ERIC Number: EJ1396116
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2022
Pages: 18
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0161-827X
EISSN: EISSN-2470-9220
Available Date: N/A
Living with Roommates from Different Cultures: A Qualitative Study of International Students' Experiences of Multicultural Living-Learning Communities
Sim, Wonjin; Stahl, Jessica
Journal of College and University Student Housing, v49 n1 p52-69 2022
International students' experiences of multicultural living-learning communities were explored using consensual qualitative research. Fifteen female international students attending a university in the mid-Atlantic region were interviewed in five focus groups. Participants reported that the benefits of multicultural living-learning communities included cultural learning, language learning, social support, and monetary support. Challenges of multicultural living-learning communities included lifestyle and cultural differences, lack of respect, awareness of and openness to different individuals or cultures, differences and difficulties in communication, language concerns, and lack of opportunities to get closer with roommates. Participants reported that roommate relationships were facilitated by genuine respect for and interest in other cultures, motivation to enhance their adjustment, personalities, having interpersonal interactions, communication, having similarities in interest and culture, teaching and learning language, strategies/rules between roommates, and environmental features such as communal space in their residence halls. This study has implications for residence life professionals who coordinate multicultural living-learning communities and help international students adjust to living with roommates from different cultures. [The discussion questions at the close of this article were developed by Zachary Bevis and Tony W. Cawthon.]
Descriptors: Living Learning Centers, Cultural Differences, Foreign Students, Student Experience, Females, College Students, Cultural Education, Second Language Learning, Social Support Groups, Interpersonal Relationship, Dormitories, Barriers, Affordances, Student Adjustment, Cultural Awareness, Student Attitudes
Association of College and University Housing Officers - International. 1445 Summit Street, Columbus, Ohio 43201. Tel: 614-292-0099; Fax: 614-292-3205; e-mail: office@acuho-i.org; Web site: http://www.acuho-i.org
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research; Tests/Questionnaires
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A