Coping with stress: the perspective of international students (original) (raw)
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International Student’s Studying Abroad Challenges: Culture Shock?
International Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities Review, 2015
This article x-rays the understanding of international students' difficulties and challenges while they are studying abroad. The articles argue against the common understanding of foreign students' challenges abroad as culture shock and provides some insights as to why their experiences may not be that of culture shock. Using the framework of psychological trauma, the paper provides conceptual connections between culture shock and psychological trauma and evidences some of the reasons why the stages of culture shock may not necessarily apply to the experiences of foreign students while they are studying abroad. Examples are drawn from an empirical study on some group of international students whose experiences resembled those of psychological trauma as opposed to culture shock. The paper concludes that reexamining this area of knowledge has become important, such that the appropriate support will be provided to the international students when they face difficulties abroad.
Introduction: This study aims to understand culture shock and identify various stressors that could cause culture shock among international students. The various coping strategies used by different cultures to cope with culture shock are also to be identified. Method: A semi structured interview pattern was used to interview twelve international students at the University of Bedfordshire who have at least completed their second semester. They were interviewed to identify the stressors that caused them to stress within their first month of their arrival in the new country. Their coping strategy to cope with stress is also identified. The same interview questions were repeated to identify the change in the stress levels and coping strategies in their present context. Stages of culture shock were identified and analysed from the interviews. The five factors as identified by the researcher were put forth to the interviewees to observe their views on these factors that would help them to moderate the effects of stress. Questionnaires to measure their emotional intelligence, individualism and collectivism values were also administered to observe individual and cultural differences. Result: The findings of this research closely mirrored with that of literature. The factors that could cause stress are perceived differently and it varies within demographic variables like gender, ethnicity and country. The coping strategies adopted are observed to be different among different cultures. Almost all the students in their present situation are observed to have greater academic and career related stress. Women appear bold and quick in the initial Euphoria stage but men are better able to adapt to the new culture at ease. Conclusion: Even though perception towards stressors and coping strategies are different with culture and ethnicity, all students are caught up within culture shock with varying degrees. Awareness should be made to the students about culture shock and various ways to cope with it. Personal finance was rated to be a major factor in moderating the effects of stress followed by academic achievement and social support. Key words: Culture shock, stress, international students, ethnicity, coping strategy.
Culture Shock: Challenges of International Students
In the globalized landscape of higher education, the number of students seeking academic opportunities abroad has surged. This literature review investigates the cultural shock experienced by international students, examining its scale and impact globally and within Asia. The method used the PRISMA checklist and flowchart for selection and review of journals, consisting of three stages: identification from databases (n = 3,874,770), screening (n = 157), and inclusion (n = 10). Additionally, information was sought from books, dissertations, unpublished materials, and personal experiences as a teacher of international students. The review identified three themes regarding cultural shock. The first theme, Cultural Shock Syndromes, reveals that students generally experience homesickness, a desire to escape their new environment, and distress. The second theme, Aspects of Culture Shock Experienced by Students, includes language barriers, daily schedules, non-verbal communication, homesickness, loneliness, seasons and weather, and food. The third theme, Effects of Culture Shock on Students' Lives during their Study, focuses on academic performance, social integration, and overall well-being. The conclusion is that cultural shock significantly affects international students as they navigate new academic and social environments, encompassing challenges such as homesickness, social exclusion, identity confusion, and cultural dissonance. These factors collectively contribute to heightened stress and anxiety, negatively impacting students' academic performance and overall well-being. Understanding the specific complaints and challenges associated with cultural shock highlights the critical need for comprehensive support systems.
Intercultural Challenges for Foreign Students into the Stressful Journey of Graduate School
1996
his document has been reproduced as received from the person or organization originating iL 0 Minor changes have been made to improve reproduction quality. Points of view or opinions stated in this document do not necessarily represent &float OERI position or policy. ,Journey of Graduate School Graduate students have long expressed difficulties adapting to different expectations graduate 3c}.00ls place on them. Although not in large number foreign students pursuing knowledge in the field of speech communication encounter cultural difficulties. The expectations different programs have, individual abilities of these students to comprehend and assess their new context of study, and the research procedures are part of what such future scholars encounter in their stressful journey of graduate school. American academia haf one of the highest reputation for expertise and research in r_ht world. Looking at world-recognized quality of scholarship, foreign students consider themselves fortunate to study in this environment, and some of them consider to pursue their professional careers becoming part of the American university workforce. So far, there is not much difference between how a "normal" American graduate student feels and his/her foreign-j_ peer in relation to higher education programs in the United States.' However, foreign graduate students carry an extra cultural 1 This paper recognizes the considerable levels of stress American graduate students encounter in the pursuit of a degree. However, the focus of this paper represents the intercultural BEST COPY AVAILABLE
An Examination of the Stress Experiences International Students Face in American Universities
Chapter, 2022
The stress sources and levels of international students studying at American universities were investigated in relation to their class-standing, gender, and English language fluency. The research results indicated that the number one stressor for female students was "Concerns about the future (graduation, employment, marriage, etc.)". Whereas, the number one stressor for males was related to "Academic burdens (grades, difficult classes, excessive homework, etc.)." A significant difference between males and females was observed with respect to an "Inadequate orientation program for newcomers at the university". It was also found that male students had a higher average than female students. Regarding a "Inadequate orientation programme for newcomers at the university," a clear difference was seen between freshmen and seniors. This finding indicated that freshmen had a far greater need for orientation than seniors did. It was found that the relationship between stress levels and English language proficiency was at medium level, adverse and significant. It was discovered that the stress level did not significantly change with respect to gender. The stress level of freshmen was found to be higher than senior and graduate students at a significant level. The results were interpreted in terms of dominant literature and Singles Counselling Theory. Some suggestions were offered to counselling centers, international offices, English preparatory programs and instructors of universities.
