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Community College International Students and their Campus Involvement

ABSTRACT This article reports on community college international students’ perspectives on opportunities for and levels of involvement in campus activities in and outside the classroom. Findings are based on focus groups with 24 international students from two large urban Midwestern community colleges. Guided by research, the study explored the major prior experiences that prepared the international students for study in the U.S., the beneficial involvements of these students in- and out-of-class while at the current community college, their awareness of opportunities for the engagement of international students on campus, their perception of existing interest in their culture of origin, and their overall sense of connectedness to the community college campus. The focus groups yielded an array of insights into these students’ involvement experiences related to the importance of English language skills upon arrival, the value of on-campus interactions, the interest in the students’ own cultures, and the overall sense of detachment these students shared. Our study has important implications for community college practices and policies related to international students, and suggest areas of potential interventions that can help community college staff, faculty, and leadership enhance international student involvement, and thus, positively influence the learning for all community college members.