Article Sidebar

Submitted
October 24, 2024
Published
December 26, 2024
Download
Download PDF
Statistic
Read Counter : 85

Main Article Content

Abstract

International students move with fractions of their cultural heritage. When they enter a new country, they often encounter a mismatch between their culture and the host culture. In adapting to a new culture, such students experience acculturation. Several studies have been conducted on acculturation. However, knowledge and methodology gaps were found regarding the acculturation of single students in higher education. This study aimed to explore the lived experiences of international acculturated single students of higher education in Philippine international schools. The study is based on Berry’s acculturation model, which involves assimilation, integration, separation, and marginalization. Moreover, hermeneutic phenomenology was utilized to describe and interpret the participants’ experiences. Purposive sampling and maximal variation were used to select the four participants from two faith-based universities. Data was collected through in-depth interviews and visual representations. Based on the findings, acculturation is an eye-opening and identity search process embodying comparative support and continuous inquiry contexts. Participants viewed acculturation as a learning occasion requiring constant change. The findings portray several episodes of cultural preservation, engagement, and voluntary integration consistent with Berry’s acculturation model.

Keywords

Acculturation International single students Berry’s acculturation model hermeneutic phenomenology Philippines

Article Details

License

Copyright (c) 2024 Godwin Kato, Istiarti Berci Sarempaa, Naw Ei Phyu Sin Lay, Prema Gaikwad

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

Author Biographies

Godwin Kato, Adventist International Institute of Advanced Studies, Philippines

Godwin Kato, PhD candidate in Curriculum and Instruction, is a student at the Adventist International Institute of Advanced Studies in the Philippines. He is a professional teacher with a keen interest in the lasting truths of education and research.

Istiarti Berci Sarempaa, Adventist International Institute of Advanced Studies, Philippines

Istiarti Berci Sarempaa is a PhD candidate in Education at the Adventist International Institute of Advanced Studies (AIIAS). She holds a Master’s degree in Education with a specialization in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) and has experience teaching English. A native of Indonesia, her research focuses on the intersection of shame and honor cultures and their implications for English language teaching in this context. She is currently completing her dissertation on this topic.

Naw Ei Phyu Sin Lay, Adventist International Institute of Advanced Studies, Philippines

Naw Ei Phyu Sin Lay currently serves as an assistant professor at Myanmar Union Adventist Seminary, specializing in tertiary education and research. She holds a PhD in Curriculum and Instruction with a focus on TESOL.

Prema Gaikwad, Adventist International Institute of Advanced Studies, Philippines

Prema Gaikwad, PhD in Curriculum and Instruction (Andrews University), is a professor at the Adventist International Institute of Advanced Studies in the Philippines. Her academic areas of interest include the professional development of educators, inclusive education, online learning, and qualitative research.  

How to Cite
Kato, G., Sarempaa, I. B., Lay, N. E. P. S., & Gaikwad, P. (2024). Acculturation of International Single Students of Higher Education in the Philippines: A Phenomenological Study. Pan-African Journal of Education and Social Sciences, 5(2), 1–17. https://doi.org/10.56893/pajes2024v05i02.01
Download Citation
Endnote/Zotero/Mendeley (RIS)
BibTeX

