Journal of Student Research 2015

192 Journal Student Research encounter on a daily basis can inform us as to whether cultural integration is successfully taking place through social exchange. Further, domestic students’ perception of Saudi Arabian students can inform us on what conditions en courage social and cultural exchange between the two populations. A major goal of this exploratory is to identify factors that can inform us on how we can encourage cultural exchange between domestic students and Saudi Arabi an students at UW-Stout. This provides benefits in the form of encouraging domestic students to engage in more empathetic, open-minded thinking to strengthen relationships with their contemporaries from Saudi Arabia and vice versa. focuses on barriers to adjustment. Compared to their domestic counterparts, international students tend to experience greater adjustment difficulties and more distress during their initial transition into the university. These barriers include feelings of social loss due to exposure to an unfamiliar culture, and a lack of English language skills, which are necessary to integrating into Ameri can culture. (Paltridge & Schapper; Fincher & Shaw 2009; Rai, 2002; Hayes & Lin, 1994; Barratt & Huba, 1994). Past research identified positive correlation between international students’ experience and oral English language skills (Barratt & Huba, 1994; Coles & Swami, 2012). University of Wisconsin-Stout addresses this issue with the English as a Second Language (ESL) Institute. The program offers year-round English immersion courses to non-native English speakers, including free tutoring services, small class sizes, and a conversation partner program. The inability to effectively communicate with host nation locals is not the only potential barrier that international students face when attempting to adjust to academic life in a new country. The attitudes of others and the extent to which host nation locals make an effort to provide traditional options for foreign students must be examined. Upon arrival to the host nation, international students need to secure housing, a general food supply, and gain a general knowledge of the educational institution. Further, they are usually under pressure to settle in quickly in order to begin their academic work. Finding accommodation can be difficult. (Obeng-Odoom, 2012). International students arrive with less than a month to find housing. It is particularly difficult given their limited knowledge of local housing markets. This is made even more difficult when one takes into consideration international students’ limited knowledge of local housing markets. Research in Sydney, Australia reveals that internation al students’ knowledge of the housing market in Sydney was not, on average, Litherature Review Previous research in the area of international student integration