Date

11-13-2025

Department

School of Education

Degree

Doctor of Philosophy in Education (PhD)

Chair

Jerry Woodbridge

Keywords

acculturation, acculturation theory, acculturative stress, immigrants, and resilience theory

Disciplines

Curriculum and Instruction | Education

Abstract

Global migration will continue to escalate in the future. In this transition process, the United States is a popular destination. Migrants are motivated by a variety of factors, including education, employment, and research. The purpose of this hermeneutic phenomenological study aimed to better understand lived experiences of acculturative stress among immigrant high school graduates in North Carolina. This qualitative design sought to get answers to the central research question: What are the lived experiences of immigrant high school graduates who encountered acculturative stress? The theoretical framework includes two theories that are essential to this study: acculturation theory, and resilience theory. The data collection methods incorporated surveys, interviews, and journaling. A criterion sampling of 10 participants aged 18 to 25 were employed for two universities. Snowballing was the other method used to locate participants. The data were analyzed by adapting Moustakas’s seven steps of common qualities of human science research. The results identified were categorized as themes and sub-themes from the three research sub-questions. The themes include discrimination and marginalization, focusing on academics, and immigrants embracing change. The sub-themes comprised of depression and fear, getting involved in extracurricular activities, and being focused, authentic, and resilient.

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