Assessment 3 Instructions: Applied Research in Psychology

Applied Research in Psychology

Learner’s Name

Capella University

Introduction to Psychology

Applied Research in Psychology

March, 2019

Applied Research in Psychology

Students who move to a new country to study are faced with a unique experience that can be both exciting and challenging. A common psychological problem they face is acculturative stress, which refers to the discomfort faced when trying to adapt to a new culture (Akhtar & Kröner-Herwig, 2015). The dormitory to which the students will move will serve as their substitute home, giving it the potential to be an important source of support for them. Applied psychological research and theory show that music- and sports-related activities can help international students overcome acculturative stress and have better mental health in general. Comment by Author: Wonderful job summarizing the problem and connecting it to research!

Overview

The nature and level of acculturative stress faced by students are influenced and determined by various factors. Students from certain cultures tend to experience more acculturative stress than others. Akhtar and Kröner-Herwig (2015) found that students from Asia and Africa felt they were treated differently than local students in a German institute. Their study confirmed that the greater the cultural distance (the extent to which two cultures differ), the greater the acculturative stress. Understanding the demographic of the students in the dormitory would thus help better assess the nature and level of stress they might face. Comment by Author: Strong scholarly research! And well summarized! Comment by Author: Great application of research toward a solution!

Familiarity with the local language was also found to be an important predictor of acculturative stress. A lack of proficiency in the local language correlates with high levels of acculturative stress, perhaps because this gives the individual less scope to interact with members of the host country (Akhtar & Kröner-Herwig, 2015). Thus, helping the students in the dormitory learn the local language would help decrease their stress levels and allow them to interact better with the locals. Comment by Author: Strong scholarly source! Great research! Comment by Author: Very nice application of research findings to look for a solution!

The amount of stress students experience is affected by the level of social support they perceive they have. International students have shown lower levels of perceived social support than native students, and a low level of perceived social support is identified as an important predictor of high acculturative stress (Cuadrado, Tabernero, & Briones, 2014). This implies that the dormitory should provide international students with avenues to build their social support. Given that the students share a common dormitory and are faced with similar challenges related to acculturation and academics, they have the potential to connect with each other and provide each other emotional support. Comment by Author: Great scholarly research! Comment by Author: Outstanding application of research findings to head to a solution!

Foundational Theory Comment by Author: Great description of your theory and wonderful job demonstrating how the theory supports your solution! Is there any research evidence that supports the use of this theory?

To help students deal with acculturative stress, music- and sports-related activities (in which students can participate as a group) can be organized in the dormitory. These activities can be organized keeping in mind the students’ preferences and interests as well as the dormitory’s resources. The group activities will not remove the stress itself, but they will help the students successfully adapt to the situation. As a result, they will experience psychological growth. This approach fits into the framework of the integrative cross-cultural adaptation theory, in which stress is treated as an inherent part of intercultural communication, or communication across cultures. The theory states that intercultural communication incites adaptive responses from individuals because of the difficulties it poses. Each individual adapts to and evolves with his or her environment through various forms of communication such as observation, intense social engagements, and public mass-mediated communication (Kim, 2015). Thus, this theory proposes that the various kinds of social interactions or communication the students participate in are part of their adaptive process.

Further, the theory regards plasticity, which is “the ability to learn and change through new experiences,” as the basis on which an individual forms a sense of identity (Kim, 2015, p. 4). Stress during acculturation often occurs because on the one hand, the individual wants to resist change and retain his or her old customs and identity and on the other hand, he or she wants to live harmoniously in the new environment. While trying to stabilize himself or herself during this conflict, the individual experiences an internal change that helps him or her successfully adapt to the stress in the long term. This internal change is known as psychological growth. The integrative approach of cross-cultural adaptation proposes that stress first leads to adaptation and then to growth (Kim, 2015). This stress–adaptation–growth model will come into play when music- and sports-related activities are organized in the dormitory. These activities will help students cope with the acculturative stress, adapt to their new environments, and successfully manage stress in the long term; in other words, these activities will facilitate their psychological growth.

Research Methods and Findings

Applied psychology focuses on finding solutions to real-life problems through psychological research. Group activities related to music and sports can reduce acculturative stress among students at the dormitory.

Music-Related Activities

Henderson, Cain, Istvandity, and Lakhani (2016) conducted a systematic review of the health-related effects of music participation experienced by migrants. They used the Evidence for Policy and Practice Information and Coordinating (EPPI) Centre protocol to review qualitative and quantitative studies across the disciplines of health and humanities. A majority of the participants were able to express themselves and form a sense of identity through music. Their stress levels were also low because music helped them gain proficiency in the local language. Research by Belfiore and Bennet, Chew, and Saether shows that participation in music and other art disciplines makes migrants feel a sense of social inclusion and increases their self-esteem and confidence (as cited in Henderson et al., 2016). Marsh’s ethnographic study of school students shows that participating in multicultural music or dance activities allows them to adapt to the new culture while maintaining links to their native cultures (as cited in Henderson et al., 2016). These findings show that participating in music activities can help the students in the dormitory feel a sense of belonging, stay in touch with their native cultures, and adapt to their new environment. Music is also an effective, yet enjoyable way for them to learn the local language. Comment by Author: Great description of the research method used! Any thoughts on how the choice of research method strengthens the results leading to your proposed solution? For example what are the strengths of a review of other studies like this? Does this make the evidence behind the proposed solution stronger or weaker?

