Satisfaction Of International Students Research Articles

The Effects of a Roommate-Pairing Program on International Student Satisfaction and Academic Success

While great attention has been given to the growth of international students at U.S. institutions, there is a gap in the literature examining support for this student population within residence halls. To address the gap, this quantitative study evaluated an international roommate-pairing program (IRP) by comparing the residential experience of IRP participants with a control group. The results showed the roommate-pairing program had a positive impact on the residential experience of international students. These findings suggest physical environment and structured support are critical factors in the satisfaction and success of international students. This research can inform the practice of Residence Life professionals and aid in the establishment of effective support programs.

The Effects of a Roommate-Pairing Program on International Student Satisfaction and Academic Success

While great attention has been given to the growth of international students at U.S. institutions, there is a gap in the literature examining support for this student population within residence halls. To address the gap, this quantitative study evaluated an international roommate-pairing program (IRP) by comparing the residential experience of IRP participants with a control group. The results showed the roommate-pairing program had a positive impact on the residential experience of international students. These findings suggest physical environment and structured support are critical factors in the satisfaction and success of international students. This research can inform the practice of Residence Life professionals and aid in the establishment of effective support programs.

Learning effectiveness and satisfaction of international medical students: Introducing a Hybrid-PBL curriculum in biochemistry.

A biochemistry course is a fundamental but important subject in medical education in China. In recent years, the number of international medical students has increased. Curriculum reform in biochemistry teaching is needed because of the knowledge limitations of students, a close linkage of biochemical content with clinics, the shortcomings of lecture-centered teaching, and the requirements for early clinical practice training and competence. In this study, we analyzed a novel curriculum reform, "Hybrid-PBL," which combined problem-based learning (PBL) with biochemistry lectures and was implemented for biochemical teaching at Dalian Medical University (DMU) in China. The change in curriculum affected 189 international medical students. This study selected two PBL cases concerning the basic biochemical issues of carbohydrate metabolism and liver biochemistry for the analysis, and ten examples of learning issues for each case were reported by the international students. A questionnaire was utilized to evaluate students' perceptions of the Hybrid-PBL, and examination scores were analyzed to assess the curriculum reform in biochemistry teaching. A statistical analysis revealed that the Hybrid-PBL curriculum was well accepted by the international students as an effective supplement to lecture-centered teaching programs. The students obtained more abilities, higher examination scores, and an improved understanding of biomedical information from the Hybrid-PBL program than from conventional teaching methods. Our study was an innovative trial that applied a PBL curriculum to the specific discipline of biochemistry and may provide a potential and promising new teaching method that can be widely utilized. © 2017 by The International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, 45(4):336-342, 2017.

International Student Satisfaction and Loyalty: A Comparative Study of Malaysian and Australian Higher Learning Institutions

Abstract Purpose – Factors affecting international student satisfaction and loyalty are crucial for higher learning institutions of Malaysia as the country wants to become a global education hub. The purpose of this paper is to determine the most contributing factors affecting the level of international student satisfaction and how these factors affect loyalty of the students. These factors are academic issues, economic considerations, image and prestige and infrastructure of the university. The study involved the same research in Australia in order to compare situations in these two nations. Methodology – A structured questionnaire was used to collect data to determine the significant factors affecting the level of satisfaction and loyalty of international students of Malaysian and Australian public universities. Findings – The primary results demonstrated that towards international students, academic issues and economic considerations are more important than rest of two other factors in Malaysia where in Australia image and prestige are quite significant. Value – This study contributes to the research of Malaysian educational field and research of Malaysia as a global educational hub as it involves comparison with a developed country like Australia.

Conditional Mediation Models of Intersecting Identities Among Female Asian International Students

This study investigated how gender, racial, and nationality discrimination were related to the life satisfaction of female Asian international students directly and indirectly through loneliness, as well as how these pathways differed as a function of gender, racial, and nationality in-group solidarity. Participants were 216 female Asian international students from two public universities. Results demonstrated that all three types of discrimination predicted decreased life satisfaction. Loneliness mediated the relationship between perceived discrimination and life satisfaction. In addition, these mediation pathways differed as a function of in-group solidarity (e.g., sense of attachment to one’s racial group), providing evidence for conditional mediation effects. Gender solidarity was a protective factor that mitigated feelings of loneliness when experiencing gender discrimination, whereas racial and nationality solidarity were risk factors for decreased life satisfaction when experiencing loneliness. We provide research implications for international student scholars and clinical implications for university staff and clinicians.

Socio-cultural adaptation, academic adaptation and satisfaction of international higher degree research students in Australia

The number of international higher degree research students has grown at a significant rate in recent years, with Australia becoming a hub for attracting such students from around the world. However, research has identified that international higher degree research students often encounter a wide range of academic and socio-cultural challenges in adapting to their new environment, which can have a significant bearing on their levels of satisfaction with their studies. This paper outlines the findings of a mixed method study exploring the experiences and perceptions of international higher degree research students from five different countries in Australia. Findings revealed that the most important issues in terms of satisfaction were not directly related to academic studies. Instead, factors such as integration into the community, interacting with other students, relationships with supervisors, and the provision of adequate desk space were often given the greatest weight. Implications for how university p...

