ABSTRACT: Immigration trends in the beginning of the new millennium represent a significant force in shaping population characteristics in the United States. Census data on age and education of foreign-born individuals indicate that they have the potential to enter the higher education system. Meanwhile community colleges appeal to the educational needs of immigrants in search of language training, job skills, and career opportunities. The primary purpose of the study was to investigate the relationship between factors of adjustment to life in the U.S. and motivation for educational participation among immigrant students enrolled in advanced English as a Second Language (ESL) courses at a community college in South Florida.

The influence of culture on learning and motivation has been the topic of much research in recent years. Educational and psychological researchers are now aware that the findings of their studies may not apply to other cultures, and that in this age of globalization and multiculturalism it is very important to examine the applicability of psychoeducational constructs to other cultures. Understanding learning and motivational characteristics of students of diverse backgrounds will enable educators to develop appropriate curriculum and teaching strategies to motivate these students. The aim of this book is to present research findings and views of scholars and researchers in the field of motivation and learning, from a multicultural and international perspective. Educators and scholars from different parts of the world have examined recent learning and motivation theories in different cultural contexts in order to explore the dynamics of sociocultural processes affecting student motivation. Others have focused on teaching and learning strategies that are known to be effective with culturally diverse students.

Understanding the factors which contribute to international student academic outcomes is complex. Current research explored in Chapter 2 has identified certain factors of an international student's experience which have been linked to academic outcomes including academic adjustment, acculturative stress, cultural adjustment, social network development, and English language confidence. Due to the complexity of these factors, there is a gap in research literature explaining the true nature of the role curricular and co-curricular program participation has on academic outcomes. This study explores known factors influencing academic outcomes alongside curricular and co-curricular program participation to better understand the effect program participation has on an international student's academic success. A better understanding of this phenomenon provides universities an opportunity to improve the curricular and co-curricular support they offer to international students thereby increasing the accountability to international students who participate in the programming and to universities who allocate resources in support of the programs. International students attending a large public institution of higher education on the U.S. west coast, known in this research though the pseudonym River City University, were surveyed online about their international student experience. Respondents answered questions about their demographics, curricular and co-curricular program participation, GPA, and measures shown to influence adjustment and acculturation including academic adjustment, English language proficiency, life satisfaction, social connections, acculturative stress, and cultural intelligence. The data was then analyzed for simple bivariate correlations and tested through regression analysis to identify any mediators of the relationship between program participation and self-reported GPA. This research confirmed the complex nature of the factors contributing to the international student experience. Several items were found to have statistically significant correlations which confirmed how interwoven and complex this phenomenon is. In addition, several mediators of the relationship between program participation and GPA were identified, including academic lifestyle, academic motivation, social connection, and different types of social networks. Future research should explore the nature of which factors may be contributing to the mediated relationships found in order to more fully explain factors which may moderate or co-mediate the relationship.

The volume 3 of this series is designed to present educators with current research and emerging issues in teaching, learning and motivation in a multicultural context. The book is separated into four sections. In the introduction section we have outlined some of the current issues and recent thoughts about the nature of learning, teaching, and school reforms from a multicultural perspective.

Focuses on the "Transitions" that take place at major points of potential discontinuity in students' developmental trajectories and across contexts at a given time point. In this title, development literature has examined how children's motivation and achievement are affected by the shift from pre-school to school.