Abstract
Keywords
International enrollment in U.S. higher education has been increasing in the past decades. According to the Open Doors report, in the 2013-2014 academic year, U.S. colleges and universities have attracted a record number of 886,052 students from all over the world (Institute of International Education [IIE], 2014). Although international students had traditionally enrolled in 4-year institutions, they began to discover community colleges during the 1960s and 1970s (Bevis & Lucas, 2007). Despite a slight drop after peaking in the 2008-2009 academic year, the international enrollment in community colleges has been steadily growing since the 1970s. In 2013-2014, a total of 87,963 international students enrolled in Associates Colleges, which represented 9.9% of the overall international student population in U.S. higher education institutions (IIE, 2014).
International students are important contributors to academic studies and research (Le & Gardner, 2010) and serve as significant resources for diversity and multicultural education in U.S. colleges and universities (Heyward, 2002). They also benefit the national economy by generating an alternative revenue stream to higher education institutions and local communities. According to NAFSA: Association of International Educators (2015), during the 2014-2015 academic year, international students together contributed $30.5 billion and supported 373,381 jobs to the U.S. economy. However, international students often experience many challenges when transitioning to U.S. higher education as a result of language barriers, cultural differences, academic and financial difficulties, lack of social support, and alienation and discrimination (Andrade, 2006; Yeh & Inose, 2002). What international students experience when overcoming these difficulties and how much support they receive from the institutions can affect students’ learning and their adjustment on campus (Bevis & Lucas, 2007; Ramsay, Jones, & Barker, 2007). More importantly, students’ experiences may have a profound impact on relationships between their home countries and the United States. Although it was stated half a century ago, anthropologist Ina Corinne Brown’s (1965) comments still ring true today: “[T]he direction taken by any particular country in the future may well depend on where its students go for an education and the kinds of experiences they have in the host country” (p. 48). A positive student experience in the host country is likely to enhance mutual understanding between nations and promote goodwill; however, a student’s unsatisfactory experience could produce a totally opposite effect (Bevis & Lucas, 2007).
Given such important implications, numerous researchers have studied international students’ pathways to U.S. higher education and their experiences in the American learning environment (e.g., Hendrickson, Rosen, & Aune, 2011; Le & Gardner, 2010; Mori, 2000; Rahman & Rollock, 2004; Zhang & Hagedorn, 2011). Nevertheless, the majority of these studies were conducted in 4-year universities, and many investigated experiences of graduate students. International students in community colleges, on the contrary, are often overlooked in research. Consequently, it still remains unclear to educators, researchers, and administrators what their academic and social experiences are as they transition to the community college environment. To address the gap in the literature, I focus on this important student population and studied their experiences on a community college campus.
Among a wide variety of college experiences, I investigated students’ interactions with academic advisors, who play a critical role in community college student success. Academic advisors are among the first in college to engage with students in dialogue about critical information, including college requirements, course selection, transfer procedures, financial resources, and career choices (Gordon, Habley, & Grites, 2011). Not only do academic advisors serve as a bridge to college programs but also act as important sources of social capital for community college students, particularly for those who lack information and knowledge about higher education (Packard & Jeffers, 2013).
To better understand international students’ interaction with academic advisors and how it validates or invalidates their academic and social experiences in community college, I adopted the theory of validation (Rendón, 1994) to advance knowledge regarding the role that academic advising plays in international community college students’ adjustment. Specifically, the guiding research question was the following:
Literature Review
Literature on international students’ experiences with academic advising in community colleges is virtually nonexistent. As such, the review examined literature on the following two relevant topics: importance of academic advising to community college students’ success and international students in U.S. higher education, particularly in the community college context.
Importance of Academic Advising to Community College Students’ Success
Academic advising in community colleges plays an important role in student success. As defined by National Academic Advising Association (NACADA): The Global Community for Academic Advising (2006), “academic advising is integral to fulfilling the teaching and learning mission of higher education” (“Preamble,” para. 7). Serving as a bridge to higher education, academic advisors are viewed as an important source of social capital for community college students because many of them have limited or no access to information and knowledge that they need to persist in community college or to transfer to a 4-year university (Packard & Jeffers, 2013).
