Spirituality and Religiosity Among International College Students in the United States: The Benefits and Predictors
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.32674/jump.v8i1.5091Keywords:
Spirituality, Religiosity, College outcomes, College experiences, International studentsAbstract
This study examines how the spiritual and religious experiences of international students affect their college outcomes. Prior research has shown the significant influence of spirituality and religiosity on local students' college experiences. However, there is a notable gap in research regarding the spiritual and religious experiences of international students. Findings indicate both growth and decline in spiritual and religious qualities among international students during their college years. Moreover, certain spiritual and religious engagements are found to contribute significantly to cognitive, affective, and civic outcomes among this student population. Additionally, involvement in community service and peer interactions are identified as influential factors in the spiritual and religious development of international students.
References
References
Altbach, P. G., & Knight, J. (2006). The internationalization of higher education: Motivations and realities. The NEA 2006 Almanac of Higher Education. Retrieved from http://www.nea.org/assets/img/PubAlmanac/ALM_06_03.pdf
Ardelt, M. (2020). Can wisdom and psychosocial growth be learned in university courses? Journal of Moral Education, 49(1), 30-45.
Astin, A. W. (1993). What matters in college?: Four critical years revisited. Jossey-Bass.
Astin, A., & Keen, J. (2006). Equanimity and spirituality. Religion & Education, 33(2), 1-8. doi:10.1080/ 15507394.2006.10012375
Astin, H. S., & Lindholm, J. A. (2011). Understanding the “interior” life of faculty: How important is spirituality? In Sacred and Secular Tensions in Higher Education (pp. 63-85). Routledge.
Astin, A., Astin, H., & Lindholm, J. A. (2011a). Cultivating the spirit: How college can enhance students’ inner lives. John Wiley & Sons.
Astin, A., Astin, H., & Lindholm, J. (2011b). Assessing students’ spiritual and religious qualities. Journal of College Student Development, 52(1), 39-61.
Banjong, D. N. (2015). International students’ enhanced academic performance: Effects of campus resources. Journal of International Students, 5(1), 132-142.
Baxter Magolda, M. B. (2008). Three elements of self-authorship. Journal of College Student Development, 49(4), 269-284.
Bevis, T., & Lucas, C. (2007). International students in American colleges and universities: A history. Springer.
Bista, K., & Foster, C. (2011). Issues of international student retention in American higher education. The International Journal of Research and Review, 7(2), 1-10.
Braskamp, L. A. (2008). Developing global citizens. Journal of College and Character, 10(1), 1-5.
Bryant, A. N., & Astin, H. S. (2008). The correlates of spiritual struggle during the college years. Journal of Higher Education, 79, 1-27.
Brown, J. C. (1972). Learning theory applied to arithmetic instruction. Psychology in the Schools, 9, 289-293.
Carter, J. L. (2016). The patterns and predictors of religious struggle among undergraduate students attending evangelical institutions: A comparison to other private religious institutions, Catholic institutions, and nonsectarian institutions (Doctoral dissertation). Available from ProQuest Dissertations and Theses database. (Publication No. 27549534)
Chickering, A. (1981). The modern American college: Responding to the new realities of diverse students and a changing society. Jossey-Bass.
Chickering, A. W., Dalton, J. C., & Stamm, L. (2006). Encouraging authenticity and spirituality in higher education. Jossey-Bass.
Chickering, A. W., & Reisser, L. (1993). Education and identity. Jossey-Bass.
Coulson, D., & Harvey, M. (2013). Scaffolding student reflection for experience-based learning: A framework. Teaching in Higher Education, 18, 401-413.
Creswell, J. W. (2008). Educational research. Planning, conducting, and evaluating quantitative and qualitative research (3rd ed.). Pearson Education.
Curtis, C. J. (2014). Cognitive skills development among international students studying at highly selective universities in California [Unpublished doctoral dissertation]. Azusa Pacific University.
English, L. M., & Mayo, P. (2012). Spirituality and adult education. In Learning with Adults (pp. 179-187). Sense Publishers.
Denson, N., & Chang, M. J. (2009). Racial diversity matters: The impact of diversity-related student engagement and institutional context. American Educational Research Journal, 46, 322-353.
