Journal of International Students

Background: This qualitative study explored how first-time international graduate students in marital relationships navigate relational, academic, and cultural transitions while pursuing higher education in the United States. Grounded in ecological and cross-cultural adaptation frameworks, the study examined how students balance multiple roles and construct meaning within new social and instituti…

This study reimagines international education by exploring how international graduate student leaders develop intercultural competence (IC) through a decolonial lens. While IC is often framed within Western-centric paradigms, this research repositions IC via a non-dominant perspective illuminated by Thich Nhat Hanh’s Engaged Buddhism (Thich, 2020). Guided by an innovative, contemplative, and mind…

Over the past decade, Saudi Arabia has invested heavily in higher education reforms, positioning Quality Assurance (QA) as a central pillar of Vision 2030. This study investigates how these reforms are reshaping institutional practices while bureaucratic compliance cultures and the tensions between external accreditation models and local educational needs. Using a mixed-methods sequential explana…

Despite the growing body of literature on international students and foreign teachers in China, research on the transition of international students from the Global South into English-teaching roles remains limited. This study fills this gap by exploring international students’ experiences of their transition from being international students to being foreign teachers. Five international graduate…

International students in China face academic and cultural challenges that affect their educational outcomes. This study investigates how cultural adaptation and social integration influence academic performance among international students in Beijing. The purpose is to identify whether social integration mediates the relationship between cultural adjustment and student success. A quantitative, c…

International student enrolment represents a significant portion of modern higher education; however, entirely online programs may foster distinct forms of alienation. This study presents the notion of digital displacement, defined as the alienation experienced when cultural engagement, social recognition, and academic involvement are predominantly facilitated by virtual learning environments. It…

This study explores the lived experiences of African students studying in the US, focusing on both their positive and negative experiences. Following a descriptive study design, the study uses in-depth interviews with 21 participants (male, n = 13; female, n = 8) enrolled at a U.S. university. The participants were recruited through snowball sampling. The findings reveal that the main incentives …

In the digital age, technology access and application inequalities, conceptualized as the digital divide, present a continuing problem for English for Specific Purposes writing education. This qualitative research explores the experience of the digital divide among ESP teachers in terms of four levels of access to van Dijk and how they view technological determinism as a factor in defining pedago…

This study explores the adjustment of South Asian international students in South Korea using social identity and self-determination theories. Survey data from 267 students (2024–2025) were analyzed with STATA 19.5 to examine how pre-arrival cultural familiarity, perceived ethnic discrimination, and post-arrival cultural experiences affect daily life and academic adjustment. The findings indicate…

As international student mobility increases, psychological adaptation has become a central concern, particularly in contexts where cultural unfamiliarity intersects with academic pressure. This study investigates how social support shapes the psychological well-being of international students in China, examining both direct effects and indirect pathways through meaning in life and resilience. Dra…

This qualitative research examined the academic and social integration of international students at a Central European university by conducting in-depth, semi-structured interviews in the 2023-2024 academic year. Via purposive sampling, thirty participants were selected, and a typology based on their integration experiences was developed through thematic analysis. Herein, we identified four disti…

This exploratory pilot study examines how three young Chinese immigrants in Melbourne negotiate their ethnic identities. Using semistructured interviews and thematic analysis within a positioning theory framework, we examined participants’ dual cultural perspectives. Three interrelated themes emerged: linguistic positioning, peer/community belonging, and intergenerational expectations. Participan…

This mixed-methods study explores the academic, sociocultural, and well-being experiences of Chinese international students in UK higher education. Drawing on questionnaires, interviews, and focus groups, the research identifies a phased adjustment process: initial navigation of academic expectations, followed by relational consolidation through peer networks and subsequent expansion into sociocu…

This study investigates the structural relationship between academic self-efficacy and learning motivation—both intrinsic and extrinsic—using structural equation modeling (SEM). A total of 402 Indonesian students enrolled in five Malaysian universities participated by completing a validated online questionnaire. The findings reveal that academic self-efficacy strongly predicts both intrinsic and …

International academia has shown a growing interest in African student migration to China. However, comprehensive investigations grounded in the specific cultural contexts of these students, rather than treating “Africa” as a monolith, remain notably scarce. To advance research on African student migration, this study examines the adaptation of Ethiopian students dispatched by the government in C…

International students constitute a significant portion of the higher education population in Turkey. This study explores the sense of belonging of 20 international students selected through maximum diversity sampling from Gaziantep University. Using a qualitative content analysis, the study identifies three key factors that shape students' sense of belonging: peer relationships, lecturers' attit…

This study explores the academic shock experienced by international students from Muslim minority countries in Asia—Thailand, China, and Cambodia—who enrolled in an undergraduate Islamic Education program in Indonesia. Using a qualitative narrative inquiry approach, data were collected through unstructured interviews with participating students. Findings reveal a significant shift in students’ pe…

In the United States, federal policies have long shaped the conditions under which international students in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) are recruited and retained. Prior scholarship, however, has often portrayed these policies primarily as hostile to these students. In this critical integrative literature review, I examine how federal policies have positioned interna…

This study examined the cultural and professional values of social work students from collectivist and patriarchal backgrounds who were educated in Western-oriented academic settings. Minority students in international learning environments often experience tension when liberal professional values, such as autonomy and gender equality, conflict with cultural norms that prioritize family honor, so…

This study explores how university housing influences cultural adaptation and belonging among Muslim international students in Japan. Positioned within a higher education setting characterized by indirect communication, standardized residential facilities, and limited institutional acknowledgment of religious differences, the research uses a qualitative, multimethod approach that includes autoeth…