Numerous researchers have found evidence that academic advising is positively associated with student success. For instance, Seidman (1991), using a research design of random assignment of participants, revealed that community college students who received advising before and after admission had a higher rate of persistence into the second year of attendance when compared with peers who only participated in a regular orientation program. Drawing upon data from more than 100 community colleges in California, Bahr (2008) found that the receipt of advising increased the chances of remediating successfully in math courses and had greater positive effect on likelihood of transfer to 4-year institutions for academically underprepared students. In a more recent study with 82 community college interviewees who were interested in pursuing a science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) degree in a 4-year institution, Packard and Jeffers (2013) revealed that both advisors’ knowledge and personal relationships with their advisees were key to students’ success in transfer. In addition, Erlich and Russ-Eft (2013) found that academic advising benefits community college students’ self-efficacy and self-regulated learning strategy in academic planning.
Although it is clear that academic advising is beneficial for community college students’ learning, it remains challenging to encourage students to take full advantage of this important service. As the 2014 Community College Survey of Student Engagement (CCSSE) found, nearly one third (32%) of community college students surveyed rarely or never used academic advising services. This indicates that understanding of community college students’ experiences with academic advising should be further enhanced. To improve the students’ participation in academic advising, community college leaders and practitioners need to develop deeper knowledge about factors that can encourage students to consult with advisors and causes that may prevent them from seeking academic advising.
International Students in U.S. Higher Education
A rich literature has been developed over the years regarding international students in U.S. higher education and their adjustment, acculturation, and engagement in the new learning environment. For instance, during their adjustment process, international students are often challenged in five aspects: academic studies, physical health, financial resources, job opportunities after graduation, and personal and social issues (Yi, Lin, & Kishimoto, 2003). Low English proficiency has been repeatedly reported as a critical factor challenging students’ academic and social adjustment (Andrade, 2006; Yeh & Inose, 2002). When transitioning to U.S. higher education, international students are more likely to feel homesick and lonely (Kegel, 2009), have mental health problems (Kwon, 2009), and experience alienation and racism (Lee & Rice, 2007).
Most of these studies took place in 4-year settings, and little attention is given to international students enrolled in community colleges. Among a handful of researchers who studied international community college students, their research mostly concerns issues of college choice. For instance, researchers (Anayah & Kuk, 2015; Bohman, 2009; Ewing, 1992) found that international students are attracted to community colleges for reasons that are similar to American students: more affordable tuition, lower college admission requirements, more focused agenda on teaching, and opportunities to transfer to 4-year universities. For international students from non-English speaking regions, they attend community college to improve their English speaking, reading, and writing skills (Bailey & Weininger, 2002; Blumenthal, 2002; Zhang, 2015b). Trusted personal contacts or education agents may also play an important role when international students make decisions to attend community college (Bohman, 2009). In addition to college choice, Hagedorn and Lee (2005) studied differences and similarities between international students and their U.S. peers in the Los Angeles Community College District. They highlighted the importance of community colleges serving as “an access bridge to the American college system for international students” (p. 19) and further revealed that these students were academically more transfer ready than their U.S. counterparts.
Despite discussions about the rationale of international students attending U.S. community colleges and their academic performance, less mentioned in the literature has been the question of how community college experiences support or hinder international students’ transition once they arrive at the community college. Research on international students’ experiences in academic advising is even less discussed in the community college context. Zhang (2015a) explored advising experiences of community college academic advisors who serve international students, but such experiences from a student’s perspective have not been fully investigated.
Theoretical Framework
Validation theory (Rendón, 1994) was employed as the guiding framework to examine international community college students’ experiences of academic advising. As indicated by Rendón (1994), “validation is an enabling, confirming and supportive process initiated by in- and out-of-class agents that foster academic and interpersonal development” (p. 44). Validation manifests through academic and interpersonal affirmations. Academic validation encourages students to “trust their innate capacity to learn and to acquire confidence in being a college student” and contributes to the institution’s learning environment (p. 40). Interpersonal validation promotes personal development and adjustment to life as a college student (Rendón, 1994). This type of validation “affirms students as persons, not just as students” and supports them as they adjust to a new campus environment (Rendón Linares & Muñoz, 2011, p. 19). When integrated together, academic and interpersonal validation can enhance students’ sense of integration and maximize their opportunities to succeed.
