International Student and Expatriate Challenges
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Abstract
Abstract
Intercultural environments present a host of differences for international college students to navigate. Drawing upon Cooley’s (1922) looking-glass self theory and Park and Folkman’s (1997) meaning-making model, this study examines how international students make sense of perceived incongruencies between their long-held global meanings and meanings emerging from their immediate social interactions. Qualitative interviews with Vietnamese college students studying in the U.S. revealed their use of varied meaning-making techniques to resist, assimilate, and accommodate the meanings they conceived through negotiating discrepancies between their global and situational understandings. This research can support educators and administrators who work with international students to develop meaning-making processes that enable them to cope, if not thrive, through their encounters with difference. Furthermore, future researchers may extend this work by conducting longitudinal studies that examine international students’ meaning-making efforts and resilience over time.
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@article{Le2026Intercultural,
title = {Intercultural mirrors of the self},
author = {Tra Anh Vo Le and Laura Russell},
journal = {Journal of International Students},
year = {2026},
doi = {10.32674/4dd77530},
url = {https://doi.org/10.32674/4dd77530}
}FAQ
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