Learning Experiences Of International Students Research Articles

International Students’ Investment in Learning Cantonese, English, Mandarin, and Portuguese in Multilingual Macao

ABSTRACT Extant literature describes challenges faced by international students, including language deficiency, culture shock, and identity crises. However, few studies have investigated international students’ second language (L2) learning in non-Anglophone higher education institutions using English as the medium of instruction (EMI), where English is used inside the classroom, and other language(s) are used outside. In a multilingual world, how international students’ L2 learning is shaped by their identities and social contexts, as multiple languages interact, is worth investigation. This study reports the L2 learning experiences of international students in Macao. Using semi-structured interviews, the researchers examined 15 participants’ routes for and negotiation of L2 learning investment in Cantonese, English, Mandarin, and Portuguese. Three main findings emerged: (a) participants’ main L2 learning routes were language courses and daily communication, with more investment in English and Mandarin than in Cantonese and Portuguese; (b) participants were discouraged from investing in L2s other than English, as they used English in Macao, identifying as “foreigners” and “deficient speakers” of other languages; (c) languages competed for participants’ limited resources, with English and Mandarin prevailing as more beneficial for their futures. This paper provides a unique perspective on the global language ecology through international student sojourners in a multilingual context.

Classroom Experiences of International Students in Canadian Postsecondary Education

The aim of this paper is to examine the classroom experiences of 12 international students in a Canadian postsecondary institution. The literature related to this purpose shows that many international students are challenged by the English language proficiency needed for analytical classroom discussion, and they are often confused by Westernize student-centric learning tactics such as oral presentations and open-ended assignments. Grounded within qualitative phenomenological research, our study documents the lived classroom experiences of international students and how they interpret social learning exchanges. Based on semi-structured individual interviews, the findings reflected three main themes. First, international students faced challenges with deciphering the English language of local students and teachers. Also, they struggled with the quick response time needed for classroom discussions. Second, many international students were frustrated with mandated group work. Many students felt discriminated against by their group members; other students experienced unbalanced workloads when completing collaborative assignments. Finally, students experienced a steep learning curve regarding the Westernize student-centric approach to learning. For example, many students were intimidated by creative assignments and the associated lack of direction provided by the instructor. The findings of this research are analyzed via Bandura’s social cognitive theory, which dictates that effective learning is dependent upon personal agency (one’s actions), proxy agency (the environmental resources), and collective agency (group dynamics). Currently worldwide, burgeoning numbers of international students are streaming into Western postsecondary institutions accentuating the need for this research. These institutions have an ethical and financial obligation to supply high quality education to international students. However, to provide a supportive learning environment, instructors, administrators, and educational policymakers need to be knowledgeable of the learning experiences of international students and adjust their institutional culture and pedagogical tendencies to best suit the needs of these students.

Classroom Experiences of International Students in Canadian Postsecondary Education

The aim of this paper is to examine the classroom experiences of 12 international students in a Canadian postsecondary institution. The literature related to this purpose shows that many international students are challenged by the English language proficiency needed for analytical classroom discussion, and they are often confused by Westernize student-centric learning tactics such as oral presentations and open-ended assignments. Grounded within qualitative phenomenological research, our study documents the lived classroom experiences of international students and how they interpret social learning exchanges. Based on semi-structured individual interviews, the findings reflected three main themes. First, international students faced challenges with deciphering the English language of local students and teachers. Also, they struggled with the quick response time needed for classroom discussions. Second, many international students were frustrated with mandated group work. Many students felt discriminated against by their group members; other students experienced unbalanced workloads when completing collaborative assignments. Finally, students experienced a steep learning curve regarding the Westernize student-centric approach to learning. For example, many students were intimidated by creative assignments and the associated lack of direction provided by the instructor. The findings of this research are analyzed via Bandura’s social cognitive theory, which dictates that effective learning is dependent upon personal agency (one’s actions), proxy agency (the environmental resources), and collective agency (group dynamics). Currently worldwide, burgeoning numbers of international students are streaming into Western postsecondary institutions accentuating the need for this research. These institutions have an ethical and financial obligation to supply high quality education to international students. However, to provide a supportive learning environment, instructors, administrators, and educational policymakers need to be knowledgeable of the learning experiences of international students and adjust their institutional culture and pedagogical tendencies to best suit the needs of these students.

