Non-English-speaking countries are attracting burgeoning numbers of foreign students, yet research regarding these students' experiences remains rather scarce. In line with global tendencies, Portuguese universities are seeing substantial growth in foreign student enrolment. This paper addresses the lived experiences of foreign students in the…

Following the birth of South Africa's democracy there has been an increasing number of foreign students entering the country. In the main, students from a very unstable African continent see South African tertiary institutions as a beacon of hope in achieving academic capital. Due to their monetary value, foreign students are welcomed into…

This phenomenological study examined the role of emotional and cultural intelligence in the social integration of international students. The study included nine participants who were selected using purposeful sampling. The researcher used five main interview questions to guide the data-collection process. The questions were designed to help…

International students face a variety of obstacles and challenges in order to study in the US. The researcher interviewed 11 participants and held a focus group to understand and uncover new findings about the international student experience at a medium-sized institution in the mid-west. This grounded theory action research study resulted in a…

Although interest in the experiences of international students has increased, the theoretical frameworks that are used to explain their experiences (such as culture shock, models of acculturation, cultural learning or intercultural dimensions) all share a tendency to use culture to explain behavior, denying agency, and leaving changes in the way…

Social adjustment is one of the most difficult and long-lasting challenges for international students who study in a new country. This paper uses a case study of cooperative painting activity conducted in Australian setting, in which two Chinese and three other students from different countries participated, in order to assess the efficiency of…

In the past decade, the population of international students enrolling in Chinese colleges and universities has been increasing rapidly, with the students in Asia taking the most portions. Chinese higher education institutions are facing great challenges in their course of internationalization. Therefore the studies on the intercultural adaptation…

The overall aim of this study is to review problems relating to the acculturation of Ukrainian students during their initial period of study abroad in Poland. More importantly, our objective was to recognize the fears and difficulties these students experience and examine the strategies of coping with major stressors. Based on group interviews we…

The aim of this study was to assess the role of social support systems for Saudi Arabian students in the United States. A survey was conducted with Saudi sojourners using the Index of Sojourner Social Support (ISSS) instrument and the Ethno-Cultural Identity Conflict Scale (ECIS) (N = 210) and semi-structured interviews (N = 15). Saudi students…

As international student attendance on college campuses in the US continues to increase in record numbers, International Student Services (ISS) offices across the country are tasked with providing services to aid the growing number and variety of sojourners in their transition to life on campus in the United States. This dissertation is a…

Sociocultural theory emphasises the mediational role of tools in learning. International students usually find themselves in a vicious cycle, experiencing difficulties when engaging with local people and culture which might provide the mediation necessary to develop their intercultural communicative competence. Yang (2016) further points out that…

Since the early 2000s, reports of increased rates of mental ill health among young people worldwide have received much attention. Several studies indicate a greater incidence of mental health problems among tertiary students, compared with the general population, and higher levels of anxiety, in particular, among international students compared…

This qualitative, exploratory study described the experiences of Arab international students in a U.S. postsecondary institution. This research identified those factors that Arab international students reported as facilitating or obstructing their academic success, promoting or limiting their socialization within the context of their postsecondary…

The purpose of this study is to explore the experiences of Vietnamese international students who have returned to Vietnam after graduation from a U.S. higher education institution. The findings suggest that participants found it harder to readjust to Vietnam than to adjust to the U.S. even though they had lived most of their lives in Vietnam. Time…

This qualitative study explored the factors that enhance Arab international students' persistence and facilitate their academic and cultural adjustment at postsecondary institutions in the United States. The sample for this study consisted of Arab international students from Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Oman, Syria, UAE, Iraq, and Jordan. In-depth…