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1 – 10 of over 20000Considering the crucial role which academic adjustment plays in student success at university, gaining insight into how several factors affect this key metric is important. This…
Abstract
Purpose
Considering the crucial role which academic adjustment plays in student success at university, gaining insight into how several factors affect this key metric is important. This empirical study investigated the impact of value conflict upon the academic adjustment of first-year students at Kuwait University.
Design/methodology/approach
The data for this study were collected using the survey method from a random sample of 627 first-year university students. The data were analyzed using descriptive and regression statistical methods.
Findings
The findings showed that (1) student perceptions regarding the level of value conflict were moderate, with the highest level found in the political domain; (2) student perceptions about the level of academic adjustment were also moderate, with the highest level found in the goal domain; (3) value conflicts are a significant predictor of student academic adjustment, with political value conflicts influencing academic adjustment the most, and (4) value conflict explained 46.5% of the student academic adjustment variation.
Practical implications
These findings imply that college administrations should integrate activities designed to improve student adjustment into co-curricular activities meant for youth development. Relevant recommendations are included.
Originality/value
While significant attention has been given to student academic adjustment in higher education over the last few decades, little attention has been paid to how different factors predict adjustment especially in non-Western cultures such as higher education in Kuwait.
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Syed Ali Raza, Wasim Qazi and Sara Qamar Yousufi
Academic adjustment is an important indicator which represents the students' academic achievements. The purpose of this investigation is to examine the fundamental role of…
Abstract
Purpose
Academic adjustment is an important indicator which represents the students' academic achievements. The purpose of this investigation is to examine the fundamental role of academic adjustment for the success of student's by considering the influence of several psychological, motivational and behavioral factors that affect the academic adjustment of students in the university which then influences the students' academic achievements.
Design/methodology/approach
Data were gathered through self-administered questionnaires from 409 students enrolled in a Business degree program in an academic institution by using a convenience sampling technique. Structural equation modeling (SEM) technique has been applied for analyzing the data and the proposed hypothesis.
Findings
Results obtained from partial least square (PLS)-SEM analysis indicated that academic adjustment is affected by psychological, motivational and behavioral factors and in turn influences the outcomes of success. Moreover, the findings also showed that psychological and motivational factors, directly and indirectly via partial mediation of adjustment, and behavioral factors via full mediation of academic adjustment influences the outcomes of success.
Practical implications
The study implies that it is important for university policymakers that they should give great priority to fully exploiting its potential to facilitate student's effective adjustment to academic life. Universities should pay attention to enhancing the academic study skills of students which leads to gains in academic achievement. Furthermore, universities should integrate self-regulated skills and provides motivation to students which is the biggest contributor toward adjustment as well as this study broadens the understanding of psychological capital as a resource that enhances academic adjustment.
Originality/value
Very little attention has been given to examining the role of academic adjustment in the success of students. Therefore, the present study makes two contributions to this research. First, the study broadens the understanding of psychological capital with the potential to strengthen adjustment with academic life in domains, i.e. academic achievement and institutional adjustment. Second, the study identifies which motivational and behavioral factors affect academic adjustment and achievement.
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Sana Anwar Lashari, Rosna Awang-Hashim, Tahira Anwar Lashari and Amrita Kaur
International students with low proficiency in the English language remain at high risk of academic, social and psychological maladjustment. Using an acculturation theoretical…
Abstract
Purpose
International students with low proficiency in the English language remain at high risk of academic, social and psychological maladjustment. Using an acculturation theoretical framework, this study aims to show that acculturation stress and social support mediate the relationship between language proficiency and academic, social, and psychological adjustment among 675 international postgraduate students in Malaysian public universities.
Design/methodology/approach
Correlational research design was employed to gather data from 227 females and 448 males aged between 22–45 years belonging to Asian, Middle Eastern or African countries. Out of these, 292 students were enrolled in master's degrees, and 383 students were enrolled in Ph.D. Self-administered questionnaires were used which includes Student Adjustment to the College Questionnaire (SACQ) to measure students' academic adjustment, Kwak to assess students' English language proficiency, Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS) to assess perceived availability of social support from friends and Acculturative Stress Scale for International Students (ASSIS) to measure acculturation stress.
Findings
The hypothesized model was tested using path analysis with manifest variables in Analysis of Moment Structures (AMOS) 23.0. The findings suggest that language proficiency is a significant predictor of academic, social and psychological adjustment of international students, and this relationship is partially mediated by acculturation stress and social support.
Research limitations/implications
The article concludes with implications and recommendations for international student offices and program organizers to ensure conditions for successful academic, social and psychological adjustment of the international students.
