Multilingual realities/monolingual ideologies: Connecting the dots between schools’ language practices and international student well-being

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 183-201
Author(s):  
Jessica Terruhn ◽  
Paul Spoonley

The globalization of the knowledge economy and a concomitant increase in educational mobility have seen greater numbers of international students take up studies in Aotearoa/New Zealand’s education system. As a result of increased educational mobility, alongside other types of migration, ethno-cultural and linguistic diversity has become more common in New Zealand schools. This internationalization of Aotearoa/New Zealand’s education sector has been met with government policies and strategies to ensure the well-being of international students. In these strategies, well-being is indicated by economic security, health and safety, as well as high-quality education and a welcoming and inclusive experience in Aotearoa/New Zealand. Drawing on data from a research project that examined how school policies and practices shape international English for speakers of other languages (ESOL) students’ sense of belonging, inclusion and well-being at a New Zealand secondary school, this article illuminates how school language practices impact on international students’ well-being. Specifically, the article highlights a profound mismatch between the diversification of the student body and the privileging of monolingual English-only practices in the classroom as well as the disparity between intentions and effects of the school’s pull-out ESOL class programme, in which ESOL-designated students are taught separately from ‘mainstream’ students. The discussion highlights the detrimental and discriminatory impacts such language practices had on international students. Based on this analysis, we argue that strategies that are designed to ensure international student well-being need to put greater emphasis on the instructional needs of culturally and linguistically diverse learners by advocating for linguistically responsive practices and that schools need to normalize multilingual practices to ensure international student well-being and to work towards equitable and just education.

Author(s):  
Chiu-Pih Kaylie Tan ◽  
Oky Indra Wijaya ◽  
Elnes Tubal

Self-esteem plays a major role in the well-being and adaptation of an international student to a host country, including acculturation at school, workplace, and other settings. The main objective of the chapter is to investigate the self-esteem and associated factors of international students in non-funded private training establishments (PTEs), one of the fast growing higher education sectors in New Zealand. This exploratory study presents the initial findings of self-esteem of international students in one of the PTEs. Implications of the findings on self-esteem will be discussed in light of how it is related to the acculturation of an international tertiary student in a host country.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Logan Page

<p>Tertiary education, once a purely domestic affair, has become an increasingly globalised industry over previous decades. Whilst the international sector has grown to being New Zealand's fourth largest export market (Ministry of Education, 2016), there is a lack of credible research on the demand of international students.    This thesis aims to provide a greater understanding of the determinants of international student demand, both in New Zealand and internationally. I firstly provide a descriptive analysis of the trends in the international student market for New Zealand and 27 OECD countries. Secondly, I use a fixed-effects approach to analyse the demand of international students within New Zealand, using fees data at the course-by-university level. Thirdly, I then generalise this approach to the international market to provide an analysis of the demand for international students travelling to the OECD.    The findings from these analyses imply that the demand for international university education is relatively inelastic. The impact of a marginal increase in fees decreases the number of EFTS/students at a proportion of less than one. Furthermore, this effect is generally not statistically distinguishable from zero.</p>


2018 ◽  
Vol 53 ◽  
pp. 01003
Author(s):  
Richard Grumbine ◽  
Natsuki Aka ◽  
Riho Hirano

Internationalizing the Japanese students at KOSEN has proven difficult. While KOSEN welcomes international students with the hope of internationalizing the almost entirely Japanese student body, the challenge has been to get the Japanese students to interact with the international students and take advantage of the opportunity. Far too often international students live in a bubble and have meaningful contact with only a few students. This leaves the international students feeling isolated and the Japanese students not benefiting from the opportunity that KOSEN is trying to provide. Ariake KOSEN attempted to address this problem in two ways. A discussion class which included international students was created where the students were expected to discuss pre-assigned topics in small groups over the course of a semester. These groups often contained an international student. This forced exposure created a chance for Japanese students to communicate with international students. This communication was then seen continuing well beyond the discussion exercises. A survey was given at the completion of the one semester class to evaluate effectiveness. The results show that students found the opportunity to be helpful and in line with their own learning goals. Another approach was to create a more casual place for students to gather and interact with international students. An English Lab was created to give the students a place to interact outside of the traditional classroom atmosphere. This second effort is just in the beginning stages but the basic ideas are laid out in this paper. Anecdotal evidence seems to suggest that the Lab is working, with usage on the part of Japanese students being high, but the international students seem less inclined to use the room.


