The role of demographic factors of international students on teaching preferences

2016 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 53-71
Author(s):  
Pramila Rao
Keyword(s):  
International Students ◽  
Teaching Methods ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Demographic Factors ◽  
Demographic Variables ◽  
Eastern Region ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Usa ◽  
Teaching Preferences ◽  
One Way Anova

Purpose This empirical research was conducted in a medium-sized private university located in the north-eastern region of the USA. The purpose of this paper was to understand whether demographic attributes (age, gender, country of origin and years of stay in the USA) of international students will predict any preferences for specific teaching methods. This study was conducted with international students from October 2012 through May 2013 (fall and spring semesters). Design/methodology/approach This research paper provides hypotheses to explore whether there is any relationship between demographic factors and preferences for various teaching methods. This study analyzes the results using both Pearson’s correlations and one-way ANOVA to reject or accept the hypotheses. Findings The results demonstrated that there were no significant correlations between the demographic variables of international students and teaching methods. However, the one-way ANOVA analyses suggested that there are differences among age groups and their preferences for group projects, years of studying in the USA and their preferences for classroom discussions, and gender and their preferences for textbook assignments. Practical implications This study suggests that scholars provide orientation or training on the host country’s pedagogies so that international students can assimilate better into their academic communities. Originality/value This pioneering paper examines the role between demographic variables of international students and teaching pedagogies. This specific concept has not been examined in this literature before. This understanding could contribute to a richer understanding of this population of students.

Learning challenges and preferred pedagogies of international students

2017 ◽  
Vol 31 (7) ◽  
pp. 1000-1016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pramila Rao
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
International Students ◽  
International Student ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Survey Method ◽  
Learning Needs ◽  
Eastern Region ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Learning Challenges ◽  
The Usa

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to understand the challenges international students face during their higher education in the USA. This research study was conducted at a private university in the Eastern region of the USA from October 2012 through May 2013 (Fall and Spring semesters) with undergraduate and graduate international students. International students for this study are defined as those students who are on an international student visa status (F1). Design/methodology/approach This research adopts an online survey method to understand the challenges international students encounter in a single university. A total of 111 students responded providing a response rate of 33 percent. The results were analyzed using frequencies and percentages. Findings The findings of this study suggest that the primary learning challenges of international students are inadequate writing skills, non-participation, and comprehension abilities. The predominant learning needs are writing academic papers, enhancing class participation, and having local mentors. The students recommend that professors offer detailed feedback, encourage nurturing environments, and provide informal feedback for assignments. The preferred pedagogies are class lectures, class discussions, and individual assignments. Practical implications This study provides implications for both faculty and administrative staff in managing international students better. Originality/value This paper provides a holistic picture of the challenges international students face during their higher education in the USA. Most of the research on this population focuses only on one of the elements addressed in this research. The results of this empirical study will help guide both local faculty and global academic institutions in understanding this student population better.

Unpacking the monolith

2019 ◽  
Vol 39 (9/10) ◽  
pp. 661-679 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael A. Miner
Keyword(s):  
Gender Differences ◽  
International Students ◽  
Graduate Students ◽  
Multinomial Logistic Regression ◽  
Full Range ◽  
Stem Fields ◽  
Graduate Level ◽  
Citizenship Status ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Usa

Purpose The term STEM often remains an undifferentiated category, especially at the graduate level. Conceptualizing STEM as a monolithic category, rather than as a combination of distinct fields, prevents researchers from understanding and documenting the full range of persistent inequality within scientific disciplines at the graduate level and throughout the lifespan. The purpose of this paper is to address two oversights prior to degree completion within the context of the USA by asking two specific questions: To what extent is gender associated with choice of discipline within STEM graduate education? In the USA, do gender differences in STEM fields depend on citizenship status? Design/methodology/approach Using data from the 2015 International STEM Graduate Student in the US Survey, this study employs multinomial logistic regression analyses and presents predicted probabilities to assess differences of enrollment in STEM fields by gender and citizenship status. Findings Results show that domestic women were less likely to enroll in computer sciences and engineering when compared to domestic men. However, in contrast to domestic students, there were no gender differences among international students’ enrollment in engineering. Research limitations/implications This paper shows the importance and complexity of how gender intersects with citizenship status in enrollment patterns in STEM graduate fields. The survey included the top 10 universities in the USA based on the total enrollment of international students, and it is unclear if there exists differences in these selected students and schools when compared to students at colleges and universities that enroll less international graduate students. Originality/value The author makes the case to disaggregate STEM to better assess how specific fields can be modified to attract graduate students worldwide. This paper accentuates the significance of gender and citizenship status for understanding differences in choice of discipline among graduate students in STEM.

