| With the globalization of education, an increasing number of foreign students are enrolling in U.S. colleges and universities (Open Doors, 2013). These international students encounter a myriad of challenges as they adjust to student life in the US (Mokua, 2012). By examining the challenges face by international students, researchers hope to find ways to improve the student experience. While many specific student groups have been studied, prior to the present study, there has been limited research focused on the experiences of international students from Kenya studying in the US (Mutai, 2007). The present qualitative study explored the lived experiences of Kenyan students enrolled in community colleges in the state of Georgia to determine what challenges these students face and what academic, social, and psychological adjustments they make in response to those challenges. The researcher interviewed 10 Kenyan immigrant students and analyzed the data from those interviews. The research demonstrated that Kenyan immigrant students face challenges related to culture shock; language barriers; the need to balance family, school, and work life; the high cost of living, insufficient support systems, and negative emotions associated with their transition from Kenya to the US. The research also demonstrated that these students develop a number of coping strategies including aligning their cultural expectations, mediating language barriers, working while in school, seeking additional financial and social resources, establishing new support systems, and working to integrate into their local communities. Based on the findings, it is clear that more can and should be done to ease the transitions for foreign students. |
