University Support and International Students' Adjustment Report

This report delves into the multifaceted challenges encountered by international students navigating higher education in foreign environments. It investigates the role of university and societal support in facilitating successful adjustment, drawing upon the social identity/self-categorization stress model to analyze factors like university identification, support systems, school-life satisfaction, and psychological stress. The report identifies key stressors, including language insecurities and socio-economic disparities, and proposes targeted strategies such as skill development programs and scholarship opportunities. Through a survey-based approach, the study examines cultural, social, and psychological adjustments, offering valuable recommendations for educational institutions and policymakers to enhance support systems and create a more inclusive environment for international students. The conclusion emphasizes the need for proactive measures to address cultural backgrounds, moral values, and socio-economic differences to foster a smoother transition and improve the overall experience for students pursuing education abroad. The report also acknowledges the limitations of the study, such as the lack of focus on discriminatory attitudes and socioeconomic differences of students, and provides recommendations for future research.

Running Head: ADJUSTMENT OF THE INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS
ADJUSTMENT OF THE INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS
Name f the Students
Name of the
Author Note

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Executive Summary
The purpose of this report was tothrow lights on the role of organization as well as
societal support in the adjustment process of international students in the environment foreign
universities which is completely different from that of their homeland. In this context, this report
attempted to examine the effects of the university support to the international students depending
on the social identity/self-categorizationstress model, and also the path model consisted of four
variables which are-university identification, university support, school-life satisfaction, as well
as psychological stress. This research study was helpful to the students, educational institutions
as well as the policy makers to channelize essential resources so that they can overcome the
issues related to their cultural, social as well as psychological adjustments.

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Table of Contents
Executive Summary.........................................................................................................................2
Introduction......................................................................................................................................5
Findings (Body)...............................................................................................................................7
First Type of Stress: Language insecurities.....................................................................................8
Findings...................................................................................................................................8
First Strategy............................................................................................................................8
Second Type of Stress : Socio-economic Differences.....................................................................9
Findings...................................................................................................................................9
Second Strategy.......................................................................................................................9
Discussion:.....................................................................................................................................10
Conclusion.....................................................................................................................................11
Recommendations..........................................................................................................................11
References......................................................................................................................................12

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Introduction
In this report, the context of the problem concerned is the challenges faced by students
when they leave their homeland for the pursuing higher studies.The purpose of this report was to
provide an overview of the predicaments faced by international students when hey undergo the
transformation as well as adjustment process while studying in the foreign
universities.Information in the report are presented sequentially. The introduction section of this
report included a brief description of the context as well as the concepts used in the report. This
section also threw lights on the scope as well as limitation of the report. The finding section
provided relevant information derived from the research readings. This section was followed by
the discussion section which included interpretation of the research outcome. After summing up
the key messages in the conclusion, the report provided some suggestions in the recommendation
section.

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The scopes of the report are that the report draws the real picture of the adaptation
problems of students who flock together to the international universities for pursuing higher
education. This research study highlights some of the key factors of adjustment problems like
cultural adjustments, social adaptation, academic adjustments, university supports and analyzes
them on the basis of stress models and results of sampling survey using appropriate
questionnaires. Hence this research study makes scope for the introduction of policies as well as
regulations by universities, which favors and accelerates the adjustment and adaptation process
of international students.
Limitations of the reports may be lack of focus on factors like discriminatory attitude of
the citizens of other countries which creates obstacles in the adjustment process of international
students, another limitation of this study is lack of focus on the socio economic differences of the
students who come from developing countries with an aim to pursue a good career by studying in
the universities of developed countries.
In order to define the essential concepts used by this research study, first one needs to
find out the relevant concepts and their importance in this study. This research study considers
the concepts of stress models relevant in the course of analyzing the issues concerned. Stress
models can be considered as psychological theories which are used to explain psychological
disorder or trajectories which are the outcomes of a interactivity between vulnerabilities related
to predisposition and stresses. In this case the term ‘stress’ refers to the tension caused by real
life experiences. This research study uses

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Social Identity or Self-Categorization model as a stress model in order to examine the
real life challenges faced by international students while undergoing the process of social
adaptation , cultural adjustments and so on (Cho and Yu 2015).
Findings (Body)
Key issues are-cultural background, moral or confusion values nourished by the
international students. Another key issue in this case is the disparity in the socio-economic status
of the students of developed countries and the students who come from developing countries,
and enrolled in the top universities of developed countries. The negative impact on the
psychology of the students can also be considered as a key issue in case of the adjustment
problem(Mesidor and Sly 2016).
In order to gather the supporting evidences as well as data which are directly relevant to
the issue of the adjustment problems of the international students, the research study has
attempted to conduct sample survey with questionnaires. For this purpose this study has drawn
sample from on-site international students whose enrollments have been confirmed by the top
universities in Melbourne. In order to conduct the survey all the students who have come to
Melbourne are considered as the population., as this research paper is concerned about making
an estimation of the several adjustment problems of the students who go to universities of
countries other than their home countries for higher education. The favorable sample in case of
this research study are the culturally diverse students who are facing discomforts in the
educational environment due to major differences in their cultural beliefs, mentality, language
and economic status with these of their peers.

