Destination For International Students Research Articles

International Students’ Intercultural Interaction with Canadian Domestic Students: Observations from Literature Review

The main purpose of this review was to intensively review literature about to international students’ intercultural interaction with Canadian domestic students. More specifically, the review intends to (1) examine the status of international students’ intercultural interaction with domestic students at Canadian post-secondary schools. (2) identify the major challenges that limit the intercultural interaction between international and Canadian domestic students. To this end, various research documents, such as published and unpublished government documents, peer- reviewed articles, PhD dissertations, and empirical studies were consulted. In this review, studies conducted in other most popular study destinations for international students were also thoroughly reviewed to provide additional insight. The findings of this review indicate that at Canadian post-secondary institutions, the intercultural interactions between international and domestic students are few. The review findings further uncovered that English language proficiency and culture qualify as the main challenges for international students to make intercultural interactions with their domestic counterparts. Based on these findings, conclusions and implications were forwarded to hosting countries and institutions.

COVID-19 and aggravated housing precarity for international students: an Australian case study

Housing experience of international students has attracted increasing academic attention in recent years. Australia’s large international student population is largely reliant on lightly-regulated private rental housing, a market sector subject to extreme turbulence during COVID-19. However, while aspects of Australian student housing stress during the pandemic have been already investigated, the specific issues affecting a substantial component of the broader cohort have yet to be examined. Around 130,000 Australian international students were stranded overseas for two years (2020-22) by international border closures. Their experiences cast new light on vulnerable renter precarity in lightly-regulated markets. Via an online survey and in-depth interviews, this paper examines the challenges posed for stranded international students in terms of their Australian tenancies, and how these were handled. Three main findings emerge: 1) uncertainty deriving from travel restrictions reduced student bargaining power in the rental market; 2) inability to terminate leases, unfavourable rent negotiation outcomes and welfare exclusion caused serious financial stress; and 3) widespread subletting exposed students to eviction and exploitation. These findings foreground important downsides of Australia’s long-existing neoliberal university regime and inadequate student housing provision that endanger the fundamental purposes of higher education, and risk tarnishing Australia’s reputation as an international student destination.

Where is our way? A collaborative autoethnography of overseas‐educated Chinese female PhDs' academic career decision journey

AbstractGiven the intricate and competitive global academic landscape and Chinese female PhDs' critical situation of being marginalized and otherized, this study aims to examine the academic career decision‐making experiences of three unmarried and childless Chinese female PhD graduates. Collaborative autoethnography is employed to delve into the three authors' experiences and reflections regarding the influential factors impacting their job‐seeking and decision‐making process as recent graduates, who earned their PhD degrees in 2022 from three popular destinations for international students in East Asia, namely Hong Kong, South Korea and Japan. Research findings indicate that various contextual and individual factors have shaped the authors' decision‐making and diverse career options were adopted to strike a ‘happy medium’ between long‐term career aspirations and increased competition for academic positions. This study provides implications for policymakers and university administrators to attract highly skilled female international professionals and overseas‐educated Chinese female PhDs considering a professional career in academia.

A Review of the Suggestions of Acculturation for Chinese International Students in America

As the top destination for international students, America receives a large number of international students. Among these international students, Chinese students make up the majority of the population, but their adjustment rate is consistently low. In this context, it is worth discussing how to improve the cross-cultural adaptation of Chinese students. This study provides a review of suggestions given by previous researchers. Drawing on acculturation theory, these suggestions have been reorganized and summarized. The review aims to provide guidance to Chinese students and help them improve their cross-cultural adaptation. It provides a new approach to improving cross-cultural adaptation. This review finds the relationship between cross-cultural adaptation and internationalization. There are many similarities and even overlaps between strategies to improve internationalization and strategies to improve cross-cultural adaptation. And the advance of internationalization is positively related to the improvement of cross-cultural adaptation of international students. Additionally, the cross-cultural adaptation of minorities needs constant attention, especially Chinese students. American government and schools continue to accept international students and must also pay attention to their acculturation. Strategic updates should keep pace with the times and look at issues from new perspectives.

