College students of Portuguese interviewed international students from Portuguese-speaking countries to find out what were their biggest challenges moving to the US and how they overcame them. A brochure containing tips for future Portuguese-speaking students coming to Michigan State University was created based on what was learned from the interviews. The brochure containing tips on cultural norms, academic performance, and what to expect on each season is now available at MSU international departments and clubs involved with this community of students.
Developing an interview protocol
Interview
Tasks not specified.
Implementation information not specified.
Students were divided into three groups. Each group was responsible to develop questions about three different phases: before moving to the US, right after moving to the US, and currently. Students were given freedom to explore any topics they judged to be relevant. Lastly, each group shared their questions with the others who gave them feedback.
Students without experience abroad may not know about obstacles when studying abroad. Pair them with others who already studied abroad. If very few have, more scaffolding is needed.
In this step, six interviews were scheduled with six different international students coming from Portuguese-speaking countries. The first student interviewed was used a pilot-interview where students were able to discuss their approach and make the necessary adjustments to the questions and approach.
Students gathered their notes from the interviews to be analyzed. Common themes were identified and explored. Students selected the main points from each theme and wrote tips based on them.
Students gathered the tips they developed from the analysis to insert in the brochure they developed.
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