Brazilian International Students’ Satisfaction with Migration Life in Portugal
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.32674/jis.v13i2.4782Keywords:
international students, measurement, satisfaction with migration life, subjective well-beingAbstract
International students constitute an important sojourner group. The current research aimed to test the psychometric characteristics of the Satisfaction with Migration Life Scale (SWMLS) for international students, and the role of different psycho-social variables in predicting SWMLS. The sample included 189 Brazilian college students who attended Portuguese institutions of higher education. Sixty-three percent were females and 37% males, aged between 18 and 38 years. The average length of sojourn in Portugal was 14 months. The confirmatory factor analysis revealed that the one-dimensional model of the SWMLS is adequate and possesses good internal consistency. The study found that international students are generally satisfied about their migration life. Subsequent analysis indicated that the SWMLS scores were significantly associated with other measures of financial status, perceived discrimination, cultural intelligence, sociocultural adaptation, and subjective well-being. Suggestions for future research with international students are proposed.
References
Andrews, F., & Withey, S. (1976). Social indicators of well-being: America's perception of life quality. Plenum. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4684-2253-5 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4684-2253-5
Bardo, A. R., & Yamashita, T. (2014). Validity of domain satisfaction across cohorts in the US. Social Indicators Research, 117, 367-385. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11205-013-0351-6 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11205-013-0351-6
Berry, J. (Editor) (2017). Mutual intercultural relations. Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/9781316875032 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781316875032
Berry, J., Phinney, J., Sam, D., & Vedder, P. (Eds.) (2006). Immigrant youth in cultural transition: Acculturation, identity and adaptation across national contexts. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780415963619 DOI: https://doi.org/10.4324/9780415963619
Brislin, R., Worthley, R., & Macnab, B. (2006). Cultural intelligence: Understanding behaviors that serve people's goals. Group and Organization Management, 31, 40-55. https://doi.org/10.1177/1059601105275262 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/1059601105275262
Byrne, B. M., & Campbell, T. L. (1999). Cross-cultural comparisons and the presumption of equivalent measurement and theoretical structure: A look beneath the surface. Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology, 30, 555-574.
https://doi.org/10.1177/0022022199030005001 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0022022199030005001
Caycho-Rodriguez, T., Neto, J., Tomás, J. M., Valencia, P. D., Ventura-Léon, J., Neto, F., Reyes-Bossio, M, Vilca, L. W. (2020). Psychometric properties of the Satisfaction with Job Life Scale in Portuguese workers; A systematic study based on the IRT and CFA modeling. Heliyon, 6, 203881. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2020.e03881 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2020.e03881
Caycho-Rodríguez, T., Ventura-León, J., Barboza-Palomino, M., Reyes-Bossio, M., Gallegos, W. L. A., Cadena, C. H. G., ... & Cahua, J. C. H. (2018). Validez e invarianza factorial de una medida breve de Satisfacción con la Vida Familiar [Validity and factorial invariance of a brief measure of satisfaction with Family life]. Universitas Psychologica, 17, 1-17. https://doi.org/10.11144/Javeriana.upsy17-5.vifm DOI: https://doi.org/10.11144/Javeriana.upsy17-5.vifm
Costa, M. P., & Neto, F. (2019). Psychometric evaluation of the Portuguese Satisfaction with Family Life Scale. Measurement Instruments for the Social Sciences, 1(1), 2. https://doi.org/10.1186/s42409-019-0009-5 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s42409-019-0009-5
Diener, E. (1984). Subjective well-being. Psychological Bulletin, 95, 542-575. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.95.3.542 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.95.3.542
Diener, E. R., Emmons, R. Larsen, R., & Griffin, S. (1985). The satisfaction with life scale. Journal of Personality Assessment, 49, 71-75. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15327752jpa4901_13 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1207/s15327752jpa4901_13
Diener, E., Lucas, R. E., & Oishi, S. (2018). Advances and open questions in the science of subjective well-being. Collabra Psychology, 4, 15. https://doi.org/10.1525/collabra.115 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1525/collabra.115
Diener, E., Oishi, S., & Tay, L. (2018). Advances in subjective well-being research. Nature Human Behaviour, 2, 253-260. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41562-018-0307-6 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41562-018-0307-6
Diener, E., Suh, E. M., Lucas, R. E., & Smith, H. (1999). Subjective well-being: Three decades of progress. Psychological Bulletin, 125, 276-302. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.125.2.276 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.125.2.276
Earley, P. C., & Ang, S. (2003). Cultural intelligence: Individual interactions across cultures. Stanford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1515/9780804766005 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/9780804766005
Field, A., 2017. Discovering statistics using IBM SPSS statistics,5th ed. SAGE.
