Abstract
Purpose. This phenomenological study explored Middle Eastern students' perceptions of the impact of academic self-efficacy and how these perceptions influenced and ultimately shaped their experiences and academic performance while attending U.S. colleges and universities.Theoretical Framework. This study used social cognitive theory (SCT) as a theoretical framework. Individuals' perceived self-efficacy influences their task choice and their performance, effort, and persistence in pursuing a task (Bandura, 1997). Therefore, SCT was essential to understand the experiences of Middle Eastern international students as they pursue their academic dreams at American colleges and universities.Methodology. A phenomenological design was used to explore the lived experiences of 12 Middle Eastern students who attended colleges or universities in the United States. Semi-structured, in-depth, open-ended interviews were used to uncover the essence of their experiences that helped shape their college lives.Findings and Conclusions. Four themes emerged from this study: Issues of acculturation, collaboration, awareness of self-efficacy toward academic achievement, and finally, perception of ability and achievement. The key themes were elements of Middle Eastern students' understandings of academic self-efficacy and reflected how their perceptions and understandings of self-efficacy shaped their college experience. The findings led to recommendations for developing strategies to address the needs of Middle Eastern students as they pursue their educational dreams at colleges and universities across the United States.Recommendations. Faculty members and institutional administrators can help Middle Eastern students be better prepared to transition to the new culture of their host university in the United States. Effective orientation sessions before and after arrival in the United States can improve students' readiness for the transition and create a positive academic environment. Self-efficacy training programs in the early stages of college life can have far-reaching effects on increasing students' perceptions of self-efficacy, leading to higher levels of engagement and reducing acculturation stressors of loneliness and isolation. Future research should be conducted with female Middle Eastern participants before, during, and after entering college life and should include more institutions in different regions of the United States.