Adjustment and Strain among Domestic and International Student Sojourners

Abstract

Every year, a growing number of students leave their home environments and relocate to study at universities abroad. Relocation, however, can be a challenging and stressful experience. This longitudinal study surveyed 294 international and domestic student sojourners to examine and compare their adjustment and distress or strain responses during the first six months of their entry into a medium-sized, mid-western US state university. The findings revealed that international student sojourners, compared to domestic sojourners, had greater difficulty in adjusting during their initial transition into the university. Although sojourners experienced increasing adjustment over time, the pattern of strain was curvilinear, peaking three months after the start of the semester. Self-efficacy, social support and cultural novelty predicted adjustment and strain at different times during the transition period.

A review of the acculturation experiences of international students

“…Zhang and Brunton (2007) found that 55% of their sample of Chinese international students in New Zealand were unhappy with their opportunities to make friendships with locals, and 71% reported that they would like to have more local friends. In other studies, international students have reported perceptions of less social support than domestic students (Hechanova-Alampay, Beehr, Christiansen, & Van Horn, 2002;Khawaja & Dempsey, 2008), and more loneliness and homesickness (Parr & Bradley, 1991;Rajapaksa & Dundes, 2002). Contrary to these findings, Klomegah (2006) found no significant difference in levels of feeling alienated between domestic and international students in the U.S.A.…”

An investigation of relationship correlates and predictors of cultural adjustment among missionaries.

“…These results confirm the results of previous research studies claiming that interaction with host nationals can be highly beneficial in the cultural adjustment process (Caligiuri et al, 1998;Hechanova-Alampay et al, 2002;Hendrickson et al, 2010;Li & Gasser, 2005;Ward & Rana-Deuba, 2000). This knowledge can encourage missionaries to be intentional about building relationships with host nationals in their country of service Additionally, the results of this study showed the importance of stability in the missionary's relationship with God.…”

Found in translation: How brokering practices support international students' learning

“…Ten international EAL students were recruited from two social science faculties, nine of whom were of Chinese ethnicity (Table 1). Data collection was carried out during students' initial academic semester which was likely to present substantial help-seeking or brokering activity, since it was a period that presented the greatest adjustment challenges for students (Hechanova-Alampay, Beehr, Christiansen, & Van Horn, 2002;Ward, Okura, Kennedy, & Kojima, 1998). In view of the relatively short timeframe, I used focused ethnography to examine the specific phenomenon of brokering among a particular group of students (Higginbottom, Pillay, & Boadu, 2013;Knoblauch, 2005).…”