How do teachers learn to teach international students? Teachers’ informal professional learning in international vocational education

ABSTRACT The majority of the literature in the field of international education focuses on the experiences of international students, while much less is known about how teachers learn to teach this cohort. Research on teachers’ informal professional learning and critical moments of growth in their endeavour to enhance the learning experiences of international students in the vocational education and training sector is even scarcer. This article responds to the dearth of existing literature. related to teachers’ professional learning in international vocational education It is based on a study that includes semi-structured interviews with 102 staff in Australian vocational education and training. The article uses positioning theory as a conceptual frame to analyse teachers’ narratives of informal professional learning relation to teaching international students. The findings show that teachers position international students as valuable resources contributing to their informal professional development. The study indicates that it is crucial for teachers’ on-the-job learning experiences to be factored into the broader policy frameworks concerning teacher professional development. The article provides the evidence base to inform the development of situated and targeted professional learning for teachers teaching international students.

Agency in change: Learning experiences of international midwifery students in South Australia

ProblemWhile literature reports broadly on the experiences of international students of health professions in higher education, the experience of students undertaking an undergraduate midwifery program outside their country of origin has not previously been reported. BackgroundMidwifery studies incorporate distinct clinical practice and discipline-specific therapeutic relationships which can challenge students familiar with the health system, so it is necessary to understand their impact on the learning needs of international students, who contribute to the diversity of our workforce. AimTo explore learning experiences of international students of an undergraduate midwifery program to identify their perceptions and personal strategies which impacted their participation in the program. MethodsA qualitative descriptive study, with a purposive sample of nine current international students and recent graduates of a midwifery program at a South Australian university. Participants attended a focus group or individual phone interview to explore their learning experiences, and data were thematically analysed. FindingsFive themes and sub-themes were identified, built around a core concept of the international midwifery student experience as agency in change: language and culture, teaching and learning, isolation and integration, services and support, and motivation and resilience. Studying abroad was associated with personal and professional growth. Continuity of care for women presented challenges and produced learnings unique to this cohort. ConclusionTailored support, such as specialized clinical facilitation and organized peer networking, is required for international midwifery students in Australia. Additionally, effective approaches to facilitate bilingualism to support language concordant care are needed.

Translanguaging as sociolinguistic infrastructuring to foster epistemic justice in international Chinese-medium-instruction degree programs in China

Abstract While extensive studies have been devoted to English-medium-instruction programs as a major strategy of internationalization, there is a paucity of research on the content-and-language learning experiences of international students enrolled in non-English-medium-instruction programs in the Asia-Pacific region. Drawing on the notions of translanguaging and sociolinguistic infrastructuring, the present study investigates translanguaging among instructors and international students in Chinese-medium-instruction (CMI) postgraduate programs in the humanities and social sciences departments in a top university in China. Content analysis of student and instructor interviews reveals that despite the monolingual language policy that governs the medium of instruction for international degree programs at the institutional level, translanguaging serves as sociolinguistic infrastructuring to support some international students’ active participation in knowledge construction, as well as to negotiate tensions imposed by epistemic injustice inherent in disciplinary histories in Chinese academia and the enacted CMI curricula. It is argued that, as a defining feature of translanguaging, sociolinguistic infrastructuring highlights the agentive role of both teachers and international students, who coordinate and navigate distributed and diverse material-semiotic conditions, which can be used to foster a decolonial space for knowledge construction in CMI programs. Pedagogical and curriculum design implications are discussed at the end of the article.

Reflections of Learning Experiences of International Students in Sweden

The purpose of this article is to present a qualitative study exploring a small cohort of nine international students’ in-depth reflections about their teaching and learning experiences studying at a major Swedish University. Interestingly while there have been numerous studies reporting on the experiences of international students attending Anglo-Saxon universities, few studies have explored teaching and learning experiences of international students studying in Sweden. Using Carol Rodgers (2002) model of four functions of reflections provided a novel way to explore international students’ reflections about their learning experiences in Sweden, especially how these are shown in the following different cycles, of presence, description, analysis and experimentation. Making sense of international students’ experiences allows us as university lecturers to enhance our understanding how to better support international students’ in their learning away from their home universities.

International students’ experiences in a flipped classroom environment

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to explore undergraduate international students’ experiences in a flipped classroom environment in an Australian university.Design/methodology/approachIn total, 32 in-depth interviews were conducted with undergraduate international students at one Australian university by three researchers.FindingsThe learning experiences of international students in a flipped classroom environment include increased flexibility in learning; enhanced engagement with content and; more confident participation in face-to-face workshops. In addition, the analysis further illustrates that international students intrinsically develop soft skills (e.g. increased confidence and communication skills), learning skills (e.g. research and critical thinking) and employability skills (e.g. time management and accountability).Research limitations/implicationsThese findings focus only on the positive learning experiences of undergraduate international students in one Australian university.Originality/valueThe study contributes to the literature by identifying learning experiences of undergraduate international students in a flipped classroom environment and the connection with their development of soft skills, learning skills and employability skills.

