New to the US: Understanding the Role of CMC in International Students' Adaptation to the US

Studying abroad and adjusting to a new environment can be very stressful for non-native English-speaking international students due to challenges of language and culture. Previous research shows that computer-mediated communication (CMC) tools have the potential to help newcomers adjust to new environments. However, it is not clear what the role of communication tools is in newcomer international students' adaptation to the US. We conducted 17 semi-structured interviews with international students from China, Korea, and Japan to understand their adjustment challenges and how they use CMC tools to address them. We found that international students use CMC tools for finding reliable information, building new social networks, and providing an alternative channel for engaging in the US classroom. Based on these findings, we propose design implications for tools to better support international students' adjustment to the US.