School of Management Wins $50K Grant to Study International Student Experience

Photo: NYIT School of Management faculty member Amr Swid, Ph.D., (above) and Joshua Bienstock, J.D., are studying intercultural adjustment from an international student's perspective.

Two NYIT School of Management assistant professors have been awarded a $50,000 grant to find out how international students deal with challenges in a new country. Lead investigator Amr Swid, Ph.D., and Joshua Bienstock, J.D., will explore how a student’s personality and cultural intelligence contribute to their experiences abroad. Their research will also examine how international students can best resolve conflicts.

“The results of this project should provide important insights into the multiple variables that affect international student adjustment, and what can be done to ensure that these students succeed,” said Swid, who specializes in newcomer adjustment within organizations.

Bienstock, whose research specialty is conflict resolution, said, “Given NYIT's global reach and the increased globalization of education generally, it is crucial to find ways to help international students adjust to living and studying in a new culture.”

According to Swid, international students contribute $30.5 billion annually to the U.S. economy. At NYIT, almost 20 percent of students come from outside the United States, including those studying at the university’s campuses in Canada, China, and the United Arab Emirates.

Swid noted that he and Bienstock are looking for ways to improve the international student experience from the students’ perspective. Many NYIT faculty and staff members were once international students themselves, including Swid, who earned his graduate degrees in the United Kingdom. “Studying in the U.K. is one of the best decisions I have ever made,” he said.

Swid and Bienstock will survey a body of international students to assess the students’ experience in coping with the educational system and cultural differences in the United States. Data will be collected in two waves over six months, and they expect to publish their findings in 2018. Swid noted, “To our knowledge, this will be the first systematic investigation of the variables of personality, conflict resolution, and cultural intelligence in student adjustment.”

The research is supported by the Mallah Family Foundation, which funds research in higher education.