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The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship of international students' media use and their community integration in their current host society. After starting from the community integration theory, this study broadened its research perspective to internationalstudents' media use, acculturation, uses and gratifications, English anxiety, and the Internet as an informative media. On the basis of previous study results, use of American originated media was expected to have a positiverelationship with community integration, while, to the contrary, home country-originated media was expected to have a negative relationship with community integration.Data was collected with an online survey. A total of 117 international students who were registered for the Ball State University summer semester in 2005 participated in the survey.Correlation and t-tests largely supported the hypothesis, revealing a strong correlation between the university newspaper and community integration. Home country-originated media showed a number of negative correlations to community integration. In addition, data analysis found that different levels of community integration were associated with each other, indicating that community integration on a certain community level can be extended to other levels of community integration. The Internet was found to be a negative factor in community integration. Theoretical and methodological implications of the findings were discussed for future research. / Department of Journalism

The principle question of this study pertained to the nature of the relationships between foreign language anxiety, acculturation, and acculturative stress as it is experienced by adult Spanish speaking immigrants living in the United States. In addition to the nature of the relationships between the constructs, the ways in which they are experienced by adult English learners were also investigated. Three inventories were adapted for delivery via a multimedia website. The English Language Anxiety Scale (Pappamihiel, 1999) adapted from the Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Scale (Horwitz, Horwitz & Cope, 1986) was adapted for measuring anxiety. The Stephenson Multigroup Acculturation Scale (1999) was selected for measuring the degree of acculturation, and the Multidimensional Acculturative Stress Inventory (Rodriguez, Myers, Bingham Mira, Flores, & Garcia-Hernandez, 2002) was selected for measuring acculturative stress. From the ninety-five original surveys that were begun on the website, fifty-five cases were selected for analysis. Results showed no significant correlations between the major constructs; however, interesting correlations among various individual items in the scales existed. Additionally, combined with the analysis of six semi-structured interviews, results indicate that the concept of foreign language classroom anxiety should be moved beyond the perimeter of the classroom for the case of adult immigrants learning English in an English-speaking country. Results further indicate that language acquisition in the adopted country when accompanied by the regular processes of acculturation may produce higher levels of language anxiety, not only in the degree of anxiety but also in the proportion of students dealing with anxiety when speaking English. The construct of language acculturation anxiety is proposed to identify the combined effect of language anxiety, acculturation, and acculturative stress. Implications for the instruction of adult English students are made, as well as recommendations for future studies, including considerations when using a computer mediated delivery with this population. / text

This study researched Armenian immigrants ability to acculturate to life in the United States. Armenian immigrants face a number of challenges when first arriving to the United States and adjusting to American culture. The challenges stem from relational areas such as communication, family interaction, and social interaction. In order to explore the challenges and successes Armenian immigrants faced during the acculturation process, I researched the plight of recent Armenian immigrants adjustment to life in the United States. The qualitative study I conducted consisted of 20 open-ended interviews of Armenian immigrants who have lived in the United States for at least 5 years. The data collected from this study as well as information gathered from Armenian cultural research and acculturation study research reveal culture specific information of the Armenian acculturation process. I was able to apply and analyze the data I collected through the major acculturation theories by people such as Berry, Kim, Ward, Bochner, and Furnham. The study indicates that Armenian immigrant's have challenges to acculturate due to living in the United States due to: ethnic traditions, communication styles, and family and social interaction.

Objectives: To describe the co-occurrence of substance use and sexual activity behaviors among Afro-Caribbean adolescents living in South Florida, with attention to legal status, socio-demographic factors and risk-taking attitudes and behaviors. Methods: Convenience sampling was used to select 106 Afro-Caribbean adolescents from community centers in South Florida. A descriptive exploratory study was conducted. Data was analyzed using an independent t test, frequencies and crosstabs. Results: The study consists of 106 adolescents, 75% (n = 79) documented and 25% (n = 27) undocumented. Forty-one documented and 10 undocumented adolescents were sexually active. Of those, 14.6% of the documented and 40% of the undocumented adolescents had been drinking alcohol while engaging in sexual activity; 7.3% of documented and 30% of undocumented adolescents used drugs while engaging in sexual activity. Undocumented adolescents had less adult presence before and after school; Creole was spoken at home more than English, and none of the parents had gone to or graduated from college. There was no significant difference in risk-taking and social adaptation scores as measured by the Adolescent Risk-Taking Instrument (ARTI) for the documented and undocumented Afro-Caribbean adolescents. The ARTI had acceptable internal consistency reliability for the risk-taking (.87) and social adaption (.82) scale in this population. The mean score of risk behavior was 2.04 (SD = .44) for documented Afro-Caribbean adolescents and 1.89 (SD = .47) for undocumented adolescents. For social adaptation, mean scores were 3.23 (SD = .45) for documented and 3.20 (SD = .35) for undocumented adolescents. The co-occurrence of substance use and sexual activity is nearly triple for alcohol use and more than triple for drug use when comparing undocumented to documented adolescents. / However, scores on the ARTI did not differ.Socio-demographic factors related to risky behaviors suggest that the undocumented adolescents were more at risk. Health risk of undocumented adolescents demands more research attention if nurses wish to address the unique needs of this population. / by Kim Jolly. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2009. / Includes bibliography. / Electronic reproduction. Boca Raton, Fla., 2009. Mode of access: World Wide Web.

