Western Michigan University ScholarWorks at WMU Master's Theses Graduate College 6-5-2012 "Nevermericans?": How Communication Issues Shape the Perceptions of Self and the Perceptions of American Identity Among the International Students Lyudmyla Pustelnyk Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/masters_theses Part of the International and Intercultural Communication Commons Recommended Citation Pustelnyk, Lyudmyla, ""Nevermericans?": How Communication Issues Shape the Perceptions of Self and the Perceptions of American Identity Among the International Students" (2012). Master's Theses. 72. https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/masters_theses/72 This Masters Thesis-Open Access is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate College at ScholarWorks at WMU. It has been accepted for inclusion in Master's Theses by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks at WMU. For more information, please contact [email protected]. LS 'NEVERMERICANS?": HOW COMMUNICATION ISSUES SHAPE THE PERCEPTIONS OF SELF AND THE PERCEPTIONS OF AMERICAN IDENTITY AMONG THE PNTERNATIONAL STUDENTS by Lyudmyla Pustelnyk A Thesis Submitted to the Faculty ofThe Graduate College in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree ofMaster ofArts School ofCommunication Advisor: Jennifer Machiorlatti, Ph.D. Western Michigan University Kalamazoo, Michigan June 2012 THE GRADUATE COLLEGE WESTERN MICHIGAN UNIVERSITY KALAMAZOO, MICHIGAN Date June 5, 2012 WE HEREBY APPROVE THE THESIS SUBMITTED BY Lyuda Pustelnyk ENTITLED "Nevermericans?": How Communication Issues Shape the Perceptions of Self and the Perceptions of American IdentityAmong International Students AS PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE Master of Arts DEGREE OF Communication (Department) Communication (Program) Kayany Thesis Committee Member APPROVED (^~y^si^\[)\ Date )\]{\i "ML Dean of The Graduate College "NEVERMERICANS?": HOW COMMUNICATION ISSUES SHAPE THE PERCEPTIONS OF SELF AND THE PERCEPTIONS OF AMERICAN IDENTITY AMONG THE INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS Lyudmyla Pustelnyk, M.A. Western Michigan University, 2012 This study ofInterculturai communication and identity uses Cultural Contracts theory and Narrative theory to explore how international students communicate about their understanding ofself(identity) and how this understanding is influenced and changes during their studies in the United States. Research participants who have, or are currently studying in the U.S., from Eastern and Central European countries were interviewed about their communicationexperiences while in the U.S., resulting in different expressionsof identity - in-between identity, feeling Americanized, global citizen, and crystallization ofnative identity - which developed as the result oftheir LI.S. university studies. Their narratives also enabled important themes to surface, as well as distinguishing different factors that contribute to the ways international students understand their identities. Results indicate that international education plays an important role in both personal growth and international students' new sense ofidentity. Additional findings suggest that the concept ofglobal citizen requires further inquiry, possibly developing new deiinitions ofidentity hybridity. Copyright by Lyudmvla Pustelnyk 2012 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The completion ofthis thesis was greatly supported and aided by several people, to whom I will be forever grateful. To my thesis advisor, Dr. Jennifer Machiorlatti, and the members ofthe committee, Dr. Kathleen Wong and Dr. Joseph Kayany, who provided me with a generous intellectual support and encouragement throughout the entire process. Thank you very much for your genuine interest, dedication, your scholarly critique, and insightful feedback. Additionally, thank you for your patience and understanding. To my husband, Valery Bliznyuk, who continues to be a caring partner. I thank you for your unconditional love and enormous support, for your beliefin my potential. I would also like to thank to the participants ofthis study for dedicating their time and sharing your experiences with me during our interviews. Without your priceless contributions this study would never be possible. Lyudmyla Pustelnyk n TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ii LIST OF TABLES vii CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTION Multiple Identities, Communication, and Cultural Integration of International Students in the U.S 1 II. LITERATURE REVIEW 12 Communication styles ofinternational students 12 Sojourners' adaptation in host society 23 The emergence ofthe global citizen's identity in sojourners 31 The phenomenon ofinternational students in the U.S 40 Potential challenges for international students' studies 46 III. THEORETICAL FOUNDATIONS 50 Cultural contracts theory 50 