Team Sports

Participating in team sports is a great way for students to learn new skills and build relationships with each other. Eime, Young, Harvey, Charity, and Payne (2013) undertook a systematic review of studies related to the mental and/or social health benefits of sports participation across 14 electronic databases. They concluded that there are substantial psychological and social benefits of participating in sports for both children and adolescents. Team sports show better effects on mental health than individual sports because they facilitate social acceptance and reduce the occurrence of isolation and depressive symptoms. Another study measured the effect of sports participation among refugees in a new country through in-depth interviews of 20 participants that were coded and then thematically analyzed. Their responses showed that sports helped them gain social capital (feelings of community cohesion and social connection) and cultural capital (meeting culturally diverse people and learning from them) (Abur, 2016). International students usually come from varied cultural backgrounds. Therefore, organizing team sports for these students can help them form a community, facilitate cultural exchange, and improve their mental health in general. Comment by Author: Great description of the research method for the article! Comment by Author: Great description of research methods! How do these methods strengthen or weaken or the proposed solution? Are there strengths or weaknesses to qualitative studies that might strengthen or weaken your proposed solution?

Mental Health and Well-Being

Music and sports activities can provide a neutral language through which students in the dormitory could overcome cultural barriers. While they may at first be shy or uncertain about how to communicate with each other, these activities will serve as a platform through which they can interact. Building teamwork through sports and collaborating on musical projects will enable them to connect, interact, and form strong social bonds with each other. This will help the students feel supported, and in turn feel better adjusted to their new situation. They will also be able to empathize with each other’s struggles and relate to each other as fellow beings despite their differences. They will start to treat the dormitory as their new home instead of an alien environment. Comment by Author: Great job speculating how your proposed music and sports solution will impact mental health and well-being through behavior changes! Mental health and well-being—looking at the effects of building social bonds, self-expression, and identity formation. Behavior changes—treating dorm as new home, learning new skills. And the research to support this is detailed in the section above! Very nicely done! A stronger connection to theory could be created by using key terms from the theory such as intercultural communication.

These activities will also encourage student self-expression and identity formation. Expressing their creativity and showcasing their talents will boost their self-esteem and help them establish their identities within the new environment. Learning new skills through music and sports activities will also make the students feel more confident and help them unwind from the pressures of academics. This will enable them to be better learners, feel positive about their learning experiences, and lead balanced lifestyles.

Conclusion

Acculturative stress is a common psychological problem faced by international students living away from home. Psychological research has shown that this stress is influenced by factors such as cultural distance, proficiency in the local language, and perceived social support. The integrative theory of cross-cultural adaptation proposes that the stress from intercultural communication often initially leads to adaptive responses from people and then psychological growth. In order to facilitate this growth and reduce acculturative stress, music and sports activities should be organized for the students in the dormitory. Evidence shows that these activities are particularly effective in helping people integrate into a new environment. These activities act as mediums through which the students can effectively communicate with each other, be confident learners, and feel at home in their new environment.

References

Abur, W. B. D. (2016). Benefits of participation in sport for people from refugee backgrounds: A study of the South Sudanese community in Melbourne, Australia. Issues in Scientific Research, 1(2), 10–26. Retrieved from http://dx.doi.org/10.15739/ISR.16.002

Akhtar, M., & Kröner-Herwig, B. (2015). Acculturative stress among international students in context of socio-demographic variables and coping styles. Current Psychology, 34(4), 803–815. Retrieved from http://library.capella.edu/login?qurl=https%3A%2F%2Fsearch.proquest.com%2Fdocview%2F1753955156%3Faccou

Cuadrado, E., Tabernero, C., & Briones, E. (2014). Dispositional and psychosocial variables as longitudinal predictors of acculturative stress. Applied Psychology: An International Review, 63(3), 441–479. Retrieved from http://repositorio.unican.es:8080/xmlui/bitstream/handle/10902/10358/DispositionalPsychosocialVariables.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y

Eime, R. M., Young, J. A., Harvey, J. T., Charity, M. J., & Payne, W. R. (2013). A systematic review of the psychological and social benefits of participation in sport for children and adolescents: Informing development of a conceptual model of health through sport. The International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity, 10, 98. Retrieved from https://ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3751802/

Henderson, S., Cain, M., Istvandity, L., & Lakhani, A. (2016). The role of music participation in positive health and wellbeing outcomes for migrant populations: A systematic review. Psychology of Music, 45(4), 459–478. Retrieved from http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0305735616665910

Kim, Y. Y. (2015). Finding a “home” beyond culture: The emergence of intercultural personhood in the globalizing world. International Journal of Intercultural Relations, 46, 3–12. Retrieved from https://sciencedirect-com.library.capella.edu/science/article/pii/S0147176715000413?_rdoc=1&_fmt=high&_origin=gateway&_docanchor=&md5=b8429449ccfc9c30159a5f9aeaa92ffb&ccp=y

Copyright ©2018 Capella University. Copy and distribution of this document are prohibited.

Copyright ©2018 Capella University. Copy and distribution of this document are prohibited.