In recent years in the United States, an increasing number of people are learning Mandarin, the dominant Chinese language in China. Because of the shortage of Mandarin teachers, many visiting teachers from China with Chinese educational background are teaching Mandarin in the U.S. schools. In the U.S. classrooms, these teachers are challenged to adapt to a new setting. This experience can lead them to changing their teaching identity, that is, their basic beliefs, attitudes and practices about teaching. Understanding how Chinese teachers may form a new teaching identity in the U.S. context serves to inform future professional development activities designed to increase their competence as teachers in U.S. classrooms. The purpose of this study was to describe and explain what is visiting Chinese language teachers' identity and how the identity changes might take place when they teach Mandarin in U.S. classrooms. The broader goal is to find ways to encourage Chinese language teaching competency in the U.S. classrooms and to foster cross-cultural communication. In this study, I used mixed methods research to study 14 visiting Chinese language teachers with Chinese educational background to find out how they perceive their teaching and how they teach in the U.S. classrooms. My findings were: (a) visiting Chinese language teachers changed their teaching attitudes, beliefs, and teaching practice in U.S. classroom; (b) teachers with a high teaching identity on Teaching Identity Survey maintained a high level of teaching identity after four months of teaching in U.S. classrooms; and, (c) visiting Chinese language teachers who changed their teaching identity engaged in critical reflections on their teaching practice, and learned from both Chinese and U.S. teachers. To have a positive impact on Chinese language teachers' identity and increase the likelihood of success, two implications are evident. First, Chinese language teachers could benefit from the professional development program with a focus on cultural differences and U.S. classroom management strategies. Second, U.S. schools and Chinese language programs need to create opportunities for teachers to learn from each other and build a professional community.

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There are a considerable number of Saudi Arabian students who attend U.S. schools. To date, no published studies exist that relate to the Saudi Arabian students, their families, and how they acculturate to the American society. Acculturation affects parents and children in different ways, and it can affect the way parents raise their children. Using semi–structured interviews, this study examined Saudi mothers' perspectives on acculturation to American society and how those perspectives affect their childrearing beliefs and their children's behaviors. The descriptive qualitative study acknowledges mothers' perceptions about adaptation of Saudi children to American society and if those parents observe behavioral changes in their children. The results showed there are some changes that occurred regarding parental beliefs of parents due to acculturation, but there were not any behavioral problems caused by acculturation to the American culture in the Saudi children.

This study analyzed the effects of acculturation, locus of control, and incidence of inhalant use on Mexican Americans. Information was collected from 275 subjects at three middle schools and one treatment center. The instrument consisted of Levenson's Locus of Control Scale, the Acculturation Rating Scale for Mexican Americans, and an incidence of use and family relationship questionnaire developed for this study. Statistical analysis indicated a relationship between acculturation and inhalant use. Further examination revealed relationships between a family members' use and subjects' inhalant use; subjects' alcohol use and inhalant use; and subjects' marijuana use and inhalant use. Information implied that prevention and intervention programs should focus on children of substance users and further research is needed surrounding the role of acculturation.

The present study examines the relationship between acculturation, parental control, and psychological adjustment among adult first and second-generation Asian Indian women who have immigrated, or whose parents have immigrated to the United States, from the Indian state of Kerala. Data from 73 participants indicate second-generation immigrants report poorer psychological adjustment than do their counterparts. Additionally, regression analyses reveal discomfort towards Kerala culture significantly predicts depressive symptoms, while high maternal control predicts self-esteem. Qualitative data were collected to provide richer understanding of immigrants' adaptation to the U.S. Implications of this research may impact mental health practitioners' ability to improve quality of life with Asian Indian women from Kerala.