International University Students Research Articles

Basic Theory and Practice Teaching Method Based on the Cerebellar Model Articulation Controller Learning Algorithm

With the continuous in-depth development of science and technology in my country, the field of artificial intelligence has also made considerable progress. For example, the comprehensiveness and operability of technology have been enhanced. Artificial intelligence, as a comprehensive and intersecting research field in the fields of computer science, information science, and mathematics, has also made a certain contribution to the progress of international students in colleges and universities. This article is aimed at studying the problems based on basic theories and time teaching methods, mainly through a comprehensive data analysis of artificial intelligence technology and fusion differential evolution algorithm, and then improving the learning ability of students and comprehensive quality. This paper proposes a swarm intelligence algorithm, K -means clustering algorithm, and vector machine algorithm and summarizes the process and application fields of the swarm intelligence algorithm. In addition, the CMAC learning algorithm is proposed, which shows that robots under the background of industrial intelligence and machine learning can organize themselves to form groups to perform complex tasks. The experimental results of this paper show that the communication range is between 0 and 1, which can enable more robots to communicate in order to improve the individual’s social learning opportunities, thereby enhancing the individual’s learning ability to improve the performance of learning behavior and improving the efficiency of practical teaching and research, making the efficiency reach 0.9.

Sources of Stress and Challenges for Gay and Bisexual International Students: Experiences of Social Stigma and Sociocultural and Psychological Racism

Internationalism and globalisation bring university students to different parts of the world. However, international students may face stress, discrimination, bias, and challenges from the hosted environment due to cultural and social differences. Based on the social stigma and sociocultural and psychological racism theory, the current study aims to understand and explore the sources of stress and challenges of gay and bisexual international university students in South Korea. 40 gay and bisexual international university students currently enrolled at one of the South Korean universities were invited to share their stories. The finding indicated that othering, boycotting from school personnel, and ineffective psychological counselling services in the university health centres and university hospital health facilities played significant roles in their sources of stress, challenges, and sense-making processes. This study filled the research and practical gaps in the areas of stress and challenges of gay and bisexual international university students in South Korea. Also, university leaders, government officials, non-profit organisational administrators, and public health professionals may use this study as their reference to reform and polish the current policies and regulations for LGBTQ individuals and groups, particularly for gay and bisexual international university students.
 
 Received: 8 March 2022 / Accepted: 13 April 2022 / Published: 5 May 2022

Nitrous oxide‐induced neurological disorders: an increasing public health concern

Neurological presentations resulting from nitrous oxide (N2 O) abuse are increasing in Australia and worldwide. Despite known neuropsychiatric sequelae, N2 O canisters remain readily available and its use unregulated. To examine the demographics, clinical and electrophysiological findings of patients presenting with neurological complications of N2 O abuse, and thus inform clinicians and public health decision-makers of the significant public health concerns of this increasing practice. Consecutive patients presenting to a tertiary referral metropolitan hospital were included in this series. Patients were identified by a search of discharge summaries of patients admitted with acute or subacute neuropathy or myelopathy and a history of N2 O abuse, and from the electrophysiology database. Thirteen patients were identified, most presenting with subacute paraesthesia, sensory ataxia and lower limb weakness. Eleven had low serum vitamin B12 . Spinal magnetic resonance imaging was consistent with subacute combined degeneration in eight. Nerve conduction studies revealed a motor or sensorimotor axonal neuropathy (three with motor predominance). There was a bimodal demographic distribution consisting of socially isolated, international university students and local residents with a history of mental illness and polydrug abuse. Recreational N2 O use is an emerging health problem in Australia. International university students and patients with pre-existing mental illness or polydrug use appear to be at increased risk. A severe motor neuropathy may emerge following vitamin B12 replacement. Public health measures are required to limit the availability of N2 O and to educate adolescents and young adults about the potential for significant harm.

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.

Organization of Research Activities as a Factor in Increasing the Efficiency of Training International Students in Host Russian Universities