Over the years, validation has emerged as a powerful theoretical lens that is applied to “better understand the success of underserved students, improve teaching and learning, understand student development in college, and frame college student success strategies” (Rendón Linares & Muñoz, 2011, p. 28). Indeed, numerous researchers employed validation theory to understand educational experiences of underrepresented students, many of them enrolled in community colleges. For instance, Suarez (2003) studied factors contributing to Latino community college students’ transfer issues and found that at the institutional level, validation by faculty and staff encouraged students to be persistent in their educational programs and supported their transfer to 4-year universities. Similarly, Barnett (2011) noted that community college students who experience a higher level of faculty validation are likely to have a stronger sense of academic integration. Focusing on engineering students who successfully transferred from community college to a 4-year research university, Zhang and Ozuna (2015) identified community college faculty as the most important support for the students’ academic and interpersonal validation.
Although international students’ experiences may differ from underrepresented domestic students, they face unique obstacles when navigating higher education in the United States, often have lower self-efficacy, and are more likely to experience a higher level of social stress (Hechanova-Alampay, Beehr, Christiansen, & Van Horn, 2002; Zajacova, Lynch, & Espenshade, 2005). Using the theory of validation, this study is able to provide insights into how academic advising validate or invalidate international students’ transition to a community college environment and how it supports or hinders their pursuit of personal and academic goals.
Method
To capture the complexity of academic advising experiences perceived by international students when navigating community college, I adopted a phenomenological research design because it focuses on “the essence of the experience for individuals incorporating ‘what’ they have experienced and ‘how’ they experienced it” (Creswell, 2013, p. 79). This study was conducted in Southern Metropolitan College (SMC, a pseudonym), which is located in North Texas and has multiple campuses. Among approximately 5,000 students in SMC Fall 2013, nearly 400 were identified as international students. To recruit international participants from SMC, I used purposeful sampling technique (Patton, 1990), which aims to select cases that can provide in-depth information that is relevant to the purpose of the research. After receiving institutional review board (IRB) approval from SMC, I sent an email invitation with follow-up reminders to all international students who studied at SMC for at least a semester. I excluded students in their first semester mainly because they may not be fully exposed to academic advising. Eleven students volunteered to participate in the study. These students came from six different countries and represent a diverse cultural and academic background. Their demographic information is presented in Table 1.
Demographic Characteristics of the Participants.
I conducted an individual interview with each of the participants. Each interview lasted approximately 60 to 90 minutes and consisted of semi-structured, open-ended questions. These interview questions focus primarily on international students’ experiences in the United States, at SMC, and, in particular, their interaction with academic advisors at SMC. Sample interview questions focusing on students’ advising experiences include “How do you perceive your experiences interacting with academic advisors at SMC?” “For what reasons did you go to see an academic advisor?” “How do your experiences with academic advisors support or hinder your transition to SMC?” and “What strategies do you think should be adopted at SMC for future improvement of international students’ advising experiences?”
All interviews were audio recorded and transcribed verbatim. The interview transcripts were sent back to the interviewees for member checking, which is a critical technique for establishing credibility for qualitative research (Lincoln & Guba, 1985). Revisions were noted and changes were made to the transcripts. This was a particularly critical procedure for this study as a number of interviewees experienced some challenges in fully expressing their opinions in English during the interview. Member checking provided the international participants with additional opportunities to share their stories.
Data analysis took place throughout the data gathering process. I first reviewed and summarized field notes that were recorded during and immediately after each of the interviews. I then carefully reviewed each interview transcript multiple times and used open coding (Esterberg, 2002) to identify the uniqueness of each participant’s advising experiences at SMC. Upon completion of the initial analysis for all of the interview transcripts, I used axial coding (Esterberg, 2002) and developed coding matrices to identify consistencies among the respondents’ experiences and grouped the patterns of their experiences into thematic categories. The themes and subthemes were finalized through thorough analyses of field notes and thematic categories, as well as debriefing with three peers who are knowledgeable of phenomenological research design and community college students (Lincoln & Guba, 1985). I applied pseudonyms to protect the interviewees’ identity when presenting findings in the study.
