scholarly journals Understanding and Supporting the Confucian Heritage Culture International Students in Victorian Independent Schools: A Perspective of School Leaders

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (10) ◽  
pp. 377
Author(s):  
Hongzhi Zhang ◽  
Philip Wing Keung Chan

Greater demand for quality post-secondary education has been seen in Asia, particularly in China. Many Western countries have seen a rise in international education. Increasingly, schools in Australia are embracing internationalisation policies, leading to an increase in international student enrolment before the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. International students in school education are something of a little-understood issue for educational scholars, policy makers and the general public. Leadership is seen as pivotal in the success of schools’ internationalisation program. By applying a mixed-method approach to collect data from an online Qualtrics survey and semi-structured interviews with independent school leaders in Australia, this paper reports how school leaders understand Confucian Heritage Culture (CHC) international students’ linguistic, cultural and educational contributions to schools, and their experience in supporting the international students to adapt into the new educational environments through various programs and strategies. This article also advocates that it is vital to respect the international students’ educational subjectivities generated in their “home” countries when providing support programs to help them engage with new educational contexts in “host” nations.

2018 ◽  
Vol 17 (2) ◽  
pp. 164-178 ◽  
Author(s):  
Josef Ploner

With the increasing mobility of international students to UK universities, the appropriate facilitation of their transition remains a critical issue in terms of higher education practice and research. Much existing research and practice is characterised by assimilationist approaches to transition where international students are seen to ‘adapt to’ and ‘fit in’ seemingly uniform host environments. This study however draws on the concept of ‘academic hospitality’ (Bennett, 2000; Phipps & Barnett, 2007) to develop a more nuanced stance which emphasises reciprocity between academic ‘hosts’ and ‘guests’. The findings presented here emerge from semi-structured interviews with a diverse group of international students who spent their first year abroad at a well-established UK university. Elaborating on different experiences and forms of academic hospitality (material, virtual, epistemological, linguistic and touristic), the paper contributes to a refined theorisation of international student transition. It also offers valuable insights for academic practitioners and policy makers who seek sensible approaches to internationalisation.


Author(s):  
Elena Netierman ◽  
Lauren Harrison ◽  
Angela Freeman ◽  
Grace Shoyele ◽  
Victoria Esses ◽  
...  

AbstractRecent decades have seen an increase in the popularity of international education. Approximately 500,000 international students were in Canada in 2018 and this number is projected to grow. While we know that many international students decide to stay in Canada, we do not fully understand the decision-making process employed by international students regarding staying in Canada or going back home after completing their education. The purpose of this study was to explore how international students make decisions about their post-graduation destination and what factors they see as pivotal in shaping their decision-making process. We utilized a symbolic interactionist approach to analyze qualitative semi-structured interviews with 60 international students enrolled in post-secondary programs in Canada. Our findings suggest that the meaning students attach to staying in Canada varies from obtaining permanent residency to working for a few months upon graduation. We also demonstrate that for most students, the decision to stay in Canada is formed gradually and is shaped by familial obligations, cultural climate they experience in Canada, employment opportunities available to them upon graduation, and the possibility of obtaining permanent residency.


Author(s):  
Kathrine Angela Jackson ◽  
Fay Harris ◽  
Russell Crawford

This paper investigates the perceptions of members of our international student community by giving them a voice and a platform to explore their feelings as part of a Higher Education institute in the UK and whether they consider that the university is a global environment. Our data is based on a series of structured interviews with twelve students from twelve different countries, inclusive of four postgraduate research students. Our findings reveal that our international students commonly feel part of multiple smaller communities but interestingly, they were less sure of their part within an institute-wide community. The postgraduate students’ perceptions of community were quite divergent when compared to the undergraduate perceptions, which we will continue to explore in our future work. Our data supports the perception from international students that their university is a global community, but there were distinct differences in how individuals defined it and some limitations to consider. Some defined it as students and staff of different nationalities being present at a university whilst other definitions relied on cultural characteristics within the institution as a whole. We reflect upon the implications of our research as these perceptions shape international student opinion of Higher Education institutes and what is understood by the term ‘global community’.


Author(s):  
Darren Howes

In this chapter, the author provides an overview of the decision-making process that international students will go through when choosing a country, province, and ultimately, an institution for their international higher learning education. After conducting exploratory qualitative research from an Alberta perspective, it was determined that international students are influenced by (1) safety, (2) quality, (3) knowing someone locally, (4) jobs and strength of the economy, and (5) cost. Subsequently, the author will also consider the factors that would influence international students to enjoy or remain in a province after their studies. Having an understanding of the factors that influence international student choice can help the reader understand some of the marketing implications of recruiting international students to institutions and how international students end up studying in the Canadian post-secondary system.


