International Postgraduate Students Research Articles

Postgraduate international students’ cosmopolitan capital accumulation in transnational spaces: aspirations, gains, and struggles

Postgraduate international students’ cosmopolitan capital accumulation in transnational spaces: aspirations, gains, and struggles

Intercultural Communication Interaction Among the Local and International ELS Postgraduate Students: A Case Study of International Universities in Malaysia

ABSTRACT Introduction The study aims to look at postgraduate students' perceptions of intercultural communication. It also looks at the difficulties that both local and international students face in terms of communication interaction in the classroom and on campus. Methods The researcher interview four participants who were chosen at random among postgraduate students in International Islamic University Malaysia. The researcher used semi-structured interview questions as the instrument and a thematic analysis is used to answer the research questions then generated the themes and subthemes for the analysis of the study. Findings The results yielded that the complexity of culture, language barrier, attitude towards foreigners; social interaction, individual differences, perceived laziness and stereotyping constitute students’ perceptions on intercultural communication interaction among the local and international ELS postgraduate students. Furthermore, Results show that in these groups, the majority opposed intercultural interaction amongst non-native speakers. The results of this work have implications for future research on intercultural communication awareness among both local and international students.

Examining Service Learning as an Approach to Intensify International Students’ Multicultural Understanding

The purpose of this investigation was to identify, examine, and analyse the opinions of four international postgraduate students who embarked on a service-learning project required by the course taken in Semester 2, 2021/2022. It included engaging in community service, connection to their academic endeavours, reporting the outcomes, critical reflection, and reciprocity. Choral speaking activities were selected as the tool for their engagement with children in the community. The qualitative approach was chosen as the research design, employing in-depth semi-structured interviews. The findings pointed to the beneficial aspects of service-learning which include: (1) enhances multicultural understanding; (2) improves civic involvement; (3) acknowledges that academic work has real-world importance; and (4) promotes language learning as well as reciprocity, that need to be improved.

Experiences of Communication Obstacle of International Students of Northeast Normal University China


 
 
 
 Objectives: China now offers top-notch postsecondary education to students worldwide. Similar problems develop every year when hundreds of international students come to China for further education, creating new difficulties. This study looks into the challenges and obstacles international postgraduate students face while spending a full academic year at NENU in Changchun, China.
 Methodology: A qualitative process was used to choose 86 international students, both male and female. Six foreign students, all nationals of different countries, were recruited from various Northeast Normal University schools. After gathering the data through a thorough process of in-person interviews, a themetic analysis method was applied.
 Findings: Emerging themes were examined in both the individual interviews and the aggregate for more examination. The findings demonstrated how a number of issues, including the academic barrier, the cultural barrier, and adjustment strategies, affect the lives of recently arrived students. Incorporate issues related to diet, communication, and other psychological factors.
 Implications: Conversely, these obstacles also spur international students to create problem-solving solutions. They create novel learning strategies to overcome obstacles as they grow into autonomous learners. Time, effort, and a great deal of support from various sources are required for the adjustment and adaptation.
 
 
 

Mentoring international postgraduate students and early career researchers through transnational telecollaboration: a supervisor’s autoethnography

Mentoring international postgraduate students and early career researchers through transnational telecollaboration: a supervisor’s autoethnography

Achieving sustainable learning in China: An exploration of international master students’ assessment and learning experiences at a Chinese university

ABSTRACT With an increasing number of international students to study in China, however, few studies have investigated how international students experienced assessment in Chinese higher education. Drawing upon the concept of sustainable assessment, we present findings from interviews with thirty international postgraduate students who shared assessment and learning experiences at a Chinese university. Findings revealed the ways these students navigated qualitatively different assessment and learning settings between coursework and research project in the programme while indicating various views towards different tasks. In understanding their experiences, we evoke notions of in-betweenness to illuminate their negotiating experiences between different settings of assessment and learning. We argue that combining principles of sustainable assessment with conversations about a sense of in-betweenness can support universities and academics to better design meaningful assessment and learning practices for international students.

The Influence of Social Support on Postgraduate Students' Psychological Well-being: Self-Esteem as a Mediator

The study aimed to examine the impact of social support and self-esteem towards postgraduate students’ psychological well-being in Malaysian public universities and self-esteem as a mediator. In all, 335 postgraduate students from 13 public universities in Malaysia participated in this study. The present study conducted employing the quantitative research method using an online questionnaire. Convenient sampling was used to gather the data. Postgraduate students received the online questionnaire through postgraduate groups. The data were analysed using the PLS-SEM version 3.3.9. The validity and reliability of survey items, as well as the link between variables, were evaluated using the measurement model and structural model. The findings in this study indicate that social support and self-esteem have significant impact on psychological well-being. Besides, self-esteem plays partial mediation on social support and psychological well-being. The findings would be useful in helping university administrators, supervisors, counsellors, friends, and family members recognise the need to boost postgraduate students' psychological well-being and discover the solution to do so. For postgraduate students to be psychologically well-adjusted, their self-esteem and social support must be strengthened. To gain a more in-depth comprehending, a mixed methods technique may be adopted in future research. Furthermore, future study shall be able to compare the psychological health of local postgraduate students with international postgraduate students.

