Doctor of Philosophy

Abstract

dissertationThis dissertation adds to the literature on campus climate in higher education in the United States, by 1) focusing on international students, especially those from China and Saudi Arabia, and their perceptions of the classroom climate as the racialized Other, in particular, their feelings of being welcomed or not welcomed; and 2) examining their perceptions of, and reactions to, pedagogical practices and peer behaviors that marginalized and/or included them. The mixed-methods study was conducted at three predominantly White institutions in the Intermountain West, utilizing the theoretical framework of campus climate and the White racial frame. Qualitative and quantitative data found the international students to be somewhat ambivalent in their perceptions of the campus climate, reporting that it was both welcoming and unwelcoming. Perceptions of the classroom climate were found to be associated with those of the campus climate, with the role of the professor as essential to their fee