Cultural discontinuity is recognized as a culturally motivated academic process where sociocultural behaviors and communicative skills valued in the home culture of students are discontinued at school thus resulting in their low academic performance. This process may be reinforced by structural inequality in the mainstream society and education…

International immigration creates economic, demographic, and cultural shifts worldwide. The process of migration entails steps beginning from the decision to migrate, the migration journey and experiences upon arrival to the host country. Factors such as age at time of migration, traditions, and beliefs of those who migrate inform various aspects…

This research study explores the transition experiences of multilingual Asian immigrant students as they navigate their first year of college. Focusing on counterstories, this study seeks to shed light on the unique challenges, strategies, and successes of these students in crossing cultural, linguistic, and academic borders. Through a qualitative…

This study explores the experiences of second-generation Latine adolescents by examining the impact of bilingualism on self-esteem and depressive symptoms. Drawing on Suarez-Orozco and colleagues' (2018) model, this study shows the multifaceted acculturation process, emphasizing linguistic acculturation as crucial for navigating two cultures. The…

This dissertation presents findings from a qualitative interview based study that examines the language ideological stances of former bilingual educators who now serve as school counselors. Data was collected through interviews, artifact analysis, member checks, and analytical memos with a total of ten participants. The study revealed the majority…

This was a transcendental phenomenological study of cross-cultural organizational leaders, the members therein, and the role of language acquisition, particularly as an agent of influence toward cross-cultural leader acculturation and success. Meaning is not universal from culture to culture; therefore, examining cultures through the lens of…

This dissertation study examines the acculturation experiences of Saudi Arabian students pursuing higher education in the United States. It investigates the relationships among students' acculturation strategies, self-assertion, and academic self-efficacy, while exploring the moderating effects of English proficiency and length of stay. The study…

According to the American Immigration Council (2021), 14 percent of the United States population is foreign-born. Immigrants have enriched American culture and enhanced our influence in the world. People feel a need to belong and have an inherent desire for deep, lasting, and meaningful connections (Baumeister & Leary, 1995). Research suggests…

The purpose of this study was to gain a better understanding of how students who are refugees describe their social supports, with a focus on their relationships with those who are supportive of their interest in higher education both within and outside of the school system. Few studies have explored the social capital of these students, and how…

The purpose of this study was to investigate international Chinese students' (ICS) English learning experiences at a rural Midwestern university. The study explored how ICS acculturated to a new learning environment which is dominated by English. The study also examined how ICS's investment in English was influenced by their (re)constructed…

Do assimilationist restrictions on a minority language lead to greater national unity or a more rebellious minority population? Under what conditions might short-term backlash to language assimilation evolve into greater national unity in the long term? While much of the literature on ethnic politics implicitly treats language simply as an…

This study addresses the process of oral academic socialization that learners of a second language and culture undergo to succeed in disciplinary graduate courses. The participants were students from Mainland China and Taiwan pursuing an International Master of Business Administration (IMBA) degree at the University of Missouri-St. Louis (UMSL).…

A growing body of research has indicated the challenges and difficulties international students face including but not limited to language barriers, academic struggles, social isolation, discrimination, and psychological distress. Among international students, East Asian international students represent a large subgroup and report higher…

This qualitative study utilizes a Chicana/Latina feminist lens and the Latin American tradition of "Testimonio" to explore Spanish-speaking immigrants' experiences of migration, language learning and socialization, paying close attention to the ways in which the multilayered intersections of identity, race, class, gender, nationality,…

The aggregation of various Asian American ethnic groups into one homogenous block and the comparatively sparse amount of research on Asian Americans creates of one the most misunderstood groups in American society and scholarship. The aim of this dissertation is to study one Asian American ethnic group, Korean Americans, and to find the…