In today's world education and the resulting production of knowledge is highly valued as it can open the door to socioeconomic status and mobility. As a result, many students choose cultural and educational exchanges in a foreign country. The goal of this thesis is to better understand the decision making process international students experience prior to their study at an American university. Anchored in structuration theory, a two-step methodology was applied. First, a brief questionnaire survey was administered as a pilot study to gather preliminary data and initiate contact with participants. Second, interviews were conducted with foreign students to obtain background information and their reasoning for studying abroad. While most international students share common experiences in the decision making process, the temporal progression of "action steps" varies considerably among students. / Department of Geography

The purposes of this study were to examine the problems of international students, assess the intensity of these problems, and describe relationships between the intensity of the problems and the following demographic variables: age, gender, number of years in the study of English, number of years living in the United States, grade point average at North Texas State University, major area of study at North Texas State University, and country of origin. International students pragmatically view their sojourn in the United States as an educational experience that will allow them to improve their minds and to travel. Financial concerns were expressed by the desire to work either part time or during vacation periods. As a group, international students do not exhibit concerns which debilitate their movement toward established goals. However, there are individual students who are in need of cultural refraining, communication abilities, and coping skills.