A World of Difference: Exploring the Experiences of International Students

Abstract

International students serve as tremendous sources of diversity at universities and colleges in the United States. Their academic and social journeys, however, are not necessarily always without challenges. Noteworthy challenges include communication barriers, cultural differences, and camaraderie. The purpose of my study was to explore the lived experiences of three international undergraduate students in an effort to better understand the challenges they face. The theoretical perspective I used in my study was interpretivism. For my study, I employed principles of phenomenology. The setting of my study was a four-year university in the South. I utilized three types of qualitative data: (1) focus group, (2) interviews, and (3) documents. To select potential participants, I used purposeful sampling. My participants were a male from Saudi Arabia, a female from Colombia, and a female from China. Upon data analysis, three themes emerged: (1) culture shock, (2) misguided expectations, and (3) lack of resources. The implication of the study is the need for educational leaders to work with and for international students in order to create equitable experiences in and out of the classroom.