This article summarizes the practices of organizing research activities that can improve the training of international students in Russian universities. The authors analyzed and identified the correlation between the internal costs of research and development (R&D), the equipment in university research laboratories, and the number of foreigners studying at Russian universities. The authors used the methods of analysis and synthesis and a systematic approach to explore the experience of Russian universities in the training of international students. To identify the impact of internal R&D costs and the equipment of university research laboratories on the number of foreigners studying in Russian universities, the authors applied correlation and regression analysis, which included building a regression equation, calculating the correlation coefficient, the t-test, the coefficient of elasticity, and the coefficient of determination. This research paper revealed a strong correlation between the number of international students in the Russian Federation on the internal R&D costs and the cost of fixed assets and the equipment of Russian universities, which was proven by the calculated correlation coefficients, elasticity coefficients, and determination coefficients. The authors concluded that universities could influence the number of international students. This article proposes some methods for organizing the research activities of international students that increase their academic mobility and form the most relevant scientific and professional competencies. Higher educational institutions of any major can implement these recommendations for managing the research activities of international students. The novelty of this study lies in the fact that the authors performed the correlation and regression analysis and revealed the dependence of the number of international students in the Russian Federation on internal R&D costs, the cost of fixed assets, and the equipment of Russian universities. The authors illustrated the analysis results with the trend predictive values of factorial features and the value of the effective feature estimated according to the regression equations built. Using the calculated MAPE and Forecast Accuracy indicators for these predicted values, the authors concluded that the level of factorial features and the effective feature were predicted with high accuracy. Thus, host Russian universities can increase the number of international students through effective organization of research activities.

Political and International Affairs Simulations and College Students’ Civic Development

Abstract Political science professors frequently use simulations to try to enhance student learning. Beyond their use in experiential learning, prior research suggests that simulations may also improve student civic outcomes and promote political interest and engagement outside of the classroom. This study estimates the impact of political science simulations by examining students’ attitudes and behaviors before and after taking part in a simulation. We study whether participation in classroom and Model United Nations simulations leads to increases in student civic engagement, political efficacy, and appreciation of diverse viewpoints among college students using a comparison group difference-in-difference design. We find significant positive impacts of simulations on measures of civic engagement, which suggests that students who participate in simulations may take immediate and concrete steps to be more involved in social and political groups.

Brief CBT Interventions May Stop Depression Before It Starts

Brief CBT Interventions May Stop Depression Before It Starts

국내 외국인 유학생의 우울 영향요인에 관한 메타분석

The purpose of this study was to draw comprehensive conclusions about the relationship between the depression and related factors in international university students. For this purpose, protective factors and risk factors of depression were extracted from 28 studies from masters’ theses, doctoral dissertations and journal articles published by 2021. The study results are as follows: First, the effect sizes of psychological factor and social support were in medium range among protective factors while active coping skill had no effect. Second, the effect sizes of acculturative stress and general stress were in the large range while perceived discrimination and dysfunctional coping skills in the medium range among risk factors. Third, residential area of participants had no moderating effect on the relationship between depression and related factors. Based on the results, directions to alleviate depression of international students and recommendations for follow-up research were discussed.

Socioeconomic and Demographic Contexts of Brazilian and International University Students Regarding the Use of Dental Services.

This article characterizes the different socioeconomic and demographic contexts regarding the use and access to dental services by Brazilian and African students at a Brazilian university of international nature. This is a cross-sectional, analytical, observational study with a quantitative approach, with data produced by 350 students from a public university in the state of Ceará. Sociodemographic and economic factors, participation in educational activities, self-perception of oral health, and use of dental services by academics were analyzed. The results obtained indicated that of the university students participating in the study, 74.0% had already used dental services, of which 57.43% were Brazilian and 42.57% international. There was a significant association between being a Brazilian academic and having already used dental services, having an income less than or equal to the minimum wage, and having used the public dental service. The determination of the prevalence of use of dental services and the different contexts of university students can assist in planning future actions in oral health that prioritize groups of university students with greater difficulties in the use and access of these services.

The Effect of Teaching Metacognitive Reading Strategies on the Critical Thinking Skills of Undergraduate Students

Metacognitive strategies have been investigated as facilitating tools for students’ reading comprehension. No studies have investigated the effect of systematic teaching of metacognitive reading strategies on students’ critical thinking skills. The present quasi-experimental study examined the effect of explicit metacognitive strategy instruction and critical thinking skills of ESL international freshman university students. Data were collected from two homogeneous 25-member groups of experimental and control learners randomly assigned to these groups. The experimental group and control group underwent 14 sessions of training. The results related to critical thinking tests revealed the mean scores of students in the metacognitive group were significantly higher than the mean score of the students in the conventional reading group (F= 1.3,82.3) = 215.973. p 0.001). Another interesting finding is that teaching metacognitive reading strategies significantly improved students’ induction (14.72) and credibility (14.30) skills. The findings provide insights for integrating metacognitive reading strategies and critical thinking skills in higher education contexts.

