Evaluation of a Curriculum for International Students Studying Public Health in the U.S. Open Access
Patrick, Holly Rebecca (2013)
Abstract
Hundreds of thousands of international students come to the U.S. to study every year. Many of these students are enrolled in schools of public health, which educate professionals in health promotion and disease prevention. While their financial contributions (e.g., tuition payments, living expenses) make a positive impact on the U.S. economy and on universities' budgets, their presence in the classroom helps prepare American students for interacting in a globally connected world. However, when international students arrive in the U.S., they are met with a broad set of challenges, including the pressure to perform academically while at the same time learning to communicate effectively in a foreign language, adapt to a different culture, and study in an unfamiliar environment. Providing resources that address these challenges furthers universities' goal of ensuring that international students succeed in school and contribute to high quality public health practice in the U.S. and around the world. To this end, Studying Public Health in the U.S.A.: A Guide for International Students was developed, with the objective of providing answers to the most common questions posed by international students of public health and offering information and recommendations that will help guide them toward the achievement of their academic, social and career goals. To determine how well the Guide meets its objectives, a formative evaluation of the curriculum was conducted with expert reviewers - international students and university staff. The results of the evaluation revealed that extensive changes need to be made to the content in order to ensure that the curriculum is comprehensive and that all of the information is the Guide is accurate.
Table of Contents
LIST OF TABLES ii
LIST OF APPENDICES ii
CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION 1
Introduction 1
Purpose of Thesis 3
Research Questions 4
Definition of Terms 5
CHAPTER II: REVIEW OF LITERATURE 6
Overview 8
Culture Shock 8
Unfamiliar Academic Culture 9
Lack of Social Support 11
Limited English Language Proficiency 13
Key Population: Chinese Students 16
Theoretical Framework 20
Public Health Implications 21
CHAPTER III: METHODOLOGY 23
Target Population and Sample 23
Data Collection Instruments 24
Data Collection Procedures 25
Data Analysis 26
Limitations and Deliminations 26
CHAPTER IV: RESULTS 27
Focus Group Results 27
Key Informant Interview Results 29
CHAPTER IV: CONCLUSIONS, IMPLICATIONS, AND RECOMMENDATIONS 31
Conclusions 31
Implications 32
Recommendations 32
REFERENCES 33
APPENDICES 38
APPENDIX A: Focus Group Letter 38
APPENDIX B: Key Informant Letter 39
APPENDIX C: Focus Group Guide 40
APPENDIX D: Interview Guide 42
APPENDIX E: Focus Group Results 43
APPENDIX F: Interview Results 46
APPENDIX G: Studying Public Health in the U.S.: A Guide for International Students 64
About this Master's Thesis
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Primary PDF
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Evaluation of a Curriculum for International Students Studying Public Health in the U.S. () | 2018-08-28 15:08:31 -0400 |
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Supplemental Files
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ESL MPH Guide 4_3_13.pdf () | 2018-08-28 15:12:49 -0400 |
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