The Impact of International Students on US Colleges: Higher Education as a Service Export

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mingyu Chen
2015 ◽  
Vol 39 (3) ◽  
pp. 162-181 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joan Burkhardt ◽  
Elisabeth E. Bennett

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to understand how everyday cross-cultural interactions affected the adjustment of undergraduate international students attending a private university in the northeastern United States of America. Design/methodology/approach – Data were collected primarily through interviews with nine international students and observations at “Eastern University”. Students were purposively selected to balance gender and world regions. Analysis used constant comparison until findings emerged, which were member-checked with study participants (Merriam, 2009). Findings – Findings show that the impact of university diversity initiatives for promoting everyday cross-cultural interactions is described as creating an us/them divide, promoting solidarity and establishing a cultural presence. It is concluded that formal university events foster recognition of the campus diversity international students help provide, but their impact on everyday cross-cultural interactions is both positive and negative. Additionally, the mode by which undergraduate international students are introduced to their US campus affects their integration and future interaction patterns. Research limitations/implications – Further research is needed to explore higher education institutions (HEIs)’ connection to human resource development (HRD) for shaping the future global arena. Studies that address the continuum from higher education to the workforce are needed to prepare the next generation of professionals for a global world. This study is limited due to small sample size. Findings are not generalizable in a statistical sense, but HRD professionals in HEIs may compare the details in this study with their own institutions. Originality/value – This study contributes to the discussion of national HRD by addressing international students and their insights into how diversity programs impact adjustment in an American setting. Additionally, organizational and faculty development initiatives in academic institutions can be improved by understanding the insights found in this study.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Lisa Bardill Moscaritolo ◽  
Brett Perozzi ◽  
Birgit Schreiber ◽  
Thierry Luescher

The Covid-19 pandemic caused unique challenges to international students. Student Affairs and Services (SAS) across the higher education sector played a key role in supporting students and institutions during the pandemic. This article reports the findings of an exploratory survey with SAS practitioners from around the globe on the ways in which SAS responded to the pandemic and sought to mitigate the impact of the pandemic on students in general and international students specifically. The results demonstrate that international students were among the primary groups of students impacted by the pandemic. Specific challenges identified include mental wellbeing, inability to return home, financial hardships, fear, and uncertainty. Discrimination of certain groups was also noted. SAS intervened to assist international students in navigating these challenges across world regions, including services declared essential for international student support. Finally, financial implications and the future of international student support are explored.


2021 ◽  
Vol 96 (3) ◽  
pp. 357-383
Author(s):  
Christof Van Mol ◽  
Sabien Dekkers ◽  
Ellen Verbakel

Abstract The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on subjective well-being of (international) higher education students in the Netherlands In this paper we investigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on subjective well-being of higher education students in the Netherlands. More specifically, we compare international students and Dutch students, based on the Dutch data of the COVID-19 International Student Well-Being Study, a cross-sectional survey conducted between May-July 2020 among higher education students across the Netherlands (N = 10.491). Based on the sociological literature on the relationship between social capital and subjective well-being, we investigate in particular whether changes in social contact during the first lockdown can explain differences in subjective well-being between international and Dutch students. Our results suggest that although international students report lower levels of subjective well-being compared to Dutch students, these differences cannot be directly explained by (changes) in social contact during the lockdown.


2020 ◽  
Vol 16 (3) ◽  
pp. 169
Author(s):  
Khairina Khairina ◽  
Samsilah Roslan ◽  
Noorlila Ahmad ◽  
Zeinab Zaremohzzabieh ◽  
Nurazidawati Mohamad Arsad

The benefits of internationalization in higher education are indisputable. However, students studying abroad may face difficulties such as adjustment issues since they are away from home and go through a new stage in their lives. Seeing that an essential predictor of psychological adjustment is resilience, the current study aims to assess the role of a range of factors (optimism, social support, self-efficacy, psychological well-being, and demographic) in predicting the resilience of Indonesian students in Malaysia. Two hierarchical multiple regression analyses were used to test the influencing factors on resilience. Based on the literature, this study is quantitative in nature where a total of 229 Indonesian postgraduate students in Malaysian public universities were chosen as participants. Results showed that resilience is affected by optimism, social support, and self-efficacy. Essentially, this study provides practical insights into how international students can make adjustments to reduce the impact of stress faced in challenging situations.  Keywords: adjustment, higher education, international students, Malaysia, resilience


