International Students in Community Colleges: On-Campus Services Used and Its Affect on Sense of Belonging

• Published in: Community college journal of research and practice Vol. 43; no. 2; pp. 109 - 121
• Main Authors: Lau, Jared, Garza, Tiberio, Garcia, Hugo
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Washington Routledge 01.02.2019; Taylor & Francis Ltd
• Subjects: Academic Advising; College Counseling; College Faculty; Colleges & universities; Community College; Community Colleges; Counseling Services; Data acquisition; Enrollment Trends; Foreign Students; Incidence; International Students; Learner Engagement; Multiple Regression Analysis; Regression analysis; Sense of Belonging; Student Affairs; Student Attitudes; Student Personnel Services; Student School Relationship; Students; Trends; Two Year College Students; Universities; United States > US
• ISSN: 1066-8926; 1521-0413
• DOI: 10.1080/10668926.2017.1419891

While the enrollment trends of international students studying in universities and four-year colleges have been well documented over the recent years, there is evidence that international students are also enrolling at higher rates in community colleges. Although the issues and student service needs and trends of international students studying at four-year universities and colleges have received much attention in the literature over the years, there appears to be a dearth of literature that focuses on international students studying in community colleges. Thus, in response to this gap in the training literature, this study examined the prevalence of on-campus services used and their contribution to the development of sense of belonging for international students studying in US community colleges. Utilizing the Community College Survey of Student Engagement (CCSSE) as our data collection instrument, results of this study suggest that services used by international students in US community colleges are varied. Furthermore, results of multiple regression analyses indicate that academic advising services most contributed to international students' sense of belonging on US community college campuses. Based on the findings of this study, recommendations on working with international students are provided for community college faculty and student affairs personnel including special recommendations and counseling considerations for college counselors who work with international students.