‘You went to Europe and returned different’: Transformative learning experiences of international students in Portugal

Despite the increase of research on international students, the complexity of their learning experiences is yet to be fully understood. This study seeks to provide an expanded vision of their learning by considering students’ experiences beyond formal educational spaces, focusing especially on their out-of-classroom experiences. To achieve this, the narratives of 12 international students in Portugal were analysed in light of the theory of transformative learning. The results indicate that all students experienced particular forms of learning as an outcome of their international experience and were engaged in transformative learning processes. Moreover, the theory of transformative learning proved to be an appropriate analytical tool for understanding the learning narratives of international higher education students. Through the analysis of the transformative effects of engaging with a foreign cultural context, this paper makes a contribution to the ongoing debate on transformative learning and the experience of international students in the European context.

Methods and Strategies for Working with International Students Learning Online in the U.S.

With the increase of internationalization and globalization in higher education, more international students are arriving at U.S. higher education institutions, especially from China. At the same time, the increase in online courses and programs at U.S. colleges and universities has led to many of the international Chinese students taking online courses while in the U.S., whether voluntarily or involuntarily. This article discusses methods and strategies for working with international students in online courses and ways to effectively teach them (with a stronger focus on Asian learners) based on existing literature and the results of a phenomenological study of six international graduate students. There is a demonstrated need for the instructors to be more culturally aware when teaching to improve the online learning experiences of international students although the international students themselves also need to be more prepared for online courses. Recommendations are provided for instructors as well as international students.

Blended learning with international students: a multiliteracies approach

While the use of information and communication technologies (ICTs) continues to transform learning, international migration and the increasing complexity of intercultural exchange and communication continue to do so as well. In this paper, we connect the dots and ask how ICTs can be used to enhance the learning experiences of international students. Using a case study of a new program for first-year international students at a Canadian university, we bring together insights from blended learning and multiliteracies approaches to show how multiple cultural references and multimedia can form the basis for the development of new potentials between learners, knowledge, and disciplinary practice. This involves an analysis of the innovative structure of a two-course sequence in Human Geography, followed by a discussion of student feedback on the model. Based on our results, we conclude that blended learning offers not only a sophisticated approach to multiliteracies in the context of an international student setting, but for teaching students in the social sciences and humanities more broadly.

Student to Scholar: Learning Experiences of International Students

The author discusses the learning experiences and processes of selected international graduate students within a Canadian university as they progressed from student to scholar. Inspired by social learning theorists Lave and Wenger’s (1991) notion of apprentice to masters in situated learning and communities of practice, the student to scholar framework sheds new light on the phenomenon of being an international graduate student. The arguments within the paper counter traditional views of learning as occurring solely through classroom engagements and offers that international graduate students learn and achieve “scholar” status through situated practice, professor mentoring and triple learning. Data were captured through observations and in-depth phenomenological and semistructured interviews.

Culture, Language, and Knowledge: Cultural Learning Styles for International Students Learning Chinese in China

This article reports on a study that attempts to examine the cultural learning styles of international students learning Chinese in China and their engagement in activities associated with linguistic and cultural knowledge. By drawing upon the previous research around cultural dimensions of learning styles and knowledge transmission and sharing, this paper explores the impact of cultural differences on Chinese language learning and on the level of engagement in activities involving multicultural and multilingual knowledge. Through looking at the Chinese learning experiences of international students coming from Asian countries, this study showcases how the learners' cultural styles of learning interact with their existing cultural and linguistic knowledge during their Chinese language learning in the target learning context. It is expected that this study will inform future research on cultural learning styles and knowledge exchange and sharing among Chinese learning students. The findings will have implications for language practitioners and educators to be upfront with linguistic and cultural diversity over the course of their education practices and to unleash the power of knowledge this diversity distinctively entails. This study will also shed light on the research and best practices in learning and teaching of Chinese language and other languages and cultures.

Extending the Terrain of Inclusive Education in the Classroom to the Field: International Students on Placement

Proponents of inclusive practice in higher education have focused predominantly on what happens in the classroom rather than what happens to students in the field. In particular, minimal consideration has been given to how international students fare on field placements. This lack of attention to the learning experiences of international students on placement is of some concern given the expansion of international student numbers in many higher education institutions across the world. In this paper we identify potential challenges and issues faced by international social work students who may be perceived to lack the requisite cultural capital to successfully complete their practicums. We then consider a number of topical questions such as how can educators prepare these students adequately for the field and, perhaps more importantly, how can educators make the field more responsive to a diverse student group. In doing so we foreground some of the debates surrounding inclusive practice and how this extends to field education. While this paper focuses predominantly on the Australian context of social work education, the issues canvassed in this paper may resonate with educators and international students in other locations.

