International Undergraduate Student Engagement: Implications for Higher Education Administrators
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.32674/jis.v9i1.257Keywords:
academic experience, student engagement, international students, administrator, higher educationAbstract
Much has been written about engaging international students in their new campus environments. However, there is still a gap between literature and practice in terms of such students’ initial experiences. A systematic review of 48 studies published between 2007 and 2018 was conducted to locate the research gaps, examine how and in what areas international undergraduate students are being encouraged to participate, and their unique experiences with the process. The findings show that few studies focused solely on international undergraduates. Their engagement varied depending on the student’s background, major, region, and type of institution. These students faced unique and uneven experiences with social support, academics, community identity, connectedness, and perceived discrimination. Implications for higher education administrators, international students, and researchers suggested.
References
Altbach, P. G., & Knight, J. (2007). The internationalization of higher education: Motivations and realities. Journal of Studies in International Education, 11(3–4), 290–305. https://doi.org/10.1177/1028315307303542
Ashwin, P., & McVitty, D. (2015). The meanings of student engagement: implications for policies and practices. In A. Curaj, L. Matei, R. Pricopie, J. Salmi, & P. Scott (Eds.), The European higher education area (pp. 343–359). New York: Springer Open.
Bista, K. (2015). Asian international students’ college experience: Relationship between quality of personal contact and gains in learning. Journal of International and Global Studies Volume, 6(2), 39.
Bliuc, A. M., Ellis, R. A., Goodyear, P., & Hendres, D. M. (2011). The role of social identification as university student in learning: Relationships between students’ social identity, approaches to learning, and academic achievement. Educational Psychology, 31(5), 559–574. https://doi.org/10.1080/01443410.2011.585948
Bourn, D. (2011). From internationalisation to global perspectives. Higher Education Research & Development, 30(5), 559–571. https://doi.org/10.1080/07294360.2011.598447
Bowser, D., Danaher, P. A., & Somasundaram, J. (2007). Indigenous, pre-undergraduate and international students at Central Queensland University, Australia: Three cases of the dynamic tension between diversity and commonality. Teaching in Higher Education, 12(5–6), 669–681. https://doi.org/10.1080/13562510701596224
Brunsting, N. C., Zachry, C., & Takeuchi, R. (2018). Predictors of undergraduate international student psychosocial adjustment to US universities: A systematic review from 2009–2018. International Journal of Intercultural Relations, 66, 22–33. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijintrel.2018.06.002
Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor. (2018, July 22). Postsecondary education administrators. In Occupational outlook handbook. Retrieved from https://www.bls.gov/ooh/management/postsecondary-education-administrators.htm
Cole, D., & Zhou, J. (2014). Do diversity experiences help college students become more civically minded? Applying Banks’ multicultural education framework. Innovative Higher Education, 39(2), 109–121. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10755-013-9268-x
de Araujo, A. A. (2011). Adjustment issues of international students enrolled in American colleges and universities: A review of the literature. Higher Education Studies, 1, 2–8.
Durden, W. G. (2016, January 11). No longer bystanders. Inside Higher Ed. Retrieved from https://www.insidehighered.com/views/2016/01/11/colleges-must-provide-more-attention-international-students-demands-essay.
Earnest, J., Joyce, A., de Mori, G., & Silvagni, G. (2010). Are universities responding to the needs of students from refugee backgrounds? Australian Journal of Education, 54(2), 155–174. https://doi.org/10.1177/000494411005400204
Eldaba, A. (2016). An innovative model to design an academic and social development program for international college students. College Student Journal, 50(2), 171–178.
Geary, D. (2016). How do we get people to interact? International students and the American experience. Journal of International Students, 6(2), 527.
George Mwangi, C. A., Fries-Britt, S., Peralta, A. M., & Daoud, N. (2016). Examining intraracial dynamics and engagement between native-born and foreign-born Black collegians in STEM. Journal of Black Studies, 47(7), 773–794. https://doi.org/10.1177/0021934716658860
Glass, C. R. (2012). Educational experiences associated with international students’ learning, development, and positive perceptions of campus climate. Journal of Studies in International Education, 16, 228–251. https://doi.org/10.1177/1028315311426783
Glass, C. R., & Gesing, P. (2018). The development of social capital through international students’ involvement in campus organizations. Journal of International Students, 8(3), 1274–1292.
