The Institutional and Social Support Survey (ISS-10): Quantifying international faculty language support

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to develop and test the internal and external reliability of a novel research instrument which measures language support for international faculty members and its effects on integration. While previous research has focused on the contributions of international faculty and efforts to attract them, growing concerns about negative experiences and low rates of retention have led scholars to focus on institutional linguistic support. Specifically in emerging host countries, interest exists for the role of support for learning the local language. In this context, this study substantiates an instrument, the Institutional and Social Support Survey (ISS-10) which quantifies social support and language support provided by host universities. The instrument was first refined using Rasch rating scale analysis and exploratory factor analysis (EFA). Subsequent linear mixed effects (LME) regression on a second administration of the instrument revealed that the ISS-10 significantly predicts the integration of international faculty as quantified by the IPL-12, an often-used measure of migrant integration. The ISS-10 may, therefore, be of interest to scholars researching international faculty integration where local language proficiency is a concern.