2018 ◽  
Vol 23 (3) ◽  
pp. 572-588 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas Thurnell-Read ◽  
Lorraine Brown ◽  
Philip Long

While the increased scale and importance of international students to the UK Higher Education sector is now well established, little is known about the ways in which students from non-UK countries experience and interact with the heavy drinking culture that predominates on and near many British universities. Drawing on qualitative interviews, this article analyses the perceptions, attitudes, and experiences of British drinking cultures held by international students studying on postgraduate courses at a UK university. Students report prior awareness of alcohol consumption being important to British culture and recount both positive and negative experiences of witnessing and, for many, participating in drinking alcohol. Students make ready comparisons with the drinking habits and attitudes of their own culture. Further still, many made a distinction between the public house, or ‘pub’, as a welcoming and friendly social space, and bars and nightclubs, where a far greater risk of exposure to violence and harassment was perceived. The article provides theoretical insights to support future and more wide-ranging research into mobile drinking cultures and also suggests practical implications to inform stakeholders with interests in the welfare of international students in the UK in relation to the provision of effective and proactive policies which address the impact of British drinking cultures on international student integration and well-being.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Johnson Kukatlapalli

<p>A review of literature on the experiences of international students reveals their mostly adverse experiences in academic and social lives during their stay in a host country. At the same time, despite facing challenging experiences, international student numbers are rapidly increasing worldwide every year. Moreover, studies in general find that the facilities and services provided by the concerned educational providers are not being utilized by the international students as intended. Within this context, it may be mentioned that although Indian students have been coming to New Zealand for studies since 1951 as a result of the popular Colombo plan, there is no exclusive study on them, although we have such studies on the Chinese and Vietnamese international students.  The absence of such a study prevents us from recognising the specific requirements or identifying the unique features of their experiences of adjustment to the new academic and social environment. A few studies on Indian students in other countries have identified some of their difficulties while adjusting to the conditions of host countries. Furthermore, the current statistics of international students in higher education sector worldwide reveal that India is one of the top source countries for international student migration at present and for the future. In New Zealand context, even though India is being considered as an important source country for international students in the university sector, the statistics indicate that the majority of Indian international students are not enrolled in universities. All these reasons indicate the need for a specific study on Indian international students and thus, this study was initiated to explore the adjustment experiences of Indian international students studying in eight universities in New Zealand, focussing on their language, academic and social life experiences.  A mixed methods research approach was employed in this study. A survey questionnaire was used to collect data in the initial quantitative phase, and in the later phase, interviews were conducted for qualitative data collection. Both male and female Indian international students participated in this study. They were studying undergraduate or postgraduate courses at different universities in New Zealand, and belonged to different age groups and religions. Most of them have been studying outside India for the first time in their lives.  The findings of this study revealed that Indian students have adequate levels of language proficiency; they adjusted well to their academic life; enjoyed their learning experiences in New Zealand; and minimised their psychological issues through utilising social media facilities. These findings differ from those of the other generic research on Asian students. But apart from these positive aspects, the findings also point to a few concerns about their initial adjustment to a new academic system and new social environment in New Zealand, arising from a lack of proper understanding and information. This study therefore suggests a model for better cross-cultural understanding of both the prospective students and the universities as a possible means to minimize the initial difficulties of these students.</p>


2012 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 123-124
Author(s):  
Krishna Bista

The number of international students and scholars studying and working in a culture beyond their own has significantly increased in past few years. The mobility of students and scholars bring a diverse and global educational exchange of cultures, ideas, and technological innovations to the culture of colleges and universities. In this context, Who Goes Where and Why, written by Caroline Macready and Clive Tucker (2011), is a significant contribution to the field of international student mobility and study abroad. In this book, the authors analyze the trends of students on why and how they study overseas, and how the national policies of hosting and sending countries affect the decisions of those mobile students. 