Key Determinants of Satisfaction among International Business Students in Regional Context

Student satisfaction has been one of the core factors in retaining and attracting international business students to educational institutions. The ability to know the level of students’ satisfaction and the factors affecting it can add a competitive advantage and is considered an opportunity to act proactively in education business. While this information has substantial impact on institutional marketing strategies, there is a dearth of information about the level of satisfaction of business students in Northern Ontario, a vast geographical area representing only a small percentage of the Canadian population. This study aims to fill the gap in existing knowledge about international business students in a regional context. The study addresses the following questions: 1)What is the level of satisfaction of international business students studying in this northern Ontario region? 2)What are the perceived factors that affect the level of satisfaction of international business students in the region? Data were collected from international business students at Laurentian University using the Service Quality Model (SERVQUAL) to develop the conceptual framework guide. The model provided an explanation for the relation between the quality of service and customer expectations. The results of this study showed a satisfaction level that was lower than expected for international business students. This was evident particularly for females who had taken fewer courses with limited work experience and for graduate students. However, students-especially females-with more work experience were more satisfied. The findings lead to a number of implications for future research related to the formulation of curriculum and administrative policy.

Satisfaction of international students: The case of African international students in Quebec

Each year, thousands of students leave their native countries to study abroad. The decision to study abroad can result in mental, emotional and financial challenges. The purpose of this paper is to...

Student mobility reviewed: attraction and satisfaction of international students in Turkey

Building on international migration theories and the literature on the dynamics of student mobility, this study sketches a two-dimensional framework and examines its utility to understand the rationales of in-bounding student mobility in Turkey. The empirical part of the study was conducted with 331 international students studying in public universities of Turkey. The results suggest that private rationales are prominent for students coming from Western and economically developed countries. In contrast, economic and academic rationales are prominent for students coming from Eastern and economically developing countries. The study suggests three insights which are instrumental in re-interpreting the position of the countries in the periphery in international student mobility. First, the nature of cultural, political, and historical proximity between home and host countries determines the size and direction of in-flowing student mobility in economically developing countries. Second, for developing countries pre-departure pulling rationales at private level are more prominent than public rationales. Third, despite the general trend that student mobility flows from economically less developed toward economically developed countries, this study suggests that in the periphery there are regional hubs attracting students largely originating from other countries of the periphery.

Asian Students' Voices: An Empirical Study of Asian Students' Learning Experiences at a New Zealand University

More than 85% of the international students in New Zealand are Asian in origin. The level of satisfaction of Asian international students with their learning experiences in New Zealand has been of enormous concern for the New Zealand export education industry. The results of this current research, based on a qualitative research study conducted at a New Zealand tertiary institution, provide a critical summary of some important and yet challenging issues in teaching Asian students. This study found that Asian students were overall satisfied with their learning experiences at the university in terms of educational quality, program offering, and learning support. Asian students' voices and narratives on which this research was based have challenged some of our taken-for-granted education traditions, norms, and practices. Characterizing these challenges are language difficulties and cultural differences as intercultural communication barriers, unfamiliar patterns of classroom interactions, lack of knowledge of academic norms and conventions, inadequate learning support, difficulties in making friends with domestic students, and lack of sense of belonging, all these combining to affect Asian students' perceptions and levels of satisfaction with their learning experiences at the university. The study suggests that it is important that lecturers and host institutions are professionally responsible to equip Asian students with adequate knowledge of academic discourses and to help them transcend the culturally framed borders and subjectivities. To meet these challenges, it is important to review and adapt our pedagogical practices and to realign them to the needs of both local and international students.

What makes international students satisfied with a Japanese university?

The present study investigated the satisfaction of international students. The factor analysis revealed the three factors of ‘learning and research’, ‘living and adaptation’ and ‘Japanese language ability’. The ten variables were used to predict the satisfaction of international students and found five significant variables in predicating the satisfaction of international students. These were suitability of curriculum, progress of research, having a good friend, cultural adaptation and part-time work. Among these, the suitability of the curriculum was the most significant predictor. Furthermore, the path analysis for learning and research indicated significant mutual causal relationships between research progress and supervisor’s advice. The level of Japanese language skills is not necessarily required to receive advice from their supervisors, although Japanese language skills help to understand the content of classes.

One Business Professor's Experience With the Diversity Issue and Pressure to Raise Students' Grades

This article is a response to an article by Holly B. Tompson and George H. Tompson in the September/October 1996 issue of the Journal of Education for Business. In that article, the authors discussed confronting diversity issues in the classroom with strategies to improve satisfaction and retention of international students. The present article describes a case in which the well-intentioned strategies proposed by Tompson and Tompson failed to work and concludes with suggestions for how professors across America should handle students who demand better grades than the ones they rightly deserve.

International Perspective: Confronting Diversity Issues in the Classroom with Strategies to Improve Satisfaction and Retention of International Students

Abstract As the number of international students attending American business schools continues to rise (Open Doors, 1994), managing diversity in the classroom has become an increasingly salient concern. Using surveys, interviews, and focus groups, this study identifies behaviors that international students consistently use that undermine, rather than facilitate, their own academic success. In addition, this study has identified proactive strategies that faculty members can employ in their classrooms. Though designed to improve the performance and integration of international students, these techniques will facilitate the learning process for all students, regardless of gender, age, or race.

Social Networks of International Students in Japan: Perceived Social Support and Relationship Satisfaction

Perceived social support and relationship satisfaction of international students in Japan were examined. A total of 221 international students responded to a questionnaire composed of items that questioned the demographic characteristics of their network members, type of relationship, equity in relationship and satisfaction with relationship. Contact, relationship type and nationality of supporters were critical determinants of overall perceived social support, while relationship type, contact and equity were important for determining satisfaction in the relationship. On-campus relationships were important in academic support, while offcampus relationships played vital roles in both. This study revealed the importance of taking into consideration off-campus supporters in a study of international student adjustment.