Problems and Prospects of the Online Model for Exporting Russian Education in the Context of Digital Inequality

Russia has historically been a favored destination for international students, a trend continuing through 2020–2022 despite pandemic challenges, quarantine measures, remote learning adaptations, and evolving geopolitical dynamics. The pandemic prompted significant digital transformations in universities, revealing varying digital readiness among Russian institutions for the abrupt shift to online education. This led to the emergence of a novel “digital didactics” methodology. Russian universities adopted digitalization not only for education but also for supporting digital students’ sociopsychological adaptation and devising recruitment strategies via social networks. In these circumstances, digital inequality emerged as a critical concern. This issue is not only evident at a global level but also across various stages of foreign students’ education, spanning from virtual admissions to final certification. This study analyzes the global experiences and recommendations for crafting an optimal model for online educational engagement with foreign students and categorizes Russian universities based on their digital readiness for education export and identifies challenges in engaging foreign students and attracting applicants.

A Trend Analysis of the Challenges of International Students Over 21 Years

International students leave their countries to pursue their educational goals in a different country and must adapt to succeed. However, they may face challenges when adapting to and learning a new culture. This study investigates the challenges common to international students in their host countries and summarizes the publishing trends. A literature search of peer-reviewed articles published in Scopus, Taylor & Francis, EBSCO Host, Web of Science, Springer, PubMed, and Wiley Online over 21 years (2002–2022) was done for data collection. After the screening, a total of 175 articles were included in this review and analyzed with content analysis. The findings show that the top four destinations for international students (USA, UK, Australia, and Canada) produced the most articles about international students’ challenges. Additionally, most papers investigated more than one challenge, and sociocultural (82.9%) and academic challenges (82.3%) were the most researched, with language issues as the primary cause. The results also show no changes or improvement in the challenges of international students in 21 years, and areas such as psychological and economic challenges need more research. These challenges and other trends found in the articles are discussed and directions for future research are suggested.

International Student Policy in Canada: A Critical Analysis

This study is a critical analysis of Canadian policies on international students and these students’ experiences in Canada. The author has carefully reviewed the relevant literature and has reached a conclusion based on the literature that Canadian international education has developed significantly in the last half century with the annual arriving international students increasing substantially. This increase has served the interests of Canada well and most international students find their experiences of receiving Canadian education positive. They have become an important source of new immigrants. For good reasons Canada is considered one of the favourite destinations for international students. But when they attempt to integrate into the society and when they attempt to join the labour force, particularly in their studied field, there have been challenges. The author also discusses the implications of the Canadian policies on international students. In addition, the author offers a few recommendations on how to improve the policies and the experiences of international students in Canada, particularly for those who decide to remain here after the completion of their study.

Students or internationals? Divergent patterns of governing international student mobility in Germany and the United Kingdom

This article investigates how Germany and the United Kingdom (UK) have governed international student mobility (ISM) over the last two decades. While both are among the most popular destinations for international students and have experienced similar political trajectories during this period, they have pursued divergent education and immigration policies in regulating ISM. Driven by a mix of educational universalism and fear of future labor shortages, Germany offers financial benefits and generous right to stay opportunities. The UK, by contrast, combines high tuition fees with restrictive immigration policies, favoring students who will leave the country upon graduation. Drawing on a variety of parliamentary reports, policy documents, and interviews with politicians and civil servants, I argue that this divergence is rooted primarily in the different politicizability of ISM: international students are discursively treated as students (belonging to the non-politicized field of education) in Germany but as internationals (belonging to the hyperpoliticized field of immigration) in the UK.

Designing Strategies Framework for Effective Funding Formula Implementation at Malaysian Public Universities

Over the past few decades, Malaysia's higher education system has undergone significant evolution and growth. With notable achievements in areas such as student enrolment, research publication, patents, and institutional excellence, the system has earned a global reputation and become a preferred destination for international students. However, the Ministry of Higher Education recognizes the need for the system to continue to evolve in order to stay current with global trends. A crucial element in this evolution is the provision of long-term funding to support and enhance the country's capacity to deliver high-quality education that meets international standards. In response to this need, the Ministry of Higher Education has proposed a change to the funding formula for Malaysian public universities, with the goal of improving the relationship between performance and outcomes. To this end, this study was conducted to design a strategy for the effective implementation of this new funding formula in Malaysian public universities. By providing a deeper understanding of the strategies required for successful implementation, the study's findings will be invaluable to both the Ministry of Higher Education and Malaysian public universities.

