that sojourners experienced moderate to high levels of stress from their initial interaction with the host society. These findings refuted the traditional U-curve assumption of culture shock which argues that sojourners go through honeymoon, depression and readjustment phases of adjustment. Overall, high daily hassles and acculturative stress were the strongest predictors of high levels of distress. Higher avoidance and self-blame coping strategies were strong predictors of high distress across the three waves of assessment.

"This is a longitudinal study aiming to ascertain the influence of ethnic identity, daily hassles, social network of support, coping strategies, English language proficiency, self-rating of health, and demographic variables on levels of acculturative stress and overall distress experienced by international students from mainland China and Indonesia. Students from these countries (and a comparison group of Australians students) completed measures on the above constructs at different stages of their sojourn to Australia, namely, at entry, four months after entry and eight months after entry. A grand total of 974 students completed the entry questionnaire (277 Indonesians, 558 Chinese and 139 Australians), 291 students completed the four months follow up questionnaire and 148 students completed the three waves of assessment (41 Indonesian, 69 Chinese and 38 Australian students).The international students were recruited from 17 Australian universities. The Australian sample was recruited at Macquarie University. A separate sample of 161 students from Universitas Indonesia, Jakarta, Indonesia completed a translated version of the questionnaire to ascertain the equivalence of Indonesian students living in Australia with students attending Universitas Indonesia. This study used both hard copy and web-based delivery mode of the questionnaire to students participating in this study. A sub-sample of 20 Indonesian and Chinese international students completed a one-to-one in-depth interview to investigate their acculturative stress experiences further.This study supported the stress and coping model, confirming that sojourners experienced moderate to high levels of stress from their initial interaction with the host society (Ward, Okura, Kennedy, & Kojima, 1998). Both Indonesians and Chinese experienced more distress than local Australian students across the three waves of assessment. These findings refute the traditional U-curve assumption of cultural shock, which argues that sojourners go through different phases in their process of adjustment to the host society, comprising honeymoon, disillusionment and readjustment phases. Chinese students scored higher on ethnic identity than Indonesians, and this was reflected in their lower levels of distress, particularly when they first entered the Australian culture. Contrary to traditional views, the Chinese were more willing than Australians to admit suffering emotional difficulties, and both Indonesian and Chinese students were willing to seek professional help for support with their emotional difficulties. Overall, high daily hassles and acculturative stress were the strongest predictors of high levels of distress. Higher avoidance and self-blame coping strategies were strong predictors of high distress across the three waves of assessment. Other predictors of high distress were language other than English as preferred language in Australia, using less support-seeking coping, less problem-focused coping, more willingness to seek professional help for emotional difficulties, and more religious coping. These findings contribute to the literature of stress and coping and have implications for both counselling international students and policy development for international offices in higher education". -- Abstract.

The Journal of International Students (JIS), an academic, interdisciplinary, and peer-reviewed publication (Print ISSN 2162-3104 & Online ISSN 2166-3750), publishes narrative, theoretical, and empirically-based research articles, student and faculty reflections, study abroad experiences, and book reviews relevant to international students and their cross-cultural experiences and understanding in international education.

This volume documents the experiences of international students and recent international initiatives at US community colleges to better understand how to support and nurture students’ potential. Offering a range of case studies, empirical and conceptual chapters, the collection showcases the unique curricula and diverse opportunities for career development that colleges can offer international students. International Students at US Community Colleges addresses issues of student access, enrolment barriers, college choice, and challenges relating to integration in academic and professional networks. Ultimately, the book unpacks institutional factors which inhibit or promote the success of international students at US community colleges to inform faculty, student affairs, administration, and institutional policy. With international students’ declining enrollment, this book considers the measures being taken by community college officials to bring continued access and equity to international students. Offering insights from a range of international scholars as well as on-the-ground case studies, this text will benefit researchers, academics, and educators with an interest in multicultural education, international and comparative education, and higher education management. Those specifically interested in educational policy and the sociology of education will also benefit from this book.