Findings
Through a careful, thorough analysis, four key themes are identified: (a) academic advisors as resources of information, (b) as resources of support, (c) lack of preparation for advising international students, and (d) advisor–advisee communications. The following section presents each of the themes and subthemes with supporting quotes from the participants.
Academic Advisors as Resources of Information
The international students who participated in the study view academic advisors as important resources of information for their study in the community college. However, their responses present a mixed picture regarding their experiences with academic advisors. Although most of the participants appreciate their advisors’ guidance, some reported circumstances where advisors provide inaccurate or delayed information that creates additional challenges to their transition.
Accurate information
The participating international students highlight the importance of receiving accurate information from their academic advisors. They appreciate when an advisor provides correct information about course selection. For example, Tom addressed his concerns of taking the wrong classes that could jeopardize his degree trajectory, but his advisors help him stay on the right track.
I need their advice, advice about my education, how–what I should learn and what classes that I should take. . . . They show me what I need to learn and they can show me the way. Like they can show me the, the plan for study to get my, my, uh, my degree and transfer to a university.
In addition, the international students in the study emphasize the importance of receiving guidance from advisors to navigate community college. They appreciate that the advisors provide course information and help them better understand U.S. higher education. Coming from different academic systems, the participants note that they are unfamiliar with academic advising and possess limited understanding about the learning environment in community college. The students feel they are better prepared for their academic journey in the United States after meeting with their advisors. Through these meetings, the participants have received more information about the U.S. community college system, have acquired better understandingof the academic requirements in the college, and have gained deeper knowledge regarding how they could transfer to a 4-year institution. For example, Amy shared her experiences meeting with her academic advisor the first time:
I was not sure what it is for, but I was asked to meet with an advisor before the semester starts . . . She [the academic advisor] was very nice and very patient with me. My English wasn’t good back then . . . I could tell she tried hard to explain to me what I need to do, what class I should choose, and . . . you know, other information like how to get around on campus.
Similarly, Peter indicates that all three academic advisors he has met are knowledgeable about course selection. In particular, one of the advisors provided him with guidance on transferring to a 4-year university and encouraged him to pursue a baccalaureate degree.
My goal is always to receive a bachelor’s degree, but I wasn’t clear how this could happen when I first started here. My advisor helped me understand about the process . . . Ms. Johnson (pseudonym) explained the transfer process to me and gave me examples. She even put me in contact with her former students . . . they are in universities now.
As one of the first personnel that the international students contact on the community college campus, these students perceive the academic advisors as an important resource for guidance and information for achieving academic success.
Inaccurate/delayed information
Although the participants appreciate when advisors provide useful information, several students reported incidents where the advisors fail to provide accurate information in a timely manner, which led them to wonder if they made the right decision to study in the community college. As Alex shared, he was contacted a few days prior to the Fall semester that he should not register for a class because it was not consistent with his degree plan. Alex wished the advisor would have informed him earlier so that he would have time to find another course. In a similar scenario, Maria struggled to find and register for a different course with short notice:
I pay, I do everything, I get in my class and then, you now, August comes along like two weeks before they close registration or something now they are contacting me to tell me that oh, by the way, the class that you registered for you don’t qualify for, you need to drop it, you don’t have enough classes or whatever. And in my head I think that’s a bad system . . . you had this information from the day I registered, so why can’t you tell me that when I register so I can pick up my classes then?
Tina experienced class cancellations as well, and neither did she receive appropriate notification. She shared her struggle to maintain her legal student status and concerns for her future study:
I decided to take three science classes . . . they canceled one of my classes and didn’t even notify me. And of course, because of that, and not just that I needed to register for other classes, but my status was in jeopardy. I mean, if I wouldn’t have found out from the [international enrollment] office and I’m close to the end. I don’t have many classes left to take.
Although not all participants experienced course cancellations, the findings present a glimpse of the importance of academic advisors as resources of information. The international community college students heavily rely on advisors for course taking and academic planning; any inaccurate or delayed information can be detrimental to their academic planning, their legal status in the United States, and even their self-confidence in achieving educational goals.
