Understanding East Asian Graduate Students’ Socio-cultural and Psychological Adjustment in a U.S. Midwestern University

Authors

  • Yiying Xiong Ohio University, United States
  • Yuchun Zhou Ohio University, United States

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.32674/jis.v8i2.103

Keywords:

acculturation, East Asian graduate students in the U.S., psychological adjustment, socio-cultural adjustment

Abstract

In this study, we explore East Asian graduate students’ socio-cultural and psychological adjustment in a U.S. Midwestern University. Eight participants were interviewed about their acculturation challenges as well as their effective coping strategies. Data were analyzed using open-coding techniques and five themes emerged: three themes summarized the challenges, including challenges due to cultural differences, lack of support in a foreign environment, and financial stress; and the other two themes that described the coping strategies were utilizing external resources and developing self-adjustment strategies.

Author Biographies

  • Yiying Xiong, Ohio University, United States

    YIYING XIONG is a doctoral candidate from Department of Counseling and Higher Education in Ohio University. She is interested in acculturation issues and mental health of Asian international students. 

  • Yuchun Zhou, Ohio University, United States

    YUCHUN ZHOU is an assistant professor in the Educational Research and Evaluation program in Ohio University. She holds the Ph.D. in research methodology from The University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Her major research interests include measurement in education, longitudinal research and multilevel modeling, latent trait measurement models, structural equation modeling, and mixed methods research. She teaches the courses of Research Designs, Test Theory and Measurement, and Qualitative Research. 

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Published

2018-04-01

Issue

Vol. 8 No. 2 (2018)

Section

Research Articles (English)

Categories

License

All published articles are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 4.0 Unported License.

How to Cite

Understanding East Asian Graduate Students’ Socio-cultural and Psychological Adjustment in a U.S. Midwestern University. (2018). Journal of International Students, 8(2), 769-794. https://doi.org/10.32674/jis.v8i2.103