Self-Segregation or Global Mixing?: Social Interactions and the International Student Experience

Abstract

This qualitative study examines the social interaction patterns among international students at a large research university in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. Based on semistructured interviews with 60 international graduate students, the researchers provide a conceptual framework that identifies 4 primary types of social interactions that shape international student experiences at US higher education institutions: self-segregation, exclusive global mixing, inclusive global mixing, and host interaction. The results indicate that conceptions of cultural identity as well as alternative forms of social capital play a crucial role in the formation of international social networks within a university setting. This qualitative study examines the social interaction patterns among international students at a large research university in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. Based on semistructured interviews with 60 international graduate students, the researchers provide a conceptual framework that identifies 4 primary types of social interactions that shape international student experiences at U.S. higher education institutions: self-segregation, exclusive global mixing, inclusive global mixing, and host interaction. The results indicate that conceptions of cultural identity as well as alternative forms of social capital play a crucial role in the formation of international social networks within a university setting.