Essay aus dem Jahr 2015 im Fachbereich Psychologie - Sozialpsychologie, University of Nairobi, Veranstaltung: English, Sprache: Deutsch, Abstract: This report combines the findings of research carried out by the Institute of international Education on how gender, age, personality and race ethnicity are some of the leading factors that contribute to acculturative stress that are experienced by international students. An estimated figure of around 613 international students enrolled in United States universities were interviewed on an online survey. The outcome revealed that there was only one case of penalty type known as neuroticism that was significantly connected to acculturative stress, the study also showed that neuroticism was also a major contributor of perceived discrimination, fear, home sickness and also it was a major contributor of hate and rejection that are a major factor to acculturative stress. The report also compares European students with Asian/ Pacific Islander, African and the Middle East students and revealed that European students coped well with acculturative stress than the other International Students. Education is among the global phenomena that contribute to Multi cultural societies. Millions of international students seek education and professionals skills away from home to seek greener pastures. Most of the international students come from different part of the world and they come along with their diversity and multicultural learning with them.

"According to the Institute of International Education (2019) over one million college students in the United States were international students for the 2018/2019 school year. With such a large number of international students choosing to continue higher education in the United States, it is important to understand difficulties they may be experiencing during their studies. College students experience many situations leading to stress that can impact their academic performance including increased workload, pressure of finances and paying tuition, changes in sleep, and changes in social support. International students, however, experience many of the same stresses of non-international college students, but often in different ways or increased amounts. Additionally, they experience stress typical college students do not due to the process of adapting to a foriegn culture known as acculturation. Some of these stressors may be beneficial, motivating students to continue their studies, while other stressors impact the student's ability or desire to perform well. There is a lack of research on how international students may cope differently from their native counterparts. Additionally, several lacking aspects in research are how international students' academic performance could be affected by the acculturative stress they experience during acculturation. It is important to understand acculturative stress, general stress and coping in relation to international students"--Page 4.

School belonging should be a priority across every facet of education. The research on school belonging for positive student outcomes has been widely accepted and findings demonstrating its role as a protective factor against mental ill health and youth suicide are too compelling to ignore. In an age where it has been argued that academic achievement is prioritised over wellbeing, the editors bring the importance of school belonging back to the fore in educational policy and planning. This book is the most comprehensive compendium of its kind on the topic of school belonging. A foreword by Professor John Hattie of The University of Melbourne sets the scene for an engaging look at how school belonging is quintessential in contemporary schooling. Contributors are: Kelly-Ann Allen, Christopher Boyle, Jonathan Cohen, Crystal Coker, Erin Dowdy, Clemence Due, Jonathan K. Ferguson, Sebastian Franke, Michael Furlong, Annie Gowing, Alun Jackson, Divya Jindal-Snape, Andrew Martinez, Daniel Mays, Vicki McKenzie, Susan Dvorak McMahon, Franka Metzner, Kathryn Moffa, Silke Pawils, Damien W. Riggs, Sue Roffey, Lisa Schneider, Bini Sebastian, Christopher D. Slaten, Jessica Smead, Amrit Thapa, Dianne Vella-Brodrick, Lea Waters, Michelle Wichmann, and Holger Zielemanns.

Elisabeth Gareis breaks new ground in her study of intercultural friendships. She probes the scantily researched subject of friendship to report on the nature of relations between foreigners and Americans in the United States. The approach is descriptive, using data derived from an extensive review of literature, questionnaires and in-depth interviews. Participants in the study were 15 unmarried graduate students from Germany, India, and Taiwan who had been in the U.S. for at least one year. From her study, Gareis concludes that cultural background is much less significant for the successful development of intercultural friendships than might be expected. The investigative results show that other factors play a more important role in developing strong intercultural friendships. These factors include: individual personality, level of confidence, the meaning attached to the concept of friendship, and general cultural expectations. As the only book of its kind to exist in the market, Intercultural Friendships will enlighten students and teachers of intercultural communication classes, counselors working with foreign students, and cross-cultural leaders. It will prove indispensable to foreign students in the U.S. and U.S. citizens working or studying abroad.

Global Perspectives on International Student Experiences in Higher Education examines a wide range of international student experiences empirically from multiple perspectives that includes socio-cultural identities, contextual influences on their learning experiences, their wellbeing experiences, and their post-study experiences. This collection sheds light on the over five million students who cross geographical, cultural, and educational borders for higher education outside of their home countries. This book consists of nineteen chapters spread across four sections. Throughout the book, contributors question the existing assumptions and values of international student programs and services, reexamine and explore new perspectives to present the emerging challenges and critical evaluations of student experiences and their identities. Offering a rich understanding of these students and their global college experiences in Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe and Americas, this book offers research-based strategies to effectively recruit, engage, support, and retain international students as they participate in higher educational settings around the world. This book provides resource material to benefit educators, policymakers, and staff who work closely with international students in higher education.