Social contact patterns of international students and their impact on academic adaptation

Social contact has been found to be both a success factor and an outcome of the international student sojourn. This two-stage mixed-methods case study sought to ascertain the role of social contact in the academic adaptation of a sample of international students undertaking taught postgraduate degrees in the United Kingdom. A self-report survey (N = 101) was first conducted to measure the degree of contact with three groups (co-nationals, host country nationals, and non-co-national international students), and its relationship with academic achievement and adaptation. Semi-structured interviews were then conducted with a group of volunteers (N = 17) to further explore their social contact patterns with these three groups. Findings suggest a significant positive relationship between the degree of contact with non-co-national international students and academic outcomes. We discuss implications and put forward a research agenda.