Twelve years later

This study seeks to explore and report international business students’ perceptions and expectations of electronic library services at the University of Illinois at Urbana‐Champaign. A total of 143 international business students on campus volunteered to fill out a survey. The results were analyzed using descriptive statistics as well as inferential statistics such as t‐tests and correlation. A significant portion of international business students has no prior experience with electronic library services in their home countries. Moreover, about a half of international business students go to libraries other than the Business and Economics Library, partly because they provide better environment for study. Although electronic resources are available without the constraint of location, providing reference services for those who do not use the Business and Economics Library becomes a challenge. Virtual reference is an excellent tool, but most international business students do not see it as an important library service. Based on the results, implications for information literacy and virtual reference service are discussed.

A comparative study on information-seeking behaviors of domestic and international business students

Aim/Purpose: This narrative inquiry study uses a strength-based approach to study the cross-cultural socialization journey of Chinese international doctoral students at a U.S. Land Grant university. Historically, we thought of socialization as an institutional or group-defined process, but “journey” taps into a rich narrative tradition about individuals, how they relate to others, and the identities that they carry and develop. Background: To date, research has employed a deficit perspective to study how Chinese students must adapt to their new environment. Instead, my original contribution is using narrative inquiry study to explore cross-cultural socialization and mentoring practices that are consonant with the cultural capital that Chinese international doctoral students bring with them. Methodology: This qualitative research uses narrative inquiry to capture and understand the experiences of three Chinese international doctoral students at a Land Grant institute in the U.S. Contribution: This study will be especially important for administrators and faculty striving to create more diverse, supportive, and inclusive academic environments to enhance Chinese international doctoral students’ experiences in the U.S. Moreover, this study fills a gap in existing research by using a strength-based lens to provide valuable practical insights for researchers, practitioners, and policymakers to support the unique cross-cultural socialization of Chinese international doctoral students. Findings: Using multiple conversational interviews, artifacts, and vignettes, the study sought to understand the doctoral experience of Chinese international students’ experience at an American Land Grant University. The findings suggest that Chinese international doctoral students use cultural capital (aspirational, linguistic, familial, social, navigational, and resistance) as leverage in this cross-cultural socialization process. Recommendations for Practitioners: The findings from this study offer insights for practitioners into what institutions and departments might do to support Chinese international doctoral students in their socialization journey. It is vital to support the whole student through understanding their different forms of capital. Recommendation for Researchers: Future researchers may want to further explore how students experience this process. An important question for future researchers to consider is: do Chinese international doctoral students benefit from multilingual discourse with their peers and from a multi-lingual command of the literature? Also, does the ability to read scholarly publications in both Chinese and English bridge a gap and strengthen professional identity development? Impact on Society: Significant impact on society includes improved opportunities for cross-cultural learning, international partnerships, and support for positive socialization experiences where diverse students may use their cultural capital as strengths and express new ideas. Moreover, there is also an economic benefit for the institutions and communities that rely on international students’ economic contributions. Future Research: Future research may want to explore how students perceive and experience multilingualism as a benefit in their education; for example, does the ability to read scholarly publications in both Chinese and English bridge a gap and strengthen professional identity development?

International tertiary students face many challenges and stressors when studying abroad. Past research reports that Asian international students experience acculturative stress due to language barriers, lack of social connections with locals, and discrimination, which may contribute to poor mental health. The aim of this study was to gather firsthand personal experiences of Chinese international tertiary students studying abroad in Australia. Using open-ended survey questions, this study explored Chinese international students’ acculturation challenges in Australia and the strategies employed to navigate these challenges. Chinese international students studying at universities across Australia were recruited. Qualitative data from 129 Chinese international students ( M = 23.2, SD = 2.5) were analyzed using thematic analysis. Five main themes were identified with regard to acculturation challenges and coping strategies: ‘language barriers’, ‘social engagement’, ‘dietary changes’, ‘sports and fitness in acculturation’, and ‘mental health support’. The results suggested that Chinese international students may benefit from interventions that promote social connections, local language competency and mental health literacy to ensure a smoother transition in Australia. Participants also highlighted the need for mental health services to be culturally safe and inviting and clearly promoted as free and accessible. Future research should integrate learnings from Chinese students’ detailed accounts with longitudinal surveys to gain a more comprehensive picture of the conditions that promote positive academic and mental health outcomes.

