ERIC Number: EJ1138083
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2017-May
Pages: 18
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0018-1560
EISSN: N/A
Comparing International and American Students: Involvement in College Life and Overall Satisfaction
Zhou, Ji; Cole, Darnell
Higher Education: The International Journal of Higher Education Research, v73 n5 p655-672 May 2017
Using longitudinal survey data, this study compares 191 international and 409 American students' involvement in college life, the extent to which the involvement is influenced by race/ethnicity, gender, and language background, and the extent to which the involvement influences overall satisfaction. Major findings include: International and American students had similar amount of interactions with faculty, and student-faculty interactions had the biggest, positive impact on overall satisfaction for both groups; international students had more frequent positive and negative cross-racial interactions than American students, and negative cross-racial interactions decreased international students' overall satisfaction; international students felt lonely more frequently than American students, yet loneliness did not decrease international students' overall satisfaction. Implications for research provide recommendations for studying international students' cross-racial interactions in relation to overall satisfaction, and for adapting and revising the conceptual model developed in this study in further research on what makes international students satisfied. Implications for practice focus on improving cross-racial interactions and student-faculty interactions, recommending concrete actions that can be offered to all students as well as special interventions targeting international students. The practical significance of conducting comparative institutional self-study between international and American students is also discussed in the context of how services for international students are structured on college campuses.
Descriptors: Longitudinal Studies, Surveys, Foreign Students, Student Participation, College Students, Racial Differences, Ethnic Groups, Gender Differences, Language Usage, Student Satisfaction, Teacher Student Relationship, Racial Relations, Psychological Patterns, Comparative Analysis
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A