References

  1. Aladegbaiye, A. T., De Jong, M. D. T., & Beldad, A. D. (2022). How international students’ acculturation motivation develops over time in an international learning environment: A longitudinal study. Journal of International Students, 12(2), 510–530. https://doi.org/10.32674/jis.v12i2.3642
  2. Ashforth, B. E., & Mael, F. (1989). Social identity theory and the organization. Academy of Management Review, 14(1), 20–39. https://doi.org/10.2307/258189
  3. Banks, M., & Zeitlyn, D. (2015). Visual methods in social research (2nd ed). Sage.
  4. Berry, J. W. (1992). Acculturation and Adaptation in a New Society. International Migration, 30(1), 69–85. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-2435.1992.tb00776.x
  5. Cao, C., Zhu, C., & Meng, Q. (2017). Predicting Chinese international students’ acculturation strategies from socio‐demographic variables and social ties. Asian Journal of Social Psychology, 20(2), 85–96. https://doi.org/10.1111/ajsp.12171
  6. Chamie, J. (2020). International migration amid a world in crisis. Journal on Migration and Human Security, 8(3), 230–245. https://doi.org/10.1177/2331502420948796
  7. CNN Philippines. (2020, February 5). Number of foreign students in PH drops to all-time-low in 2020. https://cnnphilippines.com/news/2021/2/5/foreign-student
  8. -count-in-ph-drop-in- 2020.html
  9. Creswell, J. (2013). Qualitative inquiry and research design: Choosing among five approaches (3rd ed.). Sage.
  10. Creswell, J. W., & Poth, C. N. (2018). Qualitative inquiry and research design: Choosing among five approaches (4th ed.). Sage.
  11. Creswell, J. W. (2016). 30 essential skills for the qualitative researcher. Sage.
  12. Croucher, S. M., & Kramer, E. (2016). Cultural fusion theory: An alternative to acculturation. Journal of International and Intercultural Communication, 10(2), 97–114. https://doi.org/10.1080/17513057.2016.1229498
  13. Dentakos, S., Wintre, M., Chavoshi, S., & Wright, L. (2017). Acculturation motivation in international student adjustment and permanent residency intentions: A mixed-methods approach. Emerging Adulthood, 5(1), 27–41. https://doi.org/10.1177/2167696816643628
  14. Driscoll, M. W., & Torres, L. (2022). Cultural adaptation profiles among Mexican-descent Latinxs: Acculturation, acculturative stress, and depression. Cultural Diversity & Ethnic Minority Psychology, 28(2), 248–258. https://doi.org/10.1037/cdp0000503
  15. Edmond, C. (2020). Global migration, by the numbers: Who migrates, where they go and why. https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2020/01/iom-global-migration-report-international-migrants-2020/
  16. Elliot, D. L., Reid, K., & Baumfield, V. (2016). Beyond the amusement, puzzlement and challenges: An enquiry into international students’ academic acculturation. Studies in Higher Education, 41(12), 2198–2217. https://doi.org/10.1080/03075079.2015.1029903
  17. Fargion, S., & Nuttman-Shwartz, O. (2019). Acculturation theory, cultural competency and learning from differences: Reflections from a European short student mobility program. European Journal of Social Work, 23(5), 849–861. https://doi.org/10.1080/13691457.2019.1608911
  18. Furnham, A. (2004). Education and culture shock. Psychologist, 17(1), 16.
  19. Ghebrekidan, S. (2018). Acculturation and belongingness: The keys to international student satisfaction (Publication No. 10981602) [Master’s thesis, South Dakota State University]. https://www.proquest.com/docview/2154835381?pqorigsite
  20. =gscholar&fromopenview=true
  21. Hall, G. C. N. (2022). Multicultural psychology. Routledge.
  22. Hamlin, R. (2021). Crossing: How we label and react to people on the move. Stanford University Press.
  23. Hanlon, B., & Vicino, T. J. (2014). Global migration: The basics. Routledge.
  24. Herzog, P. S. (2019). Visual research methods. In A. Marvasti & A. J. Treviño (Eds.), Researching social problems (1st ed. pp. 172–187). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315107882-10
  25. International Consultants for Education and Fairs. (2024). The rise of alternative destinations: Thailand, Poland, and the Philippines. https://shorturl.at/M8l0F
