Counseling and the Internet: Asian American and Asian International College Students' Attitudes Toward Seeking Online Professional Psychological Help

This study examined Asian American and Asian international college students' attitudes toward seeking online professional psychological help as well as traditional face‐to‐face professional psychological help. Results suggest that students had less favorable attitudes toward seeking help online than toward seeking help by traditional face‐to‐face means. Implications for counseling center services for Asian American and Asian international college students are discussed.     

来华留学生跨文化适应及其影响因素的实证研究

国际学生有着学生和外国旅居者的双重身份,本研究主要关注其作为学生在大学校园中的跨文化适应情况及其影响因素。研究结果表明,在华国际学生的社会文化适应性可分为交际适应性、环境适应性和认知适应性,适应性的水平主要受到与中国师生互动情况的影响。国际学生与中国师生互动越好,越能更好地完成社会文化适应。研究结果还显示,较之来自西方国家的学生,东亚地区的留学生在文化适应上遇到更多的困难。此外,满意度可以作为预测社会文化适应性的重要指标。     

Counseling International Students in Canadian Schools

International students face many demands as they navigate the cross-cultural transition of living and learning in host countries such as Canada. The cultural diversity represented in this student population poses unique challenges for multicultural counseling. The ways that international students have been represented in the literature may contribute to barriers for effective counseling services. The discussion begins with a summary of the issues faced by international students when living and learning in a foreign country. Several limitations in the counseling literature about international students are addressed, including, the limitations of culture shock as a model of cross cultural transition, the lack of methodological diversity in research involving international students, a focus on group characteristics, and the continued emphasis on the problems experienced by international students. Suggestions for counselors are given to enhance their multicultural counseling competencies for working with international students.     

The transition experiences of direct entrants from overseas higher education partners into UK universities

This two-year study was conducted to explore the experience of international direct-entry students making the transition from overseas higher education partners to a UK University. Using mainly qualitative data from forum discussion, focus-group interviews and face-to-face interviews with students and staff, we document how international direct-entry students cope with academic and social anxieties during their transition. The findings reveal that there are some similarities, such as language issues, which are experienced by most international students. However, this study has highlighted a distinguishing factor for direct-entry students which relates to the use of intra-networks to overcome their social anxieties. The exploratory analysis also indicates that international students entering directly into an academic programme at a later study stage face a steep learning curve and require additional support to adapt quickly to a UK educational system.     

Coping with loneliness: A netnographic study of doctoral students

This study aims to fill an empirical void in our understanding of how doctoral students, both domestic and international, cope with loneliness and isolation, and what types of tactic they use during different phases of their doctoral studies to overcome such issues. Data gathered through a netnographic study show that loneliness is a major problem for both domestic and international students and that it occurs at different stages of the doctoral study. Tactics used by participants to deal with this issue include multiple forms of (face to face and online) social interaction, professional development and escape from the doctorate. The paper discusses avenues for further research alongside some practical recommendations that might be implemented at universities to decrease feelings of isolation among students and further reduce drop-out rates.     

Academic Integration of Chinese Students in Finland and Germany: A Comparative Perspective

It has been recognized that international students studying in non-Anglophone countries face more challenges in integrating into local higher education institutions for a number of reasons, such as the local language barrier and cultural differences. This study aims to understand the challenges and coping strategies of academic integration in non-Anglophone countries from the students’ perceptive, taking Chinese students as an example and using a qualitative approach based on semi-structured interviews with 58 Chinese students in Germany and Finland. It shows that, despite learning environment differences between Finland and Germany, Chinese students face similar challenges, including individual ones, such as the mismatch between their academic background and learning requirements, or contextual ones, such as a lack of consideration for international students in the pedagogical approach and curriculum design adopted by the host higher education institutions. The results challenge the existing stereotype of Chinese students and present evidence of students’ resourcefulness in generating novel approaches to develop their learning capabilities. It also shows that traditional learning techniques may be used as pathways to achieving deep learning and understanding.     

Internationalisation of higher education: integrating international students into Canadian academic environment

Fuelled by globalisation, the internationalisation of higher education in Canada is happening at a rapid pace. One manifestation of internationalisation is the increasing enrolment of international graduate students in Canadian institutions. Many of these students face challenges and barriers in integrating into Canadian academic environments including isolation, alienation, marginalisation and low self-esteem. This case study investigates a programme at a large Canadian university intended to help international graduate students with their adaptation to an unfamiliar academic environment. The research shows that the programme was successful in creating a transnational learning space where international students developed a sense of belonging, increased cross-cultural understanding and raised awareness about global issues. More importantly, it helped international students with their integration into a Canadian learning community. The findings have important implications for the development of programmes to provide appropriate levels of support for international students and for building internationally inclusive campuses.     

