Career Development for Chinese International Undergraduate Students at a Four-Year US Institution

This study explores the navigation and approaches that Chinese undergraduate international students in the US are utilizing for their career development. The enrollment of undergraduate international students in the U.S. has been growing for over a decade. More specifically, China is one of the top places of origin from which international students come. They came to the US to experience a different educational environment and more possibilities for their future. Career development is a long-term process, and Chinese international students also have the need to make career plans and decisions as part of their college experience. However, international students are often treated as one collective group to provide services and support because of the lack of cultural representation and understanding at institutions that perceive international students as a monolithic group. Chinese international students have unfulfilled needs for career support in their career development process. Two research questions guide this study: 1) How do Chinese international students navigate their career development and the approaches they plan to use in the career search process? 2) How are Chinese international students' career-related experiences influenced by career supports on campus? The qualitative research methodology and a combined framework of SCCT and RCID explore the navigation of career development and how on-campus career support influences their career experiences among Chinese international students. The findings present various factors and considerations involved in their career development and the satisfaction with the uninformed career resources that were available to them. Lastly, I have provided conceptual and theoretical implications for future research that is also interested in utilizing the combined framework. Also, there are implications for practitioners and future research to explore further career development for Chinese international students. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]