Originality/value
The manuscript has not been published or submitted elsewhere.
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This paper reports on findings from an ethnographic study of international student adjustment. The paper recommends the use of ethnography as a way to research the experiences of…
Abstract
This paper reports on findings from an ethnographic study of international student adjustment. The paper recommends the use of ethnography as a way to research the experiences of tourists and migrants to build up a body of knowledge on the outcome of cross-cultural contact for these two groups. The aim of my ethnographic study was to capture the adjustment journey of a group of international postgraduate students at a university in the South of England. The ethnographic approach involved regular in-depth individual interviews with 13 students of different nationalities and overt participant observation of the entire postgraduate cohort of 150 students. Research began on the first day of induction in September 2003 and ended upon completion and submission of the Masters dissertation in October 2004. Students' experience of adjustment to academic and socio-cultural life was therefore captured from arrival in the new country to the return home one full year later. This study finds that stress was at its height in the initial stage of the academic sojourn; the struggle to cope with the challenges of foreign language use and an unfamiliar academic and the socio-cultural environment at a time when students were beset with homesickness and loneliness are the causes of this stress. An association was made between the passage of time and a gradual decrease in acculturative stress; however, this was not a generalisable process; there was fluctuation not only in experience across the student body but also in the individual's subjective sense of success across different aspects of life in the new country. This led to the conceptualisation of the adjustment journey as an unpredictable and dynamic process that is experienced differently among sojourners and fluctuates throughout the sojourn as a result of a host of individual, cultural and external factors. The relevance of this study to tourism scholars comes from drawing parallels between the long-stay tourist and the international student who represents an important segment of international travel. However, a gap in the literature exists on the impact of tourism on the tourist that this study helps to fill.
Kelly P. Weeks, Matthew Weeks and Katherine Willis‐Muller
The purpose of this paper is to develop a model regarding adolescent adjustment issues overseas.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to develop a model regarding adolescent adjustment issues overseas.
Design/methodology/approach
Using previous literature on expatriate adjustment and in‐depth interviews with students currently living abroad, a model of expatriate teens' adjustment is developed.
Findings
Interviews found that although some issues of adolescent adjustment are similar to expatriate and spouse issues, several were unique. In addition, the interviews suggested that the effective adjustment of the adolescent might lead the expatriate to stay abroad longer than originally planned.
Research limitations/implications
Small sample size and limited generalizability form the main limitations of the exercise.
Practical implications
Effective predeparture training for all family members is imperative for expatriate success.
Originality/value
The papers represent the first comprehensive look at the issues that affect the adjustment of expatriate teens.
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María Pilar Martínez-Ruiz, Christian Tirelli, Alicia Izquierdo-Yusta and Ricardo Gómez-Ladrón-De-Guevara
The purpose of this paper is to analyze the influences of different variables on the dietary adjustment process of international university students. More specifically, the…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to analyze the influences of different variables on the dietary adjustment process of international university students. More specifically, the authors investigate how ethnocentrism, perceived risk, and external influences affect their adjustment processes by considering three different temporal stages and exploring adjustment in relation to dietary practices.
Design/methodology/approach
After performing an in-depth review of the relevant literature, a structural equation analysis is conducted. This analysis relies on data from a sample of 139 international students enrolled in a Spanish university.
Findings
The results reveal that ethnocentrism is significant only in the second stage of the adjustment process. The level of perceived risk decreases during the adjustment process but also depends on the features international students have in common with the host culture; in contrast, external influences are important in all stages.
Research limitations/implications
International students should not be treated the same way during different stages of their adjustment. For example, during the first stage, the focus should be on minimizing their perceived risk and guaranteeing a safe environment in which they feel comfortable with buying. The role of the media and the training of salespeople should be highlighted in the second stage of adjustment.
Practical implications
The dietary adjustment for this group of short-term migrants is different than other groups, which tend to return to their country of origin. In contrast, international university students try to assimilate the host culture and be part of it.
Social implications
In the context of consumption, because international university students are influenced by all constructs detailed in this study, it is necessary to formulate a specific approach for each stage.
Originality/value
This research evidences how there is a great opportunity for diverse operators (e.g. universities, food retail chains) to influence the consumption habits of international university students, because they are more receptive than other migrant groups.
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Neena Gopalan, Nicholas J. Beutell and Wendy Middlemiss
This study aims to investigate international students’ cultural adjustment, academic satisfaction and turnover intentions using ecological systems perspective and explores factors…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to investigate international students’ cultural adjustment, academic satisfaction and turnover intentions using ecological systems perspective and explores factors that affect academic success and turnover by exploring three stages: arrival, adjustment and adaptation.
