Factors Caribbean Overseas Students Perceive Influence Their Academic Self-Efficacy.

The migration of international students to pursue degrees in higher education has become a consistent trend. These individuals are different from other immigrants who travel from their home countries to work and live in other cultures because their status is as temporary sojourners (Martin & Harrell, 1996). In 2004, the U.S. led the world in having the most students involved in international education (Arthur, 2004). Six years later, The Open Doors (2010) annual report, published by the Institute of International Education, reported that the U.S. continued to host more international students than any other country in the world. The report also stated that there were 723,277 international students at associates' level, bachelor's level, master's level and doctoral level enrolled in the colleges and universities throughout the U.S. during the 2010-2011 school year. This number represented 3.5% of all higher education students throughout the U.S.There is a tendency to treat these sojourners as members of a homogenous group of learners (Arthur, 2004); however, the variability in their academic and personal preparation makes exploring their differences imperative. In addition, the lack of international standards for educational programs in many countries leads to variability in the knowledge base of this group (Arthur, 2004). Arthur (2004) believes that the one size fits all view about academic performance may be unrealistic since international students come from different academic backgrounds. It can therefore be presumed that these transient immigrants will have varying levels of academic self-efficacy that is probably influenced by varying factors. Therefore, the intent for this study was to discover what Caribbean overseas students believed influenced their academic self-efficacy, while attending U.S. universities.As the international student population continues to grow in the U.S. there is increased attention placed on the educational and mental health issues of these students to ensure that they are able to perform as expected academically (Mori, 2000). These students often experience various stressors related to academic and social interpersonal adjustment, financial concerns and language barriers (Chen, 1999). These adjustment stressors can affect a student's general self- efficacy about navigating through the host culture. Although all of these stressors need to be considered, this study focuses on one possible stressor concerning academic self-efficacy.The Open Doors, 2011 fact sheet, stated that there were 461,903 international students from the Asian region attending various universities throughout the United States. Not surprisingly, most professional literature about foreign students and their psychosocial and academic needs in the U.S. refers to Asian students (e.g., Indian, Chinese, Korean, and Japanese). Although the research data on Asian international students are helpful, these data are not always applicable to international and overseas students from other regions of the world. Therefore, there is a need to further explore issues, such as academic efficacy, that may be affecting other international sojourner populations.Caribbean Overseas StudentsThe Caribbean overseas student population, the group of interest for the present study, is defined as individuals from that region who are in the United States to engage in academic activities. This group includes students from the U.S. Virgin Islands, the Bahamas, and some South American islands (Guyana, Suriname, and French Guiana) that are considered to be a part of the Caribbean geopolitically. Additionally, any student who grew up in the region, but may have been born elsewhere, including the United States, was also considered a Caribbean overseas student.Much of the academic efficacy and performance information about this population is anecdotal and generalized. These students are generally thought to be successful. …