Leah McSorley, Ed.D. Associate Dean of Students for International Student Services Lawrence University The Power of Peers: An Analysis of International Student Integration in U.S. Higher Education and the Role of Social Support Relationships The role of social support in facilitating institutional integration for international students

Learning Outcomes Consider unique challenges experienced by international students Become aware of Tinto’s (1993) Interactive Model of College Student Departure Understand the benefits for “institutional integration” among college students Identify the social support relationships that had a significant impact on institutional integration among international students Discuss pedagogical and co-curricular implications based on the data

Who is in the room? Faculty, staff, students; lawrentians, other universities; community/other organizations? Who has studied or lived in another country?

International College Students in the U.S. Increasing numbers of international students in the U.S. Top countries Institute for International Education (IIE), 2016 Benefits to U.S. university Financial (NAFSA, 2015) Interpersonal post-college skills IIE: Open Doors 2016 Over 1 million students (4.8% of students in US universities) – 1,043,839 Top countries: China (32%), India (16%), S Korea (6%), KSA (6%) Benefits: Financial - 35.8 billion to US economy (institutions, community, state, federal (taxes) Enrollment gaps Diverse perspectives

Brainstorm: Possible challenges for some international students?

Unique Challenges Unique challenges Language proficiency More limited social networks Cultural adjustment issues Lack of resources Result: May limit academic success, persistence, satisfaction (Akanwa, 2014; Hegarty, 2014; Mesidor & Sly, 2016; Poyrazli & Grahame, 2007; Zhang & Goodson, 2011)

Theoretical Model Vincent Tinto’s Interactive Model of College Student Departure (1975, 1993) Durkheim’s theory of suicide (1951) Less integration and social support predicts suicide Suicide result of insufficiently integrated into society; Tinto asserts that drop out occurs bc the individual is insufficiently integrated into different aspects of college or university life.

Institutional Integration Academic integration + social integration = institutional integration Institutional integration: The extent to which a student feels engaged with and connected to the campus community. “The extent to which the individual shares the normative attitudes and values of peers and faculty in the institution and abides by the formal and informal structural requirements for membership in that community or in subgroups in it” (Pascarella & Terenzini, 2005, p. 54). Institutional integration has become “student engagement”

Population and Sample Convenience sample of all international students 2 small, private, residential liberal arts college in the Midwest Total combined population approximately 371 78 responses (21%) Demographics: See descriptive statistics/study Purposeful criteria based

Description of Study Independent Variable Dependent Variable Social support 7 key relationships salience frequency of meeting; strength Demographic variables Institutional Integration *** The degree to which a student feels connected academically and socially to his or her institution of higher education

Institutional Support 7 key relationships Peer Support Host National Co-National Multinational Family Support Biological Family Host Family (Friendship Family) Institutional Support Staff Faculty

Key Findings Among international students at 2 small private residential colleges

Key Findings Positive and predictive relationship between social support and integration Positive relationships between institutional integration and peer relationships: Strong co-national relationships Frequent multinational relationships Frequent host national relationships Family and institutional relationships have no relationship with institutional integration in this study Survey reliability: Cronbach's alpha .78 (96 items) All established scales .84 - .95

Key Findings, cont. There is no significant difference in institutional integration based on participation in the host family program. Age is negatively associated with institutional integration No other variable was significantly associated with institutional integration GPA English Proficiency Time spent in the U.S. Academic class Gender Region of origin

Practical Implications Ensure international students have adequate social support Prioritize peer relationships Theoretical implications: Aligns with Tinto’s theory that social support positively predicts integration using international student participants The peer relationship strength/frequency as an avenue toward institutional integration

Implications, cont. Academic Co-Curricular Frequent classroom interactions with multinational and host national students Classroom activities (pre-selected groups/pairs) Encouraging study groups Emphasize getting involved in co-curricular programs Tutoring centers Language tables Diverse roommate matching for first year students Peer mentoring program Friendship family: Incorporating two students (host national/multinational) Are there other ways we can create opportunities for social support or peer interactions? Can you think of other ways to facilitate these connections?

Comments, Q & A

Thank you! Leah McSorley leah.d.mcsorley@lawrence.edu 920-832-6509

References Akanwa, E. E. (2015). International students in western developed countries: History, challenges, and prospects. Journal of International Students, 5(3), 271-284. Hegarty, N. (2014). Where we are now-the presence and importance of international students to universities in the United States. Journal of International Students, 4(3), 223. Institute of International Education. Open Doors 2016 Fast Facts. (2016, March 11). Retrieved from http://www.iie.org/Research- and-Publications/Open-Doors/Data/Fast-Facts#.WMR-phIrLPA Mesidor, J. K., & Sly, K. F. (2016). Factors that contribute to the adjustment of international students. Journal of International Students, 6(1), 262-282. Pascarella, E. T., & Terenzini, P. T. (2005). How college affects students (1st ed.). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Publishers. Poyrazli, S., & Grahame, K. M. (2007). Barriers to adjustment: Needs of international students within a semi-urban campus community. Journal of Instructional Psychology, 34(1), 28-45. Tinto, V. (1975). Dropout from higher education: A theoretical synthesis of recent research. Review of Educational Research, 45(1), 89. Tinto, V. (1993). Leaving college: Rethinking the causes and cures of student attrition (2nd ed.). Chicago, IL: The University of Chicago Press. Zhang, J., & Goodson, P. (2011). Review: Predictors of international students’ psychosocial adjustment to life in the United States: A systematic review. International Journal of Intercultural Relations, 35, 139-162. doi:10.1016/j.ijintrel.2010.11.011