The purpose of this study was to determine new international
students' perceptions of United States professors upon entrance into the
university and after two months in class, and if differences in expectations
exist between groups of students based on demographic variables. A survey
designed to assess these expectations was administered to 81 new
international students during the fall 1997 international student orientation
sessions. The survey was readministered to respondents of the pre-test
after two months to evaluate changes in their perceptions of U.S. professors.
During winter term 1998 follow-up interviews were conducted with several
students to confirm and expand upon the statistical data.
Student responses to 12 of the 25 items changed significantly over
time. Significant change occurred on items related to the value of
international exchange, cultural adaptation, academic adaptation, and on
some non-clustering items. In general, new international students held
positive views of professors in the United States on both the pre- and post-tests.
Of the demographic variables considered in the research, region of
origin yielded the greatest number of significantly different responses
between groups. European students generally held more positive views of
professors in the United States than did Southeast Asian or East Asian
students. Graduate status and prior experience in the United States also
affected student response rates to certain items. Gender did not significantly
affect response rates.
Changes in pre- and post-test response rates indicate that students
enter the university with expectations for U.S. professors that somewhat
inaccurate. The findings also indicate that demographic variables
significantly affect the expectations which new international students have
upon arrival. The most effective manner to address these issues is to
expand upon the information currently presented to new international
students during orientation on topics such as classroom and academic
expectations and student-faculty interaction. Addressing different
perceptions based on demographic variables would require either multiple
sessions to meet the needs of diverse student groups, or sessions which
cover the above topics expansively. / Graduation date: 1998
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:ORGSU/oai:ir.library.oregonstate.edu:1957/33746 |
| Date | 29 April 1998 |
| Creators | Barclay, Heather E. |
| Contributors | Scheuermann, Tom |
| Source Sets | Oregon State University |
| Language | en_US |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis/Dissertation |
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