Recognizing International Students’
Aspirations, Expectations and Satisfaction
in a Diverse Learning Environment
Presented by
Liang H. Chen, BA, MSED., MBA, PHD, CGA
March 26, 2008
Agenda
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Introduction
Objectives
Methodology
Findings (Survey + Interviews)
Recommendations from Students
Conclusions
Introduction
• This study was supported by SIG 2006.
• This study builds on my research interests related to
international students’ choice and learning experience.
• Over the past four decades, our learning environment has
become more diverse:
Pro
The benefits of our multicultural
society help international students
feel more at home and part of the
society rather than like strangers.
Con
International students also tend to
become invisible in a diverse learning
environment, unless they identify
themselves and express their concerns.
Objectives
1. To identify international students’ learning experiences,
successes, and challenges in an academic setting
2. To assess their level of satisfaction with their education
3. To glean insights on how we can help international
students adjust to their new learning environment and
achieve their academic goals.
Literature Review
• Uehara and Hicks (1989) found that finances, lack of friendships, loneliness,
educational communication, and language acquisition were the great concerns
of international students.
• Chen (1990) and Fradd and Weismantel (1989) identified that English ability
was one of the most significant factors affecting the social and academic
satisfaction of international students.
• Grayson (2005) found that international ESL students had considerable
difficulty with English, and therefore, had lower GPAs than domestic and
international English speaking students.
Chen, G. (1990). Intercultural communication competence: Some perspectives of research. Paper presented at the Annual meeting of the Eastern
Communication Association.
Fradd, S. H., & Weismantel, M. J. (Eds.). (1989). Meeting the needs of culturally and linguistically different students: a handbook for educators
Boston: College-Hill Press.
Grayson, P., & Stowe, S. (2005). Language Problems of International and Domestic ESL Students at UBC, York, McGill and Dalhousie, and
Academic Achievement [Electronic Version] from http://www.canises.com/.
Uehara, A., & Hicks, J. (1989). Institutional responses to socio-cultural adjustment: Problems of foreign students in Japan. In K. Ebuchi (Ed.),
Foreign students and internationalization of higher education. Hiroshima: Research Institute for Higher Education, Hiroshima University.
Methodology
• Who?
 Non-English speaking international students enrolled in the 2006-07
academic year
 183 students (37%) participated in the on-line survey
(from 36 countries, with majority of East Asian and South Asian students, and enrolled in 7 depts)
 25 students participated in the in-depth interviews
(from 9 countries, with majority (40%) of Chinese students, 56% of female and 44% male students)
 The number of survey respondents and interviewees mirrored the total
populations in terms of country of origin, gender, and department enrolled
• How?
 Quantitative Method - Questionnaire based on CANISES (2004-2006)
 Qualitative Method - Format: semi-structured, small groups
Methodology (continued)
• Research Questions?
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
What are the non-English speaking international students’ aspirations
and motivations for pursuing a foreign degree?
What are the successes and challenges in their learning experience?
How well do their learning experiences meet their expectations?
What is their level of satisfaction in their current programs?
What more can they and their school administrators and instructors do
to enhance their learning experiences and help them achieve their
academic goals?
Findings - Survey
• Study Abroad Decision:
 International Students were encouraged by their family to pursue a foreign degree
and were motivated by a desire to acquire foreign language skills.
• Preparation:
 Students reported that they were emotionally and academically prepared for
university, as well as in terms of their English language skills.
• Learning Experience, Goals & Outcomes:
Students strongly agreed with the following statements:
 “Leaving marks aside, my knowledge of a particular subject matter has increased this year.”
 “I have developed intellectually (judgment, critical thinking, etc.) over the past academic
year.”
 “I can easily understand the lectures, follow the class discussion, and read the exam with no
problem.”
 “I worked up to my talent and potential and will achieve my academic goal this year.”
 “I intend to continue with my program of study.”
Findings - Survey (continued)
• Interaction/Integration & Challenges:
In general, international students found interaction/integration a challenge.
 They reported that it was easier to integrate into students groups formed with
domestic students from their own cultural/ethnic background, or even with
international students from other countries.