NEEDS ASSESSMENT REPORT ADOPTING A MIXED-METHOD DESIGN: CHINESE POSTGRADUATES’ IMPRESSIONS OF CRITICAL THINKING APPROACH IN RESEARCH METHOD COURSE

In the contemporary milieu of academia and quotidian endeavors, the faculty of critical thinking is recognized as an essential and irreplaceable aptitude for each individual. Over the course of recent decades, the subject of critical thinking has garnered substantial attention across the sphere of higher education, with Chinese students being no exception. The present investigation seeks to elucidate the exigencies evaluation of international Chinese postgraduate students' perceptions pertaining to the incorporation of critical thinking methodologies within research methods coursework, in conjunction with their requisites and expectations for the inculcation of critical thinking proficiencies as an integral constituent of the academic writing curriculum. This empirical inquiry, employing a mixed-methods approach, drew upon the Critical Thinking Disposition Inventory (CTDI) as its primary instrument. A total of 147 Chinese international college master's students voluntarily partook in the study. The resultant data revealed that the understanding of critical thinking abilities among the overseas Chinese postgraduate population was marked by ambiguity and perplexity. Such a phenomenon can be attributed to the influence of the traditional Chinese educational system, which engenders a prevalent indifference towards critical thinking competencies among the majority of the international Chinese postgraduate demographic. To address the exigency of bolstering their scholastic achievements and enhancing their thesis-writing efficacy through more analytical and critical means, the Chinese postgraduate respondents underscored the imperative to amalgamate critical thinking skills into their research methods coursework.<p> </p><p><strong> Article visualizations:</strong></p><p><img src="/-counters-/soc/0026/a.php" alt="Hit counter" /></p>

Feedback format preferences of international post-graduate students in Australia: an exploratory mixed methods study

Scholarship on feedback format tends to demonstrate that students prefer video feedback; however, the characteristics of study participants are often absent. This study builds on the scholarship of feedback practice mediated by technology and feedback literacy in intercultural contexts. A mixed methods approach examined international postgraduate students’ experience of, preferences for and attitudes towards three feedback formats: text, audio and video. Eighty-four participants in an Australian university completed a survey, and twelve participated in semi-structured phone interviews. The participants were mainly women from India, aged between 25 and 34 years old and declared English as a second language. Participants scored their experience with video, audio and written feedback. Written feedback was ranked first, followed by video and audio feedback. Participants reported that written feedback allows students to easily locate areas that need improvement. The role of the disciplinary traditions and respondents’ educational background is discussed to make sense of the results.

South Asian Postgraduate International Students’ Employability Barriers: A Qualitative Study from Australia and the United Kingdom

ABSTRACT There is significant research on the motivations and migration experiences of South Asian international students in Australia and the United Kingdom (UK); however, the employability journeys of this group are not well understood. This article addresses this gap, illuminating the specific employability challenges experienced and perceived by South Asian postgraduate international students enrolled in Australia and the UK. Drawing on qualitative research comprising semi-structured interviews with 30 South Asian postgraduate international students studying at a university in Australia and in the UK, the findings highlight significant barriers to employability along four key axes: time pressures from study and adjustment issues (micro); lack of internship opportunities offered at the universities (meso); lack of culturally tailored university career services (meso) and perceptions of employers’ as well as Government policy implications (macro). Acknowledging and understanding these findings are important for universities to support South Asian international student employability experiences and graduate outcomes to remain competitive in the global job market. The findings suggest recommendations to enhance the employability of South Asian students in the UK and Australia.

The Prevalence of Depression and its Predictors among International Postgraduate Students Studying Public Health at a UK University

Objective: This study examined the prevalence and existing predictors of depression in international postgraduate public health students at a university in England. Material and Methods: It was carried out as a descriptive cross-sectional survey. A total of 153 students enrolled in MSc in public health and community well-being and MPH in global public health courses were recruited using a convenience sampling technique. The Centre for Epidemiological Studies Depression 10-Item Scale (CES-D-10) and Chi-squared tests were utilized to assess the prevalence of depression and the association of encountered challenges with depressive symptoms, respectively. Outcomes: The prevalence of depression was 34.6% in this study. A link was found between depressive symptoms and several socio-demographic factors such as ethnicity, source of funding, and accommodation status in the United Kingdom. There was also a significant association between depression and all general problems faced by international students except housing. Finally, of all the challenges faced at the university, communicating with lecturers was the only one associated with this disorder. Conclusion: This study highlighted the important predictors of depression among international public health students, which reflect the need for a more collaborative strategy pursued by all teams within the university to compact this crisis.

