Social adjustment problems of Nigerian students in land-grant universities in the United States

One purpose of this study was to identify the social adjustment problems experienced by Nigerian students in land-grant universities in the United States. A second purpose was to predict the severity of these problems with age, sex, marital status, English language proficiency, ownership of transportation, academic status, previous international experience, duration of stay in the United States, and the source of financial support. A questionnaire of 28 items was sent to a sample of 500 Nigerian students in land-grant universities in the United States. Out of these 500, a usable return of 337 (67.4%) was realized. A factor analysis was applied to these 26 items, 8nd six factors were extracted (feelings of discrimination, feelings of belonging, establishing relationships, feelings of adequacy, feelings of loneliness, and absence of home news). The mean, standard deviation, and rank for each item were calculated. In addition regression equations were calculated in studying the relationship between the severity of the problems and students' demographic descriptions. Major findings were: 1. Out of the 28 problems identified in the questionnaire, there were seventeen problems which elicited high concern and eleven areas which elicited low concern. 2. Students with less English language proficiency, with no transportation, with longer duration of stay in the United States, and undergraduates tended to identify discrimination as a greater problem. 3. Those with less English language proficiency, those with no transportation, females, and those that are married or single living without a spouse or intimate friend tended to identify feelings of belonging as a greater problem. 4. Students with less English language proficiency, with no transportation, females, self-supported students, those with longer duration of stay in the United States, and undergraduates tended to identify feelings of adequacy as a greater problem. 5. Students with less English language proficiency, with no transportation, with longer duration of stay in the United States, younger, and self-supported students tended to identify establishing relationships as a greater problem. 6. The younger, undergraduates, females, and married or single students living without a spouse or intimate friend tended to identify feelings of loneliness as a greater problem. 7. The older, self-supported students, undergraduates, and those with longer duration of stay in the United States tended to identify absence of news from home as a greater problem.

Name thesis:degree_name

Ed. D.

Level thesis:degree_level

doctoral

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Educational Administration

Department dc:contributor.department

Educational Administration

Grantor dc:publisher

Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

Year dc:date.issued

1986

Author dc:creator

• Edemobi, Francis A.

Chair dc:contributor.committeechair

• Parks, David J.

Committee members dc:contributor.committeemember

• Fortune, Jimmie C.
• Tlou, Josiah S.
• Harder, Martha B.
• Amenkhienan, Felix E.

Statement dc:rights

• In Copyright

Licence dc:rights.uri

• http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/

Language dc:language.iso

en_US

Handle dc:identifier.uri

http://hdl.handle.net/10919/74732

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:vtechworks.lib.vt.edu:10919/74732