We tested whether a semester-long classroom experiential activity designed to foster international and domestic student social interaction increases international students’ sense of belonging and perceived social support. Two studies were conducted testing the effectiveness of this experiential activity which was based on the theoretical underpinnings of how social attachment is formed. The first study was a controlled experiment with freshmen university students. When compared to the control group, the students participating in the experiential activity had an increased sense of belonging and perceived social support by the end of the semester, especially when they had lower levels of openness at the onset of starting college. The second study was a longitudinal study conducted with graduate students. The results found that students had an increase in their sense of belonging and perceived social support. These studies suggest that semester-long classroom experiential activities designed to foster international and domestic student social interaction can foster international students’ sense of belonging and social support.

我们测试了旨在促进国际和国内学生社交互动的为期一个学期的课堂体验活动是否会增加国际学生的归属感和感知的社会支持。基于社会依恋形成的理论基础，进行了两项研究，以测试这种体验活动的有效性。第一项研究是对新生大学生的对照实验。与对照组相比，参加体验活动的学生到学期末的归属感和社交支持得到了增强，尤其是当他们刚开始上大学时的开放程度较低时。第二项研究是对研究生进行的纵向研究。结果发现，学生的归属感和社会支持感得到了提高。这些研究表明，旨在促进国际和国内学生社会互动的为期一学期的课堂体验活动可以培养国际学生的归属感和社会支持。