Socio-cultural and Academic Adaptation of International Students at the University of Zadar

Cilj ovog diplomskog rada je pomoću polustrukturiranog intervjua ispitati internacionalne studente koji su proveli jedan ili više semestara na Sveučilištu u Zadru o kvaliteti njihove sociokulturne i akademske prilagodbe s fokusom na uključenost među studentima matične ustanove. Tema interkulturne prilagodbe je sveprisutna u svakodnevici gotovo svake države ne samo zbog pojačane strategije EU što se tiče studentske razmjene već i zbog prilagodbe izbjeglica koje se također nalaze u procesu kulturne prilagodbe. Ovim radom se želi usmjeriti pozornost na razloge zašto je važno pripremiti studente na odlazak u novu kulturu. Zbog toga će se obraditi najvažnije teorije kulturne prilagodbe koje nastoje objasniti sam tijek te izazove koji se javljaju u obliku faza. Studenti su tijekom intervjua govorili o svojoj osobnosti, motivaciji odlaska u inozemstvo te su izrazili svoje zadovoljstvo sa sveukupnom organizacijom. Ispitano je postoji li kontakst s lokalnim studentima te jesu studenti ostali u kontaktu što je važan pokazatelj uspješne uključenosti. Također se želi naglasiti potreba za uspostavljanjem dobre povezanost s više inozemnih sveučilišta te će se navesti prednosti kvalitetne povezanosti. Budući da postoji manjak kvalitativnih istraživanja internacionalnih studenata u novijim članicama EU-a ovo bi istraživanje moglo biti od koristi za buduća istraživanja na ovome području.The aim of this thesis is to use a semi-structured interview to examine international students who have spent one or more semesters at the University of Zadar, about the quality of their socio-cultural and academic adjustment focusing on inclusion among students of the home institution. The topic of intercultural inclusion is omnipresent in the daily life of almost every country, not only because of the enhanced EU strategy regarding student exchange, but also because of the inclusion of refugees who are also in the process of cultural inclusion. This paper aims to draw attention to the reasons why it is important to prepare students to study abroad in a new culture. Therefore, the most important theories of cultural inclusion that seek to explain the process itself and the challenges that arise in phases will be addressed. During the interview, the students talked about their personality, motivation to go abroad and expressed their satisfaction with the overall organization. It was examined whether they befriended any local students and whether students remained in contact, which is an important indicator of successful inclusion. The need to establish good connections with several foreign universities is also emphasized, and the advantages of high-quality connections will be stated. As there is a lack of qualitative research about international students in the newer EU member states, this research could be useful for future research in this area