Evaluation of a Curriculum for International Students Studying Public Health in the U.S. Pubblico

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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School	Rollins School of Public Health
Department	Career Masters of Public Health
Degree	MPH
Submission	Master's Thesis
Language	English
Research Field	Health Sciences, Public Health
Parola chiave	Public Health Education International Students
Committee Chair / Thesis Advisor	Miner, Kathleen R, Emory University
Committee Members	Butler, Susan O, Emory University Alperin, Melissa, Emory University

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