Design guidelines for educational chatbots: supporting international students’ acculturation in higher education

Abstract

This study explored acculturative stressors experienced by HE international students studying in the UK and investigated their views on the potential of chatbots in supporting acculturation. To achieve these objectives, a two-phased mixed methods study design was designed. Firstly, 45 postgraduate international students participated in a longitudinal study across six months completing the Acculturative Stress Scale for International Students, ( Sandhu and Asrabadi, 1994 ), the Social Connectedness Scale, ( Lee and Robbins, 1995 ), and a demographics questionnaire including a measure of self-perceived English Proficiency. These measures were analysed using frequency data, repeated measures ANOVAs, and Pearson product moment coefficients. Participants were given the choice to opt in for phase two, a semi-structured interview focusing upon the use of chatbots to support acculturation in HE. 19 interviews were undertaken, and transcripts analysed using thematic analysis. Findings indicate that different acculturative stressors and their intensity impact students at different times during the adjustment process. A key assertion of this work is that belongingness and acculturative stress are strongly linked, and that belongingness relates to three levels: social, academic and institutional, all important for acculturation. As a result of these findings, this article presents recommendations on how chatbot technology can be applied as a complementary resource to HEI's current services to assist the facilitation of social connections, academic support and collaborative learning.