International student perceptions of experience in the West

2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 147-166 ◽  
Author(s):  
F. Robert Buchanan
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
International Students ◽  
Student Perceptions ◽  
Foreign Students ◽  
International Student ◽  
Emerging Market ◽  
American Business ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Usa

Purpose The purpose of this exploratory study is an examination of some perceptions of US education, as experienced by foreign MBA students. Design/methodology/approach A longitudinal field study captured perceptions of a group of 51 international students over a one-year interval. The first anticipatory survey was done in India, and the follow-up was made in the USA at the end of a foreign sojourn semester. Inter-item correlations and t-tests were used to examine variance in student perceptions, highlighted by qualitative elements. Findings In general, the students went home, less impressed than they had expected to be in terms of the perceived general quality of the American business education, as well as their abilities to make friends with the local people. Additionally, the observed preparation of the American students for master’s studies was not nearly as high as the foreign students had anticipated. Research limitations/implications Results are not generalizable to broad populations, as the sample was small and localized. Social implications Emerging markets are successfully luring locals and sojourners based on cost and proximity as they achieve greater legitimacy in their institutional credentials. This could challenge the preeminence of Western higher education, especially in light of concerns arising from marketization and rigor. Meanwhile, developed market institutions need to be strategically mindful of their international guests as a resource rather than a commodity. Originality/value Extant internationalization studies tend to focus on administrative viewpoints, whereas this research examines the perspective of international students, which may be indicative of lessening gaps between perceptions of quality of developed and emerging market higher education.

scholarly journals Trainee Teachers’ Situational Motivation and Motivational Climate towards Physical Education Lessons during COVID-19 Pandemic

2021 ◽  
Vol 45 (3) ◽  
pp. 201-207
Author(s):  
Ngien Siong Chin ◽  
Boon Sian Teo ◽  
Eng Hoe Wee
Keyword(s):  
Online Learning ◽  
Mixed Methods ◽  
Physical Education ◽  
Teaching Methods ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Motivational Climate ◽  
Trainee Teachers ◽  
Gender And Age ◽  
Situational Motivation ◽  
One Way Anova

This study examined the trainee teachers’ situational motivation and motivational climate towards Physical Education lessons in primary schools during COVID-19 pandemic. The participants were 160 trainee teachers comprising of 115 males and 45 female aged 21 to 26 years old (1.10±0.30) from two Institute of Teacher Education Campuses in Sarawak, Malaysia. The participants were administrated the Situational Motivation Scale (SIMS: Guay, Vallerand & Blanchard, 2000) and Teacher Initiated Motivational Climate in Physical Education Questionnaire (TIMCPEQ; Papaioannou, 1998). Descriptive analysis, independent-samples t-test, one-way ANOVA, two-way ANOVA and correlation were utilized. Independent-samples t-test indicated that there were no significant differences for all variables in SIMS and TIMCPEQ on gender and age groups. The one-way ANOVA was used to compare the effect on teaching methods in SIMS and TIMCPEQ. There was a significant difference in teacher-initiated mastery orientation for the three teaching methods, F(2,157)=3.31, p=0.04. Post-hoc comparisons using the Tukey HSD test revealed that the mean score for the online learning (3.87±0.78) was significantly different than the mixed methods (4.22±0.55). However, the face-to-face learning method (3.96±0.62) did not significantly differ from the online learning and mixed methods. Furthermore, two-way ANOVA was used to examine the effect of gender and age groups in SIMS and TIMCPEQ which revealed no significant main effect of gender and age groups. Additionally, there was no statistically significant interaction between gender × age groups for all variables in SIMS and TIMCPEQ. The findings revealed statistically significant positive relationship between the variables in SIMS and TIMCPEQ ranging from very weak (0.24) to very strong (0.90). The findings revealed the necessity for positive motivational climate through adaptive educational resources, alternative teaching approaches and methods that would support and motivate the trainee teachers, educators and students in the teaching and learning of PE during this challenging time.

International students’ academic satisfaction and turnover intentions

2019 ◽  
Vol 27 (4) ◽  
pp. 533-548 ◽  
Author(s):  
Neena Gopalan ◽  
Nicholas J. Beutell ◽  
Wendy Middlemiss
Keyword(s):  
Academic Success ◽  
International Students ◽  
Self Efficacy ◽  
Turnover Intentions ◽  
Cultural Adjustment ◽  
Ecological Systems ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Academic Satisfaction ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Usa

Purpose This study aims to investigate international students’ cultural adjustment, academic satisfaction and turnover intentions using ecological systems perspective and explores factors that affect academic success and turnover by exploring three stages: arrival, adjustment and adaptation. Design/methodology/approach The sample consists of 208 international students enrolled at a mid-Western university in the USA. Confirmatory factor analysis, structural equation modeling and mediational analyses were used to test hypotheses. Findings Findings indicate that self-efficacy, as a pre-sojourn characteristic, affects adjustment variables inclusive of cultural adjustment, affecting academic satisfaction and turnover intentions. Adjustment variables (coping, cultural adjustment and organizational support) mediated relationships between self-efficacy and turnover intentions. Research limitations/implications The proposed model moves the research forward by examining an ecological systems framework describing how individual, social, academic, cultural and institutional factors function in supporting international students’ transitions. Results may be generalizable to other large US universities with varying dynamics and resources available (or not) for international students. Originality/value Given the challenges international students face in the USA in adapting to both new culture and academic setting, it is imperative to identify what elements of their transition and academic environment predict academic success. This is one of the first studies testing the propositions derived from Schartner and Young’s (2016) model.