The Comprehensive Mental Health Treatment of Chinese International Students: A Case Report

Chinese international students make up the largest number of international students in the United States. They face many stressors that may impact their mental health, such as language barriers, social isolation, academic and financial pressures, and acculturation stress. Yet, there is limited guidance on case conceptualization and treatment models for Chinese international students in university counseling center settings. We present a case report of a 19-year-old, first-year, female undergraduate student from China to illustrate a comprehensive approach for the mental health treatment of Chinese international students. Based on our understanding of the interaction between the student and her influencing environment from a multicultural and ecological vantage point, we intervened on a systems level to achieve a favorable outcome. Our interventions included a multidisciplinary team approach with a student-centered perspective, and advocacy on an individual and organizational level. We conclude with suggested guidelines for the treatment of Chinese international students.     

Counselling expectations of international students

International students not only face the normal adjustment problems of young adulthood but also the adjustment to a different culture. A random sample of 100 colleges and universities was contacted. International students enrolled at the institutions completed a questionnaire designed to assess the counselling preferences of international students. Results are discussed in terms of desirable counsellor characteristics and implications for counsellor training. Suggestions are made for facilitating counselling with international students.     

Challenges of university adjustment in the UK: a study of East Asian Master’s degree students

This paper reports on the adjustment of East Asian Master’s level students who came to study at a campus-based university in the UK during 2004–05. International students face challenges in respect to language proficiency, academic expectations and social participation. In this longitudinal study the experiences of a group of students from East Asian countries were surveyed, with a sample of eight students from five countries tracked through regular interviews. The paper describes the level of satisfaction that students experienced and the challenges they faced. It was found that students largely enjoyed their sojourn and achieved satisfactory levels of academic success. They encountered ‘culture bumps’ rather than culture shock. Adjustment was facilitated by adequate preparation, appropriate academic attainment and satisfying levels of social participation with other international students. It is suggested that these students were experiencing an ‘international postgraduate student culture’ rather than integration into local culture.     

基于社区关系国际学生文化体验课程模式探究

国际学生课程因受疫情影响现阶段多数转为线上,而造成课程开展难度较大等问题。在此背景下,研究如何开展高质量的国际学生文化体验课成为当下国际学生课程教育研究的一项重要内容。基于社区关系视角,梳理了现行国际学生教育事业中文化体验课模块化、地域化和异步化的基本特征,针对特征总结得出国际学生文化体验课程“传统常态化”“地域特色化”“影像可视化”的发展现状,着力探究基于社区关系而构建的“家—校—生”一体化的国际学生文化体验课程模式,通过分析新时代国际学生社区文化体验课程模式构建中课程时长较难控制、协同完成存在风险、课程质量评价多样性等问题,提出了社区关系视角下的国际学生文化体验课程模式的实施路径,即师资互通共融、资源互用共享和共建社区家长学校。     

中学政治课要重视危机教育

面对经济全球化和中国社会转型时期日趋激烈的国际国内竞争,中学政治课要重视对学生的危机教育,引导学生树立危机意识,了解国情,懂得人与自然的和谐发展,应对时代和社会的挑战,抵御意外风险,为升学或就业做好准备。     

"入世"后高职学院学生工作面临的挑战、机遇与对策

我国加入世贸组织以后 ,学生工作必须适应国际竞争的大环境 ,培养适应国际竞争的高素质人才。学生工作必须坚持“以人为本”的观念 ,尊重学生的兴趣、爱好和个性 ,通过“爱国守信 ,明礼诚信 ,团结友善 ,勤俭自强 ,敬业奉献”基本道德规范教育 ,提升学生整体素质     

Welcome to America? International student perceptions of discrimination

This research explores the experiences of international students at a research university in the U.S. Southwest. Based on interviews of a sample of 24 students from 15 countries, we consider a range of difficulties they encounter which runs from perceptions of unfairness and inhospitality to cultural intolerance and confrontation. Utilizing the conceptual framework of neo-racism to explain many of their experiences, we organize our analysis and discussion around their words and the contexts in which the difficulties they encounter emerge. We find that not all of the issues international students face can be problematized as matters of adjustment, as much research does, but that some of the more serious challenges are due to inadequacies within the host society.     

