QUALITATIVE RESEARCH PROJECT
Beyond Borders: Life of an International Student
Professor: Patricia Vasconcellos
Team 14
First Name
Last Name
Student ID#
Ritam
Chatterjee
0989739
Bhavishya
Bhat
1012337
Sharan Raj
Keertipatti Venugopala
0994755
Part 1: Summary
The present research aims to study on ‘Beyond Borders: Life of an International Student’ among
international students in Fanshawe College, London, Ontario. Among many things the pandemic has
ambushed the world with since 2020. Studying overseas and fulfilling this educational dream for
international students coming to Canada has been a traumatic experience, at the very least. This
investigation will gain insight into the life of international students, the challenges faced by them and
determine their adaptiveness to this new environment. As the inflow of international students into
Canada is ever increasing, the findings will not only assist us in understanding their hardships faced but
empathize with them and learn from their experiences to adapt better. Also, importantly, the issues
being pointed out can help our college to enhance their services that can be made to support these
students.
The research will happen in two phases: In the first phase, fellow students will participate in a survey.
The survey research questionnaire (aimed for 20 students) shall consist of the following questions,
subject to further modifications:
•
Are students eagerly waiting to come to Canada despite classes being online?
•
What are the immediate challenges faced after entering Canada? What is the stress level/workload?
•
What is the level of interaction with fellow students, the college support team, and college
professors?
After that, we shall further examine the pros and cons they have personally experienced, the actions
or changes each of them, have taken to their routines, technological use, expenditure to make the
transition easier on themselves, and their suggestions for improvements. The study will also use
observational techniques to ascertain student satisfaction and challenges, and the findings will be an
asset as a research report.
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Part 2: Research Plan
The research plan is designed to conduct the present research in two phases.
The first phase will consist of a survey questionnaire to understand the students and their hardships
of moving into an international atmosphere for overseas education. Considering the ongoing
pandemic, the survey questionnaire will be the first tool for collecting data. The target audience for
the research is international students enrolled in the international program at Fanshawe College. The
sample size is aimed at an achievable figure of 20 students. The survey questionnaire will consist of
ten short and precise questions, and the participants will be providing their answers through multiplechoice options, a rating scale, and a text box. The survey questionnaire will be prepared using Google
Forms, and the link will be shared via 'WhatsApp' or e-mail.
Once the data from the survey questionnaire is collected, the research will proceed into its second
phase: the one-on-one interview. The interview will help elaborate the intensity of the questions and
give the participants more room to express themselves. The one-on-one consultation will be
conducted either on 'Zoom' or in-person depending on the participant's comfort, and the sample size
for this is three students for a 15-minute-long interview.
The survey questionnaire will consist of the following questions:
• How eager were you to continue your higher education overseas despite the pandemic?
• Why is Canada a preferred destination among international students?
• Do students eagerly wait to come to Canada despite classes being online?
• What are the immediate challenges faced after entering Canada? List the top 3.
• What is the stress level even after a month after entering Canada?
• How would you rate your level of interaction with your classmates in online learning?
• How would you rate your level of interaction with your professors in online learning?
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• How would you rate your level of interaction with your college student support team in online
learning?
• How would you rate the services provided by Fanshawe for their students to settle in the new
environment?
• Given an option, will you choose offline learning or online learning, depending on challenges
faced by an international student?
The one-on-one interview will consist of the following questions:
• Can you please elaborate on the immediate challenges faced after entering Canada?
• What was the most significant cultural challenge faced by you after entering Canada?
• How long did it take you to settle in a new and different environment?
• What change did you make to your daily routine to adapt to this new change?
• How challenging are these changes to an international student like yourself?
• What suggestions would you like to give to new international students?
• What is that one service you liked the most from your college student support team and why? Any
suggestions.
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Part 3: Methodology
The study got 18 responses with a span of 4-5 days, The current progress in the first part of the
research has been tremendous and challenging. The research will get responses from different
academic intake students to analyze the various challenges faced by fall, winter, and spring intake
students. Most of the responses were from winter intake students, and few were from fall intake
students, with almost no responses from spring intake students.
The results have been favorable in terms of participation and the responses expected from the
respondents. All responses will be recorded and analyzed later to land more accurate results. The
second phase will be concluded before the end of March 2022. We are awaiting their confirmation on
accepting our e-invites. Since Covid-19 restrictions are lifted, we hope to conduct these interviews in
person but only at the comfort and discretion of our participants. The interview will follow a script of
prepared questions to ensure that it remains neutral, and any interviewer/researcher bias is
minimized.
The responses from the questionnaire survey show more than 40% of respondents were exceptionally
eager to come to Canada despite their classes being online and knowing about the challenges they
will face once they land in Canada. Their interaction with their classmates and professors is adequate.
Still, more than 50% of respondents had the most negligible interaction with the Fanshawe college
student support team despite more than 40% of respondents rating their services 4 out of 5 on the
scale (5 being highest). This result can be primarily because of classes being online. The one-on-one
interviews will bring more in-depth understanding of these challenges faced by international
students.
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Part 4: Research Findings
In total 25 responses were recorded through the questionnaire survey and following results were
received:
40 per cent of the respondents were determined to continue pursuing higher studies despite the
pandemic.
60 per cent of respondents agreed that Canada is the preferred destination among international
students because of its welcoming and multi-cultural environment.
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44 per cent of respondents rated 4 out of 5 on the rating scale1, showing the eagerness to come to
Canada despite classes being online.
40 per cent of respondents rated 3 out of 5 on the rating scale, showing the level of stress even after a
month of staying in Canada.
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Rating Scale: 1 being lowest and 5 being highest
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40 per cent of respondents rated 4 out of 5 on the rating scale, stating how useful are the services
provided by Fanshawe College.
Apart from the above shared findings, one-on-one interviews were also conducted, and it is derived
that employment, harsh weather conditions and accommodation related issues are the immediate
challenges faced by international students.
The limitation faced during the research was primarily the methodology being online and the limited
sample size due to ongoing pandemic. However, despite the limitations the questionnaire survey was
responded by more than the expected sample size.
Conclusion
Based on the research conducted it is concluded that every international student is aware of the
challenges he/she will face when the destination is chosen such as Canada in this research. Also, 40
per cent of respondents want the classes to be back in offline format (in-person) to experience the
international education standards and enhance their knowledge despite the challenges and hardships.
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