Asian International Graduate Students Research Articles

Analyzing In-Depth Study of Southeast Asian Graduate Students: A Qualitative Approach

Studying abroad can be a transformative experience, but it often presents significant challenges. Southeast Asian international graduate students, in particular, face considerable academic and cultural hurdles when transitioning to U.S. higher education. These stressors, including language barriers, financial difficulties, and academic adjustments, can negatively impact their mental health and academic performance. This study aims to illuminate these challenges and identify effective support strategies. It is essential to recognize the diverse experiences of Southeast Asian American (SEAA) students, who are included in this study. The SEAA community is rich in culture and heritage, contributing significantly to the U.S. landscape. This research seeks to understand the unique challenges faced by SEAAs and to foster a more inclusive academic environment. This study has identified key academic and cultural stressors by examining the experiences of Southeast Asian international graduate students. These findings highlight the urgent need for targeted support services to enhance student well-being and academic success. It is crucial to shift from a deficit-oriented perspective to one that centers on the voices and experiences of SEAA students. By listening to their stories, higher education institutions can develop effective strategies to support their academic journeys and create a more inclusive campus community.

Decoding Factors Influencing Mental Health Help-Seeking in Asian International Students: A Correlational Survey Study

This study investigates the effects of gender, age, perceived socioeconomic status, and attitudes toward mental health treatment, alongside the awareness and accessibility of mental health services, on the propensity of Asian international undergraduate and graduate students in U.S. colleges to seek mental health support. Utilizing an online survey, responses from a diverse group of 116 participants, aged 18 and above, from universities across the nation were examined through correlation analysis. Findings indicated no significant gender differences in attitudes toward mental health treatment. However, factors such as higher educational level, superior socioeconomic background, longer U.S. residency, and increased awareness and accessibility of mental health services positively influenced attitudes. This quantitative study extends previous qualitative research addressing similar questions, filling a gap by offering broader empirical insights into this population’s mental health service utilization. The outcome underscores the need for university counseling centers to develop targeted interventions that acknowledge the needs of Asian international students. Future research should explore the longitudinal impacts of these factors on mental health help-seeking behaviors to inform ongoing service improvement.

"I Have a Wish": Anti-Asian Racism and Facing Challenges Amid the COVID-19 Pandemic Among Asian International Graduate Students.

Although Asian international graduate students (AIGS) were at risk for mental health problems during the pandemic, little is known about the experience of international students during COVID-19. This study aimed to examine the experiences of AIGS who lived in the United States during COVID-19. This qualitative descriptive study included 22 participants from five large universities in Philadelphia. Semi-structured interviews were conducted during September and October 2020, and a thematic analysis was used for data analyses. Three themes were found: (a) "We are left alone here": Being an international student; (b) "Stay busy" and "Do something": Being a graduate student; and (c) "I have a wish": Seeking for support, perceived support, and preferred counseling services as a self-advocator. Help is needed for AIGS to navigate uncertainties, provide proper coping skills, make efforts against anti-Asian racism, and provide culturally based mental health resources.

Relationships between racial discrimination, social isolation, and mental health among international Asian graduate students during the COVID-19 pandemic

Objectives: Racial aggression against Asians and the implementation of state-wide stay-at-home orders during the COVID-19 pandemic may have negatively impacted mental health in Asian international graduate students in the United States, yet these relationships are unknown. Therefore, this study was conducted to investigate these relationships. Participants: Data were collected from 177 participants from four universities. Methods: On-line survey was used to assess perceived racial discrimination related to the COVID-19, daily racial discrimination during the pandemic, home boundness and loneliness, and depression and anxiety. Results: Daily racial discrimination was associated with an increased risk for depression. Home boundness was related to fewer depression symptoms (B = –0.728) and fewer anxiety symptoms (B = –0.558). Higher symptoms of loneliness (B = 0.377) were related to more depression symptoms. More loneliness (B = 0.257) was related to more anxiety symptoms. Conclusions: The findings can help university stakeholders to create a guideline for the development and implementation of resource programs for Asian international graduates.

