scholarly journals A study of the adjustment experiences of Indian international students in New Zealand universities

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Johnson Kukatlapalli
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
International Students ◽  
Social Environment ◽  
Language Proficiency ◽  
Social Life ◽  
Mixed Methods Research ◽  
International Student ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Research Approach ◽  
Indian Students

<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>

scholarly journals A study of the adjustment experiences of Indian international students in New Zealand universities

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Johnson Kukatlapalli
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
International Students ◽  
Social Environment ◽  
Language Proficiency ◽  
Social Life ◽  
Mixed Methods Research ◽  
International Student ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Research Approach ◽  
Indian Students

<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>

scholarly journals International Student Experience at US Community Colleges at the Onset of the COVID-19 Pandemic

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Melissa Whatley
Keyword(s):  
Community College ◽  
Community Colleges ◽  
International Students ◽  
Mixed Methods Research ◽  
International Student ◽  
Research Approach ◽  
Health Crisis ◽  
College Leaders ◽  
Residency Status ◽  
The Impact

This study’s purpose is to explore the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on international students who were studying at US community colleges at the onset of this public health crisis. While previous work has explored the impact of the pandemic on international students generally, we argue that community college international students deserve focused attention due to their potentially marginalized status on their campuses. Using a mixed-methods research approach, we analyze survey and focus group data provided by 17 randomly-selected community college educators. Our results speak to two overarching themes: the supports provided to students at the onset of the pandemic (and educators reasons for providing these specific supports) and the unique impact of the pandemic on community college international students due to their citizenship or residency status. These findings have important implications for community college leaders and international educators as they work with international students during future times of crisis.

Female Saudi International Students Daily Practices on Social Media in Australia

2017 ◽  
Vol 5 (12) ◽  
pp. 39-77 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hanan MOHAMMED ALSHEHAB
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
International Students ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Language Proficiency ◽  
Social Life ◽  
English Language ◽  
Human Life ◽  
Structured Interview ◽  
Digital Identity ◽  
English Language Acquisition

The effect of Social Media (SM) technology on human life in the 21St century cannot be denied; the use of SM platforms can be seen in various fields, such as education, medicine, politics, social life, communication methods, and daily life. The research aimed to investigate SM’s impact on Female Saudi International Students’ (FSIS) English language learning and creation of identities. This study utilized a qualitative method to obtain in-depth knowledge of FSIS’ practices on SM and the effects on their learning and identity. The semi-structured interview was used to collect the data from eight FSIS. Thematic analysis was used to analyze the data. Three main themes were generated: FSIS’ daily practices, FSIS’ digital identity, and FSIS’languages on SM. The findings show that FSIS is active on SM, having accounts on different SM platforms. They communicate with people from Saudi Arabia and of different nationalities. Also, the findings assert that FSIS has a strong digital identity on SM. Moreover, the findings emphasized that using SM helps some of the FSIS to improve their English language proficiency. They use SM as a learning tool for English language acquisition. The limitations and the implications of the study are stated in the Conclusion. For further research, suggestions are made to investigate more phenomena regarding Saudis’ using of SM.

scholarly journals The Determinants of International Student Demand in New Zealand and the OECD

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Logan Page
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
International Students ◽  
Fixed Effects ◽  
International Student ◽  
Tertiary Education ◽  
Descriptive Analysis ◽  
University Education ◽  
Export Market ◽  
Student Demand ◽  
The Impact

<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>

scholarly journals Support Services at Spanish and U.S. Institutions: A Driver for International Student Satisfaction

2016 ◽  
Vol 6 (4) ◽  
pp. 984-998
Author(s):  
Adriana Perez- Encinas ◽  
Ravichandran Ammigan
Keyword(s):  
International Students ◽  
Student Satisfaction ◽  
Support Services ◽  
International Student ◽  
Student Support Services ◽  
Student Mobility ◽  
Research Approach ◽  
International Student Mobility ◽  
University Support ◽  
New Research

Many institutions of higher education are promoting campus internationalization as a core principle through international student mobility and, as a result, have expanded rapidly in enrollment. To effectively serve this growing population, many campuses have had to strengthen their student support services. However, while many have welldeveloped programs for students in general, not all services are designed to specifically cover the needs of international students. The purpose of this paper is to provide an overview on research conducted on the topic of international student satisfaction with university support services as a means to ensure a positive student experience. It also provides a new research approach for comparing how support services for international students are structured at Spanish and U.S. institutions.

scholarly journals Mixed Methods Research: A Comprehensive Approach for Study into the New Zealand Voluntary Carbon Market

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
S Birchall ◽  
Maya Murphy ◽  
Markus Milne
Keyword(s):  
Mixed Methods ◽  
New Zealand ◽  
Mixed Methods Research ◽  
Qualitative Interviews ◽  
Carbon Market ◽  
Qualitative Inquiry ◽  
Wicked Problem ◽  
Research Approach ◽  
Data Sets ◽  
Mixed Methods Approach

Climate change and solutions to solving this wicked problem require a mixed methods research approach that draws on quantitative and qualitative inquiry together. The purpose of this article is to demonstrate the applicability (and effectiveness) of a mixed methods approach applied to research into the voluntary carbon market (VCM), a key path available for organisations electing to offset their carbon emissions, in New Zealand. The mixed methods approach included three unique data sets (quantitative documents, quantitative surveys, qualitative in-depth interviews), and was both explanatory (qualitative interviews built upon and contextualized the document analysis and survey results) and convergent (data sets were examined separately, then, as they represent different aspects of the same phenomenon, were combined for analysis). These complementary methods were used to gain a fuller picture of the evolution and institutional dynamics of the VCM field in order to produce a comprehensive case study.

