An Academic and Cultural Transition Course for International Students: Efficacy and SocioEmotional Outcomes

Authors

  • Nelson C. Brunsting Wake Forest University, United States
  • Andrew C. Smith Wake Forest University, United States
  • Corinne E. Zachry City University of New York, United States

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.32674/jis.v8i4.213

Keywords:

belonging, intercultural competence, international student, social support, undergraduate

Abstract

The current study details changes in first-year international undergraduate students’ perceived knowledge of, confidence in, and usefulness of intercultural skills in specific US university contexts after completing a semester-long academic and cultural transition course at a mid-sized private university. Results revealed significant increases in participants’ (n= 42) perceived intercultural competence, perspective shifting, suspending judgment, self-advocacy, and interacting in class with students of other cultures; participants also reported significantly higher campus belonging and social support than a comparison group of students at the university who were not enrolled in the course (n = 32). These findings provide initial evidence for the potential of transition courses to increase intercultural skills and campus belonging for first-year undergraduate international students attending US universities.

Author Biographies

  • Nelson C. Brunsting, Wake Forest University, United States

    NELSON BRUNSTING, PhD, is the Director of Global Research and Assessment in the Center for Global Programs and Studies at Wake Forest University, North Carolina, USA. His research focuses on understanding socio emotional outcomes of diverse populations in educational settings. 

  • Andrew C. Smith, Wake Forest University, United States

    ANDREW C. SMITH, MAT, MA, is Program Coordinator for the English Language Skills Enhancement program and part-time lecturer in the Department of Communications, Wake Forest University, North Carolina. His teaching and research interests include second language acquisition and intercultural development.

  • Corinne E. Zachry, City University of New York, United States

    CORINNE E. ZACHRY, MA, is Research Associate at Hunter College of the City University of New York. Her research interests include promoting well-being during transitional stages, especially after the experience of adversity

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Published

2018-10-01

Issue

Vol. 8 No. 4 (2018): Journal of International Students

Section

Research Articles (English, regular edition)

License

Copyright (c) [year] [author]
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
This license permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

How to Cite

Brunsting, N. C., Smith, A. C., & Zachry, C. E. (2018). An Academic and Cultural Transition Course for International Students: Efficacy and SocioEmotional Outcomes. Journal of International Students, 8(4), 1497–1521. https://doi.org/10.32674/jis.v8i4.213