Multilingual Communication Experiences of Foreign Migrants in China During the Covid-19 Pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic has generated a series of language-related challenges confronting linguistically diverse populations worldwide. Given that China has emerged as an ideal destination for international students and workers seeking upward mobility, it is essential to investigate how foreigners working in China get access to public health information. Adopting the concept of multilingual crisis communication, this study examines the multilingual communication experiences of a cohort of foreign workers working for one of the biggest nightclubs in the Southwestern region of China. Data were collected based on the semi-structured interview with five foreign dancers and their high-stake holders, including a Chinese boss and a Chinese dance director. It was found that foreign migrant dancers were confronted with various language barriers in understanding Putonghua and English-mediated communication resources. The finding also indicated that their access to public health information was facilitated by their use of translation applications, with the support of their Chinese friends and foreign colleagues whose multilingual repertoires constituted an essential medium for effective communication. This paper closes by providing practical suggestions, like offering other smaller languages and official language training services for foreign migrants of diverse linguistic backgrounds, mainly from peripheral countries.

WeChat Moments Among International Students: Building Guanxi Networks in China

ABSTRACT China is a collectivist nation that varies socially and culturally from most Western countries. Recently, the country has been an attractive destination for international students. A contemporary digital platform such as WeChat Moments (WMs) is a leading social media platform among locals and international students to communicate and interact in cross-cultural settings for various purposes, including maintaining friendships and establishing new social capital. Prior research has overlooked the beneficial effects of such domestic social media platforms on international students in China, especially for strengthening their existing friendship quality and guanxi networking. Based on the self-disclosure theory, this study examines the relationship between international students’ WMs use intensity, online self-disclosure, closeness to friends, and guanxi network building using data from 445 international students employing structural equation modeling. This study reveals that WMs use has a substantial effect on the formation of guanxi networks and that online self-disclosure mediates the connection between WMs use and friendship closeness and guanxi network building. Several theoretical and practical recommendations are provided in the context of the guanxi network.

International students’ university choice to study abroad in higher education and influencing factors analysis

With the development of China's higher education, China has become increasingly popular as an education destination for international students. To explore the rationale and the influencing factors for them to attend Chinese universities, this research adopted a questionnaire survey and interviews with international students from a top university in China. The data were analyzed from four aspects: home countries' push factors, China's pull factors, university attractiveness factors and personal choice factors. The findings show that university attractiveness factors are more significant than the China's pull factors and the home countries push factors; China's pull factors have significant influence on the university attractiveness factors; For students from different regions, the factors of China's pull, home country's push and university attractiveness play significantly different role in affecting their choice of university, with Asian students much more affected than those from other parts of the world. Besides, individual subjective norms and individual value choices also affect students' choices to study abroad.

Explaining Government Policy Inaction on International Student Housing in Australia: The Perspectives of Stakeholders.

Housing is a major concern for many international students. This is especially so in those countries where students are mostly dependent on the private market for their accommodation. Australia is one such country, and is one of the world’s major destinations for international students. This article analyses governmental failure to address problems relating to international student housing affordability and conditions. Using theory on ‘policy inaction’ to frame the analysis, we draw on 20 interviews with policy stakeholders to explain the Australian government’s reliance on: (1) market-based housing provision for international students, and (2) a longstanding policy preference not to provide support. Interviewees were widely critical of the lack of action to address international student housing problems and understood inaction in relation, rather than in opposition, to the dominance of market-based action in housing and higher education. However, analysis of stakeholder perspectives also illuminates how policy-making action benefiting some emerges as inaction for others left behind or overlooked by the status quo. The interview data points to the need for government to overhaul its policy framework, and in doing so, to collaborate with higher education providers in revising the market-based regulatory approach. The main implications for theory and policy are discussed.

Impact of Academic and Non-Academic Service Quality on International Students Satisfaction in Chinese Universities

Satisfied students are easy to retain and perform better in academics. That consequently affects higher educational institutions’ success and reputation. To become a top higher educational institution, every institution tries to provide the best academic facilities and services to its students. However, non-academic services are not given equal importance in academic settings, which could significantly determine students’ satisfaction. Therefore, this paper aims to examine the impact of academic and non-academic service quality on international student satisfaction in China. This study followed a deductive approach and is carried out in a non-contrived setting. The convenience sampling technique was used in the study for data collection. A total of 143 responses from the international students is received through an online survey. Descriptive and Structured Equation Modeling (SEM) analysis techniques were performed for analyzing the variables. The results indicate that both academic and non-academic service quality equally contributes to student satisfaction. The findings of this study reveal that non-academic services aspects are as important as academic services when it comes to affecting student satisfaction. This study highlights the significance of different service quality dimensions for student satisfaction which is sometimes not given equal importance in the educational environment. The trend of the internationalization of education in China is increasing rapidly. The higher educational institutions in China need to acknowledge different aspects of students’ satisfaction to become a top higher-level educational destination for international students.