Academic Advisors as Resources of Support
Despite the obstacles that they have encountered, the participating international students perceive their advisors as important resources of support for their study in the community college as well as in their transition to the new culture and learning environment. Interviews with the participants demonstrate the advisors’ efforts in engaging and supporting international students in the community college. Most of the participants shared that their advisors genuinely care for their adjustment and academic study. For example, Amy reported that her advisor always checks on her progress and is open to any questions that she may have:
I like meeting with Ms. Brown (pseudonym). She is a very nice, caring person. She always asks me if I need her help, if I have any questions, and if I am doing Ok with my study and everything . . . meeting with her is like, like I am a special, a very special person.
Similarly, Terry shared that both advisors he consulted with made him feel welcome to the college.
International student experiences of academic advisors have a positive impact on the participants’ sense of belonging. Advisors with a multicultural background are particularly perceived as supportive. For instance, Josh shared that
Miss Snow (pseudonym) is extremely helpful . . . she came from my home country and understands my backgrounds very well. She doesn’t only tell me what classes to take, she also helps me with other things, like gives me a list of grocery stores where I can find my food . . . .She made me feel I am home.
Casey shared another scenario where she was assisted by an advisor who has traveled and studied overseas. Casey thinks meeting with the advisor is similar to “meeting with a good friend that helps you with everything.” The advisor exhibited deep understanding about Casey’s struggles in college and shared her own international adventures. Knowing the advisor’s experiences overseas and her strategies to adjust in a foreign country, Casey became more confident when facing challenges and obstacles in community college.
Lack of Preparation for Advising International Students
Although the international students appreciate guidance and support provided by academic advisors, they do not feel that the advisors are fully equipped with knowledge and information to guide international students. As Alex indicated, the advisors do not understand specific rules and regulations that the international students have to follow to maintain their legal student status. “They are confused,” said Alex, “they just give you general advice like for everyone.” Tom indicated that all of his advisors are greatly supportive and provide important information about course taking, but he sensed their uncertainty when advising him, as an international student, for academic study and individual issues:
They always ask me to contact the international admissions office . . . like, “call them to make sure you have all the paper work,” or “they [international admission officers] know better about your status.” So, sometimes, even if they do not ask me to do it, I still feel I need to call the international admissions office to verify the information.
In addition, Tina pointed out there is a disconnect between academic advising and the international admissions office:
Advisors help you with [academic] plans and . . . uh . . . answer your questions about classes, but they don’t know the special requirements for international students, you know . . . while international admissions officers help you with the paperwork, documents, but they can’t help you with your study . . . why can’t they work together like in the same office?
Tina believes that collaboration between these two departments would greatly improve the quality of advising and international students’ advising experiences in the community college.
Advisor–Advisee Communications
Insufficient advisor–advisee communication is seen by the participants as an obstacle that leads to ineffective academic advising. A major contributing factor reported by the participants is the language barrier. Many international students who participated in the study indicated that they had low English proficiency when they first enrolled in the community college. For instance, Peter shared that he did not understand his advisor very well when he initially arrived. As a result, he had to pay multiple visits to the same office or consult with other advisors for clarification. In a similar circumstance, Terry experienced extreme difficulty speaking to his advisor at the beginning of the first semester:
I speak Vietnamese, Chinese, but not much English. I’ve made progress but it’s still hard for me to talk everything to them [academic advisors] . . . When I just moved to college, I cannot talk to them [advisors] . . . they cannot understand me either.
Other barriers to effective communication between the international students and advisors are cultural and individual differences. The participants suggest that it would be more beneficial for their academic adjustment if the advisors better understood their cultural backgrounds and knew more about their past. For instance, Tina feels that she would receive more personalized guidance if her advisor were more knowledgeable about her culture, educational experiences, and academic goals.
In addition, the students’ limited understanding about academic advising adds extra difficulty to communicating with advisors. Without understanding the importance of academic advising or advisors’ responsibilities, many participants recall scenarios where they felt confused, frustrated, or even offended with the advising process. For instance, Ann confessed that she originally had an unrealistic expectation for academic advising. She became frustrated as soon as she found out from her advisor that only a few courses taken in her home country could be transferred to the community college. Ann simply thought she did not receive appropriate assistance and even felt offended at that time, although her advisor patiently explained the college policy and advisors’ duties.