Fonseca, M. L., Pereira, S., Iorio, J. C. (2016). International mobility of Brazilian students to Portugal: The role of the Brazilian government and university strategies in Portugal. In: J. Domínguez-Mujica (eds), Global change and human mobility: Advances in geographical and environmental sciences (pp. 265-284). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-0050-8_14 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-0050-8_14
Fornell, C., & Larker, D. F. (1981). Structural equation models with unobservable variables and measurement error: Algebra and statistics. Journal of Marketing Research, 18, 382-388. https://doi.org/10.1177/002224378101800313 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/002224378101800313
França, T., Alves, E., & Padilla, B. (2018). Portuguese policies fostering intentional student mobility: A colonial legacy or a new strategy? Globalisation, Societies and Education, 16, 325-338. https://doi.org/10.1080/14767724.2018.1457431 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/14767724.2018.1457431
Furnham, A. (2004). Foreign students: Education and culture shock. The Psychologist, 17(1), 16-19.
Hair, J. F., Black, W., Babin, B., & Anderson, R. (2010). Multivariate data analysis: A global perspective. Prentice Hall.
Hu, L., & Bentler, P.M. (1999). Cut-off criteria for fit indexes in covariance structure analysis: Conventional criteria versus new alternatives. Structural Equation Modeling, 6, 1-55. https://doi.org/10.1080/10705519909540118 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/10705519909540118
Huebner, E.S., Suldo, S.M., & Gilman, R. (2006). Life Satisfaction. In G.G. Bear & K.M. Minke (Eds.), Children's needs III: Development, prevention, and intervention (pp. 357-368.). National Association of School Psychologists.
Iorio, J. C. (2021). The motivations that put Portugal back on the route of Brazilian higher education students. Globalisation, Societies and Education, 19(3), 326-342. https://doi.org/10.1080/14767724.2020.1831903 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/14767724.2020.1831903
Iorio, J. C., & Pereira, S. (2018). Social class inequalities and international student mobility: The case of Brazilian students in the Portuguese higher education system. Belgeo [Online], 3. https://doi.org/10.4000/belgeo.24193 DOI: https://doi.org/10.4000/belgeo.24193
Kitsantas, A. (2004). Study abroad: The role of college students' goals on the development of cross-cultural skills and global understanding. College Student Journal, 38, 441-452.
Kline, R. B. (2005). Methodology in the social sciences. Principles and practice of structural equation modeling (2nd ed.). Guilford Press.
Kraeh, A., Froese, F., & Kim, S. (2016). Does socio-cultural and psychological adjustment influence physical health? The case of North Korean refugees in South Korea. International Journal of Intercultural Relations, 51, 54-60. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijintrel.2016.02.001 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijintrel.2016.02.001
Le, H., Jiang, Z., & Nielsen, I. (2018). Cognitive cultural intelligence and life satisfaction of migrant workers: The roles of career engagement and social injustice. Social Indicators Research, 139, 237-257. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11205-016-1393-3 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11205-016-1393-3
Lee, D., & Ahn, S. (2011). Discrimination against Latina/os: A meta-analysis of individual-level resources and outcomes. The Counseling Psychologist, 40, 28-65. https://doi.org/10.1177/0011000011403326 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0011000011403326
Lonner, W. J., & Berry, J. W. (1986). Sampling and surveying. In W. J. Lonner & J. W. Berry (Eds.), Field methods in cross-cultural research (pp. 85-110). SAGE.
Munoz Sastre, M. T., Vainsonneau, G., Neto, F., Girard, M., e Mullet, E. (2003). Forgiveness and satisfaction with life. Journal of Happiness Studies, 4, 323-335. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1026251630478 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1026251630478
Myers, L. S., Gamst, G., & Guarino, A. (2006). Applied multivariate research. Sage.