Most of the current literature on the experiences of Chinese international students tends to adopt a deficit-based approach, focusing on the weaknesses, problems, and challenges Chinese students face while studying overseas. In other words, they tend to focus on struggling Chinese students, “problem” Chinese students, and Chinese students who are failing their overseas studies. Though the intention may be good, these studies may strengthen a negative stereotypical image of Chinese international students that is problem ridden. This study aims to introduce some positive psychology in international student development by focusing on successful Chinese students, their success stories, and what success secrets they can share with future Chinese students studying abroad. With the completion of an undergraduate program adopted as a minimum threshold of student success, this study aims to glean the experiences of successful Chinese students in the United Kingdom and disseminate them as lessons for future students. The study finds that proactiveness in networking and seeking support, open and adaptive attitude toward learning and life, and metacognitive skills in self-management are the most important factors contributing to Chinese students’ success in overseas studies.

The UK has been one of the most desired destinations among international students. Among them, the Chinese student cohort represents the largest group in the UK. While aiming to benefit from the high-quality scholarship and invaluable experience arising from international contexts, it is widely acknowledged how these international students likewise make significant financial, economic, academic and cultural contributions to the host country. Previous studies have examined different aspects of Chinese international students’ experience in the UK (e.g. motivation, learning strategies, social adjustment and participation and attainment), but in-depth and comprehensive investigations of the experiences of Chinese international students for the duration of a Master’s programme are seemingly non-existent. This study has responded to recommendations from previous literature and studies that suggest future research in this area should consider employing a longitudinal design to examine international students’ adaptation process over time while focusing on one specific international student group (Smith & Khawaja, 2011; Zhang & Goodson, 2011). Therefore, the purpose of this research is to explore Chinese postgraduate taught (PGT) students’ transitional experience in the UK with two specific research questions: 1) how do Chinese postgraduate taught students adapt to a new academic and social culture during the transition process? and 2) how do their social connections influence their transitional experience in the UK? This investigation characterises qualitative longitudinal research. Thirty-four Chinese PGT students at a research-intensive Scottish University participated in this study. Two sets of semi-structured interviews with the use of visual method techniques, i.e. photo-elicitation and diagrammatic-elicitation were conducted at the beginning of and near the end of the one-year Master’s programme. With the phenomenological focus of this research investigation, an inductive approach, i.e. Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis was employed for the data analysis. The combination of the reflective and in-depth understanding from this longitudinal study offers distinctive and broad insights into Chinese international PGT students’ complex transitional experience in the UK. This features the intertwined academic, social, linguistic and psychological experiences as well as observed changes and reflections when initial and latter experiences are compared. By using Abraham Maslow’s hierarchy of needs as a theoretical lens, this study aims to offer useful conceptual contributions for a deeper understanding of the needs specific to Chinese PGT students and at the practical level, offer invaluable insights for how these needs from the beginning to the end of their educational journeys can be addressed. Additionally, by adopting the functional model of the friendship network, the research findings present a comprehensive picture of their social connections – these connections become a vital component of their overall experience and, in turn, is linked to how their hierarchy of needs is subsequently met. Altogether, this research has endeavoured to address some of the important gaps when investigating Chinese PGT students’ experience in the UK by using a longitudinal approach combined with visual methods and the use of Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis in order to offer a complex, diverse and dynamic picture of Chinese PGT students’ experience in the UK. Such an understanding can serve as a catalyst for a greater appreciation of this specific international student group, but it can also provide some invaluable insights in understanding other similar groups. A greater and deeper understanding of international students is arguably indispensable for Higher Education Institutions’ strategies. This can play a major contributory role in their ongoing attempts to create better quality, more meaningful international student experiences.

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to communicate the positive and challenging aspects of a Master of Education program, as perceived by Chinese students at an Atlantic Canadian university.Design/methodology/approachAssuming a qualitative methodology, 21 Mainland Chinese students participated in individual, paired, and focus group semi-structured interviews. Interviews were member checked. Data were analyzed through content analysis. The findings are discussed using Deardorff’s (2006, 2009) concept of intercultural competence.FindingsStudents perceived the best features of their educational experience to be personable instructors, their enhanced English skills, and practical course-based experiences embedded in the program. The main challenges were social isolation, English language requirements and related assignments, and theoretical expectations of the program.Research limitations/implicationsThis study contains a somewhat small qualitative small sample size (i.e. 21 participants), therein, disabling any generalization of results. In other words, the data findings are unique and non-generalizable beyond the particular research case. However, transferability, which refers to the extent in which the results of an original study can be applied to similar people, contexts, or settings (Lincoln and Guba, 1985), may be applied to the findings if the reader deems the context of this study in alignment with his/her situation.Practical implicationsApproximately, 82 percent of Canadian universities rate internationalization as a top priority, supporting the need for research in this area. An implication of the study is that internationalization of higher education must be more than just the recruitment of international students. Universities have direct and fiduciaries responsibilities to support the academic needs, personal needs of their international students, as well as the intercultural competence of all students, instructors and staff.Originality/valueThere is a plethora of research documenting experiences of international students, in general, but such research is not directly transferrable to the Chinese student. The issues and problems encountered by Chinese international students are unique and should be addressed independently from international students. Moreover, a lot of the research that focuses on Chinese students enrolled in North American universities, predominantly, is conducted within the USA, and such research tends to spotlight the challenges only. In turn, the authors’ research addresses a specialized focus of the international Chinese student in Canada.

