34116 research outputs found
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Hester Thomson And Don Wimmer Dry Brushing Pottery
No full text#382https://digitalcommons.andrews.edu/hiap-photos/3712/thumbnail.jp
Men\u27s Sleeping Quarters
No full text#977https://digitalcommons.andrews.edu/hiap-photos/3778/thumbnail.jp
War-Displaced International Students: A Qualitative Study of Factors Influencing the Integration of Ukrainians at a Midwestern Healthcare College
No full textProblem
The war in Ukraine has disrupted the country’s higher education system, displacing Ukrainian students and affecting their mental well-being. These students encounter numerous challenges while adapting to new academic and cultural environments abroad. Higher education professionals must recognize and address the unique experiences and needs of international students by region of origin to better serve these populations. This study aimed to explore the factors that influence the social and academic integration of Ukrainian international students into a new culture and to inform institutions of the best practices for creating supportive environments for international students.
Method
The qualitative study explored the experiences of displaced Ukrainian students at a Midwestern healthcare college, utilizing a phenomenological research design. The researcher explored the social, linguistic, academic, and psychological experiences and perceptions that affected international student integration into a new educational and cultural environment. Eight individual in-depth semi-structured interviews were conducted. The data were analyzed through coding and thematic analysis to identify recurring themes and patterns that reflect the factors, challenges, supports, and initiatives involved in the students\u27 integration experiences.
Results
The integration journey of each student is shaped by a constellation of factors, including language proficiency, personal preferences, worldviews, and support from educational institutions, local communities, and families and friends, among others. The effects of war, particularly regarding students\u27 emotional connections to events in their home country, as well as various fears, also play a significant role.
Conclusions
To succeed in their academic pursuits despite various challenges, Ukrainian international students needed to strengthen their academic resilience. As they adjusted to their new environment, they had to make psychological and behavioral changes to align with the norms of the local culture while still preserving their own identity. Several common forms of support enhanced their ability to progress. These included assistance from the college in improving their language and communication skills. The friendly faculty and staff helped create a welcoming and supportive atmosphere in both classes and extracurricular activities, which greatly aided in their integration. Additionally, social support from church members, colleagues, and networks of friends positively influenced their integration through various interactions. Although this study intentionally excluded the financial aspects of students\u27 lives, the substantial financial support from the college is likely to have alleviated nearly all of their monetary concerns. This allowed the students to focus entirely on their studies. All of these factors, some subtle and others more obvious, contribute to how individuals adapt, each in different ways and to varying degrees
Focus, 2025, Spring
No full textFOCUS (ISSN 1077-9345) is published quarterly, free of charge, for alumni and friends of Andrews University, an institution owned and operated by the Seventh-day Adventist Church.https://digitalcommons.andrews.edu/focus/1110/thumbnail.jp
Focus, 2025, Winter
No full textFOCUS (ISSN 1077-9345) is published quarterly, free of charge, for alumni and friends of Andrews University, an institution owned and operated by the Seventh-day Adventist Church.https://digitalcommons.andrews.edu/focus/1109/thumbnail.jp
Innovative evangelistic methods to reach secular and Spiritual But not Religious (SBNR) people
No full textThis research explores innovative public evangelism strategies to reach secular and SBNR people in urban Australia. Responding to the decline of Christendom’s cultural influence, it investigates how gospel communication and movement-building practices can be reimagined and leveraged to engage contemporary audiences. Literature review and pilot experiments are underway