We Are Swans: An Ecological Analysis of U.S. International Students Experiences of Higher Education Satisfaction

Background and Purpose: International students make important contributions to the U.S. academy and broader society; however, their numbers continue to decline in the face of an unwelcoming and unsupportive environment compared to their counterparts worldwide. Asian international students have been adversely impacted by racism and discrimination before and during Covid-19. To maintain a competitive edge in attracting international students given their important contributions, it is vital to understand factors related to international student satisfaction. Guided by ecological theory, this study explored student perceptions of satisfaction and what individual, social and systems-level factors contributed to student satisfaction.

Methods: Of 923 survey responses, 393 were excluded based on inclusion criteria;107 responses were excluded due to excessive missingness; 423 responses were included in the study. Satisfaction was measured from 4 dimensions: (1) academic achievement, (2) academic field, discipline, or major, (3) school, and (4) decision to pursue their education in U.S. The independent variables of interest are academic confidence, quality of major school services, school social support, and Perceived Social Support Scale (PSSS). Hierarchical regression analyses were conducted to measure the added value of the model fit for each step of demographics and school characteristics, academic factors and school and social support experiences on scores of satisfactions. Open-ended questions were analyzed as supplementary data. Memoing and peer debriefing were used to enhance the rigor of qualitative analysis.

Results: Model 1 with only demographics accounted for 9.2% of the variance in satisfaction scores. Model 2, which was included academic confidence, academic resource utilization and major school service utilization, explained an additional 20.5% of the variance in the satisfaction score. School support and perceived social supports were added in Model 3 where explained an additional 13.6% of variance in satisfaction scores from Model 2. In Model 3, the satisfaction scores of Asian students remained significantly lower than that of White students while students who identified their religion as Buddhism, and cis woman students remained significantly higher than their counterpart groups. Students with higher scores in school social support and Perceived Social Support Scale were associated with higher satisfaction scores. Open-ended responses were summarized regarding interactions with faculty and staff and overall satisfaction.

Themes identified across all respondent groups included feeling seen or recognized, being welcomed, and receiving effective support. The findings of qualitative data confirmed Asian participants’ experiences of racism and discrimination on and off campus and the role of friends, faculty, staff, and their institutions in shaping their experiences.

Conclusion and Implications: International students contribute substantial benefits to their host institutions and country. Our findings show the importance of strength-based approaches that acknowledges the value of international students, much just as the proverbial baby swan when its worth was recognized by itself and others. Like the proverbial swans in the Ugly Duckling Story, international student flourishing is impacted by whether peers, faculty, staff, institutions, and broader society recognize and provide support for their unique struggles and contributions. Findings show the need to improve U.S. international students’ experiences at all levels individually and in combination.