International Student Cohort Research Articles

Social Media Use and Cross-Cultural Adaptation of Chinese Students Overseas: A Systematic Review

Due to the progress of globalization, as well as the advancement of transportation and communication tools, there is a greater interconnectedness among nations and regions worldwide. A common trend of it is the increasing prevalence of students opting to pursue tertiary education overseas. Asia has emerged as the largest exporter, sending the largest proportion of international students to the world, especially China. When studying in foreign countries, international students may encounter challenges from life and studies; then, social media has become a pivotal tool in their lives for obtaining information and interpersonal communication. This study intends to conduct a systematic review of the influence of social media on the cross-cultural adaptation of Chinese overseas students, who constitute the largest cohort of international students, and adopts databases Web of Science, Scopus and ScienceDirect. From 2014 to 2023, 15 studies met the inclusion criteria. The United States was the most studied geographic country, and most studies delved into cross-cultural adaptation from socio-cultural and psychological aspects, with less research from the academic aspect. Besides, these studies largely proved the positive role of social media in facilitating the attainment of social capital and enhancing psychological well-being among Chinese overseas students. Nevertheless, a few studies also showed the drawbacks of social media use. There is a call for studies on the correlation between academic adaptation of Chinese overseas students and social media use, as well as to explore international students’ proper use of social media.

Storytelling, belonging and identity in the graphic design classroom: A critical reflection

In a diverse student cohort, learning can be designed to encourage belonging and celebrate identity in the classroom. However, in increasingly international student cohorts, international students can find themselves displaced, living and working in new environments, and might struggle to find their voice and express their heritage in the context of their studies. By designing curricula to encourage storytelling, educators can help students to find their voice and identity as designers, and create a space for safety, vulnerability, and belonging in the classroom. As such, this paper is situated in the context of graphic design higher education and takes the form of a critical reflection, comprising a self-evaluation of the use of storytelling in the classroom based on the author's teaching experience. Rhizomatic learning (Cormier 2008) is discussed in relation to its application in the context of a graphic design classroom and its relevance in a curriculum designed to support storytelling. The critical reflection follows Brookfield's (2017) model for critically reflective teaching and takes the form of a series of vignettes featuring student projects - part of an editorial design project run annually for final-year students in the BA Information Design programme at the University of Pretoria, South Africa. In addition to these vignettes, the critical reflection references a design research workshop run for students of MA Graphic Design at the University for the Creative Arts in the United Kingdom.

Towards a safe haven: Students from post‐Soviet countries pursuing education in Sweden during the COVID‐19 pandemic

AbstractThis article delves into the motivations and aspirations of students from post‐Soviet countries who opted for education in Sweden amid the COVID‐19 pandemic. In stark contrast to most nations which enforced stringent lockdown measures to curb the transmission of the coronavirus, Sweden adopted a relatively laissez‐faire approach, keeping significant sectors of society operational. While Sweden's strategy garnered considerable global scrutiny and critique, the students in this study exhibited a notable lack of apprehension regarding the global health crisis or Sweden's controversial approach to the pandemic. For these students, the COVID‐19 pandemic primarily manifested as a practical impediment to their forthcoming academic endeavours. Conversely, they perceived various enduring societal challenges in their countries of origin–such as unemployment, anxiety and distrust towards governmental authorities, and even armed conflict–as possessing a more entrenched and formidable nature, posing a greater threat to their overall well‐being. Against this backdrop, Sweden emerged as a perceived sanctuary capable of reinstating a state of ontological security, especially for the students identifying as members of the LGBTQ+ community and with political convictions frowned upon by the government of their home country. By focusing on the narratives of these individuals and adopting a conceptual framework that views ‘crisis’ as a relational construct, this study sheds light on the divergent experiences and perceptions of the COVID‐19 pandemic among international student cohorts. This approach underscores the nuanced and context‐dependent nature of their responses to the pandemic, emphasising the imperative of empirically accounting for these variations.

