The purpose of this embedded case study was to describe the academic experiences of
international graduate students at Ball State University. Purposive and snowball sampling
procedures were used to select nine international graduate students for this study. Their
countries of origin were Ghana, Kenya, China, Iceland, Greece, South Korea, and Saudi Arabia.
Ball State University was the case in this study and the nine international graduate students the
units of analysis. Data were collected using semi-structured interviews and analyzed by means
of constant comparison and cross-unit analysis.
The findings of the study revealed the reasons why these international graduate students
came to Ball State University to pursue their education, the students’ assessments of their
academic experiences, and descriptions of their personal and professional development as
outcomes of their educational experiences at Ball State University. The main reasons why the
international graduate students came to Ball State University were, due to connections they
already had with someone affiliated with the university, the quality of the programs offered at
Ball State University, and through the award of scholarships. The international graduate students described their academic experiences as beneficial to their development in a number of ways
including, development of research and publication skills, increased competence in the use of
technological aids to enhance teaching and learning, and the opportunity to put into practice the
skills and knowledge they had acquired through practica and internships. The study participants
also expressed that they acquired skills that made them competent to perform in the areas they
were trained, for example, therapeutic skills or team skills. They shared that they had grown as
individuals because of the experience that they gained at Ball State University. In addition, some
stated that their worldview had expanded, and their self-confidence had increased.
The study discusses the findings in the light of the current literature on international
graduate student education in the U.S., as well as the implications for future research. The study
makes recommendations as to how Ball State University can make use of this new information to
better market itself as a first class institution of higher learning, and to make the experiences of
international graduate students at Ball State University a more appealing choice to prospective
international graduate students. / Department of Educational Studies
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:BSU/oai:cardinalscholar.bsu.edu:123456789/197396 |
| Date | 20 July 2013 |
| Creators | Isaacs, Karen Pamella |
| Contributors | Mulvihill, Thalia M. |
| Source Sets | Ball State University |
| Detected Language | English |
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