Thesis (Ph. D.)--School of Education. University of Missouri--Kansas City, 2005. / "A dissertation in urban leadership and policy studies in education and education." Advisor: Stuart A. McAninch. Typescript. Vita. Title from "catalog record" of the print edition Description based on contents viewed June 23, 2006. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 236-262). Online version of the print edition.

Submitted in Fulfilment of the Requirements for the Degree: Master of Management Sciences: Marketing, Durban University of Technology, Durban, South Africa, 2017. / The immigration Act 19 of 2004 requires that all international students have proof of medical aid cover for a whole year from a provider that is registered with the South African Council for Medical Schemes in terms of Medical Schemes Act, 1998. Some medical insurance companies provide gifts to students to gain a larger market share in educational institutions. Health insurance products are very crucial in the lives of students and therefore the students must be familiar of medical product benefits and exclusions. Students lack relevant knowledge of health insurance products. Students seem have a perception that medical insurance products cover all healthcare expenses. Dissatisfied customers will tarnish the image of the respective medical aid companies, hence customer attrition. The purpose of this exploratory study was to determine the influence of promotional tools in awareness creation on higher education international students’ selection of medical products. The study was descriptive and quantitative in nature. A structured questionnaire with close-ended and scaled response questions was used as the research instrument. The sample comprised 400 international students studying at two universities in KwaZulu-Natal. Non probability sampling was used to select the sample. The results indicate that the respondents are very sensitive to price and majority of them are influenced by advertising and word of mouth. The results indicate that students react differently to each promotional tool. / M

International students have become major role players in international education across the globe. Their enrollment in different universities has increased in the past few decades worldwide. Most of these students bring rich cultural diversity and skills to their various host institutions and countries. These trends signal the need to examine and understand international students within the South African context. Against this background, this study explores the factors that influence academic choices of international students, academic and social challenges they face and the role of social capital in influencing international student integration at the Universities of Fort Hare and Rhodes in South Africa. A qualitative research design was employed in this study. Thirty international students were selected (and interviewed) using purposive sampling and snowballing. The study found that some of the main factors that influence the academic choices of international students include availability of scholarships and funding, recommendations of the institution by family and friends, availability of preferred course and the reputation of the institution. Some of the main challenges faced by international students in these two institutions include language barriers, financial difficulty, expensive but improperly maintained accommodation and culture shock. These challenges impede the smooth integration of international students into their new academic and social environment. However, the students employ several strategies in attempt to address the challenges they face. These include joining a student or community social organization, community engagement and making friends. These social networks and organizations serve as a support system and connection hub for the students. The study recommends that it is pertinent for the University of Fort Hare and Rhodes University to meet the needs and expectations of its international students through regular surveys that give them room to speak about their experiences. The need for efficient International Offices at both institutions is crucial as well as the employment of open‐minded multicultural trained staff in these offices. The study also suggests the need for the both institutions to provide affordable and comfortable accommodation for its international students.

This study examined the language socialization of international students in the graduate school context of a western Canadian university. Focusing on one pervasive speech event, academic presentations (APs), this study explored the role this socioculturally organized activity played in facilitating students' linguistic and sociocultural development, and how it aided them in negotiating their entry into the academic world. The participants in this study included 55 graduate students and nine course instructors. Thirty seven students were native speakers (NSs) of English, while the remaining 18- -the focal participants of this study—were non-native speakers of English (NNSs). The sites were seven graduate courses in six different departments in three different faculties (Faculty of Medicine, Faculty o f Arts, and Faculty o f Applied Science). A qualitative approach was employed, and thus multiple kinds of data were gathered over a four-month period. Data collection methods included: (a) open-ended interviews with participants; (b) tape-recorded observations of APs; (c) researcher's fieldnotes of APs; and (d) collection of written documents (e.g., course outlines). Data were analyzed following Bogdan and Biklen (1992) by identifying major and minor themes while iteratively going over the data. A comparison of APs across disciplines is included, examining aspects such as A P content, sequence, length, and format. As well, an analysis of the qualities promoted in each field and of the multiple purposes APs fulfil is provided and related to the complex socialization (i.e., both linguistic and sociocultural) of international graduate students. Findings of the study suggested that APs are a complex task whose meaning is not fixed, but rather is determined by the interplay of the broad context of the academic world, the micro-context of each community of practice, and ultimately by each individual. With regard to the language socialization 6f NNSs, APs challenged students in both linguistic and sociocultural ways. However, by observing, participating in, and reflecting on APs, students gained increased membership and competence within their academic communities. / Education, Faculty of / Language and Literacy Education (LLED), Department of / Graduate

