Exploring the Cross-cultural Experiences of Chinese International Students in the United States and Their Perceptions of Professional Counseling Services in the Context of Acculturation

Exploring the Cross-cultural Experiences of Chinese International Students in the United States and Their Perceptions of Professional Counseling Services in the Context of Acculturation PDF Author: Fengkan Zhu
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 352

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Book Description
Academic institutions in the United States (U.S.) have witnessed a rapid growth of the population of international students from China in the past decade (Institute of International Education, 2017). As sojourners, Chinese international students can experience numerous acculturative stress in the U.S., which may cause psychological distress (Han, Han, Luo, Jacobs, & Jean-Baptiste, 2013; Mori, 2000; Pedersen, 1997). However, there is a significant disparity in mental health care for this population at American universities (N. Zhang & Dixon, 2003; Robertson, Holleran, & Samuels, 2015). Most existing studies in this field were quantitative studies. However, quantitative method has its own limitations in investigating the essence and meanings of subjective experiences of individuals. Therefore, the purpose of this qualitative study was to investigate Chinese international students' acculturative experiences in the U.S. and to present their coping strategies of acculturative stress. This study also investigated co-researchers' perceptions of counseling services on campus and their experiences with the services if they had used them. Specifically, this study used two rounds in-depth semi-structured individual interviews to collect data and applied the transcendental phenomenology (Moustakas, 1994) in data analysis. Textual descriptions were developed to describe what co-researchers experienced in acculturation in the U.S. as well as their perceptions of counseling and experiences in counseling. In addition, structural descriptions were developed to explain how these experiences and perceptions were formed. Finally, a synthesis description was created, representing the group as a whole, to describe the meanings and essence of these co-researchers' acculturation experience in the U.S., their perceptions of counseling services, and their experiences in counseling. The findings of this study are congruent with previous research and have implications for clinical practice and further research with Chinese international students in the U.S.

Exploring the Cross-cultural Experiences of Chinese International Students in the United States and Their Perceptions of Professional Counseling Services in the Context of Acculturation

Exploring the Cross-cultural Experiences of Chinese International Students in the United States and Their Perceptions of Professional Counseling Services in the Context of Acculturation PDF Author: Fengkan Zhu
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 352

Get Book Here

Book Description
Academic institutions in the United States (U.S.) have witnessed a rapid growth of the population of international students from China in the past decade (Institute of International Education, 2017). As sojourners, Chinese international students can experience numerous acculturative stress in the U.S., which may cause psychological distress (Han, Han, Luo, Jacobs, & Jean-Baptiste, 2013; Mori, 2000; Pedersen, 1997). However, there is a significant disparity in mental health care for this population at American universities (N. Zhang & Dixon, 2003; Robertson, Holleran, & Samuels, 2015). Most existing studies in this field were quantitative studies. However, quantitative method has its own limitations in investigating the essence and meanings of subjective experiences of individuals. Therefore, the purpose of this qualitative study was to investigate Chinese international students' acculturative experiences in the U.S. and to present their coping strategies of acculturative stress. This study also investigated co-researchers' perceptions of counseling services on campus and their experiences with the services if they had used them. Specifically, this study used two rounds in-depth semi-structured individual interviews to collect data and applied the transcendental phenomenology (Moustakas, 1994) in data analysis. Textual descriptions were developed to describe what co-researchers experienced in acculturation in the U.S. as well as their perceptions of counseling and experiences in counseling. In addition, structural descriptions were developed to explain how these experiences and perceptions were formed. Finally, a synthesis description was created, representing the group as a whole, to describe the meanings and essence of these co-researchers' acculturation experience in the U.S., their perceptions of counseling services, and their experiences in counseling. The findings of this study are congruent with previous research and have implications for clinical practice and further research with Chinese international students in the U.S.