PurposeBased on the theoretical framework of expectancy‐disconfirmation paradigm, the purpose of this paper is to examine the differences in student perceptions of the level of satisfaction related to educational and non‐educational services among four groups of international postgraduate business students from China, India, Indonesia and Thailand undertaking study in Australia.Design/methodology/approachThe data used in this study were derived from a mail survey conducted among international postgraduate business students from Asia studying at five universities in the state of Victoria, Australia. A total of 573 usable responses were received. Analysis using structural equation modelling, multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) and analysis of variance (ANOVA) was undertaken.FindingsThis study develops and tests a model of international postgraduate student satisfaction. Findings indicate that the importance of service quality factors related to both educational and non‐educational services varies among nationality groups and, therefore, has a differential impact on student satisfaction.Practical implicationsThe study provides insights into seven constructs related to educational and non‐educational services that are perceived as important by postgraduate business students from Asia in satisfaction formation. Universities should develop a diversified strategic marketing plan that incorporates the differential needs of international postgraduate business students according to the educational and non‐educational constructs developed in this paper.Originality/valueThis study makes a contribution by filling a void in academic research in the area of satisfaction in relation to postgraduate international business students from four nationality groups in Asia.

PurposeInformation literacy is defined as discrete abilities that a person requires to have in order to find, assess, use and share information. As information literacy skills play a prominent role in the students' academic achievement, students and in particular international students coming to continue their postgraduate studies in other countries may face problems in finding and using library services. The purpose of this paper is to explore and investigate the information literacy skills, challenges and needs of international and domestic students at the Finnish universities.Design/methodology/approachThis paper uses a mixed-methods design. Quantitative data were collected through an online survey (82 respondents) and qualitative data were collected through semi-structured interviews with 10 international and 10 domestic students.FindingsAcademic library services are used but in different ways. The findings indicate that international students have a relatively low level of information literacy skills compared to domestic students and faces various challenges, especially in the beginning of their studies.Research limitations/implicationsThe study was exploratory, and data were collected from limited number of Finnish universities and may not be representative of the underlying population.Practical implicationsAcademic libraries should provide effective courses on research methods and library services to the international students while keeping in mind the international students language and cultural barriers.Originality/valueThis is one of the first attempts in information literacy research that focusses on international and domestic students' information literacy skills at the higher education environment. As such, the results provided in this paper can help librarians and decision-makers at the higher education environments to plan better and become more efficient in delivering information services meeting students' information needs and expectations.

The Australian university sector had almost one million international students in 2024. This population faces significant mental health challenges that affect their wellbeing and academic success, but these issues have received minimal empirical attention. Past research reports that international students experience acculturative stress due to language barriers, lack of social support, and discrimination, which contribute to poor mental health. Current evidence lacks insight into the progression of acculturative stress over time. To address this gap, this study conducted a longitudinal investigation of the mental health profiles of 140 Chinese international tertiary students in Australia and 84 Chinese tertiary students in China (Mage=22.4, SD=2.7). Participants in Australia were assessed in 2023 after their arrival (T1) and then five months later (T2). Contrary to expectations, the groups did not differ on standardised measures of distress, loneliness, wellbeing, social support, and resilience. However, Chinese students reported greater acculturative stress, as measured by the Acculturative Stress Scale for International Students (ASSIS), at T2 than at T1. Participants reported that the most significant challenge in adapting to life in Australia were language barriers and communication difficulties (84.3%), which were rated more frequently than the academic demands of university (55.0%). Potential methodological limitations aside, the results suggest that Chinese students may benefit from resources, supports, and interventions that target specific areas of acculturative stress, particularly in relation to language proficiency, to optimise their health and study.