Derrico, C. M., Tharp, J. L., & Schreiner, L. A. (2015). Called to make a difference: The experiences of students who thrive on faith-based campuses. Christian Higher Education, 14, 298-321.
Hatcher, J. A., & Studer, M. L. (2015). Service-learning and philanthropy: Implications for course design. Theory Into Practice, 54(1), 11-19.
Hirai, R., Frazier, P., & Syed, M. (2015). Psychological and sociocultural adjustment of first-year international students: Trajectories and predictors. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 62, 438-452.
Hurtado, S., & Carter, D. F. (1997). Effects of college transition and perceptions of the campus racial climate on Latino college students' sense of belonging. Sociology of Education, 70(4), 324-345.
Institute of International Education (IIE). (2017). Open doors report. Retrieved from https://www.iie.org/Research-and-Insights/Open-Doors/Data/International-Students
Fisler, J., Agati, H. A., Chance, S. M., Donahue, A. E., Donahue, G. A., Eickhoff, E. J., & Foubert, J. D. (2009). Keeping (or losing) the faith: Reflections on spiritual struggles and their resolution by college seniors. College Student Affairs Journal, 27, 257-274.
Johnson, L. R., Seifen-Adkins, T., Sandhu, D. S., Arbles, N., & Makino, H. (2018). Developing culturally responsive programs to promote international student adjustment: A participatory approach. Journal of International Students, 8, 1865-1878.
Johnstone, K. M., Ashbaugh, H., & Warfield, T. D. (2002). Effects of repeated practice and contextual-writing experiences on college students’ writing skills. Journal of Educational Psychology, 94, 305-315.
Kim, Y. K., Collins, C. S., Rennick, L. A., & Edens, D. (2017). College experiences and outcomes among international undergraduate students at research universities in the United States: A comparison to their domestic peers. Journal of International Students, 7(2), 395-420.
Kim, Y. K., & Sax, L. J. (2009). Student-faculty interaction in research universities: Differences by student gender, race, social class, and first-generation status. Research in Higher Education, 50, 437-459.
Korobova, N. (2012). A comparative study of student engagement, satisfaction, and academic success among international and American students (Doctoral dissertation). Retrieved from http://lib.dr.iastate.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=3374&context=etd
Kuh, G. D. (2008). High-impact educational practices: What they are, who has access to them, and why they matter. Association of American Colleges and Universities.
Kuh, G. D., & Gonyea, M. R. (2006). Spirituality, liberal learning, and college student engagement. Liberal Education, 92(1), 40-47.
Kuo, B. C. (2011). Culture’s consequences on coping: Theories, evidences, and dimensionalities. Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology, 42, 1084-1100.
Lee, K. (2016, October 5). International students in American college. The Science Times. Retrieved from https://www.sciencetimes.co.kr/?news=%EC%99%B8%EA%B5%AD-%EC%9C
Li, G., Chen, W., & Duanmu, J.-L. (2010). Determinants of international students’ academic performance: A comparison between Chinese and other international students. Journal of Studies in International Education, 14, 389-405.
Lindholm, J. A. (2007). Spirituality in the academy: Reintegrating our lives and the lives of our students. About Campus, 12(4), 10-17.
Lindholm, J. A. (2013). The quest for meaning and wholeness: Spiritual and religious connections in the lives of college faculty. Wiley.
Lindholm, J. A., Millora, M. L., Schwartz, L. M., & Spinosa, H. S. (2011). A guidebook of promising practices: Facilitating college students’ spiritual development. Regents of the University of California.
Ma, S. Y. (2003). The Christian college experience and the development of spirituality among students. Christian Higher Education, 2, 321-339.
Martirosyan, N. M., Hwang, E., & Wanjohi, R. (2015). Impact of English proficiency on academic performance of international students. Journal of International Students, 5(1), 60-71.
Maslow, A. H. (1943). A theory of human motivation. Psychological Review, 50, 370-396.
Mayhew, M. J., Pascarella, E. T., Bowman, N. A., Rockenbach, A. N., Seifert, T. A., Terenzini, P. T., & Wolniak, G. C. (2016). How college affects students: 21st century evidence that higher education works (Vol. 3). Jossey-Bass.