Academic stress, mindfulness-related skills and mental health in international university students

This study investigated the relationships between academic stress, mindfulness-related constructs (ie, mindfulness, self-compassion and psychological flexibility) and anxiety and depressive symptoms in a sample of 190 international university students. Participants filled in an online questionnaire. Multiple Regression Analyses showed that anxiety and depressive symptoms were significantly related to higher levels of perceived academic stress, and to lower levels of acting with (mindful) awareness, lower self-compassion and lower psychological flexibility. None of the mindfulness-related constructs was found to moderate the relationship between perceived academic stress and anxiety and depressive symptoms. The results provide possible targets for mental health interventions in international university students. Especially the training of mindfulness-related skills could be a promising path.

Acculturative Stress Among International Students: A Case of Malaysian Universities

Globalization of education is not uncommon in many countries where international education is of major importance to many, including Malaysia. Malaysia has increasingly become a popular destination for study pursues recently due to various attributes such as the wide verbal implementation of English by the locals, affordable accommodation cost, unique traveling experiences, and great opportunities offered at Malaysian higher learning institutions. Globalization of education develops a proactive global learning environment for local students. When international students come to Malaysia, they must adjust rapidly and learn fast, coping academically and socially. This study aims to assess the acculturative stress experienced by international students in Malaysian public universities. The findings indicate that most international students are under moderate cultural pressure, especially cultural changes or shocks, language barriers, and anxiety. These findings have implications for research on stress

Acculturative Stress Among International Students: A Case of Malaysian Universities

Globalization of education is not uncommon in many countries where international education is of major importance to many, including Malaysia. Malaysia has increasingly become a popular destination for study pursues recently due to various attributes such as the wide verbal implementation of English by the locals, affordable accommodation cost, unique traveling experiences, and great opportunities offered at Malaysian higher learning institutions. Globalization of education develops a proactive global learning environment for local students. When international students come to Malaysia, they must adjust rapidly and learn fast, coping academically and socially. This study aims to assess the acculturative stress experienced by international students in Malaysian public universities. The findings indicate that most international students are under moderate cultural pressure, especially cultural changes or shocks, language barriers, and anxiety. These findings have implications for research on stress and cultural change for international students.

Social Challenges and Experiences of Chinese International University Students: The Sociocultural and Psychological Racism Perspective

International university students face challenges due to the sociocultural differences in the host country. However, only a few studies focused on the issues for Chinese international university students in South Korea. This study aimed to understand the experiences of Chinese international university students in a South Korean university majoring in public health and social care. The following questions guided the current study, how do public health and social care Chinese international students describe their academic and living experiences in South Korea in terms of the Sociocultural and Psychological Racism? With the qualitative inquiry, 50 participants with 100 interview sessions and 12 focus group activities were invited. The results indicated that university experiences due to nationality, social experiences due to nationality, and language learning experiences were the three main themes. University departments should read the students’ comments in this study and take into account the results of this research to reform and improve the university experience of all international students. Also, government agencies may reform their current plans for international students and foreigners in the community.
 
 Received: 28 November 2021 / Accepted: 2 February 2022 / Published: 5 March 2022

The Mediating Effect of Bicultural Self-Efficacy on Acculturation and Career Decision-Making Self-Efficacy for International Students in South Korea.

The population of international students in South Korea is growing. During the career development phase, international students face unique challenges related to their bicultural identity and acculturation experiences. The present study examined the role of bicultural self-efficacy on mediating the relationship between acculturation and career decision-making self-efficacy for international students in South Korea. Responses from 120 international students in South Korea were analyzed using structural equation modeling. The results showed that bicultural self-efficacy fully mediated the relationship between acculturation to mainstream culture and career decision-making self-efficacy but did not mediate the relationship between acculturation to heritage culture and career decision-making self-efficacy. The implications for effective educational intervention for international college students’ career development were discussed based on the results.

How to Smooth International University Students’ Adaptation in Ukraine

The article is devoted to an important problem of international students’ adaptation in host countries. They face a lot of cross-cultural adaptation problems, especially in their first year of study. The problem concerns Ukraine, as well, for an increasing number of international students come to get higher education. Hence, the purpose of the research is to reveal major difficulties of international students in Ukraine and to design a programme of activities aimed at assisting them in their cross-cultural adaptation in this country. The research procedure involved 5 stages. In the first stage theoretical background for the research was prepared: international and national scientific literature review on the problem. The second stage included the identification of target groups, pedagogical observation and working out a self-designed questionnaire. The respondent group consisted of 60 international students of the first year of study in Ukraine, namely on the Bachelor’s and Master’s levels from 3 Kyiv universities. Next, after receiving the students’ consent to participate in the research, they were handed the designed questionnaire. The fourth stage was aimed at collecting the quantitative data and their analyzing. It resulted in identification of challenges, problems and difficulties of the international students’ cross-cultural adaptation in Ukraine. In the final stage a special programme of activities was worked out to make cross-cultural adaptation of international university students in Ukraine smoother and less stressful. This methodology allowed to identify, evaluate and systemize the most typical challenges, problems and difficulties. Thanks to the analysis, 3 categories of them were distinguished: linguistic, academic and socio-cultural. On their basis a special cross-cultural programme of activities and recommendations in different environments (linguistic, academic, socio-cultural) which correlate with the identified problems was designed for university staff (teachers and administration), campus staff, students’ councils and host country students. It is planned to introduce the research results and the designed programme in the educational process of the universities. Their implementation is believed to facilitate cross-cultural adaptation process of international students and to make it less painful.

