IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/spr/reihed/v66y2025i1d10.1007_s11162-024-09821-7.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Language Proficiency, Second Language Educational Experience, and Psychological Well-being Among International Students at U.S. Universities

Author

Listed:
  • Qiaona Yu

    (Wake Forest University)

  • Nelson C. Brunsting

    (University of Florida
    Wake Forest University)

  • Jonathan Smart

    (Wake Forest University)

  • W. Patrick Bingham

    (Wake Forest University)

Abstract

Study abroad comes with challenges, yet it is not clear how language proficiency may longitudinally predict students’ social engagement and well-being. Recent changes in international student demographics, including age decreases and increased international school backgrounds, may also affect students’ well-being. This study views language as a culturally specific symbolic tool that serves cognitive, social, and emotional interactions, both interpersonal and intrapersonal. By surveying 387 international students from 14 U.S. universities over 1.5 years, this study explored the role of English proficiency in facilitating students’ adaptability to psychosocial challenges and well-being. The findings suggested that both English proficiency and prior-to-admission second language educational experience predict well-being, while the latter may have afforded more nonacademic adjustment to international students’ continuous social engagement. In addition, the onset of social engagement and sense of belonging showed a likely importance which highlights the value of pre-study-abroad programming for facilitating international students’ continuous social engagement.

Suggested Citation

  • Qiaona Yu & Nelson C. Brunsting & Jonathan Smart & W. Patrick Bingham, 2025. "Language Proficiency, Second Language Educational Experience, and Psychological Well-being Among International Students at U.S. Universities," Research in Higher Education, Springer;Association for Institutional Research, vol. 66(1), pages 1-19, February.
  • Handle: RePEc:spr:reihed:v:66:y:2025:i:1:d:10.1007_s11162-024-09821-7
    DOI: 10.1007/s11162-024-09821-7
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s11162-024-09821-7
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: Access to the full text of the articles in this series is restricted.

    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1007/s11162-024-09821-7?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:spr:reihed:v:66:y:2025:i:1:d:10.1007_s11162-024-09821-7. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    We have no bibliographic references for this item. You can help adding them by using this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.springer.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.