Design/methodology/approach
The sample consists of 208 international students enrolled at a mid-Western university in the USA. Confirmatory factor analysis, structural equation modeling and mediational analyses were used to test hypotheses.
Findings
Findings indicate that self-efficacy, as a pre-sojourn characteristic, affects adjustment variables inclusive of cultural adjustment, affecting academic satisfaction and turnover intentions. Adjustment variables (coping, cultural adjustment and organizational support) mediated relationships between self-efficacy and turnover intentions.
Research limitations/implications
The proposed model moves the research forward by examining an ecological systems framework describing how individual, social, academic, cultural and institutional factors function in supporting international students’ transitions. Results may be generalizable to other large US universities with varying dynamics and resources available (or not) for international students.
Originality/value
Given the challenges international students face in the USA in adapting to both new culture and academic setting, it is imperative to identify what elements of their transition and academic environment predict academic success. This is one of the first studies testing the propositions derived from Schartner and Young’s (2016) model.
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Ann Rosnida Deni, Annyza Tumar, Ann-Marie Houghton and Glenda Marian Crosling
This paper aims to examine the adjustment experiences of academically successful international students in living and learning in a private Malaysian higher education institution…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to examine the adjustment experiences of academically successful international students in living and learning in a private Malaysian higher education institution (HEI).
Design/methodology/approach
A total of 53 international students participated in a mixed-method study, where they completed a survey (close- and open-ended questions). Also, 12 international students were interviewed.
Findings
The findings diverge from other studies, in that issues with respondents' English language proficiency were minimal, but for some of the students, social and cultural adjustment was problematic. However, these students were proactive in improving their situations. These findings indicate foci for university improvement in study and living experiences for all students.
Research limitations/implications
The study is limited to one group of academically successful students at a private university in Malaysia.
Practical implications
There are benefits to HEIs and international students in enabling students to reflect upon and share their successful strategies. These not only enable students to recognise and value their achievements but also contribute to the development of more inclusive practices that will enhance future students' adjustment and overall learning experience.
Originality/value
The study contributes to the literature with its focus on academically successful students at a private university in Malaysia, both of which are areas of limited research coverage.
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The purpose of this paper is to examine language, academic, social‐cultural and financial adjustments facing mainland Chinese students in Hong Kong.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine language, academic, social‐cultural and financial adjustments facing mainland Chinese students in Hong Kong.
Design/methodology/approach
The current study employed both quantitative and qualitative methods and included over 300 mainland Chinese students from seven major universities in Hong Kong. In addition to a survey questionnaire, in‐depth interviews were also conducted. Purposive and snowball sampling methods were used to recruit participants.
Findings
The findings indicate that though mainland Chinese students were satisfied with the quality of Hong Kong's higher education, many expressed that they were having language, academic, social and cultural, and financial challenges during their stay in Hong Kong. The results are consistent with the current literature to a large extent with some variations. Few differences were found by gender and between undergraduate and graduate students.
Research limitations/implications
Two thirds of the sample was undergraduate students and only one third graduate students. Future research may want to include an equal number of participants from both groups to get a more balanced view. In addition, since the sample of our sub‐degree students was very small, generalization to this group will be inappropriate. Future studies are needed to explore the unique challenges facing these mainland Chinese students who are pursuing their sub‐degree in Hong Kong.
Originality/value
Most of the current research is limited to mainland Chinese students studying in Western countries, such as the USA, the UK and Australia. Few studies to date examine adjustment problems of mainland Chinese students studying in Hong Kong. There is a need, therefore, to deepen our understanding of the major adjustment issues experienced by these mainland Chinese students in Hong Kong.
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C. Gustav Lundberg and Brian M. Nagle
This study explores feedback-induced and spontaneous postdecision restructuring in a complex decision environment. We examine the impact of experience, decision norms, and the…
Abstract
This study explores feedback-induced and spontaneous postdecision restructuring in a complex decision environment. We examine the impact of experience, decision norms, and the actual decision on postdecision restructuring tendencies. Experienced and novice auditors performed an aspect rating task as part of a going concern judgment. After a break, all participants were asked to recreate their decision stage aspect ratings, but only the experiment group received outcome feedback. We find that the restructuring tendencies are impacted primarily by experience and the original audit report choice. The post-decision restructuring more often than not is a result of adjustments made by participants lacking outcome feedback. This spontaneous defense is particularly vigorous when the report choice violates perceived experience-group norms and base-rates