Page 21 - Movers, Shapers, and Everything in Between: Influencers of the International Student Experience
P. 21

shows that student experience is influenced by factors such as perceptions of, and attitudes toward, teaching and learning (Bean & Eaton, 2000), perceived quality of learning (Biggs, 2003; Ramsden, 2003), and participation, communication, and membership in academic communities (Metzner & Bean, 1987).
In particular, the experience of international students deserves its own study. Evidence suggests that international students have different challenges than domestic students in adjusting to college life (Hechanova-Alampay et al., 2002; Aubrey, 1991). Research on the adjustment of visiting students spans decades and has led to numerous theories and explanations, including the concept of “culture shock” described by Oberg in 1954. “Culture shock” was the term Oberg introduced to describe the four phases of adjustment he identified. These include the honeymoon phase, in which novelty makes the experience abroad seem exciting and displaces the negative aspects; the crisis phase, characterized by a sense of being overwhelmed and a lack of belonging; the recovery phase, in which a routine and sense of normalcy develop; and the adjustment phase, in which an understanding and acceptance of cultural differences are reached (Oberg, 1954).
This adaptation theory follows a “U-curve” first conceptualized by Lysgaard in 1955, in which satisfaction is initially high, then plummets, and later recovers. Other theories of adjustment propose different models. For example, Gullahorn and Gullahorn (1963) assume a “W-curve” in which the individual’s initial culture shock is followed by a reverse culture shock upon return to the home country. More recent studies question the applicability of these curves (Ward, Bochner, & Furnham, 2001; Berardo, 2006) and propose other models of adjustment. In particular, Astin’s (1999) Student Involvement Theory, Tinto’s (1975) Student Integration Model, and Searle and Ward’s (1990) Intercultural Adaptation Theory offer ways to understand and explain what influences students’ experiences and are discussed in later sections.
1
General Introduction
  19





























































































   19   20   21   22   23