•  
  •  
 

Keywords

Doctoral Students, Ecological Systems, International Students, Mentorship, Phenomenology

Abstract

International doctoral students enrich U.S. institutions but often encounter challenges that affect belonging and academic success. This qualitative study examined the social, cultural, and institutional challenges faced by international STEM doctoral students and the role of faculty advisor relationships in their adaptation. Guided by ecological systems theory, interviews with eight participants revealed five major challenges: language barriers, cultural differences, building social networks, financial challenges, and navigating institutional processes. Positive faculty mentorship was critical, with effective advisors demonstrating empathy, adaptability, responsiveness, guidance, and trust while supporting professional development, funding, and networking. Microsystem and mesosystem interactions were most influential. Findings emphasize the need to strengthen institutional supports and prepare faculty to better address international doctoral students’ unique needs and advisor power dynamics.

References

Akiba, D. (2021). Recruitment of international students through a synthesis of English as a second language instruction, social justice, and service learning. Innovative Higher Education, 46(3), 321-335. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10755-020-09538-2

Bai, L., & Wang, Y.X. (2024). Combating language and academic culture shocks-International students’ agency in mobilizing their cultural capital. Journal of Diversity in Higher Education, 17(2), 215-228. https://doi.org/10.1037/dhe0000409

Bronfenbrenner, U. (1994). Ecological models of human development. In M. Gauvain & M. Cole (Eds.), International encyclopedia of education (pp. 37–43). Freeman.

Bryson, T. C., & Grunert Kowalske, M. (2022). Black women in STEM graduate programs: The advisor selection process and the perception of the advisor/advisee relationship. Journal of Diversity in Higher Education, 15(1), 111-123. https://doi.org/10.1037/dhe0000330

Cho, H. J., Levesque-Bristol, C., & Yough, M. (2021). International students’ self-determined motivation, beliefs about classroom assessment, learning strategies, and academic adjustments in higher education. Higher Education, 81(6), 1215-1235. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10734-020-00608-0

Cohen, A., & Baruch, Y. (2022). Abuse and exploitation of doctoral students: A conceptual model for traversing a long and winding road to academia. Journal of Business Ethics, 180(2), 505-522. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-021-04905-1

George Mwangi, C. A. (2016). Exploring sense of belonging among Black international students at an HBCU. Journal of International Students, 6(4), 1015-1037. https://doi.org/10.32674/jis.v6i4.332

Hyun, J., Quinn, B., Madon, T., & Lustig, S. (2006). Graduate student mental health: Needs assessment and utilization of counseling services. Journal of College Student Development, 47(3), 247-266. https://doi.org/10.1353/csd.2006.0030

Institute of International Education. (2023). Fall 2023 Snapshot on International Student Enrollment. https://www.iie.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Fall-2023-Snapshot_KeyFindings.pdf

Islam, R., Rafique, S., Bredikhina, O.A., & Jones, S. (2022). Getting around in a college town: A case study of transportation barriers faced by international students at the University of Alabama. Journal of Underrepresented & Minority Progress, 6(2), 43-72.

Joy, S., Liang, X. F., Bilimoria, D., & Perry, S. (2015). Doctoral advisor-advisee pairing in STEM fields: Selection criteria and impact of faculty, student and departmental factors. International Journal of Doctoral Studies, 10, 343–363. https://doi.org/10.28945/2302

Kezar, A., Hallett, R. E., Perez, R. J., & Kitchen, J. A. (2022). Scaling success for low-income, first generation in college, and/or racially minoritized students through a culture of ecological validation. Journal of Diversity in Higher Education, 17(2), 229-242. https://doi.org.10.1037/dhe0000401

Kiyama, J. W., & Rios-Aguilar, C. (2018). Funds of knowledge in higher education: Honoring students’ cultural experiences and resources as strengths. Routledge.