Identifying Key Influencers of Professional Identity Development of Asian International STEM Graduate Students in the United States

This qualitative study involves tracking the process by which Asian STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) graduate students encounter graduate studies as they build professional identities. We derived data from interviews and observations of 27 Asian international STEM graduate students at various stages of their graduate careers at a large research university located in the United States. The following research question guided this investigation: What are key influencers of STEM students’ professional identity? We conducted this study using a qualitative grounded theory approach, and we developed a central professional identity development model from emergent themes that related to the central phenomenon. Findings indicated Asian international STEM graduate students’ previous work experiences, disciplinary skills acquisition, English proficiency, and socialization with peers and faculty advisors were significant influential factors to their professional identity development. These influencers interacted to both positively facilitate and negatively hinder the student’s progress toward professional identity development. Together, this work suggests academic socialization is a crucial factor for student success and professional identity development.

Acculturative Stress and Disengagement: Learning from the Adjustment Challenges faced by East Asian International Graduate Students

International graduate students meet TOEFL, GPA, and other admissions criteria to gain entry into US colleges and universities. During their stay in the USA, they provide educational and economic contributions for their host country. In contrast to their educational and economic potential, international students often demonstrate poor academic and social integration at their host institutions. Grounded theory methodology was used to investigate what accounts for the academic, cultural, and social adjustment problems faced by East Asian graduate students pursuing studies at an elite private not-for-profit university in the USA. Findings revealed that students experienced lowered self-confidence and acculturative stress as a result of challenges encountered during their first year, language barriers, different teaching styles and teaching environments, and their interactions with professors. Raising faculty sensitivity to cultural differences among international students, early adjustment counseling and obtaining regular feedback are recommended.Keywords: college student experience, student engagement, international students, adjustment, acculturative stress

Asian international graduate students’ extrinsic motivation to pursue degrees

The author examined the types of extrinsic motivation for Asian international graduate students pursuing graduate degrees. The theoretical framework used was extrinsic motivation within Self-Determination Theory. Even though the presence of Asian international graduate students is steadily increasing worldwide, research into their extrinsic motivation is scarce. It is important for educators to explore and understand Asian international graduate students’ extrinsic motivation since such students would provide unique, distinctive cultural aspects in the classroom in their host countries. The research design employed was qualitative. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 10 graduate students from four Asian countries. The identified themes were a) faculty influence, b) personal recognition, and c) utility for careers. Asian international graduate students expressed that their ultimate extrinsic motivation was to get professional jobs in academia. The author discussed the implications of these findings for instructors.

The Cultural Elements of Academic Honesty

We examined the impact of a workshop on Asian international graduate students’ understanding of a U. S. American university’s concept of academic honesty. The workshop, taught from a cultural perspective, explained the U.S. American university’s expectations to 19 participants. Data was obtained from a workshop post-test and from subsequent interviews of three workshop participants who relayed their views of textual practices in their home countries. Sixty-seven graduate students from the general graduate student population completed the workshop post-test without benefit of the workshop. Trends in the data supported the workshop’s effectiveness and pointed to the importance of helping international students understand their host university’s expectations.

A Narrative Inquiry into Two Asian International Graduate Students’ Experiences of Studying in a Korean University

A Narrative Inquiry into Two Asian International Graduate Students’ Experiences of Studying in a Korean University

The Australian doctorate curriculum: responding to the needs of Asian candidates

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to present a case for appraisal of the current curriculum provisions for international students. In this paper, the authors summarise the key challenges of Asian international research graduate students pursuing doctorate studies in Australian universities to become researchers for the global communities. The intention is to advocate further research on current higher degree research curriculum with a view to enriching the developmental experiences of international research graduate students in preparation for global practice. Design/methodology/approach – This is an analytical paper that adopts a conceptual and rhetorical approach. Findings – The authors review a growing body of research on higher degree research studies and establish a need for appraisal of current curriculum provisions. Originality/value – This is the first paper to concentrate on an emerging need to appraise current higher degree research curriculum provisions to enhance the development international research graduate students for global practices.

Challenges Facing Asian International Graduate Students in the US: Pedagogical Considerations in Higher Education

Non-Native English Speaking (NNES) international students attending colleges and universities in the United States often encounter difficulties in adjusting to their new cultural environment. In addition, they often struggle with academic language while learning the content and conceptual structures of various graduate level disciplines. This phenomenological study identified cultural and linguistic challenges experienced by NNES Asian international graduate students at a mediumsized rural university in the northwestern United States. A pedagogical framework and recommendations for professional practice address the linguistic, cultural, and academic needs of this particular student population in higher education.