A foreign assignment: Internships and international students

Although much attention has been given to the learning experiences of international students studying overseas much less focus has been given to the internship experiences of these students. This is in spite of the fact that international students have a high demand for obtaining work experience while studying overseas. This paper reports on preliminary and exploratory investigations issues facing international students, all from Asia and the South Pacific, in obtaining work experiences while studying an undergraduate tourism and hospitality degree in Australia.

Are Sojourners Natural Comparativists? Critical Perspectives on the Learning Experiences of International Students

Students who spend a period of time studying outside of their own national systems have a number of advantages in terms of developing a comparative perspective on education. The experience of living and studying abroad provides them with the opportunity to act as participant observers of at least two different systems, and the natural juxtaposition of these experiences should, in theory, help these individuals to better understand their own and the other education systems. This article uses a number of sources to interrogate this assumption. It draws on findings from research conducted by the author and colleagues on international students in the United Kingdom, in order to explore the potential and limitations of a period of international study in informing a learner's comparative perspective. While such students evidently adopt a comparative discourse in discussing their experiences, questions are raised about the validity and depth of these understandings.

Teaching and learning for international students: towards a transcultural approach

Discourses of internationalisation in higher education often neglect one of the most effective sources of intercultural knowledge and understanding; the international students who increasingly inhabit university campuses around the world. International education is now big business in Anglophone universities such as in the UK and Australia, with 15% of students (United Kingdom Council for International Student Affairs, 2010) and 21% of students (Australian International Education, 2010a) respectively being international students. However, benefits for nations and universities are at risk due to a range of teaching and learning issues that affect the learning experiences of international students and are problematic for both staff and students. This paper draws on research over the past two decades to discuss the nature of these issues and provides an overview of the three stages that can be discerned in universities’ responses to the influx of international students. This analysis points to a changing pattern of responses which are tied more closely to discourses of globalisation and internationalisation. It also shows that although many of the difficulties experienced by staff and students are well known, there is still much to be done to address curriculum, pedagogical and assessment practices. A necessary precursor to this work is the examination of underlying attitudes, values and systems that may give rise to difficulties for both staff and students. A new approach is needed that positions international students not as ‘problems’ to be solved but as ‘assets’ to internationalisation and the generation of new knowledge and new ways of working in the academy.

Stormy Outlook?

ABSTRACT The education of international students in Australian universities has grown significantly over recent years, with Australia now having the highest ratio of international students to domestic students among the major English-speaking destinations popular with international students. While there is a variety of research that examines the learning experiences of international students, little research has been conducted that examines the impact that international students have on their domestic counterparts. This paper reports on research that solicits the perceived advantages and disadvantages held by 301 domestic students, who are sharing their educational experience with international students studying hospitality and tourism management. The study reveals that there is a sizable proportion of domestic students (28%) who consider that there are too many international students on campus; that domestic and international students do not readily mix and it also highlights the fact that racist incidents occur. It is suggested that institutions wishing to increase their number of international students must take into consideration the feelings and concerns of their domestic students.

Constructing Local/global Pedagogies: Insights into the Learning Experiences of International Students

Introduction There is mounting concern that because education policies in Australia are driven by marketoriented neo-liberal globalism that the potential role education can play in a changing national/global environment is being undermined. For instance, Rizvi (2003a) observes that there is a danger that the Australian policies that are moving towards a market-driven higher education, will ignore the debate about the fundamental purposes of education within a global context (Rizvi, 2003a, p. 1). More specifically, in terms of pedagogy the worry is that efforts to internationalise higher education privilege untheorised claims to facts, rather than pedagogies that engage and enskill students in investigating the historical, ideological and localising practices of the contemporary transitions in globalisation. Pedagogically, Rizvi (2003b) suggests that the internationalisation would benefit from “a curriculum approach that seeks to provide students with skills of inquiry and analysis rather than a set of facts about globalisation.”(Rizvi, 2003b p. 4) This paper explores the possibilities for developing inquiry-oriented, analytically enskilling global/local pedagogies by examining evidence of the formal and informal learning experiences of international students from the People’s Republic of China who studied at Australian universities. It presents a summary overview of data from interviews with some 120 international students, along with a series of pen pictures of selected students’ perspectives. The paper begins by exploring their initial formal and informal education in China for factors that informed the students’ desires to study overseas, indicating how this contributed to their readiness for continuing their studies in Australia. Second, consideration is given to both the formal and informal learnings the students experience in Australia in terms of how these deepen and extend their trans-national education begun in China. Third, their views on the gains and disappointments of their educational experiences in Australian universities are examined. Finally, we consider some global/local pedagogies that might be possible given the constraints market-oriented neo-liberal globalism now imposes on universities.