Chinese International Students' Perceptions and Attitudes Toward Seeking Psychological Counseling Services

Chinese International Students' Perceptions and Attitudes Toward Seeking Psychological Counseling Services PDF Author: Baozhen Xie
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 406

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Book Description


International Student Security

International Student Security PDF Author: Simon Marginson
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 9780521138055
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 528

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Book Description
More than three million students globally are on the move each year, crossing borders for their tertiary education. Many travel from Asia and Africa to English speaking countries, led by the United States, including the UK, Australia and New Zealand where students pay tuition fees at commercial rates and prop up an education export sector that has become lucrative for the provider nations. But the 'no frills' commercial form of tertiary education, designed to minimise costs and maximise revenues, leaves many international students inadequately protected and less than satisfied. International Student Security draws on a close study of international students in Australia, and exposes opportunity, difficulty, danger and courage on a massive scale in the global student market. It works through many unresolved issues confronting students and their families, including personal safety, language proficiency, finances, sub-standard housing, loneliness and racism.

Exploring the Experience of Mainland Chinese Undergraduate Students at an American University

Exploring the Experience of Mainland Chinese Undergraduate Students at an American University PDF Author: Wei Wu
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages :

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Book Description
Previous studies of the experiences of mainland Chinese students in the U.S. have focused on graduate students, the most prolific Chinese demographic change before 2008. However, a significant increase in mainland Chinese undergraduate students has occurred in American universities since 2008, and these students have different features from Chinese graduate students. Meanwhile, research on the mainland Chinese undergraduate student experience was very limited. For example, what are the sources of stress of these Chinese undergraduate students? What were their coping strategies? What changes did they have in the process? How do they evaluate their experience in the U.S.? This study is an attempt to answer these questions. This study employed a qualitative research method and a case study research design to examine the experience of six mainland Chinese undergraduate students in a midwestern American public university. Convenience, snowball and criterion sampling were used to identify the participants, who were conducted a semi-structured interview with in-depth follow-up probing sessions to yield data. Berry's (1997) acculturation framework was the theoretical framework for the study. Patterns that emerged from the data include: (1) six stressors are discovered in participants' acculturation process: language barrier, cultural difference, life skills-related stressors, relationships with others, academic studies, and concern for the future (including job opportunity and pressure for marriages). The stressors vary based on individual factors and their length of time in the U.S; (2) participants used three coping strategies to cope with stressful situation: problem focused, emotions focused and avoidance-orientation strategies; participants mainly rely on friends or roommates to cope with problems and are not aware of university's resources for help; (3) participants experienced many changes in this process, including improved English skill, independence, stress management, changed perceptions about U.S. and China; (4) participants' overall evaluation of the experience is positive but they don't think studying in the U.S. is for everyone; they hope university to provide more help overcome the difficulties; (5) participants also talked about dissatisfaction about Chinese education, cheating problems at the American university, using agents when applying for universities, desire to return to China eventually and their family financial support. Themes emerged crossing all patterns included: (1) participants did not what to expect before they went abroad but managed to overcome difficulties in the U.S.; (2) participants are willing to make changes and improve themselves by overcoming all barriers with the resources they know; (3) participants desire more help from the university to overcome the barriers to a better education; (4) participants seek better job opportunities whether in China or in the U.S. soon after graduation, but they eventually will go back China; (5) participants' family fully support participants' endeavor to study in the U.S. As a conclusion, the study makes recommendations to American university administrators, professors and Chinese students who plan to come to the U.S. American universities should develop a holistic approach to help Chinese international students. Language and cultural training and engagement is important. Partnership programs between American students and Chinese students may be established to help them with language and cultural training. At the same time, life-skills, relationship skills, academic study skills and training are needed for students who came during high school or after high school. The university should also use standardized test for admission to ensure quality of students. Professional career help is a very critical need for these students in China and in America. Finally, the study recommends further research to better understand this unique population.

