Both domestic and international students were separated into different subgroups based on whether or not they spoke English fluently and their experience with American culture. As a result, at least 4 subgroups were analyzed in the study:

- International English speaker/American high schooler student (one of the international student groups, who had either English knowledge or experience with the U.S. but came from a different country and did not intend to reside in the U.S.)
- International English learner/foreign high schooler student (the other international student subgroup)
- Domestic English speaker/American high schooler student (the domestic student subgroup who was likely to have been born and raised in the U.S.)
- Domestic English learner/foreign high schooler student (domestic student subgroup who came from a different country to reside in the U.S. as an immigrant)

The intent behind the creation of these subgroups was to show that there were many factors that were involved in the comparison of domestic versus international students and that either category was not homogeneous and should not be seen as such. 

Subgroups in the College Readiness Study

The research study for this article was based on a research university in the United States, with a sample population of both domestic and international students. More importantly, the two categories of students were separated into specific subgroups for further analysis of the research question: how does each student's background affect their readiness for college and academic engagement? Each student was given a 31-item questionnaire to answer this research question. 

University of California, Berkeley

The discussion of international students in the achievement gap involves more than simply comparing them to domestic students. Some international students possess more competence in the English language and multicultural understanding, which can lead to negative attitudes towards other international students who do not have this readiness. Making the issue worse is that international students are expected to adapt on their own to any new culture based on the university/country they move to and that there is already a bias against international students where they are seen as incapable and incompetent due to their failure to integrate to the educational student (which would be foreign to them). As a result, they are less likely to get any help that they need to close the achievement gap between them and domestic students.

International Students and Higher Education

Lee, J., Kim, N. & Wu, Y. College readiness and engagement gaps between domestic and international students: re-envisioning educational diversity and equity for global campus. High Educ 77, 505–523 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10734-018-0284-8

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