Although there are many international students in U.S. higher education institutions, they still experience problems related to social and academic life, as the international student experience is not adequately understood. This may be because of a general lack of awareness relating to the international experience, which can often increase the magnitude of the international students’ problems. Therefore, the purpose of this qualitative study is to provide an overview of the experiences of international students from their own perspectives. Six international graduate students were interviewed for approximately one hour in order to understand their stories in the U.S. Each participant’s story was presented as a case. The participants’ academic, social, and personal experiences were of great interest in this study. Based on the participants’ experiences, everyday life issues, different learning cultures, pursuit of success, social interactions, and personal growth emerged as the thematic findings of this study. These might contribute to the existing body of literature, helping enhance international students’ academic and social experiences abroad. Investigating the international student experience may have a positive influence on faculty members, international student offices, and international students themselves.
","abstract_html":"<p>Although there are many international students in U.S. higher education institutions, they still experience problems related to social and academic life, as the international student experience is not adequately understood. This may be because of a general lack of awareness relating to the international experience, which can often increase the magnitude of the international students’ problems. Therefore, the purpose of this qualitative study is to provide an overview of the experiences of international students from their own perspectives. Six international graduate students were interviewed for approximately one hour in order to understand their stories in the U.S. Each participant’s story was presented as a case. The participants’ academic, social, and personal experiences were of great interest in this study. Based on the participants’ experiences, everyday life issues, different learning cultures, pursuit of success, social interactions, and personal growth emerged as the thematic findings of this study. These might contribute to the existing body of literature, helping enhance international students’ academic and social experiences abroad. Investigating the international student experience may have a positive influence on faculty members, international student offices, and international students themselves.</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Aydinol, Ayse Begum"],"institution":null,"degree_name":"Master of Arts (MA)","degree_level":"Open Access Thesis","degree_discipline":"Teacher Education","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Alane Starko, PhD, Chair","Valerie Polakow, PhD","Patricia Pokay, PhD"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2013,"date_issued":"2013-10-01T07:00:00Z","date_published":"2013-10-01T07:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T02:16:57Z","subjects":["Universities and colleges","Foreign Students","international students","qualitive research","Teacher Education and Professional Development"],"languages":[],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://commons.emich.edu/theses/551","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Alane Starko, PhD, Chair","Valerie Polakow, PhD","Patricia Pokay, PhD"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Aydinol, Ayse Begum"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2014-04-07T07:00:00Z"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Teacher Education"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Open Access Thesis"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Master of Arts (MA)"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Universities and colleges","Foreign Students","international students","qualitive research","Teacher Education and Professional Development"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://commons.emich.edu/theses/551"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["Although there are many international students in U.S. higher education institutions, they still experience problems related to social and academic life, as the international student experience is not adequately understood. This may be because of a general lack of awareness relating to the international experience, which can often increase the magnitude of the international students’ problems. Therefore, the purpose of this qualitative study is to provide an overview of the experiences of international students from their own perspectives. Six international graduate students were interviewed for approximately one hour in order to understand their stories in the U.S. Each participant’s story was presented as a case. The participants’ academic, social, and personal experiences were of great interest in this study. Based on the participants’ experiences, everyday life issues, different learning cultures, pursuit of success, social interactions, and personal growth emerged as the thematic findings of this study. These might contribute to the existing body of literature, helping enhance international students’ academic and social experiences abroad. Investigating the international student experience may have a positive influence on faculty members, international student offices, and international students themselves.
"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Understanding the international student experience"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Alane Starko, PhD, Chair","Valerie Polakow, PhD","Patricia Pokay, PhD"],"dc:creator":["Aydinol, Ayse Begum"],"dc:date.available":["2014-04-07T07:00:00Z"],"dc:description.abstract":["Although there are many international students in U.S. higher education institutions, they still experience problems related to social and academic life, as the international student experience is not adequately understood. This may be because of a general lack of awareness relating to the international experience, which can often increase the magnitude of the international students’ problems. Therefore, the purpose of this qualitative study is to provide an overview of the experiences of international students from their own perspectives. Six international graduate students were interviewed for approximately one hour in order to understand their stories in the U.S. Each participant’s story was presented as a case. The participants’ academic, social, and personal experiences were of great interest in this study. Based on the participants’ experiences, everyday life issues, different learning cultures, pursuit of success, social interactions, and personal growth emerged as the thematic findings of this study. These might contribute to the existing body of literature, helping enhance international students’ academic and social experiences abroad. Investigating the international student experience may have a positive influence on faculty members, international student offices, and international students themselves.
"],"dc:identifier":["https://commons.emich.edu/theses/551"],"dc:subject":["Universities and colleges","Foreign Students","international students","qualitive research","Teacher Education and Professional Development"],"dc:title":["Understanding the international student experience"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Teacher Education"],"thesis:degree_level":["Open Access Thesis"],"thesis:degree_name":["Master of Arts (MA)"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T02:16:57Z"}