Intercultural Transitions in Higher Education: International Student Adjustment and Adaptation - Paperback

by Alina Schartner (Author), Tony Johnstone Young (Author)

Universities are among the most dynamic contemporary arenas for intercultural contact, and one of the most interesting phenomena for social interaction studies, both conceptually and empirically. There are around four million people worldwide studying abroad, with numbers growing. These international student sojourns are, first and foremost, social experiences, with social interaction being both a success factor for and outcome of intercultural transition. But what's it like being an 'international' student? How is the experience different from studying 'at home', and what might make it a success, or otherwise? This volume details how recent research has attempted to answer these questions and others related to the transition between different national learning environments, and shows how it is helping to inform debates, policy and practice on the international student experience.

Back Jacket

Explores the experience of being an international student in higher education Over four-million people worldwide are currently studying abroad. These international student sojourns are, first and foremost, social experiences, with social interaction being both a success factor for and an outcome of this intercultural transition. But what's it like being an 'international' student? How is the experience different from studying 'at home', and what might make it a positive experience or otherwise? Schartner and Young detail how recent research has attempted to answer key questions related to the transition between different national learning environments, and show how it is helping to inform debates, policy and practice on the 'international student experience'. They also introduce a guiding conceptual model that captures the adjustment and adaptation trajectories of this unique and important group. This book: - Encompasses the full temporal range of the international student experience, from the decision to study abroad to the longer-term outcomes after the sojourn - Draws together findings from across a transdisciplinary range of areas including social psychology, education, applied linguistics and intercultural communication studies - Explores the international student experience and how it might be understood as an academic, psychological and sociocultural phenomenon of adjustment and adaptation - Provides a researcher toolkit showcasing a combination of quantitative and qualitative approaches, enabling researchers to study both processes and outcomes of intercultural transition in higher education Alina Schartner is Lecturer in Applied Linguistics at Newcastle University Tony Johnstone Young is Reader in Applied Linguistics and Communication at Newcastle University

Author Biography

Alina Schartner is Lecturer in Applied Linguistics in the School of Education, Communication and Language Science at Newcastle University.

Tony Young is Reader in Applied Linguistics and Communication at Newcastle University in the north of England