International Journal of Academic Research in Progressive Education and Development, 2013
Stress sources and stress levels of international students who study at American Universities were examined with respect to their class-standing, gender and English language fluency. Research findings show that number one stressor for female students is "Concerns about the future (graduation, employment, marriage, etc.)". Males' number one stressor is "Academic burdens (grades, difficult classes, excessive homework, etc.)". A significant difference between males and females was observed with respect to "Inadequate orientation programs for newcomers at the university,". A significant difference between freshmen and seniors was observed with respect to "Inadequate orientation programs for newcomers at the university,". According to this finding, the need for orientation for freshmen is significantly higher than seniors'. It is observed that there is a significant, medium level, and negative correlation between stress level and English language fluency. It is found out that the stress level of international students does not significantly change with respect to gender. The stress levels of freshmen were found to be higher than senior and graduate students. In light of the findings, some suggestions were made to counseling centers, international offices and English preparatory programs of the Universities.
This paper examines the salient difficulties as experienced by international students from developing countries studying in Western universities. International students as review of several studies done in this paper has shown may be getting lost in transition due to the enormous nature of challenges they have to surmount while abroad. The extant literature on study abroad challenges used the culture shock framework to reveal some of the problems the sojourners encounter in the course of their living and studying abroad in Western universities. This paper has examined the nature of such culture shock experiences and how it affected this group of travelers abroad. As the review revealed, culture shock experiences of sojourners has obvious negative psychological and social implications in their overall wellbeing which is akin to getting lost in transition. Likewise, the Albert Ellis theoretical framework examined in this paper has shown that the manner at which events are appraised may mediate the kind of effect it will produce. In this regards, the international students' experiences of overwhelming acculturation challenges may be partly based on the kind of mental interpretation they give to the conditions they meet abroad. It is concluded that international students sometimes approach foreign cultures with ethnocentrism and in-group bias which affect them in reconciling the differences in values and conditioning between their home and the host culture. Travelling to a novel and unfamiliar cultural environment has not been easy for international students. Although other travelers experience cross-cultural challenges, international students experiences has becomes an area of concern because the effects of cross-cultural difficulties manifest and affect their academic, social and self-realization process. Intercultural contact therefore has over the history been associated with adjustment problems and with the expansion of educational exchanges and the quality of education in the western world, there has been an enormous increase in the number of students travelling abroad from the developing countries. Thus, the exponential growth in the number of international students
Foreign Students’ Adjustment in Early Days of Their University Education: The Stress and Strains
Academic Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies, 2015
The study purported to understand the experiences of foreign students on their early days of their university education. A lot has been done to ascertain how students generally fare on university campuses but little research attention had been paid to how people from different socio-cultural, political and economic backgrounds fared when they settled to commence their education in a foreign land, and how they managed the challenges. The qualitative study used 26 international students from five countries pursuing undergraduate education at the Catholic University College of Ghana. The study unveils that the international students in the University College experience some social, academic and economic challenges in their early days on campus. The study has brought to the fore the inadequacy of the measures that the authorities put in place to enhance international students' adjustment on campus. The university authority needs to have special and intensive orientation for its fresh international students to ameliorate, if not to eradicate, the hardships such students encounter when they gain admission and commenced their study. The knowledge gained from the study is key to tertiary institutions in formulating effective orientation and strategies for institutions that admit international students.
Avoiding the Cultural Prison of the International Student?
Strategies in Accounting and Management
A metaphorical discussion (warning?) of the international student studying in higher education as a cultural prisoner of their host educational institution. New international higher education students arriving to their host country and institution can be viewed as prisoners who have been anxiously awaiting their sentence. They have worried family members, experienced sleepless nights, and now feel real fear over how they will function in the new environment. Will they have the right knowledge and skills? will they be able to build relationships to survive and progress through their studies so that they can leave and move on? Or will they regret their decision and succumb to debilitating culture and pedagogical shock, withdrawing from engagement? Like a newly sentenced prisoner, they are anxious, worried, lacking confidence and at risk of alienation from others who already have established relationships in an existing shared culture. These liabilities can be further exacerbated by any language difficulty and potential racism. Having arrived at their new institution, a skilled educator can focus upon developing their learner autonomy, building and sharpening their competence, focusing upon their social relatedness and supporting pursuit of their goals. When this is done well, as it is by many professionals, these new learners develop their self-efficacy and the belief, that they have the abilities to achieve their desired outcome and they can succeed.