Social Adjustment Among Students Growing Up in Foreign Mission-Field Contexts

Abstract

This study utilized a qualitative research method with a sample of 24 students at a private evangelical Christian university in the midwest. The students’ developmental years had been spent growing up in mission foreign-field contexts as missionary kids (MKs). In-depth interviews were conducted and transcribed, with coding and theme analysis applied to the data provided by the students. The intent of the project was to provide a phenomenological perspective of college-life adjustment for the students in our sample. Our findings suggest that MK students have particular desires to fit into American culture and not be seen as awkward among their peers who possess no foreign culture experiences. In addition, data suggest that MK students in our sample lacked adequate social support networks and/or did not take advantage of the resources available to them on campus. Suggestions are made for how college-life adjustments might improve based on the findings from the research study.