scholarly journals Understanding New Zealand Homeowners Apparent Reluctance to Adopt Housing-Sustainability Innovations

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Lauren Hilary Christie
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Mixed Methods Research ◽  
Verbal Report ◽  
Research Approach ◽  
Thought Processes ◽  
Financial Return ◽  
Social Wellbeing ◽  
Preliminary Study ◽  
Research Questions ◽  
Improve Health

<p>This thesis investigates why sustainability innovations are not being adopted at the expected rate when they not only reduce environmental problems but also improve health, comfort, productivity, and economic and social wellbeing. Homeowners' demonstrate an apparent preference for sustainability innovations. However, there are apparent inconsistencies in their decisions as demonstrated by the lack of success of numerous intervention schemes. The aim of this research was to understand the motivations behind New Zealand homeowners' apparent reluctance to adopt sustainability innovations such as solar water heating panels or double glazing. A mixed methods research approach was taken to account for the numerous explanations and to address the research questions and concerns. This included a preliminary study to further establish the need for this research by investigating the implied market value of sustainability through real estate advertisements; a survey to identify homeowners engaging in this behaviour and their reasons for doing so; and a series of verbal report interviews to develop a qualitative insight of the thought processes behind their decisions. Numerous groups of homeowners were identified; the focus of this research however were those who displayed apparently unreasonable behaviour in that despite knowing what the logical answer should be they still said that they were not willing-to-pay full price for the innovation. This group were found to represent the largest proportion of homeowners suggesting that our time and resources need to be focussed primarily on convincing this large group of homeowners. The cause of these homeowners apparently unreasonable behaviour was observed to be due to an exaggerated perception of risk. In addition to the obvious risks that the innovation might not suit their house or that the financial return would not occur, these homeowners seemed averse to being seen to be different from the average homeowner. It is proposed that the findings from this research can be used to plan interventions that either change behaviour or align policy and other marketing responses to the characteristics this group of homeowners displayed.</p>

scholarly journals Library instruction services for international students in New Zealand's tertiary libraries : a survey

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Heather M. Ward
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
International Students ◽  
International Student ◽  
Student Population ◽  
Academic Librarians ◽  
Library Instruction ◽  
Research Project ◽  
Tertiary Institutions

<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>

Assessing mixed methods research quality in the European student mobility literature

2019 ◽  
Vol 14 (4) ◽  
pp. 433-449
Author(s):  
Keanen M McKinley
Keyword(s):  
Mixed Methods ◽  
Mixed Methods Research ◽  
International Student ◽  
Student Mobility ◽  
Research Quality ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Research Approach ◽  
European Student ◽  
Quantitative And Qualitative Research ◽  
Complex Phenomena

Mixed methods research (MMR) integrates quantitative and qualitative research approaches to reach more valid, complete, or refined conclusions. MMR is emerging as a distinct research approach that can be particularly useful for understanding complex phenomena, like international student mobility. While other fields have established frameworks for conducting MMR, no such framework exists for European student mobility researchers. As a first step toward creating a MMR framework, this exploratory study systematically analyzed and assessed the quality of 24 MMR studies within European student mobility research using content analysis, where quality is operationalized as the alignment between the MMR rationales and study designs. Concerns arose for 10 of the 24 sampled articles, illustrating the need to establish frameworks and ensure a shared understanding of MMR. I provide three directions for future research that will inform the creation of MMR frameworks specific to European student mobility research.

Predicting international student study success

2013 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 173-193 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael H Daller ◽  
David Phelan
Keyword(s):  
International Students ◽  
Language Proficiency ◽  
International Student ◽  
English Language ◽  
Subject Area ◽  
Test System ◽  
Vocabulary Knowledge ◽  
Study Success ◽  
Key Factor ◽  
Academic Year

AbstractMore and more students study outside their own countries and by 2020 a rise to 7 million international students is predicted world-wide. The present study investigates the level of language proficiency that is necessary for international students to study successfully at universities in English-speaking countries and how this proficiency can be measured. Standardized tests such as the International English Language Test System (IELTS) or the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) are carefully developed and constantly scrutinized by the research community, and they provide a valid cut-off point for entry to university, but they do not seem to be good predictors of study success on their own. This is mainly due to the fact that most students who enter universities with these tests have similar scores which leave researchers with a truncated sample where correlations between these test scores and study success, e.g. marks obtained after one year, are necessarily low. The present study investigates alternative measures of language proficiency that can predict the study success of international students. In a longitudinal study with 74 international students a battery of language tests was used at the beginning of the academic year to predict the average marks that the students obtained at the end of the academic year. Several multiple regressions show that between 33% and 96% of the marks can be predicted with tests based mainly on vocabulary knowledge. The findings of the present study have implications for decisions on admission criteria and for language support provision in addition to subject specific learning. There may be many factors other than language proficiency that influence study success of international students such as cultural factors, motivation and familiarity with the subject area. However, our findings indicate that language proficiency and especially vocabulary knowledge is the key factor that explains in some cases almost entirely the final marks that the students achieve.

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