"Home Away from Home"? How International Students Handle Difficult and Negative Experiences in American Higher Education

International students attending American universities often receive confusing messages: on one hand, for their contribution to the U.S. economy and fostering of domestic students' multicultural awareness; on the other, they are often targets of hostility and bias on and off campus. This qualit...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inJournal of international students Vol. 8; no. 1; pp. 453 - 472
Main Authors Yan, Lu "Wendy", Pei, Shaohua "Linda"
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Jonesboro Journal of International Students 01.01.2018
Journal of International Students (JIS)
Subjects
Adaptation
Adjustment
American culture
Bias
Classroom Techniques
College campuses
College Students
Community Relations
Counseling
Cultural Awareness
Culture
Economic Impact
Educational Practices
Environment
Ethnicity
Experience
Foreign students
Higher education
Hostility
Literature Reviews
Phenomenology
Psychological aspects
Psychology
Qualitative research
R&D
Research & development
Research Methodology
Social aspects
Universities
United States
United States > US
Constantine
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Summary:International students attending American universities often receive confusing messages: on one hand, for their contribution to the U.S. economy and fostering of domestic students' multicultural awareness; on the other, they are often targets of hostility and bias on and off campus. This qualitative phenomenological study examined 12 international students' perceptions of difficult and negative experiences in the context of American culture and a reputedly friendly Midwestern university. Four major themes emerged: (a) their on-campus experiences; (b) the off-campus experiences; (c) their reasons for unpleasant experiences, and (d) their suggestions for professors and peers to be more inclusive. Besides these students' struggles with administrators, faculty, and domestic students, their off-campus challenges sometimes dimmed their hopes for truly having a "home away from home."
ISSN:2162-3104
2166-3750
DOI:10.5281/zenodo.1134338