Glass, C. R., Kociolek, E., Wongtrirat, R., Lynch, R. J., & Cong, S. (2015). Uneven experiences: The impact of student-faculty interactions on international students’ sense of belonging. Journal of International Students, 5(4), 353–367.
Glass, C. R., Gesing, P., Hales, A., & Cong, C. (2017). Faculty as bridges to co-curricular engagement and community for first-generation international students. Studies in Higher Education, 42(5), 895–910. https://doi.org/10.1080/03075079.2017.1293877
Grayson, J. P. (2008). The experiences and outcomes of domestic and international students at four Canadian universities. Higher Education Research and Development, 27(3), 215–230. https://doi.org/10.1080/07294360802183788
Gu, Q., Schweisfurth, M., & Day, C. (2010). Learning and growing in a ‘foreign’ context: Intercultural experiences of international students. Compare, 40(1), 7–23. https://doi.org/10.1080/03057920903115983
Haslam, S. A., Jetten, J., Postmes, T., & Haslam, C. (2009). Social identity, health and well‐being: An emerging agenda for applied psychology. Applied Psychology, 58(1), 1–23. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1464-0597.2008.00379.x
Hendrickson, B. (2018). Intercultural connectors: Explaining the influence of extra-curricular activities and tutor programs on international student friendship network development. International Journal of Intercultural Relations, 63, 1–16. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijintrel.2017.11.002
Hirai, R., Frazier, P., & Syed, M. (2015). Psychological and sociocultural adjustment of first-year international students: Trajectories and predictors. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 62(3), 438–452. https://doi.org/10.1037/cou0000085
Hsieh, M. H. (2007). Challenges for international students in higher education: One student's narrated story of invisibility and struggle. College Student Journal, 41(2), 379–391.
Institute of International Education. (2016a). International student enrollment trends, 1948/49–2015/16. Open Doors Report on International Educational Exchange. Retrieved from http://www.iie.org/opendoors
Institute of International Education. (2016b). International students by academic level, 2014/15–2015/16. Open Doors Report on International Educational Exchange. Retrieved from http://www.iie.org/opendoors
Institute of International Education. (2016c). International students by primary source of funding, 2015/16. Open Doors Report on International Educational Exchange. Retrieved from http://www.iie.org/opendoors
Kahu, E. R. (2013). Framing student engagement in higher education. Studies in Higher Education, 38(5), 758–773.
Kenyon, K., Frohard-Dourlent, H., & Roth, W. D. (2012). Falling between the cracks: Ambiguities of international student status in Canada. Revue Canadienne d’Enseignement Supérieur, 42(1), 1–24.
Korobova, N., & Starobin, S. S. (2015). A comparative study of student engagement, satisfaction, and academic success among international and American students. Journal of International Students, 5(1), 72–85.
Kuh, G. D. (2009). What student affairs professionals need to know about student engagement? Journal of College Student Development, 50(6), 683–706. doi:10.1353/csd.0.0099
Lee, J. J., & Rice, C. (2007). Welcome to America? International student perceptions of discrimination. Higher Education, 53(3), 381–409. doi:10.1007/s10734-005-4508-3
Moher, D., Liberati, A., Tetzlaff, J., Altman, D. G., & The PRISMA Group. (2009). Preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses: The PRISMA Statement. PLoS Med, 6(7), e1000097. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1000097
Özturgut, O. (2013). Best practices in recruiting and retaining international students in the US. Current Issues in Education, 16(2). Retrieved from https://cie.asu.edu/ojs/index.php/cieatasu/article/view/1213
Özturgut, O., & Murphy, C. (2009). Literature vs. practice: challenges for international students in the US. International Journal of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education, 22(3), 374–385.
Pham, L., & Saltmarsh, D. (2013). International students’ identities in a globalized world: Narratives from Vietnam. Journal of Research in International Education, 12(2), 129–141. https://doi.org/10.1177/1475240913481171
Poyrazli, S., & Grahame, K. M. (2007). Barriers to adjustment: Needs of international students within a semi-urban campus community. Journal of Instructional Psychology, 34(1), 28–46.