  26. Jin, R., Le, T. T., Vuong, T. T., Nguyen, T. P., Hoang, G., Nguyen, M. H., & Vuong, Q. H. (2023). A gender study of food stress and implications for international students acculturation. World, 4(1), 80–94. https://doi.org/10.3390/world4010006
  27. Karim, S. (2021). Acculturation in a globalised world: Implications for theory and educational policy and practice. International Journal of Comparative Education and Development, 23(1), 44–58. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJCED-11-2020-0078
  28. Kristiana, I. F., Karyanta, N. A., Simanjuntak, E., Prihatsanti, U., Ingarianti, T. M., & Shohib, M. (2022). Social support and acculturative stress of international students. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(11), 6568. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19116568
  29. Krsmanovic, M. (2020). “I was new and I was afraid”: The acculturation strategies adopted by international first-year undergraduate students in the United States. Journal of International Students, 10(4), 954–975. https://doi.org/10.32674/jis.v10i4.1160
  30. Larionova, A. L., Liventsova, E., Yu., Fakhretdinova, A. P., & Kostyukova, T. A. (2020). International student migrants from Asian countries: features of their ethnic identity and acculturation strategies. Perspectives of Science and Education, 48 (6), 311-323. http://dx.doi.org/10.32744/pse.2020.6.24
  31. Lashari, S. A., Awang-Hashim, R., Lashari, T. A., & Kaur, A. (2023). Acculturation stress and social support for international students’ adjustment in Malaysia: Does language proficiency matter? Journal of Applied Research in Higher Education, 15(2), 496–508.
  32. Lincoln, Y. S., & Guba, E. G. (1985). Naturalistic inquiry. Sage.
  33. Liu, S., Dane, S., Gallois, C., Haslam, C., & Nghi Tran, T. L. (2020). The dynamics of acculturation among older immigrants in Australia. Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology, 51(6), 424–441. https://doi.org/10.1177/0022022120927461
  34. Ma, K., Pitner, R., Sakamoto, I., & Park, H. Y. (2020). Challenges in acculturation among international students from Asian collectivist cultures. Higher Education Studies, 10(3), 34–43. https://doi.org/10.5539/hes.v10n3p34
  35. Maguddayao, R. N. (2018). Social lived experiences and coping mechanisms of the foreign students in the Philippines: A phenomenological approach to intercultural communicative competence. Asia Pacific Journal of Multidisciplinary Research, 6(4).
  36. Maliwanag, R. J. (2019). The interaction of Filipino time and informal power dynamics in the university of the Philippines school of economics: A case study. http://dx.doi.org/10.13140/RG.2.2.22621.77289
  37. Masgoret, A. M., & Ward, C. (2006). Culture learning approach to acculturation. In D. L. Sam & J. W. Berry (Eds.), The Cambridge handbook of acculturation psychology (pp. 58–77). Cambridge University Press.
  38. Merriam, S. B., & Tisdell, E. J. (2016). Qualitative research: A guide to design and implementation (4th ed.). John Wiley & Sons.
  39. Miles, D. A. (2017). A taxonomy of research gaps: Identifying and defining the seven research gaps. Journal of Research Methods and Strategies. https://www.academia.edu/35505149/ARTICLE_RESEARCH_A_Taxonomy_of_Research_Gaps_Identifying_and_Defining_the_Seven_Research_Gaps
  40. Moustakas, C. (1994). Phenomenological research methods. Sage.
  41. Nailevna, T. A. (2017). Acculturation and psychological adjustment of foreign students (the experience of Elabuga Institute of Kazan Federal University). Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, 237, 1173–1178. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2017.02.175
  42. Neto, J., Quintana-Orts, C., & Neto, F. (2022). Acculturation, adaptation, and loneliness among Cape Verdean immigrants. International Journal of Intercultural Relations, 87, 98–107. https://psycnet.apa.org/doi/10.1016/j.ijintrel.2022.01.013
  43. Odhiambo, J. N., Marticio, F., & Aclan, E. (2018). Acculturation of children as experienced by foreign mothers studying in the Philippines. International Forum, 21(1), 72–94.
  44. Paolillo, R., & Jager, W. (2020). Simulating Acculturation Dynamics Between Migrants and Locals in Relation to Network Formation. Social Science Computer Review, 38(4), 365–386. https://doi.org/10.1177/0894439318821678
