Exploring the International Student Experience: Providing Insight through a Mixed-Methods Approach

Southern Illinois University Edwardsville (SIUE) is a Master’s level institution in the Midwest with a roughly 14,000 FTE that has been experiencing a dramatic increase in the enrollment of international students, up 30% respectively from 2014 to 2015. With the growing numbers of international students on campus, librarians sought to understand these students better and to create targeted services to meet their information needs. The researchers utilized a mixed-methods approach to explore the international student experience on campus and in the library. The methods included in-depth interviews, photo diaries, and a survey. The presenter will provide an overview of the methods and analysis, share common themes uncovered in the data, and the ways in which the data has been used to create change.