2021 ◽  
Vol 29 ◽  
pp. 43
Author(s):  
Adam T. Clark ◽  
Dianna Lippincott ◽  
Jeongeun Kim

This study frames intensive English language programs (IEPs) in institutions of higher education as potential vehicles for social justice among marginalized international students. In this study we examine the differences in academic achievement between international students who enter a university through an English proficiency test and those who pass through an IEP. We compared both populations through nearly 900 cases, out of a sample of 4888, who had similar language proficiency at the time of enrolling at a large research-intensive university in the Southwest of the United States. The results revealed great similarity between the populations of students indicating that as an intervention-style program, the IEP was successful in meeting the linguistic and academic needs of the students. The study also revealed potential implications for higher education policy in ensuring both program quality and benefit to students. The paper also raises issues of equity in terms of the lack of analysis in long-term outcomes for these types of programs compared to other interventions, the need for expansion of international student data collection by institutions of higher education and overall transparency in pre-university programs.


2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (Winter) ◽  
pp. 114-117
Author(s):  
Ana Sofia Hofmeyr

The internationalization of higher education institutions has grown parallel to an increasing need to foster an interculturally competent workforce. In Japan, efforts to internationalize have focused primarily on mobility programmes, often neglecting the impact of internationalization-at-home initiatives. Yet, while numbers of incoming international students continue to increase, the number of Japanese students going abroad in mid- to long-term programs is decreasing. This article describes a PhD project aiming to address gaps in the literature by investigating the impact of at-home strategies on domestic students’ intercultural competence, ultimately contributing to the optimization of programs that promote meaningful interaction between domestic and international students.


2012 ◽  
Vol 01 (09) ◽  
pp. 73-81
Author(s):  
Anantha Raj A. Arokiasamy

This study aims to examine the impact of globalization on private higher education in Malaysia. The impact of globalization and the development of knowledge-based economy have caused much dramatic change to the character and functions of higher education in Malaysia. The major trend is the reforming and restructuring of private higher education in Malaysia to make it more competitive globally. If Malaysia is serious in turning into an “education hub”, strategies and policies have to be in place to attract international students to study with a local university with international standards.


2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. i-ii
Author(s):  
Karin Fischer

If I had written this essay in time for its original deadline, it would have been different in tone. Though just a month ago, it was another, now distant time. Back then I would have written about the explosion of international students on American campuses over the past decade and speculated about whether that boom had gone bust. Geopolitical tensions, global competition, visa holdups, nativism, gun violence — all have contributed to softening enrollments, with the number of new international students coming to the United States declining for three years running. But, I would have concluded, colleges are culprits, too, because their practices — including a lack of diversification of student recruitment, a failure to fully integrate international students into campus life, and insufficient investment in career counseling for students from overseas — have at times undermined the experience of international students in the U.S. And that’s a good thing, I would have suggested, because it means that higher education has the power to do something to address the hurdles that international students face. I didn’t make the February 15 deadline for inclusion in the spring issue, however, because I was increasingly pulled away to cover this frightening new respiratory disease and its impact on higher education. Back then, reporting on COVID-19 was a job for the international reporter, with the focus on what was happening abroad and its impact on student and faculty travel and collaboration. In a few short weeks, however, the coronavirus has come home, to the American campus, to America. The pandemic is upending daily life, but its impact could be especially seismic for international education, and one that those in the field have little ability to affect. All of us, everyone reading this journal, are committed to a career of crossing cultures and borders. Now, we’re house-bound. Some international students are stuck in the United States, stranded by travel bans. Others may struggle to get visas to return. Will parents, stunned by the coronavirus’ quick circumnavigation of the globe, be willing to put their children on airplanes and send them to far-away foreign campuses? It is far from clear what next week, next month, next fall, next year will bring. When I speak with some veteran international educators, they remind me of the field’s resiliency and quick rebound after the September 11th terror attacks. Others shake their head. I’ve never seen anything like this, they say. Amid all the uncertainty, one thing I do know: You will help me make sense of it. As a reporter, much of my work, by its nature, is rooted in anecdote. The research community that has built up around the Journal of International Students has helped provide rigor. The studies, both quantitative and qualitative, published here have shed light on the cultural adjustments inbound and outbound students face, given me new ways of conceiving of student identity, and highlighted the impact on labor-market outcomes of studying overseas, to name a few. The work that you do as scholars has informed the work of my readers, many of whom are practitioners, and the examined approach is often a stronger one. We all are apprehensive about international education’s future, but I am encouraged to know that there is a community committed to better understanding it.


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