National Diversity in Organisations: A study about integration between host and international students

Table of Contents

1 Introduction

1.1 Short overview of diversity research

1.2 Aim and Contribution of the final thesis

1.3 Structure

2 Intergroup behaviour

2.1 Social identity

2.2 Social categorisation

2.2.1 The concept of familiarity and social discrimination

2.3 Social comparison

2.3.1 In-group favouritism

2.3.2 In-group bias

2.4 Conclusion

3 The Acculturation

3.1 Multicultural ideology

3.2 Acculturation attitudes

3.3 The uni- and bidimensional model

3.4 Acculturation strategies

3.5 The Interactive Acculturation Model (IAM)

3.5.1 Host community acculturation orientations

3.5.2 Relational outcomes of host and foreign acculturation orientations

3.6 Conclusion

4 Research on immigrant- and international student populations

4.1 Overview of empirical studies

4.2 Applied social psychology theories

4.2.1 Social categorisation: minority group formation

4.2.2 Social identity: minority group identification

4.2.3 Social comparison: from national to international

4.3 Conclusion

5 Research design

5.1 Introduction

5.2 Aim of the research

5.2.1 Short outline of the Interactive Acculturation Model and its application

5.3 Participants and procedure

5.3.1 The interviews

5.3.2 The questionnaires

6 Findings

6.1 The group of German students

6.1.1 Applied acculturation strategies

6.2 The group of foreign students

6.2.1 Applied acculturation strategies

6.3 The group of Dutch students

6.3.1 Expected acculturation strategies

6.4 Relational outcomes

6.4.1 University life

6.4.2 Social life

7 Conclusion

7.1 Summary of results

7.2 Discussion

7.3 Limitations

7.4 Future research

7.5 Practical implications

7.6 Concluding remarks

Research Objectives and Themes

This thesis examines the relationship between international and host students at the Faculty of Economics and Business Administration, University Maastricht, to determine if their acculturation orientations are concordant or discordant, and to identify the underlying motives for their behaviors.

• Application of the Interactive Acculturation Model (IAM) to academic settings.
• Analysis of integration, assimilation, separation, and marginalization strategies.
• Identification of factors influencing acculturation (e.g., language skills, social networks, group size).
• Assessment of concordance/discordance between host and foreign student groups.

Excerpt from the Book

Summary of Chapters

1 Introduction: Provides an overview of national diversity research, establishes the research aim concerning student integration, and outlines the thesis structure.

2 Intergroup behaviour: Explains fundamental social psychology theories including social identity, social categorization, and social comparison to understand group interactions.

3 The Acculturation: Defines core concepts of multiculturalism and presents the Interactive Acculturation Model (IAM) as the framework for analyzing student relationships.

4 Research on immigrant- and international student populations: Connects social psychology theories to specific literature on international student populations and cross-cultural interaction.

5 Research design: Details the methodology, including qualitative interviews with German, Dutch, and foreign students at the University Maastricht.

6 Findings: Presents results on the acculturation strategies applied by different student groups and their relational outcomes in university versus social life.

7 Conclusion: Summarizes research findings, discusses theoretical implications, acknowledges study limitations, and proposes directions for future research.

Keywords

National Diversity, International Students, Acculturation, Social Identity, Social Categorization, Interactive Acculturation Model, IAM, Integration, Assimilation, Separation, Social Discrimination, University Maastricht, Intergroup Behaviour, Cross-cultural Contact.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the core focus of this research?

The study investigates the level of integration and the fit of acculturation orientations between international and Dutch host students within the specific environment of the Faculty of Economics and Business Administration at Maastricht University.

What are the primary theoretical frameworks used?

The research relies on social psychology theories, specifically Social Identity, Social Categorization, and Social Comparison, as well as Berry’s Acculturation Model and the Interactive Acculturation Model (IAM) by Bourhis et al.

What is the main objective of the thesis?

The primary aim is to determine if the relationship between international students and host students is concordant (consensual) or discordant (conflictual), while uncovering the reasons and emotions driving their specific acculturation behaviors.

Which methodology was chosen for this study?

The author employed qualitative research methods, utilizing semi-structured, face-to-face interviews with 15 first-year students to gain deep insights into motives that quantitative questionnaires might miss.

What does the main body of the work cover?

The main body covers a literature review on intergroup behavior and acculturation, the research design involving student interviews, and a detailed analysis of findings categorized by student groups (German, Foreign, and Dutch) and setting (University vs. Social life).

Which keywords characterize this academic work?

Key terms include national diversity, acculturation, international students, social identity, social categorization, and the Interactive Acculturation Model.

How does the large number of German students affect the findings?

The thesis finds that the large numerical size and homogeneity of the German student group leads to national separation, as they create their own social clusters, which in turn hinders their integration into the wider Dutch society.

Why are relational outcomes assessed separately for University and social life?

The findings indicate that acculturation behavior changes significantly between these two settings: while the University acts as an "artificial" international environment promoting integration, social life is heavily influenced by national associations and language barriers, leading to different relational outcomes.