The impact of ethnicity on the sociocultural adjustment of international students in Thai higher education

International tertiary student mobility will continue to rise as governments and universities support diversity in education and prioritize international experience. With this mind, it should be a priority to study the impacts and impediments of student adjustment in their chosen countries. The authors advance a line of inquiry, which seeks to explore personal experiences of four distinct groups of tertiary students and identify the positives, and in particular the negative aspects of their study abroad experience. The central argument which heretofore has been understudied is that student ethnicity and incompatibility of ethnic group identities and their expressions mark the central feature inhibiting student adjustment within the Thai context.