Factors influencing Chinese international students’ preference for Australia as a study destination: A qualitative analysis

Australia competes with other popular study destinations for its share in the international student market. As the largest cohort of international students in the country, this article explores factors influencing Chinese students to select Australia as their final study destination instead of the United States, the United Kingdom, or Canada. Within the theoretical lens of the push-and-pull model and drawing on semi-structured interviews with 22 Chinese graduates who studied at Australian universities, this research provides evidence about the factors driving Chinese international students to choose Australia as their study destination. Notably, the research participants had also considered other study destination countries for their popularity among young Chinese, sought-after education systems, and career opportunities. However, higher costs and colder climates were among the major push factors of those countries. A prior connection to the country was Australia’s foremost pull factor. China’s competitive education system and labour market, and social and cultural norms pushed participants to seek international education options.

EXPLORING THE LEVELS OF CULTURAL INTELLIGENCE AND EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE AMONG ASIAN INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS

Cultural intelligence and emotional intelligence have gained substantial attention as integral components of the intercultural adaptation process. Despite their significance, there exists a research gap in examining the specific levels of these competencies within homogeneous cohorts of international students. Therefore, the main purpose of this study was to address this gap by assessing the levels of cultural intelligence and emotional intelligence among Asian international students enrolled in Chinese universities and their associated with sociodemographic variables. The study comprised 228 student participants. Participants completed self-report questionnaires measuring their cultural intelligence and emotional intelligence. The findings reveal that a significant proportion of Asian international students exhibit moderate to high levels of both cultural intelligence and emotional intelligence. Additionally, the research highlights a positive correlation between cultural intelligence and emotional intelligence. Among sociodemographic variables, prior travel experiences and international students’ friendships with local students displayed significant relationships with their cultural intelligence and emotional intelligence. However, gender, age, and educational level were not significantly related to cultural and emotional intelligence competencies. The study might offer valuable insights into the extensive body of cross-cultural literature on international students and can also serve as a practical guide for university communities seeking to implement measures that enhance the cultural and emotional intelligence of international students.

Navigating intercultural competence at home

A globalised world brings diversity into the classroom and internationalisation to higher education, where intercultural competence comes to the fore. Accommodating interculturality, however, extends beyond the international student cohort and includes heterogeneous domestic cultures, including Indigenous cultures. In the Australian context, historically Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples have experienced limited access to culturally appropriate health, social and educational services. Accordingly, higher education institutions can be vehicles of change in this regard. More specifically, just as many higher education providers have moved towards internationalised curriculum, there is increasing evidence and intention to introduce Indigenised curriculum where respective educators delivering indigenised curricula need to be culturally competent. Institutions therefore, are offering cultural training programs for educators delivering Indigenised curricula, where recognition of Indigenous cultural competence amongst educators would be useful. Yet, the review presented in this paper demonstrates a gap in literature regarding measurement of cultural and intercultural competence in the context of Australian higher education. To that end, an instrument specifically designed to measure educator intercultural competence in Australia as related to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples is proposed. This instrument will enable higher education institutions to document educator Indigenous cultural competence, demonstrate the intercultural skills of their educational staff and continuously improve intercultural competency within the institution.

Cultivating connectedness and elevating educational experiences for international students in blended learning: reflections from the pandemic era and key takeaways

PurposeThis paper aims to explore the significance of videoconferencing in blended learning, using the technology acceptance model to investigate students’ perceptions and its impact on course engagement, student satisfaction and future technology use intention. In addition, it examines the role of teacher support in fostering interactive virtual learning experiences.Design/methodology/approachThis study focuses on a cohort of international students regarding blended courses amid the COVID-19 pandemic when the conventional face-to-face components were substituted with virtual classrooms through videoconferencing. It aims to investigate how to facilitate connectivity between Southeast Asian students and their professors located in a Southern state in the USA.FindingsThis study reveals that the perceived usefulness of videoconferencing predicts future intention to use, emphasizing the vital role of teacher support in engaging students in virtual classrooms and contributing to student satisfaction.Research limitations/implicationsThe small sample of international students in blended courses with an American university during the COVID-19 pandemic may limit the generalization of the findings.Practical implicationsVideoconferencing can be a valuable tool to enhance connectedness in digital learning post pandemic.Social implicationsVideoconferencing in blended learning can bridge geographical barriers and provide access to diverse learners who might otherwise have limited educational opportunities.Originality/valueThis study supports the integration of videoconferencing as a mechanism for providing high-quality digital learning experiences.

