"Better English Is the Better Mind": English Language Skills and Chinese Students' Sense of Belonging

• In Event: 60.084 - Roundtable Session 20
  In Roundtable Session: 60.084-4 - Cultivating a Sense of Belonging in Higher Education

Abstract

Language and culture often dominate current discourse on international student experiences; however, little attention is given to the intersection of English language skills and feelings of belonging. Although Chinese students comprise of the largest international student population in the United States, little research exists on these particular students’ experience with language and interactions with domestic students, and how these experiences affect their sense of belonging in residence halls. This phenomenological study illuminates the experiences affecting the sense of belonging of first-year Chinese international students and provides insights on how these students perceive the interactions with domestic students within their new collegiate ‘home’.

Author

• Christina Yao, University of Nebraska - Lincoln