"Because of the Christian fellowship, i decided to stay": How participating in a Christian community shapes the social experiences of Chinese international students

Anke Li; Chi Nguyen; Jinhee Choi

doi:10.3390/socsci8080234

"Because of the Christian fellowship, i decided to stay": How participating in a Christian community shapes the social experiences of Chinese international students

Anke Li, Chi Nguyen, Jinhee Choi

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

1 Scopus citations

Abstract

This ethnographic study examines how participation in a Christian church community shapes Chinese international undergraduate students' social experiences in an American university. Our findings reveal that Chinese international undergraduate students identify the church and its fellowship as (1) a social support community and (2) an informal learning community, one which fills in the gap in counseling services and interpersonal activities that the university fails to offer. Recommendations are made for higher education institutions to provide stronger support for international students, regardless of their nationalities and religions.

Original language	English (US)
Article number	234
Journal	Social Sciences
Volume	8
Issue number	8
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci8080234
State	Published - Aug 1 2019
Externally published	Yes

Keywords

Chinese international students
Christianity
Higher education
Religious community

ASJC Scopus subject areas

General Social Sciences

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10.3390/socsci8080234

Cite this

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"Because of the Christian fellowship, i decided to stay": How participating in a Christian community shapes the social experiences of Chinese international students

Abstract

Keywords

ASJC Scopus subject areas

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