As the world becomes increasingly interdependent, mutual understanding becomes increasingly important. Therefore, it is essential that people strive for reductions in social distance on an international level. Study abroad is one of the ways to approach internationalization and promote understanding among different peoples and cultures. Prior research has been done on the degrees of social distance between people from different cultures; however, little research has been done regarding changes that cultural immersion produces among those who reside in different cultures. Studies about study abroad programs have focused on cultural sensitivity and adaptability, yet few have combined the study abroad experience with the perceptions of self and other cultural groups. This study presents a framework for understanding people through intercultural activities. It studied social distance and attitude changes brought about in social distance as an artifact of cultural immersion. The study took place both in China and in the United States. It focused on the social distance among American undergraduate students who participated in a China Study Abroad program sponsored by the University of North Texas. The study measured before and after social distance of a group of American students who studied abroad in China. The study abroad program itself was the intervention and lasted for three weeks. A mixed methods research design was used in the study. Social distance data were collected before and after students studied abroad in China. Both inferential statistics and descriptive statistics were used. Qualitative data were also collected and analyzed in the study. Most of the sample population were close to the Chinese people to begin with. Some participants positively changed their social distance and attitudes towards the Chinese people after the study abroad program, even though the changes were not statistically significant. This study merits replication among randomly selected samples. Study abroad programs should be promoted and supported. More research needs to be done that explores the quality of cultural immersion study abroad programs. Studies also need to be done to examine attitude changes among peoples in host countries.

The film is about a newly arrived Japanese student's initial period of adjustment at the University of North Texas. This observational documentary film follows the student and witnesses the student's first reactions to various social environments. The purpose of this creative thesis project was to depict the difficulties that international students encounter at the beginning of their stay in America. The initial goal of the video was to provide useful visual research material to people who are interested in the acculturation of foreign students. Because of its realistic character, the video can give its audiences a more immediate and vivid picture of foreign students than existing written literature. By giving an authentic portrait of the students' hardship and adjustments, the ultimate goal of this video was to increase the American people's appreciation of the difficulties encountered by foreign students who come to this country equipped with limited social assistance and resources. An accompanying production report describes the research process, the pre-production, production, and post-production stages.

This study tested American television effects on Taiwanese Students in uncertainty reduction and stereotype forming. The study consisted of a questionnaire analysis and a focus group discussion. Fifty-five subjects responded to the questionnaires and twenty of them joined two group discussions.

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) / The goal of this thesis was to create a model of how video-taped law lectures (authentic materials) can be used in designing individual lessons which will, in general, incorporate current EAP practices and standards in aiding the LL.M. students to improve their lecture listening comprehension skills. More specifically, my model will show how within each lesson the video-taped law lectures can be used to target either a particular linguistic form or lecture construct feature for which studies have shown to be problematic in L2 lecture comprehension. Moreover, this model will further demonstrate how these lessons should address lecture organization specific to the study of law, as well as show how general lecture listening strategies can be presented as an integral part of every lesson.

The problem of this study was to analyze institutional cocurricular goals, objectives, programs, and activities and determine institutional cocurricular needs of international graduate students at North Texas State University. The purposes and objectives of this study were twofold: first, to explore the differences between perceived and desired institutional cocurricular goals, objectives, programs, and activities and, second, to analyze and interpret the data from two different positions, "perceived as existing" and "should be existing."

The nature of the adjustment process for international students, upon initial enrollment in American colleges and universities, has not been adequately described by researchers. The most accepted model used to describe the adjustment process is the U-Curve model (Lysgaard, 1955; Oberg, 1960) even though research has not shown much empirical support of this model. Juffer's (1983) Culture Shock Adaptation Inventory II (CSAI II) was used to examine the adjustment process of first-semester Virginia Tech graduate students from the People's Republic of China and India. A pre-test, post-test design was used to examine differences among Chinese and Indian graduate students. Four subscale dimensions and total dimension measuring between culture shock and cultural adjustment were analyzed. There were no significant differences between Chinese and Indian graduate students in the pre-test scores and the change scores. There were significant differences in the Control of Emotions and Physical Well-Being dimensions in the post-test scores. The results of the remaining dimensions for the post-test scores were not significant. These results revealed that, at the onset, graduate students from China and India are at similar adjustment levels. However, after approximately three months, Chinese students may exhibit more problems with their emotions and their physical well-being. Overall, however, it seems that the examination of individual rather than group differences may be the best way to more effectively understand the adjustment process of international students. / Master of Arts