2016 ◽  
Vol 46 (2) ◽  
pp. 19-39 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kyra Garson

Canadian higher education has long been involved in international education, partnerships, and research and development projects; however, recent framing of international education as an industry generating revenues to prop up underfunded institutions is troubling. This approach is endorsed by provincial government strategies and bolstered by the federal government’s recent International Education Strategy, which promotes doubling the recruitment of international students by 2022 (Canada, 2014). While it is true that international students bring economic benefits to the institutions and communities that host them, we should also consider the challenges that this numbers game potentially presents for education. Many institutions now strive to internationalize; although this can encompass a broad range of activities, for many, the focus has been on increasing international student enrolment. This paper argues that there is a need to reframe internationalization in Canada in a way that would acknowledge the economic rationales, yet balance them with the social and academic outcomes necessary for all students to develop the knowledge, attitudes, and skills necessary for effective participation as professionals and citizens in increasingly multicultural and global contexts. For internationalization to fully reach its potential, a reframing of internationalization at home, informed by critical global citizenship education, may offer a way to realize the social and academic outcomes that would support an ethical, inclusive, and equitable approach moving forward.  


2018 ◽  
Vol 23 (2) ◽  
pp. 195-216 ◽  
Author(s):  
Junju Wang ◽  
Jia Lin

For decades, the Confucian heritage culture (CHC) learner phenomenon has aroused the interest of researchers in different areas. However, few studies have focused on the attitudes of international students who study in the Chinese context. This article, therefore, explores how international students perceive traditional Chinese views on education, which are mostly embedded in Confucianism. Using questionnaires and semistructured interviews, the study investigated student attitudes and their recognition of specific educational viewpoints and factors, which act to produce such perceptions. Results show that international students studying in China had positive responses to most traditional Chinese views on education and that the traditional concepts of learning were respected and understood. However, it was the role of teachers within CHC that was the least favorably received. In addition, student attitudes and understandings were in response to individual, contextual, and cultural factors, and positively correlated with their home country, major, and level of education. This article concludes that positive attitudes and perceptions of traditional Chinese views on education by international students occur when the core values of educational philosophies from different cultures are shared also by CHC and that there is a strong influence from the source culture on views of the target culture. By implication, a good knowledge of Chinese learning culture and mutual communication are significant factors for both teachers and students.


2014 ◽  
Vol 4 (3) ◽  
pp. 223-235 ◽  
Author(s):  
Niall Hegarty

This paper highlights the importance of international students to the United States by discussing their impact and necessity to U.S. universities. International student enrollment is a major industry of importance to the U.S. economy and despite arduous visa processes and diminished job prospects their enrollment numbers continue to grow. The Institute of International Education (2012) reports that a lack of funding to public universities has increased their reliance on the revenue provided by international students while private universities also seek to bolster their position in the face of increased international competition. The importance of international students in under-enrolled majors, their necessity as a vital revenue stream for universities and the challenges faced by both student and host university are also discussed. The author provides recommendations for improving the educational experience of international students through improved relationships with university constituents in order to maintain the attractiveness and competitiveness of the U.S.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (S2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Catherine Gomes ◽  
Helen Forbes-Mewett

International education and the international student experience worldwide have been fractured due to the COVID0-19 global pandemic. This special issue brings together papers from around the world which not only critically examine the impact a global crisis has on policies, procedures, operations and people around international education but also the unprecedented effects these have on international students themselves. This special issue moreover opens discussion on the future direction of international education policy and practice in order to create the best international student experience possible.


2016 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 632-343
Author(s):  
Heather Campbell ◽  
Michael G. Strawser ◽  
Stephen George

As the movement toward international education continues, institutions must be proficient when reaching and teaching international students. Instructors should engage unique learning styles, address individual student needs, and take part in additional training to effectively teach international student learners. These instructional imperatives are especially important in communication related classes, like public speaking or composition. Throughout this reflection we briefly address the current landscape of the globalized western classroom and discuss current pedagogical challenges in communication courses from the perspective of communication instructors.


Author(s):  
Shuning Liu

Over the recent decade, the United States has witnessed a growing influx of self-funded Chinese international undergraduate students into its university campuses. Mainstream U.S. media accounts have tended to hold unexamined stereotypes about these international students. This essay review of Ambitious and Anxious: How Chinese College Students Succeed and Struggle in American Higher Educationhighlights the importance of exploring students’ agency in their pursuit of international education. The article points out that to better understand Chinese international undergraduate students’ ambition and anxiety, we must link their emotional and psychological burdens, their academic and social struggles, as well as their agency, to the changing national and international contexts where these students’ transnational mobility is situated. The essay also calls for the need for further research into the politics of international student mobilities.


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