Advising International Chinese Students: Issues, Strategies, and Practices

Advising International Chinese Students: Issues, Strategies, and Practices PDF Author: Elena Galinova & Irma Giannetti
Publisher: NACADA
ISBN: 1935140272
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 87

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Book Description
Like all of higher education, the academic advising field has expanded beyond North America in the last two decades. Thus, the first offering chosen for the new NACADA Digest Collection educates academic advisors on the issues faced by students coming from China to the United States in pursuit of their college educations. Advising International Chinese Students: Issues, Strategies, and Practices informs and helps academic advisors to better connect specifically with the largest incoming cohort, from China, but the general suggestions also apply to all international students. NACADA introduces this new publication venue in traditional print, EPub, and E-Mobi platforms thus making important literature in the field easily and quickly accessible to 21st century advisors. www.nacada.ksu.edu

Chinese International Students’ Stressors and Coping Strategies in the United States

Chinese International Students’ Stressors and Coping Strategies in the United States PDF Author: Kun Yan
Publisher: Springer
ISBN: 9811033471
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 157

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Book Description
This book explores how Chinese students abroad may suffer stress, and how they conceptualize and adapt to stress in the American higher education environment. To do so, it adopts a mixed methods design: the sequential explanatory design, which is characterized by the collection and analysis of quantitative data followed by the collection and analysis of qualitative data. To date, no empirical research has focused solely upon understanding the stress and coping processes of Chinese students in the United States. This book addresses that gap, enriching the body of literature on international students’ adaptation process in foreign countries.

Understanding the Role of Peer Mentors in Supporting Chinese Freshman Undergraduates' Acculturation

Understanding the Role of Peer Mentors in Supporting Chinese Freshman Undergraduates' Acculturation PDF Author: Julia LaRosa
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Acculturation
Languages : en
Pages : 298

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Book Description
The assimilation process into American university life for many international students from China is often stress-filled due to vast differences in academic and socio-cultural backgrounds. With the double-digit growth in enrollment of international students from China in recent years, it is prudent for universities to determine the practices that support these students. Existing research suggests that social adaptation may be the most critical element for an international student's overall university success (Wang & Mallinckrodt, 2006). Additionally, in recent years, employing peer mentors as support for freshman college transitions has been a popular university strategy, since enlisting experienced upperclassmen as role models for new students has shown to produce improved academics, student satisfaction, and retention (Collings, Swanson, & Watkins, 2014; Hall & Jaugietis, 2010). However, little is known about how undergraduate Chinese-born students perceive and experience peer-mentored support while acculturating into an American university. This case study explores the impact of peer mentors on the acculturation of Chinese-born international students who participated in a supplemental developmental course during their freshman year. The BUSN T180 course provided peer-led and faculty-facilitated experiential activities during fall and winter terms, delivering additional opportunities for Chinese-born students to practice and explore key concepts while developing necessary student competencies. The following primary research question and sub-questions were explored: xi 1. How do Chinese-born undergraduate students perceive and experience peer-mentoring support while they acculturate into an American university? (a) How do Chinese-born undergraduate students describe the influences of their relationships with peer mentors? (b) How do peer mentors describe the influences of their relationships on Chinese-born undergraduate students? (c) How do Chinese-born undergraduate students describe the impact of peer mentors on their academic adaptation to their American universities? (d) How do Chinese-born undergraduate students describe the impact of peer mentors on their socio-cultural adaptation to their American universities? This research study was informed by student development, acculturation, and peer mentor theories. The researcher conducted 28 one-on-one interviews with Chinese-born students who participated in the BUSN T180 program during their freshman years, from 2013 through 2016. One-on-one and focus group interviews were also conducted with ten peer mentors who participated in the program from 2013 through 2016 to validate the student findings. Upon coding and analyzing data for emerging themes and recurring ideas, the following six themes related to how Chinese-born students perceived and experienced peer mentors emerged: 1) Instruction, 2) Valuable, 3) Foundational, 4) Friendly, 5) Influential, and 6) Responsive. The following results also emerged: 1) Most Chinese-born freshman undergraduate students valued the support they received from their formally assigned peer mentors. xii 2) Peer mentors' deliberate, specific instrumental guidance helped improve Chinese-born students' language proficiencies and guided their academic adaptations while mitigating acculturative stress. 3) Working closely with peer mentors, Chinese-born students were better able to orient to the university "system," navigate academic differences, and make meaningful college connections. Frequently, the skills and knowledge they acquired from their peer mentors served as a cornerstone for their successful college adaptations. 4) Working with successful, friendly, encouraging, and responsive peer mentors helped motivate engaged Chinese-born freshman students and provided them with a sense of ease while transitioning to their new academic environment. 5) Working in small groups led by peer mentors, students were provided a safe environment that enhanced learning and helped them develop meaningful language proficiencies. 6) Successful experiences and meaningful relationships with peer mentors provided students with a sense of academic and socio-cultural accomplishment, which helped boost their confidence. Recommendations for practical action are made for college administrators, student services personnel, advising staff, and college faculty from universities with significant Chinese-born student populations. The study concludes with recommendations for future research to include understanding how cross-cultural competencies can be expanded at diverse campuses, how attending high school in the United States supports academic acculturation for Chinese-born freshman college students, and the cross-cultural impact on peer mentors and student leaders who support international students.