Findings from a survey looking at attitudes towards AI and its use in teaching, learning and research

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is having an advancing dramatic impact on Technology Enhanced Learning (TEL) in Higher Education. (Popenici & Kerr, 2017) observed an emergence of the use of AI in HE (Higher Education) and pinpointed challenges for institutions and students including issues of academic integrity, privacy and “the possibility of a dystopian future” (p. 11). Potential benefits of AI in HE includes creating learning communities through chatbots (Studente & Ellis, 2020), automated grading, individualized learning strategies and improved plagiarism detection (Owoc et al., 2019). It is unclear how often, and in what manner, students are engaging with AI during their learning and in creating submissions for assessments tasks and if this engagement is creating unrealistic outcomes. It is also unclear how educators are engaging with AI during their teaching and curriculum/assessment design and how this may be impacting the learning outcomes of their cohorts. This research study was conducted to investigate the perceived immediate and long-term implications of engaging with AI of both staff and students on learning and teaching within the University of Adelaide. The design of the research study is underpinned by a blended approach combining Situational Ethics and Planned Behavior Theory to understand the ethical considerations and behavioral activities and future intentions of staff and students regarding the use of AI. Situational Ethics provides a framework for examining the contextual nature of ethical decision-making regarding AI (Boddington, 2017; Memarian & Doleck, 2023). Planned Behavior Theory provides understanding of individuals' motivation and rationalization to engage with AI (Wang et al., 2022). By employing a mixed qualitative and quantitative design, collecting data via online surveys, the study's findings shed light on the ethical challenges and attitudes associated with AI implementation in higher education and provided insights into the factors that influence staff and students’ individual intentions to engage with AI technologies in Learning and Teaching. Participants from all faculties across a wide diversity of student cohorts and staff responded to the surveys. Initial findings reveal educators are suspecting a greater student use of AI than the data demonstrates. The most frequent use of AI by students is for checking grammar and this is more prominent in the international student cohort. Students trust their human educators more than AI for course content and feedback on assessments. Educators are comfortable using AI but feel also they need greater support and training. The majority of students (70%, n=126) are not concerned about the implications of using Generative AI in higher education, regarding issues related to privacy, bias, ethics, or discrimination. However, demonstrating an active concern in this field, the most common use of AI by university staff is to test its capabilities to complete assignments. These and other findings from the study can provide guidance to staff and students by describing current practices and making recommendations regarding assessment, curriculum design, and Learning and Teaching (L&T) activities.