Not knowing the advising procedure also creates difficulties in communication with academic advisors. For example, Terry was not aware that he needs to make an appointment prior to his visit:
In the first time I visit here, I didn’t know that I have to, to make appointment to see the instructor to help me with my essay. Then I just, uh, show up there but I didn’t get any help because they didn’t have time . . . so I had to, to make appointment and then I had to come back another day to see an advisor.
To promote communication between advisors and international advisees, the participants suggest that more opportunities should be created to interact with advisors. The participants feel they are somewhat disconnected with the advisors and wish to establish a closer relationship with them. These students believe that a better advisor–advisee relationship could increase their sense of belonging and ultimately improve their social and academic adjustment in the community college.
Limitations
Limitations of the study should be considered before drawing conclusions based on the findings. First, the international students’ experiences of academic study and social adjustment continuously progress as they spend more time in the community college, but data of the study were only collected at one juncture. Although the participants did talk about events that took place in the past, this study does not fully reflect changes of students’ experiences in the community college over time. Second, the interviews were not conducted in the interviewees’ native languages, which may limit the ability of the participants to freely express themselves. To minimize the impact of the language, I asked the participants to review the interview transcripts and invited them to provide additional information or make any necessary revisions. The third possible limitation is self-selection, as the participating students may have particularly positive or negative experiences. Another limitation of the study is that diversity among international students was not fully investigated. Different cultural backgrounds may have different impact on students’ sense of validation or adjustment on campus.
Discussion and Implications
Using validation theory (Rendón, 1994), this study explored academic advising experiences perceived by international students in a Texas community college. The findings of the study reveal important advising strategies promoting academic and interpersonal validation for international community college students; the findings also disclose invalidation advising experiences that international students encountered in the community college.
Academic (In)Validation
The study findings indicate that international students appreciate academic advisors’ efforts in promoting academic validation. These students greatly value meeting with advisors, through which they received important information on course selection, academic requirements, and transfer process to 4-year universities. Their interaction with academic advisors encouraged them to pursue academic success. With the guidance provided by the advisors, international students gained a better understanding about their academic journey in community college and pathways to baccalaureate degrees. These findings echoed previous research (Bai & Pan, 2009; Campbell & Nutt, 2008; Hunter & White, 2004; Packard & Jeffers, 2013) that academic advising plays an integral role in students’ learning and, when it is done well, it promotes students’ transition to and adjustment in a new learning environment. These findings may encourage administrators and academic advisors to continue strengthening their advising practice in community colleges. Community college academic advisors often serve a larger number of students and take more responsibilities than their peers in 4-year universities (Jordan, 2000; King, 2002). This may require community college administrators to secure sustainable resources to support academic advising so that it can better engage international students and respond to their specific concerns and needs.
Although the participants overall had positive experiences with academic advising, they were confronted with academic invalidation that had negative impacts on their academic pursuit as well as self-confidence in achieving success. As discussed in the findings, advisors’ limited knowledge of regulations for international students, unfamiliarity with international students’ backgrounds, and lack of preparation for communicating with English-as-the-second-language (ESL) learners are critical factors leading to international students’ academic invalidation experiences. There are also cases where international students’ registered courses got canceled without them being appropriately informed. These incidents seriously hindered the students’ adjustment and are detrimental to their transition process.
These invalidation experiences may suggest there is miscommunication between advisors and international students. As Clark and Kalionzes (2008) addressed, communication with international students can be challenging for U.S. academic advisors. A significant barrier in communicating with international students is language. As a primary goal for many international students from non-English speaking regions is to improve their English proficiency at a U.S. community college, it is probably not practical to expect international students to thoroughly understand information given by an academic advisor when they first enroll. This may suggest that advisors should adopt strategies to enhance international students’ comprehension during their meetings or at least help them capture the most critical information. For example, the advisors can avoid jargons and slang terms, often repeat what students said, and speak slowly and clearly when advising international students. Academic advisors could also use flowcharts, pictures, or diagrams to present important information and have students leave with the information in writing.
