Adapting to U.S. Graduate Education: Sociocultural Capital of Chinese International Graduate Students

• In Event: 66.089 - Sheraton Roundtable Session 13 - Grand Centre
  In Roundtable Session: 66.089-2 - International Student Experiences and Success in Higher Education

Abstract

Chinese international graduate students (CIGS) account for the largest group of international graduate students in the U.S. (IIE, 2017). However, American educators have limited knowledge about CIGS and China’s instructional culture in higher education. Research studies reveal CIGS experience difficulties in adapting to the American educational system. Ten in-depth interviews were conducted with CIGS in 2018. Through using a sociocultural capital (SCC) framework in the analysis, we found that English anxiety, cultural differences, and multidimensional unpreparedness are the three most salient difficulties in their adaptation process, and the institutional support for CIGS seems to be minimum; academic advisers are most helpful to CIGS in accumulating SCC for academic success. Self-growth is the most important asset of CIGS.

Authors

• Xinxin Wang, University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill

• Rebekah Freed, University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill