Background/purpose. This research focuses on the lived experiences of Indonesian Muslim students and staff at an academic institution with a predominantly Christian ethos in the northern Philippines. It examines the way they faced challenges related to religious practices, social integration, and culture shock within a Catholic institution. This…

This study adopts a phenomenological qualitative approach to explore and examine the acculturation process of Saudi students living in the United States, particularly in relation to their access to campus counseling services. The findings of this study identify five themes: 1) pre-migration expectations and realities, 2) journey of cultural…

Given the social and emotional tolls of the COVID-19 pandemic on college and university students, many students have become academically disengaged during the pandemic. Although some colleges and universities have the capacity to promote social support for their students, research has yet to comprehensively demonstrate the relationship between…

To test hypotheses in cross-cultural studies, it is necessary to investigate whether results might be affected systematically by language or cultural effects. In this paper the results of differential item functioning (DIF) analyses for the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), the Preventive Resources Inventory (PRI), and the Brief COPE are presented.…

In the initial phase of participating in short-term semester abroad programs, newly arrived international students may face a lot of difficulties and challenging experiences living in Thai society. This phenomenological study reports on the issues of socio-cultural adaptation experienced by German exchange students while participating in semester…

Enhancing our knowledge about students' experiences during their studies in higher music education is essential to understand and support them as they cope with their specific workloads in studying music. This study provides a research-based understanding of what engaging in music means to music students when they reflected on their experiences of…

Interpersonal conflict is inevitable as college students live together in residence halls with new and different people (Bresnahan et al., 2009; Ferguson & Lareau, 2021; Fosnacht et al., 2020; Harwood et al., 2012; Morgan et al., 2019; Shook & Fazio, 2008). Whether the conflict stems from small miscommunications to mismatched value…

In this study, we explore the perceived stress and self-regulation of four Chinese international students (CISs) at a public research university in the southeastern United States (U.S.) during the COVID-19 pandemic through individual semistructured interviews. The identified themes include travel restrictions and delayed required tests, mixed…

The experience of losing a first-degree family member, followed by a second-degree family, and a close friend is prevalent among college students. Bereavement affects student success as they must balance grief and academics. Culture also influences the expression and experience of grief, making it essential to understand grief and bereavement in…

In this paper, we present a study of Turkish international students' experiences in the U.S. by examining data from EksiSozluk, a Turkish social media platform. Drawing on social-emotional learning as a theoretical foundation, we investigated the types of challenges Turkish international students faced in the U.S. and the coping strategies and…

This article reports on a two-year ethnographic research study that critically examined the lived multilingual and multicultural experiences of two international students in search of heightened intercultural awareness and enhanced levels of intercultural competence during the pandemic. Drawing on a constructivist view of intercultural competence,…

Academic stress has been identified as one of the major concerns in current academic circles. Academic stress is an example of mental distress associated with anticipation or awareness of academic failure and/or the result of being in a given educational facility or pursuing academic work. Academic stress is a major concern because its effects are…

Students wishing to pursue careers in international business, notably in the developing world, must be prepared for complex, unpredictable, uncomfortable, and messy realities, and to collaborate with others very different from themselves. Mainstream business school learning environments are generally highly structured, cognitively oriented,…

Students in higher education settings are susceptible to well-being concerns, as indicated by the global pervasiveness of mental illness and high rates of suicide. International students especially tend to encounter problems due to necessary adjustments in language and culture as well as loneliness when separated from family and close friends.…

Many studies have reported language problems faced by international students in cross-cultural study-abroad settings. The present study investigated Chinese international students' linguistic insecurity during their study-abroad in Australia, and the strategies that they deployed to manage this. Based on interviews with ten students from two…