Pentecostalism, ontological (in)security and the everyday lives of international university students in South Africa

ABSTRACT The experience and lives of international university students studying and living in Cape Town, South Africa demonstrate the centrality of religiosity, in their case Pentecostalism in adapting to and grappling with existential perturbations wrought in a xenophobic and hostile environment. This article explores the everyday appropriation of Pentecostal religiosity and rituals by international students in navigating uncertainties and everyday anxieties and struggles of studying and living in a foreign and alienating space. Studying the mundane forms of the everyday has gained traction since Michel de Certeau’s pioneering works on the practice of everyday life. This article is based on an ethnographic study conducted with international university students to understand how Pentecostalism mediates their daily life and experiences and what it means to live and study at a foreign university. I show how Pentecostal Charismatic Churhces (PCCs) not only cater for the existential material needs of migrant students on campus, but also provide space for integration and forging convivial relationships and belonging. I argue that a Pentecostal identity and being connects and creates a sense of ontological security that pervades Pentecostal students’ everyday life.

Influences of Online Learning Environment on International Students’ Intrinsic Motivation and Engagement in the Chinese Learning

With the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, Chinese teaching for international students in Chinese universities has largely moved online. Despite the comprehensive literature regarding the influences of environmental factors on domestic students’ learning in traditional learning environment, few studies have addressed the influences of online learning environment (OLE) on international students’ Chinese learning experiences. We focus on international students in intensive Chinese courses at a Chinese university, and explores the influences of OLE on these students’ intrinsic motivation (IM) towards and engagement in Chinese learning during the COVID-19 pandemic. Data were collected from an online questionnaire survey and follow-up interviews. The results revealed that the participants had positive perceptions of the online Chinese learning environment, and that the participants had high levels of IM towards and engagement in their Chinese learning. The results showed the positive impact of the participants’ perceived OLE on their IM and engagement in Chinese learning.

The Mediating Roles of Mental Health and Substance Use on Suicidal Behavior Among Undergraduate Students With ADHD

Objective: To evaluate the prevalence of suicidal ideation (SI), plans and attempts, and non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) among students with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Furthermore, we explored the mediating effects of depression, anxiety, alcohol and substance use on the association between ADHD and suicidal behaviors and NSSI. Method: Participants were first-year undergraduate students (n = 1,829) recruited as part of the World Mental Health International College Student Initiative. Participants completed validated clinical measures online. Results: The prevalence of suicide behaviors and NSSI were significantly higher among students with ADHD than those without. Mediation analyses indicated that ADHD directly and indirectly increased suicidal behaviors and NSSI. While ADHD increased suicidal behaviors and NSSI through depression, ADHD and the co-variates age and gender also had indirect effects on suicidal behaviors via substance use. Conclusions: Specific predictors of risk were identified for students with ADHD which may inform the development of more targeted mental health and suicide prevention strategies across campuses.

Learning towards environmental sustainability practices: insights from a values-based participatory research approach

Transformative Learning Theory is instrumental in fostering sustained positive change in adult learners as it explains how critical reflection in crystallization processes results in emancipatory learning. Despite its relevance, there is no reliable approach that can systematically produce Transformational Learning for sustainability purposes. This article presents a case study that adopted a systematic approach to investigate if the approach can stimulate environmentally sustainable practices among international university students and discusses implications for sustainability. Using an open-ended questionnaire and focus group before the intervention and then focus groups and interviews after the intervention, data were collected and compared to assess learning outcomes gained with regards to environmentally sustainable practices. Findings show transformed worldviews, epistemological, ontological and behavioral perspectives towards environmentally sustainable practices. Also, the study reports emancipated knowledge, broadened discriminatory & reflective capabilities, increased consciousness and sense of responsibility gained by the students. Desirable estimates of Kappa’s Inter-rater reliability coefficient shows that the analytical rubric for identifying Transformational Learning Outcomes used was a useful tool recommended for researchers. Supplemental data for this article is available online at https://doi.org/10.1080/13504622.2022.2036705 .