Moore, L., & Popadiuk, N. (2011). Positive aspects of international student transitions: A qualitative inquiry. Journal of College Student Development, 52, 291-306.
Palmer, P. & Zajonc, A. (2010). The heart of higher education: A call to renewal. Jossey-Bass.
Park, J. J. (2013). When diversity drops: Race, religion, and affirmative action in higher education. Rutgers University Press.
Parks, S. D. (2000). Big questions, worthy dreams: Mentoring young adults in their search for meaning, purpose, and faith. Jossey-Bass.
Petrisko, M. E. (2015, April 24-26). Student success: Higher education’s imperative [Paper presentation]. 2015 WASC academic resource conference, Oakland, CA. Retrieved from http://2015.wascarc.org/ and http://2015.wascarc.org/session/plenary-speaker/ready-students-or-student-ready-new-culture-leadership-student-success
Perry, J. A. (Ed.). (2016). The EdD and the scholarly practitioner: The CPED path. IAP.
Philip, S., Neuer Colburn, A. A., Underwood, L., & Bayne, H. (2019). The impact of religion/spirituality on acculturative stress among international students. Journal of College Counseling, 22(1), 27-40.
Pizzolato, J. E., Hicklen, S. T., Brown, E. L., & Chaudhari, P. (2009). Student development, student learning: Examining the relation between epistemological development and learning. Journal of College Student Development, 50, 475-490.
Rennick, L. A., Smedley, C. T., Fisher, D., Wallace, E., & Kim, Y. K. (2013). The effects of spiritual/religious engagement on college students’ affective outcomes: Differences by gender and race. Journal of Research on Christian Education, 22(3), 301-322.
Reymann, L. S., Fialkowski, G. M., & Stewart‐Sicking, J. A. (2015). Exploratory study of spirituality and psychosocial growth in college students. Journal of College Counseling, 18(2), 103-115.
Rodrigues, A. P., Jorge, F. E., Pires, C. A., & António, P. (2019). The contribution of emotional intelligence and spirituality in understanding creativity and entrepreneurial intention of higher education students. Education & Training, 61, 870-894.
Schreiner, L. A. (2013). Thriving in college. New Directions for Student Services, 4(143), 41-52.
Smith, R. A., & Khawaja, N. G. (2011). A review of the acculturation experiences of international students. International Journal of Intercultural Relations, 35, 699-713.
Taylor, D. L. (2013). Culturally relevant pedagogy and behaviors: A study of faculty beliefs at six Christian postsecondary institutions. Christian Higher Education, 12(1-2), 51-73.
Taylor, D. L., Van Zandt, C., & Menjares, P. C. (2013). Developing culturally competent faculty: A cognitive, affective, and spiritual model. Christian Higher Education, 12(1-2), 110-121.
Thelin, J. R. (2011). A history of American higher education. Johns Hopkins University Press.
Tolliver, D. E., & Tisdell, E. J. (2006). Engaging spirituality in the transformative higher education classroom. New Directions for Adult and Continuing Education, 109, 37-47.
Trice, A. G., & Yoo, J. E. (2007). International graduate students' perceptions of their academic experience. Journal of Research in International Education, 6(1), 41-66.
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.
Vance, R. (2016). The quest for meaning and wholeness: Spiritual and religious connections in the lives of college faculty. Journal of College and Character, 17, 283-285. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/2194587X.2016.1230764
Walker, K. L., & Dixon, V. (2002). Spirituality and academic performance among African American college students. Journal of Black Psychology, 28(2), 107-121.
Wang, Y., Li, T., Noltemeyer, A., Wang, A., Zhang, J., & Shaw, K. (2018). Cross-cultural adaptation of international college students in the United States. Journal of International Students, 8(2), 821-842.
Yan, K., & Berliner, D. C. (2013). Chinese international students’ personal and sociocultural stressors in the United States. Journal of College Student Development, 54(1), 62-84.
Zhang, Y., & Mi, Y. (2010). Another look at the language difficulties of international students. Journal of Studies in International Education, 14(4), 371-388.
Zhou, Y. (2010). Understanding of international graduate students’ academic adaptation to a US graduate school (Doctoral dissertation, Bowling Green State University). Retrieved from http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=bgsu1269127068.pdf.