Neto, F. (1995). Predictors of satisfaction with life among second generation of immigrants. Social Indicators Research, 35, 93-116. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01079240 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01079240
Neto, F. (2005). The satisfaction with love life scale. Measurement and Evaluation in Counseling and Development, 38, 2-13. https://doi.org/10.1080/07481756.2005.11909765 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/07481756.2005.11909765
Neto, F. (2006). Psycho-social predictors of perceived discrimination among adolescents of immigrant background: A Portuguese study. Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies, 32, 89-109. https://doi.org/10.1080/13691830500335507 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/13691830500335507
Neto, F. (2012). The satisfaction with sex life scale. Measurement and Evaluation in Counseling and Development, 45, 18-31. https://doi.org/10.1177/0748175611422898 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0748175611422898
Neto, F. (2019). Acculturation, adaptation and saudade among Portuguese migrants. The Journal of Psychology: Interdisciplinary and Applied, 153, 667-679. https://doi.org/10.1080/00223980.2019.1590298 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/00223980.2019.1590298
Neto, F. (2020). Subjective well-being of Angolan students in Portugal. Journal of Studies in International Education, 24, 456-473. https://doi.org/10.1177/1028315319861353 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/1028315319861353
Neto, F. (2021). Loneliness among African international students at Portuguese universities. Journal of International Students, 11(2), 397-416. https://doi.org/10.32674/jis.v11i2.1379 DOI: https://doi.org/10.32674/jis.v11i2.1379
Neto, F., & Barros, J. (2007). Satisfaction with life among adolescents from Portuguese immigrant families in Switzerland. Swiss Journal of Psychology, 66, 215-223. https://doi.org/10.1024/1421-0185.66.4.215 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1024/1421-0185.66.4.215
Neto, F., & Fonseca, A. C. (2016). The Satisfaction with Migration Life Scale. International Journal of Intercultural Relations, 54, 47-54. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijintrel.2016.07.004 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijintrel.2016.07.004
Neto, F., & Fonseca, A. C. M. (2018). The satisfaction with job life scale among immigrants. Psychological Studies, 63, 209-218. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12646-018-0449-7 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12646-018-0449-7
Neto, F., & Neto, J. (2017). Intercultural relations in Portugal. In J. W. Berry (Editor). Mutual intercultural relations (pp. 249-266). Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/9781316875032.012 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781316875032.012
Neto, F., & Wilks, D. (2017). Predictors of psychological adaptation of Cape Verdean students in Portugal. Journal of College Student Development, 58, 1087-1100. https://doi.org/10.1353/csd.2017.0085 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1353/csd.2017.0085
Neto, F., Pinto, M. C., & Mullet, E. (2019). Can music reduce national prejudice? A test of a cross-cultural musical education programme. Psychology of Music, 47, 747-756. https://doi.org/10.1177/0305735618774867 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0305735618774867
Neto, J., Neto, A., & Neto, F. (2021). Psychometric properties of a Portuguese short form measure of cultural intelligence. International Journal of Intercultural Relations, 83, 139-150. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijintrel.2021.06.005 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijintrel.2021.06.005
O'Reilly, A., Ryan, D., & Hickey, T. (2010). The psychological well-being and sociocultural adaptation of short-term international students in Ireland. Journal of College Student Development, 51, 584-598. https://doi.org/10.1353/csd.2010.0011 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1353/csd.2010.0011
OECD (2018). Education at a glance 2018: OECD indicators. OECD Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1787/eag-2018-en DOI: https://doi.org/10.1787/eag-2018-en
Oliveira, C. (2020). Indicadores de integração de imigrantes: Relatório estatístico anual [Immigrant integration indicators: Annual statistical report]. Observatório das Migrações.
Pavot, W., & Diener, E. (2008). The satisfaction with life scale and the emerging construct of life satisfaction. The Journal of Positive Psychology, 3, 137-152. https://doi.org/10.1080/17439760701756946 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/17439760701756946
Prelow, H. M., Mosher, C. E., & Bowman, M. A. (2006). Perceived racial discrimination, social support, and psychological adjustment among African American college students. Journal of Black Psychology, 32, 442-454. https://doi.org/10.1177/0095798406292677 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0095798406292677
Richardson, T., Elliot, P., Roberts, R., & Jansen, M. (2017). A longitudinal study of financial difficulties and mental health in a National sample of British undergraduate students. Community Mental Health Journal, 53, 344-352.
