Thesis advisor: Betty Leask / Thesis advisor: Laura Rumbley / A record number of incoming international students from China are studying in universities in the United States today. It is important to understand this group for several reasons. Chinese students compose the largest group of international population in the U.S. Higher Education and learning about them assists with a better institutional practice including internationalization strategies. It is also important to assess their well-being in a foreign environment to improve student services. This research explores students’ perceptions and feelings in residence halls. It investigated factors that affect first-year undergraduate Chinese international students’ sense of belonging by exploring their experiences at Boston College. Using a qualitative and phenomenological approach, this study examined feedbacks from international Chinese students and provides important insights into their daily experiences. This study focused on exploring Chinese international students’ relationships with their roommates, and residential staff, to find out if these relationships influenced their sense of belonging to the community. As a partial replicate, partial follow-up study of Yao’s (2014) research, both guided by Hurtado (2013)’s framework, findings suggested that multiple elements serve as barriers and bridges to Chinese international students’ adaptation process, which include the influences of language, cultural difference, staff professionalism, and institutional internationalization plan. The study concluded with implications for practice at Boston College which may potentially be of interest to other institutions. Suggestions for future research are also identified. The study indicated a critical need for university staff to assess, examine, and explore the diverse campus culture by paying more attention to a sense of belonging to continue with the facilitation of internationalization for the overall success of international students. / Thesis (MA) — Boston College, 2019. / Submitted to: Boston College. Lynch School of Education. / Discipline: Educational Leadership and Higher Education.

Thesis advisor: Hans de Wit / This study looks at how services for mental health, a growing crisis on college campuses worldwide, are being provided and promoted to international students, a portion of the student body that faces additional mental health challenges, in Japan, a country where the culture historically stigmatizes mental health. Using the theories of comprehensive internationalization and cross-cultural adjustment to guide a series of semi-structured interviews, data was collected from international office members, counseling office members, and professors of higher education from five Japanese universities and compiled into five case studies which were then categorically and comparatively analyzed. The study found international offices provided a variety of services and activities aimed at easing cross-cultural adjustment but could improve collaboration with counseling offices. Counseling offices were found to be lacking specialized services and promotion to international students. Furthermore, although perceptions of mental health are improving, advocacy was found to be near non-existent. / Thesis (MA) — Boston College, 2020. / Submitted to: Boston College. Lynch School of Education. / Discipline: Educational Leadership and Higher Education.

Thesis advisor: Rebecca Schendel / The number of international students has risen in the United States for the past twenty years. In order to better understand the role of this population in the U.S. higher education system, many studies have explored the cultural integration of international students, seeking to establish a comprehensive understanding of this commonly identified issue. However, integration difficulties remain integral to many international students’ college life in the U.S. and impact both their in-college experience as well as their post-graduation transitions. Previous studies of international students’ experience in the U.S. context have rarely focused on the endpoint of international students' learning process at college, which encompasses the graduation and post-graduation period. The significant and probably influential outcomes of the long journey international students went through in American Higher Education Institutions have been largely neglected, especially for the international population who attended mission-driven institutions whose educational purpose and focus are individual formation. Therefore, this study used college student development theories and a specific college influential model to understand the potential influence that a mission based American institution has exerted upon international students' perspectives and values and individual future planning. The study surveyed 27 international students and interviewed 11 international students at Boston College with the aim of gaining a solid understanding of the graduating international students’ college experience in an effort to validate and interpret their development during college life. The study result indicates that most participants have developed a better understanding of themselves. This consolidated self-perception has become a basis in forming their future plans and facilitating their decision-making after graduation. However, the relationship between institutional influence and individual changes are difficult to determine due to lack of persuasive evidence. / Thesis (MA) — Boston College, 2020. / Submitted to: Boston College. Lynch School of Education. / Discipline: Educational Leadership and Higher Education.

