Associations Between Expectancy Violations and International Students' Perceptions of Acculturation, Loneliness and Emotional Well-Being

When students move abroad, they imagine what their life abroad would be like. These expectations can differ from reality and could lead to positive or negative expectancy violations. Based on Burgoon’s Expectancy Violation Theory, this research seeks to understand how expectancy violations regarding university support, inclusion with U.S. Americans, and friendships with international students are associated with acculturation, loneliness, and well-being. In addition, this study sought to understand how social capital is associated with acculturation, loneliness, and well-being. 136 international students from 25 different colleges and universities in the United States participated in the online survey. Multiple regressions were performed to understand the relationships between the expectancies and social capital as they relate to acculturation, loneliness, and well-being. Findings showed that when international students perceived that their expectations about university support were positively violated, they reported more acculturation, less loneliness, and more well-being. When they perceived that their expectations about inclusion with U.S. American students were positively violated, they reported more acculturation and well-being, and when they reported that their expectations about international students were positively violated, they reported less loneliness and more well-being. No significant relationships emerged between international students’ social capital and acculturation, loneliness, or well-being, suggesting that the amount of social capital is not as important as the degree and valence of expectancy violations. Considering the findings showed that the expectancy violations about university support were significantly related to the acculturation, loneliness, and well-being of students, universities should not only set students expectations in line with reality, but also support students through their acculturation, loneliness, and well-being. Universities should provide support for students to establish a few meaningful relationships. This could be done through, for example, volunteering opportunities or small-scale events focused on building strong relationships.