Abstract:

The main goal of the research is to explore the connection between international students’ acculturation strategies, the perceived success of acculturation and the potential for subsequent word of mouth about the host institution and the host country.

The qualitative research included 20 in-depth interviews with international students from Europe and outside Europe as well. The main interview theme incorporated topics about host country and host institution induced culture shock, applied coping (acculturation) strategies and the subsequent possibility and reasons for encouraging or discouraging friends to study in the host country and at the host institution.

Based on the qualitative content analysis of the interview transcripts, both European and non-European citizens, who studied in Europe, suffered similar level of culture shock. The individual stories indicate that those international students who collected little to zero information about the host culture before commencing the study abroad program were mostly unable to integrate in the new culture and their willingness to spread positive word of mouth was negligible.

The following factors emerged as patterns for successful acculturation process and subsequent positive word of mouth: proper preparation and information collection about the behavioral norms in the host culture, minimum intermediate speaking skills in the local language and a fair amount of trusted supporters abroad ranging from co-nationals who had (or still have) similar experiences, to professors and fellow international students in the class or place of living.

The results indicate that higher educational institutions could foster positive word of mouth with co-national assisted mentor programs, preliminary trainings for professors in order to appropriately approach international students of various cultural backgrounds and by offering widely advertised local language courses.

Keywords:

International students, culture shock, acculturation strategy, word of mouth in education, social interaction abroad.