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Background. Mori (2000) put forward evidence that international students were at greater risk for psychological problems. He also said that mental health concerns of international students on American campuses were often overlooked. Stigma associated with mental illness and seeking treatment is the reason most often cited that people do not seek counseling and other mental health services (Corrigan, 2004). No studies have focused on international students’ beliefs about service seeking or stigma around health treatment seeking. Objective. The basic aims of this study are to examine international students’ beliefs about mental health services and relationships between stigma and mental health treatment seeking. Method. Participants are 35 international students who were invited to fill out an online questionnaire. The measures included in the questionnaire were designed to collect demographic information (i.e. sex, age, country of birth, etc.), students’ perceived stigma regarding help seeking (i.e. social stigma), students’ overall distress level, students’ prior treatment seeking and willingness to seek treatment from various people (i.e. family/friends, psychologists, teachers, doctors, etc.), and students’ willingness to seek treatment from a psychologist in various settings (i.e. Community clinic, private practice, primary care, etc.). Results. International students at ETSU generally reported feeling moderate levels of stigma regarding mental health treatment [M=2.02, SD=.466, N=36 (1= little/no experienced stigma and 4 = extremely high levels of experienced stigma). Additionally, they reported being equally as likely to seek help from others as to deal with their troubles on their own (M=2.47, SD=.416, N=34). Among the students who hadn’t talked with family members/close friends, doctors, or psychologists about their problems, the more stigma that they felt, the less willing that they were to talk with family members/close friends, doctors, or psychologists in the future (r=-.474, p<.05, N=19; r=-.503, p<.01, N=27; r=-.689, p<.001, N=27). Among all international students, the more stigma they felt, the less willing that they were to seek treatment from a psychologist (counselor or therapist) working at their school or community behavior and health center (r=-.39, p<.05, N=30; r=-.415, p<.05, N=31). However, stigma was not found to be significantly correlated with treatment seeking from a psychologist working in any other setting (ie. private practice or doctors’ office). Implications. Even though the results show that international students generally only feel a moderate amount of stigma, the stigma that they do experience significantly influences their willingness to seek mental health treatment. Future research should focus on identifying new ways addressing this major barrier to mental health treatment seeking to hopefully increase mental health service utilization by international student on college campuses.

A multi-site qualitative study explored the group experiences of 6 group leaders and 10 group members who participated in 7 different university counseling center international student support groups. Data collection and analysis phases followed the process of hermeneutic interpretation articulated by Kvale and Brinkmann (2009), which resulted in nine major themes and ten sub-themes organized into four sections: (a) Recruitment and group design, (b) Experiences of group members, (c) Experiences of group leaders, and (d) Additional considerations. Implications for international student support groups are discussed.

This study offers an in-depth examination of the motives and reflections impacting international students' choice to study in Sweden. Three central themes emerge, namely: motivations for choosing Sweden, cost-benefit evaluations, reflections on immigration prospects, and the impact of Sweden's immigration policy. Inspired by the push-pull theory, human capital theory, and sociological theories, these themes highlight the intricate dynamics that shape the students' decision-making process. This understanding is further enriched by qualitative interviews with a diverse pool of international students, adding layers of individual perspectives to the theoretical framework. The findings explore the noteworthy influence that the prospect of immigration and Swedish immigration policies have on students' destination preferences. Factors such as the educational quality, allure of the country, financial considerations, and post-study opportunities surface, with a strong emphasis on the pivotal role of immigration prospects in students' decision-making. The study notably reveals immigration prospects as a major pull factor for students, an aspect often underrepresented in the discourse on international student mobility. Additionally, despite potential drawbacks, students perceive the benefits of studying in Sweden, such as high-quality education and potential post-study work, as outweighing the costs. This research provides valuable insights for educational institutions and policymakers to better understand and cater to international students' needs and preferences, thereby bolstering Sweden's reputation as an appealing global destination for higher education.

Thesis advisor: Lillie R. Albert / Those who choose to pursue international education can be viewed as cultural ambassadors, ones who can play meaningful roles in bridging the gaps that divide us if they are afforded supportive, inclusive, and identity affirming learning experiences during their formative college years. However, the cultural and linguistic knowledge and global perspectives that many of these students bring to their campuses seem to be undervalued, overlooked, or misunderstood by domestic students, instructors, and community members. Research has also indicated that many international students who study in the U.S. higher education system struggle to adjust to the academic, social, cultural, and linguistic norms upheld by their host institutions. This thematically-linked three-paper dissertation aims to address these issues by critically examining international student experiences and institutional barriers that this population faces within a specific U.S. university context from individual, classroom, and institutional levels. The first study is a longitudinal case study focusing on the multilingual identity development of three Korean international graduate students. The second study is a multiple case study analysis of faculty and administrative leaders’ beliefs and attitudes concerning support for international students and the culturally engaging nature of their campus. The final study utilizes a survey to explore the racial, linguistic, social, and cultural dynamics of a higher education institution from international student perspectives. The studies revealed that Korean graduate students experienced numerous instances of marginalization in academic and social settings because of social status and language characteristics. Critical views of faculty members and student affairs professionals showed that, for decades, international students in the study’s context have been othered academically and socially, and their linguistic and cultural identities are often ignored or underappreciated. The survey results indicated that self-reported language experiences are a predictor of marginalization, overall satisfaction, and satisfaction with interacting with domestic students, and that previous education is a predictor of perceptions of mainstream racial and immigration related ideologies. These findings from this research indicate a need to internationalize closeminded curricula and pedagogical approaches, to create structured opportunities for positive intercultural exchange and understanding, and to foster a commitment among all campus stakeholders to embrace their roles in realizing a more identity-affirming culturally engaging learning environment. / Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2023. / Submitted to: Boston College. Lynch School of Education. / Discipline: Teacher Education, Special Education, Curriculum and Instruction.