International Students' Acculturation and Adaptation: The case of an indigenous group studying in Switzerland

Every year, millions of students travel abroad in order to pursue higher education. When exposed to an international environment, students undergo an acculturation process that may impact their well-being and educational experience. This study explores the acculturation and its outcome, adaptation, of international students in Switzerland. Data were collected through interviews from three groups of indigenous students from Panama. The findings show that students suffered from acculturative stress in terms of physical, social and psychological problems. Furthermore, this study found that intercultural experience can be a transitional and transformative learning process leading to a journey of personal growth.