Habits of Mind of Immigrant Students in Higher Education

Abstract

This quantitative study, administered at a higher education institution, looked at what variation exists among immigrant students, domestic students, and international students as determined by analysis in the HERI CIRP Freshman Survey as measured by responses to Habits of Mind questions. Habits of Mind is a framework of attributes that focus on the thinking behaviors students demonstrate and which are indicative of how students will solve problems and perform life skills (Costa & Kallick, 2000). Using Costa and Kallick’s (2000, 2008) Habits of Mind attributes as a theoretical framework, student responses were analyzed to identify if variation existed among immigrant, domestic, and international student groups.

Findings indicated that the immigrant, domestic and international students provided similar responses to the majority of Habits of Mind questions. Differences existed between immigrant students’ and domestic students’ Habits of Mind Construct scores as demonstrated in the data analysis. Immigrant students were less likely than domestic students were to frequently or occasionally engage in habits such as asking a question in class or seeking an alternative solution to a problem. The results indicate that immigrant students could benefit from exposure to Habits of Mind training which could positively impact their academic success at a higher education institution. The findings suggest four-year institutions create wrap-around service programming for immigrant students similar to what exists for international students and first-generation students.