Location
University of Nevada, Las Vegas
Start Date
8-6-2010 12:00 AM
End Date
10-6-2010 12:00 AM
Description
The number of international students at colleges and universities in the United States increased to a record high of 623,805 in the 2007/08 academic year (Institute of International Education, 2008). Among them, 81,127 (13%) students were from China, which is the second- leading place of origin for students coming to the United States, trailing only India (Institute of International Education, 2008). Due to the importance of international students to culturally diverse make-up of colleges and universities, American institutions have developed support services to assist international students with a variety of special needs ranging from adjusting to the academic requirements, to dealing with cultural factors of being submerged in new societal settings (Heggins & Jackson, 2003). The literature suggests there is one more element that is important in college students’ experience: leisure. Leisure forms a major component of active campus life, spanning a range of activities from daydreaming or drinking beer at the campus pub to tutoring disadvantaged children (Bloland, 1987). However, how international college students spend their leisure time and how their different cultures have impact on their leisure behavior has not been studiedextensively. Few empirical investigations focused on international students and no theory or process model of leisure behavior of international students exists. Therefore, this study intended to develop a theoretic model of Chinese students’ leisure behavior in American universities. In the study, we selected the grounded theory approach to construct a preliminary paradigm model of Chinese student’s leisure behavior based on in-depth interviews.
Keywords
American university; Chinese students – Foreign countries; College students – Recreation; Grounded theory; Leisure; Leisure behavior: United States; Universities and colleges
Disciplines
Education | Leisure Studies
A Grounded theory of Chinese students' leisure behavior in American university
University of Nevada, Las Vegas
The number of international students at colleges and universities in the United States increased to a record high of 623,805 in the 2007/08 academic year (Institute of International Education, 2008). Among them, 81,127 (13%) students were from China, which is the second- leading place of origin for students coming to the United States, trailing only India (Institute of International Education, 2008). Due to the importance of international students to culturally diverse make-up of colleges and universities, American institutions have developed support services to assist international students with a variety of special needs ranging from adjusting to the academic requirements, to dealing with cultural factors of being submerged in new societal settings (Heggins & Jackson, 2003). The literature suggests there is one more element that is important in college students’ experience: leisure. Leisure forms a major component of active campus life, spanning a range of activities from daydreaming or drinking beer at the campus pub to tutoring disadvantaged children (Bloland, 1987). However, how international college students spend their leisure time and how their different cultures have impact on their leisure behavior has not been studiedextensively. Few empirical investigations focused on international students and no theory or process model of leisure behavior of international students exists. Therefore, this study intended to develop a theoretic model of Chinese students’ leisure behavior in American universities. In the study, we selected the grounded theory approach to construct a preliminary paradigm model of Chinese student’s leisure behavior based on in-depth interviews.