A Qualitative Study of International Students’ Experiences with American Pop Culture

• In Event: Research In Progress Roundtable Session 5
  In Invited Roundtable: Research Perspectives on Student Motivation: Culture and Academic Outcomes (Table 7)

Abstract

This proposed Narrative Inquiry study serves to understand the experiences of undergraduate international students with American popular culture during their transition period, prior to their arrival in the U.S. and then during their stay as academic sojourners within the first two years of their studies. Many international students gain cultural knowledge and language proficiency through pop culture and this education or miseducation has the potential to affect an international student’s transition, their understanding of American culture, their sense of belonging, their friendships, and ultimately their persistence in college and beyond. Additionally, this study seeks to understand whether international students’ consumption of popular culture shapes their decision to study abroad including the decision to choose a host country for higher education.

Author

• Krittika Chatterjee Grau, Case Western Reserve University