Challenges of Saudi International Students in Higher Education Institutions in the United States - A Literature Review

The United States of America (the U.S.) is the largest destination for international students globally, including learners from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. This literature review attempts to discover Saudi students' challenges while living and studying in U.S. post-secondary institutions. The researcher examined and reviewed the scientific research published on the issues and challenges Saudi students face in the U.S. from 2009 to the beginning of 2020. Thirty-seven pieces of literature met the study criteria, including doctoral and master's theses and articles published in scientific journals. After analysis and review of previous studies, it was found that Saudi students suffer from many challenges in different areas. The challenges identified in the literature are categorized into five groups: cultural and adaptation issues, family and economic challenges, health, psychological and social difficulties, and language barriers and their impact on academic achievement and educational challenges Keywords: International students, Saudi international students, Saudi international students in the United States Saudis in the United States DOI: 10.7176/JEP/13-7-01 Publication date: March 31 st 2022

Exploring GRE® and TOEFL® Score Profiles of International Students Intending to Pursue a Graduate Degree in the United States

The United States continues to be a top destination for international students pursuing an advanced degree. Some information about the characteristics of international students applying to graduate programs in the United States is available, but little is known about how these characteristics are related to test taker performance on graduate admissions tests and how performance may be related to graduate program characteristics. The purpose of this study was to investigate different patterns of performance of international test takers from four cultural regions and two large countries (China and India) on both the GRE® test and the TOEFL® test and the relationship with demographic and graduate program characteristics. Using finite mixture modeling, we investigated the most common score profiles using GRE and TOEFL for international students intending to pursue a graduate program within the United States; evaluated the demographic and college‐level factors related to the profiles; and evaluated whether the profiles were differentially associated with gender, intended field of study, and intended degree level. Results showed the following broad patterns of results: (a) Most countries and cultural regions, except for the Middle East, had three or four latent profiles representing low, medium, and high scores on the GRE and TOEFL sections; (b) two high‐performing profiles were found in Confucian Asia, one with higher GRE Quantitative Reasoning scores and the other with higher scores on GRE Verbal and TOEFL; (c) regardless of profile, test takers from China performed highest on the GRE Quantitative Reasoning section as compared to other GRE and TOEFL section scores; (d) in general, there was a relationship with students in the lower performing profiles taking the TOEFL and GRE multiple times; (e) regardless of country or cultural region, men were represented more than women overall and across most of the profiles; and (f) test takers showed a preference for science‐, technology‐, engineering‐, and mathematics‐based fields and master's degrees, but this varied across country and cultural region. Implications for future research are discussed.

Good to Have an Ambitious Ranking Policy, but How about the Realities? Analysing the Ranking Goals for an Emerging Higher Education Hub

Within the global higher education structure, many nations have followed various strategies to become one of popular destinations for international students. Similarly, employing national strategy focusing on internationalisation, Turkey achieved to become an emerging regional hub as the tenth most popular destination for international students. Then, as its new national goal, Turkey recently announced ranking targets at the end of 2019 to have universities in the global top 100 until 2023. Therefore, Turkey’s national targets present a suitable case to determine the areas of priority that are need for development and improvement in selected universities by comparing the input-output status of Turkish universities with its international competitors. Benefitting from their ranking scores and website reports, financial and human resources and scientific performance of designated universities were compared to be able to evaluate the attainability of these challenging ranking goals. The results revealed that although financial power is critical for examined universities, without talented research-workforce no chance to seriously improve ranking performance for any university. Considering its mid-profile to attract well-known international researchers, it seems Turkey as well as other emerging economies have to raise their own stars. Possible recommendations were then discussed to expedite universities’ ranking performance.

