Adapting to transnational education: students’ experiences at an American university in the UAE

Zsuzsanna Mikecz Munday

doi:10.1108/lthe-08-2020-0017

Abstract

Purpose Despite the increasing number of transnational universities around the world, little attention has been paid to students who attend foreign universities in their own countries and their adjustment to the new learning environment. This study aims to examine some of the adaptations freshmen students have to undergo while studying at an American university in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Design/methodology/approach This study is conducted at an American university in the UAE and involved 152 freshmen students, investigating their challenges to adapting to the university academically and socially. The target respondents were first-year students, typically 18–19 years old men and women of various majors and nationalities who completed high school in the country. Questionnaires were emailed to students; a total of 184 surveys were completed (with prior permission), but only 152 of those fitted the criteria and were used in the study. Findings Findings indicate that although these students study at home, by attending a foreign university many of them rely heavily on the support of peers, especially co-nationals. They require similar academic and emotional support from teachers as many first-year students at university do. Research limitations/implications The findings have limitations as data were collected at a single point in time through surveys. Being a single researcher, the study did not opt for breadth to answer the research questions but aimed to find out freshmen students’ challenges in adapting to the university. Despite the limitations of the study, several issues were raised that can be investigated in future studies. Originality/value The study provided insights into the challenges first-year students face at a transnational university in the UAE. It identifies the support that could be provided by the university to facilitate students’ successful adjustment process to the educational and socio-cultural environment of the university. Although this was small-scale research and cannot be generalized to a larger population, the findings could be transferable to other, similar settings in transnational universities in the region. Findings might be compared and contrasted to other, related cases, as the structural aspects could be noticed in similar cases or situations.

Highlights

The number of students who choose to study abroad has been steadily increasing worldwide and, since the turn of the century, it quadrupled to five million between 1990 and 2014
The largest number of respondents were from other Arab countries and students from the Indian Subcontinent. They were United Arab Emirates (UAE) residents, 32% of them lived in the dormitories or in nearby housing as their families lived in other emirates in the country
The study was conducted at an American university in the UAE and aimed to identify challenges first-year students face in their academic and social adjustment to the international university environment

Summary

Introduction

The number of students who choose to study abroad has been steadily increasing worldwide and, since the turn of the century, it quadrupled to five million between 1990 and 2014. An increasing number of transnational universities have been established there, whether satellite, branch or offshore universities, catering for students with diverse backgrounds, who can benefit from a foreign educational experience without leaving their home countries (Pyvis & Chapman, 2007). These universities offer “internationalization at home” where students can combine study at home and study abroad, leading to dual degrees accredited in both countries (Bhandari & Blumenthal, 2011)

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