Values in relation to acculturation and adjustment

Abstract

VALUES IN RELATION TO ACCULTURATION AND ADJUSTMENT By Heather E. Simonovich This study examined the congruence between personal values and perceived U.S. values among U.S. American students and international students in the U.S. Data were collected from 305 international students and 218 domestic (U.S.) students studying at San Jose State University during Fall 2004 and Spring 2005 semesters. Stimulation value congruence was greater for U.S. students than for international students, but congruence among personal and perceived power, benevolence, and universalism values was greater for international vs. U.S. students. Personal and perceived affective and cognitive work outcomes were more congruent among international students than U.S. students. Finally, international students valuing benevolence more than they think Americans value it were more marginalized or separated than international students who value benevolence similarly to what they thought Americans value it. Results suggest that international students come to the U.S. already seeing themselves as similar to Americans, whereas Americans see themselves quite differently from other Americans. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS First and foremost, I would like to thank my thesis chair, Dr. Sharon Glazer, for all her support, guidance, patience, and motivation throughout the lengthy and labyrinthine thesis process. Second, I would like to extend my gratitude to my second reader, Dr. Joyce Osland, for her help in revising my writing and the insight she offered me. I would also like to thank my third reader, Helen Stevens of the International Programs and Services Department, for her input, for writing a letter of support of my research for HS-IRB, and for providing me with international and exchange students' addresses so I could administer the surveys. I would like to thank Dr. Mark Novak of International and Extended Studies at San Jose State University for providing his financial support of this thesis and for copying the original surveys for distribution to international and domestic students at SJSU. I would like to thank the three undergraduate student research assistants who helped me code surveys (Veronica Guzman), input survey data (Veronica Luna), and summarize articles to develop the SPARC presentation (Ian Moore). Finally, thanks to my family, Carlos Mario, Marcos Sevastian, and Peter Nicolas for their support and for putting up with the long hours I have dedicated to this research.