  45. Parray, A. A., Sohely, S., Mallick, S., Zahura, F. T., Mistry, B., Sharkar, P., Nahar, J., Zumi, K., Islam, A., & Khan, M. S. (2020). Acculturation and adaptation issues among international students: Experiences from the largest Public University of Bangladesh. https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-51527/v1
  46. Safdar, S., Goh, K., & Choubak, M. (2020). Clothing, identity, and acculturation: The significance of immigrants’ clothing choices. Canadian Journal of Behavioural Science, 52(1), 36. https://psycnet.apa.org/doi/10.1037/cbs0000160
  47. Saldaña, J. (2013). The coding manual for qualitative researchers. Sage.
  48. Sam, D. L., & Berry, J. W. (2010). Acculturation: When individuals and groups of different cultural backgrounds meet. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 5(4), 472–481. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1745691610373075
  49. Schwartz, S. J., Vignoles, V. L., Brown, R., & Zagefka, H. (2014). The identity dynamics of acculturation and multiculturalism: Situating acculturation in context. In V. Benet-Martínez & Y.-Y. Hong (Eds.), The Oxford handbook of multicultural identity (pp. 57–93). Oxford University Press.
  50. Seidman, I. (2019). Interviewing as qualitative research: A guide for researchers in education and the social sciences (5th ed.). Teachers College Press.
  51. Smith, R. A., & Khawaja, N. G. (2011). A review of the acculturation experiences of international students. International Journal of Intercultural Relations, 35(6), 699–713. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijintrel.2011.08.004
  52. Starr-Glass, D. (2016). The self, the other, and the international student. Journal of International Students, 6(1), pp. 314–318. https://shorturl.at/TXzpf
  53. Starr-Glass, D. (2019). Seeing international students as students: Changing institutional classification, identity, and stereotype. In K. Bista (Ed.), Global Perspectives on International Student Experiences in Higher Education: Tensions and Issues (1st ed.), pp. 19–32). Routledge.
  54. Sullivan, C., & Kashubeck-West, S. (2015). The interplay of international students’ acculturative stress, social support, and acculturation modes. Journal of International Students, 5(1), 1–11. https://doi.org/10.32674/jis.v5i1.438
  55. Szapocznik, J., Scopetta, M. A., Kurtines, W., & Aranalde, M. D. (1978). Theory and measurement of acculturation. Inter-American Journal of Psychology, 12(2), 113–130.
  56. Tazzioli, M. (2020). Governing migrant mobility through mobility: Containment and dispersal at the internal frontiers of Europe. Environment and Planning C: Politics and Space, 38(1), 3–19. https://doi.org/10.1177/2399654419839065
  57. Tomasello, M., Kruger, A. C., & Ratner, H. H. (1993). Cultural learning. Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 16(3), 495–511. https://psycnet.apa.org/doi/10.1017/S0140525X0003123X
  58. van der Zee, K., & van Oudenhoven, J. P. (2022). Towards a dynamic approach to acculturation. International Journal of Intercultural Relations, 88, 119–124. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijintrel.2022.04.004
  59. van Manen, M. (1990). Researching lived experience: Human science for an action sensitive pedagogy. State University of New York Press.
  60. van Manen, M. (2014). Phenomenology of practice: Meaning-giving methods in phenomenological research and writing. Left Coast Press.
  61. van Manen, M. (2016). Researching lived experience: Human science for an action sensitive pedagogy. Routledge.
  62. Wa-Mbaleka, S., & Rosario, A. H. (Eds.). (2022). The SAGE handbook of qualitative research in the Asian context (1st ed). Sage.
  63. Wa-Mbaleka, S., & Ryszewski, S. (2012). Coping with culture shock in second language settings: A phenomenological study in the Philippines. IAMURE International Journal of Education, 4(1). https://doi.org/10.7718/iamure.ije.v4i1.447
  64. Ward, C., & Szabó, Á. (2023). Acculturation, cultural identity and well-being. Nature Reviews Psychology, 2(5), 267–282. https://doi.org/10.1038/s44159-023-00171-2
  65. Ward, C., Bochner, S., & Furnham, A. (2001). The psychology of culture shock. Routledge.
  66. Ward, C., Bochner, S., & Furnham, A. (2020). The psychology of culture shock. Routledge.