International students’ experience of a western medical school: a mixed methods study exploring the early years in the context of cultural and social adjustment compared to students from the host country

Abstract

BackgroundFew studies have addressed the challenges associated with international students as they adapt to studying medicine in a new host country. Higher level institutions have increasing numbers of international students commencing programmes. This paper explores the experiences of a cohort of students in the early years of medical school in Ireland, where a considerable cohort are from an international background.MethodsA mixed exploratory sequential study design was carried out with medical students in the preclinical component of a five year undergraduate programme. Data for the qualitative phase was collected through 29 semi-structured interviews using the peer interview method. Thematic analysis from this phase was incorporated to develop an online questionnaire combined with components of the Student Adaptation to College Questionnaire and Student Integration Questionnaire. First year students were anonymously surveyed online. The Mokken Scaling procedure was used to investigate the students’ experiences, both positive and negative.ResultsThree main themes are identified; social adjustment, social alienation and cultural alienation. The response rate for the survey was 49 % (467 Respondents). The Mokken Scaling method identified the following scales (i) Positive experience of student life; (ii) Social alienation, which comprised of negative items about feeling lonely, not fitting in, being homesick and (iii) Cultural alienation, which included the items of being uncomfortable around cultural norms of dress and contact between the sexes. With the threshold set to H = 0.4. Subscales of the positive experiences of student life scale are explored further.ConclusionsOverall student adjustment to a western third level college was good. Students from regions where cultural distance is greatest reported more difficulties in adjusting. Students from these regions also demonstrate very good adaptation. Some students from the host country and more similar cultural backgrounds were also struggling. Acculturation is more complex than being associated with cultural distance and worthy of further exploration.

International medical students’ adaptation to university life in Turkey

“…These efforts include integration to academic and social life at a university, dealing with newfound freedoms, becoming more individualized, and establishing social relations with male and female peers, Higher education is also a time period where cultural adaptation is experienced. [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8] There are various theories and views used in defining adaptation to a new cultural environment, a few theories commonly explain cultural adaptation to this new environment. One of them is Social Isolation Theory which not only describes an individual's physical deportation from the homeland but also from a series of rights, rules, and social interaction patterns that the individual is accustomed to.…”

“…These differences make cultural adaptation harder especially for international students. [1][2][3][4]7 For this reason, the adaptation of international medical students to university life in Turkey should be taken into consideration, and an appropriate student counseling system should be established for these students. The aim of this study is to determine international medical school students' adaptation to university life in Turkey.…”

Symposium “International Medical Students – Support Programs in Practical Application”: Networking, best-practice examples and local representation

“…These include, in particular, lower examination performances [ 5 ], [ 6 ], longer durations of study [ 5 ], [ 7 ], reduced personal well-being [ 8 ], [ 9 ] and integration difficulties [ 8 ] among international students. The causes of these problems are manifold and often sought in language barriers [ 10 ], [ 11 ], cultural differences [ 12 ], [ 13 ] and learning socialization [ 14 ], [ 15 ]. They are, however, interconnected in a complex way.…”

Understanding resilience as it affects the transition from the UK Armed Forces to civilian life

“…Some of these challenges associated with relationships with others appeared particularly important for the participants in the study by McGarvey et al (2015). Participants not only discuss the difficulties in leaving behind friends, family, and an existing support network, but also note the difficulties they faced in forming friendships in their new location.…”

“…The international students who participated in the study by McGarvey et al (2015) reported a more varied set of challenges associated with relocation and independent living. On the one hand, the students reported few problems in adjusting to the practicalities of living away from home, with participants citing supportive factors such as previous experience of living away from home, and -in some instanceshaving the support of family visiting or even living nearby.…”