https://doi.org/10.1007/s10597-016-0052-0 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10597-016-0052-0
Roberts, R., Golding, J., Towell, T., & Weinreb, I. (1999). The effects of economic circumstances on British students' mental and physical health. Journal of American College Heath, 48, 103-109. https://doi.org/10.1080/07448489909595681 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/07448489909595681
Ruiz, M. F., Neto, F., Munoz Sastre, M. T., Salvatore, N., Rivière, S., & Mullet, E. (2009). Life domain satisfaction: A Portugal-France comparison. Social Indicators Research, 94, 173-181. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11205-008-9359-8 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11205-008-9359-8
Safdar, S., & Berno, T. (2016). Sojourners. In D. L. Sam & J. W. Berry (Eds.), The Cambridge handbook of acculturation psychology, second edition (pp. 181-197). Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9781316219218.012 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9781316219218.012
Santos, F., & Filho, N. A. (2012). A quarta missão da universidade. Editora UNB.
Sequeira Neto, J. (2014). Cultural competence among Ukrainian economic immigrants living in Portugal. Unpublished master dissertation. Faculdade d Economia: Universidade do Porto.
Simões, A. (1993). São os homens mais agressivos que as mulheres? [Are men more aggressive than women?] Revista Portuguesa de Pedagogia, 3, 387, 404.
Smith, R., & Khawaja, N. (2011). A review of the acculturation experiences of international students. International Journal of Intercultural Relations, 35, 699-713 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijintrel.2011.08.004 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijintrel.2011.08.004
Tartakovsky, E., Petrakov, E., & Nikulina, K. (2021). Is emigration worth the trouble? Satisfaction with life, group identifications, perceived discrimination, and socio-economic status. International Journal of Intercultural Relations, 80, 195-205. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijintrel.2020.11.012 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijintrel.2020.11.012
Thomas, D. C., Elron, E., Stahl, G., Ekelund, B. Z., Ravlin, E. C., Cerdin, J. L., . . . & Maznevski, M. (2008). Cultural intelligence: Domain and assessment. International Journal of Cross-Cultural Management, 8, 123-143. https://doi.org/10.1177/1470595808091787 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/1470595808091787
Thomas, D. C., Liao, Y., Aycan, Z., Cerdin, J. L., Pekerti, A. A., Ravlin, E. C., …& Van de Vijver, F. (2015). Cultural intelligence: a theory-based, short form measure. Journal of International Business Studies, 46, 1099-1118. https://doi.org/10.1057/jibs.2014.67 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/jibs.2014.67
Titrek, O., Erkiliç, A, Süre, E., Güvenç, M., & Pek, N. T. (2016). The socio-cultural, financial and education problems of international postgraduate students in Turkey. Universal Journal of Educational Research, 4, 160-166.
https://doi.org/10.13189/ujer.2016.041320 DOI: https://doi.org/10.13189/ujer.2016.041320
Ward, C., & Kennedy, A. (1999). The measurement of sociocultural adaptation. International Journal of Intercultural Relations, 23, 659-677. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0147-1767(99)00014-0 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/S0147-1767(99)00014-0
Ward, C., Bochner, S., & Furnham, A. (2001). The psychology of culture shock, 2nd ed. Routledge.
Ward, C., Gale, J., Staerkle, C., & Stuart, J. (2018). Immigration and multiculturalism in context: A framework for psychological research. The Journal of Social Issues, 74, 833-855. https://doi.org/10.1111/josi.12301 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/josi.12301
Watson, D., Clark, L. A., & Tellegen, A. (1988). Development and validation of brief measures of positive and negative affect. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 54, 1063-1070. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.54.6.1063 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.54.6.1063
Wilks, D. C., & Neto, F. (2016). Exploring the adaptation experiences of Cape Verdean students in Portugal. International Journal of Educational Research, 76, 66-75. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijer.2016.01.002 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijer.2016.01.002
Wilson, J., Ward, C., & Fischer, R. (2013). Beyond culture learning theory: What can personality tell us about cultural competence? Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology, 44, 900-927. https://doi.org/10.1177/0022022113492889 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0022022113492889
Zabriske, R. B., & Ward, P. (2013). Satisfaction with Family Life Scale. Marriage & Family Review, 49, 446-463. https://doi.org/10.1080/01494929.2013.768321 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/01494929.2013.768321
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
Categories
License
Copyright (c) 2022 Journal of International Students
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
All published articles are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 4.0 Unported License.