Developing a good practice guide for group work that transcends disciplines

Collaborative and group-based learning provides a rich opportunity to enhance student outcomes (Prince, 2004). The Australian National University (ANU) Learning and Teaching Strategy (2022) outlines a goal to promote collaborative pedagogies and ensure students experience group and team-based learning activities. Group assessment is a means to achieve this by structurally valuing and prioritising students working with their peers on complex problems and long-term projects. A small-scale exploratory study (unpublished) conducted by the Centre for Learning and Teaching (CLT) found only 11% of undergraduate courses at the ANU in 2022 had any element of group assessment, emphasising the need to support educators to incorporate more high quality group work and assessment across programs. To address this need, we developed and delivered a digital good practice guide and training workshop that aims to support educators to create and facilitate group assessments that work best for their context. At the heart of the project was a partnership with staff from the School of Engineering who expressed a keen interest in sharing their experience, knowledge, and existing resources relating to the design and support of group work with the broader University. We saw this as an opportunity to enable and enhance sharing between educators and education support staff across discipline areas and colleges, overcoming silos that exist within the University. To maximise our reach and impact, we chose to co-design a digital resource with the School of Engineering promoted through online communication channels because it offers an accessible format that is available all educators at or outside of the ANU. Our good practice guide for group work and assessment responds to the diverse needs and contexts of educators, translating theory from the literature into practical recommendations. The guide is underpinned by the theoretical framework of social constructivism (Vygotsky, 1980), and was created using a human-centred approach to design. The partnership with the School of Engineering made this design approach possible as it established a pathway for us to engage directly with end users. Importantly, we also engaged with staff from across other areas of the University to ensure the content and design of the guide addresses the learning and teaching contexts relevant to their discipline (e.g. predominantly male or International student cohorts) and the emerging context of transdisciplinary courses. This poster will present the process and outcomes of the project from the initial research and discovery phase through to the design, delivery, and evaluation of the good practice guide and accompanying workshop. Alongside this, we will present a critical reflection on how the partnership and engagement with educators across disciplines affected the design and ultimate impact of the resources.

Educating global Africans: possibilities of Chinese language learning in international higher education

The number of international students in Chinese higher education has expanded unprecedentedly over the past decade. As opposed to neoliberal marketisation, this expansion is backed up by a community of shared future for mankind rationale, which is well articulated within the policy rhetoric as well as keynote speeches by Chinese senior government officials. However, there is a paucity of research and thoresiation into how Chinese universities may be contributing to this strategic priority in specific contexts. This article presents a case study that examines the aspirations of a cohort of African international students enroled in a Chinese language programme in a vocational college in Southeast China. Their narratives highlight the previously neglected relevance of international higher education and Chinese language learning to the process of global citizenship education. The participants in this study displayed positive dispositions of global citizenship such as an in-depth understanding of the world, promoting hargramony and contributing to the common good. As such, this article underscores the affordances and possibilities of Chinese language learning in international higher education, in addressing a torrent of mounting concerns of ‘China threat’ to the world order.

University Preparation Programs in Australia: International Student Perspectives

Existing studies have revealed that prior educational experience plays an important role in student learning, and many international students are encountering challenges while undertaking academic studies at Anglophone universities. However, few studies have examined how the pre-university preparation international students experience assists them in transitioning to university. This study explores, through the perceptions of students, the effectiveness of different university preparation pathways of a cohort of international students in a leading Australian university. Using a mixed-method research design, a questionnaire and focus group interviews were conducted to collect data about overseas student perceptions of the pathway program they undertook. The results show that international students who undertook different pathway programs had different perspectives about the extent to which they felt prepared for university in terms of important aspects of their education, such as subject content knowledge and English language proficiency. Based on the students’ perceptions, the findings of this exploratory study contribute new insights to help improve education practices at universities through a deeper understanding of the diverse preparation international students receive. Overall, the article highlights the heterogeneous nature of international students’ academic preparedness for university transition, and offers some practical implications for university educators, administrators, and curriculum designers.

Adjusting in a pandemic: Experiences of incoming international students

IntroductionOver 4 million students travel outside their home countries to pursue tertiary education in the world, with over 600,000 students traveling to Canada alone. Adjustment to new cultures has often been shown to be stressful. The COVID-19 pandemic has been a significant global event that has affected all aspects of life in different ways. Although there is research showing the negative impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on international students globally, the study of the experiences of incoming cohorts of international students, particularly during the process of planning, traveling, and arriving at the host country, is still evolving.MethodsGiven that international students are sometimes at higher risk for mental health concerns, this qualitative study sought to explore the experiences of six incoming international graduate students, ages 18 to 32, through a semi-structured interview, as they moved from their home country to Canada. It explored their cultural adjustment in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic using a thematic analysis, through a descriptive phenomenological paradigm.ResultsSix themes emerged: choosing graduate programs; influence of pandemic on admission acceptance, moving to Canada, university experiences, adjustment; and adjustment as a student. Overall, international students appear to experience a “double dose” of stressors - the typical stressors of student hood, COVID-19 related challenges, as well as their unique manifestations in the context of being an international student.DiscussionLimitations and implications of the study are discussed.