Chinese international students and American domestic students’ intercultural communication in response to group criticism: collective face and discomfort feelings

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yi Zhu ◽  
Mary Jiang Bresnahan
Keyword(s):  
International Students ◽  
Intercultural Communication ◽  
Chinese International Students ◽  
Analysis Of Covariance ◽  
Country Image ◽  
Domestic Students ◽  
Content Type ◽  
American Students ◽  
The Usa ◽  
Face Concern

Purpose Group criticism plays an important role in intergroup relations and conflicts, but few studies have related group criticism to intercultural communication contexts. This study aims to explore two cultural groups’ (Chinese international students in the USA and American domestic students) collective face concern as a unique experience in intercultural communication and other psychological responses while encountering group criticism targeting their country image. Design/methodology/approach A laboratory experiment was conducted assessing Chinese international students (n = 115) and American domestic students’ (n = 100) responses to a research-confederate critic (whose group membership was manipulated) criticizing participants’ country image such as blaming China and the USA for air pollution or using drugs in the Olympics. analysis of covariance, correlational analysis and regression analysis were adopted to analyze the data. Findings Chinese international students reported higher collective face concerns and lower liking toward the critic compared with American students. When criticism specifically targeted participants’ country image, Chinese international students reported more discomfort feelings than American students; and while responding to the critic who identified as participants’ ingroup member, Chinese international students’ discomfort feelings were more susceptible to their collective face than American students in the same condition. Originality/value This study illustrates cultural differences in collective face concerns and psychological reactions in responding to criticism targeting a country image in intercultural communication contexts.

Flexible working and the family

2018 ◽  
Vol 26 (1) ◽  
pp. 31-33
Keyword(s):  
Demographic Factors ◽  
Work Context ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Context Factors ◽  
Flexible Working ◽  
Family Friendly ◽  
The Family ◽  
The Usa ◽  
Pertinent Information ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose This paper aims to review the latest management developments across the globe and pinpoint practical implications from cutting-edge research and case studies. Design/methodology/approach This briefing is prepared by an independent writer who adds their own impartial comments and places the articles in context. Findings Family-friendly work perception (FFWP) is an important issue for employees. This research investigates FFWP in six countries (Bulgaria, Denmark, Japan, Russia, South Africa, and the USA), looking at demographic factors (age, gender, marital status, etc.) and work context factors (hours worked, type of employer, etc.). It is found that demographic factors vary among countries, but work context factors remain universal. Self-employed workers have higher affinity with FFW practices than other types of workers. Practical implications The paper provides strategic insights and practical thinking that have influenced some of the world’s leading organizations. Originality/value The briefing saves busy executives and researchers hours of reading time by selecting only the very best, most pertinent information and presenting it in a condensed and easy-to-digest format.

How differing demographic factors impact consumers’ loyalty towards national or international fast food chains

2015 ◽  
Vol 117 (4) ◽  
pp. 1354-1376 ◽  
Author(s):  
R.K. Srivastava
Keyword(s):  
Emerging Markets ◽  
Fast Food ◽  
Demographic Factors ◽  
Demographic Variables ◽  
Systematic Sampling ◽  
Food Chains ◽  
Consumer Survey ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Global Brand ◽  
Global And Local