 East-Asian international students found it harder than other international students to
form study groups and work in group projects.
• Teaching:
Students agreed with the following statements:
 My professors know their subject matter well, and use good teaching techniques
 My professors are available and responsive to the class, and are approachable and
care about students in the class
 However, they agreed less with the statement “my professors understand my
learning challenges.” (2.96 out of 5.00 in the Likert Scale)
Findings - Survey (continued)
• Satisfaction:
 Students ranked their satisfaction level the highest (3.95/5.00) in terms of “Value
for my education.”
 Their satisfaction level was high in terms of “the content and material that I am
learning ,” and “my program of study meets my expectations.”
 In general, they were satisfied with issues such as the way courses were taught and
course registration, co-op placement, and work-study.
 However, they were less satisfied with their academic performance and social
activities.
• Future Plans:
Students showed a strong indication that:
 They would like to work in an international environment.
 They would like to stay in Canada for a short period of time after graduation.
 However, there was no strong agreement with “go to a graduate school in another
country,” “go to a Canadian graduate school, or “going home” as their future plan.
Findings - Interviews
• Transitional/Adjustment
 Not an issue – the majority (18/25) of interviewees spent at least a year in a
Canadian high school or college before attending UTSC.
 Half of the interviewees mentioned that they had family, relatives or friends
here
• Social/Integration
 Very competitive learning environment:
“They will link up with you if they have something to gain out of it.”
 Difficult to integrate in domestic student groups:
“I had so many friends before I came to Toronto. I came here and no one was talking to me . I feel
lonely.”
 Language is a major barrier:
“I think the major barrier between international students and local students is still the language ability…
If you know their language, you can find that they are really humorous, clever and attractive. But in the
English-speaking environment, they can’t express themselves that good and people would say that this
person is not cool and he is silent all the time. Probably he does not have good marks, why should I talk
to him?”
Findings – Interviews (continued)
• Different treatment for international students
 In general ,“No” – people (students & faculty) were not aware of their legal
status
 Being seen as “rich” or “from rich family”
“If I am treated differently, the only thing is they are rich. I was like no, my parents put every bit of their
saving on my education.”
“Specially the minute you mention you are from Saudi Arabia, because you studied there. They go like
‘Oh my God! Oil! you must be really rich!’ That’s not true though.”
“Wow, you are an international student? You must be like so rich.”
 Not eligible for financial assistance, and job application
“For us, you can’t get any scholarship from others. We don’t get any work opportunities either. I don’t
really care about money but I care about the experience.”
“When it comes to getting a job! They do discriminate if you are international or not. Even if you want
to work in a small job, in a cafe, they do check your status and if you’re international, they give you less
preference.”
Findings – Interviews (continued)
• The Best Academic Experience
 Performed well in certain courses
“I also enjoy labs, chemistry labs. I enjoy it. Being taught stuff and then being able to apply it or do it by
myself, being able to say, “yeah, I did it!” I enjoy that.”
 Found potential/interest in a certain area/courses
“I discovered my “numerical potential” which means I can easily deal with numbers!”
“The communication course I took was my greatest positive experience. I mean I learned so much
without being worried about the grade. The professor told us at the beginning that don’t worry about the
mark, every one gets B or B+ in this course. It really helped because it teaches how to improve
communication skills, how do you talk, how do you project your voice. It was a great learning
experience.”
 Found professors were nice and approachable, teaching styles
“I think the nicest thing is the professor here. The Prof I know, they don’t mind how many questions you
asked. Like even after office hours you go there, they will answer questions. Some professors are really
nice. I feel like so comfortable. I can call my professor’s name, it is so cool… Some professors are so
great, they not only teach, they also talk about their lives and stuff so I feel like oh it’s so good here.”
 Positive co-op work experience
“My work term, because I can relax a little bit. The thing is you can actually experience what is going on
in the market place. You get to know some other friends as well.”