Including the other: regulation of the human rights of mobile students in a nation-bound world

The world’s three million cross-border international students are located in a ‘gray zone’ of regulation with incomplete human rights, security and capabilities. Like other mobile persons such as short-term business and labour entrants, and refugees, students located on foreign soil do not enjoy the same protections and entitlements as do citizens. International students are affected by two different national regulatory regimes, in the nations of citizenship and of education. But they are fully covered by neither. Their position is vulnerable and uncertain, mediated by non-citizen status and the related facts of cultural difference, information asymmetry and communication difficulties. Referring to research on international education in Australia, which has the world’s fifth largest international student population, the article focuses on the manner in which the subordinated outsider status of international students magnifies the problems they face. It considers what might be done to enable them to access comprehensive protections, empowerment and human rights as defined in the United Nations’ Universal Declaration of Human Rights.     

National or global: The mutable concepts of identity and home for international school students

This article examines a selection of responses about identity and belonging among students in an international school in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, who must often move from one continent to another because of the nature of their parents?? work. A review of the literature highlights some of the issues these students face within an international school community, including social, psychological, and academic difficulties. The students were interviewed about their nationalities, their sense of belonging, and their thoughts about the future. Their responses were video-recorded and analyzed by thematic groupings. Initial findings indicate three distinct groups of students: those who know exactly which country they come from, those who are not sure, and those who feel an attachment to a global rather than a national identity.     

An examination of the adjustment journey of international students studying in Australia

This study examined at two Australian university campuses the types of problems that prompt international students to seek counselling services. The concerns reported by ninety students fell within three broad categories; adjustment issues, academic concerns and psychosocial problems. Follow-up interviews with a subset of these students (21) were used to gain more detailed information about their personal adjustment issues and also their experience of counselling services. Counsellors were also interviewed to obtain their perspective on the adjustment and counselling experience of students. Most problems for students occurred within the first 12 months of commencing studies and for many tended to reduce in incidence thereafter, but for some students the issues and problems remained ongoing. While the findings are limited to international students at only two Australian campuses, and furthermore the sample sizes are not large, the results suggest that these students often face extreme adjustment difficulties. Moreover, it is suggested that such students tended to only access counselling services when near the point of collapse, or following academic referral. The importance of pre-departure orientation packages for prospective students, while still in their home country, might reduce the incidence of such adjustment issues.     

Missing intercultural engagements in the university experiences of Chinese international students in the UK

This paper looks at structural conditions or institutional arrangements that facilitate or hinder interactions for international students. Drawing on the contact and diversity theory, analyses compare Chinese students’ intercultural experience in business and non-business schools in one UK university and explore how these students interpret the meaning of quality intercultural contact based on their responses to the social environment around them. Findings indicate that the overwhelming number of Chinese students, particularly in business schools, combined with obstacles these students face in establishing intercultural contact around the university potentially motivates them to explore engagement with a wider host society (e.g. Christian churches). The denial of intercultural contact due to a lack of diverse environment may lead to inequality in opportunities for cross-cultural learning and personal growth. High quality intercultural contact is not only beneficial to international students, it also enhances the intercultural competency of native students in the global market place.     

Teaching international students from Confucian Heritage Culture countries: perspectives from three U.S. host campuses

Asia Pacific Education Review - U.S. host campuses face instructional challenges from increasing numbers of international students from Confucian Heritage Culture (CHC) countries. Yet, the presence...     

Mapping participation in situated language learning

Research on the international student experience in Australia has highlighted the challenges that international students face when obtaining tertiary qualifications in an Australian university [AEI. (2012). Student voices: Enhancing the experience of international students in Australia. Canberra, Australia: Australian Education International]. Specifically, international students are reported to have difficulties achieving their stated goals of making connections, forming friendships and improving their oral English language skills during their sojourn [AEI. (2013). International student survey 2012 overview report. Canberra, Australia: Australian Education International; Yates, L., & Wahid, R. (2013). Challenges to Brand Australia: International students and the problem with speaking. Higher Education Research & Development, 32(6), 1037–1050]. This paper investigates the interactions of five male Saudi Arabian international students in the local English-speaking community and considers how they participate in it. Diary records and interview conversations are used to examine the nature and extent of participation, drawing on the linguistic concept of register or analysis of situation. The findings indicate that quality interactions for the purpose of language learning are derived from casual conversations and those without pre-defined social roles which afford opportunities for identity negotiation and interactional benefits.