"Because of the Christian fellowship, i decided to stay": How participating in a Christian community shapes the social experiences of Chinese international students

Abstract

This ethnographic study examines how participation in a Christian church community shapes Chinese international undergraduate students' social experiences in an American university. Our findings reveal that Chinese international undergraduate students identify the church and its fellowship as (1) a social support community and (2) an informal learning community, one which fills in the gap in counseling services and interpersonal activities that the university fails to offer. Recommendations are made for higher education institutions to provide stronger support for international students, regardless of their nationalities and religions.