International Students' Choices for Support Groups and Communication Media

Authors

  • Gary Fontaine University of Hawai'i

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.26209/mj1261404

Keywords:

international, students, support, communication,

Abstract

The inclusion of international students in universities worldwide provides a variety of benefits to the people and cultures involved, but it also provides a variety of challenges. Among those is the provision of adequate social support for the students involved. This paper reports on two studies examining the degree to which international students at a U.S. university choose among different support groups and prefer different media when communicating with them. Study One found that when students communicated with others to help them reduce stress, family members and friends were their main partners, and friends who were from their home country but were with them in the United States were chosen most frequently. Face-to-face communication was used most when it was available, and telephone was used the most when face-to-face communicating was not possible. Study Two found that face-to-face communication was preferred over e-mail when communicating specifically with school officials, regardless of students' cultural and linguistic characteristics, length of enrollment, and type of situation investigated. The results are discussed in terms of the continued importance of face-to-face communication for international students and the implications for programs of support offered to them by universities.

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Published

2010-12-01

Issue

Vol. 12 (2010): The Mentor: An Academic Advising Journal

Section

Articles

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