Sojourners and cultural contracts 55 Narrative Theory: How our stories communicate about understanding of selfamong international students 57 IV. THE AREAS OF INQUIRY OF THIS STUDY 60 Educational experiences and personhood 60 The research questions 61 in Table ofContents - continued V. METHODOLOGY 63 CHAPTER The advantages ofthe qualitative method 63 Semi-structured interviews as an instrument ofcollecting data for this study 67 Possible problems and limitations within qualitative interviewing and the ways ofovercoming these limitations 69 VI. CRITERIA FOR PARTICIPANTS' SELECTION AND DESCRIPTION OF THE METHODOLOGICAL PROCEDURE 76 VII. CODING AND DATA ANALYSIS 82 VIII. RESULTS 85 Salient themes across the students' interviews 85 Appreciation ofAmerican education 91 American values 97 Development ofcharacter while staying in the U.S 101 "I do not fit in here" (being different) 103 "How I see Americans" 107 In-between identity (departing from native, but arriving neither to "feeling Americanized", nor to the "global citizen") 113 Feeling Americanized 117 Feeling resentment 118 iv Table ofContents - continued CHAPTER Becoming a global citizen and crystallization ofthe native identity 120 IX. DISCUSSION: HOW THE STUDENTS' NARRATIVES HELP TO ANSWER RESEARCH QUESTIONS IN THIS STUDY 123 Research questions 123 Appreciation of Americaneducation as the significantfinding 131 Cultural contracts among international students 132 X. LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY AND FUTURE RESEARCH FOR INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS IN INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATION 136 Limitations ofthe study 136 Value ofresearch and future trends in international student communication studies 138 REFERENCES 143 ENDNOTES 166 APPENDICES 169 A: Interview Protocol (approved October 19, 2011 by Western Michigan University Human Subjects Internal Review Board) 169 B: Recruitment e-mail for Fulbright program alumni 171 C: Recruitment Script 172 D: Handout with the list ofScholarships and WMU Advocacy Organizations Scholarships (active links as ofOctober 19, 2011) 173 v Table ofContents - continued CHAPTER E: HSIRB approval letter 176 VI LIST OF TABLES 1. Interview Themes and Sub-themes (Explanations) 85 vn CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION Multiple Identities, Communication, and Cultural Integration of International Students in the U.S. The long line for the passport control area ofimmigrationat Chicago O'Hare airport was moving slowly as usual, while the multilingual crowd of travelers from all regions of the world chatted and gesticulated. Someof them waitedmore than an hour andexchanged mostly annoyed comments on the unhurried procedure. No natural light was reaching the huge area of the passport control section; the air, thoughconditioned, felt heavy to breath. Stepby step, meter-by-meter, everybody in the line approached the boothof the immigration officerwho was the gauntlet between visitorsand their possibility to stand on American soil. Waiting in sucha line is a repeated routine for me. I have been through this process dozens of times aftercoming backfrom traveling abroad or to my home country of Ukraine. Mytime spent in the United States has been occupied with graduate studies at the Western Michigan University School of Communication and theDepartment of Political Science. These years have brought forward the process of identity shifting and identity reformation, as identified and explained by Jackson (2002) as cultural contracts. My experience as an international student in the U.S. could serveas an illustration to Ting-Toomey's theorythat we negotiate our identities due to "the choices cultural interactants make in securing their self-image" (Jackson, 1999, p.359). In my case, thesechoices weredictated by the statusof the sojourner who was gradually, yet not fully, integrated into the new culture. Thenearby section of the passport control area, the line of those possessing U.S. passports, is much shorter andmoves quickly. Immigration officers seem to have limited questions for Americans reentering their home country. I was stricken by a sudden andconfusing thought: not considering the formal issues (suchas citizenship), culturally, I could belong to eachof the lines. Moreover, I also might fit into neither of them, since my European background is under the great influence of American experience, and vice versa. How could intercultural communication, oneareaof my studies, explain this dilemma of formal and informal identity, cultural belonging and perception? This experience of split identity where I could be in either of theimmigration lines - those for citizens and those for foreigners, is similarto the experience of transients, or people, who do not stay inone place for a long period oftime, as described by Onwumechili et al: "Rather than fully adapt to one culture, they [transients]