The study findings imply that, to better advise international students, community colleges should establish new or strengthen current collaboration between academic advisors and other divisions of the college that work closely with international students, such as the international admissions office. Information shared by other professionals could improve the advisors’ knowledge about the needs and goals of international students, and challenges and difficulties that they have to overcome. Community colleges could organize seminars and workshops that bring academic advisors and other professionals on campus together and create opportunities for them to share their experiences and strategies of working with international students. Through these exchanges among peers, for instance, academic advisors could better understand how crucial it is to ensure that international students are taking the proper number of courses, as well as potential obstacles they may face when courses are canceled.
The international students’ academic invalidation experience may also indicate that the course registration system needs to be more responsive to notify both advisors and students immediately if the students registered for any courses without meeting the prerequisite requirements or not within their degree plan, as a mistake in course selection can cause an adverse predicament to their student status. A responsive system with instant notification is beneficial for international students, and it can also better assist all other community college students.
Interpersonal (In)Validation
The findings of the study acknowledge the academic advisors’ efforts in providing interpersonal validation to international students. The participants value advisors’ endeavors in creating a welcoming atmosphere for international students, in which they feel recognized, supported, and validated. This may suggest that community college academic advisors should continue building an encouraging environment that fosters students’ personal development and social adjustment. A positive first impression has been found to be important in creating such an environment (Matsumoto & Hwang, 2013). Thus, academic advisors may consider using their first meetings to establish rapport with students to learn about their personal history, educational goals, and weakness and strengths.
The findings of the study also suggest that academic advisors who are from a similar cultural background and those with richer international experiences are more likely to establish closer relationships with international students, which contributes to students’ interpersonal validation experiences. It would be ideal that all academic advisors travel or study overseas to gain such experiences; however, this may not be practical given the high cost of international travel and limited resources available in community colleges. A viable alternative strategy is to engage academic advisors in local activities and events that promote multicultural competence, and foster dialogue and mutual understanding among people of diverse backgrounds. For instance, the advisors can audit courses on multiculturalism, attend conferences on international education, and join international student organizations. Through these activities and interactions, academic advisors with limited international experiences could gain firsthand experiences of communicating with students from different cultures. Community college leaders and administrators should allocate resources for all advisors to participate in these opportunities. Meanwhile, they could consider designating professionals with advanced knowledge and extensive experiences in international education to provide advice and guidance for international students.
Although none of the participants reported any interpersonal invalidation experiences with their advisors, they did emphasize that they would like to have more opportunities to connect to advisors and other personnel on campus. They believe such connections would better engage them in college learning, boost their self-confidence when facing challenges in transition, and advance their personal development in college. Community colleges can encourage more advisors to interact with international students on campus. For instance, the advisors can meet and greet the students at orientation, share knowledge with them in success courses, or serve as a mentor for their organizations. Such opportunities can also be created via virtual communities that provide an online social space for individuals to communicate and interact with each other. The virtual space allows both synchronous and asynchronous communication, and creates a more relaxing environment where the ESL learners can participate at their own pace (McLoughlin, 1999).
Conclusion
Guided by validation theory (Rendón, 1994), this qualitative study investigated the validation and invalidation experiences of international community college students with academic advising. This study sheds light on strategies that community colleges and academic advisors can adopt to improve advising practice with international students. As shown in the findings, these international students gain significant information from their advisors when navigating community college. They also receive both academic and personal support that greatly benefits their academic and social transition. Although not every participant reported invalidation experiences, it is important for community college administrators and academic advisors to recognize obstacles that the international students often encounter and understand negative consequences that these obstacles could potentially lead to. As an increasing number of international students are discovering community colleges as pathways to U.S. higher education, these students’ experiences and challenges warrant more attention; more research should be conducted to better understand this important, yet often overlooked, student population. Future research may examine how students’ experiences are different or similar among subgroups of international students. Researchers can also consider additional methods, frameworks, and perspectives that will be useful in advancing this line of work.
Footnotes
Declaration of Conflicting Interests
The author declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.
Funding
The author disclosed receipt of the following financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: The author gratefully acknowledges that this manuscript is based on work funded by the 2013 National Academic Advising Association (NACADA) Research Grant.