Reproducing inequality while celebrating diversity: an ethnographic study of international students’ EMI learning experiences in China

ABSTRACT The adoption of English medium instruction (EMI) in higher education has gained popularity in China's tertiary education as a result of globalization. International students in Chinese universities are celebrated as part of soft power projection to extend China's global impact. Informed by Piller and Cho's concept of “Neoliberalism as language policy” (2013) and Collins' “social reproduction theory” (2009, 2012), this study attempts to explore the EMI learning experiences of a cohort of international students at a border university in China. The policy documents, in-depth interviews, classroom observation, reflective journals and online interactions converge to reveal that, international students in EMI programmes experience exclusion and inequality despite the welcoming discourses of diversity. The paper highlights the necessity to pay attention to the ways in which higher education institutions reproduce inequalities of social stratification of international students through explicit and implicit institutional practices. It is argued that EMI policy in China's peripheral regions targeting international students from less-developed countries tends to perpetuate and accentuate educational inequalities. The study sheds light on a more inclusive pedagogical approach to alleviating international students' marginalisation and educating students of diverse linguistic, cultural, socioeconomic backgrounds for global citizenship in the context of China's Belt and Road Initiative.

Omani international students' social connection and friendship at a New Zealand university

This is a qualitative study that explored the experiences of friendship formation of Omani international students at a university in New Zealand. Semi-structured interviews were employed to collect data from 12 Omani participants and data were analysed using thematic analysis. Utilising Bochner et al.’s (1977) Functional Model, the study found that Omani students were generally satisfied with how they were developing friendships with co-national and international students but revealed dissatisfaction concerning forming friendships with New Zealand students. The perceptions of Omani students revealed six factors that influenced their formation of intercultural friendships: (1) willingness to establish intercultural friendships, (2) frequent communication and social interaction, (3) English language proficiency, (4) capability to engage with host nationals, (5) cultural differences, and (6) personality traits. The data suggest that host-national contact is lacking and that international students prefer to contact co-national and multinational friends, which indicates that highly supportive co-national and international social ties significantly predominate. Higher-education providers in New Zealand and receiving countries addressing one cohort of international students will find these findings particularly useful.

Attitudes of an international student cohort to the Quizlet study system employed in an advanced clinical health care review course.

Computer-based learning applications and mobile technology have transformed many aspects of the educational experience over the last decade, producing software aimed at improving learning efficiency and streamlining the presentation of course materials. One such class of software, purpose-created to take advantage of spaced learning and spaced testing principles, are electronic flashcard applications. We provide a perspective on the novel use of the Quizlet flashcard application in a tertiary educational setting. To reduce cognitive load for international graduate dental students taking a pharmacology review course, we implemented Quizlet, which integrates both spaced learning and self-testing, to improve the student learning experience. This study assessed students’ perceptions of the Quizlet flashcard system in a student cohort comprised of two consecutive years’ classes (n = 51 students in total). Results indicated broad acceptance of Quizlet based on ease of use of the software and ease of study of the material. Our data provide insight into the use of this common software in a professional healthcare tertiary education setting and further demonstrate the successful application of electronic flashcards for a mixed international student cohort. Further research should include an assessment of the impact of flashcard on long-term knowledge retention in this setting.Supplementary InformationThe online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s10639-022-11371-3.