Leong, P. (2015). Coming to America: Assessing the patterns of acculturation, friendship formation, and the academic experiences of international students at a U.S. college. Journal of International Students, 5(4), 459-474. https://doi.org/10.32674/jis.v5i4.408

Levecque, K., Anseel, F., De Beuckelaer, A., Van der Heyden, J., & Gisele, L. (2017). Work organization and mental health problems in PhD students. Research Policy, 46(4), 868-879. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.respol.2017.02.008

Lincoln, Y. S., & Guba, E. G. (1985). Naturalistic inquiry. Sage.

Liu, D. (2016). Strategies to promote Chinese international students’ school performance: resolving the challenges in American higher education. Asian-Pacific Journal of Second and Foreign Language Education, 1(1), 1-15. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40862-016-0012-9

Marginson, S. (2022). What drives global science? The four competing narratives. Studies in Higher Education, 47(8), 1566-1584. https://doi.org/10.1080/03075079.2021.1942822

Marijanovic, N., Lee, J., & Teague, T.W. (2021). Advising experiences of first-year international doctoral students. Journal of International Students, 11(2), 417-435. https://doi.org/10.32674/jis.v11i2.1755

Martirosyan, N. M., Van De Walker, D., & Saxon, D. P. (2022). The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on international students in a public university in the United States: Academic and non-academic challenges. Journal of Comparative and International Higher Education, 14(4), 90–102. https://doi.org/10.32674/jcihe.v14i4.4429

Orsini, J., & Coers, N. (2022). Leaders and scholars: How faculty mentoring behavior influences the development of leadership self-efficacy. Journal of Leadership Education, 21(1), 114–134. https://doi.org/10.12806/V21/I1/R8

Renn, K.A., & Smith, B.R.G. (2023). Ecological models in higher education research: Overview and synthesis. New Directions for Higher Education, 2023(204), 11-22. https://doi.org/10.1002/he.20491

Rodriguez, C., Chavez, C. R., & Klauber, C. (2019). International graduate student challenges and support. International Research and Review, 8(2), 49-64.

Sarker, M., Worae, J., & Edgerton, J. D. (2025). An investigation of international students’ satisfaction with their university experience using an expectation confirmation theory lens. Journal of Comparative and International Higher Education, 17(5), 74-95. https://digitalcommons.lib.uconn.edu/jcihe/vol11/iss3/6/

Singh, R., & Lanford, M. (2025). Rethinking international enrollment management: Looking inward to support a global perspective. In. C. Harmon & K. Bista (Eds.), Navigating the future of international enrollment management: Insights and strategies (pp. 1-9). Star Scholars Press.

Tavares, V. (2022). “Look us in a room together” – Local students’ suggestions for improving socialization with international students. Journal of Comparative and International Higher Education, 14(4), 22-36. https://digitalcommons.lib.uconn.edu/jcihe/vol14/iss4/10/

Tutar, H. (2023). A retrospective phenomenological study on the language challenges faced by Turkish graduate students at U.S. universities. Cukurova University Faculty of Education Journal, 52(1), 247–281. https://doi.org/10.14812/cuefd.1265080

Vital, L. M., & Yao, C. W. (2023). An equity-driven ecological model for internationalizing doctoral student research training. New Directions for Higher Education, 2023(204), 47-57. https://doi.org/10.1002/he.20493

Wollast, R., Boudrenghien, G., Van der Linden, N., Galand, B., Roland, N., Devos, C., De Clercq, M., Klein, O., Azzi, A., & Frenay, M. (2018). Who are the doctoral students who drop out? Factors associated with the rate of doctoral degree completion in universities. International Journal of Higher Education, 7(4), 143–156.

Xu, W., Li, Y., King, R.B., & Chen, J. (2024). The well-being of doctoral students in education: An ecological systems perspective. Behavioral Sciences, 14(10), 929. https://doi.org/10.3390/bs14100929

Download

Share

COinS
 
 

To view the content in your browser, please download Adobe Reader or, alternately,
you may Download the file to your hard drive.

NOTE: The latest versions of Adobe Reader do not support viewing PDF files within Firefox on Mac OS and if you are using a modern (Intel) Mac, there is no official plugin for viewing PDF files within the browser window.