Psychological Adaptation of Mainland Chinese Female International Students: a Phenomenological Inquiry
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University of Tennessee, Knoxville TRACE: Tennessee Research and Creative Exchange Doctoral Dissertations Graduate School 12-2006 Psychological adaptation of Mainland Chinese Female International Students: A Phenomenological Inquiry I-Wen Chan University of Tennessee - Knoxville Follow this and additional works at: https://trace.tennessee.edu/utk_graddiss Part of the Psychology Commons Recommended Citation Chan, I-Wen, "Psychological adaptation of Mainland Chinese Female International Students: A Phenomenological Inquiry. " PhD diss., University of Tennessee, 2006. https://trace.tennessee.edu/utk_graddiss/1932 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at TRACE: Tennessee Research and Creative Exchange. It has been accepted for inclusion in Doctoral Dissertations by an authorized administrator of TRACE: Tennessee Research and Creative Exchange. For more information, please contact [email protected]. To the Graduate Council: I am submitting herewith a dissertation written by I-Wen Chan entitled "Psychological adaptation of Mainland Chinese Female International Students: A Phenomenological Inquiry." I have examined the final electronic copy of this dissertation for form and content and recommend that it be accepted in partial fulfillment of the equirr ements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy, with a major in Psychology. Mark A. Hector, Major Professor We have read this dissertation and recommend its acceptance: Joel F. Diambra, P. Gary Klukken, Howard R. Pollio Accepted for the Council: Carolyn R. Hodges Vice Provost and Dean of the Graduate School (Original signatures are on file with official studentecor r ds.) To the Graduate Council: I am submitting herewith a dissertation written by I-Wen Chan entitled “Psychological adaptation of Mainland Chinese Female International Students: A Phenomenological Inquiry.” I have examined the final electronic copy of this dissertation for form and content and recommend that it be accepted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy, with a major in Psychology. Mark A. Hector, Major Professor We have read this dissertation and recommended its acceptance: Joel F. Diambra______________ P. Gary Klukken_____________ Howard R. Pollio_____________ Accepted for the Council: Anne Mayhew______________ Vice Chancellor and Dean of Graduate Studies (Original signatures are on file with official student records.) Psychological adaptation of Mainland Chinese Female International Students: A Phenomenological Inquiry A Dissertation Presented for the Doctor of Philosophy Degree University of Tennessee, Knoxville I-Wen Chan December, 2006 DEDICATION This dissertation is dedicated to two special people in my life. To Tsung-Yeh Lee, who encouraged me to embrace the turning point of my life. He has a gentle and yet powerful strength, which has comforted countless uneasy spirits. Years ago, he instilled a seed of hope and love in my heart. To my husband, Yinghui Lu, who has always supported and believed in me. His endless love and care made it possible for the tender seed in my heart to sprout and grow. ii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The pursuit of doctoral studies in a foreign country could be demanding, if not intimidating. Fortunately, I have been surrounded by people who are caring and helpful during my years at the University of Tennessee. I would like to first thank my beloved parents, 詹資生 and 鐘淑瑛. While I attended graduate school, their strong and abiding support bridged the great distance from Taiwan; a phone call or a package from home would bring magical power to overcome the challenges in my studies and my life. Seven years ago, with their love and support, I came to the other end of the world to explore my interests and potential; from this moment, their unchangeable love will continue to accompany me on my journey in my beloved profession. I am deeply grateful to Dr. Mark A. Hector, who is my major professor, and his wife, Dr. Judy Hector. They always consoled me when I was discouraged and cheered for me when I accomplished. They also made me felt at home whenever I visited their cozy house, which is adjoining a beautiful river in the eastern Tennessee. Many thanks to Hung-Yi Wu, my best friend in Knoxville, who is amazingly diligent in his own work. But whenever I needed someone to talk to, I knew I could always count on him for his support and encouragement. I am thankful to my internship cohort- Kim, Alan, and Janetta. This group of good people always reached out for me and made my internship year full of warm and joyful memories. My special friend, Nikki (Ni Chung), who is much younger than me, but her lovely sense of humor and playfulness has sustained me during the final stages of my dissertation. I also would like to express my appreciation to my classmates, including Yoonmi, Connie, Chrissy, Nalini, Renee, Doug, Kylie, and Rob, who have guided and encouraged me throughout my doctoral studies. I want to express my gratitude to my supervisors at the Student Counseling Center, including Victor, Suzanne, Gary, Phil, Marci, Melissa, and Lynn, for sharing their wisdom with me and helping me to become a young professional in the field we all love. Finally, I am deeply grateful to all of the young women who contributed their time, trust, and generosity in participating in this research. If they had not shared their lives and courage with me, this project would have been impossible. iii ABSTRACT The primary purpose of this study was to obtain a description of Mainland Chinese female international students’ experiences of adjustment in the U.S. Thirteen participants were asked the one question that guided the study: “Please tell me in as much detail as you can, regarding being a female and originally from China, your process of adapting to your studies and living in the United States.” Participants described their experiences in individual audio-taped in-depth interviews. The interviews were transcribed verbatim, creating thirteen separate transcripts. These transcripts, serving as the primary data source, were analyzed using a phenomenological method. Analysis revealed six interrelated themes that together comprised the thematic structure of Chinese female international students’ experience of adapting to their study and residing in the U.S.: (a) Coming to America, (b) My English Ability, (c) Things are Different Here, (d) My Study, (e) Relationships, and (f) Being a Woman. In addition, analysis revealed one experiential ground, Adapt Over Time, which served as the context for this experience. Thorough descriptions of these themes and grounds were presented along with supportive evidence taken directly from the interview transcripts. Findings of the study were discussed in relation to the existing literature and suggestions for future research implications were provided. In addition, recommendations were also offered for the practice of counseling practitioners, international education personnel, and academic/career guidance advisors in higher education, who have the opportunities to interact with the international students in general and Chinese female international graduate students in particular. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION................................................................................. 1 CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW..................................................................... 5 Common Issues in Adjustment for International Students ................................................. 5 Psychological Stressors................................................................................................... 6 Language Barriers........................................................................................................... 7 Financial Pressure........................................................................................................... 8 Social Isolation ............................................................................................................... 9 Academic Concerns ...................................................................................................... 10 Factors Affecting the Level of Adjustment of International Students.............................. 11 Cultural Distance .......................................................................................................... 11 Individual Differences .................................................................................................. 12 Gender and Marital Status ............................................................................................ 14 Coping Behaviors ......................................................................................................... 15 Help-Seeking and Attitudes toward Counseling........................................................... 16 Research on Chinese International Students..................................................................... 18 Conclusions of Literature Review .................................................................................... 19 CHAPTER THREE: METHODS..................................................................................... 21 Phenomenological Psychology ......................................................................................... 21 Procedures of Data Collection and Analysis .................................................................... 24 Data Collection ............................................................................................................