Personalising medical education: ePortfolios for workplace- based assessment


 
 
 There is much literature on the challenges of designing for and implementing ePortfolios. Issues include technology management and overcoming barriers to acceptance and usability. Yet as higher education practitioners we find ourselves continually stumbling over these issues. Through discussion of a work-in progress case study at a large Australian medical school, we raise some of the design and implementation issues that impacted integration and facilitation of an ePortfolio system. The system was created to support students’ personal learning, and evidencing and assessment of clinical competence. Recognising the importance of context, we focus on a Workplace Learning Portfolio (WLP) course, in which an ePortfolio system was adopted to support and deliver workplace-based assessments for students in Years 3 and 4 of a Doctor of Medicine (MD) program. Discussion centres around the promise and reality of concurrently implementing curriculum and technological change with a large cohort of domestic and international students. The complexity of using an ePortfolio system to identify students at risk of academic failure is raised, as is an example of unexpected student engagement with personalised learning.
 
 

We just try to work with the needs in front of us

The Ontario government’s International Education Strategy (2015) establishes goals for international education and the hosting of international students in Ontario schools. Using a critical policy lens, we focus on teachers as key to enacting these policy objectives in local contexts. The article presents findings from four focus groups of Ontario teachers working in schools with large international student cohorts. We found teacher participants were generally unaware of a broader vision or strategic goal for the presence of these students in their schools. They found it difficult to meet the needs of this growing cohort, and they faced this challenge with varying degrees of enthusiasm. Factors that influenced their enactment included personal background and education, as well their ability to collaborate and work in contexts with a professional ethos. Overall, teachers expressed a desire for more information, support, and professional development, including opportunities for collaboration, with regard to educating international students in their schools.

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.

Lockdown labs: Pivoting to remote learning in forensic science higher education

Forensic Science training and education is reliant on the application of knowledge to casework scenarios and the development of key practical skills that provide a platform for career development in the field. The COVID-19 pandemic introduced a number of challenges to effectively deliver practical content online and remotely, whilst still meeting intended learning outcomes, accreditation requirements, and attaining a high level of student engagement and experience. The MSc Forensic Science programme featured in this study is a one-year degree programme with a strong emphasis on the practical elements of forensic science, and a diverse international student cohort. Therefore, the restrictions associated with the pandemic made it very difficult not only to plan the delivery of material but also to adapt the content itself for effective online and remote learning.By focusing on the intended learning outcomes, a number of innovative teaching practices were developed to successfully transition from face-to-face teaching to online and remote delivery. A range of online and practical resources were developed, including a laboratory home kit, demonstration videos, online practical technique simulations (produced by Learning Science), data analysis tasks, and interactive workshops and activities, all designed to consolidate student learning and build confidence, in preparation for such a time that on campus practical teaching could resume. The initial feedback received from these activities from both staff and students was extremely positive and the transition from classroom to online teaching was a success, as reflected in student attainment and later student feedback. Students reported that they had a better understanding of what was expected of them, including knowledge of protocols and techniques, and felt much more confident moving into the next stage of their learning development. Even though the practical laboratory sessions were the most significantly affected by the restrictions associated with the pandemic, and resulted in reduced interaction for the students, this was counteracted by virtual sessions and workshops, which gave students the opportunity to engage with each other and communicate their thoughts and opinions, ultimately building key presentation and group working skills.This case study will detail the pivot to remote learning, as well as critically evaluating the feedback from students and discussing the changes that are likely to be retained as longer-term teaching practices, versus those that were a necessary temporary addition or adjustment in response to the pandemic.

The social practice of international education: analysing the caring practices of Indian international students in Australian universities

ABSTRACT This article contributes to debates about international student mobility and the globalisation of higher education by attending to the caring practices of Indian international students at Australian universities. Drawing on qualitative material produced with postgraduate students, it examines the practical, economic, emotional and social ways they support each other throughout their educational sojourns. The main argument is that Indian international students develop critical modes of supporting each other that make international study possible. These caring practices highlight the need to move beyond approaches that cast international students as neoliberal subjects or as a vulnerable group in need of intervention. They also unsettle the tendency to cast the higher educational landscape as strictly neoliberal. They highlight instead the importance of notions such as mutuality and reciprocity among the international student cohort, at the same time as they suggest the production of logics in higher education that cannot strictly be defined as neoliberal.