A Longitudinal Study of the Effects of Discrimination on the Acculturation Strategies of International Students

Abstract

The current study investigated the impact of discrimination on the acculturation strategies of international students in the U.K. In a longitudinal study that followed students (N = 113) for one year, the authors drew on social identity theory to understand the processes by which discrimination impacts on their acculturation strategies. Specifically, the study examined an indirect effect by which perceived discrimination impacts acculturation strategies through perceived permeability of group boundaries. Results showed that perceiving discrimination is associated with a perceived lack of permeability, which in turn results in avoiding the host society and simultaneously endorsing one's own cultural background. Implications for international students and other cultural groups are discussed. (Word count: 109)Keywords: Perceived discrimination, acculturation strategies, social identity theory, permeability of group boundaries. PERCEIVED DISCRIMINATION AND ACCULTURATION STRATEGIES 3 A Longitudinal Study of the Effects of Discrimination on the Acculturation Strategies of International StudentsWith changes in the global economy and increased availability of communication and transportation networks, the number of international students has dramatically increased over the last decades. This is supported by data showing that in 1990 there were 1 million international students all over the world, a number that exponentially increased to 3 million in 2007(OECD, 2009. It is estimated that more and more students will seek international experience and there will be a total of 7.2 million international students in the year of 2025 (Bohm, Davis, Meares, & Pearce, 2002).For these students moving abroad provides a cross-cultural opportunity with tangible benefits for themselves and their host institutions. For students, this opportunity broadens their perspectives and promotes professional, academic, and personal growth, whilst providing the understanding of another world-view (Andrade, 2006;Furnham & Bochner, 1986;McClure, 2007). For hosts, international students are an extremely valuable asset as they contribute academically, culturally, and financially to universities and also host countries (Burslem, 2004). In the UK, for example, it is estimated that their presence contributes with £12.5 billion per year to the British economy (British Council, 2008), a figure that exceeds the profits generated by significant export industries such as alcoholic drinks, textiles, and cultural and media industries (Vickers & Bekhradnia, 2007).Nonetheless, these benefits are associated with important costs for international students. Apart from being often stereotyped as handicapped, bewildered, and lacking English language ability and familiarity with the education system (Mestenhauser, 1983;Paige, 1990;Pedersen, 1991), they also face other negative stereotypes associated with their ethnicity and cultural background (Lee & Rice, 2007;Spencer-Rodgers, 2001). In this context they are often targets of racism (Yoon & Portman, 2004), face ...

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