Stress, adaptation, growth: International students' approaches to scholarly research and academic integrity

Abstract

ABSTRACT International students often face unique challenges in adapting to higher education in the United States, and may benefit from specialized academic support. This paper and the accompanying poster outline the findings of a qualitative study exploring international graduate students' adaptation processes as evidenced by their information seeking and use activities. The study was informed by Kim's cross‐cultural adaptation theory. Semi‐structured interviews developed using critical incident technique were conducted with 30 international graduate students enrolled at three North Carolina universities. Participants described a variety of difficulties related to information seeking including finding and understanding resources, and explained how they addressed these challenges. They generally recognized the significance of American academic integrity standards, acknowledging the importance of proper citation and understanding faculty expectations. This paper explores the study findings through the lens of Kim's stress‐adaptation‐growth dynamic. Findings have practical implications for librarians, and other faculty and staff who provide support and training to international students in the United States.

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