Rosenthal, D. A., Russell, J., & Thomson, G. (2007). Social connectedness among international students at an Australian university. Social Indicators Research, 84(1), 71–82. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11205-006-9075-1
Ross, H., & Chen, Y. (2015). Engaging Chinese international undergraduate students in the American university. Learning and Teaching, 8(3), 13. https://doi.org/10.3167/latiss.2015.080302
Sam, D. L., Tetteh, D. K., & Amponsah, B. (2015). Satisfaction with life and psychological symptoms among international students in Ghana and their correlates. International Journal of Intercultural Relations, 49, 156–167. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijintrel.2015.09.001
Sato, T., Hodge, S. R., & Eckert, K. (2018). Experiences of international student-athletes at a historically black university. Journal of International Students, 8(2), 696–723. doi:10.5281/zenodo.1250372
Sawir, E., Marginson, S., Deumert, A., Nyland, C., & Ramia, G. (2008). Loneliness and international students: An Australian study. Journal of Studies in International Education, 12(2), 148–180. https://doi.org/10.1177/1028315307299699
Siczek, M. M. (2015). Developing global competency in US higher education: Contributions of International Students. CATESOL Journal, 27(2), 5–21.
Smith, R. A., & Khawaja, N. G. (2011). A review of the acculturation experiences of international students. International Journal of Intercultural Relations, 35(6), 699–713. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijintrel.2011.08.004
Spiro, J. (2014). Learning interconnectedness: Internationalisation through engagement with one another. Higher Education Quarterly, 68(1), 65–84. https://doi.org/10.1111/hequ.12031
Telbis, N. M., Helgeson, L., & Kingsbury, C. (2014). International students’ confidence and academic success. Journal of International Students, 4(4), 330–341.
Tran, L. T., & Pham, L. (2016). International students in transnational mobility: Intercultural connectedness with domestic and international peers, institutions and the wider community. Compare: A Journal of Comparative and International Education, 46(4), 560–581. https://doi.org/10.1080/03057925.2015.1057479
Tran, L. T., & Vu, T. T. P. (2016). ‘I’m not like that, why treat me the same way?’ The impact of stereotyping international students on their learning, employability and connectedness with the workplace. The Australian Educational Researcher, 43(2), 203–220. https://doi.org/10.1007/s1338
Tsai, P. C., & Wong, Y. J. (2012). Chinese and Taiwanese international college students' participation in social organizations: Implications for college counseling professionals. Journal of College Counseling, 15(2), 144–156. https://doi.org/10.1002/j.2161-1882.2012.00012.x
Tsevi, L. (2018). Survival strategies of international undergraduate students at a public research midwestern university in the United States: A case study. Journal of International Students, 8(2)1034–1058.
Urban, E. L., & Palmer, L. B. (2014). International students as a resource for internationalization of higher education. Journal of Studies in International Education, 18(4), 305–324. https://doi.org/10.1177/1028315313511642
Van Gyn, G., Schuerholz‐Lehr, S., Caws, C., & Preece, A. (2009). Education for world-mindedness: Beyond superficial notions of internationalization. New Directions for Teaching and Learning, 118, 25–38. https://doi.org/10.1002/tl.350
Van Horne, S., Lin, S., Anson, M., & Jacobson, W. (2018). Engagement, satisfaction, and belonging of international undergraduates at US research universities. Journal of International Students, 8(1), 351-374. Doi:10.5281/zenodo.1134313.
Wadsworth, B. C., Hecht, M. L., & Jung, E. (2008). The role of identity gaps, discrimination, and acculturation in international students’ educational satisfaction in American classrooms. Communication Education, 57(1), 64–87. https://doi.org/10.1080/03634520701668407
Young, N. E. (2014). Seeking best practices for integrating international and domestic students. International Student and Scholar Services: University of Minnesota. Retrieved from https://global.umn.edu/icc/documents/14_integration_best_practices_overall.pdf
Zhang, B., Robb, N., Eyerman, J., & Goodman, L. (2017). Virtual worlds and gamification to increase integration of international students in higher education: An inclusive design approach. International Journal of E-Learning & Distance Education, 32(2). ISSN: 2292-8588
Zhao, C. M., Kuh, G. D., & Carini, R. M. (2005). A comparison of international student and American student engagement in effective educational practices. The Journal of Higher Education, 76(2), 209–231. doi:10.1080/00221546.2005.11778911
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
All published articles are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 4.0 Unported License.