International student flows into provincial China – the main motivations for higher education students

ABSTRACT While being a major source country of international students for western countries, China's position as a destination for international students has risen rapidly in the last decade. However, the reasons behind provincial China's inbound student flows are under-researched. To address this gap in the literature, taking Jiangsu as a case study, this study identifies a hierarchy of motivations behind international flows of students into provincial China. A survey was conducted using a questionnaire to elicit students' perceived importance of 18 motivations. We used ANOVA to explore differences in motivations in terms of student characteristics. The key motivations identified are the availability of scholarships and China's growing global importance. The findings suggest that pursuing high-quality education is not the main purpose for international students studying in provincial China at present. Instead, they seek to gain education experience in China with a view to future career perspectives, and provinces like Jiangsu are good alternatives for studying in metropolises. Policy implications are generated for governments and provincial universities to better meet the needs of international students in order to diversify and grow international student numbers in provincial China.

The connection between VFR experience based and sociocultural dimensions of international students and mainland Chinese students

PurposeThis paper aims to present the host experience of student hosts in Hong Kong, a popular educational destination for international students from mainland China and other countries. This study examines the interconnection between the experience-based and sociocultural dimensions of visiting friends and relatives (VFR) travel, considering the overall host experience, the host–guest relationship and post-hosting changes in perception of both the VFR experience and destination.Design/methodology/approachThis research adopts a qualitative approach to compare the experience-based and sociocultural dimensions of VFR travel considering international university students as VFR hosts in Hong Kong, taking a student sample from both mainland Chinese and overseas students. Based on a voluntary sampling approach, the research team had face-to-face interviews with the students that agreed to participate. The interviews were conducted voluntarily and anonymously and included those students who had hosted any friends or relatives in the past 12 months. A total of 26 interviews were successfully completed, including 10 mainland Chinese and 16 non-mainland Chinese students.FindingsThe results confirm that the VFR host experience is generally shaped by an integration of internal characteristics (sociocultural characteristics of both hosts and visitors) and external environment (urban infrastructure and tourism resources). The two groups distinctively express their host experience that shows some areas of cultural barriers and geographical proximity.Research limitations/implicationsThe limitations of this research mainly lie on its relatively small sample size because of constraints in accessing the contact information of international students across universities. These shortcomings should be improved by adopting a research design that uses other sampling approaches, such as snowball sampling, to include a wider scope of students from different local universities, or convenience sampling, to interview and compare responses of international students from various educational destinations. Alternative data sources may be considered, for example, through user-generated contents from online and social media platforms that contain sharing of students as hosts.Practical implicationsThe geographical and cultural proximities influence VFR tourism development and social construction of values and the consequent hosting behaviour. The unique role of international students should be further explored, especially in the Asian context. The outcome of VFR travel must be evaluated and studied more from cultural and personal dimensions than economic gain, which should be relevant to host perspective such as improved quality of life, social ties and place attachment and psychological benefits. The changing risk perception caused by the COVID-19 pandemic may be examined through some forms of travel intention.Social implicationsFirstly, the destination marketing organisations of the educational destination should address the difficulty faced by student hosts in terms of external attributes such as local culture, urban infrastructure, tourism resources and information accessibility. Secondly, to target the hosts, some specific VFR-related products and services may be developed for international students through local tertiary institutions such that the role of hosts as ambassadors can be facilitated and enhanced. Thirdly, the functional role of international students can be distinctive based on their unique network, activities and knowledge constructed upon learning during the period of education.Originality/valueThe studentification of many educational destination cities, the dynamism of the role of international students as VFR hosts and their cultural differences between places of origin have provided an opportunity for deepening the understanding of VFR tourism.

Internationalisation of education and its effect on economic growth and development

AbstractThis study examines the effect of education export on economic growth and development, using Australia as a case study since it is one of the top destinations for international students. International education has played a vital role in Australia's economy over the last three decades, becoming the third‐largest export of Australia after iron ore and coal and earning AU$40.3 billion in 2019. The sector supports about 250,000 jobs and provides an important source of skilled migrants for Australia. This study employs the cointegration and error correction model and quarterly data from 1974 to 2019 to analyse the effect of internationalisation of education on the Australian economy. The results suggest a long‐run positive relationship and a short‐run dynamic effect of international education on the economic growth and employment of Australia. The findings of this study have far‐reaching implications for other education‐exporting countries. Policy recommendations suggest taking proactive, flexible and innovative approaches to attract international students, and diversifying the market can support growth of the sector and enhance the economy‐wide spillover effects. The study further proposes sound and timely policies to promote the internationalisation of education to augment not only economic growth but also long‐run development for both education‐exporting and education‐receiving countries.