This account reports on some experiences of facilitating action learning with international business students. Interest in international student learning and the international student experience is significant and increasing with a considerable range of literature on the subject. Some of this literature is concerned with the perceived ‘problems’ or ‘deficits’ which international learners are said to bring to the UK university experience. Elsewhere the benefits which international students bring to the learning process are more positively highlighted. This paper describes some of the experiences derived from implementing action learning with a number of sets of international postgraduate business and management students in an HE business school setting. Specifically, it considers how educational, learning and cultural differences, expectations and assumptions influence the student experience, and how collaborative learning can be developed.

This study aims to contribute to the themes expounded by Deuchar (2022; British Educational Research Journal, 48, 504‐518) concerning international students’ strengths, contributions, and practices in higher education by focusing on the experiences and practices of Chinese doctoral students across four English higher education institutions. The investigation deploys Bourdieu's tools of habitus, field and capital to understand how these students employ their capital and skills in the process of sense‐making in the English field. The findings revealed that Chinese students displayed signs of confrontation during their initial interaction with the English institutional milieu, stemming from discrepancies between the forms of capital and norms valued in the British system and those encouraged and developed within the Chinese system. However, interpretations of these challenges among Chinese students were not uniform. Their practices and responses to these challenges also exhibited variability, which provides insights into the evolving and enduring aspects of their habitus. The study advocates moving beyond a homogeneous ‘deficit’ view that focuses on what Chinese students ostensibly lack, built on the assumed norm of Western modes of thinking and learning. Instead, it emphasises recognising the strengths and unique capacities, such as their linguistic repertoire, developed in the Chinese system. This perspective could provide policymakers and stakeholders with valuable insights into recognising Chinese students as agentive and diverse actors, thus better supporting and protecting their interests. This, in turn, could unleash their potential and facilitate greater academic contributions in their respective disciplines.

ObjectiveTo examine comparative levels of depression, anxiety, and stress among a sample of Chinese international students and local Australian students studying at a major Australian university, and to elicit the main sources of symptoms in these groups.MethodThe study used the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS‐42) to measure scores on each of the subscales in a sample of 201 undergraduate students. Differences between the local students, Australian students, and Chinese international students are reported. Qualitative data are analysed to determine the main sources of students' psychological symptoms.ResultsAustralian students' stress levels fell between the ‘mild’ to ‘moderate’ categories, while Chinese students' stress levels fell within the ‘moderate’ category. Anxiety levels were between ‘normal’ and ‘mild’ for Australian students, and between ‘moderate’ and ‘severe’ for Chinese students. Depression levels fell in the upper range of ‘normal’ for both groups. Chinese students' levels of both stress and anxiety were significantly higher than for local students. Academic, life balance, and family factors were found to be the main sources of stress for Chinese students.ConclusionsChinese international students experience significantly higher levels of anxiety and stress than their Australian counterparts, and the causes of these appear to be culture‐specific. Universities have a duty of care to address the phenomena of psychological morbidity among Chinese international students. Approaches to psychological support services, including counselling and academic support, should be culturally specific and must be reinforced constantly during the semester as stress and anxiety accumulate.

China, Vietnam and Republic of Korea are among the top five source countries of international students for Australia. This chapter focuses on the narratives of Chinese, Korean and Vietnamese students as globally mobile learners. It draws on a larger study on the educational experiences of 105 international students from 25 Australian colleges. Drawing on a Bourdieuian conceptual framework and the related notions of investment and cosmopolitan, the chapter shows that international Vietnamese, Korean and Chinese students are motivated to engage in cross-border education by the aspiration for intellectual, professional, cultural, linguistic, and citizenship transformations. Integrated extrinsic and intrinsic motives appear to underpin their engagement in international education. Accordingly, the traditional view that sees academic considerations as the main or sole impetus for students’ cross-border mobility to pursue an international education is no longer relevant in a more globalized age. In addition, the research highlights the association between international students’ choice of mobility and the navigation of their identity paths.

International student mobility is a vital sign of the globalisation of higher education. Mainland China is one of the largest sources of undergraduate and postgraduate students. Previous research has identified the push-pull factors and features that influence a student’s choice of study abroad destination. This chapter extends understanding by identifying and examining what 129 mainland Chinese parents and 109 students rated most and least important when considering studying abroad. The research shows that Chinese students and their parents consider push factors, such as the possibility of obtaining employment abroad, a variety of teaching styles, and overall educational quality, to be extremely important when deciding whether to study abroad. Chinese students and parents, on the other hand, cited enticing pull factors such as tuition costs, payment plans, and a socially acceptable learning environment. Chinese students and their parents’ decisions to study abroad or not were also shown to be significantly influenced by institution-specific characteristics such as reputation and leadership, course portfolio, campus closures, and accessibility to services for student assistance.