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to study differing demographic factors affecting fast-food customers loyalty towards national or international fast food chains. It also compares the variation between global and local fast food chains as the products offered are culturally different. Design/methodology/approach – A variety of variables used to gain a holistic view, which includes factors such as quality, price, food and demographic profile of consumers affecting loyalty of fast food chains. The study adopts the theory and method of the trust-commitment-loyalty explanation chain and examines the consumer survey adapted from Fast food by Sahagun et al. (2014). The present analyses 542 filled questionnaires in which systematic sampling is used. Systematic sampling procedure is adopted. Findings – Indians prefer global fast food chains compared to Indian fast food chains. Loyalty towards global brands is higher than that for Indian brands because they are found to be of better quality which leads to higher frequency of visit and recommendation of the brands to their friends and colleagues. There are ethnic variations towards global and Indian fast food chains. Global brand of food chains generated more good word of mouth publicity compared to Indian food chains. Demographic factors play a role in the patronage of fast food chains. Research limitations/implications – One of the limitations of this research is the study adapts the theory and method of the trust-commitment-loyalty explanation chain and examines the consumer survey adapted from a study of Sahagun et al. (2014) on fast food for emerging markets. Only India is studied, but the addition of other countries like Brazil, China, Russia and South Africa can add value. Practical implications – Fast food managers had to illustrate the satisfaction on affective response, such as quality of food, convenient location, variety, service and value for money. Demographic variables like gender, age, education, income and ethnicity, global and local Brand will affect the perceptions. Originality/value – This is the first attempt to study the loyalty of consumers in emerging markets, which is witnessing the entry of many fast food global chains. It studies the demographic variables effect on the loyalty and the behaviour of consumers and compares to local and global brand fast food chains. The research will be use to global managers who are planning to expand in emerging markets like India.

Internet use by international graduate students in the USA seeking health information

2014 ◽  
Vol 66 (2) ◽  
pp. 117-133 ◽  
Author(s):  
JungWon Yoon ◽  
Soojung Kim
Keyword(s):  
International Students ◽  
Graduate Students ◽  
Health Information ◽  
Information Seeking ◽  
Internet Use ◽  
Medical Information ◽  
Content Type ◽  
International Graduate ◽  
The Usa ◽  
Health Information Sources

Purpose – Considering that the internet is a useful source for health information, especially by foreign-born students, this exploratory study aimed to investigate international graduate students' internet use in the context of seeking health information. Design/methodology/approach – Data were collected from 54 Korean graduate students in the USA using a survey questionnaire. Quantitative analysis using SPSS was conducted to describe Korean graduate students' internet use for seeking health information and to identify factors that possibly influence their health-information seeking activities. Findings – The survey participants preferred Korean resources because of language problems and the internet was the primary source. They reported difficulties in identifying appropriate health information sources and understanding medical information. They often sought online health information to solve their or their family's current health problems and consequently, personal relevance was regarded as an important evaluation criterion, as was accuracy. Research limitations/implications – By looking at an understudied user group, this study leads to a better understanding of the patterns of internet use for seeking health information among a specific ethnic group. The findings of this study demonstrate the needs of health education materials and guidelines that introduce credible health information sources and medical information for Korean graduate students and their families. Originality/value – Despite the increasing number of international students in the USA, there is a lack of research on the health information-seeking behavior of international students. The findings of this study will help health education specialists and health information professionals provide international students with necessary health information.

Subordinates’ perceptions of supervisor paternalism: a scale development

2015 ◽  
Vol 30 (6) ◽  
pp. 659-674 ◽  
Author(s):  
María Fernanda Wagstaff ◽  
Adrienne Collela ◽  
María del Carmen Triana ◽  
Alexis Nicole Smith ◽  
Marla Baskerville Watkins
Keyword(s):  
Scale Development ◽  
Social Dominance ◽  
Discriminant Validity ◽  
Demographic Variables ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Validity And Reliability ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Convergent And Discriminant Validity ◽  
The Usa ◽  
And Control

Purpose – Drawing from social dominance theories and conceptualizations of paternalism, the purpose of this paper is to define and develop a measure of subordinates’ perceptions of supervisor paternalism (SPSP). Design/methodology/approach – The authors assess the validity of the measure using Hinkin’s (1998) scale development steps. Findings – The authors found evidence of the convergent and discriminant validity of the measure of subordinates’ perceptions of supervisor paternalism drawing from three different samples. Participants in the study were also able to differentiate a low from a high paternalism condition using the measure of paternalism. Finally, as expected, the interaction between a supervisor’s benevolence and control was significantly associated with subordinates’ perceptions of supervisor paternalism. Research limitations/implications – The authors provide evidence for the validity of a measure of subordinates’ perceptions of supervisor paternalism while controlling for various status signals represented by demographic variables. Results may have been influenced by common method variance. However, there is no theoretical reason to expect any such interactions. Additionally, as the authors limited the data collection to the USA, the authors caution against generalizing beyond that context. Practical implications – The authors provide validity and reliability evidence for a unidimensional measure that is short and easy to administer in future research to further examine the consequences of perceptions of supervisor paternalism. Social implications – Defining and measuring subordinates’ perceptions of supervisor paternalism is important to society given the potential adverse consequences of these perceptions. Because paternalistic relationships pervade many supervisor-subordinate interactions, both subordinates and supervisors can become more sensitive to the consequences of such interactions by understanding the conditions under which supervisor paternalism manifests itself. Originality/value – Conceptually, in this study, the authors build on prior research and define supervisor paternalism from a social dominance perspective. Empirically, the authors contribute a statistically valid and reliable unidimensional measure.

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