Findings – Interviews (continued)
• The Biggest Academic Challenge
 Majority of interviewees found that the academic work was harder than they expected,
mainly due to language and time management issues
 Language barrier – reading speed, communication skills (oral and writing), group work
“We are international students and people don’t know our language barrier and our culture and all things. You go to
class, you want to do assignment; you are not competent enough to participate in a study group just because of your
English problem. And people are not that open to you. You suddenly don’t know how to set up here, you feel a big gap.”
“I think the biggest challenge for me is to be a public speaking. I think it’s the difference in cultures. I see a lot of
domestic students have the initiative to speak in front of class. But for me I’m kind of shy and not really into public
speaking in front of the class. But I am learning.”
“Reading and the projects . Like honestly I hate researching… But I like group work, you get to meet people and you
now be friends. Biggest challenge for me is lots of reading.”
“The course material for me is kind of hard but I think what’s harder is time management and organizing because it’s
different from Taiwan right. There is no teacher telling you, ‘today your homework is blah blah blah.’ You have to figure
out yourself so time management is definitely very challenging for me... As long as you take the time you can figure out.
And the professor quality is good. You can always ask questions. They are very happy to answer your question.”
“I went to the Writing Centre to ask them to proofread my essay, I feel so depressed after that, you know. They keep on
crossing, crossing, it’s not right, I was crying. They were like ‘how can you make this kind of mistake’. I feel that
because English is not my first language. But they can’t seem to understand that. They say if you have the ability to
come to this university you shouldn’t have that kind of problem... Maybe she was in a bad mood, but it made me feel
really bad that day.”
Recommendations from Students
• Language Preparation, Financial Aid, and Other Services:
“The university can offer us some English programs. Event though that there’s Writing Centre and International Students
Centre, there can be more programs. For example, you can sign up for one hour for English program, and your tutor will talk
to you for one hour. For the Writing Centre, I think there are too many people go to Writing Centre so that the time for each
student is reduced, only 30-40 minutes... Another thing the university can do is arranging a language program, for example, if
one student want to learn Spanish and one want to know mandarin, they can arrange a fixed time and everyone get what they
want to know. I even would like to pay for the a program like that, because it is just so helpful and effective.”
“If you are talking about the university as a whole, definitely there is something they can do to support international students.
They can open more financial sources to international students. I mean people come to study overseas is probably the biggest
issue of their family unless they are millionaires. From the global educational perspective, the top destination is US and people
will go there if they can afford it. Canada can provide a relatively good education with a cheaper cost. However, even it’s
relatively cheaper, it’s still very expensive. So school can just merely open some sources of aid for visa international students
would be good enough.”
“I think we haven’t received the, let’s say, service because of the expenses that we are paying, tuition and stuff, and I always
believed that from the nature of consumers side, I think we should get extra attention especially for international students, we
really need extra assistance and help to get familiar with, let’s say, understand the academic work and get familiar with the
social community. But I don’t think I see the effort has been made, like creating extra care for this certain group, international
students. Like as for now, there is ISC, International Students Centre, but it’s actually just a small place over there, at the
corner of the student centre. Some people just pass by, they don’t even know that’s the place you can get help. As I know that
international students numbers keep going up, I think the university may want to try creating a special place to taking care of
international student, let say expanding the impact of ISC.”
“Yeah, food can be a problem, because we are Muslims we have to eat a specific kind of food, Halal food, slaughtered in a
specific way... Except Subway's tuna sandwich, which I have been eating for like a year! Lower the prices on campus or have
more variety because you get sick of it.”
Conclusions
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International students reported that they were satisfied with their learning
experiences and that they met their learning objectives. The findings are similar to
those of the NSSE (National Survey of Student Engagement).
They reported that the best academic experiences included finding their potential in
certain areas, performing well in certain courses, co-op experience, good interaction
with their professors.
They reported that the greatest challenges included the language barrier, in both the
academic setting and social interaction, time management, burden of high tuition
fees and not performing well academically.
They recommended that the university could provide more language preparation
programs specifically for international students, financial aid, and better promotion
of the services provided by the International Student Centre.
Residence experience is important for social, integration, and academic adjustments.
This study confirms previous studies on international students' main concerns
related to financials, loneliness, and language acquisition . As well, it proves that
English ability is one of the most significant factors affecting the social and academic
integration of international students.