Author(s)

Shawn AdamsFollow

Date

4-2017

Department

School of Education

Degree

Doctor of Education (EdD)

Chair

Amanda Rockinson-Szapkiw

Keywords

Cultural Intelligence, Higher Education, International Students, Persistence, Retention

Disciplines

Bilingual, Multilingual, and Multicultural Education | Curriculum and Social Inquiry | Education | Educational Assessment, Evaluation, and Research | Other Education

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to explore factors that predict the persistence of international, non-immigrant students in higher education. A sample of international students from a four-year private university in Georgia served as the focused population for this study. Persistence research asserts that six factors predict persistence: academic integration, social integration, support services satisfaction, degree commitment, institutional commitment, and academic conscientiousness. These six predictor variables were measured via the College Persistence Questionnaire (CPQ). However, cultural intelligence (CQ) is another predictive factor that merited consideration for the unique population of international students. The Cultural Intelligence Scale (CQS) quantifies CQ and the corresponding subscales of cognitive CQ, metacognitive CQ, motivational CQ, and behavioral CQ. Data from both instruments were obtained from the sample of students identified (N=109). A hierarchical logistic regression was performed on the data acquired. The results of the analysis determined that there was not a statistically significant predictive relationship between the predictor variables (CPQ and CQS) and the criterion variable, persistence, operationalized as continued enrollment from one academic term to the next. However, an additional regression analysis determined that there was a statistically significant predictive relationship between cultural intelligence (CQ) and the student’s College Persistence Questionnaire (CPQ) score.

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