2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (Fall) ◽  
pp. 37-43
Author(s):  
Michelle K Brunette

International students can face linguistic, social, mental and physical challenges (Zhang and Zhou 2010). The findings of a sequential qualitative dominant mixed methodology study, including a survey and three-stage guided walk interviews, position the unique benefits of outdoor recreation as a tool to support cross-cultural transitions. Outdoor recreation benefits include physical and mental health well-being, reduced anxiety, increased social participation, and cultural exchange (Stodolska 2015; Weng and Chiang 2014). To guide universities in stimulating positive international student experiences in the outdoors, the researchers offer recommendations for the integration of outdoor recreation in six phases: (a) recruitment, (b) preparation, (c) orientation, (d) planning, (e) delivery, and (f) evaluation.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Heather M. Ward

<p>This research project examines the issue of library instruction services for international students studying at New Zealand tertiary institutions. The aim of the project was to ascertain the measures that New Zealand academic librarians are taking to meet the needs of international students, and how well this compares with tertiary libraries in other countries. The data was gathered by mailed questionnaire to tertiary libraries with over 1% international student population. The findings of the survey indicate that there is a lack of awareness of the issues faced by international students and highlights the need for further research in this country.</p>


2021 ◽  
Vol 25 (2) ◽  
pp. 244-256
Author(s):  
Olga V. Dekhnich ◽  
Olga V. Lyutova ◽  
Mikhail A. Trubitsyn ◽  
Elena S. Danilova

Introduction. Despite numerous research works on international students’ training at Russian universities, no analysis of efforts to increase student body has been made so far. In this paper, the authors analyze various aspects of policies aimed at increasing international students’ body (economic advantages, sociocultural benefits, education system changes, international students’ adaptation management). The goal of the paper is to consider the advantages and disadvantages of the international students’ rise in the total population of Russian universities. Materials and Methods. The study comprised several stages, including statistical data screening, analysis of international students’ adaptation measures efficiency, the education process participants’ survey and observation of the activities of public agencies responsible for international students’ stay and study in Russia. The survey involved about 100 university employees, an equal amount of small and medium business representatives and 500 international students from Russian universities. 500 international students participated in a questionnaire survey, and digital content of Russian universities’ websites has been analyzed in order to obtain data necessary for the study. Results. The study revealed a trend toward a rise in international student body at Russian universities, with advantages including higher universities’ incomes, jobs preservation despite the demographic instability, and development of the region’s small and medium business owing to an increased demand for goods and services. The trend also provided socio-cultural and educational benefits and revealed the need to manage students’ adaptation, as well as to establish and develop interaction between universities and federal agencies. Discussion and Conclusion. The research results provide a contribution to education and student body management and regional business strategy planning. The findings may be of assistance to heads of recruitment agencies and bodies responsible for accompanying international students at the place of stay, as well as to service industry managers.


2020 ◽  
Vol 14 (3-4) ◽  
pp. 113-132
Author(s):  
Szilvia Vincze ◽  
Zoltán Bács

Overall, higher education in Hungary is popular with students from abroad, even if there are significant differences in terms of its structure. The ever-faster increase in the annual headcount of the international student body serves as proof to this statement. The expansion of the size of the body of international students is of special importance in higher education since in 2016 the Hungarian government set the objective of having 40,000 international students by 2023 (EMMI, 2016). Numerous studies have been published on this topic, usually focusing on specific issues, including, for example, the countries from which we receive most of the students, the most popular majors, possible economic advantages due to the presence of a great number of international students, and how internationalization takes place in higher education in Hungary.   By means of processing data published by the Hungarian Educational Authority [Oktatási Hivatal], this paper aims to present the changes in the number of international students in Hungary over the past ten years. This also includes the discussion of the structure of these changes related to a variety of issues such as relations, types of institutions and their ownership, levels and types of programs, as well as gender proportions. However, even with this effort, the officially available statistics are suitable for presenting a properly detailed assessment of the situation only to a limited extent. JEL code: I23


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