Unequal opportunities in accessing employability‐related programmes: South Asian graduates' experiences in Australia

AbstractLimited scholarly work has been conducted on obtaining equal opportunities to participate in employability‐related programmes by international students while studying in Australia. Drawing on a qualitative study, 20 South Asian postgraduates were interviewed to explore their experiences in accessing employability‐related programmes. Based on the findings, South Asian graduates have experienced unequal opportunities in accessing employability‐related programmes as postgraduate international students in Australia. They are disadvantaged by generic career advice and resume assistance offered by their university career office, and companies invited to university career fairs offer internships, placements or graduate programme opportunities mostly to domestic students. As a result, South Asian graduates were unable to gain employment in their field of studies. South Asian graduates have also offered several useful recommendations to facilitate more equal chances of developing employability and thereby gaining successful employment in Australia. These include partnerships with companies in providing employment opportunities, diversification of university career office roles, and establishing connections with alumni. The paper also discusses implications for Australian higher education institutions and higher education policy and practice in Australia.

A bibliometric and visual analysis of Chinese and international postgraduate employment in the last decade: developments, hotspots, and trend directions

The continuous expansion of postgraduate education and the structural bias of the job market have brought much attention to the employment of postgraduate students. To better understand the employment gap between Chinese and international postgraduate students and effectively advance future research, this research selects China National Knowledge Infrastructure and Web of Science as data sources to conduct a quantitative scientometric assessment of the literature from 2011 to 2021. According to the survey, Chinese publications mostly focus on the discipline of higher education, whereas overseas journals are more diverse. There is no systematic network of inter-author and inter-institutional cooperation in China and internationally. Research hotspots have some convergence, but with slightly different focuses. There is still a rich field of employment for graduate students in China and overseas that has yet to be explored. In the future, we should enhance the breadth and depth of research and cooperation and strengthen academic innovation and interdisciplinary research.

Study of distance education problems of foreign postgraduate students

Among international postgraduate students studying in Russian universities, distance learning continues to dominate in the post-pandemic period. The low risk of infection and the flexibility of learning, as well as the reduced economic costs of transport costs are the main reasons why they continue to opt for online forms of learning. However, problems such as poor Russian language knowledge, insufficient internet speed and lack of contact with teachers have affected distance education. This paper presents the results of a pilot study to identify problems with distance learning for international postgraduate students from China. The total sample consisted of 103 respondents who were enrolled in different postgraduate courses at several Russian universities, and who had different online study time in different scientific fields. Based on the analysis of the survey data, this paper attempts to find out the problems and difficulties encountered by foreign postgraduate students in the process of distance learning, and to formulate methods to overcome these problems. The results can be used to help foreign postgraduate students solve problems and difficulties encountered in distance learning and to raise their satisfaction while receiving higher education in Russia in the form of distance learning.

Using the PAH in Teaching Reading to Sustain the Quality of EFL Students' Life

Sustaining the quality of student life in any learning environment should be the priority of all educators. This situation becomes even more challenging when international EFL postgraduate students are expected to function in a learning environment where English is the medium of instruction. This study aimed to enhance their reading skills by implementing a learner-centred instructional framework referred to as the PAH (Pedagogy-Andragogy-Heutagogy) Continuum. This reading programme witnessed a significant increase in students' reading comprehension skills. Students claimed to be more confident and experienced joy and learner satisfaction through a nurturing learning environment that encouraged peeragogy and cybergogy. Keywords: reading skills; postgraduate students; EFL; PAH Continuum eISSN: 2398-4287 © 2022. The Authors. Published for AMER ABRA cE-Bs by e-International Publishing House, Ltd., UK. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). Peer–review under responsibility of AMER (Association of Malaysian Environment-Behaviour Researchers), ABRA (Association of Behavioural Researchers on Asians/Africans/Arabians) and cE-Bs (Centre for Environment-Behaviour Studies), Faculty of Architecture, Planning & Surveying, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Malaysia. DOI: https://doi.org/10.21834/ebpj.v7i22.4145

Exploring International Post-Graduate Students’ Speaking Experiences in an English as a Medium of Instruction (EMI) Context

This study aims to explore the practice of English as a medium of instruction (EMI) in Malaysia by investigating the experiences of international students enrolled in doctoral programs at the university level. In addition, the study provides an in-depth insight into the students’ attitudes, the challenges they face, and the factors that influence academic English speaking. The authors also examine the implications of enhancing English as a Foreign Language (EFL) within the international post-graduate students’ academic English-speaking experience in the Malaysian EMI context. This study adopted a qualitative approach. Data were collected using semi-structured interviews with 16 international doctoral students enrolled in various doctoral programs at a university in Malaysia. Data were coded and categorized according to themes using the NVIVO 12 software. The results show that there is a variety of challenges faced by the students in academic English speaking in an EMI context. Factors influencing their academic speaking include their past experiences and willingness to communicate. The study also suggests that lecturers should know that code-switching between English and Malay may impact international students’ understanding and involvement in class.

INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATION COMPETENCE AND ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE OF INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY STUDENTS AT PAN AFRICAN UNIVERSITY INSTITUTE FOR BASIC SCIENCES, TECHNOLOGY AND INNOVATION

Purpose: The objective was to determine the impact of inter-cultural communication competence on academic performance of postgraduate international students at PAUSTI, Kenya.
 Methodology: The study adopted a descriptive study design. The target population was PAUSTI international students hosted at JKUAT. The study considered 240 postgraduate international student who form 80% of the total postgraduate students at PAUSTI. A questionnaire was employed in this study to gather primary data. The study used both descriptive statistics and inferential statistics. The information was analysed using statistical package for social sciences (SPSS) Version 21 computer software. Frequency, mean, standard deviation, variance, R square, t-tests, F-tests and Analysis of Variance were used to analyse the data. The study results were presented in tables and graphs
 Findings: The study found out that academic performance factors relating to developed positive interpersonal relationships with others, ppositive response to culturally different counterparts during interactions, knowing what to say when interacting with people from other cultures and asking whenever one encounter anything that she or he doesn't understand or when he or she lack the necessary cultural knowledge, a clear understanding of the complexity of elements important to members of a culture in relation to history, values, beliefs and practise were the most prevalent effects of PAUSTI international students. There is a significant relationship between inter-cultural knowledge, inter-cultural attitude, inter-cultural communication skills, inter-cultural awareness and academic performance among international postgraduate students at PAUSTI.
 Unique contribution to Theory, Practice and Policy: The study therefore recommends that the findings be used to fashion policies in the institutions of higher learning to put structures in place that promotes development of inter-cultural communication competence as this affects academic performance for international students

University attendance and academic performance: Encouraging student engagement

AbstractAbsenteeism in higher education has motivated the investigation of its effect on academic performance. This paper examines the effect of implementing an incentive scheme on seminar PPA (prior preparation and attendance) and performance focusing on a cohort of international postgraduate students over two academic years in two conversion economics (quantitative and non‐quantitative) modules at a Scottish business school. The results show that the scheme leads to an increase in the class PPA in both modules and in the probability of passing the quantitative module, however academic performance is affected at a lesser extent.

Google Scholar or University Digital Libraries: A comparison of student perceptions and intention to use

Google Scholar has become an important search platform for students in higher education, and, as such, can be regarded as a competitor to university libraries. Previous research has explored students’ intention to use Google Scholar (GS) and University Digital Libraries (UDLs), but there is a lack of comparative studies that explore students’ preferences between these two platforms. Therefore, this study seeks to explore the search behaviour of a select group of users, international postgraduate students and more specifically compares the factors that influence their use of Google Scholar and University Digital Libraries (UDLs). A questionnaire-based survey, based on the factors in the UTAUT model (unified theory of acceptance and use of technology) was conducted to collect data on acceptance and use of technology of GS and UDL’s respectively. Data was collected from 400 international postgraduate students studying in the United Kingdom. Confirmatory factor analysis was used to establish the contextual influencing factors, whilst structural equation modelling examined the predicted model. The results suggest some differences between the influence of various factors between the UDL dataset and the GS datasets. They suggest that social influence (SI) did not affect behavioural intention (BI) for either data set, but that for the UDL dataset, effort expectancy did not affect BI, whereas for the GS dataset facilitating conditions did not influence BI. The approach taken in this study further facilitates research into the use of search tools to progress beyond ease of use as a main driver and to explore the relationship between internal and external influences of use. Recommendations for further research are suggested and the value of the insights gained for UDLs and their provision and support for all students is discussed.

Coping Strategies among International Postgraduate Students at One South African University

This paper’s purpose was to explore coping strategies employed by international postgraduate students at one South African university amid challenges faced during their studies. The study was a qualitative case-study where data was collected through telephonic semi-structured interviews with 14 international postgraduates, with the prime objective of examining the nature of departure intentions and coping strategies of the international students and then present an analysis of the coping strategies adopted through the process of thematic coding. The findings indicate that while students had high departure intentions, they managed to complete their studies by relying on various coping strategies. Within this positive trend there were variations within individual experiences and coping strategies. The recommendation was that institutions should talk about international student support services before and at arrival, and during the study, to link students to relevant support structures such as counselling and support groups.