The Lived Experience of Chinese International Students in the U.S.

The Lived Experience of Chinese International Students in the U.S. PDF Author: Yalun Zhou
Publisher: Springer Nature
ISBN: 981159449X
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 223

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Book Description
This book marks a departure from traditional assumptions concerning the deficiencies of Chinese international students in terms of learning and adapting. It employs phenomenological narrative inquiry and a small culture approach to investigate the evolved, fluid experience of pursuing a graduate degree in the U.S. at Blue Fountain University (a pseudonym for a mid-western university). Adopting an interdisciplinary perspective, this book addresses two fundamental questions: What study abroad is and what study abroad counts? The sociocultural dimensions that shape the cross-border degree seeking endeavors inform stakeholders what works for Chinese international students’ successful pursuits as EFL learners and ESL users and what could be improved. This book shares thoughts on the implications and impact of educational contexts to stakeholders at normal and dynamic contexts interrupted by global pandemic outbreak. It contributes to the understanding of the internationalization of the host institute and the EFL education reform efforts (policy making, teacher education, and classroom practice) in China (and in Asia at large).

Pathways to Belonging

Pathways to Belonging PDF Author: Kelly-Ann Allen
Publisher: BRILL
ISBN: 9004386963
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 241

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Book Description
School belonging should be a priority across every facet of education. The research on school belonging for positive student outcomes has been widely accepted and findings demonstrating its role as a protective factor against mental ill health and youth suicide are too compelling to ignore. In an age where it has been argued that academic achievement is prioritised over wellbeing, the editors bring the importance of school belonging back to the fore in educational policy and planning. This book is the most comprehensive compendium of its kind on the topic of school belonging. A foreword by Professor John Hattie of The University of Melbourne sets the scene for an engaging look at how school belonging is quintessential in contemporary schooling. Contributors are: Kelly-Ann Allen, Christopher Boyle, Jonathan Cohen, Crystal Coker, Erin Dowdy, Clemence Due, Jonathan K. Ferguson, Sebastian Franke, Michael Furlong, Annie Gowing, Alun Jackson, Divya Jindal-Snape, Andrew Martinez, Daniel Mays, Vicki McKenzie, Susan Dvorak McMahon, Franka Metzner, Kathryn Moffa, Silke Pawils, Damien W. Riggs, Sue Roffey, Lisa Schneider, Bini Sebastian, Christopher D. Slaten, Jessica Smead, Amrit Thapa, Dianne Vella-Brodrick, Lea Waters, Michelle Wichmann, and Holger Zielemanns.

Asian and Pacific Islander Americans

Asian and Pacific Islander Americans PDF Author: Daya Singh Sandhu
Publisher: Nova Publishers
ISBN: 9781560726630
Category : Psychology
Languages : en
Pages : 364

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Book Description
Scholars of psychology, education, social work, and counseling examine such topics as transracial adoption, women's issues, substance abuse, and the racial experiences of 43 different ethnic groups often statistically lumped together. Among the specific topics are Asian Indian women's bicultural experience, political ethnic identity versus cultural ethnic identity, ethnic variations in the adaptation of recent immigrant Asian adolescents regarding, and sexual abuse.