A comparative study of adjustment difficulties of American male and female students in Israeli institutions of higher learning

The study addressed four research questions concerning the adjustment difficulties experienced by Americans who were studying in Israeli colleges, universities, and yeshivoth. Furthermore, four hypotheses were tested which dealt with gender differences in the adjustment process. In November and December of 1989, 671 American undergraduates in Israeli institutions were surveyed to determine how difficult it was for them to make fifty-three specific school-related adjustments. Each participant completed the Study Abroad Adjustment Inventory (SAAI), which was created by the writer specifically for this research. The SAAI categorized the adjustment difficulties into four general areas: Hebrew language, academic matters, personal situations, and living arrangements. It utilized four extent-of-difficulty response alternatives: 1.00 = none, 2.00 = not serious, 3.00 = serious, 4.00 = very serious, to assess student difficulty with each adjustment. The four hypotheses were tested by using the t test statistic. Significance was set at the.05 level. Study findings indicated that the sample of students in this research reported the most serious (X = 2.87) and most frequent adjustment difficulties in the "living arrangements" problem area among the four problem areas considered. Overall, the mean student extent-of-difficulty response to each of the set of fifty-three adjustments presented on the SAAI did not exceed 3.00 (serious). A significant disparity in adjustment difficulty was found between males and females for eighteen of the fifty-three adjustments. Males had more difficulty than females adjusting to matters in the "personal situations" problem area. Female students encountered significantly more difficulties than males adjusting to problems in the "academic matters" area. No significant gender difference was found regarding the "living arrangements" or "Hebrew language" problem areas. Although more than one third of study subjects reported that their mastery of the Hebrew language before starting to study in Israel was "none" to "poor," their adjustment difficulty with the "Hebrew language" problem area was less than "not serious" (X = 1.78). One study conclusion is that competency in Hebrew is not essential for a successful adjustment by American students, similar to those in this sample, to study in Israeli colleges, universities, and yeshivoth. The findings are interpreted for their meaning to directors of foreign student programs in Israeli post-secondary institutions and to advisors in the United States of American students planning to study abroad.