Experiences of International Student-Athletes at a Historically Black University

Abstract

The purpose of the study was to scrutinize and explain the academic, social, and athletic experiences of international student-athletes attending a historically Black university. Participants were six international studentathletes (five men and one woman). Situated in position theory, the research design was explanatory multiple case study. The primary data collection method was semi-structured interviews. The interviews were analyzed using a constant comparative approach and revealed that the participants were positioned by language differences and academic difficulties, were disengaged from some teammates, and endured athletic disadvantages in resources and training. To amply support international student-athletes, we assert that athletic departments, coaches, faculty, and students should respect and value the identities, as well as the linguistic and cultural backgrounds of international student-athletes.

International Undergraduate Student Engagement: Implications for Higher Education Administrators

“…While these factors may have significant effects on international students' participation in on-campus activities and their overall academic success, there was a lack of demonstrated effort to factor them in to international student programming and planning; in other cases, they were underutilized Several interventions were described for higher education administrators to better serve international undergraduate students in the ever-changing campus environment. Some of the common interventions listed include: (a) facilitating regular professional development training for faculty, staff, and students to communicate regarding the significance of creating an inclusive learning environment for all (Gu et al, 2010;Lee & Rice, 2007;Poyrazli & Grahame, 2007;Rosenthal et al, 2007;Sato et al, 2018;Smith & Khawaja, 2011); (b) creating awareness of the university support services available to international students and their usefulness (Hsieh, 2007;Kenyon et al, 2012;Tsai & Wong, 2012); (c) formalizing peer support learning and mentoring for international students (Rosenthal et al, 2007); and (d) providing a broad range of content that includes multicultural elements for promoting student interactions.…”

“…Conversely, some research reported that international students who lacked social support were negatively affected both academically and psychologically by experiences related to tension, depression, and confusion (Sato, Hodge, & Eckert, 2018;Tsai & Wong, 2012). However much international students tried, they found it challenging to establish levels of social support in their host countries that were comparable to what they enjoyed in their home countries.…”

“…Also, international students expressed less satisfaction with the quality of instruction, academic advising, and communications with faculty. Researchers such as Smith and Khawaja (2011), Lee and Rice (2007), Eldaba (2016), Tsevi (2018), and Sato et al (2018) also found that international students struggled to adapt to the learning environments in their host countries. Lee and Rice (2007) and Eldaba (2016) attributed this problem to difficulties in establishing positive relationships with native peers, lecturers, and administrators.…”

“…Other researchers have suggested creating awareness of existing support services and programs designed for international students as ways of facilitating their overall success (Brunsting, Zachry, & Takeuchi, 2018;Kenyon, Frohard-Dourlent, & Roth, 2012;Poyrazli & Grahame, 2007;Sato et al, 2018;Tsai & Wong, 2012). Similarly, Korobova and Starobin (2015) and Earnest et al (2010) proposed that institutions consider conducting special intensive orientation sessions and multiple summer bridge programs to support successful transitioning into the new academic environment.…”

“…Moreover, various interventions have suggested that there is a need to involve various stakeholders, ranging from top administrators to faculty, researchers, host students, and the community, as well as the international students themselves, to improve the experiences and engagement levels of international undergraduate students. Based on the findings of Brunsting et al (2018) and Sato et al (2018), international undergraduate students also have a role to play in improving their level of engagement. They need to be proactive, seek more intense academic challenges, plan meaningful interactions with faculty, staff, and other students, improve their connectedness by engaging in serious conversations with students from other races, regions, and personal backgrounds, participate in practical and field experiences, and get more involved in the learning community and community service to improve their overall academic experience.…”