This section shares recent dissertations and theses with the "Journal of International Students" readers. There were about 139 graduate dissertations and theses related to the issues and challenges of international students in 2016. The complete versions of these selected dissertations are available in the ProQuest, Michigan-based…

Research on international students suggests they have a low sense of belonging at the U.S. institutions they attend. This study examined whether academic advisor's cultural empathy, advisor-advisee rapport, and international students' advising satisfaction influenced international students' perspectives of belonging to the institution. We further…

The purpose of this study is to understand the experiences of international students engaged in partnership programs between their high school and a destination college. Specifically, this study focuses on the experiences and perceptions of a group of Brazilian international students who graduated from a dual diploma high school program prior to…

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 psychosocial variables in predicting SWMLS. The sample included 189 Brazilian college students who attended…

Erasmus mobility has become an important feature of higher education in Europe and beyond, with the potential to generate significant changes at individual, institutional and systemic levels. More than three decades after the foundation of this successful program, evaluations reveal that, despite notable progress, several aspects of the Erasmus…

Within the scope of this study, a psychoeducation program based on multicultural competencies and Berry's acculturation model was developed to improve the adjustment process of international students. In this study, an explanatory sequential design was used. The study group consisted of 34 international students who volunteered for the study. The…

A growing body of scholarship has examined different aspects of the international student experience in higher education institutions, yet few studies have critically interrogated the very concept of the "international student" itself. In this article, we consider the different ways in which politico-legal practices of boundarymaking…

As an Ohio-based (U.S.) French instructor and francophile, I explored Ontario (Canada) in search of Franco-Ontarian communities. Eager to understand their position within larger anglophone-dominant spheres -- positions that are unique from neighboring Francophone communities of Quebec--I traveled to such communities. An international border…

The experience of participating in a mobility program is both enriching and shocking. While facing different identities and asymmetrical relations of power, the international student from the Global South is forced to reanalyze his or her identity in the world. The politics of racialization and the dichotomy between the politics of belonging and…

In order to promote Canadian students' mobility to China, it is essential to understand their motivations to study in Chinese universities because it influences their learning experiences. Through the application of the push-pull model as a conceptual framework (Altbach, 1998; Mazzarol & Soutar, 2002), this study explores the factors that…

Intercultural competence (IC) is considered as an essential soft skill for successful functioning in the globalized society in the 21st century. However, there is still a lack of culturally appropriate framework and instrument to understand and assess Chinese university students' IC development. The purpose of this study was to design a valid and…

Establishing social networks can be extremely challenging when international students, particularly those of color, move to a new academic and social environment. We examine the perceptions of social networks among first-year international students of color and how these networks affect their experiences at a predominantly White institution (PWI).…

The celebration of diversity is at the heart of global education initiatives. Yet, participation in study abroad and related programs in the United States--a purported 'melting pot' of races and cultures--remains, disproportionately, the domain of affluent whites. Against this background, this study seeks to learn from the experiences of…

The 2019/2020 academic year brought historic opportunities for faculty to manage virtual exchanges (O'Dowd, 2021), yet limited research exists on how teachers develop their capacity within these programs. As educators collaborating on a transnational virtual exchange, we aim to investigate the process that teachers go through as they co-develop…

The study considers the opportunities and barriers facing the implementation of virtual exchange in K-12 education, and the perceptions of access to these opportunities for underrepresented students in the context of the federal US education system. These issues are examined through the lens of a domestic program offered by Empatico known as…