Job Search Self-Efficacy of East Asian International Graduate Students

Using a sample of 86 East Asian international graduate students, this study examined Bandura’s perceived self-efficacy model (1986) in the domain of job search self-efficacy and tested the mediating effects of job search self-efficacy in the relationship between efficacy source variables and job search behaviors. Results show that both performance accomplishments and verbal persuasion are significant predictors of job search self-efficacy and that performance accomplishments is a stronger predictor of job search self-efficacy than verbal persuasion. Moreover, verbal persuasion has a significant indirect effect on the job search behaviors through the mediation of job search self-efficacy. Vocational interventions for enhancing East Asian international graduate students' job search self-efficacy are suggested. The authors also address the theoretical and practical implications of the findings for East Asian international students' career development.

Living Life in Two Worlds: Acculturative Stress among Asian International Graduate Student Parents and Spouses

This qualitative study examined the experiences of Asian international graduate students and spouses with children at a university in the U.S. Participants (n=31) from China, Korea, the Philippines, and Taiwan were interviewed regarding their stressors. Some stressors were identified in the answers of the group as a whole: (a) adjustment to a new culture; (b) feeling overwhelmed; (c) language difficulty; (d) feelings of isolation; (e) financial stress; and (f) marital stress. Stressors found only in the answers of the students were: (a) balancing multiple roles; (b) adjusting to the academic culture; (c) finding child care; and, among male students, d) worrying about the non-student spouse. Stressors unique to nonstudent spouses included: (a) loss of roles and status; (b) power imbalance in the couple relationships; and (c) feeling inadequate. Implications for research and practice with international graduate student parents/spouses are provided.

East Asian international graduate students’ epistemological experiences in an American University

This study focused on the perspectives of seven female East Asian international students who were English Speakers of Other Languages (EAISs-ESOL) and one male and four female mainstream faculty members to gain an understanding of the effect of Western and Eastern epistemological systems on these students’ intercultural learning experiences. The students were in a doctoral-level (Ph.D.) curriculum and instruction (C&I) program at an American university. The key research questions were (a) How do EAISs-ESOL enrolled in a C&I program at an American university reflect upon their learning experiences as they work to acquire academic English literacy and master their academic discipline? and (b) What are the epistemological and metacognitive characteristics of the learning experience of the EAISs-ESOL?

Internationalization or International Marketing? Two Frameworks for Understanding International Students' Choice of Canadian Universities

ABSTRACT This paper discusses two important concepts—internationalization and the international marketing of higher education—and how they influence international students' choice of Canadian universities. The paper is based on two studies: one on 140 East Asian international graduate students who enrolled at two large Ontario universities in the academic year 2003–2004, and the other on 95 international undergraduate students who enrolled at an Ontario university in academic year 2005–2006. The research findings show that market segmentation determines the applicability of internationalization and/or marketing of higher education. Activities related to the internationalization of education play a critical role in influencing the research-oriented students' choice of a Canadian graduate school. Marketing activities have a direct impact on graduate students' choice in professional programs. “Twinning” or “incountry” programs—a blend of internationalization and international marketing approach—have a strong influence on undergraduate students' choice to come to Canada.

Expectations of and Attitudes toward Counseling: A Comparison of Asian International and U.S. Graduate Students

This study examined Asian international graduate students’ expectations of and attitudes toward counseling by using U.S. graduate students as a comparative reference group. Survey data from 189 Asian international and 186 U.S. students were subject to analyses. Results indicated that Asian international students, in comparison with U.S. students, indicated less exposure to counseling, less self-perceived need for counseling, greater discomfort/shame with counseling, less openness to counseling, a greater preference for a directive style, and a greater preference for a flexible counseling format. Language and cultural concerns were barriers to seeking counseling. Implications for culturally responsive services were discussed.

Language learning

Language learning

Academic oral communication needs of East Asian international graduate students in non-science and non-engineering fields

East Asian students, the largest international student group in US higher education, are as a group typically known to be silent or reticent in class. This survey examined views of East Asian international graduate students concerning required academic listening and speaking skill levels in their university courses, their own difficulties in meeting these expectations, and their suggestions as to the ways in which English for Academic Purposes (EAP) teachers might better prepare them through listening and speaking activities. Students reported that, in their graduate courses, the three most common academic oral classroom activities were participating in whole-class discussions, raising questions during class, and engaging in small-group discussions. They were most concerned about leading class discussions and participating in whole-class discussions. They considered formal oral presentations and listening comprehension the most important skills for academic success in graduate courses, and pronunciation of English and note-taking skills the least important. Several important issues and specific pedagogical suggestions for EAP instructions, curriculum planning and material development emerged from the current study.