Comparing international and American students: involvement in college life and overall satisfaction

Abstract

Using longitudinal survey data, this study compares 191 international and 409 American students’ involvement in college life, the extent to which the involvement is influenced by race/ethnicity, gender, and language background, and the extent to which the involvement influences overall satisfaction. Major findings include: International and American students had similar amount of interactions with faculty, and student–faculty interactions had the biggest, positive impact on overall satisfaction for both groups; international students had more frequent positive and negative cross-racial interactions than American students, and negative cross-racial interactions decreased international students’ overall satisfaction; international students felt lonely more frequently than American students, yet loneliness did not decrease international students’ overall satisfaction. Implications for research provide recommendations for studying international students’ cross-racial interactions in relation to overall satisfaction, and for adapting and revising the conceptual model developed in this study in further research on what makes international students satisfied. Implications for practice focus on improving cross-racial interactions and student–faculty interactions, recommending concrete actions that can be offered to all students as well as special interventions targeting international students. The practical significance of conducting comparative institutional self-study between international and American students is also discussed in the context of how services for international students are structured on college campuses.