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ORCID

https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0826-3388

Keywords

archival research, college students, cultural adaptation, higher education, internationalization, university initiatives

Abstract

Within the framework of a globalized university campus, this study investigates the process that an international student goes through while adapting to a new culture. Using autoethnography and archival research methods, this study recounts the personal and lived experiences of a doctoral international student navigating the cultural adjustment contexts of a southeastern public university, providing an understanding of how the challenges and opportunities faced by international students are historicized and located within a broader cultural and social context. This approach includes maintaining a reflexive journal, self-analysis, personal conversations, and analyzing historical records and correspondences, including policy papers, factbooks, and institutional artifacts related to internationalization at a higher education institution. The research findings highlight the crucial need for creating inclusive and multicultural learning environments that help prepare students for a globalized world, emphasizing the contributions that international students bring to enrich the cultural diversity of university campuses. The study also highlights the intricate dynamics of the internationalization process, particularly the interplay between institutional initiatives and individual experiences.

Abstract - Translated

Dans le contexte d’un campus universitaire mondialisé, cette étude explore le processus d’adaptation culturelle vécu par un étudiant international. S’appuyant sur les méthodes d’autoethnographie et archivistique, cette recherche relate les expériences personnelles et académiques d’un étudiant doctoral international en train de naviguer un contexte d’adaptation culturelle de l’une des universités publiques du sud-est des États-Unis. Elle vise à expliquer comment les défis auxquels les étudiants sont confrontés et les opportunités qu’ils rencontrent sont historisés et situés dans un contexte socio-culturel plus large. Cette approche comprend la tenue d’un journal réflexif, d’autoanalyse, de conversations personnelles et d’analyse des archives historiques et des correspondances. Il inclut également les manuscrits politiques, les répertoires de données et les artefacts institutionnels liés à l’internalisation aux institutions d’enseignement supérieur. Les résultats de cette recherche mettent en lumière l’importance cruciale de créer les environnements d’apprentissage inclusifs et multiculturels préparant les étudiants pour un monde globalisé. Cette étude met l’accent sur les contributions que les étudiants internationaux apportent pour enrichir la diversité culturelle des campus universitaires. Elle souligne encore les dynamiques complexes du processus d’internalisation, particulièrement la relation entre les initiatives institutionnelles et les expériences individuelles.

Mots-clés : adaptation culturelle, enseignement supérieur, étudiants universitaires, initiatives universitaires, internalisation, recherche archivistique

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