Examinations and international
students: prior experiences,
expectations and realities
Dr Karen Smith
Glasgow Caledonian University
Dr Nick Pilcher, Edinburgh Napier University
Dr Jackie Riley, Glasgow Caledonian University
background
• Funded by the Centre for Sociology,
Anthropology and Politics Subject Centre (part of
the Higher Education Academy)
• Specific call on Internationalisation, targeted at
the Scottish sector
• Aim:
– Investigate international students’ first encounters
with UK exams and explore how their previous
experiences shape expectations and impact on how
students prepare for, undertake and make sense of
exams
importance of assessment
• Assessment important in higher education
• Movements towards ‘innovative’ assessment
(Hounsell et al, 2007)
• BUT - examinations still play major role in
students’ assessment diet
international students in the UK
• One of most visible signs of the
internationalisation agenda is student mobility
(van Damme, 2001)
• International student numbers have increased
in the UK, with the number of non-EU
students more than doubling in the last
decade (Sutton Trust, 2010)
existing literature
• Much assessment related-research
– E.g. preparation for exams; exam room practices;
different types of exam (e.g. Tal et al, 2008)
• Exams and international students
– Mainly just around level of English (e.g. Smith, 2011)
• Much student-focused guidance
– Little of which is aimed at international students
specifically - except Palgrave’s International Student
Handbook (Reinders et al, 2008) and Study Skills for International
Students (McMilan & Weyers, 2011)
approach to the study
• Two post-1992 Scottish institutions
• Before and after interviews with 21 students
(20 in second round)
– Participatory – using spider diagrams
• Post-results email (n=19)
• Questionnaire – 168 students filled it out
– Designed following analysis of first interviews
How did the students think they did?
Only 42% received the results
they expected in the UK
WHY?
exam questions and preparation
• The data showed that exam question types
were similar around the world; familiarity with
questions types led most students to prepare
as they had done at home
• Some students:
– Increased amount of study time
– Revised in groups
• External factors (e.g. weather) impacted on
some study regimes
Back in Nigeria when exams approach you make
use of both the day and the night to study [...] It’s
difficult here, you know, as when you wake up you
wouldn’t want to leave that bed, so you lie down
with your book and you spend 10/15 minutes and
you realise you are just deceiving yourself and
close the book. (laughs) As a matter of fact one of
my colleagues got fed up one day and she packed
her stuff and she’s going back to study in Nigeria in
the warm weather
exam answers
• BUT – what was required in the exams
differed
– Purpose
– Use of references
– Use of examples
– Introducing own opinion
– Level of detail
– Links between course content and exam
lecturers make a close
connection between exams and
what is taught. It was not like
that in Nigeria
what was surprising… was the
referencing work that we had to
do because in France we don’t
have to refer to a source or stuff
like that that much. If you don’t
read it’s okay
If you have a different
point of view from the
one stated in the book
and you write it [in the
Ukraine] you might not
have any marks
• Some students realised too late, often after
the exam, that these differences existed
– Explains why some were disappointed with their
results
• Issue of lack of time for acculturation
combined with ‘high stakes’ assessment
exam room environment
• Stress increased due to unfamiliarity with
exam room environment
– Different expectations of regulations and protocol
– Different understandings of cheating
– Pressures of time
– Challenge of academic English
exam room environment
conclusions
• Previous experiences clearly impacted on students’
expectations of how to prepare for and sit UK exams
• Cannot expect lecturers to be aware of different
exams systems, so:
– Give early feedback on exam-like tasks (Yorke, 2001)
– Encourage active participation in assessment
matters (Ridley, 2009)
– Take time early in semester to discuss what is
expected in an exam (Price et al, 2010)
http://www2.napier.ac.uk/depts/support/exams.html
link to final report
Pilcher, N.; Smith, K. and Riley, J. (2010). An
'unturned stone'? Exams and international
students – final report.
Centre for Sociology, Anthropology and Politics:
http://www.csap.bham.ac.uk/media/com_projectlog/docs/
S1_SS_09.pdf
references
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Hounsell, D. et al (2007) Innovative assessment across the disciplines: an analytical review of
literature, York: HEA
McMilan, K. & Weyers, J. (2011) Study Skills for International Students, Harlow: Pearson
Price, M. et al (2010) If I was going there I wouldn’t start from here: a critical commentary on
current assessment practices, Assessment and Evaluation in Higher Education, ifirst
Reinders, H. et al. (2008) The International Student Handbook, Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan
Ridley, D. (2004) Puzzling experiences in higher education: critical moments for conversation,
Studies in Higher Education, 29(1), 91-107
Smith, C. (2011) Examinations and the ESL student – more evidence of particular disadvantages,
Assessment and Evaluation in Higher Education, 36(1), 13-25
Sutton Trust (2010), Increasing university income from home and overseas students: what impact
for social mobility? Centre for Economic Performance, London School of Economics
Tal, I. R. et al (2008) Effect of paper colour and question order on exam performance, Teaching of
Psychology, 35(1), 26-28
Van Damme, D. (2001) Quality issues in the internationalisation of higher education. Higher
Education, 41, 415–441.
Yorke, M. (2001) Formative assessment and its relevance to retention, Higher Education Research
and Development, 20(2), 115-126