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Questionnaire are designed taking into account the key factors of the adjustment problem
–cultural adjustment, social adaptation, academic adjustment, psychological adjustment and so
on. After the process of survey is complete the results are analyzed with the help of cultural
stress scale (a = .75). The final outcomes received after this analysis is represented as the
supporting evidences, data directly relevant to the issue of the adjustment problems of the
international students (Russell Rosenthal and Thomson 2010.).
The research study has determined two major stress after analyzing the results of the survey
with the help of the cultural stress scale (a = .75).
First Type of Stress: Language insecurities
According to the cultural stress scale, the first type of stress is Language
insecurities(HiraiFrazierand Syed, 2015). The findings about the first type of stress aretermed as
stress 1(a) which are mentioned below:
Findings
 Lack of knowledge of the students from other countries about the native language of
Melbourne
 Even if they know the language they are not well aware of the common accents, tone
style of the language of the natives.
First Strategy
The first strategy as suggested by this research study to remove the first stress- Language
insecurities is incorporation of a skill development programs in the educational framework by
the universities that admit students from different countries. This skill development program will
enhance the knowledge of the culturally diverse students about the native languages of the

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country the travel to for educational purposes. This will help them to understand the language as
well as accents of their peers and accelerating their adjustment process.
Second Type of Stress : Socio-economic Differences
According to the cultural stress scale, the second type of stress is anxiety about the
disparity in the socio-economic status. The findings about the second type of stress are termed as
stress 1(b) which is mentioned below:
Findings
 The poor socio-economic status of the meritorious students of developing countries
creates obstacles in their adjustment process.
 This creates a negative psychological impact and creates mental stress.
Second Strategy
The second strategy as suggested by this research study to remove the second stress is
arrangement of scholarships or employment programs for the economically backward as but
meritorious students, by the universities, so that they are able to complete their education without
any obstacles and add to the GDP of the foreign country they are studying in(Young 2017).

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Discussion:
Interpretation of the findings and the key issues related to problems that arises in the
social adjustment of international students involves the negative impact on the psychology of the
students can also be considered as a key issue in case of the adjustment
problem(Files.eric.ed.gov, 2019). This negative impact is again the result of the incapability of
the students from developing as well as other Asian countries to assimilate into the educational
environment of the universities of developed countries due to the major differences in the
cultural and moral values, and socio-economic status and income.
Critical analysis of the findings related to business scenario the social adjustment of the
students who take admission to the foreign universities are the difference in the cultural
background, moral or confusion values nourished by the international students. This create
obstacles in the process of adjustment. Another key issue in this case is the disparity in the socio-
economic status of the students of developed countries and the students who come from
developing countries, and enrolled in the top universities of developed countries. The negative
impact on the psychology of the students can also be considered as a key issue in case of the
adjustment problem. This negative impact is again the result of the incapability of the students
from developing as well as other Asian countries to assimilate into the educational environment
of the universities of developed countries due to the major differences in the cultural and moral
values, and socio-economic status and income.

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Conclusion
In the conclusion it can be said that the key issues, which are-cultural background, moral
or confusion values nourished by the international students, disparity in socio-economic status.
These issues can be solved if the universities and the countries show agility in solving the
adjustment issues of culturally diverse students.
Recommendations
One of the most important recommendation by this research study to accelerate the
adjustment process of the international student is the support to the students from other countries
by the foreign universities they are admitted to.
Another vital recommendation is the arrangement of skill development program by
several institutions to aid the students from other countries to learn native languages, accents.
One of the most helpful suggestions given by this research study is the arrangement of
the employment programs for enhancing economic stability of the students who have come from
different counties, so that they are able to achieve their goals and adds to the GDP of the foreign
county too. Economic stability will also make the students more confident to overcome
adjustment problem.
Again this research study also suggests that universities should provide scholarships or
monetary rewards to the economically backwards students from other countries.This will
motivate the students from other countries to f perform well and remove psychological stress
which will in turn accelerate the adjustment process(Young 2017).

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References
Cho, J. and Yu, H., 2015. Roles of university support for international students in the United
States: Analysis of a systematic model of university identification, university support, and
psychological well-being. Journal of Studies in International Education, 19(1), pp.11-27.
Files.eric.ed.gov (2019). [online] Files.eric.ed.gov. Available at:
https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1100336.pdf [Accessed 26 Apr. 2019].
Hirai, R., Frazier, P. and Syed, M., 2015. Psychological and sociocultural adjustment of first-
year international students: Trajectories and predictors. Journal of counseling psychology, 62(3),
p.438.
Mesidor, J.K. and Sly, K.F., 2016. Factors That Contribute to the Adjustment of International
Students. Journal of International Students, 6(1), pp.262-282.
Russell, J., Rosenthal, D. and Thomson, G., 2010. The international student experience: Three
styles of adaptation. Higher education, 60(2), pp.235-249.
Young, J.T., 2017. Confucianism and accents: Understanding the plight of the Asian
international student in the US. Journal of International Students, 7(3), pp.433-448.

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