Author Biography
Eunsong Park earned her BA (equivalent to BSW) in Social Welfare from Chung-Ang University in Seoul, Korea. She subsequently completed her MSSW at the University of Texas at Austin School of Social Work and earned her PhD from the University of Maryland School of Social Work in 2024. Her research interests included the experiences of higher education students, particularly international students. She also conducted studies on the implementation of recovery support services in Maryland and examined health outcomes among individuals with opioid use disorder. She has extensive expertise in designing and conducting both quantitative and qualitative research studies, with a focus on collecting and analyzing primary data. She is proficient in using statistical software such as STATA, SAS, SPSS, and NVivo, and is skilled in creating surveys with the Qualtrics platform. She is currently employed as a social insurance specialist at the Social Security Administration.
Corey S. Shdaimah is Daniel Thursz Distinguished Professor of Social Justice at the University of Maryland Baltimore where she has taught MSW and PhD student for 18 years in the areas of qualitative research and social welfare policy and runs a biannual social justice lecture series. Her research, which employs primarily qualitative and participatory methods, focus on how people navigate policies on the ground that they perceive as ineffective and unjust. She has law degrees from Tel Aviv University and University of Pennsylvania and a PhD from Bryn Mawr College Graduate School of Social Work and Social Research. She is also founder and director of the Community Justice and Equity (CJaE) Initiative at UMB School of Social Work.
Yao Wang earned her BA in Japanese Language from Shanghai International Studies University in China. She completed her MSW at The Ohio State University in 2017 and earned her PhD from the University of Maryland Baltimore in 2024. Her research interests focus on social support and emerging adulthood outcomes among older youth and young adults from marginalized populations, using both quantitative and qualitative research methods. She is also passionate about the implementation of intervention research. Recently, she joined the School of Social Work at the University of Texas at Arlington as an assistant professor.
Abstract
International students make important contributions to the US academic landscape and broader society; however, their numbers continue to decline in the face of an unwelcoming and unsupportive environment compared to their counterparts worldwide. This manuscript presents findings from a student satisfaction survey (n = 423) that included both multiple-choice and open-ended questions. We used the ecological model and the Spanning Systems Model as a framework, looking at how individual, community, institutional, and larger societal factors impacted the experiences of international students in the US. For quantitative analysis, hierarchical multiple linear regressions were conducted to examine factors associated with student satisfaction. Short-answer question responses were used as supplementary data to provide additional insights into the quantitative findings. These responses were coded using sensitizing themes derived from our theoretical framework and emergent themes identified within the responses. Asian students reported significantly lower satisfaction scores than White students, while higher school support and perceived social support were associated with greater satisfaction. Findings indicate that international student flourishing is impacted by micro, meso, and exosystem factors, separately and in combination. Respondents described the importance of being recognized and supported for their unique struggles and contributions, as international students, by peers, faculty, staff, and institutions, particularly in times of societal uncertainty or hostility. This study highlights the importance of addressing U.S. international students’ experiences across all system levels. Interactions within one level can either alleviate or intensify challenges at other levels, ultimately influencing overall satisfaction.
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Eunsong Park, Corey Shdaimah, Yao Wang
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