Challenges for Global Learners: A Qualitative Study of the Concerns and Difficulties of International Students.

According to the Institute of International Education (IIE, 2013) there are 819,644 international students studying in the U.S. IIE (2013) further provides data that the top ten countries from which these students come are China, India, South Korea, Saudi Arabia, Canada, Taiwan, Japan, Vietnam, Mexico, and Turkey. The top five programs in which these students engage are Business and Management, Engineering, Math and Computer Science, Social Sciences, and Physical and Life Sciences. In the fiscal year 2012-2013, international students contributed $24.7 billion to the U.S. economy through tuition and other living expenses (as cited in IIE, 2013). There are many relevant accounts that praise the contributions of the international student population in the United States. According to Levin (2008), about half of the U.S. Nobel Prize winners were foreign-born U.S. citizens. Similarly, U.S. research universities attracted the most outstanding students from around the world (Levin, 2008). These international students either remained in the United States or returned to their home country. As Levin (2008) pointed out, "If foreign graduates stay, they strengthen the productive capacity of the U.S. economy. If they go home, they increase the capacity of their home economies, but they also serve as ambassadors for openness, freedom of expression, and democracy" (p. 2). This benefits both counties in this relationship.A college education in the United States (U.S.) is arguably one of the best in the world (Hazelkorn, 2011). As such, the U.S. is possibly one of the world's most attractive destinations for international students wanting to capitalize on a first-class tertiary university education. According to the International Students Institute, international students make up 4% of the total U.S. higher education population with 38% being graduate students, 41 % undergraduate, 9% non-degree and 12% having graduated and pursuing optional practical training (International Educational Exchange, 2013). Notwithstanding the challenges and barriers to entry that comprise obtaining an F-1 or J-1 student visa prior to coming to the United States (Department of Homeland Security, 2012), many students continue to travel from around the world to pursue a university education in the United States. In data obtained from the Institute of International Education's (2015) website for the 2012/2013 academic year, the United States recognized 819,644 international students studying at U.S. colleges and universities. In addition, the population of international students attending institutions of higher learning in the U.S. grew by 7% over the prior year and is currently at a record high (International Educational Exchange, 2013). Despite their eagerness to study in the U.S., international students are faced with several obstacles upon arrival. Primarily these obstacles include language barriers, loneliness and homesickness, identity issues, changes in eating habits and other gastronomic adjustments, and financial setbacks (such as tuition, the cost of living, and the high cost of health insurance premiums). These difficulties take shape in a number of themes that will be discussed in this study.The purpose of this qualitative study was to identify key aspects of the experiences, perceptions, and challenges of international students attending a university in a small town in the U.S.Research questions:1) What are the challenges international learners regularly confront when studying at a small town university;2) Do these challenges differ or match the challenges of other international students; and, finally,3) What are the reasons why students encounter such challenges? LITERATURE REVIEWChallenges and Struggles of International StudentsStudies have shown that international students are lonely in their new environment because of not having familiar friends and social networks, of exposure to the new culture, and of being challenged by the linguistic and cultural nuances of language (McClure, 2007; Sawir, Marginson, Deumert, Nyland, & Ramia 2008; Ip, Chui, & Johnson, 2009). …