International Students' Social Networks With International and Domestic Students as Predictors of College Success

• In Event: Sheraton Roundtable Session Ten
  In Roundtable Session: The Importance of Social Networks and Conversations in Diverse Political Contexts (Table 8)

Abstract

Prior research has explored the perceived short-term outcomes associated with international students’ interactions with domestic students and with other international students, particularly in the context of the unique challenges that international students may encounter. The present study builds upon this earlier work by using institutional data from dining hall meal swipe cards to measure interpersonal relationships and examine how these meal-indices from the first semester predict international students’ subsequent credits earned, grades, retention, and graduation. Within a sample of 1,634 first-year international students, the results indicate that social networks both with international students and with domestic students predict college success, with some variation in these patterns across outcomes.

Authors

• Nicholas A. Bowman, University of Iowa
  Presenting Author

• Shinji Katsumoto, University of Iowa
  Non-Presenting Author

• Brooke Tran
  Non-Presenting Author

• Alberto Segre, University of Iowa
  Non-Presenting Author