Our group has reviewed the studies conducted on the international students’ adjustment problems. As indicated in the title, we attempted to review the studies on the international students’ life, and difficulties with community of practice perspective.
Overall, we found that the problems indicated from these studies are closely aligned with what we have heard from our participants. International students were faced with managing academic, social, and emotional problems during the process of cultural adjustment, and they attempted to deal with the problems by establishing a support network.
One qualitative study reported different adaptation challenges and behaviors to address the problems using interviews and observations:
Gebhard (2012). International students’ adjustment problems and behaviors. Journal of International Students, 2(2), 184-193.
https://jistudents.files.wordpress.com/2011/12/10-international-student-adjustment-problems.pdft
The study focused on the experiences and behaviors of international students as individuals, not as a community of practice. However, from the findings of the study we found that there are potentials that CoP can illuminate for understanding international students’ adaptation and adjustment in new environments. The results showed that how they create and maintain their own community within the new environments by seeking for supportive groups; international student organizations, writing/learning centers, some friendly professors, friends consisting of friends from same home countries or other international students. Also, they had strong bond among the members. These results imply that there exist voluntary or self-organizing communities for international students that we need to investigate to better understand and support their communities of practice.
There was also another interesting trend we found in many of the articles we studied. It seemed to us that the suggested principles to help aid international students in their problems are entirely focused on the individual or the university. As an example, the study performed by Pranata, Foo-Kune, and Rodolfa out of U.C. Davis had several major suggestions for how to help students with the difficulties they experienced in transitioning to this culture. They focused predominantly on empowering and educating the individual students or being more creative when assisting these students when focusing on that end of the problem. Similarly, when focusing on what the universities could do instead, there was a focus on providing more specialized services such as sensitivity training and culturally-aware therapy sessions that take into account the individual’s culture, which is largely focused on the community that these individuals do not feel they are a part of. Where is the focus on the community of international students?
Pranata, H., Foo-Kune, N., & Rodolfa, E. (n.d.). International students: Supporting their transition to the United States. Retrieved from http://caps.ucdavis.edu/resources/international/InternationalStudent.pdf
A number of the articles we found took a very quantitative approach to the phenomenon of international student problems. Some examples of these sorts of studies are:
Galloway, F. J., & Jenkins, J. R. (2005). The adjustment problems faced by international students in the United States: A comparison of international students and administrative perceptions at two private, religiously affiliated universities. Journal of Student Affairs Research and Practice, 42(2), 321-333.
http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.2202/1949-6605.1471
Hechanova-Alampay, R., Beehr, T. A., Christiansen, N. D., & Van Horn, R. K. (2002). Adjustment and Strain among Domestic and International Student Sojourners A Longitudinal Study. School Psychology International, 23(4), 458-474.
http://spi.sagepub.com/content/23/4/458.full.pdf
One instrument used in many of these studies is the Michigan International Student Problem Inventory (found in appendix A of this dissertation), originally crafted in 1962 and updated in 1977. One obvious shortcoming of these papers is what would seem to be an outdated approach (or at least, instrument). This sort of qualitative investigation privileges the researcher’s preconceptions of what international students’ problems are. The largest problem, however, is that these sorts of inquiries make individuals the focus of analysis. Almost everything we’ve learned so far stresses that problems are situated, that they cannot be isolated or engaged apart from the circumstances in which they occur. While isolation is a commonly expressed international student problem, this problem does not occur in isolation, nor do any of the others.
While the studies above do mention the role of community in passing, we contend that it should be the focus. The following article does just that:
Montgomery, C., & McDowell, L. (2009). Social Networks and the International Student Experience An International Community of Practice?. Journal of Studies in International Education, 13(4), 455-466.
http://jsi.sagepub.com/content/13/4/455.full.pdf
This article confirms our conclusion that the CoP framework is a useful way to look at international student groups and communities. The qualitative approach they took (semi-structured interviews and shadowing) allows the international students to present their experience in their own words, and avoids glossing over important factors through preconceived categories and statistical analysis. It legitimizes the communities of support that arise as new students arrive, contend with problems, and adapt year after year. The sense of empathy with new students appears to be the motive of forming the communities among the international student group. It seems clear to us that these communities develop a shared repertoire and set of practices that aid new international students who come in as legitimate peripheral participants. These communities should be the focus of research on international problems, and ideas for solutions should start with them.
Written by Brandon Sherman, Mike Banales, Koun Choi
Katie Bateman says
Zach Lonsinger says
This is an interesting question. It does seem to be a recurring theme in our design challenges and appears to surface everywhere I look. I’m even guilty of feeling that “isolation” in some environments and situations- many of those not in the education realm.
Leah Bug says
Where is the like button?
Isaac Jason Bretz says
I agree that neither placing the burden of responsibility on those who are already being marginalized nor appealing to authority are ways of liberating people from problems. That said, I wonder about insularity and tribalism that occurs when we only talk with those who are like us. There might be something to be said for being pushed into communicating with a more diverse community even before students come to Penn State.
Adam says
I think you identified a great niche for your design, a bridge between the personal responsibility and the student and the duties of the university. A CoP could work as a way to help students with the individual responsibilities as well as be a place where they can advocate to the university for better or more complete services, raise awareness, and bring in new members.
Dean says
It’s sad that people are not inclusive when it comes to race, ethnicity, gender, skin color, how one speaks, etc. This is a longstanding problem for the human race. I wish the answer wasn’t to tell folks to find a community of “alike individuals” to help one through the adverse situation. I look at this approach as a band aid, although I don’t have an immediate solution to the issue. We need to keep talking about this as a community. And really it’s up to each one of us to make this better for people who feel marginalized. The small acts of kindness and inclusion could actually set a new norm for us as a collective.
I know, I know…this is all heady and ideal thinking here. But I do think that if people aren’t onboard with helping others who are “unlike them” to feel welcomed, then there is a deeper issue going on…one of apathy, lack of love, human strife, and/or prejudice.
Dean says
It’s sad that people are not inclusive when it comes to race, ethnicity, gender, skin color, how one speaks, where one is from, etc. This is a longstanding problem for the human race. I wish the answer wasn’t to tell folks to find a community of “alike individuals” to help one through the adverse situation. I look at this approach as a band aid, although I don’t have an immediate solution to the issue. We need to keep talking about this as a community. And really it’s up to each one of us to make this better for people who feel marginalized. The small acts of kindness and inclusion could actually set a new norm for us, collectively.
I know, I know…this is all heady and ideal thinking here. But I do think that if people aren’t onboard with helping others who are “unlike them” to feel welcomed, then there is a deeper issue going on…one of apathy, lack of love, human strife, and/or prejudice.
Audrey Romano says
Most of the Chinese-side of my family immigrated to the US (and other countries) within the past 40 years, so only one generation ago. Each one came without anyone already established to help them through that transition. It’s a huge choice. But part of coping is on the individual. We can’t expect someone to hand hold us through life. If an individual is truly in search of a support structure, of a community to become a part of and to build a network… they may exist, but they aren’t necessarily going to come knocking on your door to find you. It is, at least in part, on the individual to plan ahead and figure out where those supports are before making the move. It should factor into their choice of university. But of course I empathize and agree that maybe there should be someone who knocks on your door and asks if you’re doing ok. But what if you’re culturally or personally not comfortable with aspects of that exchange, should accommodations be made for each individual? I think there’s a complexity on that individual/cultural level that will be hard to address especially if the university population for that particular nationality isn’t large. I hope I don’t sound like an asshole :/
Leah Bug says
While I agree that some of this is on the individual, it think it also is on the community, in this case the university and the collective individuals which make up the university, to include international students into their circles. I think when you are a newcomer to a CoP, it’s easier if you look and speak like everyone else. It’s a bit more difficult when you don’t. I agree that it’s the international student’s choice in regards to which university to attend. It would be interesting to see the types of programs and support the top university destinations offer for international students, or if this support (or lack thereof) really matters and it’s more about the quality of the school and the existing community of international students which provide the support to one another, which draws the students to attend. Does that make sense? And no, you don’t sound like an a-hole. It’s complicated and great that we’re talking about it!
pul121 says
Your group took an adaptive approach that assumes international students to adjust to new environments. Based on the reading, the community of practice that your group proposes seems to form the community within students’ region of origin. However, I think the community is still isolated from the diverse campus. If the community of practice occurs in a broad sense to include American students, the benefits of diversifying student populations could be achieved. If not, the diversity does not have its true meaning.
Zach Lonsinger says
I fear that focusing on a community for international students would defeat the whole purpose of these students coming to the United States for school. Dean basically took the words right out of my mouth. I feel this is a larger issue than lack of resources or support for international students. In my opinion, this deals with American students and their fear of the unknown- or maybe all humans’ fear of the unknown. We need to be more accepting of different people. I like to put myself in their position. If I were to travel to a different country for school, I would not want to be surrounded by Americans all the time. Sure it would be nice to know a few people from my home country or even my home state. But the whole reason of me attending a foreign university would be for me to gain a diverse perspective of the world and another culture, and I wouldn’t get that from being submerged in an American community within a foreign university.
Leah Bug says
I think this is true, Zach, but from the interviews I conducted and some of the readings, it’s difficult for international students to gain entry into US student circles. It does happen, of course, but I think not as pervasive throughout the college experience. It seems there is a desire from the international students for the reasons you suggested, but just not as easily done as we would hope.
Priscilla Taylor says
Reading this post, I was impressed that the literature actually matched the reality of international students’ lived experience; that doesn’t always happen. It is interesting that community wasn’t a larger theme in the literature you read especially when, as the Montgomery & McDowell article mention, a support network is a way to slowly move new students into a community in a new place. What made that piece valuable was the fact that empathy was at the heart of addressing the issues plaguing international students.