International Culture Regarding Sports In some countries the opportunity to play sports (in schools, clubs, or recreationally) is available to all, in other countries it is not Many countries do not have university sports Many children develop athletic skills in regional or national sport systems which influence their views of sports Motivation for relocation to U.S. is access to better coaching and facilities (Bale, 1987), and attractiveness of intercollegiate athletics (Jones, Koo, Kim, Andrew, & Hardin, 2008) United States Culture Regarding Sports  Children cheer for favorite university team  Dreams of playing for favorite university  Dreams of intercollegiate sports as stepping stone to professional sports  Athletic scholarship to earn college degree  Sport participation could lead to a job  Desire to play for a respected/successful coach

Understanding National Sport Policies (for countries with a club-based system)  Sport systems stem from national sport policies affecting the purpose for sport participation  Sport policy dictates participants access to sport opportunities  Sport policy dictates which organizations have access to limited resources  Sport policy affects national health issues  Sport policy fosters national pride (Chalip, Johnson, & Stachura, 1996; Frey & Eitzen, 1991) General Overview of International Student- Athletes  Recruitment of Int’l S.A. has occurred since the 1950’s (Ridinger & Pastore, 2001; Stidwill, 1984)  Number of foreign-born athletes in U.S. universities is on the rise (Popp, Hums, & Greenwell, 2009)  Nearly 70% of Int’l S.A. are enrolled at NCAA Division I schools (NCAA, 2008)  Int’l S.A. demonstrated higher levels of confidence in ability to achieve success (Stidwill, 1984)  Int’l S.A. place higher importance on academic achievement (Popp, 2006)  Int’l S.A. place lower emphasis on mental preparation and competitive aspect of sports than domestic teammates (Popp, 2006)  Int’l S.A. felt weight training was emphasized more heavily in NCAA Div. I competition (Popp, 2006)

Seven Categories/Reasons for Sport Participation (Duda, 1989) 1.Mastery/cooperation – sports should teach people to try their best, teamwork, and sportsmanship 2.Physically active lifestyle – sports should teach individuals to be physically fit 3.Good citizen – sports should help teach things like loyalty, willingness to sacrifice for the good of the team, and respecting authority 4.Competitiveness – sports should teach competition and aggression 5.High-status career – sport participation would help lead to a good career 6.Enhance self-esteem – sports would improve self- confidence, make them feel important, make them feel like a winner, help set high standards 7.Social status/getting ahead – sports would improve one’s popularity and standing with peers What Advisors and Administrators Need to Know  How to interact with student-athletes from around the world  How to help teammates interact with student- athletes from around the world  How to facilitate success both in academics and from a social perspective for Int’l S.A.  Understand the U-Curve of transition into a new culture and the phases of assimilation (Adler, 1975; Befus, 1988; Chapdelaine and Alextich, 2004)  Contact  Disintegration  Reintegration  Autonomy  Independence

Helpful Suggestions for Advisors with International Student-Athletes  Create a balanced course load, especially during the first semester, based on academic abilities and athletic responsibilities  Encourage face-to-face contact with instructors at the beginning of each semester  Assign tutors to assist with academics Possible Resources for Assisting International Student-Athletes  Tutorial Services and programs  Learning Specialist (if available) – can help with such things as reading comprehension, teach time management skills for completing assignments, address test/text anxiety, understanding/deciphering directions for assignments and exams  International Student Services Office  Campus ministries that focus outreach to the international student body

References Adler, P. (1975). The transitional experience: An alternative view of culture shock. The Journal of Humanistic Psychology, 15, Bale, J. ( 1987). Alien student-athletes in American higher education: Locational decision making and sojourn abroad. Physical Education Review, 10(2), Befus, C. P. (1988). A multilevel treatment approach for culture shock experienced by sojourners. International Journal of Intercultural Relations, 12, Chalip, L., Johnson, A., & Stachura, L. (1996). National sports policies. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press. Chapdelaine, R. F., & Alextich, L. R. (2004). Social skills difficulty: Model of culture shock for international graduate students. Journal of College Student Development, 45, Duda, J. L. (1989). Relationship between task and ego orientation and the perceived purpose of sport among high school athletes. Journal of Sport & Exercise Psychology, 11, Frey, J. H., & Eitzen, D. S. (1991). Sport and society. Annual Review of Sociology, 17, Jones, S. G., Koo, G., Kim, S., Andrew, D., & Hardin, Robin. (2008). Motivations of international student-athletes to participate in intercollegiate athletics. Contemporary Athletics, 3(4), NCAA. (2008) – NCAA student-athlete race & ethnicity report. Indianapolis, IN: NCAA.

Popp, N. (2006, September). International student-athlete adjustment to U.S. universities: Testing the Ridinger and Pastore adjustment model. Paper presented at the 14 th European Association of Sport Management Congress, Nicosia, Cyprus. Popp, N., Hums, M. A., Greenwell, T. C. (2009). Do international student-athletes view the purpose of sport differently than united states student-athletes at NCAA division I universities?. Journal of Issues in Intercollegiate Athletics, 2, Ridinger, L., & Pastore, D. (2001). Coaches perceptions of recruiting international student- athletes. Internatioal Council for Health, Physical Education, Recreation, Sport, and Dance Journal, 37, Stidwell, H. F. (1984). Motives toward track and field competition of foreign and domestic grant- in-aid student-athletes in NCAA Division I colleges and universities. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, Oregon State University, Eugene.